Chapter 259 Apologies

After many days passed, the letter written to Wan Ning seemed to have disappeared without a trace. Gao Ziang couldn't sit still anymore. The desire to see Wan Ning became stronger day by day, and finally, he made up his mind to meet Wan Ning no matter what.
He learned from Zhou Cairen that after so many days, the emperor had relaxed the ban on Wanning to some extent. And because Zhou Cairen supported her, Wanning occasionally left the Yunyan Pavilion and moved around in the palace, and the emperor turned a blind eye. However, she still couldn't leave the palace. There were strict guards at the palace gate, and everyone just realized that the emperor had already wanted to be ahead of them.
Gao Ziang and Zhou Cairan discussed and determined the time when the emperor is most likely to be negligent. Zhou Cairan pretended to trouble Wan Ning to go to the queen's palace to fetch embroidery samples, and at this moment, Gao Ziang happened to be on duty in the palace.
He came to the rockery that Wanning must pass by, leaning on it and patiently waiting for her to pass.
For so many days, Wanning has been in a daze, and today is no exception. She would never have thought that Gao Ziang would be here. By the time she realized it, it was obviously too late, but she still hurriedly tried to escape.
As soon as Wan Ning saw him, tears uncontrollably streamed down her face. She desperately tried to escape and even when she walked by his side, she didn't hear his soft call of "Wan Ning."
In a brief encounter, Gao Ziang saw her exhaustion, and her once moon-like face seemed to have lost its color. He stayed in the same spot for a long time, waiting for days to see her, but it was so hasty.
It's not bad to not see each other, but seeing each other again makes me miss her even more, especially in the silence of the late night. I saw Wan Ning during the day, and at night, Gao Ziang couldn't resist his excitement and even imagined going to the Li Mansion as before, appearing when Wan Ning needed him the most. It seemed to have become his habit. He knew very well that even if he went to the Li Mansion at this time, he wouldn't be able to see Wan Ning.
Yier seemed to see through the young master's mind and brewed a cup of tea for him: "Young master, have a cup of tea and calm your mind."
"You, you know what I'm thinking in my mind?"
"Yier has been with you for so many years. No matter what is on my mind, I hope you, Miss Wannin and Meimei are all happy. I dare to ask Young Master, did you see Miss today? What did she say to you?"
"I met her. But it was just a brief encounter, she hurried past me as if she didn't want to say anything to me."
"Listen, Master, I told you it's useless. She dislikes you even more now, she finds you annoying and doesn't want to see you. It's possible that there's no hope for the time being, it's hard to say whether she will ever pay you any attention in this lifetime."
"Are you deliberately trying to make fun of me?"
"Who let you misunderstand her, causing her to be humiliated and hurt for no reason, causing her to be heartbroken! Yier had warned you before, but you didn't listen to a word. You have no idea how desperate she is. She sees you as her only lifeline, but you treat her like that. She thinks you are unreliable!"
"Who do you belong to in the end?"
"Yi'er naturally belongs to you!"
"My person doesn't speak up for me."
"Miss is the person at the tip of your heart, and I am just speaking up for her."
"Knowing that your arm is turned out, I still can't say anything about you."
"Young master, my arm didn't turn out."
"Alright, this time I'll admit you are right." Gao Ziang drank his tea, feeling exhausted as he slumped onto the table. "As soon as she saw me, her eyes were filled with tears."
"Can you not be teary?" Yi'er muttered.
Gao Ziang's eyes were filled with endless tenderness, gazing at the candlelight: "Her eyes are clear and translucent, filled with tears, gently submerging the person."
Yier couldn't help but burst into laughter for a moment.
Gao Ziang glanced at him and said to himself, "Whether we are together or not is no longer important. What matters is that she can be happy."
Yier is slightly serious:"Young master, this doesn't even sound like human speech!"
"Yier, your audacity is getting bigger and bigger, how dare you speak like this? You lack respect."
"Yes, I know I was wrong. Since she doesn't want to see you, you should let it go for now. Maybe she will want to see you after a while."
"You inquire about it, and if Wan Ning can return to the mansion, come and tell me immediately."
"Understood."
"Young Master's order is to inquire about it, and Yi'er knows that opportunities need to be created by oneself. Just waiting passively would take forever. He discussed with Zhou Cairen that they should take advantage of the Emperor's good mood one day and plead for Wan Ning Miss to be allowed to stay at Li Mansion for one night."
A few days later, everyone finally got the chance they had been waiting for. Because Wan Ning has been performing well recently, the emperor surprisingly agreed.
Yi'er couldn't wait to tell Gao Ziang, "Young Master, good news!"
"What's the matter?"
"Miss Wan Ning will return to the Li residence tonight."
"Okay, got it. No matter what, I must see her again."
"But, Young Master, you must appease her more, and don't make the same mistake as last time."
高子昂不客气地说：“我明白，不用你废话。”
Although he really wanted to see Wan Ning, he held back and only came to Li Mansion when it was very late at night. The later it got, the weaker a person's will became. He hoped that Wan Ning wouldn't drive him away or get angry, and that they could exchange a few words. That would be enough for him.
Wanning sits on the couch doing needlework, and this scene reminds her of the past when she embroidered items with a purpose, seemingly only for that one person. At first, she tried to control herself from thinking of anyone, but as time went on, she became more and more sad, and tears quietly streamed down her face once again.
Just when she was feeling frustrated and wanted to go to sleep, she heard a familiar call at the door: "Wanning."
Wanning looked up and saw that it was her brother, Ziang, the person she had been thinking about endlessly. She immediately got up and without saying anything, pushed him out again. Just as the door was about to close, Gao Ziang leaned against it, but unfortunately, Wanning's strength was too weak and she couldn't close it at all.
"Wanning, do you hate me so much?"
Helplessly, Wanning let go of the door and turned into the room. She had an elegant posture, with a proud head held high. Coldly, she said, "I won't speak. If you have something to say, say it quickly and then leave. It's very late, and I need to rest."
"Wan, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have doubted you, and I definitely shouldn't have...I definitely shouldn't have hurt you."
Wanning's eyes instantly welled up with tears, and big drops fell onto her hands. She instinctively wiped them off with her other hand and lowered her head.
"I used to go to Qinfang Pavilion, but I didn't stay overnight. Zhu Yun only accompanied me for a few drinks, that's all."
"You don't need to explain to me. We're no longer in a relationship, you have her in your heart, and I'll support you."
"You have always been the person in my heart, don't you know?"
Wanning clenched her teeth: "We don't need to have any more conflicts. You're right, the emperor has power and influence, and his power is overwhelming. As the emperor's concubine, one's life is worry-free, with the honor that countless women yearn for easily attainable. Besides, the emperor is also a wise ruler, caring for women. What would be the wise choice?"
Gao Ziang's eyes were filled with deep sorrow, "Wan Ning, have you already decided to follow the Emperor?"
"I have always been afraid of the dark, feeling that there are countless monsters in the pitch-black where I can't see a thing. Since I can remember, it was my father who protected me during the nights, and later, it was you. Only two people have ever guarded me through the dark nights, one is my father, and the other is you, my brother. After that, perhaps it will be the Emperor. I couldn't protect my father, I should have realized that I shouldn't have expected the same from you, just like losing my father, what should be gone will eventually be gone."