Chapter 15: Paying the Debt of Love How could Lady Luo get in and out of the Little Prince's carriage...
Luo Qingling followed Qin Yanheng into the Red Mansion. The two did not hide their identities. One was wearing a pomegranate skirt, and the other a round-necked robe, and they walked in so carelessly, not afraid of being recognized. Of course, Luo Qingling prepared a veil for himself this time, so in the eyes of others, it was Prince Rong'an who was visiting the Red Mansion with a young girl.
She didn't care how the capital would frame them later. She had covered her face anyway. As for Qin Yanheng... who would dare to "spread rumors" about this young prince?
Mother Huang hesitated for a long time, not understanding why Prince Rong'an, who had always been aloof from worldly affairs, would suddenly come to the Red Mansion today. It was fine for him to come, but he even brought a woman with him. This was really unheard of!
After thinking for a moment, Mother Huang finally came forward. Just as she was about to reach the two of them, Qin Yanheng gave her a look that stopped her in her tracks. She patted her chest and took a deep breath. This was terrifying! Could this guy have just been bored and brought someone here to mess with her? It didn't look like he was just here for fun.
Behind the two, a sword-wielding guard approached Mother Huang and began to communicate with them. Luo Qingling stood beside Qin Yanheng and waited for a moment. Mother Huang nodded, smiled, and spread her hands, indicating that the two should follow her.
The advantage of being a prince is that no matter where he goes, he is always treated to the finest hospitality. The two declined the top room in the Red Mansion and instead moved to the room next to the Jinshi scholars. The sounds of drinking and reveling reached Luo Qingling through the wooden wall, but their room was quiet in comparison. The secret guard who had just come upstairs closed the door for them and disappeared into the corridor.
It was Luo Qingling's first time to come to such a place. She and Qin Yanheng were alone in the side room eavesdropping on the fun next door. The laughter of men and women became the background noise of their silent conversation, which made her suddenly feel a little uncomfortable.
"Why are you standing there? Don't you want to sit down and eat something?"
Qin Yanheng walked past her and came to the table as if nothing had happened. He lifted his robe and sat down and poured himself a cup of tea. He also asked Luo Qingling what she wanted to drink and poured her a cup of tea. When he looked up and saw that she was still standing by the door, he smiled softly and pushed the teacup towards her.
He could see her embarrassment... Luo Qingling slowly moved to the table, not sitting down, but picking up the teacup and drinking it all. After waiting outside the building for so long and not having eaten her dinner tonight, she was already hungry and thirsty.
Seeing this, Qin Yanheng moved all the dim sum in front of Luo Qingling. Although he had never been to the Red Mansion, he had eaten a lot of dim sum. It should be said that if the Red Mansion stopped operating as a brothel in the future, even if it switched to dim sum, it would still be a big hit in the capital.
No one spoke in the room for a while. The music from next door gradually stopped, and the sound of clinking glasses was heard instead.
"Brother Zhao, you have achieved fame and fortune, why are you still so depressed these days? Come and have some drinks!" The man who took the lead in calling everyone to the Red Mansion for a drink was now holding the dancer in one hand and holding up the wine glass in the other. His face was flushed, and it was unknown how much he had drunk.
Across the table, Zhao Zhicai sat with his knees pressed together, his hands clasped tightly in his lap, his entire body erect, facing the man. He listened to his words without saying a word. The other Jinshi scholars on either side of him were like the man before, each holding a woman, drinking with hazy eyes, having long forgotten what day it was.
"Brother Zhao, are you still thinking about helping your fellow villager?" The woman beside him stood up. A Jinshi moved closer to Zhao Zhicai and looked at him with displeasure. The reek of alcohol sprayed all over his face. The Jinshi continued, "If you ask me, just take care of yourself. Why bother helping others? Besides, I've long disliked your fellow villager."
"What do you mean, Brother Lu?" Zhao Zhicai turned around with a stiff face, not caring about the smell of alcohol in the room.
"Your fellow countryman's name... what's his name? Well, it's not important. You might not know this, but I live next door to Brother Zhao and his fellow countryman. Before the imperial examination, I heard him say every day that I would definitely be the top scorer this year, and his words were often disparaging towards Brother Zhao."
"How could there be such an arrogant person?" someone asked.
"That's right. I wonder if he hooked up with some noble, thinking he could rest easy with their recommendation. Little did he know that this year, Prince Rong'an was personally invigilating the exam. There were no shortcuts or cheating, so he could only rely on his strength. Hahahaha. After the results are announced, I won't hear him spouting nonsense to Brother Zhao anymore. I feel so relieved!"
"Enough!" Zhao Zhicai suddenly slammed the table, stood up abruptly and glared at everyone, his hands hanging at his sides clenched into fists, he was so angry that his whole body was shaking but he dared not say a word.
He and Brother Jia were from the same hometown and had traveled to Beijing together to take the imperial examination. Unexpectedly, his travel expenses were stolen midway. Brother Jia had used his own money to provide him with food and lodging for the exam, a favor he could never forget. He didn't know where Brother Jia had gone these past few days, and he hadn't seen him for several days. He was already panicking and wanted to report to the authorities today, but this group of people had dragged him out for a drink, which delayed his ability to save him.
Zhao Zhicai was holding his breath, but he didn't know how to speak. He slammed the teacup in his hand onto the table and turned to leave the room. But the moment he stepped over the threshold, a force from nowhere pulled him into the next room.
