Neuf chansons

Chapitre 47

They were busy like this, and even at the fastest speed, it took two days. They set off on the morning of the third day with more than a dozen carriages, dozens of maids and guards, plus Xiao Feng and the Eighteen Wind and Cloud Riders who accompanied him. The canopy fluttered and the procession was grand and imposing. Wherever they went, the streets were deserted.

Li Yuxuan was quite puzzled by Yelü Hongji's changed and more proactive attitude towards this matter, but she was too lazy to think too deeply about the political maneuvering in their officialdom. She knew that he was using her as a tool and a gun, and there was nothing she could do about it.

She's always been a gun... a gun delivered to her door.

Once outside the Liao territory, she, Xiao Feng, and Zhan Zhao changed into ordinary clothes and rode swiftly towards Bianliang.

Bianliang remained as prosperous as ever.

The Prince Xin's mansion was closed, completely devoid of the expected festive atmosphere and lively music and dancing. Even the gatekeeper and guards were nowhere to be seen, leaving the place eerily quiet amidst the hustle and bustle of the main street.

“Something must have happened.” In the morning mist, Xiao Feng didn’t even dismount his horse: “Brother Zhan, go and ask him.”

Zhan Zhao dismounted and stopped a person hurrying past. Judging from the person's attire, he was an official: "May I ask what's going on here, Prince Xin?"

The man recognized Zhan Zhao: "Guard Zhan?"

"It's me!"

"The prince was demoted to a commoner by the emperor half a month ago and is no longer here."

"What?" Zhan Zhao took two steps back in shock. "Wasn't he supposed to be married? Why is this happening?"

Hearing their conversation from horseback, Li Yuxuan was so startled that he tumbled off his horse and rolled to Zhan Zhao's side: "Why?"

Seeing Li Yuxuan dressed as a woman and looking so anxious and flustered, the man's eyes gleamed with a smug sense of knowing something was going on: "Don't you know? Because the prince refused the Empress Dowager's bestowed marriage, he was demoted to a commoner by the enraged Empress Dowager."

Li Yuxuan and Xiao Feng both turned to look at Zhan Zhao.

Zhan Zhao wiped his face vigorously with his hand in disbelief: "What exactly happened? How could this be? Where is he?" The man clasped his hands in a fist and said: "I don't know. I have to go to the yamen, so please excuse me."

Zhan Zhao raised his hand and waved it wildly: "Let's go, let's go!"

Upon hearing that Prince Xin had not been married and had been demoted to a commoner, Li Yuxuan was surprised but finally relieved, even pleasantly surprised. The fatigue from the journey vanished, and he mounted his horse, saying, "Let's go, I'll go find him!"

"Where are we looking?" the two followed her. "Can you find it?"

Li Yuxuan chuckled: "I know a place and a person who definitely knows where he is."

With Bao Zheng's death and Ouyang Xiu temporarily acting as the Prefect of Kaifeng, Li Yuxuan rushed to the Kaifeng Prefectural Government Office. These two had once supported and respected each other in the court; the only person Li Yuxuan could entrust with the Prince of Xin's affairs, and whom she also knew well, was her mentor, Ouyang Xiu. He must know the Prince of Xin's whereabouts. A smile involuntarily crept onto her lips: "You cunning fox, still trying to pull this on me."

The task of finding Ouyang Xiu was entrusted to Zhan Zhao; it would be too conspicuous for either her or Xiao Feng to go. Zhan Zhao came out of the government office with a piece of paper and handed it to Li Yuxuan. Li Yuxuan opened it and saw that it was in the handwriting of Prince Xin, with two lines of poetry written on it: "Broken branches seek a place to send off at the ends of the earth; a beauty outside the wall, a flower inside."

Li Yuxuan grinned: "This poem is awful, just like everyone else's. Where is he?"

"I don't know!" Zhan Zhao shook his head: "He didn't say anything above, he just left this for Lord Ouyang, saying that if anyone came looking for him, he should give this to them. The address is in here, and he said that this is a place that the person looking for him is very familiar with."

