bow your head
Zhao Fanghua has been very satisfied with her life recently.
Every day she slept until noon, awoke, had breakfast, and then wandered around the trees near her own Lirong Courtyard for exercise. It was almost time for lunch. After lunch, she took a nap, read a popular storybook, and waited until the afternoon sun was less scorching before heading to Wanhe Hall to chat with Zhao Qinglan and give him a beauty treatment.
Now there is one more thing to do, which is to go to the small garden of the villa to appreciate the flowers.
The garden of Penglai Villa is much larger than the imperial garden of the palace. Zhao Fanghua had been reluctant to go for a walk because of the hot weather before. Now that the weather has just started to cool down, she accidentally went for a walk and it was an eye-opener for her.
It is just after the beginning of autumn. Although some flowers and plants have begun to wither, there are still many flowers and trees in full bloom, such as osmanthus and chrysanthemum, adding a lot of autumn colors to the garden.
One day, Zhao Fanghua was strolling through the garden as usual when she suddenly saw a strange figure standing in the shade of the flowers ahead. Before she could react, the figure had already turned, stepped forward, and bowed with great formality. "Your humble servant, Duan Jiayan, respectfully greets Her Royal Highness the Princess."
Zhao Fanghua rarely had the opportunity to meet foreign ministers, and was not used to such solemn etiquette. For a moment, he was at a loss. He could only cough lightly and pretend to be calm, saying, "No need to be polite."
After he stood up, Zhao Fanghua looked at him quietly. He was wearing a black gauze hat and a dark red official robe. His figure was as straight as a pine tree, and his eyebrows and eyes were handsome. He was actually a very young official.
She was secretly surprised when her eyes were suddenly caught by his smiling gaze. Zhao Fanghua hurriedly looked away, feeling the embarrassment of being caught doing something bad.
"Um... are you here to visit the garden too?" She regretted the words as soon as she said them. Wasn't this obvious? She felt like she was asking a question she already knew the answer to.
Duan Jiayan, however, was completely unaware and remained respectful. "My mother has always loved chrysanthemums. I heard that the autumn chrysanthemums from Penglai Villa are the best in the capital, so I came here to personally select one for you."
"Oh." Zhao Fanghua nodded repeatedly, "Then you are quite filial."
Duan Jiayan suddenly asked, "I wonder what kind of flowers the eldest princess likes the most?"
Zhao Fanghua looked at the golden osmanthus flowers that filled the garden and answered casually, "Osmanthus."
Duan Jiayan walked slowly over, his eyes fixed on the golden osmanthus on the branches. He said, "It is a pale yellow, tender in nature; its affections are distant, but its fragrance remains. Why should it be pale green or deep red? It is the best among flowers." (Note)
Zhao Fanghua was confused and blinked his eyes, a little bewildered for a moment.
Duan Jiayan said no more, but smiled slightly and bowed to Zhao Fanghua again: "I will not disturb Her Royal Highness the Princess's leisure. I will take my leave."
Zhao Fanghua stared blankly at the figure disappearing into the shadows of the flowers. After a long while, he frowned and asked, "Who is this person?"
Just as I was wondering, a cold voice came from the corridor: "He is Duan Jiayan. His father is the Minister of Justice, and his mother is the legitimate daughter of the Ningbo Marquis. He is a disciple of Zhang Huaiyu, the Grand Master Zhang. He ranked thirteenth in the imperial examination this year and is currently the Director of the Ministry of Works."
Zhao Fanghua nodded, her tone containing admiration: "Then he is quite impressive, but I don't know if he is married yet."
"Heh." There was a barely perceptible coldness in the voice, "You're not married yet."
Zhao Fanghua continued nodding, thinking that was pretty good... huh? Wait, why does that tone sound familiar?
Zhao Fanghua turned around abruptly and saw Zhao Qinglan, his face as sullen as water, in the shadow of the corridor. However, she didn't notice the dark current in his eyes. She just felt like she had seen someone close to her. Her eyes lit up and she trotted over happily, "Alan, why are you here? I was just about to look for you!"
Zhao Qinglan snorted coldly, "Looking for me? Sister, you're having a great time chatting with Lord Duan. I'm afraid you've already forgotten who you were looking for."
Zhao Fanghua was startled by his choking and felt a little uncomfortable, but she didn't think much about it. She just explained honestly: "No, I just happened to meet him and said a few words..."
"By chance?" Zhao Qinglan's lips curled up into a faint smile, but there was no warmth in her eyes. "Is it possible that he has feelings for me?"
Zhao Fanghua finally understood what Zhao Qinglan was saying. She frowned and asked unhappily, "Can you please speak properly? What do you mean by 'the man has feelings for the woman and the woman has intentions'?"
Zhao Qinglan's face darkened as he took a step closer. "You really didn't understand what he meant? Can you honestly say you didn't think about having a further relationship with him when you saw him leave?"
Zhao Fanghua frowned: What further relationship? Marriage?
After what happened with Shen Xiujin, Zhao Fanghua absolutely dared not even think about entering the besieged city of marriage. At most, she only dreamed of capturing him and making him one of her thirty lovers. Furthermore, Zhao Qinglan had just mentioned that this man had a prominent background and was young and promising, so that shouldn't be possible.
Even if we take a step back, Zhao Fanghua wouldn't pounce on a man as soon as she sees him, right?
Zhao Fanghua was puzzled and said bluntly: "Even if I really want to marry him, what then?"
"What?" Zhao Qinglan didn't hear clearly and asked again.
