When she left the Li family, she didn’t return to the Hua family because she wasn’t the real Hua Yaoyao. She just found an inn to stay at. Although she planned how to live alone every day, she always thought about Si Yiyuan and was waiting for him to come to her and give her a reasonable explanation.
Therefore, she never concealed her whereabouts, only thinking that with the Li family’s capabilities, Si Yiyuan would find her soon if he wanted to! Who knew that Si Yiyuan would be gone for half a month without any news, and she slowly began to feel disappointed.
Later, after being frightened by Li Hao’s nonsensical words, she felt relieved but was left with only worry and anxiety. She wished she could appear in front of Si Yiyuan immediately to comfort him, accompany him, and encourage him to make a comeback. She had no mind to doubt Li Hao’s story, full of loopholes though it was!
Seeing her staring blankly at him, Si Yiyuan sighed, remembering her deep affection for him, and pulled her into his arms, chuckling softly, “Silly girl, if I had only come back to give you some instructions before going back to pick you up, why wouldn’t I have told you directly? If I truly didn’t want to implicate you, why would I have told Li Hao the truth?”
Hua Yaoyao blinked and nodded in agreement. Then, after a moment’s thought, she immediately broke free from his embrace, sat up, and asked with wide eyes, “Then why did you leave without saying goodbye?”
Could it be that he already has a wife? Hua Yaoyao’s guilty conscience led her to have wild thoughts. Strictly speaking, by the standards of this era, she and Si Yiyuan could not even be considered husband and wife. They were both substitutes, and their relationship was not legitimate. If Si Yiyuan really had a family, wouldn’t she be considered a mistress who interfered in his marriage?
Lost in the melodramatic plot, Hua Yaoyao imagined a whole scenario of the wife battling the mistress, and thus failed to notice the fleeting glint in Si Yiyuan’s eyes. The man pulled her down to lie in his arms again, and a voice asked in a sighing tone, “Yaoyao, you still don’t know my true identity, do you?”
Hua Yaoyao exclaimed “Huh?” somewhat taken aback. Although Bai Peixuan had told her a lot about Si Yiyuan along the way, he had never mentioned his identity, so she had never thought much about it. Just now, when Si Yiyuan reminded her that she had been tricked by Li Hao, she simply assumed that his excuse about business difficulties was false. Could it be that she had oversimplified things?
Si Yiyuan grew increasingly helpless. What on earth was this little woman thinking? She was willing to travel a long distance to share joys and sorrows with a man she knew nothing about. Should he thank her for her deep affection, or should he lament her naivety? What if she encountered someone with malicious intent? Wouldn’t she be sold out and still have to count the money for them?
With a sigh of helplessness in his heart, Si Yiyuan explained his identity in detail: “Yaoyao, you have lived in Dayu for a long time, so you may not know that the imperial surname of Dayan is Si. My surname is Si, and my given name is Yiyuan. I am the younger brother of the current Emperor Si Yiyue of Dayan, and my title is Prince Yu.”
After saying that, Si Yiyuan waited quietly for the reaction of the person in his arms, his eyes smiling with a hint of teasing. Sure enough, Hua Yaoyao was dumbfounded again. The next moment, the little woman quickly struggled to get up, her face blank with disbelief: “Am I deaf?”
Si Yiyuan chuckled at her adorable reaction and then reiterated with certainty, “You heard me right, I am indeed His Highness Prince Yu of the Great Yan Dynasty, without a doubt!”
It took Hua Yaoyao quite a while to process this astonishing information. She felt that she must have been hit in the head by a huge pie falling from the sky; otherwise, why would she be so dizzy!
Seeing that she had regained her senses, the man continued to explain, “When Li Hao said he was coming back that day, I thought I could finally tell you the truth. I originally planned to have a good discussion with Li Hao so that you and Hua Qianqian could go back to where you were.”
“But suddenly I received a message from my elder brother by carrier pigeon, saying that the Empress Dowager was seriously ill. In my anxiety, I asked Li Hao to take care of you for a few days. I will make a plan after I return and check on the Empress Dowager’s condition.”
“When I rushed back, my mother had recovered a lot. So I sent a message to Li Hao, asking him to wait a few more days, thinking that I would set off for Dayu to pick you up once my mother was feeling better.”
“Who knew that I would suddenly receive an urgent letter from Li Hao the day before yesterday, saying that you and Peixuan were already on your way to Dayan. I was already curious why you would be traveling with Peixuan, and before we even met, you gave me such a big surprise! You almost made me furious! You little woman!”
At this point, the man couldn’t help but pinch Hua Yaoyao’s little nose hard. The little woman looked at him with teary eyes and complained, “But I didn’t know anything! You left without telling me anything, and that bastard Li Hao lied about the situation. Of course I was angry and anxious! If I didn’t do this, why would you see me!”
Si Yiyuan pinched the little woman again: “What? It’s all my fault now?” Hua Yaoyao nodded confidently: “Who told you to lie in the first place!”
After a moment of silence, Hua Yaoyao seemed to realize something and asked cautiously, “Then I am now…” Si Yiyuan knew what she was asking and nodded affirmatively, “That’s right, this is my royal residence. Tomorrow I will take you to see my brother and mother.”
