Part 2
But given their current identities, Lu Xianshan knew it was inconvenient to ask more, so he lowered his eyes to drink tea, falling silent for a moment.
After a long while, the outside finally fell silent. Zhao Yiyi loosened her grip on the cup, only to realize that unconsciously, a layer of cold sweat had seeped from her palms.
She breathed a sigh of relief and stood up. “Cousin, let’s go back. Should you return to the Yamen?”
Lu Xianshan stood up with her, his gaze falling on her slightly loose hair at the temples, his voice gentle. “Didn’t you say you wanted to visit the ancestral residence? It’s getting late; it’s not safe for you alone. I’ll escort you there.”
Just escorting her outside the ancestral residence naturally didn’t count as anything. Zhao Yiyi didn’t think much of it and nodded in agreement. “Alright, then many thanks to Cousin. Haven’t been back for so long, I wonder if the weeds are as tall as a person.”
“How could they be? As far as I know, the Zhao clansmen often send people to clean up. Besides, aren’t there servants in the ancestral residence?” Lu Xianshan laughed. Seeing the attendant couldn’t hold so many things, he casually took a brocade box and walked out with her.
As soon as they rounded the screen, Zhao Yiyi’s steps halted abruptly. Layers of chill shot up from her feet, quickly reaching her heart, then circling to her limbs and bones.
By the table outside the screen, a young man in crimson sat upright on a reed mat, a qilin-patterned white jade hanging at his waist. Sword-like eyebrows, phoenix eyes, a high nose, thin lips—his features looked as if carved by knife and axe. He was looking down drinking tea, with several rolls of zither strings on the table.
Even this lowered head appearance was handsome to the extreme.
Amidst the tea vapor, the young man’s brows and eyes were heavy, seemingly carrying a hint of gloom.
Zhao Yiyi only felt extremely cold all over. For a moment, she couldn’t figure out exactly what was happening.
Wasn’t… wasn’t he in Chang’an? (Wait, wasn’t he in Luoyang?)
“Do you know him?” Lu Xianshan asked softly.
Zhao Yiyi shook her head violently. “I don’t know him!”
All color drained from her hibiscus face. Watching that person slowly raise his eyes to look at her, Zhao Yiyi subconsciously wanted to retreat.
But behind her was the screen; she had nowhere to retreat.
Lu Xianshan also noticed the young man sitting there drinking tea. After three years, he initially only felt the appearance was familiar. But seeing her terrified pale face, he suddenly realized.
It was the current Son of Heaven.
Putting down the tea cup, Gu Zhen looked over with smiling eyes and said warmly, “Yiyi, come here. You’ve been wandering for so long; it’s time to go back.”
The more gentle he was, the more he looked like this with a three-part smile, the more she was afraid.
Zhao Yiyi steeled her heart, moved her gaze away from him, turned her head, and asked Mancao, “Is the carriage ready?”
Mancao was also shocked there. Called by her master, she came back to her senses and nodded repeatedly. “Ready, ready.”
Gu Zhen’s expression remained unchanged. He rose from the reed mat and walked slowly toward the screen.
Stopping in front of Zhao Yiyi, he took her hand with composure and said warmly, “Still throwing a tantrum? Pretending not to know your husband. Alright, I was wrong. Let’s go back for dinner, hm?”
He turned his head to look at Lu Xianshan, smiling. “I had no free time today; many thanks to Cousin for accompanying Yiyi out.”
Lu Xianshan’s expression didn’t change. His gaze flashed past their tightly clasped hands, then he cupped his hands and said warmly, “It was a coincidence meeting; it is nothing.”
Gu Zhen nodded lightly. “Still should thank you. But it’s getting late, and Yiyi always sleeps early. Today she played too much and forgot the time. If she sleeps late, she’ll complain of a headache tomorrow. Another day when we have free time, we will invite Cousin over for a gathering.”
A trace of irritation passed through Lu Xianshan’s heart, but he clearly knew she was now the Empress of Great Chu.
