Chapter 90: Nonsense
Under her hurried movements, the Bocong bun was no longer as exquisite and beautiful as before, and the gold hairpin with twin butterflies and tassels had slipped slightly from her hair.
In the whistling wind, Gu Zhen’s movements were gentle, as if he were tidying her hair, yet also comforting her.
“I know.”
He lowered his eyelashes gently and said it again.
How could he not know?
It wasn’t hard to find out about the family affairs of the officials. Perhaps he hadn’t understood before, but that was merely because he hadn’t paid attention. Even when he used Zhao Weimin and his son as examples to assert authority in the past, she had only pleaded for Zhao Yuan and never mentioned a word about Zhao Weimin.
All sorts of facts were laid out before him; he only needed to think a little to understand.
Such biased actions by Zhao Weimin would be unbearable for anyone, let alone someone with a solitary nature like Yiyi. She couldn’t even stand the matter of a bracelet; how could she endure those people?
Zhao Yiyi suddenly felt a stinging in her nose. She looked up at him in a daze, a trace of trance flashing across her expression. “Your Majesty knew?”
Seeing her somewhat stunned appearance, Gu Zhen felt amused in his heart. He patiently patted her and said warmly, “If Zhen didn’t know, why would I have made this trip?”
Why come? Was it not for fear that she would be bullied?
Although Yiyi and Zhao Weimin were sovereign and subject, they also had the nominal relationship of father and daughter. Under these mutual constraints, she was actually somewhat passive.
He wasn’t wrong. As soon as he arrived, before even entering the room, he heard Zhao Weimin’s clamoring from afar. For such a person, if he wasn’t dealt a harsh blow to make him understand what fear was, he would never develop reverence.
“The wind is strong today, don’t stand here. Zhen has arranged the rest; you don’t need to worry about it.” Gu Zhen’s expression remained unchanged as he slowed his voice to say a sentence.
Zhao Yiyi still hadn’t come back to her senses.
Unknown how much time passed, perhaps blown by the oncoming wind, she slowly blinked and said in a muffled voice, “Why did you need to know these things?”
Having the wretched state of her family known by him, she was undoubtedly somewhat uneasy. That was why, listening to him reprimand Zhao Weimin, she had felt a few degrees of shame and wanted to pull him away to flee as quickly as possible.
Sensing her low mood, Gu Zhen’s expression became even gentler. He softened his voice and said, “If Zhen didn’t know, wouldn’t you have been bullied for nothing?”
Zhao Yiyi pursed her lips and turned her head away, looking at the accumulated snow on the eaves across the street. Her eyes stung slightly, and her expression was a bit desolate. “Father said I was cold-hearted and unfeeling today; you must have heard it.”
Gu Zhen choked with anger at her words. He gritted his teeth and said, “Is this how you think of Zhen? Or does Yiyi feel that Zhen would take those words of his to heart?” He only felt a headache coming on. It took a moment to subside, but his brow remained tightly furrowed. “Do you truly not know who Zhen came here for?”
Zhao Yiyi lowered her eyes slightly, staring at a blue brick by her foot.
Hearing that voice, she remained half-supported by the corridor pillar, a look of daze on her face.
How could she not know what he was saying?
But precisely because she knew, she felt panicked and worried. She felt uneasy at heart and gave birth to a desire to retreat in fear.
“Never mind.” Seeing her timid appearance, Gu Zhen’s heart softened as well. He said helplessly, “In the past, you never told Zhen about your affairs, and I never took the initiative to ask. Later, I thought that to know your family’s recent situation, I should send someone to inquire specially, and that is how I heard about these matters.”
Zhao Chen also came out at this time, a chill on his face, and bowed to the two of them.
“Elder Sister, I took leave to come out; I still have to return to the Imperial College.” He clasped his hands and bowed slightly, speaking respectfully.
Zhao Yiyi said okay. “Go quickly, don’t keep the master waiting.”
Zhao Chen didn’t say much more. He nodded with knitted brows, then mounted that snow-white steed.
The eldest brother was the heir of the Marquis residence and the eldest son of the Zhao family, destined to inherit the father’s status, so he was naturally extremely important. The second sister was adopted by mother; she always knew her status and was more cautious than others, so she didn’t require the father’s doting as much.
As for the illegitimate younger siblings below, things they had never received, they wouldn’t miss much.
In Father’s heart, ahead of Elder Sister was Zuo Lianzhi, and ahead of him was Zhao Shunnian. They both had someone to be compared against. Regarding Father’s bias, only Elder Sister could empathize with him among all the children in the family.
Things others couldn’t understand, or perfunctory matters, only in front of Elder Sister could he find some comfort.
Seeing his thin outer clothes, Zhao Yiyi frowned and said, “How dare you ride a horse wearing so little?”
Zhao Chen smiled, waved the horse whip in his hand, his expression brilliant. “I don’t feel cold. Elder Sister rest assured, if it gets really cold, I will remember to add clothes.”
The sun came out today. Zhao Yiyi stood under the corridor for a moment, then her wrist was gently held by Gu Zhen. “You say it’s a small matter and you don’t care, yet you’re still this angry? Come, Zhen will take you out of the city to race horses for a while.”
Looking up again, she realized there was no carriage in front of them at all.
There was only a horse.
Gu Zhen mounted the horse first. She stood by the side looking at him.
While she was in a daze, Gu Zhen’s next words confirmed her guess: “Zhen didn’t prepare an extra horse today, so the Empress will have to suffer a bit of grievance.”
Before she could react, two hands grabbed Zhao Yiyi’s wrists and pulled her up in front of him.
“Going to Mount Xuanqing today?” Gu Zhen held the reins in one hand and lightly embraced her waist with the other, his voice warm. “It is already late afternoon. If we go now, we can stay overnight on the mountain before coming back.”
