Today, I imagine my mother must be overjoyed to meet the Princess. She looks like she's only thirty-seven or thirty-eight years old; she doesn't look like her mother at all. People would believe she was her elder sister.
No wonder the eldest princess was willing to compromise and go to great lengths to get through Xi Xi's connections.
"Did you have fun with Your Highness?"
Hearing these words from her mother, Yu Zhi's earlobes involuntarily turned red. She nodded absentmindedly and said, "It's alright, she always likes to bully me."
“Your Highness is still young at heart.” Liu Boyan looked at her daughter, who was clearly smitten, and felt a pang of worry in her heart—Her Highness was only five years younger than Xiao Zhizhi, the age gap was too large.
Princess Changyang was undoubtedly the pride of the Great Yan Dynasty, the imperial jewel cherished by the Emperor and Empress. Before the New Year, the foreign envoys showed their utmost sincerity in wanting to form a marriage alliance with the Yan Dynasty, implying that they wanted to marry Princess Changyang as their queen. However, His Majesty immediately turned a cold face.
From then on, everyone knew that no one could touch the emperor and empress's beloved.
Her family's daughters were clearly acting intentionally towards His Highness.
But how many people in the capital are openly or secretly in love with the young prince?
Even though Zhizhi is Liu Xiang's granddaughter.
Her social status was definitely a step below that of those women from well-established families with both parents.
Judging from her age alone, Zhizhi's reluctance to marry makes her seem too old among her many competitors.
Her only two advantages are His Highness's heart and her beauty and talent, stemming from her family's lineage in Jinghe Liu.
Liu Boyan is the legitimate daughter of a prime minister. She is sometimes confused about her own affairs, but she is very clear-headed when it comes to her daughter.
“Your Highness is fifteen. You are five years older than her. Your marriage cannot be arranged after hers.”
Yu Zhi's willow-leaf eyes were innocent yet alluring: "But my daughter has no one she likes."
In previous years, she had used this excuse to avoid her mother and maternal grandfather from arranging a marriage for her, but now Liu Boyan was determined not to indulge her anymore: "Does she expect to follow His Highness around like a little shadow forever?"
Who wants to be her little shadow?
Yu Zhi was unconvinced, her eyes clearly conveying the message that "Your Highness is the one who follows her around."
Regardless of who was whose little shadow, the two were inseparable. The royal family had yet to give a proper explanation, and Liu Boyan did not want the royal daughter's momentary infatuation to delay her daughter's life.
Whether it will work out or not, she has to push herself.
"You don't like the men of Kyoto, but have you fallen for a woman?"
"..."
The conversation between mother and daughter suddenly veered in a strange direction. Yu Zhi didn't react for a moment, then exclaimed "Ah!" and her eyes slowly widened: "Mother, you are..."
What are you talking about?
She clutched her agitated heart, wanting to say, "Mother, you favor young women, how can you put such a label on your daughter?" But she swallowed the words back: "Who could I possibly be infatuated with?"
Liu Boyan glanced at her, and said softly, "What do you think?"
No one knows a daughter better than her mother. Yu Zhi's secret desires were exposed by her own mother, and she frowned anxiously: "I don't understand."
"You're pretending not to understand even though you know the truth."
Liu Boyan felt sorry for her daughter who was still unmarried at the age of twenty and wanted to keep her for a few more years. However, she did not expect that her daughter would set her sights on the grass near her home.
Liu Boyan knew she was timid and didn't want to scare her, so she deliberately softened her tone: "In my opinion, His Highness does have feelings for you, but he's still young and impetuous, so it's inevitable that he'll be blinded by other beauties in the future."
"How could Mother know that she would be blinded by other beauties?"
To put it bluntly, is there any woman in the world more alluring to human desire than Jinghe Liu?
She retorted too quickly, and Liu Boyan chuckled: "You really are infatuated with her."
