After giving her instructions, Li Wanming turned around, took Su Xiaozhu's hand, and sat down at the stone table in the courtyard.
It was not until they got close to the elegant corner of the wall that they smelled a faint fragrance.
Li Wanming wrinkled her nose and sniffed. It wasn't the scent of flowers but more like the aroma of sunlight in an autumn wheat field.
"It's pine needles," Su Xiaozhu said softly, her face blushing slightly. "If you grind the withered and fallen pine needles with charcoal stones and then dry them in the sun, you'll get this kind of smell."
She picked up a shallow plate from the corner of the wall. Sure enough, there were many golden pine needles in it.
Even when she was drying pine needles, she didn't do it in a boring way. Instead, she used two pinecones and a few Chinese wolfberries as decorations, making the ordinary shallow plate look like a miniature world.
It was full of elegance and the fragrance was refreshing.
Li Wanming stared at it for a while and then put down the shallow ceramic plate. "Xiaozhu, I have something to tell you."
She tucked the loose hair beside her temples and pursed her lips. After thinking for a moment, she began, "Where should I start? Let me start with how I chose a husband from among the successful candidates in the imperial examinations..."
The sun was setting in the west, and the last ray of sunlight on the horizon had sunk into the earth.
In the Listening-to-Snow Studio, there were only occasional crows' cries.
The night breeze caressed Su Xiaozhu's skirt, bringing with it the faint fragrance of pine needles.
She was in a daze for a long time. Even when Li Wanming waved her hand in front of her, her face still showed a look of stupefaction.
Su Xiaozhu adjusted her breathing for a few times before slowly saying, "So... that not-so-outstanding Mr. Cheng is actually the heir of the Prince of Ning?"
"Yes..." Li Wanming lowered her head, not daring to look into her eyes.
"You mean that you chose a husband from among the successful candidates in the imperial examinations because you didn't want to marry the heir of the Prince of Ning, and then you ended up choosing the heir of the Prince of Ning himself and forced him to marry you?"
"Ah... I didn't really force him. After we negotiated the price, he seemed quite happy at that time..."
"And then the heir of the Prince of Ning actually lived in the Pingkangfang for two whole years for you?!"
"Well... it seems like that when you put it that way, but actually it's not exactly the same." Li Wanming fidgeted with her fingers. "I know this sounds really absurd..."
"Absurd? It's beyond belief!"
A look of disbelief appeared on Su Xiaozhu's face. "In these two years, didn't you notice anything strange? He's the heir of the Prince of Ning, a special enfeoffed prince of equal rank with the emperor since the founding of the Dacheng Dynasty, the most noble royal relative in the world... He said he was a peasant, and you just believed him?!"
Li Wanming scratched her head and whispered, "I did suspect him, but at that time I thought he was a bandit, so I didn't dare to ask too much..."
As if she didn't hear Li Wanming, Su Xiaozhu stood up and murmured, "Mr. Cheng is the heir, and that strange guest is the emperor... Oh my god, even the most exciting storybooks couldn't write such an absurd plot."
Li Wanming looked at her expression and said cautiously, "Xiaozhu, I still have one more thing to tell you. It's related to that guest... Don't be too shocked when you hear it. You must be mentally prepared..."
Su Xiaozhu turned her face around, her eyes shining. "What could be more shocking than you becoming the heir's consort?"
"There is..."
Li Wanming swallowed hard. "That is... you're going to enter the palace and become a noble lady."
She didn't dare to look at Su Xiaozhu and could only lower her eyelids and force herself to continue,
"Lv Songyuan is going to enter the palace as a concubine. The emperor is dissatisfied and insists on taking in someone he likes... I don't know what got into him, but he suddenly thought of you. So he asked the Empress Dowager Kang for permission and is going to confer the title of noble lady on you."
"Xiao Jingnan told me yesterday that the imperial edict to confer the title on you will be issued in the next few days. Today is the first day of the Lunar New Year. The palace is very busy with ancestor worship and offering sacrifices to the gods. I guess that after tomorrow when things calm down, the imperial edict should arrive at the Li family."
Li Wanming also stood up. She held Su Xiaozhu's hand and said seriously, "Xiaozhu, I'm telling you all these things today because I want to ask for your opinion. If... if you're not willing, we must go and plead with the emperor before the imperial edict is issued. Maybe there's still time for him to retract his order..."
If it was Zhao Yanke's idea to confer the title of noble lady on Su Xiaozhu instead of the Empress Dowager Kang's, it meant that they could still talk to him and change this imperial edict that hadn't been issued yet.
However, Su Xiaozhu's eyebrows twitched imperceptibly, and her pupils were filled with a dazed obsession.
"He said... he likes me?"
There were no lights in the courtyard. The moonlight quietly flowed down from the roof, making the elegant corner of the wall look as cold as snow.
Just like Su Xiaozhu herself.
Li Wanming was stunned and couldn't help frowning.
She didn't expect that at this crucial moment, Su Xiaozhu would think of this.
"You... His Majesty was arguing with the Empress Dowager Kang at that time. Maybe he just mentioned you casually."
She tightly held Su Xiaozhu's hand and said seriously, "The emperor's heart is unfathomable. Even if he really had a bit of affection for you, it might not withstand the attrition of the high palace walls."
"Moreover, although the emperor hasn't appointed an empress yet, the harem hasn't been empty these years. There are countless beautiful women of all shapes and sizes... How long can his affection for you last?"
"Xiaozhu," as she was speaking, Li Wanming's tone became a bit urgent. "If you're not willing, we'll go to the palace to plead with His Majesty early tomorrow morning..."
"No," Su Xiaozhu said. "I'm willing."
Li Wanming's hand froze involuntarily.
Before she came, she had thought of this answer.
She just didn't expect that Su Xiaozhu would answer so straightforwardly.
Her answer was as clear as the dry and gnarled pine branches in the corner.
...
In Li Wanming's eyes, Su Xiaozhu had always been an extremely smart and tenacious girl.
She was well-versed in poetry and books and was extremely talented, but she wasn't overly rigid.
She was cold and proud but also knew how to adapt.
When she learned that her father wanted to betroth her to an old prince as a concubine, she didn't hesitate to run away. And when she learned that her existence was causing trouble for the academy, she didn't hesitate to admit her identity.
She was smart, brave, and decisive.
So when she said that she wanted to perform on stage at the Changxing Inn, although Li Wanming had some doubts in her heart, she didn't object.
Li Wanming believed that a girl like this, even if she became an actress, would have great ambitions in her heart.
Given time, maybe Su Xiaozhu could really be like Concubine Gong and become famous all over the world with her dance, attracting scholars to write books and stories about her.
By then, she would surely have the glory of making a name for herself and bringing honor to her family.
"Xiaozhu, once you enter the noble family, it's like entering a deep sea. You must think it through..." There was deep worry and uneasiness hidden in Li Wanming's voice.
Yesterday, when she heard Xiao Jingnan talk about the grudges and intrigues among the noble families, she felt as if there were surging undercurrents like huge waves.
One slight mistake could lead to destruction.
Just thinking about it now made her feel scared and terrified.
Moreover, the place where Su Xiaozhu was going wasn't just an ordinary noble family...
It was the imperial palace, the place where the power struggle in the Dacheng Dynasty was the most intense.
There was not only Zhao Yanke but also the Empress Dowager Kang and Lv Songyuan, countless beautiful women, and countless hidden dangers and conspiracies in the dark.