Chapter 208 Meeting at Incense Burning
The late Emperor Zhongzong had only two sons and one daughter in his life. Except for Xiao Yuancheng, the other two had passed away in recent years and none of them lived past the age of fifty.
Xiao Yuluan said this, her hands trembling as she picked up the teacup, but accidentally spilled the tea on her clothes. She smiled bitterly and shook her head: "Look at me like this..."
Bai De'an then took a closer look at the eldest princess before him, a trace of surprise in his heart. He still remembered when the princess had just returned to the capital a month ago. Although she was over sixty years old, she was still vigorous and energetic, her back straight as a pine tree, and her every move vaguely reflected the grace of her former military career.
But now, Xiao Yuluan, who was sitting in front of him, although rich, had lost a lot of the sharpness between her brows, and looked like an ordinary old woman.
"Does the Grand Princess need to summon an imperial physician to check on her health?" Bai De'an asked tentatively.
Xiao Yuluan gently stroked her left shoulder and said with a wry smile, "It's nothing serious. It's just an old injury from my youth in the army. I didn't think much of it when I was traveling around. Now that I'm back in this wealthy home, I've become spoiled."
She frowned as she spoke, her left shoulder trembling slightly, obviously enduring pain.
"I'm sorry to have embarrassed you, Chief Steward Bai." After a while, Xiao Yuluan seemed to have recovered and forced a smile. "It's been raining intermittently for a few days, and my injured bones are a little sore."
She didn't finish her words and frowned again.
Bai De'an originally thought that being unwell was just an excuse of the Grand Princess, but now it seems that she is really ill?
"The Grand Princess has fought for the country and has made great contributions." Bai De'an said respectfully, his eyes subtly examining Xiao Yuluan's slightly pale face. "If His Majesty knew you were so unwell, he would definitely feel distressed."
"I also feel sorry for Your Majesty. Chief Steward Bai doesn't know that in recent years, whenever I think of the scene of the dispute with my royal brother, my heart is overwhelmed with anxiety..."
"If I hadn't been so competitive back then... Alas, it's all my fault..."
Her voice became increasingly choked, tears welling in her eyes. "Please, eunuch, take this message to His Majesty. Tell him to take good care of himself and not get angry. Health is what matters most."
"It is important that the Grand Princess take care of her health. His Majesty has also specifically instructed that you are old and do not need to worry about anything unnecessary."
Xiao Yuluan understood what he meant, paused, and sighed, "I understand what Your Majesty means. I deeply regret it. Do I have to repeat the mistakes I made back then? Eunuch, go back and tell Your Majesty, and I'll save you the trouble."
"Grand Princess, you're too kind." Bai De'an lowered his head and smiled, now pretending to be stupid again, "Your Majesty has no other intentions."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yuluan slowly stood up and walked slowly to the window, gazing at the century-old ginkgo tree in the courtyard. She couldn't help but sneer, seeming to regain some of her arrogance. "Alright, you and I are both smart people..."
She waved her hand, "Go back and tell His Majesty that I will take good care of myself and will not... cause him any more trouble."
Bai De'an had no choice but to bow and retreat. Before leaving, he took one last look at Xiao Yuluan standing in front of the window. Her straight back seemed to have regained some of her former dignity, but he had already seen her hunched over today.
"It seems that this eldest princess is really old..." Bai De'an muttered to himself, and walked quickly towards the waiting sedan chair. He couldn't wait to return and report this good news to His Majesty.
After seeing Bai De'an off, Xiao Yuluan's sickly expression vanished. She stood in the hall, gazing at the pair of vibrant coral trees, a sneer curling up at the corner of her mouth.
She would not make things difficult for Xiao Yuan anymore, but would directly make things difficult for him.
Xiao Yuluan has not forgotten how she witnessed the world gradually falling into chaos. How can the current situation be compared with when her mother was alive?
It is important to put things right in time before the situation becomes too serious.
After receiving Bai De'an's report, Xiao Yuancheng was even more satisfied. If his aunt had continued to show weakness, he would have been suspicious, but Bai De'an told him every move she made, and in the end, his aunt's behavior was still that of the same aunt.
"My aunt is right. When people get older and stay in a wealthy environment for too long, they will gradually lose their fighting spirit..."
When he was young, he wanted to fight on the battlefield, expand the country's territory, eliminate malpractices, and implement new policies. However, as he grew older, he became more afraid and cautious, until later he was only willing to maintain the status quo, as if as long as he continued according to the rules left by his ancestors, he could not be blamed for anything that happened.
