Chapter 67 How much do I resemble her?
Not long after Lin Yu left, Xiao Xun also stood up and said to Lin's mother:
"Ten days from now, as is our annual tradition, my family will be holding a banquet to invite some relatives and friends. I wonder if we could invite Lin's mother and A-Yuan to join us?"
"What kind of banquet is it?" Lin Yuan asked curiously.
There were banquets of all sizes in the palace. In previous years, Empress Qu had held a lantern festival for the Lantern Festival, a chrysanthemum appreciation banquet for the Double Ninth Festival, and a moon-viewing banquet for the Mid-Autumn Festival, inviting noble ladies from the capital. These banquets were very grand, with continuous singing and dancing, but Lin Yuan had only heard about them and had never seen them in person.
However, since it was neither a year nor a festival, Xiao Xun wondered what kind of banquet would be held at this time.
Xiao Xun made up a story: "Oh, it's springtime, and people everywhere are worshipping the God of the Land and the God of Millet. My family is holding a banquet, which is no different, to pray for a good harvest."
Lin Yuan looked listless, her eyes darkening.
"Young master's family is praying for a bountiful harvest. I am neither the god of the land nor the god of millet, nor am I related to you. What brings you here?"
Xiao Xun was speechless, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
"Uh," he said after a long pause, "actually, I have no one in my family, and few relatives or friends in my clan—"
"Go! Go! Go!"
Lin's mother was understanding and afraid of touching on the young master's sore spot of having few people in his family, so she pulled Lin Yuan aside and scolded her, "You have nothing to do at home anyway, so what's wrong with you going?"
She turned to Xiao Xun and smiled warmly, "As for me, I'm almost fifty years old. I can cook, but as a guest, I won't join in the fun."
With Lin's mother coming to the rescue, Xiao Xun breathed a sigh of relief, but he was still stunned.
He stared intently at Lin Yuan.
Even with her parents' consent, why did Lin Yuan show no joy whatsoever?
After discussing the betrothal gift of 20,000 taels of gold yesterday, Lin's father busied himself pouring tea, explaining its origins, and recounting several amusing anecdotes about Lin Yu and Lin Yuan from their childhood. He spoke with great enthusiasm, laughing until his face was flushed. When his cheeks ached from laughing, Xiao Xun finally seized the opportunity to ask, "Uncle, about the betrothal—"
Lin Wu chuckled a few more times before slowly sipping his water and saying, "Young master, you're probably too young to know anything about matchmakers, right? Or perhaps, if there are any elders in your clan who can make decisions, you could discuss it with them first—ah, slow down, no rush, let's not talk about this anymore. Come on, have another drink!"
He certainly wouldn't have thought she was being shy.
So, is he still holding a grudge against Su Chan?
Even after learning yesterday that the imperial edict she had misunderstood for so long actually bestowed the title of Princess upon Su Chan, and that the image of mandarin ducks flying together and birds singing in harmony was merely a metaphor for sibling affection.
"...To roast hazelnuts to taste like almonds, to disguise them as almonds, and to call hazelnut cake almond cake—isn't that just deceiving oneself?"
"There are always people, like me, who can see what it is from the very beginning."
Xiao Xun's head was throbbing with pain.
The one who tied the knot must untie it. Will she only be able to find peace after meeting Princess Anpyeong?
If that's the case, he will arrange it himself.
Lin Yuan pursed her lips: "Mother, I... I don't like attending banquets."
Why?
Qin couldn't help but ask.
After Liu De's mother was rebuffed at the Lin family's house yesterday, she spread rumors everywhere, saying that the Lin family's daughter had deliberately embroidered the dragon as a tiger in order to steal three feet of silk from the palace and give it to her lover.
Overnight, rumors spread that the Lin family daughter's lover rode a tiger. Some said he kept a tiger as a pet. Others said the lover was eight feet tall and walked with the same powerful stride as a tiger. In short, there were all sorts of rumors.
Some people asked whether it was the Lin family or the Zhao family, and it was said that the Zhao family daughter's new husband was also eight feet tall, riding a fine horse with golden fur, resembling a tiger. No one mentioned Lin Yuan being expelled from the palace anymore.
