Princess Xiangsi - Chapter 165
"Xue'er." Situ Xingyun smiled.
"Hmm." Still sleepy, Qingyun opened her hazy eyes, nodded vaguely, and then went back to sleep.
Situ Xingyun chuckled inwardly. His Xue'er hadn't changed at all! Her habits were still the same as before.
However, when Qingyun fully woke up, the first thing she saw when she opened her eyes was Situ Xingyun's smiling face.
"Xue'er." She was still smiling, her eyes brimming with endless laughter and doting affection.
Qingyun frowned slightly and asked, "Don't you have to attend the morning court session?"
"I'm done." He was still smiling.
"Are you very free?" So free that you come to her Snow Palace every day and act as if it's perfectly normal.
"yes."
"My father used to be very busy every day." He would get up early and go to bed late, reviewing memorials and also considering how to bestow favors on everyone.
“My brother has helped me share the burden.”
“You…” What a treacherous emperor! No wonder she hasn’t been able to see him at all these past few days.
"Xue'er, you can pretend I don't exist and continue doing what you need to do."
Qingyun's lips twitched. She took a deep breath and decided to treat the person with the overly bright smile as if they were invisible.
For several days in a row, whenever Qingyun opened her eyes, she would see Situ Xingyun looking at her with a beaming smile, which made her uneasy all day. Because of this, Qingyun gave up her habit of sleeping in late. She would have Qingyi wake her half an hour before Situ Xingyun finished his court session. And Situ Xingyun never had the chance to see the beauty's drowsy state again.
"Qingyi, prepare the writing implements."
“…Okay.” Qingyi replied somewhat reservedly.
She stole a glance at Situ Xingyun, her heart filled with emotion. The Emperor visited the Snow Palace every day, and his eyes never left the princess. The palace maids in the Snow Palace all felt the deep emotion contained in that burning gaze, and they were all deeply moved. But the princess had a very high level of self-control, completely ignoring that gaze, and went about her own business.
After the writing implements were brought out, Qingyun began to paint.
At this moment, Situ Xingyun put down the memorial in his hand and came over, "What does Xue'er want to draw?"
"people."
Qingyun held her breath and focused her mind. With a gentle flutter of her eyelashes, she began to move the paintbrush in her hand.
Soon, a graceful woman appeared on the drawing paper, but the woman had no face, making the drawing seem unusually empty.
Just as Situ Xingyun was waiting for Qingyun to paint the woman's face, Qingyun instructed Qingyi, "Qingyi, put the painting away once the ink dries."
"Yes, Princess."
Situ Xingyun raised an eyebrow slightly, "Why isn't Xue'er wearing makeup?"
Qingyun glanced at Situ Xingyun and said indifferently, "I haven't found the face that truly belongs to her yet."
"Oh?! What do you mean by that?!"
"Humans are inherently complex beings. A person can have many faces, but even they themselves find it difficult to discern their true face. How much more so can outsiders?"
Situ Xingyun's eyes deepened. After pondering for a long time, he looked intently at Qingyun and asked, "Has Xue'er found her face?"
Qingyun was startled. The tranquil life in Juechen Valley, where she lived a life free from worldly strife, came to mind. She remembered the smile she shared with Lige and the pear blossoms filling the sky.
Her eyes gradually filled with a hazy, watery light.
In that instant, Situ Xingyun felt that Qingyun was so far away from him. She was so close, yet so far away.
His heart tightened suddenly, and he grasped her hand.
Qingyun snapped out of her daze, her brows furrowing slightly as she pulled her hand away from his.
She said calmly, "No." She knew the answer in her heart, but she didn't want to tell him.
The atmosphere became somewhat awkward. Situ Xingyun smiled and changed the subject: "Xue'er, do you still remember the painting I made for you back in the Pingyan Prince's Mansion?"
"..." Qingyun opened her mouth, but in the end she kept it closed. She nodded.
"Even though Xue'er had scars on her face back then, I still thought she was indescribably beautiful. Xue'er's eyes were the purest crystals in the world, so clear and bright, so..."
Situ Xingyun seemed to be lost in old memories, a soft light appearing in his eyes.
As Qingyun listened, she suddenly felt as if they had returned to the Pingyan Prince's Mansion, back to the time before Shuangdie entered the house.
Suddenly, a thought popped into her mind, and Qingyun lowered her eyelashes, concealing the glint of light in her eyes.
These days, Situ Xingyun seems to be repeating what he did back in the Pingyan Prince's Mansion. It seems he hopes to pull her back to the past and rekindle the feelings she had let go of.
The brilliant light faded, and a cold light rose.
Qingyun chuckled inwardly. She, Qingyun, was no longer the Fengxue of the past; for her to fall in love with him again was simply a pipe dream!
"Enough." Qingyun coldly interrupted Situ Xingyun's reminiscence. "I don't want to bring up the past anymore."
Situ Xingyun's face immediately turned ugly.
At this moment, Qingyun's tone softened, "I'm tired and need to rest. Xingyun, please make yourself at home."
After saying this, she bowed slightly to Situ Xingyun and turned to go back to her room.
The door creaked shut.