"Familiar?" Li Yuxuan frowned. "Beauty outside the wall, flower inside the wall? Flower inside the wall? Chrysanthemum? This thing is there no matter where he stands by the wall."

Zhan Zhao was even more anxious than her: "What's going on? Did you even understand what you were muttering about?"

Li Yuxuan ignored him, turned his horse around, and galloped out of the city. Could he be there?

Fifty miles outside the city lies Guo Family Village.

The familiar wall stood there, and inside, an apricot tree was in full bloom, its red blossoms stretching over the wall and above Li Yuxuan's head. Li Yuxuan had planted it six years ago when he moved here, just for fun, to amuse himself, planting it beside the wall with the intention of "a branch of red apricot blossoms extending beyond the wall."

She reached out and plucked a flower. This apricot blossom had finally climbed over the wall. Damn it, wasn't that exactly what Prince Xin meant? Even writing an address, he couldn't resist mocking her.

The gate to the courtyard was ajar; it opened with a gentle push. The courtyard was quiet and clean, the gate wide open, and the furniture inside was exactly as it had been when she was there. A table of neatly arranged snacks, vegetarian dishes, and bowls and chopsticks sat on the octagonal table, as if waiting for their arrival from afar.

Where are they?

Li Yuxuan gestured for Zhan Zhao and Xiao Feng to sit down, then habitually went to the kitchen in the back to get some hot water. Back home, although she didn't see Prince Xin's men, only his pretentious antics, she didn't care. As long as he was there, nothing else mattered.

The kitchen door was open, and a figure in lake blue, slightly hunched over, was chopping something on the cutting board. The crisp, melodious sounds were like the sunlight dancing outside.

Li Yuxuan couldn't believe his eyes. The figure was so familiar, but what was that figure doing now? Such a high-and-mighty, pampered person, cooking? His heart skipped a beat... He clutched his chest, held his breath, and tiptoed inside.

He walked behind her, calmed his heartbeat, and slowly bent down to hug the figure in front of him, pressing his face and body against hers, stroking her firm muscles: "I'm back."

Her body tensed. Without turning around, she said, "I knew you would come back." Her voice was deep and alluring, but her hands continued to tap rhythmically on the cutting board, as if they had always been together, only briefly separated.

Seeing that he didn't respond to her enthusiasm at all, Li Yuxuan released her arms from his embrace and stood beside him. Looking at his sharply defined face from the side, she saw that he remained focused on his hands, showing no excitement whatsoever from their long-awaited reunion. So reserved and calm, so unlike the flamboyant and unrestrained Prince Xin she knew.

He's probably angry with her, right?

She reached out to take the work from his hands: "Let me do it. Brother Xiao and Brother Zhan are here. You go and keep them company."

"No need, I'm more skilled than you."

"I am the woman in this family."

"You call yourself a woman?" He scoffed. "I've never seen a woman more womanly than you."

You can't bully me just because I'm in a good mood.

"I'm stating the facts, Your Excellency!"

"If the tiger doesn't show its power, it'll take me for a sick cat." Li Yuxuan pressed down hard on the hand that was resting on the chopping board. Prince Xin struggled for a moment but couldn't break free. Finally, a change appeared in his eyes, and he became somewhat surprised: "Your skill has improved very quickly!"

"I've improved in more than just that," Li Yuxuan said with a grin, snuggling closer to him and automatically clasping his hands around hers. "I missed you."

The face in front of him suddenly turned red. This was the first time Li Yuxuan had ever seen him blush, and he unconsciously touched it with both hands: "It's a miracle that even Prince Xin, whose skin is as thick as a crocodile's, can blush!"

Call me Ziqing!

Do you miss me?

What do you think?

"It must feel like three autumns have passed since we last saw each other."

"You're just being vain!"

