Chapter 103: Spring Platform

The night was deep, and the palace was ablaze with lights.

Yang Wenchuan had a gentle smile on his face as he looked down at her, just like before. He said, “Yaoyao, if you ever go to Jiangnan in the future, you can always come find me.”

Sang Yao nodded and said, “Okay.”

Actually, it would be good if Yang Wenchuan went to Jiangnan.

He was originally from there, and the Yang family was rooted there too. It would be more convenient for him to do anything, and he would be more likely to achieve success in politics.

The situation in the capital was complicated, so it was better to go out.

She sighed and said, “But when you came to the capital, I didn’t help you.”

She glanced at Sang Yin, who was smiling, and said, “It’s all because of my dad. If he had tried harder, it would have been better.”

“I usually don’t like to go out, so I don’t even know my way around. I can’t take you out for a stroll.”

Yang Wenchuan chuckled and said, “Then, Yaoyao, next time you come back, we can have a meal together.”

But the next time they met would be several years later.

Sang Yao might already be a mother by then. Even if she was just an acquaintance, she wouldn’t be able to have a meal alone with him.

But he still asked like this.

Sang Yao didn’t think much about it. Just as she was about to agree, Xie Yun had already walked up behind her and skillfully put his arm around her waist.

The man’s voice sounded clearly in her ear:

“Yaoyao, what brings you here?”

Xie Yun’s expression was cold, and he glanced at Yang Wenchuan.

Yang Wenchuan didn’t react much. He bowed and said, “Lord Xie.”

Xie Yun hmphed and said, “Jiangnan’s land nurtures people, and it’s your hometown. Lord Yang, are you not satisfied with this task?”

Yang Wenchuan’s expression remained unchanged as he said, “Lord Yang dare not be.”

Then, he turned to Sang Yao and said seriously, “Yaoyao, the candy shop you liked when you were young is still there. I’ll treat you when you go.”

“Okay.”

Xie Yun’s gaze grew colder and colder.

Yang Wenchuan seemed oblivious, and then he looked earnestly at Sang Yao and said, “Well, Yaoyao, until we meet again.”

Sang Yao nodded, and Yang Wenchuan was called away.

Sang Yao stood in place, watching his figure disappear, and sighed, “Big Brother Yang is really kind. I hope everything goes well for him.”

Very well, Xie Yun hoped everything wouldn’t go well for him.

Xie Yun didn’t want to bother with her.

Sang Yao looked up at Xie Yun, who looked unhappy. She said, “Are you angry again, Xie Yun?”

Xie Yun lowered his head and said, “…Again?”

Sang Yao hugged his arm, pulled him back to their seats, and muttered, “You’re really petty. Big Brother Yang and I are just friends.”

Xie Yun said, “Then why do you call him Brother Achuan?”

He started again.

Once or twice was fine, but it had been so long. Sang Yao had pacified and explained it before.

She was tired of it now.

She said expressionlessly, “Because I got used to calling him that when I was young.”

Instead of soothing Xie Yun, this made him angrier.

He said, “You did see me when you were young. Why didn’t you call me that?”

Sang Yaoyao stopped in her tracks.

Her memories of the past were a bit fuzzy, but she remembered the few times she had tried to talk to Xie Yun first, and he had ignored her.

Particularly bad.

She snorted with a hint of dissatisfaction and said, “Did you give me the chance to call you that?”

Xie Yun: “…”

She let go of his arm and sat down.

Xie Yun followed her, speaking firmly, “Miss, please understand, you can’t bring up my past behavior based on our current relationship.”

Sang Yao looked at him and said, “Mr. Xie, you’re right. So why are you bringing up my past behavior now?”

Xie Yun fell silent for a moment.

When did this girl become so articulate?

He pursed his lips and after a while, he said softly, “I was just talking casually.”

Sang Yao saw that he wasn’t pressing the issue anymore and felt quite satisfied.

