Chapter 29 Don't Suffer the Bitterness of Love. In what capacity does Young Master Chen currently show concern...?
Shen Minghuai pulled her back forcefully, "The assassin last time came for the Heart Sutra. You need to be careful these days, and it's best not to go out alone."
Recalling the day he took a sword for her, the emotions she had been holding back for days began to seep out, but then she remembered what she had seen at the Yang residence, and she was furious.
Wang Yan turned around and asked, "In what capacity are you showing concern for me, Young Master Shen? Are you the young master of the Duke of Dingguo's mansion, or Young Master Shen from Yunyan Mountain?"
Shen Minghuai stood there stunned for a moment, but Wang Yan had already walked away. There was no sign of anyone following her. She gradually slowed her pace, and finally couldn't help but turn back. In the crowd, not a single person came for her. A little beggar suddenly bumped into her, falling to the ground himself. Now, however, someone did.
"Young Master!"
Hua Xin helped Shen Minghuai to the side. Shen Minghuai trembled as he took a pill from the bottle and swallowed it, finally calming down.
"Young master, you should go see a doctor."
Hua Xin was about to lead him to the clinic when Shen Minghuai was still looking in the direction Wang Yan had left.
"Madam Wang has long since disappeared. Young master, there's no need to worry; the assassin certainly wouldn't make a move in broad daylight."
The coachman was still demanding compensation from the man in white, saying that killing the ox had ruined his manhood and that his future would be difficult. The man in white didn't argue with him at all, threw down a silver ingot, and left with his sword, only pausing for a moment when he passed Shen Minghuai.
Shen Minghuai lowered his voice and told Hua Xin, "Keep a close eye on him these days."
Several days passed in the blink of an eye, and the last trace of early summer coolness dissipated. Yang Qiying went to Shen Minghuai's residence as usual to teach him to play the flute, and now he was extremely proficient at playing the Yangzhou Slow. The color of the flute she had bought a few days ago, along with a plain round fan, sat motionless on the table there.
After hesitating for a long time, Yang Qiying finally asked, "Young Master, you can also paint?"
Shen Minghuai looked over and said, "He's only learned the basics."
"May I ask who your teacher is, young master?" Although Yang Qiying had never seen him paint, judging from his connoisseurship, his teacher must be a highly accomplished scholar.
"Hengshan Jushi"
Yang Qiying was somewhat surprised, but still nodded, "So he was a hermit from Nanshan who did not care about fame or fortune."
With the Dragon Boat Festival approaching, Yang Qiying invited him to wrap zongzi (sticky rice dumplings) together, but Shen Minghuai politely declined, saying that Huaxin was thinking about the Qionghua Dew from Linjiangxian. Yang Qiying immediately understood and did not linger.
Not long after, Hua Xin and Ying Ming entered the courtyard one after the other, vying to show Shen Minghuai the peach branches, willow branches, and cattail leaves they had bought from the street. Hua Xin also brought back some sweet candies.
"In previous years, the young master would make the zongzi himself, but this year—"
Shen Minghuai brushed away Hua Xin's expectant gaze, "Let's eat at Linjiangxian tomorrow."
Hua Xin was so happy that he grabbed Ying Ming's shoulder and shook him, "Qionghua Dew!" Then he said mysteriously, "Young master, guess what the coachman did today?"
Yingming impatiently urged him to speak quickly, and Huaxin then took out a letter, saying that he had shot down the carrier pigeon.
Shen Minghuai opened the letter, his face growing increasingly grim. The driver had embellished the story of his feud with Wang Yan in the letter, saying that while they appeared to have a good relationship, they were actually not even friends in reality.
Ying Ming was shocked after reading it, "It's actually one of the King of Wei's men!"
Hua Xin breathed a sigh of relief. "Fortunately, I intercepted the letter. I wonder if the deal between the young master and Lady Wang will still go through if the letter were to actually reach the capital."
The transaction… Shen Minghuai remained silent for a long time, staring intently at the round fan.
"Young master, tomorrow is the Dragon Boat Festival. If you don't paint it now, it will be too late."
Yingming looked at Shen Minghuai, then at Huaxin, puzzled. Suddenly, there was silence, with only sunlight shining through the glass bottle, like the shimmering light on a pond.
On the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, under a bright and sunny day, Shen Minghuai and his two servants headed straight for Linjiangxian. As soon as they stepped into the shop, Mai Zi came to greet them.
"Young Master Shen, this way please! No matter what you order today, our shop will serve you a serving of fragrant glutinous rice dumplings. What would you like to eat, Young Master?"
"Then let's do as you say." Shen Minghuai looked around.
Mai Zixuan understood and said, "Young master, are you looking for the second mistress? She's not in Linjiangxian right now."
The waiter's smile was perfectly measured, as if it had been measured with a ruler. Behind him followed a child about his age. Shen Minghuai's eyes darkened. "Do you know where your second master has gone?"
Mai Zi replied, "I don't know either. I was only told that I would be away for a few days. However, the second master specifically instructed me to treat the young master well."
Seeing that Shen Minghuai's brows relaxed slightly, Mai Zi and Xiao Ma Zi went to the kitchen together.
Little Pockmarked Man whispered, "I haven't seen the Second Boss since I arrived. When did she give you the order?"
Mai Zi shushed him, "I'll teach you a trick now—read between the lines. This young master has a close relationship with our second boss; you should have known that when you saw them together that day. It's our duty to properly entertain our second boss's friend."
Is that considered a good relationship? Little Pockmarked couldn't help but wonder, but he decided to listen to Wheat anyway. That day with the oxcart was truly terrifying.
