Mi primer marido después de la transmigración

Capítulo 49

Seeing a hint of disappointment flash across Shen Zexuan's eyes, I felt a pang of pity: "Besides, there will be banquets in the palace, and I'm afraid you won't be able to attend them all."

Immediately, Shen Zexuan smiled and said, "Don't worry, I'll find a way to see you that day." A sweet and warm feeling of being cared for welled up in my heart, and I ignored whether it was true or not.

After a satisfying meal, Shen Zexuan and I strolled through the market. He was still dressed in his magnificent red robes, standing out conspicuously in the crowd. With so many guards behind him, he probably didn't bother to conceal his identity. But beneath that glamorous facade, what came to mind was his ever-present, perfect smile, which stirred a pang of pain within me.

She lagged a step behind him; when out in public, one must always act as master and servant.

As the year drew to a close, the streets were bustling with activity. Shen Zexuan seemed to be infected by the warmth of the crowd, and the smile on his lips gradually warmed up. That smile that I often saw but others rarely had the chance to witness bloomed on the streets of the holy city today. Shen Zexuan stopped and whispered in my ear, "Do you know what I was thinking just now? I was thinking that one day I want to hold your hand and walk on this street together, and see the peace and happiness of the world."

My eyes welled up with tears, and I could feel the moisture at the corners of my eyes. I just stared at him blankly, etching his beautiful face into my heart. What tempting words...it was so sweet to hear.

On New Year's Eve, most of the dispatched personnel returned, and Shen Haoyu didn't send me out again. Zinuo and I went to Song Zhixuan and Lin Zhao's room, where Shi Nan, Chen Jin, and others were also gathered. The Yu Guard had always been clearly divided into two factions: ten princes' sons and the eight of us newcomers. The two factions were difficult to reconcile, and there was constant open and covert struggle. Shen Haoyu and the others seemed to know this, so they never assigned tasks together. Song Zhixuan and Lin Zhao had always been among the best in the Yu Guard, and Shi Nan and the others considered them leaders. Although the princes' sons disliked us, they still admired Song Zhixuan and Lin Zhao's abilities. Today, the eight of us, plus Zinuo, brewed wine and tea together, enjoying ourselves immensely. Everyone shared stories of their adventures on the road, and Zinuo listened with longing.

Before they knew it, it was already dark. Prince Qing sent someone to say that a banquet would be held at Songtao Pavilion at 7 PM, and everyone present was required to attend. Everyone looked slightly surprised; this was the first time in so many years.

Do not lean against the west railing to lock in the clear autumn. Chapter 36 of the main text.

Chapter word count: 3623 Update time: 09-08-02 12:44

At the hour of Xu (7-9 PM), everyone arrived at Songtao Pavilion. The other ten members of the Yuwei Guard were already seated on the left side of the long table, and Song Zhixuan led us to sit opposite them. Three stools were placed at the head of the table; two were undoubtedly prepared for Prince Qing and Shen Haoyu, and the third was certainly not for Princess Qing, as she would not appear in such an occasion. So, who could it be?

As expected, Zhao Ming sat in the first seat among the group opposite us. On our side, Song Zhixuan unceremoniously took the first seat, with Lin Zhao sitting right next to him. Zinuo and I originally wanted to find a seat at the end, but Lin Zhao insisted on pulling us to sit next to him. Shi Nan and the others looked at us with amusement, while a cold snort came from across the way. The two factions were clearly divided, and the atmosphere was somewhat tense.

After waiting for a while, someone finally announced that Prince Qing had arrived. Prince Qing, accompanied by Shen Haoyu, stepped into Songtao Pavilion. Prince Qing wore a black robe embroidered with coiled dragons, a white jade belt around his waist, and a large pearl adorned his jade hair ornament, which shimmered softly under the lamplight. Shen Haoyu, as always, wore a purple brocade robe, his hair tied with a pure white crown, the ribbons hanging down beside his ears, making him appear even more handsome and distinguished. Following behind them was Mr. Qi, whom they hadn't seen for some time. Despite the cold winter, he wore only a light blue scholar's robe, entering gracefully. It should have been expected to be him.

The three of them sat down, and a man who looked like a steward whispered something in Prince Qing's ear (I'm ashamed to say that apart from Qiufengyuan, I didn't recognize many of the other people in the Prince's mansion). Prince Qing nodded in agreement, and the man turned and left. A moment later, he returned with a line of maids carrying trays, bringing in one steaming dish after another and placing them on the table. Someone else brought a wine pot and filled the wine cups in front of us.