"Alas... It's good for young people to have fighting spirit, but why can't they wait until a hundred years after my death?"
Xiao Yuancheng's whispers faded into the night, but the bright moon covered by dark clouds gradually emerged, casting moonlight across the sky and earth.
The next morning, a large carriage stopped in front of Prince Zhao's mansion, and Qingwu walked out of the main gate of the mansion carrying Qingmian.
"My sister is really in her prime. Dressed like this, she's such a pretty girl."
Qingmian specially changed into a light pink skirt today, and pinned a few pearl flowers made of pearl shells in her hair, which made her look even more charming and lovely.
Qingwu helped her sister onto the carriage and then boarded herself. After taking her seat, she gently squeezed Qingmian's hand and said, "Don't be nervous. Just treat it as a normal incense burning."
Today, the two sisters planned to go to Baoguo Temple, the largest temple near the capital, ostensibly to burn incense, but actually to meet Yang Sanlang.
Qingwu was not in a hurry at first, but it was Madam Yang who was anxious. Seeing that her sister-in-law and her family really settled down in the Yang family, she couldn't let her mind go. Later, she heard that Qingmian was indeed a good person and would soon have a younger brother and sister-in-law, so she simply asked to meet her first.
Qingwu did not hide anything from his sister. He explained the advantages and disadvantages clearly to Qingmian and only brought her to burn incense after getting his sister's consent.
Although the thirteen-year-old girl was still naive, she knew that getting married was the most important thing in her life. She also knew that her sister had considered a lot for her, but she was really shy. She lowered her head, her cheeks slightly red. "Sister, I... I, why don't I not go to see it? Since you said it's okay, if she's willing, I'll marry..."
"Haha, girl, I can't bear such a responsibility. You'd better meet me."
Qing Wu smiled as she straightened her sister's clothes. "I've met Sanlang Yang before. He's lively and lively, just like you normally are. But I wonder if he's shy like you today. Aunt Yang is also very easy to get along with. If you feel like he's not a good match, I can reject him for you."
Xi Qingmian nodded in agreement. The usually talkative little girl was unusually quiet today. As they were about to reach their destination, she couldn't help but look up again, a hint of trepidation in her eyes. "What if...what if Yang Jia Sanlang doesn't like me? Do I have to...do I have to please him?"
She is a girl from an aristocratic family, and she can learn some things even without any communication. With her status, marrying Sanlang, the legitimate son of the Yang family, is marrying up. Should she try hard to please Sanlang Yang and marry him to provide more help to her sister and the family?
Qing Wu's brows darkened upon hearing this. She reached out and lifted her sister's head, letting her timid eyes look directly at her. "Have you completely forgotten what I said to you before?" Her voice was soft, but every word was sonorous.
"If the two of you are not happy with each other, this marriage will be cancelled. You don't need to curry favor, and you don't need to belittle yourself because of your different family backgrounds. My sister doesn't need your help, and neither does the Xi family."
Even without asking her father, Qing Wu knew he would agree with her idea. After all, her father had really put a lot of thought into choosing Song Yunhe for her. Otherwise, how could Song Yunhe marry the Xi family's legitimate daughter with his current wealth? It was just that people's hearts were unpredictable.
She loosened her hand and instead tidied up her sister's scattered hair. Her tone softened again, "Remember, I want you to find someone who loves you."
After hearing her sister's words, Qingmian nodded heavily and took a few deep breaths. Coincidentally, the carriage had arrived at the gate of Baoguo Temple.
Qingwu lifted the curtain of the carriage, and Qingmian saw from afar a lady with extraordinary temperament and a handsome young man standing under the ginkgo tree in front of the temple waiting.
The young man was about fourteen or fifteen years old, with a body as straight as a pine tree, and was respectfully holding his mother's arm.
Qing Wu felt her hand tremble slightly. She squeezed it soothingly, "Don't be afraid, I'm here."
When the two families met each other's eyes from afar, in a place they were not paying attention to, there were three pairs of eyes staring at them. They were Xi Qingtong and her maid who came to burn incense.
Xi Qingtong, who was feeling increasingly unhappy but at a loss at the Xi family, finally couldn't help but come to the gods and Buddhas to understand her emotions. However, before she could see the gods and Buddhas, she met the person she least wanted to see.
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