Chapter 1: Lu Mansion Banquet
Recently, a cousin came to the Duke's Mansion. In order to welcome her and introduce her to the dignitaries in Kyoto, the Duke's Mansion specially held a banquet.
In early summer, the breeze is not dry and birds are chirping on the branches.
In the east courtyard of the Duke's Mansion, a Cuju game was in full swing.
In the center of the courtyard stood a three-meter-high bamboo pole with a Fengliuyan on it, and there were twelve people on each side.
This group of young men in brocade robes and jade belts tucked the corners of their clothes into their waists, each of them trying their best to win. For no other reason than that the courtyard corridors were full of noble ladies, and they didn't want to lose and be embarrassed.
"The young master scored another goal?!"
"It's a fluke! It must be a fluke!"
Due to Lu Qian's bad reputation in Kyoto, the ladies present bet a lot of money on him to lose. Seeing Lu Qian score several goals in a row, the ladies were frightened.
Lu Yu held her cousin's arm and wondered, "Did he take some medicine today that made his kicks so accurate?"
Song Lingyi said nothing and looked at the person being talked about amidst the sighs.
The young man was in high spirits on the Cuju field. He nimbly avoided the obstruction of several people and kicked the ball accurately into Fengliu's eye.
Cheers suddenly rang out in the stadium.
The young man in brocade robe was breathing heavily, wiping the sweat from his chin with his sleeve. His auspicious phoenix eyes looked towards the corridor inconspicuously, and among the group of gorgeous ladies, he accurately found that touch of yellow.
Their eyes met.
Lu Qian curled his thin lips slightly, raised his eyebrows, and silently provoked.
"……"boring.
Song Lingyi rolled her eyes secretly and said to Lu Yu beside her: "Ayu, I still have to go to my grandmother's place, so I won't read it. Do you want to come with me?"
"No, cousin, you go first. I'll come find you later." Lu Yu was reluctant to leave. She had bet on both sides and was determined to see it through to the end.
Lu Qian was playing uncharacteristically today, playing extraordinarily aggressively, making it difficult for the opponent to score. The ladies in the corridors were aroused, and the cheers that gradually rose rose and fell, each wave higher than the last.
Song Lingyi frowned slightly and just wanted to cover her ears and run away.
"Okay, I'm leaving now."
She squeezed out of the crowd with difficulty and headed towards the garden.
There were many guests attending the banquet at the Duke's Mansion today. Ministers and noble ladies were greeting each other in the front yard, while noble ladies and young masters mostly gathered in the east yard to watch the Cuju game.
When Song Lingyi thought of this game, she felt very depressed.
She didn't know what drug Lu Qian had taken the night before, but he insisted on betting with her, saying that as long as he won the game, she would agree to something. Under his persistence, she had no choice but to agree.
Anyway, agreeing is one thing, fulfilling it is another. This person has always been erratic. If she makes some unreasonable demands, such as asking her to leave Kyoto, there is no way she will really leave.
Going to see his grandmother was just an excuse. The victory was already decided, and Song Lingyi didn't want to stay there and watch him show off.
Song Lingyi sighed and walked along the gravel path with her head lowered. She kicked a slightly larger stone with her toes and rolled it forward. She didn't know how long she had walked when she heard a soft voice from the front, "Lingyi."
She looked up when she heard the voice and saw a man standing by the railing of the pavilion.
Taking a closer look, he saw that the man had a slender figure and a noble and elegant temperament. It was none other than Pei Zhao, whom he had not seen for many days.
"Brother Jianzhi?"
The depression in her heart was swept away, and Song Lingyi walked towards the pavilion with a smile on her face. Until she stood in front of Pei Zhao, she suddenly remembered the teachings of the teaching nanny, straightened her posture, and knelt down to salute.
"You look depressed. What happened?" Pei Zhao asked.
"It's Xiaobai..." He spoke too quickly. Realizing that it was not polite to speak ill of someone behind their back, Song Lingyi changed the subject and shook her head, saying, "Nothing. I was just watching my cousins playing Cuju. It was too noisy, so I came out to get some fresh air."
I heard from my cousin A Yu that Pei Zhao was a nobleman from an aristocratic family and would probably like well-educated and well-mannered women. She couldn't leave a bad impression on others.
Pei Zhao smiled and said, "I see. I thought someone was bullying you."
"Who can bully me?" Song Lingyi's eyes were like water, and her tone was soft. "It's been so long since I returned to Kyoto, and I haven't had the chance to thank you and Lian He for escorting me to the capital. Today I finally see you...you."
"No need to thank me. Madam Lu is bedridden, and as a junior, it is my duty to share her worries." Pei Zhao was polite, with a gentle smile on his handsome face.
It felt like something suddenly hit her heart, and Song Lingyi lowered her head shyly.
The two exchanged greetings for a while and the atmosphere was harmonious.