Yu Zhi's pretty face was flushed, and the heat on her face wouldn't go down for a while. She gave up on herself and simply told the truth: "I... I can't explain it either. I feel happy when I see her, and I miss her when I don't see her. I feel annoyed when I see those fancy-dressed young masters from noble families hanging around me. I can't stop thinking about the difference between them and Xi Xi."
Perhaps this is what fascination is.
She sighed, not daring to look into her mother's all-knowing eyes: "Mother said that Xi Xi also likes me... what does that mean?"
Does that mean you agree to them being together?
Liu Boyan saw the unease in her daughter's heart and, thinking of what she was about to say, couldn't help but feel uneasy as well. She hesitated for a moment before saying, "Your mother..." She paused, and Yuzhi looked up.
Looking at the daughter she had raised, she finally chose to be brave and honest: "Your mother has found someone she loves, Princess Yunzhang."
"Oh..." Yu Zhi's reaction was indifferent: "Daughter knows." Mother wants to get married.
"..."
Liu Boyan was puzzled: "You know?"
Yu Zhi didn't want to say that she went out today just to watch her mother and lover's tryst, so she rubbed her ears and said, "Xi Xi told me."
“I see…” she asked, “So what are your thoughts?”
Women in the Great Yan Dynasty are free to choose to remain chaste for their husbands. Even His Majesty is willing to grant women the right to freely choose their partners. As a daughter, how could Yu Zhi not be considerate of her birth mother's hardships over the years?
With the eldest princess by her side, her mother did indeed become much more cheerful.
She pondered for a moment: "This is Mother's freedom. Mother can choose for herself and does not need to worry about her daughter."
Liu Boyan remained silent for a long while, then asked with a sigh, "Is that really what you think?"
To be honest, if it weren't for Xi Xi's comforting words, and if she hadn't known about her mother's relationship with the princess earlier, she might have found it hard to accept at first. But after she got over it, she naturally understood her mother's tension at that moment.
She smiled and said, "Mother, as long as you are happy."
Father's wish is probably to see Mother doing well.
Liu Boyan laughed from the bottom of her heart, and her smile seemed to rejuvenate her youthful spirit: "What else did Xixi say to you?"
She naturally changed how she addressed His Highness, and Yu Zhi keenly noticed this, her words implying that she was speaking well of the person: "She said that the Princess has been longing for Mother for a long time, and love is something one cannot control, so she told me not to make things difficult for Mother..."
.
After a girl reaches the age of fifteen, she can discuss marriage. Princess Changyang is already fifteen, and her coming-of-age ceremony was several months ago. The Empress is currently making plans for her marriage.
Back at Ganning Palace, Ji Pingxi greeted her mother with a smile. The Empress smiled gently and elegantly at her daughter and said, "Come and sit down."
Princess Changyang nestled into her mother's arms: "Mother, my imperial aunt's good news is coming soon."
Yan Xiu tapped her cheek with her finger: "Speak properly."
Ji Pingxi straightened up, her eyes sparkling with a smile: "It's true! I saw my own eyes as my imperial aunt hooked her finger with Aunt Yu's as they went out. They're such grown-ups, what kind of relationship would require them to hook their fingers over just a few steps?"
She had an air of "I can't hide it from you, I know everything," which made Yan Xiu smile knowingly: "Her good news is coming soon, what about yours? All the good young men from noble families are scrambling to marry the princess, what are your thoughts?"
"Me?" Ji Pingxi pretended not to understand: "No, those people are too ugly, it hurts my eyes to look at them too much."
The Empress gently stroked her head: "Who doesn't get an eye ache after looking at so much?"
"It is naturally the most beautiful in the world."
Yan Xiu chuckled, feigning ignorance: "Does our capital city have the most beautiful scenery in the world?"
"Of course there is!" Ji Pingxi wanted to help her mother see clearly: "That willow branch is quite nice!"
Which willow branch?
"That willow branch!"
The palace maids standing guard beside the Empress couldn't help but cover their mouths and laugh when they saw the Prince getting anxious.
Ji Pingxi tilted her head back and slowly said "Oh": "Mother, you're not being fair. Why do you still like to bully children?" She touched her chin: "No, I'm not a child anymore."