Li Yuxuan had always been somewhat hesitant about her choices and had an involuntary resistance to his background and experiences. Only now was she truly moved by him. She put her arms around his shoulders, stood on tiptoe, and swung up to him, saying, "You're so tall. It's so tiring to be face to face with you."

Prince Xin's tense face finally broke into a smile: "You!" He reached out and hugged her tightly: "Let me see if you've changed? Have you been unfaithful?"

"Always going out, never going far."

His eyes darkened, and the hand gripping her waist tightened, causing her to scream in pain: "You're trying to murder your own wife—!"

Before he could even finish uttering the word "ah," his lips were suddenly pressed down by a force, and the Prince of Xin's heavy breathing sounded in his ear: "Let's see how arrogant you are~"

Li Yuxuan naturally wrapped her arms around his neck and nestled in his embrace. In a flurry of kisses, her tongue swiftly slipped into his mouth. Prince Xin, a seasoned veteran in this area, naturally wouldn't let Li Yuxuan gain the upper hand. It was a fierce battle, a fight that left both sides utterly defeated and unable to stop. They almost drew the curtains.

In the end, Prince Xin put down the alluring Li Yuxuan, helped her straighten her clothes, and handed her a glass of cold water to drink: "Calm down, let's go to the front hall together. You haven't eaten yet, have you? Come and try my cooking."

Chapter 78

"Your craftsmanship?" Li Yuxuan raised his eyes. "You've become so impressive after just three days? Your noble, lazy hands can actually make eye-related contraptions?"

“I’ve always been worthy of your respect, it’s just that you’ve been blind to it before.” Prince Xin curled his lip in dissatisfaction. “I’m too lazy to argue with you. I learned my cooking skills in the imperial kitchen when I was bored. If you don’t believe me, fine.”

Li Yuxuan really wanted to ask Prince Xin why things had ended this way, but several times she swallowed the words back. Perhaps there was no need to ask or seek confirmation anymore; all she could do was cherish what she had. She took Prince Xin's hand and wrapped it around her waist: "Let's go. I believe in you one hundred percent."

Back in the main hall, Li Yuxuan could hear Li Xinyun shouting from across the corridor. He hurried over and saw Xu Qingzhi, Xu Zhu, and Li Xinyun there. Li Xinyun was excitedly describing his adventures on Taihu Lake to Xiao Feng.

When the group saw Li Yuxuan and Prince Xin appear, they all looked at them with a hint of mockery in their eyes. Even Li Yuxuan, with his thick skin, couldn't help but blush.

Li Xinyun sidled up to Li Yuxuan, chuckling as she circled her: "Not bad, you came pretty fast. Are you here to drink Zhao Yun's wedding wine or to snatch her away? This princess's idea is pretty good, isn't it? It's called putting yourself in a life-or-death situation, something Brother Xu taught me."

Zhan Zhao's eyes widened: "Did you send that message? You deliberately messed with me, didn't you?"

Li Xinyun blinked: "This was all our idea. Why did some people hide away and try to avoid seeing the problem? They're just deserters."

"I didn't!" Li Yuxuan raised her right hand: "I swear I didn't intend to desert this time. Brother Zhan and Brother Xiao can testify." Seeing that they were all there, she was genuinely happy, especially seeing Xu Qingzhi's calm expression. Although there was still a trace of melancholy in his eyes, the unbearable pain he felt when looking at her was gone.

The courtyard gate creaked open again, and Yinzi and Xiaolei walked in carrying two jars of wine. Xuzhu went over, took the jars, opened them, and the whole courtyard was immediately filled with the aroma of wine.

Yinzi rushed towards her with great joy, while Xiaolei silently stood behind Li Xinyun.

Prince Xin sat down and poured wine into everyone's bowls: "It's been a long time since we've gathered together like this. After we all go our separate ways, I'm afraid we won't have the chance to get together like this again. Come on, let's drink until we're drunk."

Prince Xin's cooking skills were not bad; the food on the table was edible.

After a few drinks, Xiao Feng asked, "What are you planning to do?"

