Instead of being a proper princess, she decided to act like a little rascal. When Yu Zhi went downstairs, she walked with a light step, her eyes and brows brimming with joy. Her willow-leaf eyes curved slightly as she scolded, "Shameless!"
How can a decent person constantly say what they like?
Ji Pingxi understood her gaze and chuckled inwardly: Even decent men need to get married. Liking someone is like a hook; if you don't cast the hook, how can you catch the fish you like?
The two of them, one fishing and casting his line, the other boldly taking the bait, walked hand in hand through the long Xuanwu Street until they reached the Yu family's door, only to realize how quickly time had passed.
"You should return to the palace quickly," Yu Zhi urged.
Having just confessed her love, Ji Pingxi was reluctant to leave. Yu Zhi, mindful of her status as Princess Changyang and the potential marriage between them, hesitated to lead her into the house. She poked Ji Pingxi's chest with her finger and said, "Come visit me another day."
"When is 'another day'?" She wished she could stay at the Yu family's house tonight and lie next to her.
Her intentions were too obvious, making Yu Zhi blush and her eyes flush with a bright red: "Mother will be back soon. Are you trying to kidnap me while she's not looking?"
Ji Pingxi glanced at her twice. To be honest, the idea of running away was really good. But when she thought about the consequences of running away—the Emperor's beating, her mother's scolding, Aunt Yu's dissatisfaction, and Prime Minister Liu inevitably glaring at her and then helplessly telling her those sage teachings, her head spun. Yu Zhi seized this opportunity to 'escape' from her side, stood in the sunlight with her hands behind her back, and said with a smile, "Go back quickly."
"You're just giving me the runaround." She looked annoyed.
Yu Zhi wanted to laugh but couldn't, relying entirely on her willpower to hold it in. She took two steps forward, rubbed the little girl's face, and patiently coaxed, "Alright, let's go back. If Mother really sees us, how can I face anyone?"
Ji Pingxi's eyebrows drooped, looking like a big dog abandoned by its owner. Yu Zhi looked around. At this time, smoke was rising from every household, and there were few pedestrians on the street. The doorkeeper in front of the Yu family yawned. She didn't know what was wrong with her. She just wanted to return the kiss from the noodle shop earlier.
Caught off guard by the kiss on the cheek, Ji Pingxi's beautiful eyes widened instantly. Although they weren't almond-shaped, their wide opening still conveyed a sense of innocent purity, much like almond-shaped eyes.
Yu Zhi rubbed her bright red earlobes, unable to savor the kiss from before, and turned to run away.
It looks just like a little sika deer that's afraid of strangers in the forest.
The little sika deer gradually disappeared from Ji Pingxi's sight. The gatekeeper guarding the Yu family's gate stared dumbfounded at his well-educated young lady. If he wasn't mistaken, his young lady was making a public lewd gesture towards His Highness.
Good heavens! No wonder she's from that family! So audacious!!
The audacious Yu Zhi vanished in a flash, leaving Princess Changyang standing dumbfounded in front of the door, covering her face and grinning foolishly.
The doorman rubbed his eyes, then rubbed them again, a maternal smile on his face—he'd suspected something was going on between the two of them, and it turned out to be true!
Same-sex relationships among Kyoto's aristocratic families are not uncommon, but they are all kept private, and no one brings them into the open.
Under the wise rule of His Majesty the Emperor, the Great Yan Dynasty was open-minded and its people were free-spirited. They were well-informed and therefore not easily surprised.
However… the gatekeeper looked at the elegant and ethereal Princess Changyang and grinned: his young lady really had His Highness completely bewitched. Look, if His Highness had a tail, it would be wagging higher than the sky!
Yu Zhi ran lightly into her house, passed through a series of moon gates into her small courtyard, pushed open the door, entered the inner room, and went straight to the bed.
She was still on the carved bed, her face buried in the brocade quilt, her ears burning red—she had really made something of herself! She had made up her mind that if Xi Xi dared to bully her again, she would bully her back!
The warmth still lingered on her lips. Yu Zhi lay on the bed, twisting her body. After twisting a couple of times, she felt it wasn't quite right. Then she thought, "It's my bedroom, no one else can see me."
The joy in my chest exploded instantly, a feeling commonly known as 'secretly enjoying oneself'.
When Liu Boyan pushed open the door, she saw her daughter twisted in a bizarre position on the large bed. Startled, she blurted out, "Zhizhi? What happened to you?!"
She suspected that her daughter had been possessed by a ghost while she was away.
Yu Zhi was startled, and after the shock came an overwhelming sense of shame. She hurriedly jumped off the bed, her face flushed: "A-Mother? Why did you suddenly come back?"
