Chapter 5
To quell the disturbance, the poetry gathering ended soon afterward, with everyone returning home to avoid further arguments.
Xie Qinghong was pulled aside by Cui Luo for a private chat. Since they had already left the poetry club, Cui Luo started talking about her family: "You know my second aunt. Everyone says she's kind-hearted and has the heart of a bodhisattva. Whenever someone asks her for a favor, she agrees without even looking at the details. This time she asked me to bring the two of them to the poetry gathering. I wonder what she'll ask me to bring them for next time."
Xie Qinghong couldn't offer any comfort either. She also had two older cousins and one younger cousin, but her older cousins were already married, and her younger cousin was still young. The cousins had a good relationship.
"Oh, Auntie, don't find me annoying. I'm just feeling a bit down because I don't have anyone to talk to at home. I wish you were my sister." Cui Luo spoke with genuine feeling. After all, who wouldn't like a sister like Xie Qinghong? Sensible, considerate, and adorable. To put it bluntly, Cui Luo wished she could marry into the Xie family and spend every day with her sister-in-law.
Xie Qinghong retorted, "Am I not your sister anymore? You just said I wasn't an outsider."
"Yes, yes, you're the closest to me." Cui Luo chuckled, then asked, "Hey, have you had any dealings with that Miss Song in the past?"
Xie Qinghong shook his head and said, "No, they all look unfamiliar to me. I've never seen them before."
Cui Luo asked curiously, "Then why did she say those things about you today? I think she was clearly trying to ruin your reputation."
Xie Qinghong didn't care about Song Lingxi's words: "Let her say what she wants, you treacherous villain."
“It’s quite a strange thing, though. I’ve heard Lingyun say that her younger sister is timid and usually does her studies very well. But after a serious illness, perhaps blessed by heaven, she became clear-headed and wrote a poem called ‘Sympathy for the Farmers’ a few days ago. Lord Song saw it and thought she had great talent, which is why he asked Lingyun to bring her here this time.” Cui Luo sighed, “‘Who knows that every grain on the plate is the result of hard work?’ I never thought that a young lady who has been confined to her chambers for so long could write such a profound poem. It’s just that we have a narrow perspective.”
Xie Qinghong hadn't paid attention to the poem, but upon hearing "seriously ill," she immediately asked, "How come she also suffered a serious illness? What was the cause?"
"Lingyun said that she was just like you, accidentally falling into the pond. It was still chilly in spring and she caught a chill from the wind. It took her more than a month to recover."
How come he fell into the water and got sick again? But after recovering, he's like a completely different person!
Xie Qinghong was a little insecure: "Sister A Luo, do you think I'm a different person?" Could it be that she has changed too, but I'm too caught up in it to notice?
Cui Luo was surprised and then laughed: "What do you mean? You're still as cute as ever." After saying that, she pinched the little girl's cheek. It was smooth and soft to the touch, and it felt so good to squeeze.
Xie Qinghong was puzzled. How come one or two of them fell into the water and got sick and suddenly became completely different people? Zheng Yingluo lost her romantic mind, Qin Sanlang started speaking like a normal person, and Song Lingxi was the most amazing one. Could she be a reincarnation of the God of Literature? But her, only her, was pushed into the water by Zheng Yingluo, got sick, and was bedridden for half a month. How come she didn't get anything out of it?
“By the way, on the 18th, His Majesty led all the officials in spring plowing. Why don’t we go and take a look?” Cui Luo asked. Opportunities to see His Majesty personally plowing the fields are rare. This time, it was because His Majesty had only recently ascended the throne. In order to stabilize agriculture and the country, he not only led all the officials in plowing the fields but also allowed the families of the court officials to go and watch. However, it was also thanks to Song Lingxi’s words, “Every grain of rice on the plate is the result of hard work.”
Xie Qinghong agreed, bid farewell to Cui Luo, and returned home. When the carriage reached the street, the bustling crowd slowed the procession, and it was stuck outside a silk shop. Xie Qinghong pushed open the small window and looked out through the gauze curtain. He saw Song Lingxi walking out of the silk shop, but she was dressed in men's clothing, her hair tied in a man's bun. However, with her red lips and delicate nose, she looked like a girl disguised as a man.
A-Yue, who was serving her, also recognized her and whispered, "Isn't that Miss Song from the Song family? Why is she dressed like that?" A-Yue had served some tea at the poetry club earlier and knew that Miss Song was two-faced, cunning, and a bit annoying.
Xie Qinghong also found it strange. Nowadays, the social atmosphere is quite open, and girls are not restricted when going out. Why do they all like to dress up as men, and do it so casually, without even wiping off their lipstick?
She withdrew her gaze listlessly, waiting idly for the traffic jam ahead to clear, when suddenly A-Yue exclaimed, "Miss, Miss Song is about to bump into Erlangjun!"
"What?" Xie Qinghong hurriedly looked out the window and saw his elder brother leading a group of people walking along the street, their expressions solemn, and passersby dared not approach. As fate would have it, Song Lingxi, having just changed into men's clothing, was looking around curiously and, without looking where she was going or who she was looking, bumped straight into Xie Qingzhou.
Xie Qingzhou frowned, and like picking up a chick, he lifted the person who bumped into him up and put him aside. His subordinate behind him spoke up: "Can't you watch where you're going?"
Song Lingxi angrily retorted, "You bunch of people are blocking the road, and you're blaming others for blocking the way?"
"Hey, you little brat, you dare talk back?"
Xie Qingzhou had important business to attend to, so he raised his hand to stop his subordinate's questioning and said with a stern face, "No need to get entangled, business is more important." He didn't care whether the thin young man in front of him still wanted to argue, and walked past him.
