zChapter 1027 - I Actually Don’t Want to Grow Up (2/2)
Feng Yuheng pulled Xiangrong into the palace grounds, instructed the servants to sort out Xiangrong’s carriage and the things she had brought back, then asked Madam Zhou to open up a guest courtyard for Xiangrong to stay in. Only then did she bring Xiangrong back to her own room first. After the two were seated, with the servants serving tea and Xiangrong catching her breath, she spoke: “I did not want to let you come back, but being so busy, I forgot to write a letter. But since you’re here, it can’t be helped. Some things did happen in the capital, but it would not affect you. You can just spend your New Year here and then return to Ji An Prefecture after that.”
“Are things going to change in the palace?” Xiangrong also had her own guesses: “I analysed it, if it were other things, Xuan Tianyi would not be that nervous and anxious, thinking about it, the only possibility is something changing in the palace. Did the Eighth Prince do something?”
Feng Yuheng looked at Xiangrong and felt that time passed really quickly. When she first arrived, young Xiangrong was still a child, standing there with Fendai with her hair tied up in two buns, looking smaller than the domineering Fendai. At that time, Xiangrong did not have any will of her own and was just timid, afraid of Feng Jinyuan, afraid of Chen Shi, afraid of Granny and also afraid of her. She was afraid of everyone in Feng Manor and would walk with her head bowed every day, not daring to anger anyone. However, it was true that Xiangrong was close to her, she had made a lot of effort to change this younger sister, but from what she could see now, the changes she made to Xiangrong had lost to time as well as Xuan Tianyi.
Four years passed in a flash, Xiangrong had grown up, she knew how to think and analyse issues and was no longer as shy as before. She even dared to bicker with a prince. If this was the past, she really could not imagine this.
Seeing her second sister stare at her without speaking, Xiangrong rubbed her face on reflex and asked: “What’s wrong? Why is Second Sister looking at Xiangrong like that?”
Feng Yuheng laughed and pinched her face, speaking with emotion: “The young girl who have always followed behind me has finally grown up. Second sister is happy, I’m happy for you!”
But Xiangrong was not happy at all, she told Feng Yuheng: “I actually don’t want to grow up, when I was young in the past, I wished that I could grow up to be as amazing as Second Sister so I do not need to stand behind Second Sister and hold you back. But now…… I wish that I could always stand behind Second Sister without having to think about anything at all and having to worry about anything. No matter what storms there are, there will always be Second Sister to block them, that kind of life would be good. Unfortunately…… I can’t go back.” She sounded lonelier as she spoke, and gradually, she lowered her head.
“You’re not happy?” Feng Yuheng asked her, “With a free and independent life in Ji An Prefecture and with someone like the Fourth Prince keeping you company, Second Sister thought you were happy.”
Xiangrong looked up, and said to Feng Yuheng rather anxiously: “I am happy with the free and independent life, I also like Ji An Prefecture, but Second Sister, in the past, we have always looked forward to being free of the Feng Manor one day, to be able to control our own fates and no longer be under control of the Feng Manor. But when I am truly independent and when Second Sister left Ji An Prefecture, I rather return to the past, even with the scheming against each other, at least everyone was still together.” Looking at Feng Yuheng, she wanted to express her feelings as much as possible, especially with regards to the Fourth Prince, she said: “I used to think that the moment I laid eyes on the Seventh Prince many years ago was an insignificant infatuation of my fantasies, that I would slowly give it up when I grew up. I even tried to accept Xuan Tianyi, forcing myself to like him. But Second Sister, I can’t do it. Every time I become more aware of the thoughts Xuan Tianyi has for me, I understood that my heart already has one person, and could not hold a second one.”
She grew softer and she spoke, and in the end, she lowered her head again. Once she mentioned Xuan Tianhua, Xiangrong would show an inferiority which she could not resist.
Feng Yuheng could not think of how to advise her. The most difficult thing to advise in the world would be matters of the heart, because you did not know which direction of the advice was correct or better. She thought that Xuan Tianyi was suited for Xiangrong, but in the end, the ones living together was not her, and the one involved did not feel comfortable with it and did not like it. If she said too much, it would be a forceful request. She only listened to Xiangrong’s words and said regretfully: “The Fourth Prince treats you very well.”
But Xiangrong said in response: “The Seventh Prince treats Second Sister very well too.” This sentence sealed Feng Yuheng’s mouth.
That’s right! Xuan Tianhua treated her extremely well too, unfortunately, her heart was already occupied by Xuan Tianming and could not contain anyone else. He might be a deity-like existence, but to her, this was not a good match.
“Forget it.” She helped Xiangrong brush back some hair which fell out of place and said softly: “In the end, matters of the heart will be decided by you in the end, you have also grown up, a grown up girl at fourteen years old, you’re going to come of age next year. You will understand some things without me saying it.”
On this side, Feng Yuheng and Xiangrong were talking about matters of the heart, on the other side, the Fourth Prince Xuan Tianyi did not have the patience to wait for tomorrow to enter the palace to see the Emperor. After parting ways with the sisters at the gates of Yu Palace, he went to the imperial palace directly……