"I was worried about you." Liu Boyan noticed her unnatural expression and how she was so shy and hesitant to speak properly. She immediately recognized that this was her daughter—not possessed by some unknown ghost. She breathed a sigh of relief: "I heard His Highness sent you back again?"
If she hadn't learned from the doorman what her daughter had done, she wouldn't have rushed in so hastily that she forgot to knock.
Recalling the scene she saw upon entering, Liu Boyan belatedly realized what was happening, and the mother and daughter exchanged an awkward glance.
Yu Zhi was embarrassed and angry that her mother hadn't knocked before entering the house, and Liu Boyan lamented that she couldn't keep her good daughter.
With each of them preoccupied with their own thoughts, the atmosphere became tense.
Yu Zhi quickly calmed herself down, composed herself, and asked softly, "Mother?"
Liu Boyan glared at her, her eyes filled with a hint of reluctance: "Mother originally wanted to wait until His Highness was two years older before the engagement..."
She deliberately paused to reveal her daughter's disappointment, and sure enough, she noticed a hint of sadness in her daughter's expression: "Two more years? How old will our daughter be then?"
Her mood suddenly dipped, and she lowered her eyes to stare at the tips of her boots.
After watching her daughter's girlish behavior for a while, Liu Boyan suppressed the bitterness that her daughter would soon become someone's wife: "Yes, that's what Her Majesty thinks too. Her Majesty said that a woman's prime is fleeting, so it's only right that she be with her beloved as soon as possible. She's eloquent, and your mother is no match for her."
Liu Boyan spread her hands, feigning helplessness: "The imperial decree for the marriage will be issued today."
Yu Zhi's worries instantly turned to joy, her willow-leaf eyes sparkling: "Thank you, Mother!"
"Are you in such a hurry to marry His Highness?" Liu Boyan teased her.
Yu Zhi played with the strands of hair on her chest, her smile bright: "Good things should be done as soon as possible, of course. I'm already five years older than Xi Xi."
Of course, you should marry the person you want to marry during the best years of your life.
In the Great Yan Dynasty, girls can marry at fifteen. Her Highness is a highly sought-after woman, and countless young men are eager to marry her. She cannot give them the opportunity.
You can't let momentary shyness push your sweetheart away.
She is still as timid as she was in her childhood, afraid of this and that, but deep down she is not cowardly.
She liked what she liked. Even though she lost her father at a young age, she still had her smart and strong mother as her support, as well as her maternal grandparents' family. Moreover, she held the imperial pardon bestowed by the empress, so she was born with more support than others.
Her father was the youngest top scholar in the Great Yan Dynasty, and he didn't leave behind much wealth. The most abundant thing in the Yu family's home was books. These books were the wealth her father left her; once she read them and put them into her heart, no one could take them away.
She is knowledgeable and insightful. Compared to shyness, seizing the opportunity to stay with her beloved is the right thing to do.
On July 21st, the Empress bestowed a marriage upon Princess Changyang and the eldest daughter of the Yu family. The decree caused a sensation among the people.
The Prime Minister's Residence.
Liu Xiang paced back and forth in the courtyard, finally unable to stop, and asked the steward, "Why haven't the young lady and the young mistress returned yet?"
The butler looked troubled, knowing he was worried about his granddaughter's marriage, and cautiously said, "Miss and young lady are on their way..."
Just then, a servant entered and reported, "Your Excellency, the person has arrived."
Liu Zicheng strode forward, his movements exuding a sense of vigor despite his advanced age.
Over the years, he has always been the support of his daughter and granddaughter. In recent years, he has been worried about his granddaughter's marriage. However, no matter how outstanding the young men introduced, his good granddaughter is lukewarm. Marriage is meant to bring good between two families, and it is best if both parties are willing. Otherwise, it will only lead to enmity.
If Zhizhi doesn't like it, then let's change to another one.
She went through one after another, but none of the good young men caught her eye.
Without any warning, the imperial decree of marriage was issued by the Empress.
These days, his colleagues at court are all congratulating him. But how many of them are truly sincere? So many young men from noble families dream of marrying the princess, but his daughter has beaten them to it. Liu Zicheng is both pleased and troubled.
That's Princess Changyang! She was granted a fief of 8,000 at birth, and after her coming-of-age ceremony, His Majesty exceptionally increased her fief to 10,000.
The Emperor and Empress's affection for the Princess is well known, and the throne is to be handed over to the Crown Prince. The Princess is the Crown Prince's elder sister, and the siblings have a very close relationship. Her lifelong wealth, glory, and power are almost a certainty. In other words, whoever wins over Princess Changyang will enjoy endless happiness for the rest of their life.
Looking at his beautiful granddaughter, Liu Zicheng's eyes, imbued with the power of authority, possessed a piercing quality that seemed to penetrate the darkness. Anyone who met his gaze felt an invisible pressure.
