Chapter 490: I Forgive You

"The crown ceremony?"

Upon hearing Gao Yang's words, Chen Yan fell into thought.

The crown ceremony is a male coming‑of‑age rite; in the Tang Dynasty it is a rather important event in a man's life, usually held when he is twenty.

But it is not necessarily held on the exact day he turns twenty, i. e., on the birthday as later generations would do.

Instead, it depends on how you wish to arrange it; you may pick a date yourself, send invitations, and invite relatives and friends to bear witness.

In the past, Chen Yan's age gap was a bit large, so he never brought it up; now Chen Yan is nineteen, about to turn twenty, and since he will return to Chang'an for a post, it truly is time for the coming‑of‑age rite.

After a moment of thought, Chen Yan said, "Let's hold it after returning to Chang'an; holding it now in Weinan County would be troublesome, as many relatives and friends would have to travel here."

"If we wait a few months and hold it after returning to Chang'an, the timing would be more suitable and the location more convenient."

"Hmm..." Gao Yang had no objection; a man's crown ceremony is not less important than a wedding, as it signifies that the man has officially become an adult, qualified to independently take part in court affairs, forge alliances, and bear political responsibilities.

"We should set aside a few months to prepare properly; later I'll discuss it with my sister."

Chen Yan, surprised, teased, "Hey, Princess, we're hopeless at everything, we never leave a bite, yet you actually worry about these things for me?"

"You..." Gao Yang, irritated, bumped her head against his chest, "Before my sister married into the family, who took care of the household affairs?"

"Did you ever manage it? Wasn't it always me making the decisions?"

"Later I stopped because I was pregnant then, the month was advanced, and I simply couldn't continue, right?"

"When you married Li Lizhi, many things were still prepared by me!"

Chen Yan was astonished.

He knew the previous remark was a joke; he naturally knew Gao Yang had never been short of caring for household matters before.

But when he married Li Lizhi, many things were prepared by Gao Yang, and he truly was unaware of that.

At that time he had handed everything over to Aunt Cui and the others, and indeed had not paid attention.

Thinking that Gao Yang was pregnant then and still had to help prepare for his own wedding with Li Lizhi, Chen Yan fell silent.

"Heh, now you finally understand this Princess, huh?" Gao Yang instantly sensed his mood shift, beaming proudly, "I may sound harsh when I talk to you, but it doesn't really matter, does it?"

"Since marrying you, I consider that I've fulfilled every duty of a wife—everything I should and shouldn't do, I've done; I manage the household for you, wait for you to come home to eat, shield you from petty schemers, endure heartbreak to arrange your marriage to another woman, risk my life to bear and raise children for you, and yet you, you heartless scoundrel, bully me all day long."

With each sentence she said, she jabbed a finger into Chen Yan's chest, as if trying to pierce his heart.

"Think about it yourself, think about how abusive you are when you talk to me normally. You only know how to make me angry—what's the point? Does making me furious benefit you?"

"From now on, be courteous to this Princess: when I tell you to go east, don't go west; when I tell you to eat the vegetables, don't gnaw the bones, understand?"

Chen Yan: "......"

Her speech left him both laughing and crying.

He didn't argue, since it was all factual, but Gao Yang was somewhat inflated, unable to tell the big joker from the small joker.

"So by your standards, I haven't fulfilled my duties as a husband?" Chen Yan said nonchalantly, "I haven't treated you badly, I haven't hung out with a bunch of women, I haven't made clothes for you, I haven't personally reminded Zhang Yi to prepare your meals every day, I haven't massaged you while you were carrying a big belly, have I?"

"Oh dear, my memory is poor; I forgot who, when you were bored, tried to amuse you by crafting a bunch of trinkets and amusements to pass the time, and I also forgot who personally oversaw every piece of clothing on your body—from inner garments to outerwear, even socks—who made them, and I even forgot who consistently indulged your odd little quirks."

"I forgot, I really forgot!"

Gao Yang fell silent instantly.

She didn't want to argue with Chen Yan about these, as it was meaningless.

Moreover, she didn't think she could win against Chen Yan.

"Zhao Tang!" Chen Yan pinched Gao Yang's chin with one hand, forcing her to meet his eyes, and said with a smile, "You ask whether someone is blissfully unaware of their blessings, leaping about all day, blooming with a bit of sunshine, inflating with a breath, and with a hint of good attitude can't tell the big joker from the small joker?"

...... Gao Yang let out a long sigh, "If you mean that preparing a grand wedding for your own husband and other women is a blessing, then I wish you blessings as vast as the Eastern Sea, a lucky star shining upon you, longevity and prosperity, abundant fortune, virtue bearing blessings, fortune and misfortune intertwined, and ultimately gaining blessings from misfortune!"

Chen Yan: "......"

He clicked his tongue twice, not angry, but sighed, "Zhao Tang, you've changed. Thinking back to last year, you only ever said 'bastard', and no matter how great you thought you were, it was just an utterly shameless 'bastard'."

"I really miss those days; whenever I threw out a couple of moves, you'd get so angry you'd point at my trembling finger, and only ever say the word 'you'."

"Sigh~"

"I used to be so easy to bully, and you just bullied me at will!" Gao Yang glared at him viciously, then couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Chen Yan held her, tightening his arms to let her rest against his neck; he knew she liked it that way.

After a moment of silence, he said, "I wronged you, I'm sorry."

Gao Yang was stunned.

If she remembered correctly, this was Chen Yan's first time saying sorry to her.

At the same time, she found it hard to believe those two words could ever come from this man's mouth.

Gao Yang, who usually expressed emotions indirectly through jokes, suddenly felt those grievances weren't so grievous after all.

She twitched the corner of her mouth, showing a hint of mockery, "Chen Yan, are you trying to coax me?"

"That's rare, not like your temperament."

"After all, it's daytime; I thought you'd wait until night to argue, or speak openly and have a proper talk with me."

Small issues must be raised promptly, otherwise they grow into big problems over time.

Gao Yang naturally understood this principle, so whenever she felt aggrieved, she would gently tell Chen Yan.

Chen Yan had never let her down; he would basically find a solution immediately.

Regarding this matter, she originally didn't want to bring it up, hoping time would gradually smooth over the slight grievance.

But what she didn't expect was that time didn't ease the grievance; instead, she kept feeling uneasy, often recalling it, so she chose to speak it out.

"Yes, I'm coaxing you!" Chen Yan said softly.

Gao Yang was suddenly at a loss for words, shifted her body a bit, leaned against his neck, and slowly closed her eyes.

"I forgive you!"

"......"