Xie Rong met them at the entrance of Duke Dingguo’s Mansion. He had grown to be an outstanding man. He was tall and upright, mature and steady.
In his memory, he had always been silently standing behind his two younger sisters, helping them to clear up all obstacles, watching them grow up without making a sound.
He was now more unsmiling than ever, and his expression was softer only when he faced Xie Zhen and Xie Xun.
Yan Yu was watching this silently until Xie Zhen came up the steps and threw herself into his arms.
She had buried herself in his arms and acted coquettish. She was already such a big girl, yet she still had the expression of a child.
She looked up and said something to him, her eyes full of smiles, soft and sweet, just watching from a distance made one feel warm from the bottom of one’s heart.
Yan Yu gradually relaxed his grip on the scented sachet. He held it up to her and looked at her while gently stroking the patterns on the scented sachet.
She had always been half a head taller than him when he was young, but now, it seemed, there was a chance that he would finally have a chance of winning back the match.
He wondered what expression she would have when she saw him?
Yan Yu held the reins tightly and wanted to ride his horse closer. After taking two steps, he stopped.
What should he say when they met?
How to explain his identity?
He didn’t fulfill his promise to take her to the other courtyard to fly a kite, but he didn’t.
Was she waiting for him at that time?
How long?
Yan Yu looked at the doors of the Duke Dingguo’s Mansion and did not take another step forward.
Xie Zhen followed Xie Rong into the yard, holding Xie Xun’s hand.
She spoke to Xie Xun with a smile. It was too far away to make out the outline of her features, only the sincerity of her smile, as if she had gathered the beauty of the whole spring.
Why did she come to Beijing?
And why she became the The fifth girl of the Duke Dingguo’s Mansion.
人越走越远，再也看不到了。
She walked further and further away and could no longer be seen.
Yan Yu stood in front of the Duke Dingguo’s Mansion for a long time, not moving at all.
As the others passed by, they couldn’t help but give him a curious glance, as if he didn’t notice them.
It was only when the sun had set at the western border of twilight that he grasped the reins once more, turned his horse around, and left.
He has not yet built his house outside the palace, and still lives in the palace of the Qing Jia.
Other than him, there was also the fifth prince and the seventh prince. The other imperial brothers had all built their own homes outside the palace and didn’t stay often in palace.
Yan Yu lived in the Chenshan compound in the middle of the Qing Jia Palace. When he came back, he had the horses taken back to the stables, and he went to his study and sat all night.
At night, the young eunuch, Yuan Quan, went in several times to take a look. Yuan Quan found that he had been sitting in the armchair the entire time, without even changing his posture.
His eyes were focused on the desk, on which was a sachet with mutiple golden threads that must have belonged to a girl.
Yuan Quan’s eyes went wide. When had his master ever been interested in women’s things?
This was incredible, could it be that he was about to be enlightened?
Yuan Quan placed the tea and snacks on the table. “Your Highness, you haven’t eaten anything since you came back. Why don’t you eat some pastries to cover your stomach?”
Only then did Yan Yu move. He reached out his hand and held the scented sachet in his hand as if it were a treasure, “Take it, I don’t want to eat it.”
Yuan Quan revealed a worried expression. “How can you not eat …”
He did not reply. It seemed that he was lost in thought again.
He wondered what was so good about the sachet that’s worth watching all night?
Yuan Quan sneaked a peek at it. Other than the nice fragrance, there wasn’t anything special about it.
Yuan Quan couldn’t restrain his curiosity and asked tactfully, “Your Highness, this is …”
He did not speak.
Yuan Quan mustered up his courage. “Is this a gift from a girl?”
He abruptly stood up and gave Yuan Quan a scare. Yuan Quan even thought that he was angry.
Just as he was about to kowtow and admit his mistake, he saw him walking out like the wind. He didn’t know where he was going.
Yan Yu did not sleep at all. As soon as the sun rose, he went to the Eternal Plain Palace of Princess He Yi’s.
Inside the Palace, Yan Yao’an had just woken up and was eating alone. When palace maidservant saw him enter, she hurriedly had her maidservants prepare a new set of dishes. “Sixth Brother, why are you here so early?”
After she finished speaking, she suddenly remembered what he had done yesterday. She spread out her hands in front of him, “Give me back the sachet.”
