"Drink the soup quickly. Don't let it get cold," Shen Yu said, trying to pull Shen Qingfeng out of the emotional whirlpool. He changed the topic and urged his brother.
Shen Qingfeng was startled. He shook his head. The matter of Lu Yan felt like a tangled mess, making his thoughts chaotic. Following Shen Yu's advice, he picked up the bowl and took a sip. "Brother, the soup tastes great. How long did you simmer it?"
Shen Yu smiled. "Not too long. If you like it, I'll make it for you again."
Shen Qingfeng covered his mouth and laughed. "Of course I like it. But it's almost the New Year. There must be a lot of things to do in the Divination Bureau, right?"
As he remembered, in the seventeenth year of the Fengqing era, after Lu Yan entered Lige, King Xia Jie held a grand celebration named the "Midwinter Festival" to welcome his cousin. The king hoped to celebrate with the whole country to show his grandeur. So the sacrificial activities before the Midwinter Festival were extremely large - scale. In his previous life, he had made a fuss about calling off the engagement. He had gone on a hunger strike and even cut his own wrist. Shen Yu, who loved him dearly, always wanted to come back to see him but was always delayed by the affairs of the Divination Bureau.
"Sigh, there are indeed many things," Shen Yu sighed deeply, shaking his head. "We're already struggling to prepare for the New Year's sacrificial activities. Now, the Marquis of Dingbei has been summoned back to Lige. The king is so happy that he wants to hold this 'Midwinter Festival' to welcome him. All these things have piled up."
— Just as he thought.
"Brother, why don't you let me handle the household shopping for this New Year?" Shen Qingfeng said. "Father and you are both busy. Uncle Zhong surely can't manage everything alone."
Shen Yu didn't expect Shen Qingfeng to say this. After all, Shen Qingfeng had never been willing to get involved in household affairs before because all his energy and time had been devoted to Xia Chuli. Now, it would be great if he could keep Shen Qingfeng at home on this pretext. Shen Yu slapped his head. "That's a good idea. You're not the type to sit still. Helping Uncle Zhong manage things can also kill time and keep you from thinking about those unnecessary things."
What Shen Yu meant was that he hoped Shen Qingfeng would get busy so that he wouldn't think about Xia Chuli.
Shen Qingfeng understood, of course. He smiled calmly without refuting.
Suddenly, Shen Yu seemed to remember something. He put on a solemn look. "Younger brother, if you want to go out, do it boldly. Don't care about the gossips. In Lige, no one dares to point fingers at the Shen family."
Shen Qingfeng paused. His eyes flickered and then he lowered them. He gently placed his hand on his chest. There was a warm spot there. This long - lost warmth made him feel a bit at a loss. He could only press his lips tightly to keep his emotions in check.
In his previous life, he had gone all out for Xia Chuli. He had done all kinds of dirty things and even severed ties with the Shen family. From the moment he opened his eyes again until now, his father and elder brother had always silently supported him. Now, it seemed that he had been shortsighted back then, ignoring his family, kinship, and the warmth that had always been around him.
"Brother..." Shen Qingfeng said softly. "It's been a long time since we went out together. If you're free after dinner today, let's go to the night market."
In the Bian Palace.
Lu Yan strode out of the Shanhe Hall and headed straight for the main gate of the Bian Palace.
This startled Xu Ruhui, who was waiting outside. He quickly caught up with Lu Yan and walked side by side with him. "Did you swallow gunpowder? Why are you in such a hurry? What did the king say?"
"Nothing," Lu Yan replied concisely.
Xu Ruhui cursed silently. What did he mean by "nothing"? When he was wandering outside the door just now, he had spent two taels of silver to pry the mouth of the little eunuch on duty. He knew that Shen Qingfeng had made a big scene in the Shanhe Hall yesterday, demanding that the king revoke the marriage contract. And today, as soon as Lu Yan entered Lige City, he was summoned to the Shanhe Hall for a meeting. There was no way they didn't talk about this embarrassing matter.
The noble Marquis of Dingbei had been rejected. Where could he put his face? Xu Ruhui had sighed for a long time outside the door. He had made up his mind to comfort Lu Yan's hurt heart when he came out.
