Chapter 13
Xie Qinghong was furious. She had lost the contest again. She held the frame of the swallow kite in her hand, wishing she could throw it at Pei's face, but she couldn't. She was a well-mannered young lady from a respectable family and couldn't do something that would ruin her image.
Xie Qingzhou coughed lightly, stepped forward to separate the two, and said threateningly, "Your Highness's skills are truly remarkable. We must have another match next time."
Pei Du finally remembered the joke he had made earlier about yielding to Xiang. He always kept his word, so he nodded with one hand behind his back and agreed, "Alright, I'll be waiting."
Xie Qingzhou patted him on the shoulder like a good brother. He was familiar with this gesture. Only after he finished patting him did he realize that this was the Prince of the South, not one of those playboys who had challenged him to a duel before. He paused for a moment, and was about to casually withdraw his hand when he suddenly heard a woman scream.
Startled, Xie Qinghong turned around and saw Qin Yu standing not far away, her face pale. Her gaze fell on her brother's hand on Pei Shizi's shoulder, and then she turned back and continued to shout, "Second brother, third brother, come quickly and stop them! Xie Erlangjun and Pei Shizi are fighting! Pei Shizi's hand is bleeding!"
Before the words were finished, Qin Zheng, Qin Heng, and Zheng Yingluo arrived. Seeing Xie Qingzhou and Pei Du standing together, not looking like they had been fighting, Qin Zheng asked curiously, "What happened to A-Yu?"
Xie Qingzhou had already lowered his hand. Because he had practiced martial arts for many years, his furrowed brows exuded a fierce aura, while Pei Shizi beside him was like a lush green bamboo. In comparison, it couldn't be said that they had just had a disagreement. After all, Pei Shizi's expression was too calm, while Xie Qingzhou, though frowning, was also quite composed.
Pei Du had only been scratched on the back of his hand by a sharp branch, with a little blood seeping out. In his opinion, it wasn't even a minor injury. He didn't understand why Qin Yu was making such a fuss, so he frowned slightly and replied, "Miss Qin is mistaken. We didn't fight. The hand injury was caused when we climbed the tree to retrieve the kite. It has nothing to do with Xie Erlang. Please don't talk nonsense."
Hearing this, Qin Yu blushed and her eyes flickered slightly: "I was too hasty and saw wrong. Prince Pei's hand was bleeding a lot, and I was dizzy for a moment..."
Qin Zheng quickly spoke up for his sister: "My sister is always afraid of blood. She was so frightened just now that she misspoke in her haste. Please forgive her, Your Highness and Lord Xie."
Zheng Yingluo interjected curiously, "Since Prince Pei has already taken the kite, whose kite is this in the tree? Ayu, is it yours?"
Qin Yu's face darkened, and she didn't answer. Just then, a servant brought over a bamboo pole and carefully took down the kite, but he didn't know whether he should give it to her. Zheng Yingluo smiled slightly and said, "Give it to me, Aheng and I will fly it together."
Qin Heng gladly accepted the kite and accompanied her to an open area a short distance away to adjust the kite string. The Qin siblings, left behind, both looked displeased, refraining from anger only because Pei Du was present. However, Qin Yu still whispered resentfully, "Second brother, look how badly she swims..."
Qin Zheng interrupted her before she could finish speaking, his face darkening: "Ayu, don't talk nonsense! Prince Pei's hand is injured, go and find some ointment."
These words somehow touched Qin Yu's heart, and she stamped her foot angrily, saying, "Why me? For your bright future, you discard me like trash!"
Qin Zheng's expression changed drastically. He first glanced at Pei Du's face and saw that he was unmoved. He felt slightly uneasy. It was rumored that the young master Pei was violent. He had injured someone while riding his horse through the streets. He seemed elegant but loved taming wild horses. He had also killed an assassin at the Spring Ploughing Ceremony. He always had a long sword at his waist.
They all privately said that Prince Pei was prone to drawing his sword and venting his anger on the spot at the slightest provocation, and that his temperament was unpredictable, so no one dared to offend him. Unexpectedly, his younger sister spoke without restraint, and within moments, Qin Zheng was covered in cold sweat. He hurriedly bowed and clasped his hands, saying, "Please forgive me, Your Highness, my sister..."
Pei Du waved his hand: "No need to say more. I already know your sister's feelings and will certainly not delay her any longer."
Qin Yu felt apprehensive after speaking, but seeing that he wasn't as violent as rumored, she finally felt relieved. She naturally wouldn't allow herself to marry into the southern region. Even if her father and brothers had instructed her otherwise, as long as she didn't want to, her grandfather, who doted on her the most, would certainly not let her jump into the fire.
Fearing his younger sister might say something wrong again, Qin Zheng glared at her sternly and gestured for her to leave with him. Since Prince Pei had already declared his intention to distance himself from the matter, it was imperative to inform his grandfather and father as soon as possible so that a timely countermeasure could be taken.
Xie Qingzhou and Xie Qinghong were completely bewildered, having watched the whole spectacle unfold. Only when they came to their senses did they realize that Prince Pei had actually been disliked, and they couldn't help but feel sorry for him: "Prince, please don't be sad."
Xie Qinghong noticed the thin line of blood on Pei Du's hand and remembered that she happened to have the ointment he had given her last time in the small pouch hanging at her waist. She took it out and returned it to him. Pei Du stared at it for a moment, and Xie Qinghong thought he was going to refuse, but he reached out and took it from her hand, slowly opened the lid, and applied a little of the white, jade-like ointment to the back of his right hand.
After applying the ointment, Pei Du naturally put it back into his sleeve pocket. Xie Qinghong hesitated, wanting to say something but then stopping herself. Asking him for it back seemed inappropriate, since it was originally his, and not taking it back would make her feel like she was being taken advantage of.
Before she could figure it out, Xie Qingzhou suddenly stood up straight and whispered a reminder: "Ayao, that is the Hu envoy Wushilantuo. He is rude and uncouth. Let's go somewhere else."
Xie Qinghong subconsciously followed his gaze and saw a burly man with broad shoulders and a thick back, dressed in exotic clothing. Half of his face was covered in a thick beard. He was holding a folding fan, his eyes darting around, and he even spat, as if searching for someone. She looked closer and saw that the folding fan was inscribed with "On the mountain grows the hibiscus, in the marsh grows the lotus"—it was a lotus flower!
Xie Qinghong was belatedly surprised. Did Song Lingxi know about this? If she did, how did she know that Wu Shilantuo had chosen a lotus folding fan, and why did she persuade him to choose a lotus hairpin? If she didn't know, why was it such a coincidence?
Could it be that in Qin Heng's past life, she was forced into a political marriage and married to such a person? Xie Qinghong subconsciously turned her head to look at Pei Du, silently comparing the two, and sighed at the vast difference.
However, they were all searching for a way out after their rebirths, and she now knew a little about what was to come, so she couldn't let herself fall into a miserable situation.
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