Chapter 1038 Marriage Is A Must After Hugging, Right?

　　During these few years, Xiangrong still remembered being pushed into the water by Fendai during the palace banquet that year. A subordinate of the Seventh Prince pulled her out of the water. When she arrived on the boat, it was the Seventh Prince who reached out to support her and even lightly wrapped his arm around her shoulder. At that moment, her heart, which already harbored a secret crush, was already thumping loudly. She did not even dare to lift her head, and until today, she did not know what expression the Seventh Prince had when she was saved by him.

　　Right now, her arm was grabbed again, and it was still that person, but she was still unable to summon any courage. Her feet did stop and the two of them formed a stalemate. One at the front and one at the back, with no one speaking first.

　　Xiangrong suddenly thought of what Imperial Concubine Yun said. A girl should also be more proactive, be bold, do not be wishy-washy all the time. She also drank quite a bit of alcohol tonight, and her courage seemed to have increased under the influence of the alcohol. So she gritted her teeth, turned around without any hesitation, looking at Xuan Tianhua directly. It was only an instant, but she saw some worry reflected in his eyes.

　　Xiangrong was wild with joy and asked on reflex: “Your Highness the Seventh Prince is worried about me? I am fine, I just fell.” After saying this, she felt very regretful, because behind that worried look, she immediately saw another complex emotion, as if he was not seeing her, but seeing another person through her. Xiangrong jolted and finally looked down again.

　　She was overthinking it, right?

　　“It’s a cold day, even if you wish to come out, you should dress more warmly.” Xuan Tianhua finally opened his mouth to speak but did not release his hand grabbing Xiangrong’s elbow. He even raised his other hand to lightly brush off the snow on her shoulder. “I thought all of you went to bed early, it’s so late, why did you come out?”

　　Xiangrong felt some faint feelings of happiness. Regardless, it was good that the Seventh Prince was willing to say a few sentences to her. The small cheeks of the young girl reddened, and she turned to look at Xuan Tianhua, saying: “I could not sleep, Madam said that Your Highness was at the bamboo forest and I could come over to take a look, so I…… came.”

　　“Why didn’t the Madam to you to dress more warmly? It’s cold outside.” Xuan Tianhua shook his head in exasperation, and the cape draped on his arm fell on Xiangrong’s shoulders and he personally tied the straps in front for her. With thin fingers, every loop and tie was a work of art.

　　That cape was a little large. With Xiangrong’s small build, it drooped below her feet and made contact with the snow. She quickly lifted it up, afraid that it would get wet from the snow. That careful behaviour made it seem like it was not a normal cape, but a most precious, valuable item which did not allow even the slightest damage.

　　But Xuan Tianhua pushed her hand down, telling her: “It’s just a cape for you to keep warm, why are you holding it up for?”

　　Under the influence of alcohol which had not dissipated, Xiangrong became bolder and smiled until the smile reached her eyes: “Because this cape belongs to Your Highness the Seventh Prince! To Xiangrong, this is a most precious item and cannot be dirtied. Else Xiangrong’s heart will be pained by this.”

　　Looking at the young girl in front of him, Xuan Tianhua’s heart clenched for a strange reason. Xiangrong at this age resembled Feng Yuheng a lot, when he pulled that person out from the large river in the suburbs of the capital, that young girl was unconscious. Her small body was so skinny that there was no fat at all, but she was very obedient when she was unconscious, sleeping deeply while nestled in his arms.

　　He shook his head, feeling that he was thinking too much. That young girl was no longer a young girl, she had married and became a wife, living her own sweet life. And he, was still an older brother in the end, nothing more.

　　“Let’s go! I will send you back.” Xuan Tianhua patted Xiangrong’s shoulder lightly, then led the way at the front, only saying: “Follow me.”

