Chapter 14 This is the betrothed wife
That tiny dot in my eye is the snow-covered Cuiwei Mountain.
Turning around, the imposing and majestic Prince Huaiyang's mansion came into view.
Even Li, the cook in the school kitchen, was astonished. She knew that Master Lin had a friendship with the Prince of Huaiyang, but she never imagined that it was such a life-and-death friendship.
Lin Yu explained: It was simply that the Prince of Huaiyang valued the schools in the prefectures and kingdoms, and that the Prince of Huaiyang's heir respected teachers and the Way.
But Aunt Li couldn't hear.
When the sound of an avalanche came from outside, Li Ao truly thought she was going to die.
She straightened her legs and simply lay down on the bamboo couch.
I lay there for half a day and had two good dreams.
I opened my eyes, and my arm was still my arm, my leg was still my leg, and everything was fine.
Then she realized that she was on a mountain and the avalanche wouldn't crush her.
She sat up, only to find the kitchen empty – the pots and stoves were cold, the rice bowls were empty, and even the firewood left over from yesterday had turned into charcoal ash in the stove.
It must have been Master He who did it.
Master Lin was a refined and gentle person, dressed in white, like a fairy. When she first arrived at the academy, she believed that he was detached from worldly affairs.
Thinking of Master He, she felt a surge of anger again.
Master He stayed in Master Lin's house all day long, always claiming he had important business to attend to. He even made excuses to avoid going shopping. He urged him for three days, and it dragged on for three days. Now, the snow has blocked the mountain, and they can't see the road down. They won't have any food for the next few days.
She got angry and went to knock on Master He's door, but no one answered for a long time. Master Lin's room was also empty.
She was probably the only one without food.
She suddenly lost her strength again.
Just as she was thinking that even if she went to the underworld, she would still drift into Master He's dream and make him restless, Master Lin arrived riding a white horse.
He was followed by heavenly soldiers and generals.
Old Mrs. Li burst into tears.
She forgot how things happened afterward.
When she finally calmed down, a soldier lifted her onto his horse.
One soldier embraced her, and another soldier led the horse.
They walked shakily along the snow-covered mountain path, afraid that they might slip and fall.
—She's practically like the Queen Mother of the West!
She soon learned that they were soldiers from the Prince of Huaiyang's mansion, and then she realized that she was practically the same as the lady in the mansion.
Thinking this, she straightened her back on the horse. Although she bumped into the chin of the guard behind her, she felt that she was much more dignified than Wang Ao, who was sweeping the academy and riding the horse behind her.
Until she saw the real lady of the royal palace.
A group, not one.
Lin Yuan was also speechless.
She spent five years in the palace, moving from the Yeting Palace to the Jiaofang Palace.
I've never seen so many beautiful women before.
She suddenly felt a pang of heartache and regret for Xiao Xun.
But none of these were ladies in the Prince's mansion.
Upon seeing Lin Yuan and her entourage arrive, they trailed their skirts and crouched down to clear a path paved with the sweet scent of cosmetics.
Once the road is opened, everything becomes clear.
The golden screen wall is the one of the Prince of Huaiyang's residence.
A man wearing a purple-gold crown, with eyebrows as dark as ink and a face like peach petals, quickly came out to greet them.
Even though Li Ao had been dreaming of being a lady of the royal family all the way, she couldn't resist the overwhelming noble air of the Prince of Huaiyang's heir.
She lowered herself down, because the golden light on the prince's crown was too dazzling, so she slowly moved her legs, which were numb from being jostled on horseback, and moved behind Lin Yu.
He bumped right into Wang Ao, who was already standing behind him.
Lin Yu and Xiao Jin bowed almost simultaneously.
"Lin Yu greets the Crown Prince."
"Is the Master well?"
Lin Yu said, "I am grateful for the concern of the Prince of Huaiyang and the Crown Prince. I am not the only one living on Cuiwei Mountain. We don't know when the snow will melt. If we leave them on the mountain, they will probably run out of water and food in less than two days. Therefore, I took the liberty of bringing them all down the mountain. I hope the Crown Prince will not blame me?"
Xiao Jin nodded quickly: "Good, very good. I hadn't thought of that before. Master Lin is truly a man of great righteousness!"
“Thanks to the large number of people sent by the manor for relief,” Lin Yu said. “The snow is too heavy right now, and although they have come down the mountain, they have no place to stay. I wonder if the manor can temporarily take in a few of them?”
Xiao Jin's gaze had already left Lin Yu and landed on Lin Yuan. The corners of her lips couldn't help but turn up: "Of course, the Prince of Huaiyang is the father and mother of the people of Huaiyang. Now that you've arrived at the Prince's residence, it's like you've returned home. Don't be shy, stay wherever you like!"
Lin Yuan felt like she was being pricked by thorns, but unfortunately, there was no room for her behind Lin Yu anymore.
Xiao Jin led Lin Yu into the mansion, gesturing for her to enter, but the gesture was directed towards Lin Yuan.
