Chapter 119: At Last
Song Hemei listened to these words of concern, her heart softening again and again. She instead grasped Yu Yeqing's hand and shook it. "Is there anything else left to say to him? If you're done, let's return to the residence."
Yu Yeqing nodded. "There's nothing more I need to say to him. Let's go."
He helped her into the carriage, leaving Lord Lu alone before the palace gates. The elderly man standing there by himself appeared somewhat desolate and lonely.
Song Hemei withdrew her gaze, offering him no pity. However desolate he might be, wasn't he still alive and well, enjoying high rank and generous salary, with two irritating sons at his side?
Only after the carriage curtain fell and the wheels began to move did Song Hemei squint at him. "I heard everything just now. How can you have so many things you've kept from me?"
Yu Yeqing's pupils trembled, and he lowered his eyes, not daring to look at her.
Song Hemei leaned closer, cupping his cheeks and forcing him to meet her eyes. "Tell me the truth honestly, hmm... Let's start with the matter of my elder brother. Is it very tricky?"
Yu Yeqing let her hold him, his cheek pressed against her slightly cool palm, and answered honestly, "Somewhat. The Yuan family produced military officers, but with the borders peaceful, the Yuan family had no outlet for their talents. They would rather see conflict break out. The matter of the warhorses, I suspect, wasn't meant to collude with Northern Wei, but rather to fatten them up, to make them catch the Emperor's eye, so that the Emperor would develop a desire to pacify."
Song Hemei roughly understood. In summary, it meant they couldn't topple them in a short time, and being too hasty would instead make him a thorn in their side.
She thought for a moment, then leaned over and kissed him.
"You still can't be too impatient about this. Although you made an oath to my mother, you never said you had to fulfill it immediately. I trust you won't forget this matter. Wait a while, wait until the time is right to settle the score all at once. Sometimes... one must know when to yield."
Let her be heartless and selfish. Her elder brother's death truly grieved her, but the living still had to go on living. Matters of family and state were too far removed from her; she had only enjoyed peace for less than half a year. If she had to choose, she would rather pretend to be deaf and dumb, maintaining this superficial tranquility.
Yu Yeqing's hand braced against the cushion beside her, leaning in even closer. "Rest assured, I know my limits."
He raised his hand to embrace her, but Song Hemei drew back slightly, putting on a stern face. "I went to the tailor shop today and met Second Miss Xie. Why have you never mentioned her?"
She hissed. "When I asked before if you had been betrothed, you said your superior wouldn't marry his daughter to you. So it turns out your superior wasn't interested in you, but the Xie Cabinet Minister's family had you in their sights."
Yu Yeqing hurried to explain, "But I didn't—"
"You weren't betrothed to her, right? I know that. So this is the second thing I want to talk to you about."
Song Hemei exerted strength in her hand and pinched his cheek. "If you had intentions, then get engaged. If not, make it clear to her. Before anything has even taken shape, you deliberately disparage yourself, only to embarrass the young lady instead. Is she some kind of monster? Your behavior was most inappropriate."
Yu Yeqing's tone shifted slightly as she pulled at him, but he let her do as she pleased, only resting his hand at her waist. "Truly unjust. At the time, I didn't know they intended a match. I only thought the food at the banquet was really good."
Speaking of this was somewhat embarrassing, but his tone was sincere. "The dishes at the banquet were more in the Changzhou style. At that time, I was melancholy, truly heartbroken, and never expected to be misunderstood. Later, when my birth father brought up the matter, I only then learned that Second Miss Xie is a concubine-born daughter. The Lu and Xie families wanted to form a marriage alliance, and choosing me was the most suitable."
He exerted gentle force with his hand, drawing her into his arms. "The first evening meal when I entered the capital, the food was made by the same chef from that banquet. Didn't you also say it was delicious?"
Song Hemei thought for a moment; it seemed that was true.
She immediately relaxed her hold on him, pressing her hand against his chest, leaning into his embrace so he could bury his face in her neck.
"Although it was my unintentional fault, I know it was unfair to Second Miss Xie. I have already apologized." His voice was muffled. "How did you run into her? Did she trouble you?"
Song Hemei thought for a moment, but still decided not to tell him about encountering the Lu family, to avoid worrying him and making his relationship with the Lu family even worse. After all, he had kept many things from her first; keeping this one from him was only fair.
"What could an unmarried young lady do to trouble me? If the marriage with you didn't work out, she can naturally marry into another high-ranking family. Coming to trouble me would only lower her own standing."
Only then did Yu Yeqing heave a sigh of relief, and took the opportunity to lean all his weight onto her, pressing her back against the cushion on the carriage wall.
After a pause, he said, "I'm very happy you came to pick me up."
Song Hemei's hand fell, resting casually on his leg. "What's there to be happy about?"
"I don't know either. Maybe it's because I can see you sooner, saving time on the road."
Song Hemei found it amusing, but was willing to go along with him. "This is nothing important. I'll come pick you up every day from now on."
"Forget it. Cold in winter, hot in summer. Waiting for me in the carriage is boring. Just wait at home for me."
He paused, lowering his voice. "If possible, when I come home, could you come out to greet me?"
Song Hemei was puzzled. "How should I greet you? At the residence gate?"
If she really were to wait at the gate, then the residence wouldn't need to keep a gatekeeper.
