Chapter 76 Believe me or not, I'll cleave your Bright Moon Pavilion in two with one sword...
When Wang Yan rushed back to Yangzhou, she didn't see Li Changling, who had sent the message, but instead saw the dying man watering the peonies. Despite a premonition that it was a lie, she returned without hesitation.
Yan Xun, who had met Wang Yan during his travels, heard about this and came to see Shen Minghuai one last time. At that moment, the man nearing his end stood before him, emanating a ghostly aura. When her tender, affectionate gaze fell upon him, she instantly transformed.
"Hey—Why did you leave, sister?" Yan Xun had just followed Wang Yan into the Wanchun Garden when he chased after her.
Wang Yan hadn't taken two steps when she suddenly remembered that this was her home. She immediately turned around and walked straight inside.
"Uncle Sun, see the guest out."
As Wang Yan passed Shen Minghuai, she was suddenly grabbed by two hands. He was standing right next to her, within arm's reach, and the comforting scent of cedar and jasmine vanished.
Since he had unexpectedly entered her line of sight, she hadn't looked at him once more. Shen Minghuai lowered his voice and said, "Aying...may I—"
Wang Yan broke free from his grasp and said coldly, "Young Master Shen, we're not that close. Please treat me with courtesy and don't break the rules."
Now Yan Xun's strength was terrifying. Wang Yan forcefully pulled his hand back and warned him, "You go out too."
Yan Xun glanced at Shen Minghuai, then shouted at Wang Yan, "Sister, you're so heartless! You accompanied me on trips for months, and then abandoned me as soon as we got home—what are you looking at!"
Yan Xun walked up to Shen Minghuai, trying to stand on tiptoe to look him in the eye. "So what if you're a little taller than me? Sis—" Before she could finish her harsh words, Shen Minghuai grabbed her by the collar and dragged her away.
"'You go out too,' don't you understand?"
After driving the two men away, they didn't appear before her for several days. As soon as Wang Yan entered Linjiangxian, Mai Zi tearfully expressed her longing for her employer in the accounting room, yet she reported on the year's business situation without any ambiguity.
The accounts were only half settled when Manager Fu rushed in to report, "Master, Young Master Xie is here again!"
On the main road outside Linjiangxian Gate, the betrothal gifts brought by Xie Yu stretched for thirty feet. The procession carried a thousand taels of gold, a hundred bolts of brocade, a hundred jars of Jinbo wine, a hundred acres of fertile land, two Jian kiln black-glazed rabbit fur cups, a plaque of Guzhu purple bamboo shoots, and three land deeds for shops facing the street in the east of the city...
Not only were onlookers stunned, but even Wang Yan himself was taken aback when he saw this scene. The previous two times, he had brought a family heirloom jade or a tea set to propose marriage, but this time the commotion was so grand that the whole city of Yangzhou had come to watch. Guests who were going to or had already entered Linjiangxian rushed out into the street, walking from one end to the other, carefully examining all the betrothal gifts.
Wang Yan's face alternated between pale and flushed, completely oblivious to Shen Minghuai emerging from the group. Suppressing his anger, he ordered Xie Yu to take all the items...
They sent it back, stole a horse from the Xie family, and headed straight for Mingyue Tower.
Xie Yu, disregarding the two wild geese that had died for no reason, arrived on horseback with his guards. The signboard of Mingyue Tower had already been broken in two and fallen to the ground. The manager was wailing and demanding compensation from Wang Yan. Upon seeing the young master, he hurriedly grabbed his leg and shouted that this man was not to be married.
Wang Yan slowly raised his arm, pointing his sword at Xie Family Restaurant, "If you continue to act recklessly, believe me, I'll cleave your Bright Moon Restaurant in two with one sword."
Xie Yu immediately stepped in front of Mingyue Tower, saying urgently, "If you were to cleave Mingyue Tower in two with one sword, my life would be in danger. Why won't you believe I'm being sincere?"
Wang Yan laid out the facts before him, saying, "You just dislike me, not that you like me."
