BXG - 70

◎Qixi Festival◎

Wang Yi Ran and He Yuan Kai’s wedding was set for the end of July.

After learning Zhou Tan’s thoughts, Wang Yi Ran took charge and arranged for him to hold his wedding banquet on the same day as He Yuan Kai. Since Qu You had no relatives in Ruo Zhou, she would conveniently marry out from the Wang residence.

Just at the beginning of July, Qu You moved to stay temporarily at Wang Yi Ran’s residence.

Only then did she realize how simple their earlier wedding ceremony had been. Even though the frontier regions didn’t place as much importance on these rituals as Bian Du, going through all the proper procedures would still take at least two to three months.

The situation where a marriage could be completed within three or four days, like when Zhou Tan was attacked, could probably only happen with an imperial decree.

In Ruo Zhou, it was customary for brides not to see their grooms for a month before the wedding. Qu You found this baffling.

She had already been seeing Zhou Tan daily and was deeply in love. However, Wang Yi Ran said it was unlucky, so Qu You had to wait until the Qixi Festival to find an opportunity to escape from the residence.

Zhou Tan took her on horseback into the market. The evening breeze blew her loosely tied hair back, giving her the surreal feeling of eloping.

Qu You played with her gauzy sash and whimsically asked, “Do you think we look like a scholar and a young lady whose parents disapprove, secretly meeting?”

Zhou Tan replied leisurely, “We’re just missing a matchmaker.”

They strolled through the market for a while, then climbed onto the walls of Ruo Zhou.

During the Qixi Festival, men and women in Bian Du typically released flower lanterns in the Bian River to pray for blessings. In Ruo Zhou, however, lovers often lit sky lanterns on the city walls to make wishes.

Recently, Zhou Tan had taken over the affairs of Ruo Zhou, opening the state office to handle lawsuits. Many people recognized him. Holding Qu You’s hand, he walked along the city wall, and many young men and women greeted them with surprise.

“Lord Zhou…”

“Lord and Lady have such a good relationship; even on Qixi, they come here to release lanterns.”

Zhou Tan obviously wasn’t used to such enthusiasm and nodded stiffly.

Qu You smiled and greeted everyone warmly. Soon, she was handed two oil-paper sky lanterns. A kind-hearted woman came over to teach her to write her wishes on the sky lantern and release it with her husband.

She initially thought it was childish but couldn’t resist after taking the pen. Turning away, she quickly wrote:

“I wish Zhou Tan will never be lonely again in this life.”

Lately, she had been increasingly anxious about the future, and this was her instinctive wish. Before meeting her, Zhou Tan had lived a solitary and bitter life. He was also someone who brooded too much. If one day she eventually left this world, her greatest wish was for Zhou Tan to never be alone again.

Thinking of this, Qu You felt a slight sting in her nose, so she continued writing.

“To be understood, remembered, cherished by many, and to always have true friends.”

After finishing, she threw down the pen and hastily covered it up. She leaned over to see what Zhou Tan was writing, catching him off guard—

“Great Yin, may the rivers be calm and clear; my wife, may you live a hundred years.”

Someone nearby sang a song that Qu You couldn’t understand. The ballads of the western border were completely different from those in Bian Du. Not only were they heavily influenced by Xishao language, but they also lacked the graceful elegance of the capital. They sounded ethereal and even carried a hint of sanctity.

Women on the city walls echoed the singing. By moonlight, Zhou Tan saw Qu You’s slightly red eyes and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Qu You shook her head, “Nothing.”

She raised her hand to rub her eyes and smiled at him, “Let’s light the sky lanterns together.”

Zhou Tan agreed, releasing his first. When it was her turn, Zhou Tan wanted to see what she had written, but she stopped him, “If you see the wish, it won’t come true.”

Zhou Tan grumbled softly, “But you saw mine.”

Qu You pouted, “That doesn’t count, doesn’t count. Pfft, it will definitely come true.”

The sky lanterns slowly rose from in front of them, the candlelight illuminating Zhou Tan’s pupils perfectly.

Qu You suddenly realized that since coming to the western frontier, the icy aloofness that once characterized Zhou Tan’s eyes had vanished. Now, his gaze was bright, relaxed, and joyful—a demeanor she had never seen in Bian Du.

If only he could remain so carefree forever.

Zhou Tan pulled her close, and together they gazed into the distance from the city wall. Under the moonlight, the Grila mountains loomed faintly, and in the haze, they could even see the fires lit by primitive tribes living in the mountains.

The songs echoed across this land. Following Zhou Tan’s gaze, Qu You saw the two sky lanterns they released intertwined, drifting slowly towards the dark horizon.

The Crown Princess had just personally brought back hot meals from the small kitchen when a maid quietly pushed the door open and announced that the Crown Prince had returned.

There were strict rules in the Crown Prince’s residence. The maids wore soft-soled satin shoes, walking almost silently to avoid displeasing the prince with any loud steps.

The Crown Princess nodded slightly at her and took the drunken Crown Prince from the guard at the entrance. Neither the guards nor the maids dared to look again after dropping him off. They closed the door and left.

