On the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, the Qixi Festival, Zhao Moyan's army entered the city. With Tian Yu's permission, the servants all went to watch the excitement. Tian Yu didn't go. Instead, she picked a watermelon from the vegetable garden, cut it into small pieces, crushed it with a stone mortar and pestle to extract the juice, and made several cups of watermelon juice. She brought them to the courtyard and handed them to Li Xingyun, who was enjoying the shade under a big tree in the courtyard. Li Xingyun took the watermelon juice, took a sip, and asked, "Aren't you going to go and see?"
"It doesn't matter whether I see him or not, as long as he's safe!"
"What exactly did the Emperor say to you? Don't you want to tell me?"
"There's nothing here. I just promised the Emperor I'd help him farm properly. Brother, don't think about it anymore, and don't hold a grudge against the princess anymore."
"My affairs are none of your business. Mind your own business."
"Okay! How's your leg?"
"There has been some improvement, but it will take some time before you can move around freely again."
"Today is Qixi Festival, so make the princess happy. Don't let her get angry and run away on that day. It would be embarrassing if she cried then."
“I told you it’s none of your business, you’re more nagging than my mother.”
"There's nothing I can do. Mother wrote to me telling me to take good care of you and find you a wife as soon as possible. If you don't act soon and bring the princess home, I'm afraid Mother will come to the capital to take you back."
"Don't tell them about me and the princess yet."
"I know, I'm not stupid."
"Someone's here?"
"Who?!" Tian Yu stood up and looked towards the door. Sure enough, several soldiers in armor were carrying boxes as they walked over.
The soldier saw Tian Yu kneel down on one knee, clasp his hands in a fist and say, "Madam! This is what the Marquis asked us to give you." He then put down the box.
Tian Yu looked at Li Xingyun and then at them, saying, "Get up quickly and tell the Marquis that I cannot accept the things. You should take them back."
"The Marquis only instructed us to deliver it to the Madam. Now that the goods have been delivered, we must return to report." After saying this, he disregarded Tian Yu's attempts to stop him and got up to take his leave.
Looking at the three boxes on the ground, Tian Yu sighed, unsure of what to do.
"Aren't you going to open it and take a look?" Li Xingyun said with a smile.
"No, please have someone bring the box into my room first!"
After giving her instructions, Tian Yu took a hoe and went to the field. The steward then summoned several servants to carry the box into the house.
While hoeing the ground, Tian Yu pondered what to do with the three boxes. If she didn't keep them, Zhao Moyan would definitely disagree; if she kept them, the Emperor would surely find out. Thinking of their agreement, things would get complicated. She dropped the hoe and ran back into the house. Looking at the three boxes, Tian Yu hesitated for a moment before squatting down. She reached out and opened the first box, which contained various seeds, all bagged and labeled with names. Judging from the writing, it was clear that Zhao Moyan had written them himself. She opened the second box, which contained calligraphy, paintings, and the Four Treasures of the Study. Looking at these, Tian Yu was truly moved. He had always known what she liked and what she wanted.
Summoning her courage, Tian Yu opened the third box, which was filled with letters. She picked one up at random; the envelope read, "To Madam Tian Yu." Opening it, she read a song she had sung before, "A Little Bit Moved." Reading the lyrics, her eyes welled with tears. The last line read, "Four days since I left you, I miss you terribly. I remember when we first met, you fainted in front of me." Tian Yu put down this letter and picked up another. This one read: "Madam, I have arrived in the southwest. The weather is beautiful, and the night sky is as bright as it was that night. But without your company, the starlight seems dimmed. Thirty days since I left you, it feels like an eternity. Are you also missing me?"
Tian Yu put down the letter and opened several more. She found that each letter listed the number of days he had been gone, one letter per day telling her what he had encountered and done that day, expressing his longing for her. Looking at the box full of letters, Tian Yu couldn't help but cry. After a long while, she suddenly wiped away her tears, carefully packed the letters back into the box, closed it, wiped it clean, and shouted outside, "Swift Wind! Swift Wind!"
"What happened, Madam?" Jifeng rushed over and asked upon hearing Tian Yu's shout.
"Go find a carriage and send all of these back to the Marquis's residence."
"Madam! This was specially prepared for you by the Marquis."
"I know! But I can't accept it. Please return it to me and tell them I don't like it and don't want it."
"Alright, Madam, I'll go right away."
After Jifeng moved all the boxes away, Tianyu felt a little reluctant. In order not to regret it, Tianyu hid in the house and closed the door.
When Zhao Moyan returned from the palace, he stood there for a long time without moving as he looked at the boxes that had been brought back. It was only when the steward asked him if he wanted to have a meal that Zhao Moyan came out of his daze, took off his armor, put on a black robe, and left the Marquis's residence.
Jifeng had already delivered the things back, and everyone was asleep after dark. Tian Yu finally stepped out of her room and into the courtyard, enjoying the cool night breeze. The servants returned and recounted many stories of Zhao Moyan's triumphant return that day. Tian Yu said she didn't want to listen, but she still listened intently. She could picture the scene: the cheers of the people throughout the journey, how majestic he was as he rode his tall horse into the city. It was just that she could no longer be by his side. Now, she wished Zhao Moyan hadn't come back at all; then she wouldn't have to face him. Tian Yu looked up at the dim moonlight, closed her eyes, and hoped it would all pass quickly. A rustling sound came from the trees behind her. Startled, Tian Yu quickly turned around and whispered, "Who's there?! Is anyone home?"
After waiting for a while without any response, everything seemed to return to calm. Tian Yu patted her chest, thinking she had overreacted. Who would come to this suburban farm in the middle of the night? A dark cloud drifted in, slowly obscuring the moonlight. Tian Yu looked around cautiously and started to walk back. Just as she reached the gate, someone covered her mouth from behind and pulled her into the shadows of a nearby tree. Tian Yu's eyes widened in fright, and she frantically tried to hit the person behind her. By then, the moonlight was completely blocked, and it was pitch black all around; she couldn't see anything. But then she smelled that all-too-familiar scent and heard heavy breathing beside her. Tian Yu slowly calmed down. She knew who was behind her. Tian Yu whispered, "Zhao Moyan, is that you?"
This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