She curled her lips, picked up a small orange, and was about to peel it when Xie Yun casually broke off a segment that he had already peeled and offered it to her lips.

Sang Yao instinctively bent down to take a bite, her tongue touching the tip of the man’s finger.

She regretted it as soon as it happened.

At home, she often tasted the food Xie Yun handed her without much concern, but now, in front of everyone, it made her feel a bit ashamed.

She silently lowered her head.

Xie Yun withdrew his hand, glanced at her sideways, and said, “Lick it at home.”

Sang Yao swallowed the orange in her mouth and gave him a subtle glare.

Not long after, the banquet officially began.

The first thing Sang Yao heard was the sharp voice of a eunuch.

“Imperial Noble Consort has arrived—”

Sang Yao leaned forward to look.

A cold and beautiful woman walked surrounded by palace servants.

She wore gorgeous clothes, shrouded in the night, and under the moonlight, she looked extraordinarily beautiful.

Despite her gentle appearance, there was an indescribable aura of power that made people dare not directly gaze upon her beauty.

Sang Yao kept looking at her sister.

Her sister was really beautiful and powerful.

Her sister had been in the palace for about ten years.

During these ten years, she endured silently and went unnoticed by anyone.

Of course, there were times of honor and favor too.

After ten years of ups and downs, she finally became the number one in the harem.

She still remembered the scene from her childhood.

On a winter day, the two sisters sat around the fire with their father. Her sister sat between her and their father, skillfully flipping and toasting small cakes.

She handed a cake filled with meat to their busy father.

It was at that moment when she calmly told them she wanted to enter the palace.

Sang Yao’s eyes suddenly felt a bit sour.

She looked at her father sitting across from her, Sang Yin’s crying face twisted, his shoulders trembling, holding a handkerchief to secretly wipe his nose.

After wiping, he would dab his tears and then sit very upright, afraid that others wouldn’t know she was his daughter.

“…”

It was so embarrassing. It was better to look at her sister.

Not long after, the Emperor took his seat, with Lu Li sitting below him. When Lu Li’s gaze met Sang Yao’s, he raised his wine glass and cheerfully clinked it with Sang Yao from afar.

The banquet was filled with continuous singing and dancing, and the sound of silk and bamboo instruments filled the air.

The glass cups on the table sparkled under the brilliant lights, making the wine inside seem very inviting.

Sang Yao couldn’t resist and, when everyone raised their cups for a toast, she also picked up her cup and took a sip.

The wine had a light and fruity aroma, not too strong.

Sang Yao was surprised and took another sip. Only then did she realize that her cup contained apple-flavored rice wine, with a fragrant blend of sweetness and sourness.

She quickly tugged at Xie Yun’s sleeve, wanting him to taste it too, but the occasion wasn’t quite appropriate. So, she just said, “Xie Yun, my wine is apple-flavored. How about yours?”

Xie Yun leaned closer to her and asked back, “Is it good?”

Sang Yao nodded and said, “Yes, it’s good.”

She asked suspiciously, “Did you arrange this?”

It wasn’t a big deal, but this was the palace, where food was strictly controlled.

Xie Yun wasn’t someone from the palace, so it was difficult for him to arrange to put something on someone’s table. It could easily be taken advantage of if he wasn’t careful.

He wouldn’t go to such lengths just to put a cup of rice wine on her table.

Xie Yun glanced at Sang Shu, who was sitting high above with a calm expression, and calmly admitted, “Yes, I did.”

Sang Yao looked at him with a strange expression, thinking that Xie Yun must be out of his mind.

Not wanting to waste the effort Xie Yun went through to get her a cup of rice wine, Sang Yao tilted her head back and gulped down the entire cup.

When she set down her glass, brilliant fireworks burst open in the deep blue night sky to the south of the palace.

The night sky was instantly illuminated, and the flames flew towards the night, then bloomed in the sky.

Everyone looked up at the splendid fireworks in the sky.

Only Xie Yun slightly turned his head, his gaze falling on the gentle face of the girl.