Thinking of this, he ultimately took a step back and just smiled slightly. “Good. another day I will certainly visit to disturb you; I hope you won’t mind.”
Gu Zhen said, “How could we? Yiyi’s cousin is my cousin. If you come to visit, naturally I will treat you as a brother; how can it be called disturbing?”
Prince of Yan and the others were waiting outside. Seeing the group come out of the shop, they hurried to welcome them. But upon seeing the Emperor’s smiling face, they froze, shock flashing across their faces.
Zhao Yiyi was stiff all over. Being led out of the shop by him, illuminated by the setting sun in the distance, she blinked several times before looking at him.
“Why is Langjun here?” She pursed her lips, her voice a bit cold.
Gu Zhen didn’t answer, just scraped his knuckles gently on her cheek. Feeling the coldness, he couldn’t help saying warmly, “Hands are cold, face is cold too. Were you greedy for coolness today and wore too little again?”
Zhao Yiyi turned her head away, trying to pull her hand out.
But before she exerted force, Gu Zhen let go proactively, motioning for the palace servant to bring a cloak. He personally draped it over Zhao Yiyi’s shoulders and tied the ribbons.
“Although it is early summer, mornings and evenings are still cold, and you are greedy for coolness. If you catch a cold again later, what then?”
That gentle, clear voice drilled into her ears, but Zhao Yiyi only felt cold.
Extremely cold.
At this moment, only this thought remained in her mind.
When Gu Zhen tried to help her into the carriage, she finally came back to her senses, pushed Gu Zhen away abruptly, and boarded the carriage painted with vermilion birds by herself.
Gu Zhen just smiled, said nothing, and mounted his horse instead, asking in a low voice, “You said just now you wanted to go to the ancestral residence; do we go now? It’s a bit late today. How about taking a look and coming back for dinner, then looking carefully another day?”
Having just got into the carriage, Zhao Yiyi pulled off the cloak and threw it on the floor casually.
The calm of these past days seemed to be broken today.
Her voice carried some irritability as she said sullenly, “Not going. Too far, don’t want to go.”
Seeing the Empress directly rejecting the Emperor’s face, everyone stood there, their expressions somewhat stiff.
But the Emperor didn’t take offense at all, just smiled and then said warmly, “Good, then we won’t go. Let’s go back early for dinner.”
Lu Xianshan stood on the stone steps, watching with his own eyes as the Emperor turned his head and gave him a smile that wasn’t quite a smile.
That look seemed somewhat sinister. But when he wanted to look closer, the Emperor had turned his head back, as if that look just now was merely an illusion.
At Shangyang Palace, Gu Zhen waited outside the carriage, patiently waiting for Zhao Yiyi to get off.
But Zhao Yiyi refused to move. The carriage had stopped for a long time, but she didn’t come down.
A few traces of helplessness flashed across Gu Zhen’s expression. He knocked on the carriage wall again and said warmly, “Yiyi, it’s already 6 PM (You hour); time to eat.”
“Bixia go eat yourself.” Zhao Yiyi’s somewhat muffled voice came from the carriage. “Traveling all this way, Bixia must be tired. Have the kitchen make more food; this concubine will just eat whatever.”
“I didn’t mean not to tell you,” Gu Zhen said. “Don’t be angry; anger hurts the body.”
Zhao Yiyi felt extremely wronged.
Since he was coming, why agree to let her come to Chang’an? Thinking and thinking, she leaned angrily against the carriage wall, holding the windowsill with one hand and resting her head on it.
Gu Zhen waited outside for a long time. The sunset gradually sank, and a huge blood-red setting sun hung in mid-air, its intense light paving the entire Shangyang Palace.
Zhao Yiyi still hadn’t come out of the carriage, and hadn’t made a sound for a long time.
He finally ran out of options, lifted the curtain to look inside, and saw her leaning against the wall, body curled slightly, sleeping soundly.
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