However, Qin felt that if things continued like this, she would eventually become a tigress and her hair would stand on end.
She also very much wanted Lin Yuan to go out for a walk, relax, and not listen to gossip.
Lin Yuan glanced at Qin Shi, then at Xiao Xun, and stammered an explanation in the face of their questioning eyes:
"Young master's home is far from here. It's too much trouble to travel a hundred miles round trip just for a banquet."
Xiao Xun was relieved: "I'll have someone come pick you up earlier."
Lin Yuan declined, saying, "Sitting in one place for several hours, looking at the same scenery, I find it really boring."
Xiao Xun quickly replied, "My family's garden is quite large; we can enjoy the spring scenery and flowers there."
Lin Yuan refused again: "Young Master's family garden is so large, going on a spring outing to admire the flowers would be exhausting."
Xiao Xun then said, "Then, there will be singing and dancing during the banquet, so it won't be boring or tiring."
Lin Yuan still refused: "Although there is dance and music, if I encounter music I don't like and have to listen to it all, isn't that torture?"
Xiao Xun chuckled: "Then just chat with someone, and you'll be able to ignore the music."
He was referring to the night banquet at the Prince of Huaiyang's mansion where the singing and dancing so loudly that the roof was shattered.
Recalling the moment the assassins carried out the attack, one of them said they were singing Zhanlu, while the other said they were singing Zijin.
Lin Yuan was determined not to go, clutching the hem of her clothes and saying, "I don't feel comfortable sitting with strangers, clinking glasses, and chatting about everything under the sun."
Xiao Xun seemed to be deep in thought, and slowly asked, "So, does that mean that this banquet is not just about sitting in one place, and the scenery in front of you cannot be exactly the same? The music and dance must all be to your liking, and you will only be willing to go if you are not sitting with unfamiliar people?"
Lin Yuan had posed enough difficult questions, so she softly responded with an "Mm," and then added a little more: "Also, after the singing and dancing have ended and the guests have left, people always feel a sense of emptiness in their hearts after the excitement."
She apologized to Xiao Xun.
Qin Shi listened from the sidelines, feeling utterly disheartened.
"knew."
Xiao Xun said sullenly.
*
Ten days later.
The Crane Cry Boat is a huge multi-story ship.
The bow of the boat is a crane raising its head, and the hull becomes a huge wing, carrying a three-story jade pavilion, floating leisurely on Taiye Pond.
"bring it on."
Xiao Xun smiled and turned to extend his hand to Lin Yuan.
Hearing the continuous chatter and laughter coming from inside the cabin, Lin Yuan lifted her skirt with both hands and stepped onto the footboard.
"Be careful! What if you fall into the water—"
Lin Yuan's face flushed slightly in the sunlight as she looked up at him.
Xiao Xun raised an eyebrow and chuckled softly. He turned halfway back, placed his hand, which had been hanging in the air, on the handrail of the gangway, and said gently, "—I will save you."
Lin Yuan watched as the spring waves gently lapped against the crane's legs: "Don't worry, I see the boat is currently moored at the shore, with only half the water level. If it falls off the footboard, the water will be waist-deep."
"Yeah?"
As soon as she finished speaking, she heard a "thump" and the footboard under her feet suddenly wobbled. Lin Yuan leaned forward and quickly grabbed the handrail of the gangway.
Once she regained her footing, she looked up and saw the smile on his face. Lin Yuan knew that he was the one who had done the evil deed.
"Weren't you not afraid?"
He looked at his arm with a smile.
Lin Yuan gripped his arm, her sleeves wrinkled.
"I'm terrified! I'm so scared!"
She gritted her teeth, gripping the man's voice even tighter, almost pinching him, before finally letting go.
Some people on the ship had already heard the commotion and knelt down on the deck to welcome them.
Lin Yuan pondered whether she should kneel down like the woman on the deck.
In a moment of hesitation, Xiao Xun pulled his hand back as it slid down.
"So scared you can't move?"
