Chapter 10 The Mountain Road is Difficult to Travel, Pei Yanxing Doesn't Know What's Good or Bad

As soon as the princess spoke, the aunt immediately found the clothes.

As soon as it was taken out of the box, Meng Lingyao felt that the room was suddenly a little brighter.

It is Yunling brocade, known as "an inch of brocade is worth an inch of gold". Dyed to a perfect red, it is like a touch of rouge on a beautiful woman's lips. Gold thread is embroidered into begonia flowers, which are dazzling and extremely beautiful.

"Let me see it on."

Meng Lingyao responded and changed as instructed.

She rarely wears such vibrant colors; they are too heavy and inevitably make her appear less ethereal and lacking the otherworldly elegance that people admire.

Standing in front of the bronze mirror, Meng Lingyao could hardly look away and had to admit that the princess had excellent taste and the clothes were also very nice.

She thought carefully about incorporating these colors into future garments. Even if she didn't wear them out, she would still be happy to look at them.

The eldest princess openly admired the girl in front of the mirror.

Meng Lingyao was the daughter of Meng Yan, the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices.

There were too many younger generations in the capital, and she didn't remember them all, but the girl in front of her was one of them. Like most girls nowadays, she liked to wear flowing white dresses with wide sleeves, but she was beautiful, with black hair, fair skin, and a slender figure, and she stood out even in the white dress.

Perhaps it's because she's getting older, but she's increasingly drawn to brighter colors. So, on a whim, she asked someone to bring her this dress, and to her surprise, it suited her even better than she had imagined.

The eldest princess nodded in satisfaction, "Not bad."

Meng Lingyao was also very satisfied, her cheeks slightly flushed and her eyes sparkling. She hadn't had much contact with the Princess, only seeing her a few times at banquets, but judging from what she had just seen, the Princess was decisive and efficient. She didn't say anything humble or polite, and gracefully gave a curtsy.

"It's all thanks to the Princess's good judgment that I benefited from her."

The eldest princess chuckled and then invited her to have tea.

The tea-drinking area was a viewing pavilion. When Meng Lingyao arrived with the princess, tea was already being brewed in the pavilion. Pei Xu sat on one of the bamboo stools, wearing a striking crimson robe with wide sleeves that accentuated his handsome face. However, his expression was aloof and indifferent, reminiscent of red plum blossoms after a snowfall.

Upon seeing the two arrive, Pei Xu rose and respectfully greeted the Princess, then cupped his hands in a gesture of respect to Meng Lingyao. His eyes remained fixed downwards, not glancing at the two women, his manners impeccable and impeccable.

Meng Lingyao returned the greeting, then expressionlessly looked away, staring down at her own red sleeves. She inexplicably felt that perhaps it wasn't him who liked red.

Someone else actually prefers red.

Good-looking people always bring joy, and when they appear in pairs, that joy is doubled. The Princess sat down in a good mood, noticing with keen insight that the young lady from the Meng family was sitting in the seat furthest from Pei Xu, and her face didn't show the usual shyness, but rather... a faint...?

She was even less attractive than her eldest nephew.

interesting.

As far as she knew, Pei Xu was very popular in the capital, and she had received countless messages, both overt and covert, inquiring about his marriage.

It turns out that some people look down on him.

With a hint of amusement in her eyes, the princess picked up her teacup. "The tea is ready. Miss Meng, please don't stand on ceremony. Try it and see if you like it."

"The Princess's tea must be excellent. Thanks to that rabbit, I am truly fortunate to have such a delicious meal today."

Meng Lingyao happily picked up the teacup, savoring the familiar aroma of pine. She thought to herself, "The Princess is truly devoted."

"It seems that brewing tea with snow water from pine trees has become quite fashionable in the capital recently, and it was a method that originated from my residence." The Princess seemed to find it interesting and shared slowly, "Actually, it was an accident that day. It was just that a guest in my residence said that even ancient books record this, and that pine resin snow water is most suitable for venison. I was fortunate enough to indulge in this refined practice."

"It's said to be recorded in 'Shan Jia Qing Gong' (山家清供)," the aunt serving nearby added with a smile.

""Shanjia Qinggong"?"

Pei Xu looked up at the small stove for brewing tea, pondered for a few seconds, and said with certainty, "There is no such thing in the book."

