The sound of horses' hooves rang out at the door, and Princess Yunzhang dismounted.
Who goes there?
"How dare you! This is Her Highness the Princess!"
"Shut up!" Ji Rong snapped at his attendant.
Upon hearing the words "Princess," the gatekeeper's expression changed drastically.
"Tell your wife that an old friend has come to visit and requests to see him."
The servant turned and went to report.
Ji Rong had traveled a long and arduous journey. Arriving in Lingnan Prefecture, she was unfamiliar with the place and spent some time asking around for directions to Baihu Street. Finally, she stood outside this gate, her palms sweating with nervousness.
"Is this appropriate?"
"Your Highness is exceptionally beautiful and perfectly suited to the occasion."
They spoke to people in a human language and to ghosts in a ghost language. Ji Rong didn't believe them: "Bring me a bronze mirror."
The attendant indeed pulled a small, round mirror from his sleeve.
Looking in the mirror, Ji Rong frowned slightly: her hair was a bit messy, her skin was a bit too pale, and her clothes were a bit too fancy.
She used an alias when she met Yan'er, partly because she was worried that the identity of the eldest princess would frighten her, and partly because she really didn't want to be influenced by her mother, lest Yan'er know that she was the Empress Dowager's biological daughter and become wary.
Now that she is to return to her as an old friend, she can no longer use an alias.
More than twenty years of waiting was enough to give her the courage to face this day.
"An old friend? Is that what she said?"
"Yes, Madam. I heard that man's attendant call her 'Your Highness, the Princess,' but I don't know..."
Your Highness the Eldest Princess.
Throughout the entire Great Yan Dynasty, there was only one eldest princess.
That person was the one who threatened her 'son-in-law'.
What a coincidence! Just as Ping Xi was confiding in her, this person came all the way from the capital, thousands of miles away.
Liu Boyan was not stupid; she guessed at an absurd possibility.
old friends.
Her heart suddenly ached.
"What does she look like?"
The doorman opened his mouth and said, "Exquisite beauty, luxurious clothes, and extraordinary temperament."
"not see."
"Yes, madam."
...
"The lady said she won't see you, so you'd better leave quickly."
"How could we not see you? We traveled a long way, day and night, to get here..."
"White Deer, shut up!"
At a shout, the young attendant named "White Deer" fell silent.
Ji Rong gazed at the door with emotion: "We made a promise to fly kites in the Western Hills on Grain Rain Day. I brought a kite with me. I wonder if that still counts?"
The old kite was presented to the lady by the doorman. The blind woman could not see it, but she heard the maid describe it to her. Suddenly, her eyes filled with tears: "It's her..."
"Your Highness, it's getting dark."
"wait."
Ji Rong sat on the bluestone steps, closing her eyes to rest.
Her attendants stood guard by her side, watching the sky gradually darken.
"Have they not left yet?"
"They didn't leave; they're outside."
Yu's mother hummed in agreement and asked no further questions.
Winter nights in Ryonan are very cold, with the chill seeping into your bones.
"Read the letter Xi Xi wrote again."
Agate obeys.
The attendants fastened the cloak to protect Princess Ji Rong from the wind and cold. Ji Rong's lips were purple from the cold. She had taken excellent care of herself over the years and had a delicate body. The biting cold was a hardship she had never experienced before.
Unable to bear looking around any longer, he was about to knock on the door when she stopped him with a shout.
"If you don't want to wait, then get back to the capital."
"Your Highness—"
Ji Rong opened her eyes impatiently, about to erupt in anger, when the door behind her slowly opened.
"Madam, please invite Your Highness inside."
It was like a timely rain that extinguished the anger in Ji Yunzhang's heart.
She straightened her clothes, patted her frozen face, and mustered her courage to step through the door.
Liu Boyan sat in the main hall, her heart pounding in her throat as she listened to the approaching footsteps. Her longing and love for her beloved, as well as her hatred and anger towards her enemy, all surged up at once. She was glad that she couldn't see them.
I also feel sad that I can't see.
He's just blind.
She gave a self-deprecating laugh.
"Yan'er!"
Ji Rong shouted, only to find her throat dry.
She stood there blankly a few steps away, too ashamed to approach.
"Sister Rong."
"Yan'er..."
Hearing that soft call again after so many years, Liu Boyan felt a sharp pain in her heart: "Why are you here?"
"I came to bring you your medicine, and while I'm at it, I also wanted to ask if you still want to fly kites with me?"
"My eyes are blind, I'm old, and I can't do it anymore."
Ji Rong smiled at her: "No, you're not old at all."
Tears welled up in her eyes, but she dared not cry out loud.
"It's a pity I can't see Sister Rong. I wonder how you are now."
"It's okay, even if you can't see, you can touch it."
She took trembling steps, each step feeling like traversing a long river she hadn't seen in over twenty years.
He finally reached Liu Boyan, took her hand and placed it on his face: "Feel it, isn't it pretty much the same as you remember?"
"It hasn't changed much."
She carefully touched it to get a general idea, and a very beautiful face appeared in her mind.
No wonder she was so elegant and talented, no wonder she was so bold and unrestrained.
She was originally the most precious princess of the Great Yan Dynasty.
She smiled, withdrew her hand, carefully concealing the turmoil in her heart. Seeing her like this, Ji Rong suddenly felt a sense of unease: "Yan'er?"
Why are you bullying my 'son-in-law'?
"What?"
"Agate, hand it to Your Highness."
Agate sighed inwardly: This is truly a case of better timing than early arrival; for a moment, she didn't know who to feel sorry for.
A long letter was handed to Princess Yunzhang.
After reading the black and white text at a glance, Ji Rong's expression changed drastically: "Yan'er, let me explain!"
Chapter 44 Eating
"What's there to explain? What's there to explain? Your mother loves you so much, and her love for you is my love for her. Whether she chooses her daughter and son-in-law or her old flame, is there even a question?"
"What old flame? You're not allowed to slander my mother."
Wei Pingxi put his arm around her waist and stood by the window admiring the wind and snow outside: "Where is the slander? Your mother is in love with Ji Yunzhang, didn't you admit it yourself?"
"Then don't mention old flames either."
"Okay, then, my little lover."
"..."
Yu Zhi was so angry she wanted to bite her.
Thinking about it, my teeth aren't as good as Miss Si's. If I bite someone, I'll get bitten back. It's not worth it.
She suppressed this thought.
"The north wind is blowing and the snow is falling; this cold day is perfect for hot pot."
"really."
Yu Zhisheng was born in the south and rarely saw heavy winter snow. The two of them, like ignorant young girls, leaned against the window to watch the snow, not minding the cold.
The wind brushed against their fair faces, and she said, "What kind of person do you think Princess Yunzhang is? Won't she cause Mother unnecessary heartache?"
"As for Ji Yunzhang, my aunt and she are close friends. When she mentioned this princess, she only said the four words 'deeply affectionate and sincere.' There are not many people in the world who can be praised by my aunt like this."