Jade Ring
Dou Yanxun then raised his eyes, glanced lightly at his brother and the woman in red behind him, and then looked away after a moment, his expression as calm and undisturbed as before.
"It's obvious that the fish and shrimp in the Weihe River are smarter than usual, and they just think my bait isn't flavorful enough."
Dou Yanzhou gently rowed the boat, propelling it towards the shore, and soon brought the small boat ashore. He brushed the dust off his hands and said nonchalantly, "Second Brother is always modest."
He strode ashore and turned to reach the woman still standing on the small boat. The woman in red smiled sweetly and placed her hand in Dou Yanzhou's palm before gracefully leaping ashore.
Dou Yanxun lowered his eyes slightly, supporting his chin with his hand, his gaze mirroring the deep, clear river beneath him.
Several servants were already waiting on the shore, nodding to Dou Yanzhou. Dou Yanzhou took the clean handkerchief handed to him by his personal servant, casually wiped his hands, and then tossed the handkerchief aside. He pulled the woman close, placed a kiss on her delicate cheek, and whispered, "I'll come see you again when I'm done with my work."
Although the woman was not entirely satisfied with Dou Yanzhou's usual perfunctory attitude, she still nodded with bright eyes and smiled charmingly.
Dou Yanzhou glanced back at Dou Yanxun's small boat, which was still gently bobbing on the waves, and said with a smile, "If you're not in the mood, why force yourself? Why don't you come with me to meet some friends and relax tonight?"
Dou Yanxun then lazily sat up. With his well-defined knuckles, he skillfully retrieved the fishing rod that was placed to the side. A sharp hook was attached to the end of the extremely thin fishing line, and sure enough, a shad was pulled up with it. It was about ten inches long and extremely plump.
Shad dies as soon as they are taken out of the water, and can only be caught and eaten in the Jiangdong region in early summer. They are delicious and loved by everyone in Yuchao. He removed the hook from the fish's mouth and expressionlessly threw the fat shad back into the water.
"My elder brother is out discussing political affairs, what business is it of mine, an outsider, to get involved?"
Dou Yanxun lazily raised his head, his deep peach blossom eyes half-closed, gazing at the gradually approaching dark clouds, his eyes filled with even more coldness.
"It looks like a sudden rainstorm is coming tonight, elder brother, you should come back early."
Dou Yanzhou smiled and waved his hand dismissively, "Those guys from Longfu are all heavy drinkers. How can we stop without drinking three or five jin with them? You should stay home and spend more time with Mother. And my little sister, she's always engrossed in her books and never goes out. She won't even come out when I ask her to, which always puts me, her older brother, in a difficult position."
He turned back and pinched the waist of the obedient woman in red standing to the side before laughing and quickly leaving.
After Dou Yanzhou and his group had walked away, Dou Yanxun pushed off with the oars, mooring the somewhat dilapidated boat to the shore, and strode ashore. He looked at the woman in red, whose peach blossom eyes were deep and clear, like the first snow falling on the riverbank, shrouded in a misty haze.
"I advise Miss Yao to reconsider her intentions. Before I reach my limit of patience, please take care of yourself."
The woman in red's alluring expression gradually turned cold, a hint of nervousness flashing beneath her beautiful face, quickly masked by a touch of disdain:
"I say, Young Master Dou, it was your brother who came to provoke me. You let him behave indecently and kept quiet, but you relentlessly pressured a weak woman like me. What, is it because Dou Yanzhou always uses your name when he meets with me in secret that you're unhappy?"
Yao Niang slowly walked towards Dou Yanxun, whose face remained indifferent. Her slender, white hands brushed against his chest, and she smiled alluringly, her eyes full of seduction. "Or perhaps, you, Second Young Master Dou, have already fallen deeply in love with me, Yao Niang, and can no longer restrain yourself..."
Yao Niang was the top courtesan of Bihua Tower; her alluring voice alone could make any man's bones melt. The remaining servants exchanged bewildered glances and hurriedly lowered their heads.
Dou Yanxun grabbed Yao Niang's hand, which was still reaching downwards, and said coldly:
"Brother, you're newly married now, so it's inappropriate for you to have any dealings with brothels. I didn't care before, but if you still can't get your mind right, then don't blame me..."
He gripped Yao Niang's slender hands tightly, immobilizing her with just a slight exertion. He pressed Yao Niang against his chest, slowly leaned down, and whispered in her ear in a voice only the two of them could hear:
“There was once a girl named Sun in Bihua Tower who was just as disobedient as you.”
As soon as she finished speaking, Yao Niang's face turned deathly pale. She stammered as she spoke, but didn't know what to say. She could only desperately look at the face of the tall and handsome man in front of her. The man, however, seemed to be joking casually, and a deep sense of languor swept over her eyes in an instant.
He abruptly released his grip, and Yao Niang stumbled, nearly falling to the ground. Her once beautiful face was now ashen, and she could only point at the nonchalant man before her, uttering, "You—you—," but too shocked to speak a complete sentence.
Sun Biying! So it was he who killed Sun Biying!
.
In an instant, a gale swept in, accompanied by howling rain.
Several red candles burned in the large bedchamber, their flames flickering in the occasional breeze that seeped into the room. Feng Daizhu rested her chin on her hand, gazing at the faint candlelight before her. The interplay of light and shadow in her eyes concealed the tears welling in her eyes.