　　Breaking into a small run, Xiangrong followed him. She was smiling, it was beautiful, especially the cape on her back still contained the unique pine smell from Xuan Tianhua, causing her to feel a strange intoxication. She did not know where she summoned her courage from, she actually quickened her pace, took two steps, and her small hand attempted to reach out to Xuan Tianhua’s large hand. Their fingertips touched and jolted immediately and quickly retracted her hand. But after pulling back, she was unreconciled and attempted to reach over again. This time, without waiting for her to reach further forward, that large hand actually tightened its grip and her small hand was grasped firmly in his palm.

　　Xuan Tianhua slowed down, making it easier for Xiangrong to follow. This caused the return journey to become longer. The two held hands and walked in the snow. Xiangrong felt this was the most fortunate thing to happen in her life. Having obtained the grasp of the Seventh Prince tonight, even if she died immediately, it would be worth it.

　　But she did not know, Xuan Tianhua’s mind was filled with the year he went to pay respects to his mother during the winter disaster and was trapped in the snow mountain. Feng Yuheng left the city to look for him, kneeling in the snow and shouted in a heartrending voice “Seventh Brother, Seventh Brother”. That time, he hurt his leg and when they returned to the city, the two held hands like this and walked. As they walked, this formed the most unforgettable memory in his life.

　　Holding Xiangrong’s hand right now, his heart felt bad about it, but he was also unable to resist it. To him, he had no feelings towards her which could be considered romantic, but he felt very close to her. Holding this small hand and walking, he was able to create some imagery of a plain and normal life.

　　Xuan Tianhua’s heart skipped a beat and he looked towards Xiangrong, but seeing this young girl smiling secretly beside him, with that very cute smile, he was also unable to hold it in and smiled after seeing it.

　　Xiangrong realised with a shock that someone was watching her. Looking up, she saw Xuan Tianhua with a pleasant smile and asked on reflex: “Why is Your Highness the Seventh Prince smiling?”

　　“Then why are you smiling?”

　　“I…… I am in a good mood, that’s why I’m smiling.” Xiangrong said honestly, “Madam said, a girl should also be more proactive, and cannot always hide behind someone and allow someone else to decide on the matters involving them. So Xiangrong will be brave this once and tell Your Highness the Seventh Prince, Xiangrong wishes to have Your Highness the Seventh Prince hold my hand and continue walking. It is best that this road will never end, and the walk will continue forever. This is a wish I haboured in my heart ever since I first saw Your Highness the Seventh Prince since I was 10 years old, but at that time, I was in the Feng family. My mother told me to quickly give up on that thought, saying it was a foolish delusion. I was just a small daughter of a concubine and would not match up to the greatness of Your Highness the Seventh Prince. Right now, Xiangrong also feels that I cannot match up to Your Highness the Seventh Prince, so Xiangrong would not ask for too much. This night of holding hands is enough. Your Highness the Seventh Prince, this is the best New Year’s Eve which Xiangrong has experienced. Regardless of how many years have passed, Xiangrong will still remember. Thank you for giving me such a beautiful memory.”

　　She was speaking sincerely and her eyes were glimmering. It was as if her tears were going to fall yet she controlled them such that they remained in her eyes and did not flow out.

　　However, it was this kind of expression which suddenly caused Xuan Tianhua to feel a strange heartache. His right hand reached out towards the back of Xiangrong’s head and he gently brought her into his embrace. This time, the figure appearing in his mind was no longer that strong-willed Feng Yuheng, but the timid yet brave Feng Xiangrong who was physically in his arms.

　　He said: “Foolish child.”

　　Xiangrong replied: “It’s good to be a little foolish. Being a little foolish means not having excessive desires. Regardless of the outcome, I can accept it.”

　　His heart ached and he felt bitter. It was just like a deity thinking for the first time about how the mortal world actually has so many mundane things dragging them down. For a moment, his pace was disrupted.

　　“Let’s go.” Xuan Tianhua said, “I will send you back, it is too cold outside.”

