Yunyi sneered inwardly. Without needing to ask, this matter must have originated from her urging Yang You to do this. After accepting the clear tea brought by a palace servant, she said: “I’ve lived in the Prince of Tang’s residence for so long that I’ve grown accustomed to it. Moving back and forth again would be truly troublesome.”
Xin’an stroked the bracelet on her wrist that was crafted in the shape of winter jasmine flowers, laughing softly: “Could it be that in Seventh Sister’s eyes, the entire imperial family’s reputation and His Majesty’s dignity are not as important as your slight convenience?”
Yang You said from the side: “I know that everyone in the Prince of Tang’s residence treats you very well, but when all is said and done, Fourth Aunt and I are your closest relatives. Does Seventh Aunt not wish to see me?”
“Of course not,” Yunyi replied. As soon as her words fell, Yang You said with a face full of hope: “Then move back to live together. I truly hope to have both aunts by my side, rather than living alone in this vast yet cold Daxing Palace.”
Yunyi was quite troubled. She really had no interest in moving back to Daxing Palace to glare at Xin’an, but she couldn’t bear to disappoint Yang You either, making it difficult for her to decide.
“Seventh Sister, as His Majesty’s own aunt, do you truly not consider His Majesty’s feelings at all?” In reality, Xin’an didn’t want Yunyi to move back to Daxing Palace either. She wished she could monopolize this vast palace, doing whatever she pleased, even keeping a group of male favorites. Yang You was merely a half-grown child who couldn’t control her at all. But this was Li Jiancheng’s request, so she could only speak words against her heart.
“Seventh Aunt!” Yang You called out urgently. Yunyi could disregard Xin’an, but she couldn’t disregard Yang You. Looking at that face that was about to cry from anxiety, Yunyi finally nodded: “Very well, I’ll return to the Prince of Tang’s residence to make arrangements, and move back to Mingse Palace in a couple of days.”
Upon hearing this, Yang You was overjoyed and clapped his hands: “Excellent! It’s good that Seventh Aunt is moving back. I’ll have someone clean up Mingse Palace right now, guaranteeing that everything will be exactly as it was before.” As he spoke, he urgently called out: “Little Li, quickly have someone clean up Mingse Palace. Remember, it must be spotless. If anything is missing, go to the Palace Administration Bureau to get it. Hurry!”
Yunyi smiled and said: “It’s already dark now. It would be better to clean it tomorrow. At the earliest, I won’t be moving over until the day after tomorrow anyway.”
“Yes, everything shall be as Aunt wishes.” After Yang You agreed, Yunyi glanced at the night scene outside the window and said: “It’s very late. I should return.”
“Very well, I’ll escort Aunt out.” As soon as Yang You finished speaking, Xin’an said: “I heard His Majesty cough several times earlier. It’s not advisable for you to be exposed to more wind. Let me escort Seventh Sister out instead.”
“Then I’ll trouble Fourth Aunt.” At Yang You’s words, Xin’an accompanied Yunyi toward Chengtian Gate. Following Yunyi’s steps, the golden tassels hanging from a golden filigree butterfly hairpin in her hair swayed gently, occasionally flashing a gleam of light in the night.
Xin’an’s voice carried on the cold wind into her ears: “In the future, we sisters will be able to see each other often, just like before.”
Yunyi reached out to catch a leaf blown down by the wind and said coldly: “See each other often… heh, don’t you find that tiresome?”
Xin’an said with a smile: “No matter how much we quarrel, we’re still good sisters.”
Yunyi scoffed at her words and said indifferently: “Fourth Sister’s acting skills are so excellent that not becoming an actress is truly a waste.”
Xin’an snorted lightly and looked toward the distantly visible Chengtian Gate: “Alright, I’ll escort you this far. Seventh Sister, take care.” After Yunyi had walked far away, Xin’an flicked her sleeves and muttered to herself: “Hmph, what a thing!”
Walking all the way out of Chengtian Gate, she was surprised to see Li Shimin waiting beside the carriage. She walked over and said in surprise: “Why did you come?”
“I didn’t see you return for so long and was afraid something had happened to you, so I waited here.” As he spoke, he had already removed the cloak from his body and draped it over Yunyi.
Touching the cloak that still carried Li Shimin’s body warmth, her originally somewhat irritated heart suddenly calmed down: “After all, this imperial palace can be considered my home, and His Majesty is my nephew. What could possibly happen?”
Li Shimin smiled warmly: “I know this, but not seeing you inevitably makes me somewhat worried. Come, let’s return.”
Yunyi smiled slightly, placing her hand in his outstretched palm, and together they boarded the carriage. On the way back to the Prince of Tang’s residence, Yunyi told him about Xin’an’s situation. Li Shimin was also extremely surprised. After thinking for a while, he said: “First thing tomorrow morning, I’ll send people to search for Old Zhang’s whereabouts. With warfare everywhere now, he shouldn’t be able to go far.” Then he said: “Did Princess Xin’an make things difficult for you?”
Yunyi shook her head: “Not for now, but she advised His Majesty to have me move back to live in Mingse Palace.”
“Move back?” Li Shimin immediately frowned deeply: “You were living well in the residence. Why do you need to move back?”
“I’m also unclear about her intentions in doing this, but… she had one thing right. After all, I’m not a member of the Li family, so living in the Prince of Tang’s residence like this is indeed somewhat inappropriate and likely to invite gossip.”
Li Shimin tightened his grip on the slender hand in his palm, saying with considerable guilt: “This matter is indeed my oversight. When I return from Luoyang, I’ll formally marry you. Then you’ll be able to live openly in the Prince of Tang’s residence, and no one will be able to say anything!”
This was the first time Yunyi had heard the word “marry” spoken seriously from his mouth. Under the moonlight filtering into the carriage, her eyes sparkled like stars: “You… have you truly decided?”
“Yes.” Li Shimin nodded: “Today, Ruhui told me about his situation with Meixue. The bonds between people all have a certain time limit. If we don’t grasp them in time, the bond will pass us by, becoming a lifetime’s regret and sorrow. We’ve already missed once; I don’t want to miss a second time.”
Yunyi suppressed the sourness in her eyes and said in a trembling voice: “What about Third Young Master? Can you let go?”
Li Shimin sighed deeply: “You killed Xuanba, but you also saved me twice. No, counting that time at the cliff, it should be three times. The gratitude and resentment between us has long been incalculable, and I don’t want to calculate it anymore. Ruhui was right – people can’t live in the past their whole lives. They must try to look forward. So… let’s consider that you and I only met, got to know each other, and understood each other today. Is that acceptable?”
Tears glimmered in Yunyi’s eyes. She understood clearly that these seemingly casual words required tremendous resolve for Li Shimin to speak. Heaven… was truly kind to her.
She struggled to suppress the surging tears in her eyes and said chokingly: “Meeting, getting to know each other, and understanding each other all in one day – doesn’t Second Young Master think that’s too fast?”
Li Shimin was startled, then laughed softly: “As long as it’s where the heart’s affection lies, what’s too fast about one day?”
Yunyi was made to laugh by his words, but with this laugh, the tears she had struggled to contain in her eyes fell. In the next moment, warm fingertips had already wiped away the teardrops: “I know that when you were beside Yang Guang, it was always Empress Xiao who protected you. From now on, I’ll be the one to protect you. I promise you that I’ll do everything in my power to ensure you never have to be sad again!”