Song Shiyan smelled the cold and serene sandalwood scent indoors and sobered up a bit. He squinted at the obedient-looking Crown Princess and the food on the table, sneering, “Why is this meal still here? Were you waiting for me to return?”

“Today is the Qixi Festival,” the Crown Princess answered humbly, lowering her eyes. “I was worried about you and waited for you to return for dinner.”

Song Shiyan sat down at the table, vaguely recalling that after their marriage, he returned home late eight out of ten nights, either handling official duties or hosting banquets. The remaining time, he often visited Fan Tower.

Initially, the Crown Princess didn’t wait for him to have dinner together. However, last Qixi, Emperor De told him to attend a banquet with the concubines in the palace and sent him home to spend time with his main consort. On a whim, he returned only to hear from the servants that the Crown Princess had already eaten and retired early.

He sneered as he entered the bedroom and slapped the woman on the bed three times. The Crown Princess fell ill for quite some time due to those three slaps, unable to leave the house for two months.

It seemed she had learned her lesson from the past.

At this thought, Song Shiyan felt slightly more at ease. He sat down at the table and took a sip of the lily soup in front of him.

The soup didn’t suit his taste—it was too bland, just like the person in front of him: dull and uninteresting. After a few sips, he lost interest and put down the bowl, closing his eyes and raising his eyebrows.

The Crown Princess immediately stepped forward to help him remove his clothes, unusually attentive. “Where did Your Highness go tonight? It seems you had a great time.”

“Dining with friends and listening to the moon lute all night.” Song Shiyan lazily replied, suddenly opening his eyes and scrutinizing her. “It’s strange. Spring Maiden isn’t a beauty like the famous beauties of Bian Du, yet every smile and frown captivates the heart. Your face is passable, yet there’s not a moment that doesn’t make people want to vomit.”

The Crown Princess lowered her eyes, numb to such humiliation. Compared to prostitutes, it was an insult hard for ordinary women to bear, let alone a Crown Princess from a noble family who followed rules meticulously. Yet, her face showed no trace of anger.

Previously, Song Shiyan found such deference pleasing. But today, perhaps because he drank too much, he was irritated by her calmness. “No matter what I say, do you always wear this deadpan expression?”

The Crown Princess trembled and said, “Your servant is filled with fear.”

“Again with those lines,” he stretched his stiff back and teased, “Comparing you to a prostitute doesn’t anger you. What if I made you sisters with them?”

The Crown Princess’s face stiffened momentarily, then quickly forced a smile. “Does Your Highness have his eye on a courtesan in Bian Du?”

“I’m talking about you,” Song Shiyan impatiently replied, “Teacher’s eldest daughter can associate with Spring Maiden without reservations, just like Zhou Tan’s wife. Only you noble ladies claim to be polite and virtuous, but in the end, you’re just full of petty, stifling rules. I misjudged Miss Gao. I thought marrying her would be no different than marrying you, but… unexpectedly…”

He abruptly changed the topic, “However, recently, Miss Gao is discussing marriage, humiliating several noble sons. She looks down on everyone but has no guile. Who she’ll end up with remains to be seen. Still, I prefer clever women. Clever people have pride—that’s real integrity. Otherwise, they’re just pretentious fools…”

The Crown Princess didn’t know whom he was thinking of now, but she hurriedly flattered him, following his lead, “If Your Highness takes a fancy to someone, bring her back to the residence… I am incompetent. During this time since entering the household, I haven’t given Your Highness an heir, which makes me feel ashamed. If a younger sister can give Your Highness offspring, I will surely treat her with respect.”

Marriage to such a wife might not be entirely without benefits, considering her respectful adherence to propriety, not even resentful of his debauchery.

Song Shiyan sat in his chair, reaching out to caress the chin of the Crown Princess kneeling at his feet, smirking indifferently, “The crown princess is so magnanimous; it pleases me greatly.”

Seeing his rare approving look, the Crown Princess, as if encouraged, continued, “Does Your Highness fancy Spring Maiden of Chunfeng Huayu Pavilion? I’ve heard her moon lute playing is unparalleled in Bian Du. If she could enter our residence to play exclusively for Your Highness, it would indeed be wonderful. However, His Majesty is keeping a close watch recently; I wonder if he would be displeased with Your Highness?”

Song Shiyan laughed dismissively, “His Majesty’s health has been poor lately; he won’t be able to manage so much.”

Finishing this sentence, he recalled the Crown Princess’s earlier words and realized she mistakenly thought he admired Ye Liu Chun.

Song Shiyan didn’t bother to explain, continuing to stroke her chin and smugly laughing, “If I bring someone into the house, I won’t leave any room for gossip. Even helping someone fake death and creating a new identity wouldn’t give the stubborn old men at the Censorate anything to criticize. However, Spring Maiden… already has a beloved.”

The Crown Princess looked up at him. In her fearful eyes, Song Shiyan saw his reflection, paused for a moment, then furrowed his brow.

“However, I… love watching dramas of separated lovers most.”