Meng Lingyao gripped the teacup tightly in her hand, then slowly loosened it, a blush creeping silently onto the tips of her ears.

Okay, this is their fourth holiday.

She lowered her eyes and silently made another note.

The princess's eyes flickered slightly. She took a sip of tea, said nothing, and the corners of her lips inexplicably curved upwards again.

The aunt was stunned for a moment, then said after regaining her senses, "This servant is clumsy and may have remembered it wrong."

"It's a mistake, it's not a big deal." The eldest princess brushed it off lightly.

Meng Lingyao turned her gaze outside the pavilion, trying to find some new topics to talk about.

The pavilion was built on a high place, offering a panoramic view of the entire villa. Surprisingly, instead of exquisite pavilions and towers, there was a large training ground with neatly arranged targets and weapon racks.

“Your Highness, this place is quite unique.” She carefully chose her words.

The eldest princess followed her gaze and said, "I practice my skills when I have nothing to do. It's too restrictive in the city; it's much more comfortable here."

“That’s true.” Meng Lingyao nodded in agreement. “My maternal grandparents’ family also set up a martial arts training ground. My cousins ​​were fine when they were young, but as they grew up, they always complained that the place was too small and they couldn’t show off their skills.”

"Yes. In the Princess's residence, the targets are usually set at a distance of ten zhang, but here they can be set at a distance of more than thirty zhang." They can also go out and find some moving targets.

Thinking of the little girl who had fallen to the ground in fright, the eldest princess remained silent and didn't say the rest of her sentence.

“No wonder Your Highness’s archery skills are so exquisite,” Meng Lingyao said with sudden realization. “It’s the result of your daily diligent practice.”

The eldest princess joked, "I dare not accept the word 'exquisite' in front of Yanxing."

Pei Xu replied in a formal tone, "Your Highness is too kind; I am unworthy of such praise."

The eldest princess clicked her tongue softly, presumably meaning "boring".

Having said that, it would be inappropriate not to answer.

Meng Lingyao's lips curled down almost imperceptibly, her smile impeccable. "I have also heard that Lord Pei is a master archer, capable of hitting a willow leaf from a hundred paces away."

Pei Xu was about to say something more when the princess interrupted him, "Why would they need to be praised like that? These are things that men should naturally know."

"Does Miss Meng know how to shoot arrows?"

Meng Lingyao spread her hands, her eyelashes drooping, revealing a hint of natural shyness. "I tried it for a few days when I was little, but I gave up when my palms got raw."

A cool fingertip suddenly touched her palm, and Meng Lingyao's eyes widened in surprise.

As if that wasn't enough, the princess squeezed them a couple more times and agreed, "Such delicate hands really shouldn't suffer like this."

The princess's movements were sudden, and Pei Xu subconsciously turned his gaze towards her. His eyes lingered on her hands for a moment, but were blinded by the handful of snow-white flesh before he looked away.

Meng Lingyao almost stammered, "...This subject is naturally lazy, please forgive me, Your Highness."

The princess then laughed a few more times in agreement.

She smiled more often today, which even caught the attention of her aunt who was brewing tea. She glanced at her several times, her eyes gentle yet containing a hint of barely perceptible sadness.

The eldest princess was a very interesting person. Unlike most royal women, who, despite their seemingly approachable demeanor, still possessed an underlying arrogance, Meng Lingyao was reminded of her mother several times while talking to her.

Her mother came from a military family and loved martial arts from a young age. It is likely that the princess also enjoyed practicing martial arts, and thus they shared a similar carefree and unpretentious personality.

They chatted for quite a while without realizing it, mostly the two women talking, while Pei Xu seemed more like a decoration placed in a corner of the pavilion by the eldest princess.

Looking up at the sky, Meng Lingyao got up to say goodbye.

“It’s getting late. If we don’t go back soon, the Xie family girl might think you’ve been carried off by wolves in the mountains.”

She ordered two food boxes to be filled with snacks and some fresh fruit, and casually said, "I'm too old to eat these. You take them back." Then she turned to Pei Xu and said, "The mountain road is difficult to travel, you take it to Lingyao."

Pei Xu nodded slightly.

