129 The old Bai Yu was just like her father Part I
Silence suddenly filled the palace. Bai Yu could hear even the sound of her own breathing.
“What did you say?”
“I...” Her face was the same as ever, though her heart was already soaked in a cold sweat.
“What is...Sha-Dou...?” she asked, awkwardly repeating the strange language she had never heard before in Chinese.
Bai Yu conjured up a smile. “I mean, Your Majesty, please wait.”
“You’re asking aijia to wait?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.” She firmly nodded. Her gentle and soft mannerism returned once more after she had thought of a way out. “I’m afraid now would not be an appropriate time for the Emperor to bestow a marriage.”
“It’s at a time like this that an auspicious occasion should happen to entertain the people.”
“I agree with Your Majesty. It’s only that...” Bai Yu pretended to lower her head guiltily. “It’s the Lady Meihua competition and the Meihua viewing festival that the Emperor has ordered to be organized for the people...these are good things that help raise morale for the villagers and the soldiers before going to war. But...”
.....
Empress Dowager Wei nodded. “Continue.”
“If a marriage is announced on top of those, I’m afraid that people will think that we, the nobles, are preoccupied with banquets and parties while their relatives are fighting at the border.”
The senior person thought along with her words. “True.”
“And so I would like to ask Your Majesty to please wait. It’s not too late to discuss this after the war...” Bai Yu faked a shy smile. “I’m not going to marry anyone other than the Ouyang dynasty anyway, Your Majesty.”
“Hahahaha. Good. Very good.” She loudly laughed, pleased with the love-struck woman’s brave words. Though it was not ladylike, Empress Dowager Wei complimented Bai Yu for her unwavering love for Ouyang Mingxian.
Bai Yu could only keep up the act and wait until it was time to leave. A bashful expression remained on her face, even though her true thought was that she wanted to be the Empress Dowager’s daughter-in-law, not granddaughter-in-law like the other person had hoped.
——————-
“Biaoge.”
“Biaomei.”
Bai Yu gracefully gave her older cousin a curtsy when they met each other in front of the palace.
“I was waiting to go back together with you.”
Yue Nan said warmly, extending his hand to help her get on the Yue family’s horse carriage. It was not the one she had ridden here. Yue Nan probably came to the palace in the morning like her, then he told her driver to return first so that they would use the same carriage on their way back.
Lately, her silver-haired cousin frequented the palace quite a lot. From coming and going in secret, he now openly entered through the gate and became a familiar sight to everyone. He must be here to see the emperor as usual.
“You want to know?” Yue Nan asked. His facial expression was calm as ever, though his eyes contained a hint of laughter when he noticed that Bai Yu had been staring at him ever since they had entered the carriage.
“Very much.” Bai Yu still kept her eyes firmly on him, uncaring that she was already caught. Her curiosity was palpable.
“It’s not the time for you to know yet, biaomei.”
“You really can’t tell me the reason why you often go to meet the emperor?”
Yue Nan shook his head. Bai Yu sighed.
“Let’s just say that...” Seeing the beauty start to sulk, his heart softened a little. “You’re not alone in your fight against fate.”
Bai Yu frowned. A strange idea ran through her head. Impossible!
“Biaoge! You’re not telling me that...”
“...”
“...The emperor is also a transmigrator?!”
Yue Nan went quiet.
“Is it true...?” Bai Yu muttered, incredulous.
“Ha...” A rare laugh, soft and light like a floating cloud, was heard from the lips of a man who was said to have both the past and the future in his sight. “You really do have a wild imagination.”
“Huh...?” Bai Yu tilted her head. “If the emperor did not transmigrate here, then what do you mean when you say I’m not alone?”
“I mean that there are many people who are doing their best on their own part. And you, too, have to focus on doing your own job.” Yue Nan affectionately tapped her head.
“Mmmm...” Bai Yu made a sound in her throat as she used her thoughts. She continued to ponder his words, even though he had already implied that she should be at ease and continue to do her part.
Yue Nan watched her reaction and could not help not to tease her. “Understood, little fool?”
Little fool… Her face immediately heated up at the name that her cousin had used to tease her. The three-eyed seer could see everything!
Unfair!
So unfair!
“Heh heh.”
“Biaoge!”
