Quick Travel to the Clouds

Chapter 494 Koi Little Lucky Star 23

Yun Chu lowered his head and held the twin bamboo hairpins carefully in his palm, feeling its weight and warmth.

Then, she raised her eyes, meeting his breathless gaze. Her voice was soft, yet exceptionally clear, carrying a sense of tranquility and strength after everything had settled:

"Ji Qingyuan."

For the first time, she didn't call him "Qingyuan" or "Xiao Ji", but called out his full name solemnly.

"Giving a hairpin to a girl..." Her tone paused slightly, with a hint of almost imperceptible shyness and anger, but more of a calmness of resignation and a faint glow. "...What does it mean? You've read so many books by sages, you must understand, right?"

A gentle breeze lifted a strand of hair from her temple. She didn't put it on immediately, but gently withdrew the hand holding the jade hairpin into her sleeve, her fingertips feeling the heavy love through the fabric.

She turned slightly to the side, looking at the gorgeous sunset in the sky, letting her words, like a stone thrown into a pond, stir up ripples between them that were difficult to calm down.

"This road," she said without looking back, her voice as soft as a whisper, yet with unwavering determination. She was speaking to him, and to herself as well. "I'm afraid it will be a thousand times longer and more difficult than the one you take to get on the imperial examination."

Ji Qingyuan took a deep breath, and his chest heaved violently.

He looked at Yun Chu's silhouette as she looked at the sunset, and at the faint imprint of her hand holding a hairpin in her sleeve. He felt a surge of burning heat instantly surge through his limbs and rushed to his eyes.

He almost cried for joy, but he forced himself to suppress his surging emotions. He took a step forward and stood shoulder to shoulder with her at the bridge railing, looking at the same brilliant sunset.

"As long as I can walk with you," his voice was low and firm, filled with the ecstasy of surviving a disaster and unparalleled seriousness, as solid as a rock, "A journey of thousands of miles will eventually end. I, Ji Qingyuan, will not retreat even a single step."

As dusk fell, the stone bridge remained silent, with only two figures standing side by side, their sleeves entwined in the evening breeze. A new hairpin rested gently in her hand, and her heart finally blended between the soundless flow of the river and the crimson clouds that filled the sky.

***

Autumn deepened, dyeing the ginkgo trees outside Shili Village yellow and the tall maple tree in the Yun family's backyard red. In this vibrant season, the Yun family welcomed a family feast, though not a grand one, yet extremely solemn.

In the hall, candlelight is warm.

Ji Qingyuan was wearing a brand new bamboo green gown, his posture became more upright, but his eyes still showed the humility and expectation when facing the people of the Yun family.

"Uncle Yun, Auntie," Ji Qingyuan's voice broke the silence, clear and firm, "Sister Yun Chu and I... have a mutual understanding and want to become a good couple. Today, I have come to ask for your approval." He stood up and bowed deeply, with full courtesy.

Yunbai and Wang looked at each other. Although there was complexity in their eyes, there was more relief and understanding.

They knew Ji Qingyuan's talent, character, and especially his almost stubborn sincerity towards Yun Chu. Wang wiped her eyes, and Yun Bai cleared his throat:

"Qingyuan, we know your character." He looked at his daughter, who always had her own ideas, and said, "Chu'er, what do you think?"

Everyone's eyes were focused on Yun Chu. Yun Chu raised his head, his gaze first landing on Ji Qingyuan's increasingly defined jawline and tightly pursed lips—a face that was gradually shedding its youthful innocence and beginning to take on the outlines of a young man's responsibility.

"Dad, Mom," her voice was steady, but a little softer than usual, "Daughter is willing."

The atmosphere in the hall instantly became relaxed, and smiles appeared on everyone's face. Ji Qingyuan breathed a sigh of relief, and the stars in his eyes almost overflowed.

However, Yun Chu paused, looked around at his relatives, and finally returned his gaze to Ji Qingyuan, with an unquestionable seriousness: "It's just... I agree to the engagement, but there is one thing that must be made clear first."

Ji Qingyuan's heart tightened, but his face remained gentle: "Sister Yun, please speak."

"Our wedding date," Yun Chu's voice echoed clearly in the hall, "will have to wait until after the Qingyuan Palace Examination."

When these words were spoken, not only Ji Qingyuan was stunned, but even Ji's father widened his eyes slightly. The palace examination was still more than two years away.

Yun Chu looked at Ji Qingyuan's eyes, which were instantly filled with disappointment, and explained, "First, you are now at a critical moment of concentrating on your studies and preparing for the imperial examination. I don't want you to be tied down by family matters too early."

"Secondly," she turned her face slightly to avoid his burning gaze, and spoke in a softer voice, "I have always treated you as my younger brother, and I still need to adapt to the change of my new identity." There was a trace of imperceptible embarrassment and frankness in the last sentence.

The loss in Ji Qingyuan's eyes was quickly replaced by another strong emotion - understanding and heartache.

He understood her concerns: her career prospects and the invisible identity boundary between them would take time to cross.

He looked at her slightly flushed face, and the shyness in her eyes made his heart burn.

The sixteen-year-old boy displayed a composure beyond his years. He nodded solemnly, "Okay! It's all Sister Yiyun's. After I take the palace examination, I will definitely live up to your trust today!"

The word "sister" now carries a new and lingering weight.

Looking at their daughter's arrangement, Yun's father and mother knew that it was the result of her careful consideration and a long-term plan for both of them, so they nodded in agreement.

Although Ji Qingyuan's father hoped that his son would get married soon, he nodded in agreement when he saw that Yun Chu had considered everything and the two families knew each other well.

Although the engagement ceremony was not extravagant, it was completed in an extremely formal atmosphere.

In exchange for the engagement letter written in red paper and ink, Ji Qingyuan presented him with a jade bamboo pen that he had carved and polished himself as a token of trust, while Yun Chu presented him with a silk fan that she had sewn herself and embroidered with twin green bamboos.

At the moment of the ceremony, the young couple's eyes met, and they finally unloaded the last burden of the barrier between their hearts. Their eyes were filled with expectations for the future and trust in each other.

Their future will be planned together as an "engaged couple".

At the same time, the shadow of power in the capital also cast a shadow on the Lin Mansion (after Xiao Hong left, he rewarded a lot of silver, and the Lin family used the silver to buy a house in Kaiping City).

As evening approached, an expedited letter arrived at Master Lin's hands, followed shortly by the arrival of an angel (eunuch) announcing the decree. The Lin family hastily set up an incense table, and all the men and women in the household knelt in the front hall.

The eunuch's high-pitched voice read out the imperial decree: "By the providence of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Upon hearing that Lin Fubao... is virtuous, kind, and honest... she is hereby granted marriage to the Fifth Prince, Xiao Hong, as his imperial consort. An auspicious date will be chosen for the wedding. I decree this!"

The word "Imperial Concubine" struck everyone's heart like a heavy hammer, and everyone looked at the eunuch excitedly.

She looked at Lin Fubao again. The fifth prince, whom she had rescued, had indeed kept his promise and came to propose marriage.

Everyone stood up. Master Lin couldn't hide his excitement and stuffed a heavy purse into the eunuch's pocket.

The angel took the money and left with no expression on his face.