kvmb Chapter 951 Extra: A Young Man's Journey 4
Chapter 951 Extra: A Young Man's Journey 4
The afternoon before Yan Chengyue's coming-of-age ceremony, she arranged to meet Zong Huai alone.
Although the two are a few years apart in age, they are childhood sweethearts who have known each other since they were young and are engaged. However, they rarely meet alone. In the past, they were often with Zhao Yang or other princes and princesses. After meeting Wenren Jing, they met more often, but it was always the three of them together, or Yan Chengyue alone with Wenren Jing.
So when the two of them actually sit together, with no one else around, facing each other, the air is quiet and even a little awkward.
It was Yan Chengyue who broke the silence first.
"Brother likes A-Jing, doesn't he?" Yan Chengyue looked at Zong Huai honestly.
She had actually thought about it for a long time, but decided to speak her mind clearly.
Zong Huai, who was drinking tea to hide his embarrassment, almost lost his composure and spat out his tea when he heard this.
Zong Huai looked at Yan Chengyue in disbelief, and subconsciously moved his lips, wanting to say something, but the words just wouldn't come out.
He had always known that Yan Chengyue was an extremely intelligent girl, as was Wenren Jing.
Ah Yue brought this up with him before her coming-of-age ceremony, not simply to expose his intentions.
But his thoughts were not enough for him to make any decision in such a short time, while his emotions were still hazy.
Therefore, he did not expect that the first person to expose him would be A-Yue.
However, Zong Huai could not deceive her. He had been engaged to A Yue a long time ago and never thought that there would be any changes to their engagement. Over the years, he had always regarded A Yue as a younger sister and his fiancée.
If there's anything missing, it might be the lingering romantic feelings in the man's heart. He watched A-Yue grow up, and for a short time, perhaps even for a short time after their marriage, he probably couldn't convince himself to have any blasphemous thoughts towards A-Yue.
But it was different when he was facing Wenren Jing. The first thing he heard when he saw Wenren Jing was her voice, and then he heard his own heartbeat.
It's a bodily instinct.
He couldn't deceive himself; his feelings for A-Yue were not romantic. He had, in a despicable way, fallen for another person.
Thinking of this, Zong Huai stood up and sincerely bowed to Yan Chengyue to apologize: "I'm sorry, A-Yue, I can't lie to you. I have indeed fallen for A-Jing."
Yan Chengyue nodded: "I know, I can tell."
Yan Chengyue said to Zong Huai, "Brother, please sit down. I called you here today to make things clear with you."
Zong Huai sat down and looked at Yan Chengyue.
“I knew from a young age that I would marry my brother. Before that, I didn’t really understand the feelings between men and women. In my heart, my brother was an excellent person, so I had no complaints about this marriage.” Yan Chengyue said slowly, “Until I met A Jing, I saw the look in my brother’s eyes when he looked at A Jing. It was a joy that he could not hide no matter how much he tried to restrain or conceal it. I didn’t feel that way when I looked at my brother, and my brother didn’t feel that way when he looked at me.”
Zong Huai was slightly taken aback.
It turns out that his self-perceived restraint was actually quite obvious.
"Therefore I am certain that I have never had any romantic feelings for my brother." Yan Chengyue said frankly, "I chose to make this clear today for one reason: tomorrow is my coming-of-age ceremony. His Majesty has told my father that he intends to discuss marriage for you and me after my coming-of-age ceremony, and wants us to get married next year."
“Once the wedding date is set, there will be no turning back. I think you should understand that, brother.”
Zong Huai nodded. He couldn't sleep all night after meeting Wenren Jing, but he was awake when dawn broke.
He is the crown prince.
His engagement to Yan Chengyue was not just a matter between the two of them; it involved numerous underlying interests and was also related to the stability of his position as crown prince. Although he was made crown prince after his father ascended the throne, securing his position was not an easy task. He was gentle in nature, but being in the capital, he was often powerless to control many things, especially his own marriage.
The Yan family were founding heroes who fought alongside the emperor's grandfather to establish the empire. Yan Chengyue's father was a close confidant of the emperor in his youth and enjoyed his deep trust. The Yan family held considerable military power, and after the death of Prince Ming, the entire southwest region was under the control of the Yan family's army. As for Yan Chengyue's mother, she came from the Cui clan of Qinghe, the most prestigious aristocratic family. Even though the family had begun to decline due to years of war, its influence remained undeniable.
With such a background, he was the best candidate to help him secure his position as crown prince. From the very beginning, he had no say in this marriage.
Unless, of course, he is willing to give it all up.
But his innate sense of responsibility wouldn't allow him to entertain such a crazy idea, not even a little bit.
Therefore, he clearly saw that he was attracted to someone, but he couldn't bring himself to confess it first.
Yan Chengyue continued, "Secondly, I cherish my friendship with A Jing very much, and I don't want the three of us to fall into such a predicament and ruin each other's lives. This is not what I want. However, the matter of annulling the engagement is a big deal, and the consequences are not something that you and I can easily bear now."
"I'm sorry, Yue, I've put you in a difficult position." Zong Huai apologized sincerely. He knew he shouldn't have fallen for Wenren Jing, but he couldn't help himself. He couldn't deceive himself, nor could he deceive a sincere girl like Yue.
Yan Chengyue shook his head: "Brother, there's no need to say that. Many things in this world don't follow a set pattern. There are always many unexpected things. It's not wrong for you to fall in love with A-Jing. If I were a man, I'm afraid I would also be moved. It's human nature. What's wrong with that?"
“I summoned my brother here to discuss with him how we could find an opportunity to sound out His Majesty’s opinion privately and see if the wedding could be postponed. I will also discuss it with my father and mother and ask them to buy us more time. Although this matter is somewhat difficult, if my brother can achieve political success in the next two years, postponing the wedding is not impossible.”
"As long as we buy some time, there will always be an opportunity in the future to end the engagement in a dignified manner."
Some things don't need to be said too explicitly, but Zong Huai understands.
If his position as crown prince is secure enough, then with the Yan family's continued support, the engagement is not a necessity, and breaking off the engagement later will not have any impact.
“I understand, thank you, A-Yue,” Zong Huai said sincerely.
“I will explain this matter to A-Jing myself. A-Jing is thoughtful, so you might as well take the initiative in the future, brother.” Yan Chengyue smiled gently, her eyebrows curving.
Zong Huai coughed lightly, his face flushed, and he responded in a low voice.
...
Little did they know that the opportunity to postpone the wedding would soon arrive.
The month after Yan Chengyue came of age, after the Dragon Boat Festival, Liangzhou was hit by a flood. Zong Huai requested permission to personally go to Liangzhou to provide disaster relief. Emperor Chengde granted his request and sent the Second Prince Zong Lin to go with him.