A life of ups and downs is pure joy

Ning Sijue was wearing a jade-white gown woven with gold brocade, the cuffs of which were decorated with stone-blue floral patterns, and a wide golden brocade belt with auspicious clouds tied around his waist, from which hung the silk tassel woven by Empress Xiao herself and the crescent-shaped jade pendant picked up by Lin Qinghuan. The dark blue straight-collared gown fell vertically, but it could not cover up his slender figure. A hollow carved gold-inlaid jade crown bound his shiny black hair. He had the same slender peach blossom and phoenix eyes as Empress Xiao, and his thin and moderate lips were now smiling in a dazzling smile. The winter morning sun cast golden light on the handsome man's fair face. The women of the third-rank court who were waiting in the courtyard to choose a concubine all stole a glance at the young man who was coming towards the light, and their hearts were filled with spring feelings, hoping that the Sixth Prince would look at them differently.

"Mother." Ning Sijue stepped forward and bowed deeply to Empress Xiao.

When Empress Xiao saw her youngest son, she couldn't help but smile and quickly stretched out her hand to signal him to stand up and come over.

When Lin Qinghuan saw Ning Sijue coming forward, she stepped aside a few steps to make room for him. Ning Sijue looked at her gently, and the two smiled at each other.

"Jue'er, you look so smart today. This Luoying belt is a little worn out. Your mother will weave a new one for you later." Empress Xiao felt that she owed her youngest son, and she also selfishly favored this child who looked like her, so she kept holding his hand.

"Aunt has always doted on the Sixth Prince. Now you have seen it, right?" Xiao Qiannan whispered to Lin Qinghuan in a faint voice.

"Yeah." Lin Qinghuan responded in a low voice, and then the two of them stood aside obediently.

Su Yuefei took a look at the scene of loving mother and filial son, a hint of displeasure flashed across her face, and then she continued to wear a friendly smile.

"Mother, all the young ladies are waiting in the yard. When are we going?" Su Yuefei stepped forward and asked softly.

"Business is important, business is important. Come on, Jue'er, go and see if there is any girl that catches your eye." Empress Xiao patted the back of Ning Sijue's hand, and the Crown Princess hurried forward to help her up.

Lin Qinghuan watched Su Yuefei busying around serving him filially, and only then did she realize what a role model daughter-in-law should be like.

The girls in the yard were about the same age as Xiao Qiannan. They were in their prime, like green onion buds, their eyes full of longing for the future.

Xiao Qiannan also happily followed and supported Empress Xiao. She always loved to join in these lively events.

Ning Sijue glanced at Lin Qinghuan at the back of the crowd, then walked over.

"Second sister-in-law, there is a petal in your hair." Ning Sijue reached out and took the fallen petals out of Lin Qinghuan's bun. Lin Qinghuan tilted her head and reached out to touch her bun, then smiled a little embarrassedly.

"You have the most meticulous eyes."

Su Yuefei looked back at the two people at the back of the crowd. She was very sensitive and caught the tenderness in Lao Liu's eyes when he looked at Lin Qinghuan. Then she shook her head helplessly.

"Jue'er, come here quickly." Empress Xiao looked at the many wives of officials and called out softly.

"I'm here, mother." Ning Sijue held the flower petals in his hand, turned around and trotted to Empress Xiao.

Lin Qinghuan sat on the rose chair next to her, watching the interesting story of the Sixth Prince choosing a concubine.

The nanny beside the queen took the portrait handed over by the head maid, and then called the real ones one by one for comparison.

Then, many beauties demonstrated their piano and painting skills, and reported on what books they had read. Xiao Qiannan watched with great interest and whispered to Lin Qinghuan from time to time.

Ning Sijue sat obediently beside Empress Xiao, and nodded to everyone that Empress Xiao thought was good or favored.

"Jue'er, which two of these girls do you like best? Now your brother the crown prince has three concubines. It would be reasonable for you to choose two first, and then choose a principal wife when there is a suitable one in the future. How about that?" Empress Xiao asked her youngest son gently, looking at him.

"Mother, you can like the child you like. We can talk about the matter of the main wife later." Ning Sijue glanced at the girl in the yard, then smiled and said to Empress Xiao.

"Silly child, it's you who chooses the concubine, not your mother who chooses the palace maid. How can you ask your mother to make the decision for you?" Empress Xiao couldn't help but smile. Su Yuefei and Xiao Qiannan beside her also laughed, and Lin Qinghuan also smiled.

"Then let's choose General Bai's granddaughter Bai Weian and Lord Yan's daughter Yan Ruyu." Ning Sijue looked at the various beauties in the yard, then glanced at the roster and spoke.

Lin Qinghuan saw two girls in the crowd smiling, while the other girls all looked disappointed.

"Okay, the girls from the Bai and Yan families will go to the backyard to change clothes and wash up, and the other girls will each be given a velvet flower." After Empress Xiao finished speaking, the beauties in the yard bowed and expressed their gratitude.

