Xiao Qiu saw many people running onto the stage and staring at her lantern, clearly wanting to take it away. Although she was anxious, she didn't dare go over. She grabbed Yu Xiang's sleeve and said, "Where's your older brother? Go find him." If there was any trouble, she could just find her older brother.
At first, Yu Pinyan was far away, so Yu Xiang did not notice him. When they were about to walk out of the Handwriting Veranda, the closer he got to her, the more she sensed it. She knew that he was worried about her and was guarding her in the dark.
"I also don't know where my older brother is. But when I count to three, he will definitely appear. Just watch! "Yu Xiang's smile was especially sly.
"She discovered us?" The crown prince was very surprised.
Yu Pinyan nodded and walked out of the flower bushes with a low laugh. He quickly walked towards the little girl who had already counted to two and was currently pouting at him with her chin raised.
"My dear older brother, you finally appeared!" Yu Xiang stretched out her hands.
Yu Pinyan naturally bent down and let her hug his neck. His usually cold and stern face was filled with a gentle smile. When he got close to her neck, he took a deep breath without leaving a trace. It was still that smell that made him feel incomparably at ease and happy.
Xiao Qiu quickly hid behind the old mama and stuck out half her head to look at Lotus Seed Cake's older brother. She secretly thought, This person doesn't look like Lotus Seed Cake at all. He even looks a bit scary.
The empress intentionally concealed the identity of the Ninth Princess, so Yu Pinyan didn't salute and only nodded at the old mama. The old mama bowed in greeting.
"The lantern." The Ninth Princess stared at Yu Xiang.
"Older brother, let's go up and try." Yu Xiang withdrew from Yu Pinyan's embrace and pointed at the balcony not far away that was filled with people.
This lantern was the Ninth Princess's beloved item. The empress threatened to give it away in order to trick the Ninth Princess into Xihe Garden. Of course, this was just an empty threat. How could the empress bear to make her daughter sad? Thus, she set up an impossible test.
Many people had already tried before, but none of them succeeded. At most, they were stopped at the fifth trial. No matter how close they were, how could they truly live in each other's hearts?
How many questions could he and Xiang'er guess correctly? Yu Pinyan thought to himself with interest as he pushed Yu Xiang into the crowd. The Ninth Princess paced back and forth again and finally overcame the fear in her heart. She ran with her short legs and followed closely behind Yu Xiang, using her wheelchair to cover her small body.
The Crown Prince stood in the shadows and looked at his sister's plump back. He smiled silently. With Yi Feng's protection, he was not worried at all. If he went over, he would definitely attract a large crowd. At that time, Qiu'er would be frightened.
Yu Xiang's wheelchair was a great tool to open up a path. Wherever it passed, the crowd automatically moved to the side. Because Yu Pinyan was also there, no one dared to brazenly look at Yu Xiang. However, the occasional piercing gaze was enough to make people feel uncomfortable.
The gentleness on Yu Pinyan's face had already been replaced by coldness. He bent down to his sister's ear and comforted her, "Big brother is here, don't be afraid."
"I'm not afraid." Yu Xiang waved her hand. She noticed that there was a group of young ladies not far away who were looking at her with shining eyes. The other party was very tall. The places that should be thin were thin as if there were no bones, and the places that should be plump were curvaceous. Especially her face, it was as beautiful as a peony in full bloom in spring. It was incomparably gorgeous.
Out of all the young ladies, she was the most dazzling. She attracted countless gazes of admiration, admiration, and jealousy. She didn't care at all. She stood there openly and allowed people to size her up. There was a bit of pride in her eyes. However, when she saw Yu Pinyan, her expression changed. Her watery eyes hid countless complex and indescribable emotions. It seemed like resentment, anger, and love.
Yu Pinyan glanced at her indifferently, as if she was nothing more than a speck of dust.
Her face immediately turned as white as paper. She bit her lower lip and clutched her lapel, as if she had suffered a great blow.
There was a story between these two! Yu Xiang hurriedly searched through 'Yu Xiang's' memories and found that he had never seen such a beauty before.
The Great Han Dynasty was relatively open. Young men and women didn't avoid meeting in public before marriage. It was only after entering the inner chambers or after marriage that there were all kinds of annoying rules. Yu Siyu stood next to the young lady. She was tugging on her sleeve and wanted to come over and talk. She waved her hand and hid behind the crowd. Yu Siyu hesitated for a moment. Seeing that her brother's expression was really cold, she also hid.
That person had a close relationship with Yu Siyu. Presumably, they had some relationship with the Marquis Household. However, 'Yu Xiang' was a fool. She didn't know anything other than playing wildly. Yu Xiang was somewhat discouraged. She grabbed Yu Pinyan's sleeve and asked, "Brother, who was that person?"
"Don't worry about an unimportant person." Yu Pinyan pinched her chin and turned her face towards the balcony. The pair of beautiful sisters up there had already failed.
"Is there anyone else who wants to come up and try?" The palace attendant in charge asked loudly.
"Yes!" Yu Xiang's answer was full of energy. She even raised her left hand high.
Yu Pinyan looked at her with a strange gaze. Even with a broken leg, she could still be so carefree and uninhibited. She was cheerful and open-minded. Xiang 'er's strength had always surprised him. As such, it was unnecessary to leave her alone in the garden today.
The legitimate son of the Shen Wei General's family also had a broken leg and was unable to walk. He was a good man, but in just three days, he had become so thin that he didn't even look human anymore. Moreover, there were rumors that he had attempted suicide several times. On the other hand, although Xiang 'er had secretly cried before, she didn't show any signs of depression in front of outsiders. She had put on quite a bit of weight in the past three or four months, and her complexion had also become rosier. She was truly very relaxed.