He pulled her forward and stepped onto the deck.
Lin Yuan saw the women kneeling on the deck and tried to pull her hand away, but was pulled even tighter.
"It's slippery here. I'll hold your hand."
Once aboard the ship, a banquet had already been prepared.
After Xiao Xun called everyone to get up, he told them to make themselves at home. Then, he took Lin Yuan's hand and led her through a fragrant path among the noble ladies who were slowly getting up, and they arrived at another railing on the boat.
The crane-shaped boat drifted away with the waves, slowly passing the willow-lined banks at dawn, where pear blossoms formed a curtain.
Ahead, a sea of red clouds stretches out, where peach, plum, and apricot blossoms are in full bloom. Taiye Pond connects to Jian Pond, leading all the way to Kunming Pond.
A little further ahead, the rugged and majestic Yingzhou Mountain, the barren and craggy Penglai Mountain, and the lush and verdant Fanghu Mountain came into view one after another.
The oars parted the blue waves, and as the boat passed, countless koi carp swayed their tails and chased after it.
After a while, the faint sound of the konghou (a type of Chinese harp) drifted into my ears.
Lin Yuan looked back curiously. She hadn't seen any musicians on the deck when she boarded the ship. She wondered if they had set up a harp in the cabin upstairs to play.
After a while, the sound of the konghou faded, and the melodious chi music filled the air.
Lin Yuan then looked in the direction of the sound and saw the person.
Originally, Taiye Pond already had scattered pavilions, small buildings, and dotted islands and hills.
The musicians played on it, some playing the zither, some the flute, some the se, and some the drum.
Even inside the mouth of the enormous stone whale that the late emperor ordered to be built, a bronze chime was placed.
The sound of the blow was deep and resonant, as if the stone whale, seeing the crane in the distance, was about to come back to life.
Lin Yuan was overwhelmed by the sights.
Further ahead, dancers were performing a graceful, swaying dance, and further still, one could vaguely see that the dancers had already set up plates and drums.
Xiao Xun chuckled in her ear and said, "Just let me know what you want to hear or see, and I'll make the boat stop."
Lin Yuan was marveling at the ingenuity of this idea when she suddenly realized that he was solving the problem she had created.
No wonder, when Xiao Xun sent Li Shun to Dongping Township to fetch her to the palace at dawn that day, she still used the same excuse to refuse.
Li Shun refused to believe it and vowed that he would definitely not let her make this trip in vain.
She thought that if she didn't make this trip, Li Shun probably wouldn't be able to return. She looked at Li Shun, who had driven the carriage for most of the night, his forehead covered in sweat, and his eyes brimming with tears.
As more and more elderly people gathered at the entrance of her courtyard to watch the spectacle, their numbers gradually increased.
Some came to see the exquisite two-horse carriage, while others came to see the unmarried young lady of the Lin family whispering to a fair-skinned, clean-shaven young man. The man was so moved by what he heard that he was in tears, feeling wronged, and said that the young lady was the one who was so vigorous and spirited.
Some people misheard "attending a banquet" as "wedding banquet" and asked, "Is this the wedding car that's there to pick up the bride?"
Lin Yuan steeled her heart, covered her ears, pulled open the carriage curtain, and hid inside.
The carriage sped forward, the wind lifting the curtains and rushing into the carriage, crashing into my heart.
There was hot tea in the car, and when she looked into the cup, she saw her own face.
She was unwilling to attend the banquet, partly because she was resentful of being tricked by Xiao Xun and harbored resentment, and partly because she feared seeing a woman who resembled her, and the lifelike portrait Xiao Xun had painted. Even when Xiao Xun traveled to Huaiyang, he carried the portrait with him, placing it on his desk and gazing at it every night.
The dappled sunlight filtering through the carriage curtain fell into the turquoise tea, resembling a full moon.
The words under the moon echoed in my ears again, "I love you."
But then another voice came from under the moon: "I envy you so much. I envy how much you resemble Su Chan."
The tea swayed gently in the cup, causing a wrinkle to appear on a lightly made-up face.
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