Yu Yeqing rubbed against her and shook his head gently. "No need. Just step out of your room. Every time I come home, you're always in a different room. I have to search through each one. With bad luck, I have to go through several rooms before I find you."
Song Hemei was momentarily speechless. "And here you are thinking about moving to a larger residence? You're already impatient with just a few rooms. What will you do if we really move to a big mansion?"
"I'm not impatient. I just want to be faster."
Yu Yeqing propped himself up, his deep eyes holding a trace of grievance that required careful observation to detect. "I thought if I endured until I got home, I would see you right away. But that's not the case. I still need to search room by room. The more I look for you, the more agonizing it becomes."
Song Hemei's heart softened under his gaze. Although she still felt it was unnecessary for him to fuss over such things, she was willing to yield to him on this.
She gave a low response. "I'm in a decent mood today. I can listen to you."
The carriage returned to the Yu residence. Song Hemei led him inside, telling him to go try on the new clothes she had bought, while she went to take out some silver notes.
After she came to the capital with Yu Yeqing, he had already turned over all his assets to her. Except for what was set aside for Minglian, the rest was hers to use freely.
But she still worried about Lianzhu and felt it wasn't right to use Yu Yeqing's money for that. So she dug out the silver she had brought from the Shao residence.
She was unwilling to use it all, so she only took out half, putting it into an envelope along with a letter. She ground ink and wrote a letter to Jilang, entrusting him to use the silver to take extra care of Lianzhu.
Shao Wen'ang's death was sudden and ignoble. His health had been poor ever since the fall from his horse. He wasn't long-lived anyway, but it was Lianzhu who would suffer.
Her father was always talking about the friendship between the two families, wasn't he? This was perfect—taking care of Lianzhu would fulfill his wish. Now who could say the Song family was kicking someone when they were down?
When Yu Yeqing came out, she was just finishing the letter. As soon as she looked up, she saw him standing at the screen. His moonlight-white wide robe with a crimson lining and dark patterns made his features appear even more handsome.
Song Hemei's eyes lit up. She went over to take his wrist, circled around him, and finally couldn't help wrapping her arms around his waist. "It really suits you. If I had known, I would have had you try this color sooner."
Yu Yeqing patted her back, a smile at the corner of his lips, but his gaze drifted toward the desk nonchalantly.
But he only asked, "Didn't you get yourself a few sets?"
"Of course I did. Mine and yours are made from the same fabric," Song Hemei said matter-of-factly. "I picked mine first, then chose yours to match. You and I are husband and wife, so naturally we should wear matching clothes. If it fits you well, you're lucky. If it doesn't, you'll have to bear with it."
She leaned against him for a moment, then released him, pulling him over to the desk and pointing at the letter stuffed with silver.
"I saw your eyes drifting toward this. What are you pretending for? This is to Jilang, just asking him to take care of Lianzhu."
Yu Yeqing's expression relaxed a bit. He put his arm around her shoulders and suggested, "We don't have children yet. If you're worried about him, we could actually bring Lianzhu here."
"No." Song Hemei refused firmly.
Such matters could never be an exception. With repeated contact, feelings would deepen, causing trouble for everyone later.
She pulled him along, ready to go find Minglian. "If you have time to think about such things, let's hurry up and eat instead."
The matter of meeting the Lu family at the tailor shop couldn't be concealed after all.
By the time Song Hemei learned of it, Yu Yeqing had already visited the Lu residence, and he had chosen Mid-Autumn Festival no less.
On the night of reunion, Lord Lu invited him to the Lu residence for a meal. His words carried a hint of humility, only asking him to come for a bite, not to keep him long, just wanting a family reunion.
Yu Yeqing went, and then he caused a scene at the Lu residence, making everyone lose face.
When he came home, there were still vegetable leaves stuck to his clothes. It wasn't intentional; he simply hadn't noticed them on his back, and Song Hemei caught him red-handed.
She didn't know how fierce the quarrel had been. Had the table even been overturned?
She was a bit angry, angry that he acted so recklessly without considering the consequences.
But standing before her, he looked as if he would accept any punishment she gave him, and she couldn't bring herself to say anything harsh.
Probably he had also been harboring resentment. They had been able to coexist peacefully before, but after learning that the Lu family had approached her, all his grievances were ignited.
She let out a soft sigh. After patting him down to confirm he wasn't injured, she only scolded, "Good thing you weren't wearing the new clothes."
Yu Yeqing obviously relaxed. He boldly moved closer to embrace her, but she gently pushed him away.
"Minglian is still waiting. We agreed to enjoy the moon together."
After the evening meal, Minglian's weak constitution couldn't withstand the wind, so she had to put on several extra layers and sit by the window inside the room.
Song Hemei, however, pulled Yu Yeqing to sit outside the window. That way, they wouldn't block her view and could also shield her from the wind. The three of them were together in a way.
The full moon hung high, its watery moonlight spilling down. Song Hemei looked up at the sky, holding a cup of wine meant only for her, feeling a myriad of emotions swirling in her heart, eventually coalescing into two words: "How wonderful."
To have a peaceful life—how wonderful. To have regained what was lost—how wonderful.
Yu Yeqing paused for a moment, then said softly to Minglian behind him, "Close your eyes first."
Minglian was very obedient.
As Song Hemei was about to turn her head at his words, Yu Yeqing leaned over and, with restrained tenderness, kissed her cheek.
"How wonderful."
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