Zhao Fanghua said seriously, "I say, even if I really want to get married, what's wrong with that? Even if I don't get married, I can't be alone all my life, right? I have to have some concubines. Just like you, the queen's throne is vacant now, but one day you will be crowned queen and have concubines, right?"
Before she finished speaking, Zhao Qinglan's face had completely darkened, and he turned away with a wave of his sleeves.
Zhao Fanghua stood there in a daze, completely bewildered. What was wrong with this guy? Why was he going crazy out of nowhere?
Duan Jiayan is a young talent no matter how you look at it. It shouldn't be a grievance for me to marry him. Why is he so angry?
She quickly picked up her skirt and chased after him, "Alan, what's wrong with you?"
Zhao Qinglan, however, acted as if he didn't hear anything and walked faster and faster.
Seeing that he was about to lose the chance to catch up, Zhao Fanghua angrily shouted, "Zhao Qinglan, stop right there!"
Upon hearing this, the guards and eunuchs standing by dared not even breathe and quickly lowered their heads to act like quails. Fortunately, Zhao Qinglan did stop in response.
Zhao Fanghua rushed forward angrily, grabbed his sleeve, looked up at him, and demanded, "Zhao Qinglan, what are you doing?"
"I'm crazy?" Zhao Qinglan laughed in anger. "You're meeting with an outsider in broad daylight and you're asking me what's wrong with me?"
Zhao Fanghua said confidently: "Is it a crime to meet with foreign officials in private?"
Zhao Qinglan was speechless for a moment. It was just an accidental encounter, and it was indeed not enough to warrant punishment.
Seeing that he was speechless, Zhao Fanghua felt even more aggrieved and complained uncontrollably, "Zhao Qinglan, I've had enough of you! Why are you always like this? You change your attitude faster than turning the pages of a book. One moment you're incredibly nice to me, and the next you get inexplicably angry! Just like now, I have no idea why you're so angry! Do you know how tiring it is to be around you like this?"
Zhao Qinglan pursed her lips tightly and said nothing.
"It's up to you whoever you love," Zhao Fanghua said, shaking off his sleeves. "I won't serve you anymore!"
After saying that, she turned around and strode away in the opposite direction of Zhao Qinglan.
Zhao Fanghua rushed all the way back to her yard, threw herself heavily on the bed, and wrapped herself tightly with a brocade quilt, but she couldn't hide the grievances and resentment in her heart.
She had been sulking alone for a long time, but when she calmed down a little, a sense of uneasiness quietly rose in her heart.
Shouldn't she...haven't gotten angry at Zhao Qinglan like that? He was the emperor, after all, and his personality was so unpredictable. Not only had she addressed him by name, but she had also walked away in a cold, disdainful manner. If he really wanted to pursue the matter, even if it meant risking her life, he probably wouldn't have gotten away with it.
But as soon as this thought came to mind, it was suppressed by a more overwhelming wave of fatigue and rebellion.
Damn it! Whatever happens, she is really fed up with living in fear and having to look at other people’s faces every day!
Since coming to this strange world, there has been no air conditioning, mobile phone, WiFi, milk tea, hot pot, or spicy hot pot. But that’s okay, she has endured it anyway.
She had thought she'd be able to live a comfortable life as a daughter of a wealthy family, but what happened? She was either wary of the original male protagonist's revenge or afraid of Zhao Qinglan's sudden change of heart. She lived in fear and trepidation all the way. What kind of life was she leading?
It’s better to be like this now. The worst that can happen is death, and maybe I can die quickly.
But... after such a hard-earned rebirth, should I just give up like this?
This thought made her heart twitch, and she felt a strong sense of unwillingness.
She didn't want it! She didn't want to bow her head anymore, and she didn't want to carefully speculate, try to please, and coax the moody Zhao Qinglan anymore!
Besides, she clearly did nothing wrong this time, so why should she be so humble and try to please him?
If anyone needs to be coaxed, he should be the one to coax her!
Zhao Fanghua felt a sudden chill on her face. She raised her hand to touch it and was shocked to find that she had been crying without knowing when.
She hurriedly wiped it with her sleeve, but the more she wiped, the more severe the tears became, and she couldn't stop crying.
After so much effort... after so much effort, I finally had a new life, and I finally thought I had grasped a little bit of warm family love, but in just a few days, it became so fragile.
As expected, the imperial family is the most ruthless.
She actually foolishly hoped to find a little true love in this deep palace. She was really too stupid and naive.
Zhao Fanghua curled up in the quilt, sobbing and crying. Finally, exhausted both physically and mentally, she fell into a deep sleep with tears all over her face.
When Zhao Fanghua woke up from her coma, it was already dark. The lights in the house were dim. An indescribable feeling of sadness and loneliness silently lingered in her heart. She subconsciously called out, "Yingluo?"
The voice sounded particularly weak in the silent hall, and no one answered.
She rubbed her eyes and vaguely caught a glimpse of a slender figure standing outside the dim veil. Her features were blurred through the layers of veil, but that tall figure was definitely not her maid.
A feeling of panic suddenly surged into my heart.
"Yingluo! Peihuan! Shuyu!" She sat up suddenly, her voice rising in urgency, "Someone come!"
But the shadow was not scared away by her voice. Instead, it slowly approached the bed.
Zhao Fanghua's heart instantly rose to her throat. Seeing that the man had already reached out to touch the gauze curtain, she was so scared that she subconsciously closed her eyes tightly. She could almost hear her own heartbeat like a drum.
"Sister, it's me."
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