With a light shout, the horse’s hooves clattered, and the wind whistled past her ears. Zhao Yiyi turned her head to look at the withered branches on both sides, her hands gripping the reins tightly.
Seeming to sense her nervousness, Gu Zhen reached out to comfort her gently, lowering his voice in her ear: “Don’t worry, with Zhen here, I won’t let you fall.”
The steady and familiar voice inexplicably conveyed a sense of reassurance.
Zhao Yiyi didn’t answer, but her hands involuntarily began to loosen slowly. The streets of Luoyang were quiet in the afternoon. She had never ridden a horse this fast before; her heart leaped into her throat.
Almost jumping out.
“In the future, if anything happens, don’t keep it inside. Tell Zhen everything, alright?” he said softly.
Zhao Yiyi frowned slightly, looking down at the arm across her body. It was a long time before she said, “I am actually somewhat aggrieved today.” Recalling the ridiculous thought she had shortly before, she found it unbelievable even to herself. “I came today intended to bring closure. Even knowing he doesn’t care about me, even knowing why he called me over… for a moment, half an inch of hope truly grew in my heart. Hope that he simply wanted to see me.”
But facts proved she thought wrong.
With her understanding of Zhao Weimin over the years, if he wanted to see her, the means and schemes he expended would only be for the people he cared about.
“I always resented him, yet I always harbored fantasies at inappropriate times.” She lowered her head somewhat dejectedly, surprised by her own contradictory mind.
Gu Zhen didn’t speak. He just held her tighter, almost kneading her into his bones and blood.
Suddenly, a drop of warmth hit his hand. Before Gu Zhen could react, it was followed by several more drops.
The warm sensation spread, sliding down his hand, leaving trails behind.
They had just left the city, yet he frantically reined in the horse to coax her: “It’s Zhen’s fault. I didn’t know you had so many grievances in the past. Don’t cry…”
But Zhao Yiyi shook her head, turning her face to avoid his gaze. “It’s been so long, there aren’t many grievances left. I just feel a bit sad.” Sad that she still couldn’t let go of such a trivial matter after so long.
Gu Zhen wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes, but the more he wiped, the more flowed, as if they couldn’t be wiped clean.
After a while, the tears showed no sign of slowing. Gu Zhen could only say, “Didn’t you put on makeup today? If you keep crying, what if you turn into a little painted cat? Look, the curved hook of the Xiehong makeup has been smudged by tears.”
Being told her makeup was flawed, Zhao Yiyi became even more anxious. Instead of stopping her tears as expected, her expression became more annoyed, and the tears flowed even more fiercely. She pushed Gu Zhen hard: “You’re speaking nonsense!”
She was so angry she couldn’t even speak a complete sentence clearly, yet the tears didn’t stop. After a long while, she sobbed, “You’re speaking nonsense! Your face is the painted one!”
For someone who cared about face as much as she did, she naturally wouldn’t admit her face was ruined. Gu Zhen was rendered helpless and could only press her gently into his arms, soothing her softly.
The steed circled in place for a long time before starting to run toward Mount Xuanqing again.
Gusts of wind ceased not, scraping across the face as if to crack the skin. Zhao Yiyi endured the pain, burying her face deeper into the fur of the cloak.
Winter Solstice arrived a few days later. No banquet was held in the palace this year, and the audience for officials and titled ladies was also canceled. Only the Empress Dowager held a small banquet in Wanchun Palace, inviting some close family members.
Zhao Yiyi didn’t go. The Empress Dowager had also invited Zhao Duan-Duan, but seeing that Yiyi wasn’t going, Zhao Duan-Duan refused to go to Wanchun Palace no matter what.
There were countless banquets, big and small, throughout the year, so Zhao Yiyi didn’t take it seriously at first. It wasn’t until the Empress Dowager privately sent someone to ask her about Zhao Duan-Duan’s preferences that she gradually realized something was off.
Upon inquiring about the guests, she became even more certain of the banquet’s purpose.
“Decide for yourself.” She simply told Zhao Duan-Duan everything truthfully. Whether to go or not was entirely up to her.
Zhao Duan-Duan pondered for a long time before finally shaking her head. “Elder Sister, I don’t want to go.”
Zhao Yiyi stroked her hair and chuckled lightly. “If you don’t want to go, then don’t go. There aren’t many talented men to choose from anyway.” The Empress Dowager’s influence was limited now. For something like selecting a husband under the guise of a banquet, the people she could recruit were limited.
As she was pondering, a steady voice rang out: “Choose what?”
Zhao Yiyi looked back without shying away. “Duan-Duan should have been married by now, but a marriage arrangement fell through this year. She is of age; Your Majesty should select a husband for her. Why has Your Majesty come at this hour?”
Gu Zhen’s gaze swept over Zhao Duan-Duan. After a moment, he nodded. “Zhen understands.”
Under his gaze, Zhao Duan-Duan’s legs went weak. Sitting in the armchair, she almost couldn’t steady herself, the hand holding the teacup trembling slightly.
Gu Zhen walked up to Zhao Yiyi and stopped. He suddenly reached out to her and whispered, “Zhen is here to take you to Qinghui Pavilion to watch the fireworks.”
Before his voice fell, a bright light exploded in the sky, and a flash flickered before their eyes.
Zhao Yiyi was stunned. She placed both hands on the windowsill and looked toward the fireworks. “Eh, where are they setting off fireworks?”
She leaned out the window, searching with curiosity and surprise. Gu Zhen’s expression gradually softened as he said warmly, “It was Zhen who ordered them set off. Right by the Taiye Pool. Do you like it?”
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