Xie Yu didn't believe it. Thinking about someone every day, isn't that just liking them?
"Then tell me, what is 'liking'? Does his feeling towards you mean he likes you?"
Shen Minghuai, who had been watching from the sidelines for a long time, was suddenly pointed at, but before he could speak, Wang Yan spoke first.
"It's not about liking someone." If you like someone or love someone, you won't abandon them easily.
Wang Yan turned around and glanced at him before leaving Mingyue Tower.
She thought he would disappear for several days again, but this time Shen Minghuai chased after her and shamelessly insisted on staying at Wanchun Garden as a cook.
"Wanchun Garden does not need a cook."
Shen Minghuai grasped her sleeve, lowered his head, and confessed, "It's me who needs you. I lost my purse yesterday and can't stay at an inn anymore. In the capital, I couldn't sleep at night, but I could only sleep well when I saw you. Please let me stay, okay?"
She shouldn't have turned back. Seeing his unbelievably handsome face and his pitiful appearance, she was easily blinded by his good looks and let him take advantage of her. When Wang Yan came to her senses, she was already sitting in front of his large table of delicacies.
Li Changling only learned upon returning to the city that evening that his position had been taken by a chef surnamed Shen. This chef was adept at pleasing Wang Yan, preparing a variety of dishes for every meal, both visually appealing and delicious, fulfilling all his employer's needs with utmost patience. However, since Chef Shen took over Wanchun Garden, the dining table that usually served to two people had become a table for four.
Yan Xun kept recounting the interesting stories of his travels with Wang Yan, and Shen Minghuai kept piling food into his bowl, but he couldn't shut him up, so he finally stuffed a large steamed bun into his mouth. Yan Xun took two bites, choked, and kept drinking water to calm himself down, and finally the table became quiet.
These days, Wang Yan has spent less time at Wanchun Garden than the two who claim to be guests. During the day, she's always busy, either at Linjiangxian, at Shangguan Family Incense Shop, or away from the city for two days before returning. Li Changling doesn't know what she's been up to; she's always accompanied by someone from Buxizhou. Shen Minghuai is now more like the garden's steward than the old man at the Sun residence, managing everything impeccably. He's nurtured the flowers and plants to a vibrant state, bringing life to Wanchun Garden.
Wang Yan loved the peony garden most of all, and would sit by it for half an hour every day to admire it, though he actually spent half that time staring at the flowers in a daze. Unfortunately, he would never see the beauty of Danxiang Garden again. It is said that someone bought the garden at a high price and it will never be open to the public again.
A month passed peacefully, and they spent very little time together, but Wang Yan still decided not to keep him any longer.
Upon learning of this, Shen Minghuai frowned slightly and asked in a low voice, "Is it because my cooking doesn't suit your taste?"
In fact, she ate very well this month and gained a full three pounds!
Wang Yan pursed his lips and said, "That's not true. Young Master Shen holds an important position and shouldn't linger outside for too long. He should return to the capital as soon as possible to share the burdens of the new emperor. Only after he is reinstated next year can he seek a better future. There is nothing here that you want."
"The person I care about is right in front of me, where else can I go?" Shen Minghuai looked at her steadily and gently held her hand.
Two years had passed, and he had become increasingly shameless. Wang Yan's heart stirred slightly, but she abruptly looked away, uttered a few indistinct words, and ran off.
An urgent letter from Xinzhou was delivered to Yang, the leader of the Unmoored Boat, and then handed to Li Changling. Ling Qieting, the senior brother of the Righteous Alliance, and Qu Zhen, the daughter of the Alliance Leader, will be getting married on the 20th of next month. Li Changling and Wang Yan are invited to attend the ceremony.
The weasel offering New Year's greetings to the chicken was up to no good. Wang Yan originally wanted to refuse on Li Changling's behalf, but he said that this marriage was a good one, as many influential figures in the martial arts world would be attending, and there was a friend he hadn't seen in a long time, so he could take this opportunity to meet him.