Su Yuefei and Xiao Qiannan also stood up and helped Empress Xiao to get up and return to the inner hall. Lin Qinghuan looked at the girls' dejected backs as they left with the velvet flowers, thinking that she was really blessed by her family background. Otherwise, she couldn't play the piano, couldn't write, was a mess at chess, and could only draw a few pictures. She guessed that in the first round of the selection of concubines, she would be sent back home because of her lack of talent, and she wouldn't even get the velvet flowers to comfort her.

"Yan Ruyu is pretty enough, but Bai Weian's looks are indeed a bit mediocre." The aunt and sister-in-law chatted while sitting in the carriage on the way back to the mansion.

"Perhaps there is something else that attracted the Sixth Prince." Lin Qinghuan was a little face-blind and almost forgot what Yan Ruyu looked like. He only remembered that her name was very nice.

"Hahaha, sister-in-law, you are so serious and cute. Bai Weian's piano playing is not as good as yours. If she was not the granddaughter of General Bai Gang, how could she have the blessing to become the concubine of the Sixth Prince." Xiao Qiannan said with a smile.

"I do know General Bai Gang. His great victory over Dayi brought decades of peaceful coexistence between the two countries." Lin Qinghuan heard He Su talk about this man.

"The general Bai Duguang who led the team that transported military supplies to Yinan with my elder brother this time is her biological brother. Lord Yan is a cabinet minister and a counselor, holding the third rank. Yan Ruyu is his youngest daughter, and she does have some talent." Xiao Qiannan said.

"It turns out that although it seems to be the selection of a concubine, it is actually still inseparable from the politics of the previous dynasty." Lin Qinghuan said thoughtfully.

"It's normal to be in the royal family."

"Ah."

Xiao Yi and Xiao Fan's carriage return journey was very smooth and they arrived a day earlier than originally expected.

Lin Qinghuan had been waiting for her husband ten miles outside the city since early in the morning. Xiao Qiannan had been dozing off in the carriage. She was really helpless and was dragged into the carriage by Lin Qinghuan in a daze. It was obviously still quite a while before her eldest brother and third brother would come back, and it was so cold in the early winter morning. She opened the carriage curtain and saw Lin Qinghuan, whose little face was red from the cold outside the carriage, and Hongqi, who had been sitting on a tree branch. She shook her head helplessly.

"Sister-in-law, are you cold?" Xiao Qiannan shouted.

"It's not cold, the hot water bottle is still warm." Lin Qinghuan said while looking back at the carriage, then turned around and looked into the distance, and after a while looked up at the sun above his head to calculate the time.

"Sister-in-law, you are almost becoming a husband-waiting stone." After saying this, Xiao Qiannan lowered the curtain and continued to doze off.

"Miss, are you cold?" Chu Xia asked as she adjusted the fur collar on Lin Qinghuan's robe. Her own hands were also a little red from the cold.

"I'm not cold. Is my hair messy? Is my face clean? Do I look good today?" Lin Qinghuan asked.

"She looks beautiful. My daughter is always the most beautiful. My son-in-law will be stunned when he sees her." Chu Xia said with a smile.

"My husband said he wanted to see me in pink, so I'll give him a surprise today." Lin Qinghuan has always liked white and blue. Today is the first time she has worn pink clothes. The pink color is delicate, which makes the beauty look particularly seductive and attractive.

"The girl looks good in whatever she wears. She is really enviable. If Chuxia could be half as pretty as the girl, I would be satisfied with half." The maid looked at Lin Qinghuan's graceful figure and stunning appearance, her eyes full of envy.

"The little mouth must have eaten cantaloupes and peaches again today, so it can talk like this." Lin Qinghuan laughed very happily, and the dimples at the corners of her mouth were filled with happiness.

"Chuxia is telling the truth." The maid squatted down again and patted the dew on Lin Qinghuan's robe.

In the distance, the sound of red dusty horse hooves and the faint tracks of a two-wheeled vehicle could be heard. Lin Qinghuan stood on a rock and raised her hand to block the early sunlight that was filtering through the leaves onto her face. Chuxia held her hand up beside her, while Hongqi sat on a tree, keeping an eye on Lin Qinghuan's safety.

"Has my husband arrived?" Lin Qinghuan asked Hong Qi on the tree while looking at the huge crowd in the distance.

Hong Qi jumped and flew to the top of the tree again, and after a while landed next to Lin Qinghuan.

"Miss, it's soldiers and a carriage." Hong Qi helped Lin Qinghuan back to the ground from the big rock.

"That must be my husband. Jinyun, go and wake up Miss Neng." Lin Qinghuan said to Xiao Qiannan's maid beside the carriage.

"Yes, young lady."

Xiao Yi lifted the curtain of the carriage and looked at the grove not far away where Lin Qinghuan had seen him off. He wondered if she was the first person he saw today.