As her older brother, he was extremely proud.
Yu Pinyan rubbed his precious little sister's small head and steadily walked up to the balcony.
The palace attendant bowed and then presented a tray. He showed the two items on the tray to Yu Xiang and the crowd below the balcony. He then took out a two-foot square box and said, "Master Hou, please choose one item and put it in the box."
A palace attendant on each side pulled up a piece of black cloth to completely cover the table. No matter how eager the audience below the balcony looked, they couldn't see his actions.
Yu Pinyan looked at the tray and smiled with his eyes narrowed. There were two pearl hairpins. One was a pearl hairpin with five phoenixes hanging in the morning sun, and the other was a gold-plated peony hairpin inlaid with treasure. Both were exquisitely made and very expensive. It was hard to tell which one was better and which one was worse.
He didn't pick and choose like the others. After hesitating for a while, he reached out and put one of the hairpins in the box. Xiang 'er loved flowers the most, so she would definitely like this peony hairpin.
The palace attendant looked at him several times. He was so straightforward. Was he too confident, or did he not plan to win?
As soon as the black cloth was put down, Yu Xiang shouted crisply from below the balcony, "Peony hairpin."
The palace attendant was stunned for a moment before opening the box. There was no doubt that it was a peony hairpin.
The first round was very easy to pass, so the crowd didn't find it strange. However, it was really the first pair to pass so quickly.
The second tray was presented. This time, there were three wooden carved sheep. The shapes were different, symbolizing the opening of the Three Suns. One was lying down, one was standing, and one was standing.
Behind the curtain, Yu Pinyan put the lying sheep into the box without thinking. Xiang 'er always liked to lie on the soft couch by the window and look at the scenery. She didn't want to go anywhere. Although it was partly because of the inconvenience of her legs, her satisfied expression betrayed her laziness. Of the three sheep, this was definitely the one that suited her the most.
The curtain was put down again. Just as the palace attendant raised his hand to signal Yu Xiang to speak, she directly shouted, "Lying sheep!"
Whether it was the person who chose or the person who guessed, they were all so fast that they practically raised their hands and shouted. The crowd became interested and stared at the box with shining eyes.
The palace attendant opened the box. As expected, the two had guessed correctly again.
Amidst the uproar, the third tray was presented. On it were four small embroidered screens with plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo, and chrysanthemums. Yu Pinyan only glanced at it and then chuckled. Was there even a need to guess? It was definitely orchids! Didn't you see that Xiang 'er specially opened a flower garden in the back of her courtyard to grow orchids?
This time, it only took him a few breaths to pass the test. Then, it was time for the Five Grains of Bumper Harvest. Yu Pinyan chose rice, Yu Xiang's favorite. Among the Six Arts, there was the scepter that represented etiquette, the xun that represented music, the miniature bow and arrow that represented archery, the ceramic pony that represented imperial control, the Book of Songs that represented writing, and the abacus that represented numbers. Yu Pinyan chose music, which Yu Xiang was most interested in. Among the Seven Colored Beads, Yu Pinyan chose yellow, which was Yu Xiang's favorite color …
The two of them cooperated well and guessed correctly, causing the people below the stage to cry out in surprise. When the last twelve items were placed on the table, Yu Pinyan really couldn't hold back his laughter. Xiang 'er was born in the year of the rabbit. Was there even a need to choose these twelve zodiac figurines?
The test that seemed impossible to others was so simple in his and Xiang 'er's eyes. That's right, who else in this world could be like him and Xiang 'er, who already understood each other to the bone? Thinking about each other's thoughts, thinking about each other's thoughts. They clearly weren't bound by blood, but there seemed to be an invisible thread that connected their hearts together.
This feeling was very subtle, but also very pleasing. Yu Pinyan stuffed the Phoenix Palace Lantern into his sister's hands amidst the crowd's exclamations.
"The body doesn't have the wings of a colorful phoenix, but our hearts are as one. Brother, we won. "Yu Xiang raised the lantern and used the phoenix's sharp beak to touch the youth's beautifully shaped thin lips.
This time, it was like pecking at the tip of her heart. It was very refreshing and numbing. Yu Pinyan bent down and used his fingers to rub his sister's full lips. He smiled with squinted eyes.
A thick warmth flowed around the two of them. Unfortunately, there was someone who didn't have eyes. Half of her head poked out and weakly shouted, "Lantern."
Yu Xiang returned to her senses and stuffed the extraordinarily exquisite palace lantern into Xiao Qiu 'er's hands. Full of loyalty, she said, "Here, take it and play with it."
Not to mention that this palace lantern was made by a famous craftsman, it was the only one in the world. Just by looking at the material, one could tell that it was priceless. However, the little girl turned around and gave it to her master without any reluctance. Her conduct was truly indescribable! The old mama secretly nodded. She glanced at the surrounding noble maidens who were looking over with red eyes and shook her head.
There weren't many people in this world who weren't confused by external objects.
Xiao Qiu was extremely happy. She circled around Yu Xiang with a face full of worship. Only when she accidentally bumped into Yu Pinyan did she feel afraid. She hurriedly hid behind the old mama and didn't dare to come out.
Yu Xiang was laughing in her heart. She grabbed Yu Pinyan's clothes and said, "Brother, push me to the riverside. Xiao Qiu and I will watch other people light up the lanterns. If you have something to do, go do it. Don't worry about me. "