Chapter 35

Xun Yi fell into a dream again. Compared to the gloomy atmosphere just now, it was now early spring, with birds singing and flowers fragrant. The hillside was covered with green grass and dotted with small yellow flowers. Not far away, a blanket was spread out, with various foods and drinks placed on it.

"Picnic?" Xun Yi frowned, and suddenly a young girl ran over.

The girl was as gentle as jade, wearing a dark green dress. She came over and held Xun Yi's hand, "Brother Yi!"

"Ying Xiu?" Xun Yi muttered to himself, this doesn't seem like the past at all?

Judging by appearances, both Ying Xiu and himself should be around sixteen or seventeen years old. He didn't remember anything like this happening in the past two years?

"Come to think of it, when we celebrated Ying Xiu's birthday this year, it was also in the suburbs." Following Ying Xiu, he saw Aunt Xue, Liu Ziming, and others.

Xun Yi was stunned, suddenly enlightened. This was clearly the scene from this spring when he had rented the eastern slope outside the city to celebrate Ying Xiu's birthday. He watched as the events of that day replayed, and finally, Ying Xiu left in a carriage at the call of her family.

Xun Yi saw Ying Xiu off, and just as she was about to get into the carriage, the handkerchief in her hand slipped and fell to the ground.

"Did I have to relive this again just because I picked it up once before?" Xun Yi squatted down to pick up the handkerchief, and as he raised his head, he suddenly felt a warm sensation on his lips.

Stunned, he watched as Ying Xiu's pale face grew smaller and smaller, and Xun Yi was dumbfounded: "This is different from what happened before. Shouldn't I have handed the handkerchief to you, and then you said it was dirty, and I gave you my handkerchief?"

Ying Xiu blushed, suddenly also stunned, and quickly reacted, "Wait, you have self-awareness in the dream?"

Ying Xiu's face changed, and she looked Xun Yi up and down, "No! This is my dream, how did you get here?" Thinking of how she had kissed him without thinking, the girl suddenly felt shy and screamed, closing the carriage door. The carriage quickly stirred up dust, rising into the sky, and then disappeared.

"Really a dream, the carriage can even fly." Xun Yi touched his lips, the warmth from just now still lingering. Without much thought, he continued to study the dream.

In Longcheng, Princess Xiaoyu's residence.

A scream woke Princess Xiaoyu, and the maidservants around her rushed forward, "Your Highness?"

Princess Xiaoyu, the fifth princess of the current emperor, frowned, "What's going on? I seem to have heard Sister Ying Xiu's scream?"

The maidservant holding the lamp shook her head slightly, "I'm not sure."

Princess Xiaoyu got out of bed, wearing only a thin silk undergarment, half-exposed. Another maidservant quickly draped a feather robe over her, and Xiaoyu said, "Forget it, I'll go check."

She instructed someone to prepare and went to the adjacent room to find Ying Xiu.

Ying Xiu woke up from the dream, her face flushed, "Oh no, oh no! Brother Yi actually has the ability to enter dreams at night. How can I face him in the future?"

Princess Xiaoyu rushed in, seeing Ying Xiu's flushed face, she quickly dismissed the others and hugged Ying Xiu, "What's wrong, sister?"

"I just dreamed about Brother Yi." Ying Xiu covered her face, hiding under the covers.

"You dreamed about your fiancé?" Xiaoyu laughed, "What's the big deal? It's just a dream. It seems the Dream Pillow is quite effective?"

"Don't even mention it!" Ying Xiu got up, pushing the pillow she had been lying on into Xiaoyu's hands, pouting, "If it weren't for this pillow resonating with my dream power, Brother Yi wouldn't have been brought in." Ying Xiu didn't realize that someone had secretly arranged for Xun Yi to enter the dream, thinking it was due to the Dream Pillow's strong effect.

"He came in? Wait, does he have the talent for spirit dreams? Is he also a cultivator?" Xiaoyu was surprised, taking back the pillow, "At the beginning of the year, I went to the Rui County Lord's residence with my nephew to pay New Year's greetings, and I didn't sense any cultivation on him."

"You didn't even sense my husband's cultivation!" Ying Xiu rolled her eyes. Back then, Xiaoyu had foolishly challenged Qi Jing to a magical duel. As a result, she had bet her entire life on the outcome.