After the palace banquet ended, Sang Yao originally wanted to talk to Sang Shu, but it seemed that Sang Shu was not free to chat with her.

After the Emperor left, her sister left quickly too.

As she was leaving, Sang Shu finally glanced over at her.

Sang Yao seized the opportunity to wave discreetly at her sister, who had a cold and dignified demeanor.

Sang Shu was being supported by palace maids, and her gaze softened as she slightly raised the corner of her lips at Sang Yao before turning away.

Xie Yun and his group left early.

There weren’t many people at the palace gate yet.

Jinglian had already arrived at the carriage early and stood upright next to it, watching as the two approached him.

He smiled with satisfaction, thinking that no matter how many times he saw them together, they still looked perfect.

Snowflakes began to drift down from the sky. Sang Yao looked up, but the moon was no longer visible. Under the vast and pitch-black night sky, snowflakes gently fluttered down onto the palace.

“It’s snowing,” Sang Yao said.

Xie Yun pulled Sang Yao’s cloak tighter around her and nodded.

He helped Sang Yao onto the carriage, and she peeked outside through the curtains. Because she had drunk a whole cup of rice wine, her cheeks were slightly flushed. Snowflakes occasionally landed on her cheeks, feeling very cool.

She suddenly, at an inappropriate moment, remembered the time she had seen Xie Yun at the Ministry of Justice, back in the spring.

There was a question that had been bothering her for a long time.

Before this, she had never thought to ask Xie Yun about it, because she shouldn’t have cared.

But that day when she saw him, not only did she remember that he didn’t help her at the palace banquet, but she also thought of another question.

Still watching the snow, her voice melted into the night as she asked him, “Do you remember my name when you saw me at the Ministry of Justice?”

After a moment, Xie Yun replied truthfully, “I do.”

Sang Yao curved her lips, but quickly suppressed her smile.

She stopped looking at the snow and turned to look at Xie Yun, her voice somewhat cheerful as she leaned against him and coquettishly said:

“I used to hate you back then.”

“I fell in front of you once, and you didn’t help me.”

“It hurt so much, and it was so embarrassing.”

“You spoke to me without any tenderness, so cold and distant. I didn’t like it.”

Ignoring her, not even acknowledging her.

I really hated it.

She chattered on for a while, and Xie Yun reached out and lifted her chin, making her look up at him. In the dim light, his face remained stern, but his voice was soft.

And gentle.

He said to her, “I’m sorry.”

Sang Yao smiled and said, “It’s okay!”

Listening to her soft voice, Xie Yun smiled and lowered his head to kiss the girl’s lips gently. He said, “What about now?”

Sang Yao asked, “What about now?”

Xie Yun kissed her again, his kiss devoid of any desire.

Lightly touching her lips, gently pecking them, he asked, “Do you like me now?”

Sang Yao didn’t answer but opened her mouth voluntarily and licked his lips when Xie Yun kissed her.

Xie Yun paused for a moment and then said, “It smells so good.”

Sang Yao hugged him and asked, “What smells so good?”

Xie Yun bit her lip, dipped into her mouth, and whispered, “It’s apple.”

After a kiss, Xie Yun tucked the strands of hair on Sang Yao’s face behind her ear and asked her, “You haven’t answered me yet.”

Sang Yao hmphed, feeling embarrassed. She said, “I want you to say it first.”

Xie Yun asked, “Say what first?”

Sang Yao leaned against the window, thinking that Xie Yun must understand. She said, “Guess.”

Xie Yun didn’t cooperate at all. He said, “I can’t guess.”

Sang Yao didn’t believe it.

But she waited for a while, and Xie Yun didn’t say anything.

She decided to give Xie Yun some hints.

But then, Xie Yun suddenly hugged her shoulder and whispered softly in her ear:

“I like Yaoyao.”

“Especially like her.”

— The End!

NOTE : ( We still have remaining 14 EXTRA CHAPTER )