Xiao Rongyan drained the osmanthus dew from his cup: “Yan is honored to have tasted the osmanthus dew personally brewed by the Crown Princess. It is an utmost privilege.”
Bai Qingyan also nodded with a light smile toward the Crown Prince: “Your Highness is thoughtful. Yan… is deeply grateful.”
“Such words are too formal. You and I are cousins by blood! We are family!” the Crown Prince said with a laugh.
Since there was no song and dance for entertainment, and no wine, the simple banquet ended rather quickly.
“I fear Father Emperor will send someone to the Duke’s mansion to announce an imperial decree. I won’t keep the Duke’s daughter any longer. Rongyan… you shall escort the Duke’s daughter back on my behalf,” the Crown Prince said with a smile.
Keeping Bai Qingyan at the Crown Prince’s mansion for the meal was specifically to give Bai Qingyan and Xiao Rongyan a chance to spend time together.
Qin Shangzhi raised his eyes to glance at Bai Qingyan, then at Xiao Rongyan, understanding in his heart why the Crown Prince would act thus.
However, Qin Shangzhi felt that the Crown Prince was using Bai Qingyan’s lifelong marriage prospects as a tool to scheme for Xiao Rongyan’s wealth, which was inevitably too cold-hearted.
With Bai Qingyan’s intelligence, Qin Shangzhi believed she had long understood the Crown Prince’s intentions. Such behavior from the Crown Prince would likely chill Bai Qingyan’s heart.
“Yan takes her leave!” Bai Qingyan bowed to the Crown Prince.
Xiao Rongyan had come on horseback and had not prepared a carriage…
The Crown Prince also pretended to be oblivious and did not have the Crown Prince’s mansion prepare a carriage for Bai Qingyan, his intentions quite obvious.
Xiao Rongyan said to Bai Qingyan: “Fortunately, the road from the Crown Prince’s mansion back to the Duke’s mansion is lined with green trees providing shade. A walk would be no trouble, and it would allow Yan… to have a proper conversation with Miss Bai.”
Bai Qingyan tightened her hands hidden within her sleeves and nodded: “Please, Master Xiao!”
“Miss Bai, please go first!”
Moon Ten, holding her sword, stood with the guards leading horses not far away, secretly smiling and praising the Crown Prince of Jin in her heart.
“Yan knows what Master Xiao wishes to say.” Bai Qingyan walked alongside Xiao Rongyan with her hands behind her back, proceeding slowly along the tree-lined path.
“Yan also knows what Miss Bai wishes to say,” Xiao Rongyan said methodically. “To Miss Bai, Yan is a person from another nation, and our aims and schemes… are roughly the same. If we were to establish affection at this time, we would inevitably be burdened by sentiment when decisions must be made.”
Xiao Rongyan understood everything in his heart.
She lowered her eyes and spoke: “Without affection, each acting for their benefit is natural and proper! With emotional entanglements, one would hold excessive expectations of each other! Years ago, Princess Anle, who shared the same mother as the Jin Emperor, married into Shu as a consort to help stabilize the position of the then-Crown Prince Jin Emperor. During the war to destroy Shu… I led troops to control the Shu palace harem. Princess Anle was confident in her blood ties with the Emperor, so she did not flee with her son and daughter, but returned to the capital with the victorious army. She thought the Emperor would remember how they had depended on each other since childhood and spare her children, allowing her to return to her homeland. But the Emperor chose to eliminate all threats! Princess Anle thus came to hate the Emperor bitterly, and was shot to death by a rain of arrows while plotting to assassinate the Jin Emperor.”
“Was the Emperor wrong in this matter? As the Jin Emperor eliminated all threats, he was not wrong! Was Princess Anle wrong to assassinate the Emperor? She was also not wrong! What was wrong was emotion! The Emperor could ruthlessly kill Princess Anle’s children, but could not kill his sister, who had grown up depending on each other… who had married into Shu and accepted the position of consort to stabilize his Crown Prince position! Princess Anle was confident in their sibling bond and returned to Jin with the army, only to see her children lose their heads. Her choice to assassinate the Emperor was also within reason.”