Mentioning her own husband, Xiaoyu's face darkened, "Why are you talking about you two? What does it have to do with us?"

Ying Xiu continued, "In the dream, I couldn't resist and kissed Brother Yi, only to realize he was actually real!"

Thinking about it, her ears immediately turned red. She had been pretending to be a well-bred lady in front of Xun Yi for so many years, and now it was all exposed.

"You kissed him? How did you kiss him?" Xiaoyu's eyes sparkled as she hugged Ying Xiu and asked.

Ying Xiu whispered, "Do you remember when I went to Longchuan for my birthday in early March?"

Xiaoyu nodded, "I remember. Back then, you deliberately dropped your handkerchief, thinking of giving that guy a chance for an accidental kiss, but you were too timid and backed out. In the end, you just exchanged handkerchiefs. Are you two playing house? How old are you! You're only just exchanging handkerchiefs! They're supposed to be tokens of love! You're already betrothed! The marriage was arranged by both families, what are you afraid of! You usually seem so bold, why are you so timid about this?"

Xiaoyu was frustrated, "If you don't hurry, what if your fiancé is taken by someone else? Don't forget the Wang family."

Mentioning the Wang family, Ying Xiu's eyes darkened. She hated the most that she hadn't acted first, which had left a blemish on their engagement.

When she was ten, Xun Yi's father, Xun Yuan, had arranged his first marriage, to the eldest daughter of Wang Yangge, a good friend of Xun Yuan. However, Xun Yi's parents died of illness when he was eleven, and the Xun family's status wavered. Seeing the situation, the Wang family broke off the engagement, especially after the Yi County Lord proposed for his son.

At that time, the Xun family was at its lowest point, and the Wang family's betrayal almost killed Xun Yu.

Fortunately, at that time, Xun Yuan's other good friend, Ying Heng, couldn't stand it anymore. With Ying Xiu's willingness, they took the opportunity to re-engage with the Xun family. Ying Xiu even went to the Wang family to humiliate Wang Miyun, reducing her to nothing.

"Back then, you were so young and dared to go to the Wang family as the Xun family's fiancée to stand up for your husband. Why are you regressing now? What are you afraid of! Show the same courage you had back then!" Xiaoyu said, "It's just a kiss, and it was in a dream. You can deny it completely, who can say anything against you? Don't forget, you are truly betrothed. As soon as Xun Yi finishes his mourning, you can get married as soon as you both come of age."

Comforted by Xiaoyu, Ying Xiu slowly calmed down, but there was still a knot in her heart, "I'm afraid Brother Yi will be disappointed."

"Disappointed? What could he be disappointed in you for?" Xiaoyu sneered, "What have you done to wrong him over the years? The Xun family has been weak, but your family has helped a lot, especially with his third uncle's rise in the court, thanks to the Rui County Lord's assistance. Even for his future promotions, he will owe a lot to your father."

"But you should also take the initiative. I've heard that the Wang family is in a difficult situation these days."

Ying Xiu, sensitive to politics, looked at Xiaoyu.

Xiaoyu explained, "Do you remember the discussion in court a few days ago about the division of Banyang and Longchuan?"

"Yes, didn't the emperor decide to include Chulu in Longchuan?"

"Wang Yangge, the head of the Wang family, questioned this, arguing that Longchuan has been continuously expanding its territory, which is illegal. He wanted to reassign Chulu to Banyang, and was publicly reprimanded by the emperor, almost losing his position as censor."

Ying Xiu's eyes flashed, "I heard from my husband that this matter was orchestrated by two divine forces, and the emperor assigned the land to Longchuan because he was visited by the Spirit King of Martial Valor in a dream?"

"That's right. Qi Jing has a wide network of connections, and one of his friends witnessed the battle between the two city gods." Xiaoyu said, her face showing admiration. The princess had shown her cultivation talent from a young age, practicing magic at the Imperial Academy's Mystic College, aiming to ride the dragon and ascend to the heavens, not to be mired in the mundane world.

"The city god of Longchuan won a great victory, influencing human affairs. Wang Yangge, who dared to publicly criticize the emperor, is simply asking for death!" Xiaoyu sneered, "Because of this, the Wang family is in a state of panic. The Yi County Lord is considering breaking off the engagement between his son and Wang Miyun."