Li Changling shielded her to one side, and after the cowherd passed by, he asked, "What's wrong with you these past few days? You seem distracted."
Wang Yan casually plucked a wild grass, wrapped it around his pull, and it immediately broke in two.
"Still haven't seen anyone?" Li Changling handed her the millet stalks in his hand, then plucked a stalk from the nearby grass, wrapped it around his head, and pulled it. The two millet stalks became entangled, neither able to gain the upper hand.
I told you long ago, don't suffer the pain of love.
Wang Yan glanced at him and said, "What kind of relationship is this?"
Li Changling pondered deeply, "Could it be that you're discussing interests?"
Wang Yan harbored resentment over the Peony Banquet incident. "Isn't that right? After the Peony Banquet, how many people will believe that Father has joined the Prince of Wei's ranks? He is clearly using me."
Li Changling agreed, saying, "Your method of winning over your father is rather clumsy. However, it's probably not just him using him, is it?"
Wang Yan instinctively wanted to refute, but stammered, "I... I had no choice but to do it, and besides, it's no longer about using him. As for him? How does he see me? He comes when he's summoned and goes when he's dismissed. He didn't want to come on the day of my coming-of-age ceremony, did he? Perhaps from that moment on, he only wanted to win over my father for the sake of the Prince of Wei." As she finished speaking, she had already grasped her jade pendant in her hand.
Li Changling sternly reprimanded him: "You're starting to talk nonsense. I've seen a lot of people, and I can tell that he's not entirely without sincerity towards you."
"That pitiful sincerity, apart from you, senior brother, everyone else has it, right?" Wang Yan still didn't understand where Li Changling's hostility towards Shen Minghuai came from. Just as he was about to ask, Li Changling changed the subject again.
"Am I really that bad, your senior brother?" Li Changling knew she wouldn't listen now; the hardships she had to endure were something she had to experience herself, and there was no point in him saying more. "Why don't you come with me to Mingzhou?"
Wang Yan also disagreed, saying, "He can't be trusted right now; someone needs to follow him."
Li Changling shook his head helplessly, picked up a stone shard, and said, "Alright, alright, whatever you say. It's been a while since we played. How about we have a game?"
Wang Yan carefully selected a flat stone by the river, swung it forcefully, and more than ten ripples jumped out of the river surface. He was very pleased with himself.
Li Changling's stone slab sank into the water after less than ten leaps, and he admitted defeat, saying, "The student has surpassed the teacher."
Wang Yan recalled the first time she skipped stones on the river, which was also the first time she met Li Changling. The boy, who was about fifteen or sixteen years old, kept picking up stones and throwing them into the water. The young woman, her face streaked with tears, was attracted by his actions and tried to imitate him, but she couldn't even make a ripple.
The boy then threw out five more ripples of water and asked her loudly, "Want to learn?"
The young woman nodded obediently. The young man walked to her side, picked out a stone slab and handed it to her, saying, "Take a good look."
The boy gestured and threw the stone, which this time traveled a great distance, creating countless ripples. The young woman tried several times and finally succeeded in making the stone bounce once, then grinned at Li Changling.
Li Changling felt an inexplicable sense of kinship with this young woman he had never met before. He washed her face with water and asked, "What brings you here? Where are your family?"
The young woman replied, "I came to become their disciple, but not voluntarily, so I deliberately got separated from them."
Li Changling then asked, "Then why are you crying so hard?"
"I can't find my way back." The young woman looked aggrieved, and tears welled up in her eyes again.
"I'll take you out, where do you want to go?" Just as Li Changling was about to take her hand, a shout came from not far away.
"Aying!"
"Aying!"
The young woman smiled again, "My mother and brother have come looking for me. Goodbye, brother."
Li Changling never expected that the crybaby he met by chance would turn out to be his junior sister, who would follow him around for six years.
"Master, Mistress!" Wang Yan stepped into Yunxi Residence first.
A cool, aloof woman with her hair in a bun was preparing to put away the dried herbs. "Aying is back."
"Have you found anything?" An elderly man with a long beard walked out with his hands behind his back.
Li Changling then leisurely appeared in front of Yunxi Residence and recounted in detail the recent events in the city. "We will set off in a few days."
"Splitting up?" Ying Juntang first checked Li Changling's pulse, then placed it on Wang Yan's wrist. "Are you two taking your health seriously?"
Li Changling evaded the question by saying, "If I were to remain in seclusion for several more months, I'm afraid I might suffer a qi deviation. It would be better to go out and explore."
Wang Yan considered himself to be meticulous about his recovery. He ate on time every day, though sometimes he would miss a meal due to other commitments; he slept on time every day, though sometimes he would forget the time and sleep less…
"Serious illnesses are hard to cure, and recovery is relatively slow."
Ying Juntang reminded her, "But your illness is not just an internal injury."
It was still a heartache. That snow fox. Wang Yan concealed the sorrow in his eyes and took Ying Juntang's hand, "Master's wife, don't worry, someone is traveling with me."
Feng Huaisheng raised his voice and said, "Is it that brat named Shen Minghuai?"
"And his two guards," Wang Yan added casually, then glanced at Li Changling.
Li Changling pretended not to hear and drank his tea, "casually mentioning a couple of things."
Ying Juntang turned to collect the remaining herbs, reminding him, "Liu Huo still needs to practice, understand?"
Wang Yan patted his chest and assured them, "I practice every day, I dare not delay."
Feng Huaisheng still wouldn't let go of Shen Minghuai, saying, "That kid's talent is mediocre, but he has good taste."
Good taste?
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