Chapter 14
Wu Shilan had been searching for half a day but had not seen a lady wearing a lotus hairpin. He was wondering if the Empress was deliberately playing a trick on him. He had heard that the Sheng Dynasty valued fate, and he had come today for this fate. If he did not find one, he would force it!
Just as he was getting impatient, he looked up and saw Pei Du, the Prince of the South, whom he had met on the street a few days ago. He felt a sense of dread. Pei Du looked as thin and weak as other men in the Sheng Dynasty, but he was no pushover. If he hadn't dodged quickly that day, he would have had a finger cut off. He was a madman!
I heard that the Emperor of Shengchao still relies heavily on him and his son, and is preparing to personally issue an edict to arrange a marriage for him, which is an extraordinary honor. If he were to confront him, even if he is restrained by his status as an envoy, the Emperor would not do anything to him... However, after weighing the options for a few moments, Wushilantuo decisively turned around and took another path.
Xie Qinghong was about to leave with his brother when, seeing the sudden change in the situation, he couldn't help but turn his gaze to Pei Du and asked in confusion, "Why do I feel that the envoy is somewhat afraid of you?"
Pei Du casually retorted, "Really? He's so strong, how could he be afraid of me?"
Xie Qingzhou also found it strange, but seeing that Wu Shilan Tuo had already left, they no longer needed to avoid him, so he asked his sister if she wanted to fly the kite again. Not far away, Qin Heng and Zheng Yingluo's peacock kite had already taken to the sky. The two looked at each other and smiled gently, whispering intimate words, clearly showing their affection.
Xie Qinghong found them noisy and didn't want to be with them. She just wanted a quiet place to sit down and rest. However, all the pavilions in sight were occupied. Pei Du reminded her at the right time: "Go up the steps of the artificial hill to a four-cornered pavilion, which overlooks the garden."
He raised his hand and pointed into the distance. The four-cornered pavilion was built on a rugged artificial hill with steep steps, so no one went up there.
Upon reaching the steps, Xie Qingzhou told Xie Qinghong to go first, while she followed behind, lifting the hem of her trailing skirt to prevent her from tripping and falling. Pei Du hadn't intended to follow, but seeing this, he couldn't help but observe closely, a little puzzled. Was it really necessary to lift a young lady's skirt when going up the steps?
Seeing that the brother and sister had already entered the pavilion, he was about to leave when a palace servant rushed over, saying that the Empress had summoned him and wanted him to come over. He knew in his heart that it must be about Qin Yu's matter. The Qin family was anxious and naturally wanted to ask the Empress for a decision, but unfortunately, the Empress could not make decisions for him.
Taking advantage of the terrain, Xie Qinghong first secretly observed Wu Shilantuo. After seeing him wander around aimlessly like a headless fly, he angrily headed in one direction, which should be the Pingshan Hall, the place where the empress and concubines rested.
Is this a trip to the Empress to demand an explanation? Xie Qinghong felt that the vulgar lotus hairpin must have been at the Empress's behest. In that case, what young lady would choose such a hairpin? But the Hu envoy is backed by the Tusha Kingdom, which is strong and well-funded. If they break the alliance at the slightest disagreement, Emperor Xingde will definitely punish them. How could the Empress take such a risk? She must have a foolproof plan.
She secretly guessed that the Empress must have already chosen a young lady. Whether by bribing her or by pressuring her, she would not want the Hu envoy to lose face. Who could it be? It certainly wouldn't be herself, since there was no word from the Xie family. If it were to be her next, it would be because the person chosen earlier had encountered an accident.
If she could know how the previous young lady escaped her predicament, even if she couldn't imitate her, it would still serve as a warning to her father and brothers, prompting them to seek another way out.
“Brother…” She turned to look at Xie Qingzhou, only to see that his gaze was also fixed on the scene below, his expression serious. Xie Qinghong followed his gaze and saw a palace servant leading Pei Du toward the Pingshan Hall.
Xie Qingzhou snapped out of her daze: "What's wrong?"
Xie Qinghong's mind raced, and she said to him, "Brother, someone asked me to choose a lotus hairpin today."
"Is that so?" Xie Qingzhou hurriedly asked, "Who was it? I noticed that Wu Shilan Tuo's folding fan has lotus flowers on it. Did someone know in advance and deliberately lead you to choose it?"
“It’s Song Lingxi, the talented young lady from the Song family who has risen to fame. I had a disagreement with her at the poetry club last time,” Xie Qinghong said. “But I heard from my brother that she was accidentally hit by a stray arrow on the day of spring plowing. My brother pulled her away from her and saved her life. Why would she do that?”
Xie Qingzhou pondered, then suddenly had a flash of inspiration: "Although I saved her life last time, I think she wanted credit for saving the emperor. Perhaps she felt that I ruined her plans, so she's taking revenge on our family. But how did she know that Wushilantuo had chosen a lotus folding fan?"
"Although Wu Shilantuo speaks the official language of the Sheng Dynasty, he may not understand written characters." Xie Qinghong pointed her slender hand to Xie Qingzhou's folding fan. There was only one line of text on the plain fan. No matter which fan he chose, he could eventually exchange it for "Xi You He Hua". However, this action would definitely require the Empress's approval. In other words, Song Lingxi might learn about it from the Empress.
However, upon closer examination, this argument doesn't hold water. If she learned of it from the Empress, would she still dare to urge me to choose the lotus hairpin? That would be disobeying the Empress's orders, and she shouldn't be so bold. Therefore, she must have learned of it by chance. For example… from Zheng Yingluo or Qin Heng, both of whom were reborn and knew about her tragic fate of being married off to a distant place.
Is it because they think she's going to be married off anyway, and they can't wait to push the plot forward? Xie Qinghong doesn't think she has any deep-seated hatred for them. If they're not enemies, then it's to their advantage.
“Brother, the Hu envoy and Prince Pei both went to the Pingshan Hall just now. They must have something important to discuss. We should find out more,” she said.
Xie Qingzhou had a wide network of connections, and after a moment's thought, he remembered that there were acquaintances among the guards in front of the palace today. He pondered for a moment and said, "Ayao, you sit here for a while, I'll be right back."
Before long, Xie Qingzhou still hadn't returned. Xie Qinghong heard footsteps going up the steps and only when he got closer did he realize it was Pei Du.
She blurted out, "How come you came out so quickly?"
Pei Du sat down on the stone bench, lowering his eyelids, and said, "The Empress can't take care of me for the time being. Your brother is worried about you, so he asked me to come and keep an eye on you first."
It was clear that something big had happened. Xie Qinghong asked curiously, "What happened?"
Pei Du succinctly stated: "A young lady was injured by a wild fox in the hunting area, and your brother has been summoned by the Empress to hunt wild foxes."
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