The Emperor perked up upon hearing this.
"Tell me, perhaps I will allow it!"
Yun Jinnian lifted her gaze towards the Emperor, "Your Majesty isn’t deceiving your subject’s daughter?"
"A ruler doesn’t make jokes, moreover, you haven’t said what you seek. How can I grant it without knowing?"
Saying so, the Emperor carefully took a sip from his teacup.
Yun Jinnian stood up and then knelt down, "Your Majesty, what your subject’s daughter seeks is to be able to decide her own marriage matters in the future!"
"Deciding your own marriage matters?"
"Yes, your subject’s daughter hopes to have a say in her own marital affairs in the future. I do not wish to marry someone who doesn’t delight my heart, or whom I do not delight. Someone who would marry me solely because Your Majesty decrees it, or because of parental orders, compelled to marry, as I am compelled to wed!"
The Emperor was silent.
Only then did Yun Jinnian continue, "Your subject’s daughter doesn’t remember what life was like when she was young, yet she remembers those years when there were no parents by her side, when she was subjected to all kinds of hardships at the Yun Residence, after which, even when parents were around, there were more departures than reunions. They do not understand my preferences, just as I wish to show filial respect yet do not know theirs. Your Majesty, you are a wise ruler, you will grant your subject’s daughter’s request, correct?"
Yun Jinnian’s words had several layers of meaning.
She was also reminding the Emperor that she had endured hardships at the Yun Residence, yet the Emperor had honored the elderly madam of the Yun Family.
And this was while she was out seeking an antidote for him.
Yun Jinnian didn’t believe that the Emperor was unaware of the life she led at the Yun Residence.
The Emperor was silent.
After a moment, he finally said, "I grant your request; your future marriage will be for you to decide. No one, including myself, shall decide for you without your consent. Even if it’s an imperial marriage, it will be with your agreement!"
"Thank you for Your Majesty’s grace!"
Leaving Yangxin Hall, Yun Jinnian breathed a sigh of relief.
Back at Weiyang Palace, the Empress had already retired for the night, so Yun Jinnian returned to her own side hall.
Shaoyao, as attentive and polite as always, assisted Yun Jinnian in settling down for the night before leaving the main hall.
Yun Jinnian couldn’t sleep.
On the Double Ninth Festival, she hadn’t seen her father, her mother, or her maternal grandfather, and had barely seen any relatives she cared about.
She hadn’t tasted a single chrysanthemum cake, nor had she sipped any Chrysanthemum Wine.
Of those she cared for, how many felt the same yearning for her at this moment?
Anxiously returning home, yet her mother had gone to Huguo Temple.
Not a word left for her—did they assume she wouldn’t return to the Yun Family? Or did they simply forget her?
Yun Jinnian heard the sound of a cat, got up from bed, put on her shoes, casually draped a garment over herself, and slowly opened the door.
The sound seemed to be coming from a corner of a wall.
The moonlight was clear this night, and Yun Jinnian didn’t go back for a lantern, simply following the sound at a leisurely pace.
A tiny kitten, so small, inside a basket.
Yun Jinnian looked left and right but saw no one.
However, she knew that this kitten definitely had not come here on its own—it must have been deliberately placed here by someone.
Yun Jinnian had intended to ignore it, to let it fend for itself, but then felt it was truly adorable. After hesitating for a moment, she picked up the basket and returned to her room.
Just as she set the kitten down on the table, she noticed a faint scent of ambergris. Looking at the small cat on the table, she began to smile.
She couldn’t describe her feelings, only sensing a bit of grievance, yet it also didn’t seem just that.
There was definite joy.
An unfamiliar feeling.
Turning her head towards the sleeping quarters, a head quietly peeked out, and as their eyes met, she caught him red-handed.
"To think I’ve been discovered!" said Chu Yu slowly as he came out, hands clasped behind his back.