Granny Zhao stepped forward and directed the maids to close the doors and windows even tighter before draping a light pink gauze shawl over Feng Daizhu's shoulders, saying gently:
“Young Madam, there’s some lukewarm silver thread fish soup in the kitchen, as well as several newly prepared dishes, all of which are your favorite delicacies. Why don’t you have some soup to warm yourself up first? Right now, it’s pouring rain outside. Even if the eldest young master sets off from the west of the city right now, he probably won’t be able to get back until the rain subsides in the middle of the night.”
Feng Daizhu lowered her eyes and said worriedly, "She said she would come back to be with me as soon as she finished her business before leaving today, but she still got stuck in this heavy rain. She's never careful and makes me worry for no reason."
Granny Zhao calmly comforted him, "This young master is always busy with political affairs. Although he worries that you are alone in your empty room, he only regrets that he cannot advance in both areas at the same time. I think the young master is a very thoughtful person. He is probably just waiting for his career to go more smoothly in the future so that he can earn more money for you to spend."
Feng Daizhu then showed a slight hint of relief, but it was only a faint smile, which quickly turned into a bitter, melancholic one.
"How could I possibly expect him to be so ambitious? It would only wear him out and break his health, and it would still break my heart. It's fine on ordinary days, but today is my birthday, and he doesn't even seem to care. Since I married into the family, I've only spent three or four days with him in total; the rest of the time I'm alone. In my opinion, life in the Central Plains isn't necessarily better than in the North. I'd rather..."
Before she could finish speaking, Granny Zhao hurriedly advised, "Young Madam, you mustn't say such things! Don't wallow in self-pity, lest others overhear and start gossip."
Feng Daizhu stared at the flickering red candle for a moment, then felt weary and stood up to rest on the bed beside her. Just as she slowly rose, she heard the sound of a young maid running quickly towards her from outside the window:
"Young Madam, the eldest young master is back. He just got off the carriage and asked if you were asleep as soon as he entered. He didn't even have time to dry his mostly wet body before he came to our backyard!"
Feng Daizhu looked delighted and gazed straight at the misty rain outside the window. A maid was already waiting outside the door, holding up the curtain. Before long, she heard a man's hurried footsteps approaching. Dou Yanzhou walked in, reeking of alcohol. Just as the maid had said, his brocade robe was mostly soaked by the downpour.
He looked at his newlywed wife, who had been waiting for a long time, smiled gently, and then embraced Feng Daizhu, who was full of worry and heartache.
"It's raining so hard, why rush home? You could have found somewhere to take shelter and come back when the rain subsided." Feng Daizhu felt his clothes were soaked and cold, and her heart ached for him.
Dou Yanzhou had drunk quite a bit that evening, and for a moment he could barely stand. He leaned on his strength to hold his wife in his arms even tighter. He lowered his head and gently kissed Feng Daizhu's blushing cheeks, and the strong smell of alcohol swept over him.
"I have a beautiful wife at home, so what does it matter if she gets a little rain?"
Seeing this, Granny Zhao and the others all smiled and quietly withdrew.
At least, the young mistress won't cry tonight.
.
Back to the elegant residence.
Dou Yanxun lay lazily on a bamboo chair. The doors and windows of the room were half open, and the rain showed no signs of letting up, with drops of water seeping in from outside.
He was toying with a jade pendant made of green jade in his hand, which occasionally made a tinkling sound as the jade touched the rosewood table.
In the distance, two maids, Jiaohan and Jiaorui, gazed eagerly at Dou Yanxun's hand as he played with the jade ring.
Whenever the second young master was in a bad mood, he would take out this jade ring and examine it carefully. After a while, he would pour himself a drink, and then he would become slightly tipsy, and then...
This is a once-in-a-century opportunity.
Jiaohan and Jiaorui exchanged a glance, both already itching to make a move. Sure enough, after a short while, Dou Yanxun stopped what he was doing, placed the jade ring in his palm, and gently ordered, "Bring me a pot of wine."
Jiao Rui immediately said happily, "This servant will go right away." Jiao Han was not to be outdone, and quickly followed Jiao Rui out of the room.
Dou Yanxun watched the two figures leave, a faint hint of murderous intent flashing in his eyes.
He extended three fingers and tapped lightly on the edge of the table, making an extremely faint tapping sound. A moment later, a man in black climbed in through the window.
The man, dressed in black, cupped his hands in a fist salute and said, "Young Master."
Dou Yanxun raised his eyes to look at the man, but before he could ask any questions, the man softly reported:
"Just as the young master predicted, after the eldest young master finished his business with Longfu and the others, he returned to Bihua Tower, just like before," the man paused, looked up at Dou Yanxun's expression, and then added softly, "with your name."
Dou Yanxun remained calm and composed, simply asking, "Will Yao Niang still dare to open the door?"
"Young Master is wise. Yao Niang must have been frightened by you today. She just claimed to be sick and stayed at home. The eldest young master waited for a while, but was rather disappointed. He sat in the hall and drank some wine for a while before rushing home."
Dou Yanxun nodded slightly and said calmly amidst the torrential rain, "Very good. If she dares to act recklessly again in the future, you can handle it."
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