　　Xiangrong nodded and parted from the embrace reluctantly. She felt rather disappointed but realised that the hand holding hers had not loosened, causing her heart to flutter.

　　Xuan Tianhua said again: “Sleep in a little more tomorrow, Chun Palace does not have such rules and there is no need to greet the Madam. In fact, she might wake up later than you! There is still the palace banquet at night, so there is a need to be well rested.”

　　“Will something bad happen at the palace banquet?” Xiangrong had some protests about the palace banquet, she said: “I actually did not want to go at all, but for unknown reasons, the invitation from the palace wrote my name. I just returned to the capital that day.”

　　“The Imperial Palace is very chaotic recently, Zirui has also been confined in the palace. We sent people to secretly keep an eye on him every day, afraid that something would happen. Be careful about everything and follow closely behind your second sister tomorrow. If she leaves, then follow Tiange. If something really happens, you can try your best to find us. Either way, do not end up alone, understand?”

　　“Un.” Xiangrong nodded, her heart feeling especially warm. His Highness the Seventh Prince cared about her and was worried about her, right? The two of them did know each other for many years, but he had never said so many words of concern before. Xuan Tianhua gave her a different feeling tonight. She remembered seeing him in the pavilion some days back and when he left, she even cried. But when Xuan Tianhua left again tonight, she would probably be only smiling instead.

　　Side by side, the two of them left the bamboo forest, but they did not know, in the corner of the bamboo forest, there were three people sneakily hiding there. The three people were made up of two females and one male, being no one else but Xuan Tianming, Feng Yuheng and Imperial Concubine Yun. Looking exasperated, he looked at the two nosy women, and then looked at Xuan Tianhua and Feng Xiangrong that were gradually moving further way with an expression of pity and sympathy. He only knew that Seventh Brother had finally been enlightened after much effort, and he did not expect that his own wife and mother were actually watching. The hand holding and embrace just now truly excited these two women greatly!

　　Of course, the most excited was still Imperial Concubine Yun. At this moment, she was grabbing Xuan Tianming with one hand and Feng Yuheng with the other, saying excitedly: “They held hands and hugged, so the matter should be considered set, right?”

　　Feng Yuheng said: “That might not be the case, right? It might be the spur of the moment?”

　　Imperial Concubine Yun shook her head: “In the end, that Third young girl is an innocent lady. Her hand had been held, and she was even hugged, if Hua-er does not marry her, then isn’t he no different from a beast?”

　　Xuan Tianming rolled his eyes hearing this, “How did Seventh Brother become a beast? It was only a gentle hug, does he really have to take responsibility for that?”

　　Feng Yuheng did not like what she was hearing, turning around to glare at him: “What do you mean? That is called a gentle hug? Hugging with such force, do you think I could not tell? What? Do you think my younger sister is not a good match for you royalty? Aren’t all of you just sons of the Emperor? Why are you being so high and mighty for? Even if our Xiangrong does not marry Seventh Brother, there is still the Fourth Prince! Do not think that this young girl has no one thinking about her!”

　　Xuan Tianming was criticised until he wanted to beg for forgiveness. He only said that one remark, how was this woman able to derive such twisted implications from it?

　　Imperial Concubine Yun also followed suit: “That’s right, I personally saw the two of them hug, Hua-er needs to take this responsibility. If not, this is called…… what is it called?” She poked Feng Yuheng, “What did you call it that day?”

　　Feng Yuheng told her: “Let’s just call it playing with a woman’s heart.”

　　“Right!” Imperial Concubine Yun nodded, “If he does not marry, he would be playing with a woman’s heart, I cannot approve of that. Anyway, this matter is settled. After the end of the New Year period, we should discuss about their marriage. The Third young girl has not reached marriageable age, but we still need to settle the engagement first to save the trouble of her being snatched away by someone. What did Ah Heng say just now? Old Fourth is also interested in the Third young girl?”