Chapter Thirty-Eight: My younger brother is just someone I'm going to get tricked.
Several days have passed, and in Qingfeng Courtyard, the morning light is faint.
Li Bao'er changed into a simple, moon-white ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), made of the finest soft gauze, which made her skin appear as smooth and lustrous as jade.
She wore only a light blue silk ribbon around her waist, from which hung her precious Abebe jade pendant. Her hair was not adorned with gold or jade, but loosely tied up with a sandalwood hairpin, with two soft strands of hair hanging down by her temples, adding a touch of languid casualness.
She dabbed at her lipstick in front of the bronze mirror, then dabbed a little rouge on her fingertip and gently blended it at the corner of her eyes, making her almond-shaped eyes appear even clearer and brighter.
Linglong, holding the sachet beside her, couldn't help but exclaim, "Miss, you look even more stunning today than in your usual finery. The title of the most beautiful woman in the capital is truly well-deserved!"
Just as Li Bao'er was about to speak, a series of hurried footsteps came from outside the courtyard, and then Li Yu rushed in, her forehead still covered in a thin layer of sweat: "Sister! You're finally awake!"
As soon as he entered the room, his gaze fell on Li Bao'er. He was stunned for a moment, then exaggeratedly clutched his chest and took two steps back: "Oh no, oh no, if Sister goes out looking like this today, she'll probably leave all the worshippers at Longhua Temple speechless!"
Li Bao'er rolled her eyes at him, picked up the ruyi scepter beside her and lightly tapped him on the forehead: "Stop talking nonsense! Why are you running so fast so early in the morning?"
Li Yu leaned closer with a grin: "Isn't it because you're afraid your older sister will leave you behind and run away by yourself?"
When the two arrived at the door, they happened to run into Li Xiangyuan, who was dressed in a crimson official robe and was preparing to go to court.
Seeing the two children behaving improperly at the gate of the mansion early in the morning, Li Xiangyuan frowned and flicked his official sleeve: "You two are good-for-nothings all day long, what kind of behavior is this, playing around at the gate?! Where are you two going to fool around today!"
Just a second ago, she was grinning widely, making Li Yu roll his eyes. Seeing his older sister looking up at the sky, showing no intention of responding, Li Yu reluctantly turned around: "Father, are you well? Today, the Imperial Preceptor is hosting a banquet at Longhua Temple, inviting nobles from the capital to attend."
After saying that, he couldn't help but add, "Didn't your eldest son, Li Zhou, tell you about his schedule today?"
Li Bao'er couldn't help but chuckle to herself; Li Yu's mouth was getting sharper and sharper.
Li Zhou had always been obedient to Li Xiangyuan since childhood, and he would report his daily schedule to him. This behavior was exactly what Li Xiangyuan wanted, after all, the prime minister who could command the wind and rain in the court loved to keep everyone in his grasp.
But unfortunately, none of his wife's relatives obeyed him.
Li Xiangyuan was visibly taken aback upon hearing this. Zhou'er had mentioned this matter to him yesterday, but he was preoccupied with the Crown Prince's affairs and hadn't paid attention.
Thinking of Zhou'er's punishment a few days ago because of Li Bao'er, and how he was still not fully recovered, she felt a pang of heartache. "You two take Zhou'er with you; he's still not well."
Just as Li Yu was about to retort, Li Bao'er pulled him back. Looking at his older sister's sly expression, he knew that she was about to do something naughty again.
Li Bao'er stepped forward, smiling exceptionally obediently, and readily agreed, "Father is right. Then we will wait here for our younger brother to set off together. It's getting late, Father, please go to court soon, lest we delay important matters."
Her quick agreement made Li Xiangyuan uneasy, feeling that the girl was being too kind today.
But the time for court was already upon him, so he glanced at the two men suspiciously, then turned away, got into his sedan chair, and left.
*
The carriage bumped along the rugged mountain road, and Li Bao'er's temples throbbed from the jolting. She glanced furtively at Li Zhou, who was huddled in the corner, her almond-shaped eyes flashing, and a sly smile curved her lips.
"Li Zhou, why didn't Li Yan accompany you today?" she asked, feigning concern, her fingertips lightly tapping the chair.
Li Zhou slightly raised his eyelids, his expression displeased. He wondered what these two were up to. As soon as they stepped out, he had dragged them into their carriage, and all he wanted now was to end this agonizing journey as soon as possible.
"She and Miss Gu set off first," the tone was cold and distant.
"I see..." Li Bao'er drawled out the last syllable, and continued as if casually, "How's the copying of the scriptures going? Have you learned how to respect your elder sister?" Li Bao'er didn't cut straight to the point, but asked slowly like this.
