maidservant

Chapter 42: Li Song is unable to refuse the emperor's duty and Mudan comes to the government

That day, Yunshan was still thinking about the poisoned soup. After the emperor finished dealing with the pile of government affairs, he strolled towards Liuhua Palace.

Lin Yu and Yun Shan were waiting at the palace gate. When they saw the emperor coming, they hurriedly saluted.

Lin Yu was thinking about how to tell the emperor about Li Song and Yun Shan. Before she could open her mouth, the emperor smiled and said:

"My beloved, today there is a great event that is related to you. Chaohua has fallen in love with Li Song, and I have already granted them marriage. From now on, your uncle's family and the royal family will be even closer."

When Lin Yu heard this, he was slightly stunned, and a hint of astonishment flashed in his eyes.

The emperor laughed heartily upon seeing this. "My beloved concubine, there's no need to be so shocked. Hahahaha. Not only are you surprised, but those old ministers who usually like to trip you up are also shouting long live the emperor."

Lin Yu quickly came to her senses and replied respectfully: "Your Majesty, this is truly a great joyous event." Her voice was steady and she had a decent smile on her face, but ripples were rising in her heart.

After the emperor left, Lin Yu turned around and saw that Yunshan's eyes were slightly red and her expression was full of loneliness.

She sighed softly and said softly:
"Your Majesty has granted the marriage, and this matter is a done deal. There's no turning back. My cousin can't resist. If he refuses, not only will his official position be in jeopardy, but I'm afraid those old ministers will take the opportunity to put pressure on the Li family, and then the entire Li family will be in trouble."

"Yunshan, you know that in our dynasty, a prince consort can only take a concubine if he is forty and has no children. Since you and my cousin are not destined to be together, there are some things I cannot report to His Majesty. The eldest princess is proud and arrogant. If she knew what happened between you, I'm afraid she would not let you go easily."

Yunshan bit her lower lip, tears welling up in her eyes, but she forced herself not to let them fall. She nodded slightly: "I understand, I understand, my lady, I understand."

That night, all was silent, save for the whirring sound of the wind blowing through the palace eaves. Yunshan sat alone by the window, the moonlight filtering through the carved lattice casting a chilling frost on her.

She recalled every moment she had spent with Li Song, all the laughter and joy they had once shared, now transformed into bitter memories. Unconsciously, tears began to flow, wetting her clothes.

Red tears secretly fall, and everything is wrong.

It's like a fragile dream, hit by the torrent of reality, shattered, leaving only pain and helplessness in the heart.

She recalled the scenes when Li Song confessed his love to her, and she suddenly hated herself for not giving up everything and becoming his concubine.

"My heart is filled with sorrow and confusion, and now I know that I was wrong." Yunshan murmured and sobbed, staying awake all night, with the mat soaked with tears.

---

Yun Jin returned from Li's residence to congratulate and secretly inquired about the matter. She only learned that Li Song had been kneeling in the ancestral hall for a whole day.

The next morning, just as the sky was beginning to turn pale, Yunshan rose to put on her makeup. She stared at her haggard face in the bronze mirror, her eyes brimming with red as a bitter, helpless smile played at the corners of her mouth.

She thought of Li Song's deep friendship and felt a mixture of bitterness and emotion. Memories of the past flooded back like a tide, making her even more sad. It was as if a huge rock was pressing down on her, making it hard to breathe.

Yunshan forced herself to cheer up, carefully combed her hair, stood up, opened the door, and slowly walked into the courtyard.

Nearly half of the once vibrant summer flowers in the courtyard had withered overnight, their petals and leaves scattered across the ground. The summer heat that had permeated the air a few days earlier had vanished without a trace, replaced by a slight chill.

Yunshan couldn't help but shiver and felt cold all over. She quickly turned around and walked back into the house, put on a sleeved shirt, and then hurried to Lin Yu's bedroom to replace Yunjin who had been guarding all night.

Yunjin had helped Lin Yu finish washing up. When Lin Yu saw Yunshan, she pointed to the wrapped gifts and asked Yunshan to go to the Marquis' Mansion today because she wanted to eat the pear paste made by her mother.

Knowing her master wanted her to relax, Yunshan left the mansion. Like a dead tree tossed by the wind, she stumbled down the street, her steps unsteady and her figure unsteady. She lost track of several turns, forgetting to turn them, and it took her two quarters of an hour longer to reach the mansion. Unexpectedly, she ran into Lin Xiao outside the mansion.

"Yunshan? What a coincidence! I just went to my cousin's house to congratulate him."

Yunshan forced a wry smile and bowed to him.

Lin Xiao noticed her strange behavior and thought of what Lin Yu had mentioned to him before. He began to guess the reason why Yunshan was unhappy.

Without thinking, he strode forward, snatched the object from Yunshan's hand, then took her wrist and walked to the horse. After mounting the horse with swift movements, he pulled Yunshan in front of him, flicked the reins, and the horse neighed and galloped towards the outside of the city.

"General—the Queen asked me to do it." Before she could finish, Lin Xiao said, "It's okay. Hold on tight!"

At the sound of a "steed," Yunshan instinctively tugged at his outer robe, and the two of them quickly reached the outskirts of the city. The sky was high and the land was vast, and Yunshan took a deep breath, as if some of her soul had returned.

"I can enjoy the pastoral life and sleep until the meal is ready. This is the most enjoyable thing about the years on the border." Seeing that she was silent, Lin Xiao stepped in front of her, shook his ponytail, looked into her eyes and said:
"Yunshan, you and I have different feelings of sadness and joy. I am happy."

Yunshan was puzzled, but she didn't ask. She just felt exhausted and sat down.

"Don't you ask me why?"

"I think the general is happy for Li Xueshi."

"No, no—"

"Ok?"

"I was worried that you would marry my cousin." Lin Xiao expressed his feelings directly, making Yunshan unsure whether his words were true or not.

"General?"

"Hey, what general? I'm just a bastard from a marquis's mansion. The eldest lady already has a five-year-old legitimate son, so I won't inherit any title. Now I have some military merits, so I can set up my own mansion in the future."

After that, he smiled at Yunshan: "Just call me Lin Xiao, sister——"

Yunshan's mind was in a mess for a moment. She didn't know if what she heard was hallucination. She didn't have the energy to force it, so she just followed Lin Xiao's words and called out, "Lin Xiao."

Lin Xiao was surprised for a moment, but Yun Shan realized something was wrong as soon as she said it, and quickly added, "Mr. Lin."

Seeing Yunshan's tired appearance, Lin Xiao didn't want to embarrass her, so he sat down next to her, picked up a piece of dogtail grass and put it in his mouth, and chatted with her casually.

The clouds in the sky drifted slowly, and his words came and went in the breeze, from childhood fun to the autumn wilderness in front of him.

After a while, Lin Xiao said he was tired, so he leaned back and lay straight on the soft grass, with his hands behind his head, facing the clear sky, slowly closing his eyes, and enjoying this moment of tranquility.

Yunshan also felt that all her strength had been exhausted when she had just tightly grasped Lin Xiao's robe.

At this moment, once her tense nerves relaxed, fatigue washed over her like a tide. She moved slightly to the side, found a comfortable position, and leaned down. After a while, the sound of even breathing could be heard softly.

　Everyone~ From February 2th to February 18nd, this novel will be participating in the ranking. Please read the two newly updated chapters every day. This "reading rate" is very important to me! Thank you! ~~~
　　(End of this chapter)