The door slammed shut behind him. Zhao Zhicai looked at the two people standing and sitting before him. The young man, with a handsome face, leaned back in his chair, holding a teacup in his right hand, looking at him with a smile on his face. Beside him, a young woman in a pomegranate skirt and a veil on her head, though her face could not be seen, one could guess that she must be extraordinary.
"You two...you two distinguished gentlemen, who are you?" Zhao Zhicai had only seen Qin Yanheng once before, during the imperial examination. At that time, he was only thinking about how to answer the test questions and did not look closely at Qin Yanheng sitting in the hall. Naturally, he did not recognize him when they met now. He only heard him ask in a trembling voice.
"Zhao Zhicai, the third place winner in the imperial examination, is a successful candidate from the Jiangnan area. He was able to make the list when I was invigilating the exam based on his own strength. He is indeed a man of real talent and knowledge." Qin Yanheng glanced at him up and down and said slowly.
Hearing this, Zhao Zhicai must have realized that the young man in brocade robes was none other than Prince Rong'an, Qin Yanheng. He shuddered and was about to kneel in greeting when Qin Yanheng interrupted him. He stood there, head bowed, not daring to speak, waiting for the young prince to speak. His heart was pounding, and he didn't understand what the young prince meant by this action.
"Why are you so panicked?" Qin Yanheng said calmly.
"I... I dare not." Zhao Zhicai had never met a member of the royal family alone, so naturally he didn't know how to avoid offending anyone. What's more, the person in front of him was the little prince who was rumored to be heartless. How could he not be nervous?
Seeing this, Qin Yanheng became even more excited. He deliberately put on a cold expression and asked, "Tell me, how did Du Yubai die?"
"I... I don't know." Cold sweat dripped down Zhao Zhicai's forehead. Not only was he coaxed into coming to the Red Mansion for a drink, but he was also inexplicably dragged into the room by the young prince for interrogation. He was really wronged!
"You'll tell me or not."
"I really don't know—" Zhao Zhicai answered in a tearful voice, his legs trembling so much that he could barely stand. He steeled himself, closed his eyes, and spoke quickly, "I don't know why Your Highness would suspect me, but I really don't know who killed Du Zhuangyuan. If Your Highness doesn't believe me, go ahead and investigate."
The man in front of her was so frightened just by seeing Qin Yanheng. She really didn't know how he had passed the imperial examination. Luo Qingling sighed, turned her head to look at Qin Yanheng sitting beside her, and said quietly, "Then why were you so angry in the next room just now? Could it be that it was simply because they said a few words about your fellow townsman?"
As soon as he said this, Zhao Zhicai turned to look at the girl beside Prince Rong'an. Although he didn't know who she was, the person who could be in the same room with the prince must be either a princess or a princess. He became anxious and shouted "Princess".
Before he finished speaking, Qin Yanheng didn't get angry for some reason. He just raised his eyebrows and laughed out loud. He raised his eyes and glanced at Luo Qingling who was standing stiffly beside him, and suddenly an idea of playing a prank came to his mind.
He raised his chin towards Luo Qingling. Qin Yanheng looked at Zhao Zhicai and slowly spoke. His voice was no longer as cold as before, but rather a hint of smile: "You dare not speak to the prince, but you are so enthusiastic to the princess?"
Before Zhao Zhicai could even think of how to defend himself, Luo Qingling raised her hand and slammed it on Qin Yanheng's desk, sending a few drops of tea splattering. It was already this late, and that man still had the energy to crack jokes!
In order to hide her embarrassment, Luo Qingling didn't give Qin Yanheng a chance to speak after the photo shoot. She hurriedly asked Zhao Zhicai, "Tell me, why were you so angry just now?"
"My fellow townsman has been missing for several days. Today I originally intended to report to the authorities, but those Jinshi forcibly dragged me here to drink. I was already anxious, so..." Zhao Zhicai wiped the sweat off his face.
"Did your fellow townsman also take the imperial examination?" Qin Yanheng continued the topic and after receiving a positive answer, he continued, "What's his name?"
"Jia Ci."
Hearing this, Luo Qingling turned around and exchanged glances with Qin Yanheng. The surname was Jia, could it be... Deng Yesi?
The two hurried to the Shangshu Mansion. A servant at the gate saw the flag with the Chinese character "Qin" on the carriage from a distance and turned to run inside. A moment later, Lord Deng strode out, walked down the steps and stood by the roadside waiting for Prince Rong'an's carriage.
Why did that person suddenly show up so late at night, without any warning? Lord Deng brushed his sleeves and stood up straight, a flattering smile on his face, his eyes fixed on the approaching carriage. He hurriedly trotted over.
Seeing the carriage stop, Lord Deng had already been waiting at the curtain with his fists clasped and his body bowed. When a figure appeared on the ground, he immediately opened his mouth to salute.
"Welcome Rong An..."
Midway through his speech, Lord Deng, who was bowing his head, realized something was amiss. This shadow on the ground...why was it a young girl wearing a hairpin?
"Master Deng, I'm here to talk to Madam Deng."
The voice of the visitor was soft and familiar. Lord Deng looked up, still bowing, and saw Luo Qingling standing in front of the carriage, her head tilted towards him, her eyes narrowed.
"This...this..." Lord Deng was a little overwhelmed and stood there with his fists clasped.
How could Miss Luo from the borderland get off Prince Rong'an's carriage? What is the relationship between these two people?
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