Hong'an Xiangzhuang - 5

Hong'an Xiangzhuang - 5

The candlelight filtered through the plain silk lantern, creating a warm halo.

A person dressed in a plain-colored round-necked robe sat sideways beside the coffee table, his long hair loosely tied back with an ebony hairpin, a few stray hairs hanging down his cheeks, tinged with a warm brown by the candlelight.

"When did you arrive in Xijing?" Yun Yixia tilted her head and smiled happily. "Master Li, why didn't you tell me?"

She sat down opposite the tea table and naturally brewed tea for her friend and business partner.

The light came from above and to the side of Yun Yixia, and her unmade-up face looked like a peeled egg, so tender that you couldn't see any pores.

Her almond-shaped eyes were lowered as she used a plain silver tea scoop to take tea from a celadon jar. The tea leaves fell into a white-glazed tea holder, while the boiling water in the earthenware pot on the clay stove gurgled and bubbled.

Yun Yixia's smile never faded, her almond-shaped eyes reflecting the candlelight, shimmering with tenderness and affection.

While waiting for the soup, she tapped the person opposite her with her finger, signaling her friend to answer a question quickly.

"The Xijing City you came to on your wedding day..."

Li Yun looked at the woman sitting opposite him. Her shoulders were smooth and delicate, and her slender figure was wrapped in a plain-colored ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), like a tender willow branch sprouting in spring.

The air was filled with the delicate fragrance of newly opened tea leaves, mixed with a hint of bitter medicinal aroma.

Yun Yixia lifted the kettle off the fire, and the water flowed in a smooth arc before being precisely poured into the teacup.

Steam rose instantly, blurring the face of the person making the tea, making her look like a dream. The water gurgled, and the tea leaves unfurled and swirled in the teacup.

"Didn't you say... you weren't coming?"

Yun Yixia handed Li Yun a teacup, her almond-shaped eyes filled with incomprehension and confusion.

Even though she was unhappy with the wedding arrangements, she still sent out invitations to her friends.

You can come, or you can not come.

She picked up the teacup, lowered her eyes to gaze at the clear tea soup, and a hint of seriousness flashed in her eyes.

Ayun was always traveling, so they mostly corresponded by letter, and when they met, something important usually happened.

The candlelight crackled softly, and the flickering light enveloped the two who had suddenly fallen silent.

"How could I not come on your wedding day?" Li Yun looked up at her. "How have you been at the Kang Prince's residence...?"

She casually put down the teacup, her fingers lightly touching Xia's fingertips. The touch was slightly cool, and a shiver ran from her fingertips straight to her heart, making it hard to breathe.

The candlelight dimmed, its glow receding, illuminating the small space around the tea table and casting a warm shadow of the two figures onto the screen, swaying gently.

"Not bad~"

Yun Yixia playfully tapped Li Yun's fingertip, unaware that the other's eyes had become deep and dark, like a mischievous little rabbit jumping around on someone's hand.

What does "'okay' mean?"

Li Yun swallowed a few times, then turned his hand to press down on Yun Yixia's fingers, meeting her misty eyes, his own eyes burning with intense passion.

“We don’t usually interfere with each other, and the Crown Prince isn’t a problem either.” Yun Yixia sat up straight. “If Bai Wei hadn’t had that accident today, I wouldn’t have had much contact with him.”

According to the original plan, she intended to leave the palace by feigning death after Zhao Yun Kang left the capital and went north, and completely change her identity to "Zhao Yun" to live.

"What was his attitude towards today's events?"

He said that if it didn't affect the peace talks between the two countries, it would be as if it had never happened.

"Don't worry about Dong Ci's appearance. Leave the rest to me."

Li Yun put down the teacup, said goodbye and left. Yun Yixia did not try to stop her, and stopped at the door.

The Prince Kang's residence is not a good place for conversation!

Li Yun glanced at Yun Yixia, who was standing at the door seeing him off, then turned and leaped towards the high wall. With a light touch of his toes on the bricks, he soared onto the top of the wall.