Prince Xin shrugged: "I don't care anymore. I'm just a commoner now. I can go wherever I want, as far away from the capital as possible. You know, that's the day I've been looking forward to."

"You...can you really let go?" This was the question Zhan Zhao asked, and it was also the question everyone was most concerned about: "No regrets?"

Prince Xin drank the wine in his hand: "What's the difference between letting go and not letting go? Are you going to stand in an unwanted position and become a thorn in someone's side, waiting for them to come and tell you to leave? There are too many such struggles and outcomes in history, you all understand."

Li Yuxuan knew that Prince Xin did not want to talk too much about his family and state affairs. For him, letting go was not an easy thing. Although it was a choice he made voluntarily, everyone in the court with eyes could see that this choice was also out of necessity. When Emperor Renzong passed away, his good days would probably be over.

Avoiding the limelight is the choice of the wise. Few people can gracefully retire at the pinnacle of power.

After finishing her meal, Li Yuxuan left the others chatting in the living room and went alone to her old bedroom. The bookshelves were still cluttered with books on the floor. She had once told Yinzi not to touch her books when she wasn't around, because even though they were messy, she could quickly find what she needed amidst the chaos. If Yinzi tidied them up, well, she'd have to go through a lot of trouble to put them back in their original state the next day…

She crouched down and picked up a book—a handwritten collection of poems by Su Shi, which she had bought from someone else at great expense, a beautiful dream of her youth. She smiled, feeling as if everything before had been a dream, unreal. Su Shi, her second brother, would he never see her dressed as a woman?

Yinzi called out from the doorway, "Miss, Brother Zhao wants you to come out."

"Who's here?" Brother Zhao isn't here. Is he new here?

"It's Prince Xin! He forbids us from calling him 'Your Highness' anymore, we can only call him Brother Zhao."

It was him. I was used to calling him Prince Xin, so hearing "Brother Zhao" felt strange. "What is it?"

"Let's discuss your wedding."

"Ah—" Li Yuxuan fell to the ground with a thud. Marriage? She hadn't even thought about it: "It can't be that soon, right? Tell them I'm asleep and we'll talk about it tomorrow."

"Miss!" Yinzi stood at the door, still protesting. "Are you trying to run away again? Your Highness, Brother Zhao is already in such a state, and you're still acting like this. Don't you feel ashamed? He did it all for you..."

Li Yuxuan raised his hands and stood up: "Alright, alright, I give up. I'm going out to see what else they're going to do."

——————

Inside the hall, four men were enthusiastically discussing how to arrange a wedding for Li Yuxuan and Zhao Yun. Since Zhan Zhao and Xu Qingzhi wouldn't be staying long—they would be leaving after the wedding, with Xu Qingzhi returning to his hometown and Zhan Zhao embarking on a journey across the country—the two men were in such a hurry to bring up the matter.

Li Yuxuan watched them talk excitedly with trepidation. As one of the parties involved, she was thoroughly scorned by them. Even after she spun around in front of them twice, no one shifted the topic to her or asked for her opinion.

"I won't marry him—" That's infuriating!

"Not marrying?" Zhao Yun glanced at her sideways. "Do you even have a choice?"

"Anyway, I can't get married so easily. I want to..." He swallowed hard. "I want a big red sedan chair, a proper betrothal ceremony, and a huge dowry before I marry."

"So you think I'm broke now!" Zhao Yun stood up gracefully. "King Xiao, Brother Xu, if your sister thinks I'm just a commoner, then let's not get married. I'll find someone gentle and virtuous instead."

"You! Where are all those gentle and virtuous women in your palace? Saying I'm not gentle, saying I'm not virtuous—" Li Yuxuan pounced on him and kicked him in a certain place: "Your own ass is dirty and you still talk bad about me. Compared to you, I'm a pure and flawless snow lotus. Where are all those people behind you? Why aren't they with you? If you want to marry me, you'd better clean up your messy affairs first, otherwise, no way."