Chapter 80 A Perfect Match Am I not good enough for him? Am I not good enough for Xiao Qiyu? ...

A few days later, the palace rewards arrived.

Xiao Jiaqilang was rewarded with ten thousand taels of gold for his meritorious service in suppressing bandits, and his merits were used to offset his demerits, so he was reinstated as the captain of the Zhuque Gate.

Everyone thought Xiao Qiyu would be overjoyed.

However, before the imperial edict had even warmed his hands, he rode straight into the palace, pleading with the emperor to rescind the order. He frankly stated that he had no interest in the position of Commandant of the Vermilion Bird Gate and that if His Majesty truly wished to bestow a reward, he should allow him to retake the provincial examination he had missed this year due to the suppression of bandits.

Emperor Jingming did not make things difficult for him and readily agreed.

From then on, Xiao Qiyu's days suddenly became very busy.

He not only had to practice martial arts every day to prepare for the provincial examination, but also, given the emperor's current favor, he was constantly being invited to banquets and parties, from morning till night, almost never seen again.

Cui Ying had been away from home for several months, and both sets of elders missed her dearly. She first stayed at the Marquis's residence with Lady Wang, and then returned to the Duke of Wei's residence to be with the eldest princess. She was so busy that she was hard to find.

Before they knew it, the two had not seen each other for quite some time.

At noon that day, the ice and snow had just melted, and the sun was shining brightly.

The streets were bustling with people, filled with the shouts of vendors, the rumble of carts, and the haggling of pedestrians and merchants.

The noodle stall was doing brisk business, with billowing white steam rising from the large pot, and several simple wooden tables filled with diners.

Several porters who had just finished unloading their goods were munching on noodles while loudly discussing Xiao Qilang, the seventh son of the Xiao family who had recently returned from suppressing bandits but had resigned from his official post to take the imperial examination. Their words were full of envy and admiration, as if they had already regarded him as a god.

Next to the noodle stall was a cosmetics stall. Because the cosmetics were cheap and brightly colored, they attracted many women, including some brightly dressed and daring courtesans.

"That Seventh Young Master Xiao has really become a celebrity in our capital now. You can hear people talking about him everywhere you go," a woman said to her companion with a smile. Her words were not as reserved as those of a young lady from a noble family; she was particularly bold and direct.

His companion covered his mouth, his eyes sparkling: "I don't care how much he has accomplished. I only know that he is extremely handsome. Last year, when he was under the Zhuque Sect, I caught a glimpse of him from afar. He was riding a tall horse. His waist and legs were so strong and powerful. He was definitely not comparable to those soft, pretty but weak men."

"Oh dear, now that you mention it, I'm so envious of his young wife. With such a handsome and valiant husband by her side, I wonder how happy she must be at night?"

"puff--"

Cui Ying spat out a mouthful of noodle soup.

Sitting opposite her, an old man sharing the table with her had his head covered in noodle soup, his face almost as black as the bottom of a pot, and he was about to slam his chopsticks on the table.

Cui Ying acted faster than he thought, instinctively pulling out a piece of silver from his pocket and presenting it to the old man with a beaming smile, saying, "It was my rudeness that I couldn't control my tongue. Please take this and buy yourself some new clothes; consider it my way of showing my respect to you."

The old man lowered his raised hand, took the silver, and said politely in the tone of someone who had been through it all: "Young man, it's inevitable to be impetuous. You should learn more from Xiao Qilangjun. Calmness and composure are what a man should be like."

Cui Ying's face was almost frozen from smiling: "Yes, yes, yes, I should learn, I should learn."

What a load of rubbish!

She hadn't seen Xiao Qiyu for so many days. How come he was still like a ghost, impossible to see but omnipresent!

Ugh! So annoying!

Cui Ying lost all appetite, didn't touch the remaining half bowl of noodles, paid the bill and left.

The sun was intense, the ice and snow were just beginning to melt, and the wet streets reflected the light.

The air was filled with the aromas of various foods and spices, and the sounds were noisy and continuous.

But no matter where he went, all Cui Ying heard was "Xiao Qiyu".

"Have you heard? Xiao Qilang won first place again in the military competition yesterday."

"Xiao Qilang is truly a peerless martial artist. I really want to spar with him."

“What kind of woman could be worthy of such a young man? I think Miss Cui is nothing special, she is ultimately not good enough for him.”

Cui Ying passed by without saying a word or showing any expression.

Then roar inwardly:

Bullshit!

Am I not good enough for him? Am I not good enough for Xiao Qiyu? I'm clearly eighteen streets ahead of him!

We're a perfect match! The best match ever! A match made in heaven!

You think I'm not good enough for him? I'm not good enough for him at all!

No... who wants to be paired with him!

Cui Ying suddenly raised her hands and covered her ears tightly.

It's not very useful.

It's simply a matter of turning complete sentences into fragmented phrases like "Xiao...", "...Qilang", "handsome..."

Like countless buzzing insects, they circled around, making them even more annoying.

Cui Ying quickened her pace, weaving through the crowd, looking left and right like a fawn being chased by a hunter. Seeing a relatively quiet and narrow alleyway nearby, she plunged in without a second thought.

The alley was deep and secluded, with high blue brick walls on both sides, blocking most of the sunlight and isolating it from the bustling sounds of the outside market. The air was filled with a damp, slightly musty smell, which was completely different from the vibrant and lively atmosphere outside.

Cui Ying walked to the deepest part in one breath, leaned against the cold wall, and let out a long sigh of relief, finally gaining a moment of peace.

But in her mind, she saw Xiao Qiyu's cold and annoying face.

She slapped her forehead: "Damn it! Don't think about it!"

Just as she finished scolding herself and was catching her breath, Cui Ying suddenly heard a strange noise.

There were heavy, labored breathing sounds from a man, muffled curses, the rustling of fabric against fabric, and the faint sobs of a woman.

Cui Ying immediately sensed something was amiss, instinctively held her breath, and quietly took a step towards the source of the sound.

After two turns, the sound grew closer and closer.

In the shadows at the end of the alley, there was a dusty, inconspicuous carriage.

Beside the carriage, two burly men with fierce expressions were holding a young woman hostage, one on each side.

The woman was extremely beautiful, with long hair reaching her knees. She wore an elegant lotus-colored brocade jacket and skirt. Her delicate face was ashen with fear, and a thick wad of tattered cloth had been roughly stuffed into her mouth, preventing her from making any cries for help. All she could utter were broken and helpless "whimpering" sounds.

Unlike ordinary people, she was extremely flexible. Even when she was bound by two strong young men, she could still twist her body with all her might and kick the ground with her legs, trying her best to fight for her life.

However, due to the difference in strength, he was firmly restrained by the two men, like a bird under an eagle's claws.

"Damn it, behave yourself!"

The scarred man growled and slapped the woman across the face without any mercy.

The woman was in so much pain that she almost fainted, and her sobs grew even weaker.

The other man impatiently urged, "Hurry! Put it in the car! If we're late and they find out, we're both dead!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the two men worked together and roughly shoved the woman into the carriage.

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Author's note: Six thousand words completed!