On her second leap, she stepped onto an old tree outside the palace. The branch dipped slightly, and she sprang up, using the force to shoot like an arrow off a bow toward the eaves of a restaurant on the next street.

The green tiles gleamed coldly in the moonlight. Li Yun's boots landed on the beast head on the roof ridge, and she used the momentum to rise again. Her wide sleeves billowed in the wind like sails, and she drew an arc in the air, her clothes fluttering like a lotus flower blooming.

Just as she was about to fall due to exhaustion, she twisted her waist slightly, rising three feet higher out of thin air. With her right hand gently pulling on the eaves of the embroidered building, she landed at the highest point like a feather.

Li Yun stopped and looked back. The Kang Prince's Mansion had shrunk into a blurry shadow, disappearing behind the layers of rooftops in the capital.

The moonlight shone on her striking profile. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and disappeared into the distance behind the red walls and green tiles with a few leaps.

"What do you take the Prince Kang's residence for? You think you can just come and go as you please?"

Zhao Yunkang emerged from behind the pillars, his black brocade boots stepping on the white marble bricks. As he moved, the hem of his moon-white robe rippled like water, revealing black silk trousers underneath.

His leather belt accentuated his tall and straight waist, his jade pendant swayed slightly, and the moonlight shone on his profile, revealing a high nose bridge, a clean and sharp jawline, and an expression that was difficult to discern as joy or anger.

“She’s my business partner.” Yun Yixia wasn’t embarrassed about being caught. “I’m not comfortable walking around outside, so A-Yun helps me with all sorts of problems.”

"Can't Mr. Li use the front door?"

Zhao Yunkang walked to her side and glanced in the direction Li Yun had left.

When they were checking the donated supplies, they found the Zhao family's shop. The owner behind it was surnamed "Li," and although she was a woman, she was quite capable.

Zhao Yun never showed up. When they finally managed to catch him in the act, they were warned instead, which was quite embarrassing.

"Your Highness, it's better for both of us if A-Yun doesn't use the main gate." Yun Yixia glanced towards the imperial city. "You hold military power and have a vast amount of money... some people might be up to something!"

Throughout history, power struggles among emperors have often resulted in death or injury. The Empress Dowager's benevolent demeanor and ruthless methods spared her two sons from a heated conflict, but they could not prevent the evil within human nature.

The lack of military pay and winter supplies during that harsh winter may not have been the emperor's intention, but someone was secretly manipulating things to take back the military power held by Zhao Yunkang.

The emperor wanted generals who could guard the frontier, but he didn't want to delegate power... No matter the dynasty, leaders always had the bad habit of "wanting everything, wanting more, and wanting more."

"I've discovered you're incredibly brave!"

Zhao Yunkang looked down at Yun Yixia, who was looking up at the night sky. The entire starry sky was reflected in her watery almond-shaped eyes, twinkling with light.

A night breeze swept through the courtyard, carrying a slightly bitter medicinal fragrance with a hint of sweetness.

Yun Yixia tilted her neck back into a graceful arc, a wisp of hair escaping from her loosely tied bun, brushing against her delicate cheek, rising and falling gently with her breath.

She was the bravest woman he had ever met!

Ordinary young ladies... how dare they presume to speak of royalty?

"I'll take that as a compliment!"

Yun Yixia did not refute. Zhao Yunkang saw many things more clearly than she did, so she didn't understand why she had to ask such a redundant question.

"I need a princess to oversee the Kang Prince's residence!"

Zhao Yunkang decided to stop beating around the bush and made several attempts to understand Yun Yixia's true nature beneath her "timid" exterior.

Speak your mind directly; it's more efficient.

In fact, he prefers this way of speaking.

Having spent so much time in the northern frontier, Zhao Yunkang always had to be on high alert when he returned to Xijing and spoke with those imperial relatives.

So tiring!

"How long?" Yun Yixia turned to look at him. "How long do you need me to pretend?"

Two or three years?

Three to five years?

After more than five years, she found a way to leave on her own.