Her eyes were bright, and she seemed to have figured something out. She stepped out of her mother's arms with a serious expression, stood up straight, and suddenly clasped her hands together, bending slightly at the waist: "I am fifteen years old and already have someone I love. Please, Mother, help me make a decision."
Chapter 109 Green Plum 8
After two days of rain, the sky was clear and bright as if it had been washed. Liu Boyan walked along the long palace road, thinking about her daughter and the prince's affair. Her eyes flashed and she couldn't help but wonder about the Empress's intention in summoning her today.
The Empress of the Great Yan Dynasty, the eldest daughter of the Yan family, is no one who speaks without reason. Why did she summon her so early? Liu Boyan glanced at the palace servant leading the way.
The palace maid was the Empress's head maid, representing the Empress's face when she walked in the palace. The Empress sent this person in person, and the intention behind it was probably that the Princess had said something to her.
With a plan gradually forming in her mind, Liu Boyan proceeded steadily and cautiously on this path.
"Mrs. Yu, please."
As soon as she entered the gates of Gan Ning Palace, Liu Boyan smiled.
While the adults were testing and vying with each other on one side, Yuzhi was summoned by the princess again on the other.
The sky cleared, the sun shone brightly, and the birdsong in the trees was even more lively than usual. Ji Pingxi, dressed in a brocade dress, stood at the Yu family's door. Upon seeing Yu Zhi, her eyes lit up: "Zhizhi!"
"Why did you call me out?" Yu Zhi looked into her bright and cheerful eyes, and after a while, she inexplicably felt that the sun was too strong, making her face red.
"Of course I called you out to hang out. Aren't you bored staying home all day?"
As a true member of the imperial family, she did not need to inherit the royal legacy. All she needed to do was eat well, drink well, and have fun, living a carefree and happy life. The imperial power would pave a smooth path for her in the world. Princess Changyang was destined to be different from all other women in the world.
She has the right to be willful and live as passionately as the sun.
Yuzhi is different from her.
Yuzhi lost her father at a young age, and compared to other noble ladies in Kyoto who had both parents, she was at a disadvantage from the start.
It will take a lot of effort to make up for the missing part.
When Ji Pingxi came to find her, she was embroidering peonies on a brocade handkerchief. She had only finished half of the embroidery when she thought about waiting outside the door for someone who wouldn't come in. So she put down her unfinished work and went out to meet him.
Yu Zhi stood on the stone steps in front of the door, watching the sunlight shine on her. Seeing her high spirits, Yu Zhi's mood improved unconsciously: "I can't compare to you. I still have to get married."
When she spoke of "getting married," she lowered her voice, blushed slightly, and looked at the person in front of her with a hint of expectation.
There are probably no more than one palm's worth of unmarried girls over twenty in Kyoto. Ji Pingxi's breath hitched, and her heart felt like it was about to stop. She asked in an almost trembling voice, "Who do you want to marry?"
She had red lips and white teeth, and her skin shone with a translucent, radiant glow under the sun.
Seeing her earnestness, Yu Zhi was quite frightened. The shame she felt for her, which she secretly liked, faded a little, replaced by more joy: "How would I know who I'll marry? In any case, when I reach a certain age, I'll have to leave home and live with someone else."
For half a day, Ji Pingxi was uneasy about her words. On one hand, she was worried that her mother would be rejected by Madam Yu, and on the other hand, she was worried that Zhizhi would be seduced by other little vixens in the capital behind her back.
She was restless, forcing a smile. With her cunning and shrewdness, if Yu Zhi were a few years older, she might not have been able to guess what was on her mind, but now...
Twenty-year-old Zhizhi met the fifteen-year-old, carefree princess and could almost immediately tell that Zhizhi was still anxious about what she had said earlier.
The two strolled leisurely down the long street, and she asked, "What exactly did you bring me out here for?"
Ji Pingxi looked listless and lazily lifted his eyelids: "Come with me."