He Ji slithered up to Lin Yuan like a fish. His movements were so swift that he almost grazed Xiao Jin's elbow, causing the young master to take two steps back.
He Ji chuckled awkwardly and apologized, "It's too slippery on this snowy day."
Xiao Jin tilted her head, looked over He Ji's shoulder, and said magnanimously, "Walk slowly, be careful of the slippery road."
Before the words could reach Lin Yuan's ears, they were interrupted by He Ji's loud "Yes, thank you for your concern, Your Highness."
Lin Yu and Xiao Jin walked side by side in front, and Lin Yu introduced him: "This is also a teacher in the county school, He Ji. The Crown Prince should have met him when he came to the academy before."
He Ji strode forward and said casually, "Yes. If the young master has any questions about poetry and books in the future, he can also come to me. Although I am not as good as Lin Yu in terms of poetry and books, I did start my studies before I was eight years old."
Xiao Jin glanced at him but ignored him.
He pulled Lin Yu aside and asked in a low voice, "Master Lin, who is the woman behind you...?"
Lin Yu looked behind him and smiled slightly: "Aunt Li, Aunt Wang, why don't you greet the young master?"
Immediately, Li and Wang panicked. One bowed, the other performed a curtsy, their arms clapping and their tongues tumbling together: "Greetings, Your Highness! This humble servant is willing to submit...to submit..."
Xiao Jin bowed to Lin Yu and said, "I'm convinced! I'm convinced."
He added dejectedly, "You really haven't changed at all over the years."
Just then, a trembling voice came from behind Lin Yu: "Serve the young master—"
Lin Yu smiled leisurely and said, "Aren't you one too?"
Lin Yuan walked at the very back of the crowd, slowly making her way through the secluded pavilion by the clear water, through the long corridor and winding path, past the rockery, and the sounds of female musicians singing, playing the zither, and strumming instruments drifted into her ears from somewhere.
Finally, we arrived at a secluded courtyard called "Listening to the Spring".
Xiao Jin pointed to a side room on the west side and had someone lead Li Ao and Wang Ao inside.
A moment later, through the wall, they heard the two screaming: "Is this quilt made of silk?"
"Is the base of this pillar covered with gold?"
Is this a place for people to live?
Xiao Jin covered her ears and led Lin Yu and the others forward quickly.
"...It's simply a paradise on earth!"
"No wonder the flowers outside are blooming so beautifully despite the freezing weather!"
Several plum blossoms fell outside as the two old women shouted in a competition.
These words only reached Lin Yuan's ears. While she was hesitating, Lin Yu pulled her away to a hall on the side.
Xiao Jinmei smiled broadly, looking at Lin Yuan, forgetting the shrill woman's voice, and asked, "Master Lin hasn't introduced her yet, who is this...?"
Seeing his absurdity, Lin Yu was about to speak when He Ji spoke first.
He cleared his throat, put his hands behind his back, and said solemnly, "Indeed, my betrothed wife."
Xiao Jin was momentarily speechless, then looked Lin Yuan up and down. Lin Yu frowned, stepped forward, and called out, "Young Master?"
Xiao Jin touched his nose and winked at him: "You have good taste. I originally wanted to invite Master Lin to watch the new Pangu dance choreographed by the dancers in the manor, but it seems you don't want to watch it anytime soon."
Just as he was about to say something more, a servant rushed in and announced that the Prince of Huaiyang had summoned him urgently.
Xiao Jin's expression suddenly changed, and she hurriedly said, "Take a good rest," before leaving in a hurry.
He Ji recalled what had just happened, pondered for a while, and the more he thought about it, the more something seemed amiss. He frowned and asked Lin Yu:
"By the way, just now, what I was saying to the young master, whose wife is A-Yuan again?"
*
When Su Chan braved the snow and wind to arrive, the Xuan Shi Hall was already empty.
Only Su Dan was still in the side hall, waiting for the eunuch to prepare the carriages and horses for his return to the mansion.
She stood before the steps of the Xuan Shi Hall, somewhat disappointed:
"You just got back. Does Your Majesty not even stay for New Year's Eve and New Year's Day?"
Su Dan's cold voice came from behind her: "New Year's Eve and New Year's Day are days for family reunion. You have only stayed in the palace for two days. Don't you even remember your family name or where your home is? The imperial edict has not been issued, you have no name or status, what kind of behavior is it to live in the palace?"
The sound of wooden clogs crunching on the snow reached her ears. She saw her father walk past her, his back slightly hunched, taking measured steps, without turning around: "New Year's Eve, you should be feeling better by now. I've come to pick you up. Let's go back to the Su residence."
Su Chan pursed her lips, looking at her father dressed in a floor-length black fox fur coat, who looked like a real black fox in the vast white snow.
She murmured in a barely audible voice, "Home? My home is here."
A note from the author:
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Ding ding ding! The fourth male lead, Xiao Jin, the heir of the Prince of Huaiyang, has arrived!
"Ao" is a term of address for an older woman, similar to "old woman".
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