"Are you truly in love with Her Highness the Princess? If so, I congratulate you. If you are in a difficult position, I will go to the palace to see the Emperor and ask him to waive this decree."
His thoughts and intentions were all for the sake of the younger generation in his family. Yu Zhi was moved by this and nodded solemnly: "Zhi Zhi is willing."
Liu Zicheng stood there, speechless for a long time. He glanced at his daughter indifferently. Liu Boyan was puzzled by her father's glance. Just as she was wondering what was going on, she suddenly had a flash of inspiration and seemed to guess the intention behind her father's glance.
Her affair with Sister Rong is probably out of the question.
Father knows.
Liu Boyan felt a pang of grievance—Zhizhi's fondness for men wasn't something she had infected her with.
Liu Zicheng dedicated his life to the country and its people and was a true royalist. It was already remarkable that he would plead with His Majesty to rescind the decree for the sake of his granddaughter. Moreover, given his power and cunning, how could his daughter's intimate relationship with the Princess go unnoticed?
"So be it." He sighed deeply. "Since it is what you ask for, your grandfather wishes you and His Highness a happy life together."
In Yu Zhi's eyes, her maternal grandfather was not a very kind person, but every word he spoke carried the weight of a mountain and was unshakable. She held back her tears and smiled happily: "Thank you, maternal grandfather!"
Liu Zicheng wanted to laugh for a moment, but he held back and only slightly raised the corners of his lips.
He thought of his daughter again.
Back then, when he got his daughter engaged, his daughter was far from the joy and happiness he felt now.
This is also why he turns a blind eye to some things.
The dead lie buried underground, but the living must still move forward.
Feeling guilty under her father's gaze, Liu Boyan coughed lightly and, along with her daughter, helped the Prime Minister back to his room, one on each side.
.
The Emperor and Empress carefully selected the granddaughter of the Liu family for Princess Changyang's marriage. Some court officials raised objections, but the Emperor rejected them all.
"How could I not grant Changyang's wish?"
Ji Ying was a doting father to his daughter, and also an emperor whose word was law. As husband and wife, their decrees were one, and the decrees issued by the Empress were Ji Ying's decrees. After the marriage was settled and several tactless officials were punished, no one dared to speak ill of Ji Ying in front of him anymore.
The wedding date is set for September next year, so if we start preparing now, it will only take a year and two months in total.
The royal family and the prime minister's family are now connected, so this wedding is destined to be a grand affair.
A little over a year is not a long time. The officials of the Ministry of Rites were working hard to win the praise of the emperor and empress for this matter. Everyone was busy running around, but the person in charge had nothing to do but stand on the ridge of the field and enjoy the rural scenery.
In late autumn, the wheat turns golden, a bountiful harvest season.
Ji Pingxi, wearing a straw hat, took a deep breath: "The air outside is still the freshest."
Yu Zhi laughed at her for being so gullible: "I don't know what your maternal grandfather and mother think of you. They tricked me into leaving home on my wedding day, leaving only a letter. Let's see if you get a beating when you go back."
"It's alright." She raised her chin: "Do you really think the adults don't know we're out here? Mother's people, Father's people, including the guards of the Prime Minister's residence and the secret guards of the Princess's residence, you just didn't see it. What do you mean by sneaking out? We're right under their noses."
Upon hearing this, Yu Zhi hurriedly looked around. The golden wheat waves rippled in the wind, creating a truly beautiful sight.
Suddenly forgetting what she was going to say, she smiled and said, "Alright, I didn't mean to blame you. Would you like to show me around a bit more?"
Ji Pingxi snorted and took her hand as they walked through the fields. The setting sun stretched their shadows long, and the shadows overlapped. A fragrant breeze wafted by, and Yu Zhi quietly hooked her little finger and tickled her palm.
"Making a scene again?"
Yu Zhi smiled and said, "This is called reciprocity."
That's utter nonsense about reciprocity; I never seduced you before.
Princess Changyang suppressed her anger and glared at her fiercely. Yu Zhi wasn't afraid of her glare. She had finally figured it out these days. Xi Xi was just a thin-skinned paper tiger. A kiss on the cheek would make her blush for a long time, and a kiss on the lips... she could turn into a little fool on the spot.
Finally feeling the advantage of her age, Yu Zhi beamed with joy and became much bolder: "Don't do anything reckless. We're just wandering around under the adults' noses."
Ji Pingxi looked in the direction where the people might be hiding, feeling unconvinced. She was a disciple of the Grand Eunuch Yang Ruo. Although she didn't know where the Grand Eunuch got his martial arts skills from, she had studied for many years and had good aptitude and comprehension. She was showing signs of surpassing her master.
With her abilities, it would be easy for her to evade the eyes of the adults. She chuckled, "That'll make it impossible for them to find us."