"Big brother... Third brother..." Xiao Qiannan saw from afar that it was Da Yuan who was leading the cavalry, so she waved her arms and shouted loudly.

Lin Qinghuan anxiously and expectantly searched for Xiao Yi in the crowd, and then his eyes fell on the carriage again.

Xiao Yi got off the carriage, and Xiao Qiannan waved happily at him. Lin Qinghuan watched him slowly walking towards her, feeling excited and a little shy. Perhaps it was because they hadn't seen each other for too long, and she actually felt a little embarrassed.

"Go to the carriage over there and take care of your second brother." Xiao Yi rubbed Xiao Qiannan's head and then said.

Xiao Qiannan glanced at her brother and sister-in-law with an embarrassed smile, then jumped and ran towards the carriage that Xiao Fan had made.

"Are you cold? Why is your face so red?" Xiao Yi looked down at Lin Qinghuan, holding the woman's cool and delicate face with his warm big hands and asked.

Lin Qinghuan shook his head and smiled softly, "It's not cold, you're finally back."

Xiao Yi touched the back of Lin Qinghuan's head and held her in his arms. Lin Qinghuan's little face was pressed against the man's strong chest, and her little hands were hugging his waist from behind.

"Huan'er, your husband misses you so much." Xiao Yi murmured.

"Huan'er misses her husband very much too." Lin Qinghuan raised her little head and looked at Xiao Yi and said.

"Let's go home." Xiao Yi bent down, picked up Lin Qinghuan and walked towards the carriage. Hong Qi stepped on the stirrups and mounted her horse in a dashing manner. Chu Xia also got on Xiao Fan's carriage with Jin Yun, leaving only space for the couple to whisper.

Back at Qingbo Courtyard, the maid had already prepared a bucket of bath water for Xiao Yi. Lin Qinghuan soaked the refreshing and relaxing medicinal buns in the hot water, and personally helped him wash up.

"Husband, father and mother told us to pay our respects later. You must be tired from the journey. Take a shower and have a good rest first... Hey, what's wrong with your arm?" Lin Qinghuan asked with a pale face when she saw the knife wound on Xiao Yi's arm.

"It's okay, just a minor skin injury." Xiao Yi said as he held Lin Qinghuan's little hand that was wiping him.

"How come you're injured again? Didn't you write in your letter saying that the journey was smooth? You lied to Huan'er again. It looks like there's a lot of blood on this wound." Lin Qinghuan pouted and said complainingly and distressedly.

"You are the best medicine to comfort me. Seeing that all your pain is gone, I am only happy." Xiao Yi said affectionately. The steam from the hot water filled the air in front of the two of them. Lin Qinghuan lowered her head and smiled lightly, her little face slightly red.

After taking a shower, the couple lay on the bed, gazing at each other affectionately. Xiao Yi gently stroked Lin Qinghuan's soft and delicate face.

"Husband, are you hungry? Let me ask the kitchen to make you something to eat." Lin Qinghuan asked affectionately while holding Xiao Yi's face with both hands.

"I'm not hungry. Don't bother. Just lie down and keep me company." Xiao Yi raised the corners of his mouth, and he felt indescribably happy when he saw Lin Qinghuan's little face.

"Well, my husband is back. Huan'er will stick to you every day from now on." Lin Qinghuan said, hugging the man's neck tightly with both hands again.

"Did you miss me?" Xiao Yi's slender fingers stroked the woman's delicate jawline.

"Well, if my husband doesn't come back, Huan'er will miss him so much that he will become sick." Lin Qinghuan gently wrapped her slender wrist around Xiao Yi's neck and whispered in his ear.

Xiao Yi could no longer bear the longing for the woman, so he kissed her soft, sweet pink lips. The two of them kissed passionately, expressing their longing for each other and their eagerness to possess each other.

The scent of love filled the entire room, and the two people expressed their long-cherished feelings hysterically and freely. Their voices and emotions gradually became stable.

Lin Qinghuan secretly looked at Xiao Yi who had fallen asleep. She used to be afraid of this cold, icy face, but now she felt close to him and liked him more and more. She couldn't help but move closer and hug him. Xiao Yi also hugged the woman in his arms tightly and murmured.

"Huan'er, I love you."

"Me too." The woman murmured happily, and then her breathing began to become gentle. Slowly, her thoughts flew away and she fell into a light sleep.

The maids and servants in Qingbo Courtyard were busy making more controlled noises than usual. Chuxia and Yunxiang had nothing to do at this moment. They stayed in their own little room, playing cat's tuck and chatting in low voices from time to time.

"I estimate that the son-in-law and the girl will sleep for several hours." Chu Xia said, looking at the sky outside.

"Well, let them rest. The young lady didn't sleep all night last night. I guess she was too excited."

After Yun Xiang finished speaking, the two of them smiled at each other again.