"Wang Miyun has always been proud and refused to marry anyone but a noble family. She broke the engagement herself, and now she's getting what she deserves," Ying Xiu smiled, "Sister, are you afraid the Wang family will target Brother Yi again?"

"Considering you two grew up together, and Wang Miyun is indeed quite beautiful. If Xun Yi is tempted by her beauty..." Xiaoyu thought for a moment, "I'm afraid you'll be at a disadvantage. Your family helped the Xun family through their toughest times, and you don't want to end up helping the Wang family, do you?"

Ying Xiu slowly spoke, "Since Wang Miyun broke the engagement herself, even if she is as beautiful as a goddess, Brother Yi would never look at her. I know him well. If he were the kind of person to be swayed by beauty, I wouldn't have fallen for him in the first place." She looked at the lychee tree in the room.

The green branches were planted in a pot, forming a unique indoor landscape.

This was the fresh lychee that Xun Yi had sent two days ago, delivered by fast horse.

Ying Xiu thought to herself, "Brother Yi should be preparing for the provincial examination soon."

"What? Do you want to go back and see him?" Xiaoyu's face showed disapproval as she took out her flute and occasionally glanced at Ying Xiu.

Ying Xiu quickly smiled, "We agreed that I would stay at the princess's residence until you get married, right? And I need to practice with you to counter your husband's 'Seven Law Heavenly Song.' Don't worry, I won't break our agreement. And it's not a good time to go to Longchuan. If I disturb Brother Yi's studies, that would be a big mistake."

"You're sensible." Xiaoyu pinched Ying Xiu's nose, "If you dare to go to Longchuan, I'll find someone to bully your fiancé."

"Yes, yes, let's practice the 'Dragon and Phoenix Score' so you can take control at home."

Xiaoyu was bold, and when she set her sights on Qi Jing, she directly went to the palace to ask to marry him. Although many opposed it at the time, both were extraordinary and had cultivation, so even the emperor of Dazhou couldn't force them. And since "the man has affection, and the woman has intention," it was better to agree and gain an ally for Dazhou.

Thus, the emperor of Dazhou established a princess's residence for Xiaoyu and prepared for their wedding this year.

Xiaoyu, remembering the grudge from being defeated by Qi Jing, planned to strike him hard in his strongest area, music. She recruited Ying Xiu, who also cultivated through music, to play the flute while Ying Xiu played the zither. They planned to use the ancient 'Dragon and Phoenix Score' to defeat Qi Jing's 'Seven Law Heavenly Song.'

"The 'Seven Law Heavenly Song' is a technique passed down from his master, said to be a divine melody inspired by the Yellow Emperor's sword dance, very profound," Princess Xiaoyu's face was serious, "To counter this melody, I spent a lot of effort preparing the 'Dragon and Phoenix Score,' which is said to be a song performed by the Moon Goddess for Emperor Yan."

Ying Xiu nodded, the zither she played was called the 'Five Phoenix Zither,' a family heirloom of the Ying family. It sought the Dao through music, and when all five phoenixes appeared, one could achieve divinity. Similar to the Xun family's 'Mao Lin Sword Technique,' it was one of the famous techniques of Dazhou.

"If Brother Yi really has cultivation, I can't fall behind. Otherwise, if he outpaces me, the gap between us will be too great, and we'll be like strangers. That's not what I want." Imagining their future, Ying Xiu got out of bed barefoot, ran to the lychee branch, and picked all the lychees, leaving only three. Then she folded a piece of colored paper into a magpie and hung it on the tree.

Xiaoyu, being perceptive, immediately understood what Ying Xiu meant, "A good omen of 'three successes,' you have high hopes for your brother."

"Three successes in the imperial examinations, the highest achievement. From the provincial examination to the metropolitan examination to the palace examination, achieving the top rank in all three. This is the highest honor in the imperial examinations."

"Sister, please have someone deliver this to Longchuan."

"These days, everyone is busy preparing for the wedding, who has the time to go to Longchuan?" Xiaoyu thought for a moment, "I remember the young man from the Rui County Lord's family is going to Qinglong to visit his uncle, to encourage his uncle's imperial examination. As his aunt, you can take the opportunity to have him deliver it."