Hua Yaoyao never expected such a “surprise gift package” to be waiting for her. In an instant, she felt that her future was extremely bleak. As she put on her clothes, she walked off the bed: “What a melodramatic plot! I’m sorry, I can’t play along!”
What the hell?! She’s only been here for less than two months and she already has to meet two mothers-in-law! Is there going to be a third mother-in-law waiting for her next month?! And both of these mothers-in-law are more terrifying than the last!
Li Hao’s mother was alright. Although she was a titled lady, Hua Yaoyao had an arranged marriage to her since childhood, and she was sweet-talking and sensible, so she could still handle her.
Si Yiyuan’s mother is the Emperor’s own mother, the Empress Dowager! Is someone who can become the Empress Dowager someone who is easy to deal with? She and Si Yiyuan were not betrothed since childhood, and their statuses are so different. If someone dislikes her, they can easily wipe her out with a flick of their finger!
Seeing that this little woman was about to abandon her husband, Si Yiyuan pulled her back, both angry and amused: “You have the guts to chase after your husband a thousand miles to share my joys and sorrows, but you don’t have the guts to come with me to the palace to see my mother?”
Hua Yaoyao nodded sincerely: “I’m a coward.” Si Yiyuan didn’t understand her new vocabulary, but he roughly grasped its meaning. He was too lazy to argue with her and just breathed into the little woman’s ear: “When you marry a chicken, you follow the chicken; when you marry a dog, you follow the dog. Do you understand?”
Hua Yaoyao dodged left and right, tickled by him, but still laughed and retorted, “But you’re neither a chicken nor a dog!”
Si Yiyuan was provoked by her constant twisting and turning. Upon hearing her words, he realized once again that his little wife deserved to be taught a lesson! So, Prince Si very generously granted her request!
The two of them barely left their room all day, drawing astonishment from the entire palace’s onlookers. “Who is that young lady the prince brought back today?” “I don’t know—I heard she stayed in the prince’s room all day!” “Is our palace going to have a mistress?” “Don’t talk nonsense—who knows what that woman’s identity is?”
Of course, Hua Yaoyao couldn’t hear these discussions. At this moment, she was completely absorbed in the panic of meeting her second mother-in-law: “What should I say when I see your mother tomorrow? How are you going to explain me to them?”
Si Yiyuan glanced at her with a half-smile. If she were a commoner born into a prominent family, her first thought upon hearing her identity would be that they were not a good match and what her future status would be like. But she was only thinking about the unfamiliar and nervous feeling of an ordinary woman facing her mother-in-law, fearing that she would not gain her mother-in-law’s approval.
He then gave a reassuring smile and comforted her, “It’s alright. My mother is very gentle and easy to talk to, and my brother is also a very nice person. I told them about you before, and they all really want to see you.”
Hua Yaoyao rolled her eyes at him disdainfully: “I don’t believe you for a second!” Are there any gentle women in the harem? Is there any good person in the Emperor? He may not say anything on the surface, but secretly, hmph! Who knows how many schemes and plots are waiting for her!
Si Yiyuan sighed and flicked her forehead: “You don’t even believe your husband anymore!”
Hua Yaoyao covered her forehead and glared at him: “If I didn’t believe you, I wouldn’t have agreed to go to the palace to see your mother!”
The next morning, amidst the astonished gazes of the onlookers, Hua Yaoyao boarded a carriage bound for the palace. Dressed in splendid attire, she appeared dignified, elegant, gentle, and charming. Si Yiyuan, accompanying her, wore a look of contentment and doting affection—his idiotic expression of being completely satisfied with his wife leaving the onlookers speechless!
Having nothing to do today, Si Yiyue, together with his mother, summoned Si Yiyuan and Hua Yaoyao to Yanxi Palace. He had been curious about Yaoyao, whom his younger brother had been talking about every day, for a long time. Moreover, Yiyuan had resolutely rejected the youngest daughter of the Prime Minister’s family, just to marry this concubine’s daughter of the Dayu Imperial Merchant as his principal wife. He had to do his best to help his brother make the right choice!
Unfortunately, the Emperor had no chance to display his authority as an elder brother, because Hua Yaoyao was greeted with the Empress Dowager’s eager anticipation even before she entered the room! Two rows of young and beautiful palace maids stood on either side of the entrance, holding up fresh flowers and round fans, smiling warmly at Hua Yaoyao—almost shouting “Welcome, welcome, a warm welcome!”
The enthusiastic scene made Hua Yaoyao blush instantly, suppressing her heartfelt laughter. This Empress Dowager was just too… adorable, putting on such an extravagant show! Luckily, she was used to this kind of welcoming ceremony for leaders since she was a child, and even occasionally a member of the welcoming team; otherwise, she would have burst out laughing at the sight!
Si Yiyuan was clearly very used to his mother’s vulgar nature and ignored the two rows of palace maids as if they were air, introducing them in a very casual tone: “Yaoyao, this is my mother and my brother.”
Hua Yaoyao nodded, gently pulled away from Si Yiyuan’s tightly holding her hand, and gave a proper bow: “This commoner, Hua Yaoyao, greets Your Majesty and Empress Dowager.” She behaved quite dignifiedly and appropriately—if one ignored her flushed face.
Si Yiyue raised an eyebrow upon seeing this. To remain unfazed by his mother’s vulgar behavior was indeed quite interesting! He wondered if her flushed face was from embarrassment or from trying to suppress her anger.