"Do you have someone you like?"

Zhao Yunkang felt uneasy. Why was the princess he had married with great pomp and circumstance, who was now eyeing someone else?

“No!” Yun Yixia glanced at him strangely. “Your Highness, I’m struggling to survive in the Yun family mansion, and I also have to take care of the shops outside… I really don’t have the energy to look for a man.”

She's so young, why isn't she focusing on her career? What kind of man is she looking for?

If Zhao Yunkang hadn't interfered, Yun Yixia would have arranged for someone to propose marriage, and in three to five years she would have "unexpectedly become a widow," rightfully becoming a widow.

A wealthy widow!

This would both silence public opinion and allow one to enjoy a comfortable and prosperous life.

As for retirement... with money, what problem can't be solved?

“I can’t give you a specific date!” Zhao Yunkang turned to leave. “It might be two or three years, or it might be three or five years.”

He kept walking, a slight smile playing on his lips, his mood inexplicably cheerful.

"Respectfully seeing off Your Highness!"

Yun Yixia was not disappointed; living in the Yun residence or the Kang Prince's mansion made no difference to her.

A man who is childless and impotent, to some extent, fits her criteria for finding someone to act as a shield.

Mutual benefit is not a bad thing.

"My wife, is it settled?"

Three heads popped out from the corner of the bedroom. Bai Wei calmed down, Shaoyao's eyes sparkled, and Mujin gave the two heavy heads above her a disdainful push.

I guess so!

Yun Yixia shrugged and turned to go back to her bedroom to rest.

As the year draws to a close, she needs to keep her energy levels up to check the accounts of shops across the country.

"Let's go! Early to bed and early to rise, and you'll live a long and healthy life!"

"promise!"

They went back to their rooms and slept soundly, but some tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep no matter what...

Zhao Yuankai jolted awake from his nightmare, his undershirt soaked with sweat that clung stickily to his back, making him feel uncomfortable and damp.

The clapper had just struck outside the window after midnight, and the night was as thick as ink that couldn't be dissolved.

He gasped for breath, his small hands clutching the brocade quilt tightly. In his dream, Granny Chen's face floated up and down in the darkness, finally transforming into a vengeful ghost seeking death.

It's been half a month already!

Both Buddhist and Taoist priests performed rituals to help the deceased, and the Chen family received a considerable sum of money as compensation... so why is it that they still can't sleep peacefully every night?

The gilded incense burner with auspicious beast motifs in the room had long since gone out, leaving only a faint, lingering scent of calming fragrance.

Zhao Yuankai threw off the covers and got out of bed, pacing back and forth barefoot on the cold brick surface.

The little body was wrapped in a nightgown, and each step was slow and heavy, imitating the way the king looked.

He paced around a few times and felt dizzy. His feet were cold, so he had to climb onto the rosewood armchair and sit up curled up with his knees in his arms.

After the princess entered the palace, he was exempted from the morning and evening greetings and rarely went out.

Zhao Yuankai, however, particularly disliked her!

The mother left a message saying that any woman who marries into the family after her death will be no good.

Granny Chen was part of the Empress Dowager's dowry.

That day, he went with him to the Princess Consort's courtyard, and died that night after they returned.

This matter seems inextricably linked to Yun Yixia.

Zhao Yuankai felt a lump in his throat, realizing that his father didn't believe him and refused to continue searching for evidence of the step-princess's murder.

"Sigh~"

He sighed, afraid to sleep, yet extremely sleepy, his head bobbing against his knees.

I don't know how much time passed, but the sky turned a bluish-green, like crab shells, and another sleepless night began.

We can't go on like this anymore!

He wants to go to the palace to see his grandmother!

His grandmother doted on him the most, and she would definitely find evidence that the woman had committed murder.

Today is the fifteenth, a perfect day to accompany my grandmother to worship Buddha and offer incense.

Zhao Yuankai climbed back into bed, covered himself with the blanket, closed his eyes and pretended to sleep, pondering in his mind how to say something that would make his grandmother help catch the culprit.