"Li Bao'er!" Li Zhou frowned, his hands unconsciously clenching in his sleeves. "What exactly are you trying to say?"
Li Bao'er had actually noticed that Li Zhou, who appeared calm and refined to outsiders, was always a fiery temper that couldn't be easily teased in front of her: "Is it wrong to care about your younger brother? Or do you want me to talk about your secret meeting with Miss Gu at Zuixianlou last month in front of everyone?"
Li Zhou's expression changed drastically.
How did she know about this?! He was clearly hiding his whereabouts!
"You were following me?!" Li Zhou's face darkened, his voice filled with suppressed anger.
Li Yu scoffed dismissively, "Who do you think you are? Following you? What a nerve! Blame your gossipy servant for telling everyone that his master is trying to climb the social ladder by marrying into the family of the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review."
He couldn't resist adding insult to injury, "Hey, I heard the Gu family only has one daughter? Are they planning to recruit you as their son-in-law?"
Li Zhou's hands, clenched tightly in his sleeves, turned white. He was determined to tear that servant's mouth apart when he got back!
"You don't really believe such baseless rumors, do you?" Li Zhou remained calm and looked directly at Li Bao'er, who was pretending to be asleep.
Upon hearing this, Li Bao'er chuckled and opened her eyes. "What a pity, A-Yu and I are just that foolish. Linglong didn't come today, and we're short of someone to serve us. Good brother, why don't you take care of your sister?"
Li Zhou's face immediately turned ashen, his fingertips unconsciously digging into his palms. He coldly raised his eyes and said, "Don't even think about it."
Li Bao'er wasn't annoyed by his words. Instead, she smiled and rested her chin on her hand: "Oh dear, are you rejecting me? You don't know that I'm prone to talking nonsense when I'm upset. What if I don't like you at the banquet later?"
She deliberately dragged out her words, her eyes glancing at the approaching gate of Longhua Temple outside the window: "I accidentally let slip some amusing stories about Zuixianlou, what am I going to do now?"
"You!" Li Zhou suddenly sat up straight, causing the carriage to sway violently. He stared intently at Li Bao'er's harmless smiling face, his chest heaving.
Li Yu, suppressing her laughter, was shaking with embarrassment, and added fuel to the fire: "Sister, you don't know this, but I've heard that Lord Gu is very particular about etiquette. If he finds out that someone is meeting his precious daughter in private..."
"Enough!" Li Zhou squeezed out the two words through gritted teeth.
He took a deep breath, straightened his slightly disheveled sleeves, and said stiffly, "What do you want me to serve?"
Li Bao'er immediately smiled and handed a feather fan to Li Zhou: "Fan your sister first, it's so hot." She deliberately tapped Li Zhou's tense arm with the tip of the fan, "Remember to be gentle, your sister is weak and can't stand strong winds."
Li Zhou's temples bulged with veins, but he had no choice but to take the fan and stiffly wave it.
Li Yu finally couldn't help but burst out laughing, earning her a glare from Li Zhou.
Not long after, the carriage stopped, and a servant announced from outside. Li Bao'er smoothed her temples and smiled sweetly at Li Zhou: "Good little brother, help your sister out of the carriage. If you fall, I won't be able to keep my mouth shut."
Li Zhou gritted his teeth, "Are you made of clay? You're so frail!" Despite saying that, he still had to stretch out his arm, his movements stiff as if he were carrying a heavy burden.
Li Bao'er leaned her entire weight against her without any hesitation, almost causing the unprepared Li Zhou to stumble.
Li Zhou's arm jerked, and he almost threw her off.
"Hey hey hey!" Li Bao'er quickly grabbed him, her voice instantly turning into a sob, but loud enough for the relatives of the wealthy families who had just gotten off the car to hear. "Little brother! Slow down! I'm scared!" Her eyes reddened instantly, and her acting was so sincere.
All eyes immediately turned to Li Zhou, looking at him with scrutiny and accusation.
Li Zhou: "..."
He could feel the veins on his forehead dancing wildly. He'd never felt so frustrated in his life! He could only force a smile and grit his teeth, forcing out two words: "Shut up!"
Li Bao'er: "No way~ Go ahead and bite me if you dare! Oh right, Miss Gu seems to dislike men with bad teeth."
Li Yu, who was standing to the side, was already blushing from trying not to laugh, her shoulders shaking like a leaf: "Ahem, sister, let's hurry up and leave, so we don't block the road."
He was afraid that if he continued watching, he would laugh himself to death and become the first worshipper at Longhua Temple that day to be carried away for laughing too hard.
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