Xie Qinghong saw Song Lingxi standing there, furious, glaring at Xie Qingzhou's back before reluctantly walking away.
“What a tough young man,” Xie Qinghong said with a subtle tone. “He pretends to be aggrieved in front of a lady, but he’s so bold in public.”
Ah Yue exclaimed in surprise, "I've never seen anyone so self-righteous after hitting someone like this before."
After all, this is the capital city. A single blow with a brick could easily hit several high-ranking officials. Families with some wealth and influence tend to teach their descendants to be kind and gentle when out in public, lest they inadvertently offend the wrong people. Moreover, Xie Qingzhou and his group were dressed in close-fitting clothes, with long swords at their waists; they looked like men of a menace.
Fearing that Song Lingxi would see them, Xie Qinghong quickly closed the window and instructed Ayue not to mention it even after returning to the manor. Spreading rumors behind Song Lingxi's back was a despicable act, and she would never do such a thing! Fortunately, the congestion ahead finally cleared up a bit, and the carriage moved forward slowly. Song Lingxi turned the corner and disappeared into the crowd.
Just as noon was approaching, the coachman turned onto a less crowded side road to save time. But an unexpected incident occurred. The carriage had not gone far when they suddenly heard a series of chaotic hoofbeats ahead. Xie Qinghong frowned. Because there were many people in the capital during the day, riding horses was not allowed. But judging from the sound, the horses were clearly running, and there was more than one of them. He wondered who was so bold.
Knowing the road was narrow, A-Yue was about to lift the front awning to peek when the driver suddenly cried out, "Miss, be careful!" He then pulled on the reins, causing the horse's front hooves to rise high and the carriage to swerve to the side. Xie Qinghong, not paying attention, bumped her head against the carriage wall, the pain making her see stars and bringing tears to her eyes.
Ah Yue escaped unscathed, but her body slumped against the car wall. Ignoring what was happening outside, she rushed to check on her young lady's injuries. She noticed that a large bump was slowly swelling up on Xie Qinghong's forehead, and the bump was red and looked very painful.
A-Yue was heartbroken: "The young lady is so badly injured! This madman was riding his horse in broad daylight in Wangjing City. I'll tell Erlangjun when we get back!" As she spoke, she took out some ointment from a small drawer and carefully applied it to Xie Qinghong's swollen bumps.
Seeing the situation was turning against them, the rider on the opposite horse also sent someone over to inquire who they were and whether they were injured. Just as A-Yue was about to go out and argue with the newcomer, she heard someone loudly proclaim, "I am truly sorry, Young Master Pei's horse is wild and untamed, disturbing your esteemed journey. Fang Hong of the Yong'an Marquis's residence is here to apologize on behalf of the Young Master. Which household is yours, esteemed sir?"
Today, Xie Qinghong traveled in a simple and unassuming manner, without displaying the Xie family's nameplate on his carriage. Perhaps it was because of this that these arrogant men on the other side dared not restrain themselves, thinking they could get away with a perfunctory apology and even try to intimidate him with the name of the Marquis of Yong'an.
Xie Qinghong was furious. She had long disliked Fang Hong, this纨绔 (wan ku, a spoiled brat). He used to hang out with her brother, always egging him on to cause trouble. Last time at Yechun Tower, he even wanted her brother to take her to a pleasure boat to listen to music. With both old and new grudges surging in her heart, she grabbed a veil and put it on, covering the wound on her forehead. She lifted the veil and stepped out of the carriage, standing at the front and loudly proclaiming, "Xie family, how is Second Young Master Fang going to compensate for this?"
Fang Hong's expression changed drastically. If it were anyone else from the Xie family, it wouldn't be so bad, but why her of all people? He shouldn't have spoken up earlier; it was the Prince of Nan who bumped into her, not him! Why did he have to put on such a show? But it was too late for regrets. Thinking of Xie Qingzhou, that mad dog, he was filled with both regret and fear, awkwardly forcing a smile: "So it's Miss Xie. We were being presumptuous." He then secretly glanced at Pei Du, thinking, "Say something! You bumped into someone and you think you're right?"
The culprit, Pei Du, glanced at the person dressed in light blue on the carriage. Hearing Fang Hong's words, he dismounted and walked forward, taking out a delicate little round box from his pocket and handing it to him: "I apologize. It was my poor riding skills. I heard a sound just now that I had bumped into something. This ointment is a small token of my apology."
It turned out to be the Prince of the South whom she had met before. Xie Qinghong glanced at his waist and indeed saw the ancient longsword. This time she could see it more clearly; the scabbard was undecorated, and the hilt was wrapped with a strip of black cloth.
What's even more amazing is that this Pei man in front of her has broad shoulders and a narrow waist. With one hand on the sword, he is not much shorter than her when standing under the carriage.
Xie Qinghong unconsciously hummed out his inner thoughts: "All show and no substance, their riding skills are so bad."
Pei Du paused for a moment, then raised the ointment slightly, saying, "It was my fault."
Fang Hong tried to smooth things over, saying, "Yes, yes, it's all our fault. Sister Xie, please don't tell your brother. Just ask for whatever you need."
Xie Qinghong felt guilty for her words and didn't want to blame him too much. She silently took the ointment from the Prince of the South, but she still had to say something harsh. She coughed lightly and said, "Fine, if there's a next time, I'll have my brother beat you up."
Fang Hong was pleased that she was easy to talk to, but to his surprise, Pei Du replied, "I'm always ready to serve you."
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