Seeing that everything was ready, Prince Qing stood up, holding his wine cup, and we had no choice but to follow suit. Prince Qing said, "Since you all came to the Prince's Mansion, you have worked hard to learn your skills. Now that you have achieved something, you are working tirelessly for the future of the Prince's Mansion. I have no way to thank you, so today I offer you all a cup of wine. From now on, you will share the glory and disgrace of the Prince's Mansion." With that, he drank his wine in one gulp. Everyone below also drank theirs. I chuckled inwardly, but I still finished my wine.

After sitting down, Prince Qing glanced at the crowd below, seemingly casually, but said nothing in the face of the two factions. Mr. Qi's face showed a hint of helplessness, while Shen Haoyu gave a slight sneer. This guy!

I thought Prince Qing would host some special event at today's banquet, but after the meal, he just asked a few polite and official questions, expressing his concern and well wishes. The New Year's Eve banquet ended so uneventfully. If I had known this would happen, it would have been much better to just have a few people together for a lively and enjoyable time.

After the banquet ended, we prepared to return to Qiufeng Garden. On the way, however, someone reported to Prince Qing that the Third Prince had arrived.

I was startled. Why was he here at this hour? Yet, I was secretly delighted. I had thought he would find some other way to see me, but he came openly and honestly. But what reason could he possibly have?

Although Prince Qing and Shen Haoyu were surprised, they still instructed their servants to treat us well, and we returned to Qiufeng Garden.

In Song Zhixuan and Lin Zhao's room, everyone was discussing how to spend the evening when someone came to report that Shen Haoyu was going out and that we should follow him. So, the nine of us went to the main hall to meet Shen Haoyu, while the ten princes went home to reunite with their families after the banquet. I knew in my heart that it must have been Shen Zexuan's idea. When I asked outside the hall, it turned out that Shen Zexuan had indeed invited Shen Haoyu to his villa outside the city to enjoy the snow and spend New Year's Eve together. Although it was unreasonable, since he was a prince, Prince Qing agreed, only instructing him not to go too far.

The snow was falling heavily outside. Shen Zexuan arrived by carriage, with a group of guards waiting outside the Prince's mansion. The Prince's mansion had intended to arrange a carriage for Shen Haoyu as well, but Shen Zexuan refused, saying, "What's wrong with sharing a carriage?" So, the two brothers got into the carriage affectionately, and the rest of us had to ride on horseback. Seeing Song Zhixuan and the others braving the heavy snow on New Year's Eve because of me, I felt a little guilty. But thinking that Shen Haoyu would also be accompanying me on this day, I felt a secret thrill. He would never have imagined that today's situation was caused by me.

The weather was very cold, and snowflakes kept hitting my face, even stinging a little, but I was in high spirits. Reaching the east gate, one of Shen Zexuan's guards stepped forward with a token. The gatekeepers carefully checked it before opening the gate to let us out. Unlike inside the city, there were no lights outside, making it much darker. Fortunately, the snow was thick, and we could still see things by its own light. Shen Zexuan's guard led the way, and we followed the carriage. Soon, we arrived at the foot of a mountain. A wide and flat road led up the mountain, and we quickly reached the mountainside, where a spacious mansion stood before us in the snowy night. There were people waiting outside, and upon seeing us, they quickly descended the stone steps to greet us; bright red lanterns swayed in the cold wind.

After entering the gate, someone led us to the stables and then took us to a small hall to warm up.

A little while later, Guangqi, who had been following Shen Zexuan, came over and asked us to go to the viewing tower so he could spend the evening with Shen Zexuan and Shen Haoyu. Of all these people, only Zinuo, Song Zhixuan, and I had any prior contact with Shen Zexuan, so everyone seemed somewhat surprised by this news. Only I knew that someone like Shen Zexuan wouldn't normally have much contact with these people. However, today was special; in his words, he wanted to spend the day with me, and he went to such lengths, even doing things he didn't like. My heart was touched again.

Upon arriving at the viewing tower, Shen Zexuan and Shen Haoyu were already seated around the brazier. Several of Shen Zexuan's guards had also arrived, presumably to avoid showing favoritism. The so-called viewing tower was a three-story building. In the darkness, it was impossible to see clearly; looking out the windows, all one could see were large swathes of white against the night sky. At a different time or in a different season, one could probably see a beautiful view from here.

Shen Zexuan told us not to stand on ceremony and to find a place to sit. So we all found seats and sat down. Zinuo sat close to me, his eyes constantly glancing curiously at Shen Zexuan. He was probably just as puzzled. Song Zhixuan and Lin Zhao sat down to my right.