"But last time it was their people—"
Li Changling seemed to care nothing for the person who nearly killed him; he felt no hatred whatsoever, let alone revenge.
"It wasn't the alliance leader's idea. Who could have predicted a traitor within the alliance? They apologized later, didn't they?"
Wang Yan snorted coldly, "Does an apology really buy a life? They're all hypocrites. If you insist on going, then I'll go too."
"I'll go too."
"I'm going too!"
Li Changling glanced back at the two who had just put down their chopsticks. "Why are you meddling in this?"
“Xinzhou, is that so? Our ancestral temple is in Xinzhou. Can’t I go back to visit it?” Yan Xun’s words made some sense.
Wang Yan's gaze fell back on Shen Minghuai, who slowly uttered a meaningless remark.
"After a long and tiring journey, you need someone to take care of you, and I am the most suitable person to do so."
Yan Xun smirked, "What a lame excuse?"
Just as Wang Yan turned to leave, Shen Minghuai hurriedly added, "I can't live without her. Is Madam Wang really going to abandon me alone?"
Wang Yan didn't agree to either of them. On the carriage heading towards Xinzhou, the couples still managed to make up a pair, and the four of them set off neatly. Who could blame her for falling for his charms...
They traveled from Jiangning Prefecture to Xinzhou a month in advance, arriving in the city ten days before the wedding banquet. Li Changling decided to stay in the city for a few days before heading up the mountain.
They would rather wait an hour than make someone wait a quarter of an hour for an appointment. This seemed to be a habit ingrained in the Yue people, except that there were others who didn't want to arrive ten days early like them.
Wang Yan found the most famous restaurant in the city, and the four of them were enjoying their meal when a pungent smell of gunpowder hit them, completely ruining their appetite. The two they had met last time at least had used soap to mask the odor, but these three seemed to have been launched from cannons with a bang. They were covered in soot and smelled terrible.
Customers kept complaining, so the manager had to ask them to move to a private room, but the people at Bi Huo Gong were not happy and insisted on eating in the main hall.
“What kind of logic is it for the shopkeeper to look down on customers? If you look down on us江湖客 (jianghu ke, a term referring to people from the martial arts world), then don’t serve us! He, he, she, they, why don’t you let them in—” Wu Baihu suddenly lowered his voice, “Xuan, look at those people, isn’t that Li Changling?”
Ding Xuanwu glanced in that direction and said, "Tiger, I can't see clearly either."
Bi Niu trembled as he moved behind Ding Zhu. "Both of you, this is Li Changling."
As the tiger's body trembled, the tortoise shell also shook. Wu Baihu squinted his eyes hard. "The woman next to him is Wang Qingyue?"
Bi Niu quickly glanced at it again, "It is said that Wang Qingyue is ugly and usually wears a mask, so that's definitely not true."
The three of them unknowingly followed the innkeeper to the door of the private room, as if no argument had just taken place. Wu Baihu was filled with regret that the person wasn't Wang Qingyue, otherwise he would definitely want to see the renowned Falling Flower Sword Technique. Upon hearing this, Bi Niu was so frightened that he almost tripped and fell. Li Changling was sitting downstairs, and he didn't want to die.
The three had barely sat down when incense burners were quickly placed in every corner of the private room. The incense seemed to have a calming effect, and their inner restlessness vanished instantly. Just as the dishes were served, someone even more agitated than the two of them appeared.
"Where is Wang Yan?!" Ye Can strode into Gengxianlou with his sword in hand, followed by a disciple of the Righteous Alliance.
"Where is Wang Yan?!"
The innkeeper hurriedly came forward and invited him to sit down. "Young Master Ye, are you here today to look for someone?"
Ignoring the shopkeeper's flattery, Ye Can fixed her gaze on Wang Yan sitting inside, stormed over, and shouted angrily, "Shameless hussy! It's not enough to seduce your husband's son, you have to try and seduce your senior brother too! The Wang family—"
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