Meng Lingyao's eyelashes trembled slightly. Of course, she was unwilling, but she had no reason to refuse the princess's kindness. She curtsied and said, "Thank you, Princess... thank you, Lord Pei."

When she went out, Meng Lingyao only took the indigo leaf with her.

On the return journey, they brought a cartload of food and a young official named Pei Shaoqing who rode alongside them on horseback.

She sat in the carriage, leaning against the window, resting her chin on her hand in thought. Could it be that she was the one who went out hunting?

“Miss,” Songlan lowered her voice and leaned closer, “What kind of work do you think Shen Xiaoshan can do at the Dali Temple? He’s not even fully grown yet. I’ve heard that if you do heavy physical labor when you’re young, you won’t grow tall. Perhaps…”

She pointed outside the carriage, "Ask this gentleman?"

Meng Lingyao nodded. Song Lan was right. Shen Xiaoshan was only about the same height as the petite woman, not even as tall as her. They should be more careful.

Sitting up straight, Meng Lingyao lowered her eyes and straightened the folds of her clothes. She then had Songlan look her over to make sure there was nothing wrong. After confirming that there was nothing amiss, she gently knocked on the window lattice and peeked out from behind the embroidered curtain, "Lord Pei."

Pei Xu shook the reins, and the black horse drew closer to the carriage. "Miss Meng, what brings you here?"

"I have a question I would like to ask Lord Pei. I wonder what kind of work Shen Xiaoshan is doing at the Dali Temple now?"

“Shen Xiaoshan is literate and is currently assisting with document recording.”

"He is only thirteen years old." Seeking a favor, Meng Lingyao smiled sincerely, her dark eyes fixed intently on Pei Xu. "I beg Lord Pei... to take care of him."

The voice was soft and gentle, like snowflakes drifting away in the wind.

This trick always works and rarely fails. Last time, my cousin actually brought out my maternal grandfather's treasured ancient sword, which she played with for quite a while. Even after being beaten and running all over the yard, he still couldn't confess to her.

Thinking of this, the smile on her lips became even more sincere.

Pei Xu turned his head and looked straight ahead at the road. "He is already thirteen years old. Someone who can travel alone from Wu County to the capital should not be treated as a child."

Meng Lingyao bit her lip. It would have been better if this hadn't been mentioned, because it made her angry and her tone became anything but pleasant.

"Lord Pei certainly has a good plan. Sending a child from Wu County to the capital alone, what if something happens to him..."

“The Lu family has spies all over the official roads.” Pei Xu remained unhurried. “It’s safer for him to blend in with the refugees. He has the Dali Temple’s secret mark on him, and he has people secretly looking after him along the way.”

"Moreover, with him outside, the Lu family is more likely to expose their true colors."

Meng Lingyao loosened her grip on the curtain. "Why didn't you say so sooner?"

Pei Xu glanced at her but did not reply.

Meng Lingyao realized that her words were somewhat unreasonable. She had not asked before, nor was she Pei Xu's superior, so Pei Xu had no reason to explain everything to her.

She took a breath almost imperceptibly, put on a smile again, and was about to speak—

One of the wheels suddenly got stuck in the mud, and the car lurched. Meng Lingyao grabbed the window frame, and Pei Xu almost simultaneously reached out to steady the window. Their fingertips just touched the carved wooden frame for a moment.

It was a warmth completely different from the princess's hand just now, as if there was a thin layer of calluses on it, and Meng Lingyao was stunned.

Pei Xu quickly withdrew his hand, as if he had been burned.

Meng Lingyao came to her senses, a surge of inexplicable emotions welling up inside her, which was quickly overshadowed by anger.

Well, why does this guy seem so disgusted?

They really don't know what's good for them!

She spends tens of taels of silver every month to carefully maintain her hands!

"I'm so sorry, miss, the snow covered the pit, I didn't see it." The coachman's voice was filled with panic.

Meng Lingyao sat up straight, her fingers clenching the handkerchief, and replied, "It's alright, just be more careful later."

"Yes, yes, I will be careful."

"Be careful." Pei Xu left a word of advice, patted the horse's back, and the magnificent black horse silently moved to the front of the carriage.

Meng Lingyao threw aside the sedan curtain, thinking that he should say it to the coachman.

A note from the author:

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