Chapter 59: Temple Fair II

"Yu Qingyan!"
"Gu Yan," Yu Qingyan corrected.
Chu Yuchuan stepped forward and tightly grasped her hand, pulling it into his palm. "You are already my woman, so stop letting your mind wander!"
"When have I ever been your woman? We never even performed the wedding bows."
Yu Qingyan instinctively paused and glanced around. Following her gaze, Chu Yuchuan gave a dry cough and released her hand. Dressed in men's attire amidst the bustling crowd of the temple fair where people brushed shoulders, their conversation would take on a entirely different meaning if overheard by the surrounding onlookers...
Looking somewhat unreconciled, Chu Yuchuan muttered, "Even without the bows, you were carried into the manor in a bridal sedan..."
"That wasn't of my own volition. Besides, we haven't slept together, and that at least is the truth." Weren't ancient people supposed to care deeply about this?
Unable to bear it any longer as the crowd grew denser, Zuo Xuan stepped forward. "Your Highnesses!"
Indignant, Chu Yuchuan took her hand and hurriedly pulled her away, leaving behind a wave of whispering and gasping spectators.
"Whether you are willing or not is not for you to decide!"
With a deft twist, Yu Qingyan shook off his grip. "Women in this world are truly pitiful; the only thing they can truly call their own is their heart. If I say I am unwilling, then I am unwilling."
Of course, she was not a woman of this world either.
With a dark and brooding gaze, Chu Yuchuan stared at her retreating back. Unwilling? He had never cared this much for any other woman, yet she was unwilling? What would it take to make her willing!
Zuo Xuan had no choice but to step forward and remind him, "Your Highness, the Princess Consort is walking far ahead."
Chu Yuchuan lifted his feet to follow. Zuo Xuan furrowed his brows; stuck with such a princess consort, this job was becoming increasingly difficult, yet his own master had managed to lose his heart to her.
Up ahead, people were lined up in a long queue. Gazing into the distance, Yu Qingyan spotted the figure of Chu Yufeng right at the front.

Yu Qingyan walked up to the front. "What is going on here?"
"Young Master Gu—"
"Gu Yan."
Chu Yufeng smiled. "Porridge. Would you like a bowl?"
"They are all waiting in line. Is this alright?"
"It's fine. Come inside." Chu Yufeng flashed a smile toward Chu Yuchuan, who was standing not far away—a smile that was as dazzling and irritating as it could possibly be.
"Where is Xiao Mo?"
"We merely met once by chance, yet you still remember him."
Yu Qingyan accepted the bowl of porridge he handed over. "It smells delicious."
"Have a taste. I just had a bowl myself."
"Are you the one giving out the porridge?" Out of the corner of her eye, Yu Qingyan caught sight of Zuo Xuan's figure by the entrance, though Chu Yuchuan's whereabouts were no longer known.
"What, does it not look like it?"
"It's simply too good." In the blink of an eye, the bowl in Yu Qingyan's hand was empty. "Do you come here every year?"
"More or less."
Yu Qingyan took a sip of tea. Was he trying to win over the hearts of the people?
"Aren't you afraid the Seventh Brother will be angry if you come to my side?"

Yu Qingyan smiled. "What, are you not welcoming me?"
"How could that be? I am very glad you came."
Yu Qingyan lowered her gaze. "Last time, who was it that tried to kill you?"
Chu Yufeng's eyes shifted toward her. Yu Qingyan lifted her gaze to meet his, and those amber eyes—so similar to Chu Yuchuan's—reflected her own image.
"If I tell you, it loses all the fun. Why don't you take a guess?"
"You want me to guess?"
"Mhm, give it a guess."
Yu Qingyan thought for a moment. "Was it the Emperor?"
Chu Yufeng gave a soft laugh. "You certainly have the nerve to say that."
"You were the one who told me to guess."
"No. Guess again."
Yu Qingyan furrowed her brow, wearing an expression of deep concentration. The minds of these people were as deep as the sea, and every gesture of theirs was unfathomable; it was best not to make an enemy of them.
"The Prince of Qi? The Prince of Lie?" Yu Qingyan looked straight at him without flinching. "Or... the Prince of Xian?"