Dreaming of Chang'an - Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The day of the wedding arrived before long.

Because it was hardly anything to be proud of, the Meng Mansion did not hold any grand celebration.

On the day of the wedding, they simply had me quietly carried into the palace in a soft sedan chair.

I secretly lifted the curtain and watched Mother’s shivering figure grow smaller in the wind. I watched the vast Minister’s Mansion recede into the distance.

In my previous life, Xue Yao had often suffered Meng Yiru’s humiliation and the Meng Mansion’s harassment.

But at that time, the Crown Prince was still weak, so Xue Yao endured it all, bearing humiliation with extreme caution.

Later, as the Crown Prince’s power gradually grew, Xue Yao slowly revealed his ruthless side and became a blade in the Crown Prince’s hand.

Rumor had it that Lord Nine Thousand was sinister and vicious, with methods so cruel they could stop children from crying at night.

And later still, the Meng Mansion was gone.

I swallowed, somewhat nervous.

I was terrified that one careless move would make the future Lord Nine Thousand remember a grudge against me, and that one day I would lose my little life along with everyone else.

Then this whole rebirth would have been for nothing.

Xue Yao’s residence was a side hall not far from the Eastern Palace. It had been simply decorated for the occasion today.

I waited until midnight, but Xue Yao still did not return.

A young eunuch came with a message, saying Xue Yao had important matters to discuss with the Crown Prince today and would not be coming back.

That made sense.

Everyone knew that Meng Fei, the Minister of Rites, belonged to the Third Prince’s faction, which was as incompatible with the Crown Prince’s Faction as fire and water.

That was precisely why the Emperor had issued this decree-to serve as a warning.

I imagined Xue Yao had never had much fondness for me, this so-called daughter of the Minister, to begin with.

At noon the next day, I carefully cleaned the room inside and out, then prepared a table of steaming-hot dishes.

Suddenly, someone slipped inside.

He was strikingly handsome, tall with broad shoulders, and his phoenix eyes were cold and still as deep water.

His features were clearly gentle, yet they carried a sharp edge.

Seeing that I had personally cleaned the room and even prepared a meal, Xue Yao looked somewhat surprised.

He had probably assumed I was an ordinary official’s daughter, the sort who had never had to lift a finger.

But I was merely an unfavored concubine-born daughter, and after serving Mother for years, I had long since grown used to such chores.

“Last night, the Crown Prince and I had important matters to discuss, and I truly could not get away. I made Madam wait for me all night in vain. Please do not take offense.”

Xue Yao inclined his head slightly to me.

His voice was warm and refined, his manners courteous.

Yet I keenly caught a fleeting trace of impatience.

For the next half month, my relationship with Xue Yao made no progress whatsoever.

We were like strangers living under the same roof, each keeping to our own side.

Then I suddenly remembered that in my previous life, I had once heard someone say that Lord Nine Thousand, ruthless though he was, had a weakness for sweets-especially osmanthus cakes.

So I tried catering to his tastes. Every day, I made a small plate of soft, fragrant, sweet osmanthus cakes and set it on the table.

But the cakes never once decreased in number.

Instead, I ended up gaining a whole circle of weight.

A few days ago, the Third Prince’s faction, led by Father, had started stirring up trouble at court again.

I heard Meng Yiru had been promised to the Chancellor’s son, and everyone was full of envy.

Everyone also knew that the Third Prince’s power had grown even stronger.

The way Xue Yao looked at me gained a few more layers of wariness, and his expression became even more distant.

Uh… At this rate, I probably still wouldn’t be able to escape the fate of having my entire family wiped out, would I?