Yan Yu sat down, his expression unchanged, “I’ve thrown it away.”
Yan Yao’an immediately infuriated. That was her possession, then what right did he have to throw it away?
Immediately, he was not allowed to eat her breakfast anymore. She waved him away, “Leave! Don’t let me see you again!”
She was used to being barbaric since she was young. She was not courteous to anyone, and she had the personality of a tyrant.
However, Yan Yu sat as still as a mountain, pretending not to hear her, “Tomorrow is already Shangsi festival, how are you going to live it?”
Yan Yao’an thought that he was going to change the topic. She snorted and said, “Do you care how I spend?”
Every year, they would spend time at the palace and wash their hands and handkerchiefs at the water’s edge. It didn’t mean anything at all.
She wanted to go out of the palace to play, but how could it be so easy?
Who would take her out?
As if Yan Yu knew what she was thinking, he lowered his eyes and said, “I have to make a trip out of the palace tomorrow, so I can take you with me.”
She was immediately overjoyed. She didn’t even bother about the scented sachet anymore. She stood up and asked, “Really?”
Would father agree?
“When are we leaving?”
Yan Yu thought for a moment, “Tomorrow at 7 a.m. to 9 a.m.”
He continued: “I will tell father that if we go to offer sacrifices to gods or ancestors, he will not object.”
Yan Yao’an was simply overjoyed. Her attitude towards him immediately became respectful, and she began to plan her schedule for tomorrow. “Sixth Brother, where are we going tomorrow?”
She had been stifled in the palace for too long, yet he had yet to leave it. It was as if he had been showered with joy.
In the past, Yan Yu definitely wouldn’t take her with him out of the palace. After all, he was bored, but this time was different.
He said, “I want to visit the Duke Dingguo’s Mansion. You’d better find someone to accompany you. If there’s an accident on the way, I’ll take care of you.”
Since he mentioned Duke Dingguo’s Mansion, Yan Yao’an’s first thought was Xie Zhen. Sure enough, she said, “If I find someone, will Sixth Brother send someone to protect us?”
Yan Yu paused and nodded.
After the end of the talk, she suddenly thought of something and mysteriously leaned in front of Yan Yu. She winked and asked, “Yesterday when I mentioned Xie Xun, why do you have such a big reaction?”
“Does Sixth Brother know her?”
He tilted his head, half-truthfully saying, “I knew her older brother Xie Rong in my early years, but I haven’t seen him in many years. I wanted to confirm if it was them.”
Yan Yao’an was very easy to get rid of, so she immediately believed him. “Then did you see him?”
“Is that them?”
He nodded and said yes.
Yan Yao’an smiled and said enthusiastically, “That’s good. Tomorrow, I will call them out so that you can reminisce about the past.”
He did not speak, but neither did he object.
On March 3, every household would come to the stream to clear themselves of disease and fight it out.
Wealthy families would bath with blue soup at home, ordinary families would go to the stream to cleanse themselves, dispel disease and dispel disaster.
There were also some scholars and nobles who liked to feast and drink in the water.
Today could be said to be an extraordinarily bustling day. Every household had come to the street, and even the usually impassive ladies also went out to visit the streets.
Yan Yao’an had long heard of the things outside the palace, but unfortunately, she had never had the chance to see it for herself.
Now that His Majesty had granted her permission, and Sixth Brother would bring her along, she could be considered to have made up her mind.
Early in the morning, without being invited, she automatically tidied up everything and waited in the Yong Ping Palace.
Before long, the young eunuch Yuan Quan came to summon “Princess, you may depart.”
She jumped up and flew out.
There was a boxwood carriage parked outside the hall. It was Yan Yu’s.
She did not need anyone to help her. She stepped on the yellow wooden bench onto the horse carriage and happily shouted out, “Let’s go!”
The carriage slowly drove out of the palace gates, heading in the direction of Duke Dingguo’s Mansion.
Arriving at the entrance of the Duke Dingguo’s Mansion, Yan Yu alighted from the carriage and stood in front of the large, vermilion door for a moment before stepping forward.
When the doorkeepers learned of their identities, they were alerted to their presence in the central room, and soon the Duke Dingguo and his wife were called in.
定国公哪里料到他们会来，忙要跪下行礼。
The Duke Dingguo did not expect them to come and hurriedly knelt down to pay his respects.
