The second love interest (2)
Reacting quickly, the man stepped back. The arrow flew past him and crashed into a tree.
"An assassination attempt?"
Qing Zixiao became alert and grabbed his sword.
– Damn it! I almost got it!!
A girl in simple men's clothes ran out of nowhere. Her hair was pulled back in a high ponytail. She was holding a bow and arrows in her hands. Qing Zixiao froze in surprise.
«Did she shoot just now?»
Yang Yulan, in turn, also paid attention to the alien.
«Judging by the clothes, this man is some kind of big shot. He's too young for the emperor, and it's not too bad to shoot the brothers» – the girl concluded to herself.
Yang Yulan did not speak for a long time and, casting a reproachful glance at the man, turned around to leave.
– Stand still. Who are you and why did you shoot at me just now? – Qing Zixiao commanded.
Yang Yulan looked at the man and pointed her finger at the place behind him.
– I didn't shoot at you. There's a target in the tree. Who knew that you would suddenly stand right in front of it and ruin my shot.
The man turned around. There was indeed an improvised target hanging from the tree. The arrow that had just almost landed in his head hit almost on target.
– Because of you, I had to shoot to the left. And I missed.
«I haven't missed for so many years, and you've ruined everything» – the girl muttered angrily to herself.
– Excuse me?.. – Qing Zixiao felt awkward – And yet who are you.
This picture still did not fit into his head. The girl wanders around the garden in inappropriate clothes, carries weapons with her and uses the palace as her training field. It sounds like complete nonsense.
– I am the eldest daughter of the Empress. Yang Yulan. Maybe you know me.
Qing Zixiao immediately fell silent.
«That's how it is. Then everything will fall into place»
He didn't ask any more questions. You never know what else this girl could have done.
Yang Yulan also didn't really care about his existence at first, but after examining the new arrival once again from head to toe, she realized that he seemed familiar to her.
«I definitely read about him. Light brown hair, soft facial features, tall stature, large eyebrows»
– Oh my God. Are you General Qing Zixiao?? – Yang Yulan shouted.
– How do you know me?
The girl did not answer the question. She was worried about something else entirely.
«General Qing Zixiao. He's the second love interest. How can this be? Did he really come to the White Lotus Pavilion? Apparently the author did not mention this »
«Stop. If he is here, then the first meeting of the main character and Qing Zixiao has already happened. Damn it! Why didn't the system notify me about this event? Or if it's the side storyline, then it doesn't count? What kind of discrimination is this? I liked the love line with the second male character no less than the main one.»
Yang Yulan sighed heavily to herself. She looked very depressed at the same time.
«Anyway, I'd better go» – Qing Zixiao cautiously remarked, looking at the girl's changed face.
«No, I can't let him go yet.»
Yulan immediately grabbed the man's arm. He was visibly nervous. Not so much from surprise, but from the fact that for the first time a woman grabbed his arm so tightly and strongly.
– Stay – Yang Yulan pulled a friendly smile on her face – sit here, rest for now. There's no hurry for you, is there?
She really didn't want to miss the chance to observe the second love line more. At the time, she felt very sorry for this man. After all, he was abandoned by the love of his life.
«Of course, if I were the main character, I would also choose the cold mysterious crown prince» – she thought – «But General Qing was so kind and gentle with the main character. I still wanted him to be given a chance at a happy ending.»
– I promise not to shoot you again.Here – the girl threw a bow on the ground and, still holding the man's hand, led him further into the garden – I will now ask the servant to bring you a drink, and you can sit in the gazebo nearby and look at the flowers in the lake.
The general suspected something was wrong. One minute this girl was ready to shoot him, and now she's trying to persuade him to stay.
Yang Yulan ran up to a pretty maid and she carried a tray of cold tea to the gazebo.
Qing Zixiao turned his gaze to the quiet blue lake. His feet brought him to this place by themselves. And apparently for a reason. It was mystically empty, but it kept life in itself.
Unhurried servants, calm wind, serene white flowers on the water. All this gave the place its unique melancholic beauty.
«The offer to stay here for a while sounds really tempting» – he thought.
In any case, Qing Zixiao's throat was really dry from the long walks.
The general took a seat in a small wooden gazebo and poured himself tea. He took a sip and listened to the silence of the leaves and grass.
However, his peace was not destined to last too long
– Well? How did it go?
Yang Yulan sat down right in front of him and folded her hands on the table.
– What are you talking about? – the general naively assumed that this girl would quickly forget about him. But she was apparently serious about the conversation.
– I'm talking about the prince. Didn't you go to the second Prince's palace today?
– How do you know about this?
– Aah... Well, I heard from the servants. They say you came to persuade the prince to leave his beloved.
– Yes, it is.
In fact, it is unlikely that rumors from the palace ever got to this remote place. And even if they did, it wasn't very fast. But as an excuse, it worked.
– You must have met His Highness's young bride. What is she like?
General Qing did not consider it a serious offense to talk about it.
— Well.. She's cute.
Remembering the girl he had recently seen, the guy smiled easily and blushed.
– I think the prince could really fall madly in love with such a girl.
– Really? – Yang Yulan smiled cheerfully and giggled – And what else?
– You're too curious. Why don't you go and look at it yourself?
– I can't. If I leave the palace, it is unlikely that it will end in something good.
