It started to drizzle outside.
Li Jingyun was having soup in a restaurant opposite the novelty exhibition. She was a regular customer there, and the owner knew her well.
Yu Xiuyao got off the carriage. Instead of entering the exhibition hall, she went straight up to Li Jingyun. "Greetings, Princess."
"Ah, Fifth Lady, come and sit down quickly. Their mutton soup is the best, so tender and delicious. Would you like to try some?" Li Jingyun hadn't expected her to come so soon. When she saw Yu Xiuyao all of a sudden, she felt a bit flustered and caught off - guard.
Her flustered look made Yu Xiuyao burst into laughter, her body shaking with mirth.
"Princess, you look just like the King of Shu. No wonder you two grew up together. Even your little mannerisms are so similar," Yu Xiuyao teased.
Li Jingyun smiled, two dimples faintly showing at the corners of her mouth. "He's my elder brother whom I've played with since childhood. How could we not be alike?"
Just then, the waiter served the mutton soup, and Yu Xiuyao's attention was immediately drawn to it.
Nowadays, there are more and more kinds of shops, and the population in Chang'an is also increasing. The curfew time is gradually being postponed. Walking on Zhuque Street, one can occasionally meet an official or a foreigner. Maybe at the peak of prosperity, the curfew will be completely abolished.
As a result, the competition among shops has become more intense. Each shop has to have its own specialty, or it won't be able to survive in Chang'an.
But I digress.
Li Jingyun took a sip of the soup. The warm current dispelled the cold outside, making her feel extremely comfortable.
Drinking such a steaming bowl of soup on a gloomy autumn day was simply a pleasure.
"Princess, my grandfather has agreed to my marriage with the King of Shu. I really have to thank you for arranging this match," Yu Xiuyao said, dropping a bombshell on Li Jingyun.
What? He agreed just like that?
Was the agreement too smooth?
This wasn't the usual style of the venerable Yu Shinan.
It didn't make sense either. The progression was too abrupt.
When did Yu Xiuyao agree? When did she fall in love?
"My grandfather said that this marriage is not just about me marrying the King of Shu. It concerns the Yu family and the royal family. Maybe the King of Shu is not erudite enough, but just look at you, Princess, and one can see the royal upbringing. That's enough for the Yu family to agree," Yu Xiuyao said, lowering her head with a smile on her lips.
Li Jingyun was curious. "The Yu family has agreed, but what about you, Fifth Lady?"
"Of course I agree too. Why do you ask, Princess?"
Yu Xiuyao answered naturally, then suddenly realized. "Princess, you're curious whether I've fallen in love with the King of Shu? Of course I have. Since our first meeting, I've..."
She didn't finish her sentence, but Li Jingyun understood what she meant.
So it was a mutual affection?
Fifth Lady had hidden it so well. Not only she, an outsider, but even the Sixth Brother didn't know.
It was okay to talk about these things in private. In the Tang Dynasty, the idea of "preserving heavenly principles and eliminating human desires" hadn't been proposed yet, unlike in the Qing Dynasty.
"Great. Since everything is settled, I'm looking forward to your wedding day. It will surely be a grand occasion," Li Jingyun said with a smile.
Actually, there were many complicated procedures before the wedding. How else could one show the sincerity of both parties?
But she didn't need to worry about those. The people in the imperial city would take care of everything.
"Getting married? We may have to wait a while. We still need to make preparations," Yu Xiuyao said, her face full of longing. Which girl didn't yearn to wear a red wedding dress and marry the one she loved?
For Yu Xiuyao, marrying Li Yin as the princess consort meant enjoying good food and drink in the future, traveling around the country, playing and having fun together. When they came to a scenic spot, she would write poems, and the King of Shu would respond. As for making great achievements, she didn't expect that at all.
With the Crown Prince and Princess Chengyang taking the lead, they just needed to enjoy themselves.
"That's true. After all, it's a major event in life," Li Jingyun said, finishing the remaining mutton soup and nodding in satisfaction.
"What about your major event in life, Princess? Do you have any plans?"
Yu Xiuyao changed the topic and turned it back to Li Jingyun.
She was really curious. Who could catch the eye of this princess?
"If you talk like this, we can't continue this conversation," Li Jingyun pretended to be angry. "Why does a girl have to get married?"
"Yes, yes, yes. Don't be angry, Princess. It was my slip - of - tongue," Yu Xiuyao said.
Although she said so, there was no sign of worry or fear on her face. It was just like two girls playing around.
The topic was dropped, and they returned to the package of paper that was given. Li Jingyun seemed to be talking about papermaking on the surface, but actually, she was curious about what the venerable Yu Shinan was really thinking.
But she never had the chance to ask.
It was at Yu Shinan's birthday banquet when Yu Xiuyao and Li Yin's marriage was already settled that Li Jingyun went with her elder brothers and sisters and secretly asked him.
Why was he always called the venerable one? Because at this time, Yu Shinan had already retired from office and returned to his hometown. Since he had no official position, this was the only way to address him respectfully.
"Venerable Sir, what did you see in my Sixth Brother that made you decide to marry Fifth Lady to him?"
"Fifth Lady likes him. I'm not a rigid and old - fashioned person," Yu Shinan said, standing up with the support of his walking stick. He looked energetic.
The most important thing was that the two were in love. All the glory, wealth, and achievements were just external things.
"That simple?"
"Just that simple," Yu Shinan said, pointing at the dazzling fireworks outside. "Don't you want to go and have a look, Princess?"
"Coming, coming!"
Even though Li Jingyun had grown a few years older, her lively and noisy nature remained unchanged. She skipped out.
By this time, there were already fireworks and firecrackers. Gunpowder should also be on the verge of appearing, which would make the already powerful and invincible Tang soldiers even more formidable.
The princes of the Tang Dynasty were eager to expand the territory. They needed some good weapons.
The fireworks exploded in the air, disappearing in an instant.
Everyone gathered together. Since the marriage of Li Yin and Yu Xiuyao was already settled and well - known, they stood together, looking very harmonious.
The married Princess Gaoyang was not with her husband but with Bianji, a disciple of the Monk Xuanzang. Princess Gaoyang was beaming with joy, while Bianji stood silently, looking at her.
Now that the Monk Xuanzang had returned with the scriptures, he still stayed in the Dongchanding Temple. Because of his story of traveling to the West to obtain the scriptures, his fame spread again. He gathered a group of disciples to help translate the scriptures and also took time to supervise the construction of the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda.
Everything in the Dongchanding Temple remained the same. Huai Shui was getting older and lazier.
Bianji's status also rose accordingly. He was respected everywhere he went. Once, he accidentally met Princess Gaoyang and won her favor. She doted on him and often asked him to come and preach the Buddhist Dharma.
Looking at them, Li Jingyun always felt that if the relationship between Princess Gaoyang and Fang Yiai continued to deteriorate, something big would happen, just like what happened to Princess Yongjia before.
At least Princess Yongjia had a few children, so there was some affection between her and her husband. But these two were simply a pair of feuding spouses.
With the Sixth Brother and Fifth Lady standing beside them, who could tell which pair was the real husband and wife?