Liao Canzheng was nestled in the warm bed of his eighteenth concubine—riding a horse at full gallop.
Suddenly, Liao Yixuan kicked the door open!
Before the man even arrived, his voice preceded him: "Father! How could you release Shangguan Tianlin?"
A gust of cold wind swept in, and the aunt exclaimed in surprise, "Oh dear..."
She hurriedly pulled the blankets over herself.
Liao, the Imperial Councilor, trembled uncontrollably. After a moment, he collapsed onto his aunt's fair belly like a dead fish.
After catching his breath, he raised his head, his face flushed, grabbed the short boots from beside the bed, and smashed them towards the intruder's face.
"You unfilial son! Don't you know how to knock before entering the room?!"
Liao Yixuan dodged the flying object, opened his fan, and covered his eyes with a twitching mouth, unable to bear looking at the "ox chewing on peony" picture in front of him.
"Father, why did you release Shangguan Tianlin? I wanted to take this opportunity to have dinner with Shangguan Tianyun!" As she spoke, she flipped the fan in her hand, changing the four characters "君子好逑" (a gentleman's pursuit) to "窈窕淑女" (a graceful and virtuous woman).
Liao, the councilor, put on his official robes, glared at him irritably, and said angrily.
"You'll die at a woman's hands sooner or later!"
"..."
Liao Yixuan glanced at his alluring eighteenth concubine on the bed, thinking, "You should keep those words to yourself."
"Do you think I want to release him? There are witnesses and physical evidence to prove that Shangguan Tianlin was framed, so of course he has to be released."
Fearing he might leave some leverage that could be used against them, he'd been busy cleaning up the mess these past few days, and hadn't been able to enjoy some quality time in ages. He'd finally finished today, only to be interrupted by this rebellious son. He was furious!
He tried to steal a chicken but lost the rice instead. Not only did he fail to please his superiors, he also got a scolding for his incompetence. What a mess!
"Forget it." Liao Yixuan shook his head in exasperation. His cheap father was unreliable. "It seems I'll have to rely on my own charm to win over the beauty."
"Get out of here!!" Another boot flew towards him.
※
I returned home after lunch break.
As the master and servant passed by the covered corridor, the beams of the corridor were already wrapped with red silk, fluttering in the wind. Occasionally, a few red lanterns were hung, their lights flickering, revealing a strong festive atmosphere.
"Miss, I always feel that you only have a lively, girlish spirit in front of the Third Prince. In front of others, you're like a shrewd and calculating nun, always having your own ideas." Lingqi carefully held the Jinyun gauze, afraid of snagging and damaging it, but she still teased the young lady with raised eyebrows.
Tianyun glared at her sideways, her gaze gentle and lacking any real threat.
What kind of talk is that?
Is "cunning and shrewd" a good phrase?
She spoke as if she were an old fox, stroking her face. If she were to be called a fox spirit, she should at least be someone like Su Daji.
Lingqi blinked: "Then... a cunning old fox?"
"..."
It sounds even worse now.
"Oh well, that's the gist of it. Don't you think so yourself, young lady? You are quite extraordinary in front of the Third Prince."
However, the Third Prince is truly a man of few words; when he does make a move, it's always with such precious Jinyun silk, and a whole bolt at that!
Lingqi was extremely envious; if she could resell that piece of yarn, it would be enough for her to live on for half her life.
She was so embarrassed that her eyelashes fluttered, but she refused to admit it: "Don't make things up, what's the difference?"
I never expected him to care so much about my affairs, even recognizing the clothes I gave to Shangguan Jingyi...
The two arrived at the front of the main hall.
She heard Aunt Liu's voice coming from inside.
“I always knew Tianlin was kind and good-natured, and he would never do anything so heinous! Those damned people must be jealous of Tianlin’s youth and talent, which is why they came up with such a wicked scheme to frame him.” Aunt Liu stroked her hair and said indignantly, “I have been so worried these past few days that I could hardly eat or sleep. Fortunately, the truth has come out now, and Tianlin has not been wronged.”
Tianyun entered the room and saw his grandmother and Shangguan Jingyi there as well. His grandmother sat upright at the head of the table, with Qin Shi beside her. Qin Shi looked haggard and her lips were pale. In contrast, Aunt Liu had a rosy complexion and looked radiant.
He didn't seem to be the slightest bit restless or unable to eat or sleep.
Madam Shangguan couldn't even muster the energy to put on a perfunctory act. During the days Tianlin was in prison, Liu's mother and daughter had been hiding so well that they hadn't seen a trace of him. But now that Tianlin was out, they immediately came to her door again, putting on a show. Madam Shangguan was truly speechless.
"Is Brother Tianlin's injury any better?" Qin Yuwei frowned, making it impossible to tell whether she was being sincere or not.
However, whether she meant it sincerely or not, Madam Qin didn't care anymore.
"He's doing just fine. He'd be even better off without all this insincere greetings!"
Qin was by nature a fiery and impulsive person, and now she was truly unwilling to engage in pretense with them. After saying this, she pretended to be sleepy and went back to her room to rest.
Her attitude infuriated Sister Liu, who spat inwardly, "What is that?"
I came here with good intentions to visit your son, and who are you giving me that sour look?
Qin left in a huff, and Liu's sister-in-law, not daring to lash out at the old lady, could only turn her anger on Tianyun. Tianyun had just entered the room when she was caught in the crossfire of Liu's rage: "The Hundred Flowers Banquet is about to begin this year. Tianyun, do you think you'll be like last year, unable to even pass the preliminary selection? They say everyone has their own expertise. You'll have to learn a lot from our Yuwei about the ins and outs of this."
The old ancestor put down his teacup, looked at her smug look, and couldn't help but feel even more disgusted with Tianyun: "This one in my family is good-for-nothing. She starts everything but never finishes it. She's always so unsettled. Unlike Yuwei, who excels in everything and makes you proud."
Tianyun treated it as if it were just a passing breeze, remaining calm and composed, his gaze, which held a half-smile, fixed directly on Qin Yuwei.
"Cousin, what do you think?"
Qin Yuwei felt her face burning with embarrassment.
Her mother didn't know, but she knew perfectly well.
Shangguan Tianyun's portrait still hangs in the Hall of Famous Paintings, a height she can't reach. Right now, she should be thinking about building a good relationship with her, and definitely not be as confrontational as before.
"Mother, stop talking." She tugged at Liu's sleeve and whispered, "My cousin has her own strengths, and I can't compare to her."
In her anger, Sister Liu didn't care about anything else; her voice grew louder and louder, so loud that even the servants sweeping outside could hear it clearly.
She stood up and said, "Just watch closely. This year at the Hundred Flowers Banquet, Yuwei is aiming for the top ten. As for you, Tianyun, if you make it to the semi-finals, I'll give you a phoenix-tail zither, how about that?"
She spoke with great pride and self-satisfaction, but the sarcasm and mockery in her eyes were unmistakable.
Shangguan Ming became wealthy late in life, and his tastes and preferences didn't keep up. Instead, he picked up some of the nouveau riche's temperament, and he was fond of golden things. He probably had never even seen a valuable antique like the Phoenix Tail Zither.
Qin Yuwei's face turned deathly pale. That was my dowry!
“Aunt Liu, you may not know this, but Sister Tianyun has no intention of attending the banquet this year, so your bet is probably not valid.” Shangguan Jingyi shook his head regretfully: “My sister told me herself that she is not good at singing and dancing, so your good intentions are probably going to be in vain.”
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