Yan Yu helped them up and went straight to the point, “Is Second Young Master Xie Rong in?”
Duke Dingguoo said regretfully, “He just left.”
When Princess He Yi heard this, she impatiently asked, “Is the Fifth Miss and the Seventh Miss here?”
“Can you let them out? I’ll take them out for a round.”
The Duke Dingguo shook his head and replied with the same reason, “Reporting to the princess, they’re not in the mansion either. These three children went out together.”
“Today is already Shangsi Festival. Rong’er will probably take them to the water’s edge to tread on them.”
Yan Yao’an curled her lips in disappointment, then asked, “Then do you know where they went?”
The Duke Dingguo hurriedly sent people to the Jade Yard to ask, and shortly afterwards the servants returned to tell them that Xie Rong had taken Xie Zhen and Xie Xun to visit Mingqiu Lake.
Mingqiu Lake was outside the city. It was a distance of two or three miles from here, so it wasn’t too far. The carriage would arrive in about half an hour.
Yan Yao’an thanked him, turned around, and was about to leave for Mingqiu Lake.
Before she got into the carriage, she asked Yan Yu, “Sixth Brother, how about you?”
Yan Yu said, “Since Xie Rong is there, I’ll go with you.”
Yan Yao’an didn’t think too much and happily nodded her head.
Thus, the two of them sat in the carriage and headed out of the city towards Mingqiu Lake.
After exiting the city, there were fewer pedestrians. The carriages were very carefree, and coupled with Yan Yao’an’s urging, they arrived even faster than usual.
Mingqiu Lake’s one side was a mountain and on the other was water. The scenery was beautiful, and it was a good place for treading on green.
There were many men and women standing by the lake. Half of the women were wearing curtain hat and their faces could not be seen clearly.
At first glance, it was like looking for a needle in a haystack. There was no sign of Xie Zhen or Xie Xun.
Yan Yao’an had never thought that there would be so many people. At this moment, she was dumbfounded. “How should we find them?”
She wanted to give up. After all, this was a huge project.
Yan Yu let her stand there, looked around, then said, “I’ll go look.”
After speaking, he disappeared into the crowd without waiting for Yan Yao’an to object.
Mingqiu Lake is a good place for sightseeing and sightseeing. Normally, many people would come here, but today, there are even more people.
There were girls splashing around on the shore, and the laughter was so loud that curtain hat didn’t matter even if the veil was wet.
No one wanted to miss the only chance of indulgence in the year.
He walked along the shore of the lake for a while. He met many people on the way, but none of them were the same person he wanted to meet.
Just as he was about to turn back, he heard a delicate voice: “Hurry up!”
He followed the sound and looked forward.
At a distance from the shore of the lake, near the edge of the woods, beneath a few tall camphor trees, stood a girl in a white silk dress.
She was wearing a curtain hat, and with one hand she was holding another girl, and a wind was blowing from the woods, lifting the veil in front of her, revealing a smooth chin and slightly raised pink lips.
Yan Yu turned around. His her dark eyes could only see her.
There was no doubt about her identity, because on the other side of the carriage was Xie Rong.
Xie Zhen stepped forward by holding her dress, and then said cheerfully, “Come with me, Ah Xun.”
“Slow down, sister. I can’t keep up.”
She found a fawn in the woods, lying asleep in the grass. She did not disturb him, but she came back and told Xie Xun first, so that her sister could come with her.
But she only turned her head to look at Xie Xun. She didn’t even know that her curtain hat was hanging from the treetops. With a light pull, the hat fell off her head.
The servant maid was too late to stop her. In an instant, her black hair flowed out, revealing an incomparably beautiful face.
Stunned, she was about to bend down and pick up the curtain hat. Yan Yao’an appeared from nowhere and shouted from a distance, ” Ah Zhen, Ah Xun!”
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Immediately, everyone’s gazes were attracted over.
Xie Zhen looked towards the direction of the voice. Yan Yao’an was standing in the crowd, with several guards and palace maidservant behind her, afraid that others wouldn’t know that she was noble.
Xie Zhen did not expect to meet her here, she was a little surprised, then put the curtain hat back on her head and walked over to her.
“Yao’an, why are you here?”
Yan Yu was standing not far from Yan Yao’an. Xie Zhen walked straight past him without even looking at him.