«I might accidentally interfere with some important plot scene. And since the system is silent, then you are my only source of information.»
General Qing assumed that this girl was forbidden to leave her pavilion and decided not to bring up the subject anymore.
He thought that this conversation would give him a headache and he would immediately run away from here. But surprisingly, communication with this "crazy woman" did not cause him any discomfort. Quite the opposite. It had been a long time since he had talked so casually and stupidly about nonsense. What's wrong with him talking to her a little bit. To be honest, the fact that she was out of her mind calmed him more than it alarmed him. If this girl had been an ordinary or noble lady, the general would have had to put on a mask of nobility and restraint again. In the same case, her unconsciousness untied his hands.
– Have you met Yang Jinglong yet?
– No. His fiancee promised to talk to him before the evening. I'll go there later.
«So I haven't missed too much yet.»
– Ah, that's how it is. Then good luck persuading him. I hope you bring the Empress good news.
«Actually, I doubt I can handle it» – Qing Zixiao suddenly remarked.
Well, you can't do it – Yang Yulan replied casually and immediately closed her mouth.
The general was taken aback for a second. Then he smiled bitterly.
– Well, I clearly know about it. The Empress is pushing me, but I already understand that this is a lost cause. I shouldn't be here. I shouldn't be in this country at all. I have done absolutely nothing important, but I will return to my homeland as one of the liberators of humanity. When I decided to come here, I was still too young. I hoped to gain fame. Become a hero. But the real hero is now sitting in his palace and very soon, I am sure, he will marry the most beautiful girl in the world and be happy. And no empress will even have time to complain.
Yang Yulan stared at the man in front of her. She looked saddened by his story. For some reason, this look touched General Qing's heart.
– I'm sorry, I got off the subject for some reason
– Are you jealous of him?
– What?
– Yang Jinglong. Are you jealous of him?
Qing Zixiao nervously ran his finger over the cup.
– I envy his confidence. His courage and willpower. I'll never have that. I always stand on the sidelines.
Yang Yulan was ready to cry right at this table.
She felt so sorry for him. He was terribly unlucky on his love bed. He deserved the hand and heart of the main character to the same extent as the main male character, but due to his insecurity and for the sake of the plot, he was forgotten and thrown into the background.
Yang Yulan suddenly wanted to comfort this poor guy somehow. She wanted to do it already when she was reading the middle of the book, but then she obviously did not have such an opportunity.
– You've done enough, believe me. You came here anyway, regardless of the danger. Like you said, you were young and you were all alone. And this is a clear sign of a brave heart and a pure soul.
– But I did it for selfish reasons.
– The goal is not important. The result is important. Even if you didn't fight, you took part from behind the scenes. I was thinking over a strategy. This is an equally important part for a successful military party.
Yang Yulan reached out and wholeheartedly slapped the man on the shoulder. She wanted to hug him, but it seemed too awkward to her.
«Poor, poor guy. Good luck in the upcoming war for love»
The general was leaving the pavilion in a strange mood. It was as if his whole world had turned upside down for a second. A thousand thoughts were swarming in his head.
As expected, Yang Jinglong couldn't be persuaded the first time. However, the Empress was not satisfied with the answer no. She continued to press on, and the unfortunate general had to go to the palace of the second prince almost every single day and ask for an audience.
In turn, Qing Zixiao returned to the White Lotus Pavilion every day. He could spend hours watching the first princess train. Her shooting no longer seemed strange to him.
He could talk to her for hours over a cup of tea in a small gazebo in the evenings, discussing events taking place in and outside the palace. He often walked along the lake and enjoyed the view of snow-white lotuses and greenery. At such moments, he was just thinking about something of his own. Previously, these were experiences about the past and the future. Now, completely different thoughts have taken the place of these experiences.
«The prince's girlfriend is clearly the most beautiful girl in the world» – he sometimes thought – «Even the rain goddess herself cannot compare with her beauty. But after all, appearance is not everything. This is not the most important thing. The beloved woman should first of all be born into a noble family. She should suit your character. You have to understand each other from half a word. This is the only way the marriage will be long and happy.
Yang Yulan clearly does not have an unearthly beauty. But she's still a princess. She always listens to me carefully. Supports me»
«Sometimes she doesn't even seem that crazy. More like just weird. Her satisfied smile every time she hears about Mei Baijie can only mean one thing. She is the only one in the entire palace who is sincerely happy for her brother's happiness. She loves him. She accepts her family, even though they have excluded her from their membership.»
«I would obviously take care of the princess much better than my own family.»
Qing Zixiao once heard from the servants that Yang Yulan had not been able to get married for many years. She fears men more than death. A lot of marriages, barely made up by her mother, went down the drain because of the princess's behavior.
They say the last time a man was brought to her, she tried to commit suicide.
«Doesn't the fact that she's being so calm with me mean that she has special feelings for me too?»
«If he had told the Empress about what was happening with her daughter, then she would definitely have approved the engagement. He was sure of it. Maybe even the princess herself wouldn't mind.»
– Hey, why are you stuck there?! – Yang Yulan called out when she noticed General Qing winding the hundredth circle around the lake –you promised to tell me about Mei Baijie today.
The General looked at her in the light of the setting sun.
«Maybe this idea is not so crazy» – he thought and went to the wooden gazebo.