Quick Transmigration: Survive to the End

The emperor's attitude was clear, so Yinyin thought the matter was over.

Little did they know that after the New Year, when Young Master Qi took Yin Yin to the horse farm on the outskirts of the capital, they happened to run into several princes.

"Don't the Imperial Academy hold classes?" Young Marquis Qi asked his friends who had arrived earlier, puzzled. "Why do all the princes seem to have such refined tastes?"

His friend replied, "Who knows? It's just that the Crown Prince arrived first. After the news spread, those who originally said they wouldn't come also came, and the other princes arrived one after another."

Young Master Qi didn't think it had anything to do with him. Instead, when he saw Young Master Liu there, he took Yin Yin and went over.

"Look who this rare guest is?"

Young Master Liu was initially feeling bored, but upon seeing him approach, he immediately adopted a fighting stance.

Yinyin was used to this and greeted Liu Cheng, the nephew of Young Master Liu, who was standing next to her: "Second Brother Liu, what brings you out for a horse race today?"

“My uncle said that since I stay at home all day, I should go out more and see the scenery,” Liu Cheng said, glancing at his uncle, whose family was already at odds with his own, and extended an invitation to Yin Yin without hesitation.

"I heard that pear blossoms are blooming on the eastern mountain. I'm planning to go see them. Would you like to come with me, little sister Yinyin?"

Yin Yin didn't want to watch her uncle's usual show here either, so she nodded in agreement.

When Young Master Qi saw that Liu Cheng was with Yin Yin, he wasn't worried. He just called a few more people to follow them.

Yinyin and her companion didn't linger and arrived at their destination in no time.

“These pear blossoms are really beautiful,” Yin Yin urged her horse a few steps toward the pear tree. “The flowers are so white that there are hardly any leaves. It’s a pity that there’s only one tree. If they could grow into a continuous expanse, from a distance, who could tell if it was pear blossoms or if it was snowing again?”

Yinyin's attention was only on the pear blossoms in front of her, but Liu Cheng couldn't take his eyes off her under the pear tree.

“This place can’t be changed, but I remember my family had a farm where we planted a lot of fruit trees, including pear, plum, peach and cherry trees. Although they weren’t all the same color, the pink and white colors were intertwined, which was quite beautiful.”

"When I get back today, I'll ask how the flowers on that estate are blooming," Liu Cheng said, looking into Yin Yin's eyes with gentle eyes. "If they're blooming beautifully, I'll send you an invitation."

"Is the place you're talking about, Brother Liu? Is it the one where Auntie hosted the banquet last year?" Yin Yin didn't answer directly, but asked, "Is Auntie planning to host a banquet there again this year?"

“It’s that village,” Liu Cheng realized his abrupt invitation to Yin Yin and quickly added, “If the flowers there are in full bloom, my mother will definitely want to invite close relatives to enjoy them together.”

"I'll ask her when I get back."

Finally, he whispered, "My mother will definitely send you an invitation then."

"Then I thank you in advance, Auntie," Yin Yin said with a smile as bright as sunshine, warming one's heart.

Liu Cheng's earlobes turned slightly red, and he awkwardly tightened his grip on the reins: "Little sister Yinyin, is there any flower branch you like? I'll go pick it for you?"

"No need," Yinyin refused. "There's only one pear tree. If we pick too few, there won't be enough to share. If we pick too many, it won't look pretty. It's better to let it continue to grow so we can enjoy it for a while longer. I remember the pears from this tree are quite sweet."

“This pear tree is just old. As for the taste, it’s definitely not as good as the ones in my garden,” Liu Cheng said. “If you like them, when they bear fruit this year, I’ll have someone send you extra of each kind.”

“Sure,” Yinyin didn’t refuse this time. “I got some good winter melon seeds on my estate. We planted very few last year, just enough for our own family. This year we planted a lot more, and I’ll have someone deliver them to you.”

“Okay,” Liu Cheng replied, and then followed Yin Yin slowly back. The two horses rode side by side, their hooves clattering, yet the sounds were surprisingly harmonious.

Liu Cheng smiled and brought up the painting again: "I went to another place last year and painted a picture of red leaves."

"When Yinyin comes to visit my house, could you please take a look and see if there are any parts of my drawing that aren't good?"

"Brother Liu, your maternal grandfather is a famous painter, why don't you let him..." Yin Yin stopped before she could finish speaking, as she heard the sound of approaching hooves.

Liu Cheng didn't notice and only replied to Yin Yin, "My maternal grandfather lives far away, so it's not appropriate to send the painting there. Let him look at it and send it back to me."

"It would take at least half a year for this back and forth to be completed."

"Miss Qi and Young Master Liu have such refined tastes," the Crown Prince and his entourage said, stopping their horses as soon as they saw Yin Yin and the others.

Seeing that Yin Yin and the other person were not far apart and had only brought a few people with them, the Crown Prince's expression turned sour.

"Boys and girls should not sit together after the age of seven. Although the Qi family and the Liu family are old friends, there are some things we should still pay attention to. Otherwise, if word gets out, it will not be good for Miss Qi's reputation."

The prince seemed to care about Yin Yin, but after hearing what he said, Yin Yin just wanted to ask him what was wrong with him.

Liu Cheng frowned and said, "My sister Yinyin and I came with our uncle. We came out to admire the flowers with the permission of our two elders, and we brought quite a few people with us."

"We really don't quite understand what Your Highness is saying."

“What could he not understand?” someone beside the Crown Prince said. “They’re not siblings. As they grow up, they should naturally learn to avoid suspicion. How could Young Master Liu not understand such a simple principle?”

"If the so-called avoidance of suspicion means that even normal social interaction is impossible, forgive my ignorance, but I really can't understand it," Liu Cheng, who was always gentle and polite in front of Yin Yin and seemed to have no temper, showed a rare strong aggression today.

The Crown Prince was very dissatisfied with his answer, so he simply ignored him and looked directly at Yin Yin.

"We were just about to go see some scenery elsewhere, Miss Qi, would you like to come along?"

The Crown Prince didn't use a questioning tone when he spoke, clearly not considering that Yin Yin might refuse him.

But in front of the Crown Prince and his entourage, Yin Yin Zhen refused without hesitation, saying, "Didn't Your Highness just say that boys and girls should not sit together after the age of seven? They should know to avoid suspicion when they grow up?"

"I intend to go back to my uncle and stay by my elders' side. I think no one will suddenly jump out and tell me which one I shouldn't play with."

"You!" The Crown Prince could tell that Yin Yin was referring to him indirectly.

"Pfft," the eldest prince burst out laughing from the back of the crown prince's procession.

He said jokingly, "Young Master Liu and Miss Qi are not siblings, and neither are we."

"Your Highness should be more careful. How could you turn around and ask Miss Qi to come and play with us?"

The second prince tried to smooth things over, saying, "Miss Qi often stayed in the palace when she was young. His Highness the Crown Prince treats her like a younger sister. He never thought of all this."

"My own sister?" Liu Cheng repeated with amusement, then said sarcastically, "Oh, I see."

Those who were with the Crown Prince dared not speak. Judging from the Crown Prince's attitude, one could tell how much of this claim about his "dear younger sister" was genuine.

What kind of decent person would say such a thing to their own sister?

You think your elders in the family won't physically punish you?