"Senior brother, don't walk so fast," Xu Ruhui believed that a broken relationship should be mended with a new one. He put his arm around Lu Yan's shoulder and comforted him. "The girls in Lige City are really beautiful. I just asked someone for the address of the Xichun Tower. Let's go and take a look?"
"I'm not interested," Lu Yan said with a darkened face and still walked very fast.
"Hey, senior brother, if you don't like girls, there are also young male entertainers. We can find those with slender waists and long legs, full of charm. I guarantee it'll make you feel like you're in heaven. They can even drain you dry," Xu Ruhui said.
Lu Yan's face turned even darker. "I don't want that."
"Hey, I'm thinking about your sexual happiness. You look like you've been dumped. If you don't find a place to vent your anger, do you want me to find a pipe for you to poke?"
Hearing this, Lu Yan suddenly stopped. He wasn't surprised at all how Xu Ruhui knew about this. After all, Xu Ruhui had a face as thick as a city wall. Lu Yan had never seen anyone more shameless than him. It was very easy for him to find out things. So he turned to look at Xu Ruhui, his face as black as charcoal. He said word by word through gritted teeth, "I said, I. Don't. Want!"
"Then where are you going?" Xu Ruhui asked.
"To the Shen Mansion," Lu Yan said dryly.
"What?" Xu Ruhui had seen people getting angry at themselves, but he had never seen someone who, after being slapped in the face, still went to look for trouble for himself. He looked at Lu Yan and hesitated for a moment. "You're not going to the Shen Mansion to see that Shen Qingfeng, are you?"
"Is there a problem?" Lu Yan looked puzzled.
Xu Ruhui exclaimed, "There's a big problem! You've just been rejected from the marriage, and now you're going to their house? My little marquis, you're a member of the royal family. Pay attention to your image. What if the Shen family slams the door in your face?"
"That won't happen," Lu Yan blurted out subconsciously. But the moment he said it, he was suddenly stunned. After all, he didn't know what made him say this.
"Why won't it? They've already rejected the marriage," Xu Ruhui said. "Didn't you ignore the little eunuch who delivered the imperial edict when you first heard about the arranged marriage? What are you doing now? Are you regretting it?"
Lu Yan's handsome face stiffened. His expression changed slightly, and a fleeting glimpse on Wutong Street suddenly flashed through his mind.
The figure in the white robe was so bright that Lu Yan recognized the person just by taking a far - off look.
At that moment, the high - built barrier in his heart seemed to loosen. So he rushed towards that figure desperately, but unfortunately, he couldn't even touch the corner of his clothes.
Although he had already heard about Shen Qingfeng's rejection of the marriage and had prepared for the worst, if that was really the case, why did he come to see him?
"I want to talk to him," Lu Yan pursed his lips and said in a deep voice. "The king hasn't revoked the marriage contract yet. He's my fiancé now. It's only natural for me to see him."
"Talk about what?" Xu Ruhui asked shamelessly.
Lu Yan gave him a sidelong glance with a threatening look in his eyes. "None of your business."
Xu Ruhui pouted. Suddenly, as if he had thought of something, he put on a look of sudden realization. "I understand, senior brother. You still have feelings for that beauty, right? The one we saw on the street? You've fallen in love at first sight with him, haven't you? So you're going to the Shen Mansion to revoke the marriage for that beauty, right? ... Brilliant! In this way, the face of the Marquis of Dingbei won't be trampled on the street because you've been rejected by a minister."
Lu Yan's eyelids twitched. "If the face of the Marquis of Dingbei is trampled on, there won't even be a trace of ash left of your face as a prefect."
"Don't dare, don't dare. Senior brother's face is more precious."
... Lu Yan felt that chatting with Xu Ruhui was simply a waste of time. He didn't bother to talk to him and turned around to leave.
"So is it related to that beauty?" Xu Ruhui stubbornly followed up and continued to ask. "Tell me, senior brother. If I don't know, I'll keep thinking about it. Then I won't have an appetite for food, and I'll toss and turn at night. I might even get sick! Maybe I'll..."
"Yes!" Lu Yan had wanted to shut Xu Ruhui's mouth more than once.
"Aha! I knew it!" Xu Ruhui cheered. "So you've fallen in love at first sight?"
Lu Yan: ...
"Right?"
"Yes! Shut up!"