Hot tea and various snacks were served, and the wine warmed in the stove emitted a mellow aroma, creating a fairly harmonious atmosphere.

Shen Zexuan smiled and said to Shen Haoyu, "This is also my first time here."

"Thank you for your hospitality, Third Brother." Shen Haoyu smiled politely, but it seemed he was not too happy to come here today.

Shen Zexuan didn't seem to care much and continued, "Among all my brothers, Yu is the closest to me. Today, Yu can keep me company."

His words carried a hint of loneliness, but Shen Haoyu turned his face slightly away and said, "Today we must enjoy ourselves to the fullest." His tone was much better now. He then invited everyone to raise their glasses, drink, and make merry, and the atmosphere became lively.

Shen Haoyu was quite the player. Shen Zexuan watched with a smile, his gaze occasionally meeting mine, his smile deepening. I subtly turned my head to look at him again. In this situation, it wouldn't be good if someone observant noticed anything.

After playing for a while, Shen Zexuan said, "Everyone, have fun and play whatever you want." So everyone gathered together and started playing, which was even more lively than before. Shen Zexuan sat to the side the whole time, watching us with a smile.

Lin Zhao pulled a small, neatly wrapped cloth bag from the sea. Curious, I opened it and found my playing cards inside. I lowered my voice and said, "Didn't we agree that these couldn't be exposed to the light?"

Lin Zhao also whispered, "I thought we'd only be able to keep watch for them tonight, and we were planning to sneak off and have some fun. But now that things are like this, there's no need for that. Let's have some fun first, and if the young prince asks, we'll just say it's mine."

I had no choice but to agree. I couldn't stand it; they were playing drinking games and stuff like that, which I didn't enjoy at all. They said they were coming to appreciate the snow, something classy and sophisticated, but it was actually a complete mess. It was all thanks to Shen Haoyu's good example, which polluted Shen Zexuan's place.

The four of us huddled in a corner playing a card game, completely absorbed in our own fun, oblivious to the noise around us...

Just as they were urging Lin Zhao to play his card quickly, he kept picking it up and putting it down, unsure of which card to play, when Shen Haoyu suddenly leaned in and asked, "Lin En, what are you guys doing here?"

I frowned slightly when I smelled the alcohol on him. He'd be easier to appease if he was drunk, I thought…

Lin Zhao told him we were playing cards. Shen Haoyu didn't understand, so Lin Zhao patiently explained it to him. I kept winking at him, but he pretended not to hear and continued talking to Shen Haoyu. Shen Haoyu kept nodding, and his eyes slowly began to shine.

Song Zhixuan laughed at the way Lin Zhao and I looked at each other, and Zinuo also looked like she was watching a good show. "Fine, are they all going to make things difficult for me today?" I glared at them fiercely, but unfortunately, Shen Haoyu saw me: "Lin En, you've got something fun, why do you always keep it from me? I always find out so late!"

You could tell from his voice that he was already a little drunk; normally...

Shen Haoyu squeezed in and sat down, insisting on playing. I said only four people could play, so Shen Haoyu pushed Song Zhixuan out. Song Zhixuan smiled and stood up. Shen Zexuan had also come over at some point and asked what was going on. Song Zhixuan told him. Song Zhixuan looked a little awkward, probably thinking about Shen Zexuan's homosexual tendencies. I couldn't help but laugh.

“In that case, I’ll give it a try.” Shen Zexuan sat down, and Zinuo gave up his seat. We couldn’t just let them watch, could we? So I suggested that we split the two decks of cards and play Dou Dizhu in groups of three. After some explanation, we finally reached an agreement: Shen Haoyu, Shen Zexuan, and I would form one group, and the other three would form another.

As the group was having a good time, Guangqi walked up to Shen Zexuan and said, "Your Highness, midnight is approaching."

Shen Zexuan put down his cards and said to me and Shen Haoyu, "Let's go outside and light some fireworks." The two of them then put down their cards as well.

Outside, on the snow-covered ground, lay many bamboo tubes. Shen Zexuan took the incense from Guangqi and lit the fuse of one of the tubes. As the fuse burned out, a burst of light shot out of the tube with a "whoosh," exploding in the sky and scattering sparks everywhere. Seeing the fireworks, everyone inside rushed out. Guangqi distributed some incense to them, urging them to light it. In an instant, the scene was dazzling with fireworks.

Taking advantage of a moment when no one was looking, Shen Zexuan pulled me aside to a corner and whispered, "This is what I want you to see tonight."

I stared into his bright eyes, which reflected the glittering fireworks of the sky. It was too dark for me to see myself reflected in them.