Bai Qingyan paused in her steps, turned around, and with her clear black and white pupils, looked seriously at Xiao Rongyan: “In this world, all matters can be reasoned with, except that emotion cannot be measured by reason. All human hearts are thus – who can be an exception?”
Emotion… was indeed the most unreasonable thing in this world.
Wind passed, branches and leaves swayed, rustling softly.
Cool air swept across the hem of Bai Qingyan’s long sleeves. She slightly bowed to Xiao Rongyan: “Master Xiao, please stop here. The path ahead… Yan will walk alone.”
As Bai Qingyan rose to leave, Xiao Rongyan suddenly grasped her wrist.
Moon Ten and the guards following behind Xiao Rongyan and Bai Qingyan, leading the horses, quickly turned away, not daring to look.
“Master Xiao!” Bai Qingyan glanced around. This area was home to noble families, and common people would not come here without business. At this midday hour when the heat was intense, it was time for afternoon rest, and there was no one on the street.
Xiao Rongyan’s fingers were long and slender, with distinct and powerful joints.
He gently pulled Bai Qingyan toward himself, his deep eyes seriously gazing at Bai Qingyan’s fair and delicate face.
The distance between them was extremely close, so close that Bai Qingyan could see Xiao Rongyan’s exceptionally long eyelashes.
“What you said, I understand! My mother, a woman whose intelligence surpassed men’s by countless times, also fell to the word ’emotion.’ At that time, my mother and father still belonged to the same Kingdom, yet she still met such an end. I understand all your concerns!” Xiao Rongyan’s expression was calm, speaking extremely seriously. “I will not force you, only make a gentleman’s agreement! When the world is unified, that is when you and I shall become husband and wife!”
Bai Qingyan tried to retreat, but Xiao Rongyan stepped closer, his tall frame almost pressed against her. One hand tightly gripped her slender wrist, the other grasped her thin shoulder, and he lowered his voice: “This agreement is not for pledging love, but to ensure… that between you and me, there will be no others besides each other! If you, Bai Qingyan, were to have a husband, that person must be Murong Yan. If I were to have a wife, that person must be Bai Qingyan.”
Xiao Rongyan’s profound gaze was both serious and affectionate: “Do you dare to agree?”
Bai Qingyan’s palms tightened.
Warm air entered Bai Qingyan’s neck, making her earlobes burn.
Such sophistry – this was already a private betrothal, yet he claimed it wasn’t pledging love?
“I was injured years ago and have no hope of bearing children,” Bai Qingyan also lowered her voice. “You are the Ninth Prince of Great Yan. Without legitimate sons… your Imperial Brother would likely not approve.”
“Women capable of bearing children exist throughout the world, but there is only one Bai Qingyan. Yan seeks a wife… not children!”
Xiao Rongyan leaned very close, his voice very low. When he spoke, his warm breath swept across her eyelashes, making them tremble uncontrollably.
“If I had not thought this through, I would not rashly speak of such matters to you! Once the Crown Prince told me that if I married into the Bai family, even if Miss Bai had little hope of offspring, as a son-in-law marrying into the family, I would surely face obstacles if I wished to take concubines! I told the Crown Prince… what Yan values in choosing a wife is whether two people can know each other for life. I seek a kindred spirit, not offspring for inheritance!”
Only after Xiao Rongyan finished speaking did he slightly loosen his hold on Bai Qingyan, looking at her: “For this entire life, Yan’s heart desires only to have Bai Qingyan as a companion and guardian!”
The weight of Xiao Rongyan’s words was extremely heavy, so heavy that Bai Qingyan dared not respond, her throat feeling as if someone had grasped it.
He caressed Bai Qingyan’s slender wrist, his voice low and slow: “When the world is unified, that is when you and I become husband and wife! Before then… You and I shall benefit each other mutually, interact through mutual benefit, and part when benefits are exhausted, without speaking of sentiment or duty. Such a gentleman’s agreement – do you dare?”