Bai Yu was silent the whole way back, glaring at the other person again and again, while the one being glared at chuckled in response. Without Bai He, Yue Nan could tease Bai Yu much easier. He hoped that it would at least help her take her mind off things since there were already too many problems for her to bear.
“Xiao Xi! Xiao Chang!” Bai Yu called her two maids as soon as she reached her building. Yue Nan was following behind her, waiting to see what she would do after her long silence.
“Yes, miss.”
“Pack my things.” She glanced at the prankster seer. “We’ll go back to Bai Mansion!”
“Heh heh.”
“Biaoge!”
“Hahahahaha.”
—————-
The next morning, after having breakfast with everyone in Yue Mansion, Bai Yu farewelled her grandfather and grandmother before returning to Bai Mansion. Her leaving was sudden, though both of them understood the reasoning behind her action.
Yue Nan, too, was in full support. He knew she did not leave in a fit of anger. This was her first move in a game of chess against fate. She did not take Bai He with her back to Bai Mansion. One reason was that she wanted to keep her brother’s condition a secret, and the other was that she had a plan to rely on her sleeping brother.
Xiao Chang was tasked with taking care of Bai He until she sent someone to take her place. Only Bai Yu and Xiao Xi would return to Bai Mansion. Though it was an abrupt decision, Bai Yu had sent a letter back home the night before, and so today everyone came to the front gate to welcome her. The only absentees were her father, who was at the morning meeting at the palace, and Bai Hua, of whom she did not know the whereabouts.
“Greetings from Bai Yu to mother.” As soon as she stepped down from the carriage, she headed to curtsy her mother. Her every action was under the eyes of the crowd that had gathered after hearing that Lady Meihua was returning to Bai Mansion after visiting her grandparents at Yue Mansion and staying there for quite some time.
However, her title as Lady Meihua for another year was not the only center of their attention; another was her relationship with the Yue family, and her position as the combined authority of two major families.
“Come, let’s head inside first. The sun is strong outside.” Yue Mei held her daughter’s hand and led her inside with a smile. It seemed she had forgotten all about their past conflicts.
Second Furen, third Furen, and Bai Yue who were all faking cheerful smiles and preparing to show the crowd their good relationship with Bai Yu, were left behind. A mysterious air around Bai Yu had made them unable to move or even open their mouths to greet her.
The first miss had always hidden her viciousness under a beautiful and refined image. And now she seemed to have honed it further, adding the calmness of the water before the storm, hiding her evil under the calm of her eyes. After returning today, Bai Yu had considerably changed. She had changed too much for them to do anything, not until they knew how she had changed. The three women could do nothing but retain their smiles and follow Bai Yu with their gazes.
Bai Yu smiled at her mother before bowing her head to greet the second and third Furen who had come to welcome her. Truthfully, she did not want to respond to their deceitful smiles, and above that, the fake innocence of Bai Yue’s face was for the sole purpose of fooling outsiders.
Ah...It’s time to return to the familiar war.
“Mother, what about the third sister?” After going up to the main building to catch up while drinking tea with everyone in the family, Bai Yu asked about Bai Hua, whom she had not seen up until now.
“She went to the palace, as other royal doctors do.” It was the third Furen who dared cut Yue Mei off with a sarcastic tone. Her mouth, bright red from rouge, was openly skewed to show dissatisfaction.
“I’ve been away for a while, and third sister has progressed so much,” Bai Yu said with a smile, then lifted her teacup to drink as if she did not care about Bai Hua at all, even though she was the one to mention her in the first place.
“She’s still no stronger or more beautiful than big sister.” It was Bai Yue, as good a flatterer as ever.
Bai Yu put down her teacup and turned toward her half-sister, responding with the same fake smile. “What about you, fourth sister? Have you made progress on anything?”
Bai Yue suddenly felt her face stiffen. “I...”
“Yue-er is still young and needs a lot more time to practice.” The second Furen protected her good-for-nothing daughter.
“Then second Furen should help her practice more. She’s the Bai family’s daughter, at the very least. I do not quite agree with you saying that she’s still young, since when I was her age...” Bai Yu did not continue, only taking another drink from her cup. Her eyes glanced at her half-sister, whose hands on her lap were tightly gripped. It can’t be helped. I’m too good and beautiful, so you, as a younger sister, have to try harder.
“Fourth sister...” Bai Yu called Bai Yue with an affectionate tone. “Apart from other people’s businesses, is there anything else you’re interested in?”
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