When Lu Qianxun came, he saw the girl standing next to another man, talking and laughing. This scene was like a poisoned arrow piercing his heart, causing waves of pain.
The girl who had been with him last night, and was extremely reluctant and almost slapped him, now put away all her sharp edges in front of Pei Zhao, and smiled as brightly as a summer flower.
I don’t know what the two of them said, but her eyes were curved and she was smiling happily.
Lu Qian's eyes darkened, he clenched his fists, and walked towards the pavilion.
The garden was a tranquil scene, shaded by green willows. The clear summer light filtered through the leaves, slanting across the carved bluestone slabs. The chirping of cicadas echoed as noisily as the chatter within the pavilion.
"Brother Jianzhi, when you have time next time, please recommend a few more poetry collections to me." Song Lingyi deliberately catered to the other party's preferences, not knowing that "danger" was gradually approaching.
"What poetry collection? Let me see it too."
A familiar voice sounded behind me, and from the casual tone, I could tell how reckless the person was.
Song Lingyi's shoulders trembled and she slowly turned her head. When she saw the young man in brocade robe who had appeared in the bright and elegant pavilion, her smiling face froze in an instant.
"Oh?" Pei Zhao raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised. "I haven't seen you for a few days. Young Master is also interested in poetry?"
"I wouldn't say I'm interested." Lu Qian's eyes swept over the girl lightly, and he curled his lips in a wicked smile. "When did my cousin start liking poetry? She even said before that she didn't want to take the etiquette class with the teaching nanny..."
Song Lingyi turned around and glared at him, silently accusing him, "Little pretty boy, how dare you ruin my show!"
"Lingyi has a pure nature. She doesn't like etiquette classes because she doesn't want to be bound by anything. It has nothing to do with whether she likes reading or not." Pei Zhao said gently.
Hearing Pei Zhao defending her, Song Lingyi was quite proud, as if she had won a battle, and made faces and stuck out her tongue at Lu Qian.
"You're defending her so much..." Lu Qian poked his cheek with the tip of his tongue, his phoenix eyes becoming even deeper. "Could it be that you like her?"
Those two short sentences were like thunderclaps. Song Lingyi was so panicked that she almost stopped breathing. "Little pretty boy, what are you talking about?!"
Who would come up and ask this?
Seeing the girl showing her claws and fangs like a cat whose tail was stepped on, Lu Qian smiled softly.
A very evil smile.
It’s best if you don’t like it, so you don’t have to compete with him for it.
The brief silence made Song Lingyi almost crazy.
Didn't he just leave during the match without watching it? Why was he being so petty and trying to embarrass her?!
"Lingyi and I hit it off right away and had a great time talking. As for whether I like her or not..." Pei Zhao looked at him, his brows calm. "Without a matchmaker or a matchmaker, it's frivolous. Lingyi came to the capital with me, so I should take better care of her. As a brother, how could you play such a frivolous joke on your sister?"
An ambiguous answer.
Lu Qian narrowed his dark eyes slightly, feeling it was boring.
The atmosphere inexplicably became strange, with a sense of tension in the silence.
Song Lingyi couldn't stand it anymore. She laughed dryly and turned to Pei Zhao, saying, "Brother Jianzhi, ignore him. He must have been hit in the head while playing football, so he's saying some nonsense."
The voice of 'Brother Jianzhi' coupled with the girl's smiling face was particularly glaring in Lu Qian's eyes.
"That's all right." Pei Zhao said calmly, glancing at Lu Qian. "It's time for me to go back to the front hall. Young Master, do you want to come with me?"
Lu Qian's face was expressionless, his posture casual. He didn't say a word, but his meaning was clear.
Accustomed to this man's arrogance and rudeness, Pei Zhao did not get angry and left the pavilion directly.
Song Lingyi didn't want to be alone with Lu Qian, and just as she was about to chase him, someone grabbed the back of her neck and pulled her back.
"What are you doing!" She pulled Lu Qian's hand away and glared at him, "Why do you have to do this? Did Brother Jianzhi offend you, or did I offend you?"
Lu Qian's jaw was tense, his eyelids drooped, and his expression was extremely solemn and indifferent.
Their eyes met.
No one is willing to give in to anyone else.
After a while, he took a deep breath and said in a deep voice: "Cuju, I won, it's time to fulfill my promise."
The topic changed abruptly. Song Lingyi was stunned for a moment and frowned to refuse: "No."
This person definitely has no good intentions, so she doesn't want to fall into his trap.
Lu Qian smiled, his eyes were emotionless and frighteningly cold.
"You're going back on your word today after agreeing to something last night?" He reached out and grasped the back of Song Lingyi's head, closing the distance between them. "Sister, are you kidding me?"
The posture was suffocating and intimate, and the boy's fragrant scent against the wind was about to overwhelm her.
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