bestfiction Chapter 63 Be Yourself
Chapter 63 Be Yourself
"Thank you, sir."
Ye Wanning felt her cheeks burning. "I just came out to stroll through the temple fair."
She explained in a low voice.
She wasn't wandering off; she was just visiting a temple fair.
Xie Bohuai seemed not to hear her words, and hummed softly before walking to the other end of the teahouse.
Seeing Xie Bohuai leave like that, Ye Wanning's heart pounded for a long time. It wasn't until Princess Xihe came back skipping around and asked her why she was standing at the door that she hurriedly pulled Princess Xihe into the private room.
"What? My brother is here!" Princess Xihe panicked. "When? He recognized me? Should we leave immediately?"
"Don't worry, he doesn't seem to know we're in the same industry. He didn't say he was looking for you, just someone. He was just here, so he probably won't come back. Let's sit here for a while. It would be most dangerous if you went out now." Ye Wanning was also afraid of being caught. It was bad enough to run into Xie Bohuai, but if Li Mao came along too, she really couldn't handle it.
But why is Xie Bohuai everywhere?
I never thought I'd run into Xie Bohuai so often before.
She and Princess Xihe sighed in unison.
"I was thinking of going to the City God Temple to pray for a good marriage, but it seems I can't do that today." Princess Xihe rested her chin on her hands, looking at the interesting things happening on the street, feeling very envious. "If only I were a girl from an ordinary family, then I could go out and play whenever I wanted."
"Your Highness is too kind. I come from an ordinary background, but this is my first time visiting the City God Temple fair." Ye Wanning picked up her teacup and took a sip. "Different statuses have different difficulties. In fact, the Prince and Princess have already treated you very well. Look at Princess Ning'an, when has she ever come out like this before?"
"She's always putting on an act. All she does is study and play the zither at the Imperial Academy, and after receiving all the praise, she comes back to show off to us sisters. It's a good thing you're too old to study at the Imperial Academy. The last place I want to go back to in my life is the Imperial Academy." Princess Xihe started to get bored, playing with her teacup and sighing from time to time.
At this moment, Xie Bohuai happened to run into Li Mao. The two faced each other, and Li Mao, unable to find Princess Xihe, thought it was just his imagination.
"Lord Xie." Li Mao greeted him simply. He didn't hold a grudge against Xie Bohuai like he did against others. After all, he hadn't done anything wrong, so he wasn't afraid of Xie Bohuai causing trouble.
"Is the young master looking for someone?" Xie Bohuai immediately noticed Li Mao's subtle actions.
Li Mao said no, not wanting anyone to know he was looking for his sister, lest it damage her reputation. "Lord Xie, are you here on business?"
"Yes, a group of thieves has been roaming the city recently, and I'm currently investigating them." Xie Bohuai glanced up at the second floor. "I heard that Your Highness was injured in the army; how are you doing lately?"
Prince Duan was the second son, and after the death of the Crown Prince, he naturally became the eldest son. However, after the Emperor established a new Empress, the Third Prince, being the legitimate son, successfully became the Crown Prince.
Those who originally supported making Prince Duan the crown prince were in an awkward position. The succession had been decided, and at least on the surface, they could not say anything more.
Prince Duan himself was in a very awkward situation. In fact, he had kept a low profile over the years. Compared to Prince Hui, who had to compete with the Crown Prince for everything, Prince Duan was practically invisible.
Li Mao's eyes showed wariness. "They are just superficial injuries, but Father has been working hard in the army for many years and needs to rest."
“Indeed, then I will not trouble Your Highness any longer.” Xie Bohuai took his leave.
After he left, Li Maocai breathed a sigh of relief. His attendant whispered that they should continue searching, but he shook his head. "I feel that every word Xie Bohuai says has a deeper meaning. Let's go back first."
Li Mao glanced back upstairs, but after a while, he looked away.
Ye Wanning and Princess Xihe sat upstairs for an hour. Yunzhi went out to take a look and, after confirming that there were no familiar faces, the two of them got into the carriage.
"Oh, this is so boring. I wish I hadn't met you, brother." Princess Xihe said regretfully. "I'll look for you again next time something interesting happens."
"Princess, you said this would only happen this time," Ye Wanning reminded her.
Princess Xihe pursed her lips but didn't speak, though she was thinking that there would always be a chance.
The carriage arrived at Princess Longyu's residence first. As Ye Wanning was about to disembark, Princess Xihe took out a hairpin. "Here," she said, "I saw you looking at it for quite a while. You must like it. Here, take it as a gift." Having accepted her gift, she would have to play with her again next time!
Ye Wanning accepted it with a smile. When she returned to the princess's residence, Granny Jiang was already waiting for her.
Ye Wanning was a little nervous when she saw Granny Jiang.
"Did you have a good time, young lady?" Granny Jiang didn't mean to scold her, but instead asked what interesting things were happening at the temple fair.
"It's very lively, and there are many new things happening," Ye Wanning said.
"I hope you have fun. His Highness is waiting for you to have dinner." Granny Jiang led Ye Wanning to the main hall.
Princess Longyu only got up and went to the dining table after seeing Ye Wanning. "Knowing that Xihe took you out, I sent people to look for you. There are many people and eyes at the temple fair, and you are young ladies after all, so it is better to have someone with you. However, I did not let them follow you. They just watched from a distance so as not to affect your enjoyment. Please sit down, I am hungry."
When Princess Xihe came to visit, so many people in the manor saw her, and someone was bound to mention Princess Longyu.
Princess Longyu did not blame Ye Wanning, nor did she say anything. Instead, she smiled and ate with Ye Wanning.
Ye Wanning herself wasn't quite at ease eating, because she wasn't used to indulging herself. She was raised as a typical matriarch. From a young age, she learned poetry, etiquette, household chores, and how to appreciate calligraphy and paintings—she had to learn everything that could earn praise.
The two younger sisters sometimes slack off, but Ye Wanning doesn't.
She felt that as the eldest sister, she should set a good example for the family, and even if it was hard, she had to learn from her.
Ye Wanning has persevered in this way for the past eighteen years of her life.
My mother said that's how life goes; if you keep hoping, things might get better someday.
Thinking of her mother, Ye Wanning sighed softly.
"Why are you sighing?" Princess Longyu had already noticed Ye Wanning's absent-mindedness. "Did you not have a good time going out with Xihe today?"
“No, I was thinking of my mother. She is very different from you,” Ye Wanning said truthfully.
Princess Longyu smiled. "I know your mother. When she was young, she seemed gentle, but she was actually very strong-willed. But have you forgotten that before I got married, I was just like your mother, growing up self-disciplined and respectful of etiquette, doing everything according to rules and female responsibilities? Back then, I thought I was a princess showered with love and would live a life that everyone envied. But in the end, when Wusu wanted a princess to marry into a foreign land, only I was suitable. Even though Father felt guilty, he still sent me to marry into the foreign land for the sake of the border."
Princess Longyu will not recount the days of her marriage alliance.
But Ye Wanning could sense from Princess Longyu's tone that it must have been a period of life that brought about great changes.
"So, you have to learn to forgive yourself. You lacked confidence before, but now you have me as your backer, so you don't need to worry too much. Just be yourself. Eat your food; you'll have the energy to think things through when you're full." Princess Longyu had already eaten her fill, but she still didn't have much of an appetite.