Chapter 324: I Will Remember You
Chapter 324 -180: I Will Remember You
Until noon, people returned to eat, and the guests in the shop gradually became sparse.
Tang Xiaotong finally managed to catch his breath, sitting on the low stool behind the counter, and finished off the long-cooled tea in one gulp.
The tea slid down his throat, carrying away some fatigue.
At that moment, the doorbell gently rang, and a breeze with a hint of grass fragrance breezed in.
Tang Xiaotong looked up to see Princess Yujia standing alone at the entrance, the sunlight coating her whole being with a golden edge.
Today Princess Yujia wasn’t wearing Turkic attire but had changed into a pale green dress, her long black hair styled into the popular Jinghong bun of the Capital City’s noble ladies, with only two strands of hair falling by her ears.
If it weren’t for those eyes, as deep as the night sky over the grasslands, one might hardly recognize this princess from Turkic.
“Yu… Princess.”
Tang Xiaotong quickly got up with a smile, accidentally knocking over his tea cup, causing the tea to spread across the counter. He hurriedly wiped with his sleeve, his cheeks burning.
Princess Yujia’s lips subtly curled, her eyes flashing with a trace of the familiar, hearty smile unique to children of the grasslands.
Yet this was quickly masked by the palace etiquette she had been trained for many days.
She walked closer, her dress lightly swaying, already embodying some of the elegance of Da Jing’s noble ladies.
“Mr. Tang, no need for formalities.” Her Da Jing speech had improved considerably since their first meeting, though still carrying hints of an exotic accent, “Have you had your lunch?”
Tang Xiaotong steadied his mind, respectfully replied, “I haven’t yet. Princess, would you like to join…”
“I’ve already eaten.” Princess Yujia gently shook her head, the silver hairpin on her bun lightly swaying, shimmering like stars in the sunlight, “I said I wanted to stroll, but Mama only gave me half an hour.”
Tang Xiaotong habitually turned sideways, making a gesture of invitation, “We’ve prepared freshly brewed almond tea in the backyard, would the Princess like some…”
Before he could finish the sentence, he felt his sleeve being gently tugged. Princess Yujia’s fingers were slender yet strong, her fingertips slightly cool.
She shook her head, her eyes revealing a complex emotion Tang Xiaotong had never seen before.
“Tomorrow is the wedding ceremony.” Her voice was light, as if fearing to disturb something, “Mama said today I need to practice etiquette doubly hard, no more tea.”
This sentence was like a blunt knife, slowly and heavily piercing Tang Xiaotong’s heart.
Only then did he suddenly realize that the foreign princess standing before him, already adept at wearing Da Jing’s dresses, would become the Emperor’s concubine tomorrow.
The days spent together, teaching her to distinguish the textures of silk, brewing her almond tea not seen on the grasslands, listening to her recount Turkic customs… all these would end tomorrow.
“Yes… indeed.” Tang Xiaotong strived to keep his voice steady, yet felt a tightness in his throat, “Tomorrow is the ceremony.”
Princess Yujia seemingly also noticed his anomaly, her amber eyes directly meeting his, leaving Tang Xiaotong nowhere to hide.
After a moment of silence, she suddenly removed the wolf tooth pendant she had always worn around her neck.
“I came to give you something.”
She placed the pendant in her palm, handing it out to Tang Xiaotong.
The wolf tooth was entirely white, with a faint yellow at the tip, threaded with finely braided leather, evidently been rubbed for many years.
Tang Xiaotong looked at this gift in shock, “This… this is too precious, I cannot…”
“On the grassland, wolf teeth are only given to the most respected individuals.” Princess Yujia stubbornly held up her hand, her eyes shining with a light that Tang Xiaotong didn’t understand.
“This was gifted to me by my father—the Turkic Khan at my coming-of-age ceremony. He said this wolf tooth is from the head wolf that protected our tribe for ten years.”
Tang Xiaotong’s hand trembled slightly, not daring to accept.
Princess Yujia suddenly stepped forward, slipping the leather cord directly over his neck.
The wolf tooth lay against his chest, carrying Princess Yujia’s warmth and a faint grassland scent.
“In our Turkic culture, accepting a wolf tooth means being recognized as a warrior.”
Princess Yujia stepped back, contentedly looking at where the pendant hung on Tang Xiaotong’s chest. Suddenly, she seemed to recall something and added, “Of course, by your Da Jing etiquette, this might be a bit… improper.”
She spoke of “improper”, but her eyes flashed with a rebellious light—wildness of the grassland not yet tamed by palace etiquettes.
Tang Xiaotong’s fingers unconsciously brushed the wolf tooth, smooth and cool to the touch.
He knew the weight of this gift in Turkic culture. He felt his heart pounding wildly in his chest, almost bursting through the rib cage.
“Princess, this…”
“Mama says your Da Jing values abstaining from personal contact between men and women.” Princess Yujia interrupted him, her voice suddenly softened, “After entering the palace, I am the Emperor’s, and in future… I’m afraid I’ll have little chance to drink your brewed almond tea.”
Sunlight slanted through the window lattice, casting fragments of light across Princess Yujia’s face. Tang Xiaotong noticed her eyelashes gently trembling, like the fragile wings of a butterfly.
“I will remember you.” Princess Yujia raised her head, looking directly into his eyes, “Remember forever.”
Upon hearing this, Tang Xiaotong felt a dizzy spell, a thousand words stuck in his chest, yet not a single one could be spoken.
He was the shopkeeper of Brocade Workshop, she was to be a concubine in the palace, a distance greater than from Turkic to Da Jing lay between them.
“The Princess’s kindness, Tong… will surely remember.”
Ultimately, Tang Xiaotong could only bow deeply, suppressing all his emotions in this ceremonial gesture.
Princess Yujia seemed to expect him to say something, but after waiting a moment, only sighed lightly, “I should go back.”
Tang Xiaotong nodded silently, walking with her to the shop door. Outside, the maid Alan paced back and forth. Seeing Princess Yujia coming out, she immediately went forward.
“Princess, it’s getting late; we should return and continue practicing the ceremony etiquette.”
Princess Yujia turned back to give Tang Xiaotong one last look, her gaze full of emotions that couldn’t be spoken.
Then she turned, her skirt tracing a graceful arc, and left with Alan.
Tang Xiaotong stood in the middle of the street, watching her figure gradually disappear around the corner. The wolf tooth on his chest felt heavy, as if carrying the weight of a thousand pounds.
“Ah!”
He sighed deeply, his heart unable to describe the sense of loss.
Apparently, the many days spent together and the inexplicable emotions stirred couldn’t erase the fact that Princess Yujia was going to enter the palace as a concubine.
After today, she was the Emperor’s woman; ultimately… it was but his wishful thinking.
The Capital City’s sky remained azure, the sunlight still bright, but Tang Xiaotong felt his world had been turned upside down in this moment.