Chapter 8: Deep Sibling Affection
Zhu Qiqi left in a grand manner; what she said is obvious without even guessing.
Xie Huailing had someone take the jewelry box back to its owner, then went back to the couch and lay down, clutching a book of opera lyrics she had randomly picked up from the bookshelf, turning the page as she read. She really had no other way to pass the time; otherwise, who would want to read classical Chinese texts without punctuation?
It's all the same old clichés. A scholar surnamed Zhang goes to the capital to take the imperial examination. He goes to a temple to pray for success and happens to meet the prime minister's daughter, who is also hoping for a miracle to escape an arranged marriage. The two hit it off immediately. On the Mid-Autumn Festival night, during a secret rendezvous, the scholar can't help but write a poem to pledge his love to the prime minister's daughter, which reads, "Like mandarin ducks on the water, a pair; a beautiful woman by the moon's edge..." What a terrible poem. Xie Huailing closes the book of lyrics. No wonder she went to the temple to burn incense; this kind of writing is at least three lifetimes away from passing the imperial examination.
She didn't even need to read further; she knew the rest of the story was about a scholar taking the imperial examination, becoming the top scholar and bringing glory to his family. Meanwhile, the prime minister's daughter was forced by her father to marry her cousin, a man of equal social standing. At the critical moment, the prime minister's daughter, utterly despondent, only longed for Zhang Lang, who then arrived with the emperor's decree of marriage. From then on, the prime minister looked at the scholar with new respect, and the scholar married the beauty, becoming a favored son-in-law. Aside from the idea of free love, there was nothing commendable in the entire story; every era has its own clichéd little tales.
Xie Huailing pushed the script book aside and wanted to collapse back into bed. A pair of maids went out to fetch dinner, and the room was quiet. Time ticked by, until the sun began to set.
It was strange that she hadn't received her teacher today. But it wasn't surprising either; she had dealt with the decisive Zhu Qiqi, so it was expected that Su Mengzhen would react in some way. When the maids laid out the dinner on the table, the delicious aroma of steamed fish filled the room. Then, the steward, dressed in short clothes, came to deliver a message: Su Mengzhen wanted her to come over.
"This is rather unfortunate; Miss has just started eating," the maid outside said to the steward. "I'll go and inform Miss again."
Once inside, Xie Huailing was picking at the fish bones with her chopsticks. It was clearly a delicious dish that would make anyone's mouth water, but she ate very little, only taking a bite or two. Hearing the maid's words, she said, "Then I'll go and take these away."
The maid asked, "Shall I go to the small kitchen to warm up your dinner for you, Miss, so you can eat it when you return?"
Xie Huailing waved his hand, not even glancing at the remaining dishes: "Send them back to the kitchen. You don't need to wait for me, just go and eat your own food."
She lifted a curtain, straightened her clothes slightly, and went out. As she passed the bougainvillea plant in the corner, its petals and leaves swaying gently, hinting at unspoken sorrow, while dusk settled over the house.
Xie Huailing casually broke off one.
.
They said they were going to see Su Mengzhen, but they only went down one or two floors.
The Golden Wind and Drizzling Rain Pavilion boasts a unique layout, comprising four buildings and a tower. Each of the four buildings occupies a corner, and they are distinguished by four colors: blue, red, yellow, and white.
The "White Building" is the place where all information is collected and stored. Most of the news in the world, no matter how hidden, will come here.
The "Red Mansion" is a crucial gathering place for all military forces, including not only weapons and manpower, but also unknown spies and forces.
"Huanglou" is the entertainment area and also the place to entertain guests in the building. It is considered the most relaxed place in the building. Xie Huailing lives here.
The "brothel" is the central hub for issuing orders; commands that shake the martial arts world originate from here, where one can turn the world upside down with a flick of the wrist.
In the center of the fourth floor lies the true Golden Wind and Drizzle Pavilion, the residence of the pavilion master, Su Mengzhen. No one except his confidants is allowed to enter this place.
Xie Huailing naturally couldn't get in either, so the place Su Mengzhen came to call her to was also in the Yellow Building.
Combining entertainment and hospitality, the layout of Huanglou must have been meticulously planned. The entire floor was so quiet you could hear a pin drop; the sounds from below remained discreet. The steward, bending low, led her to a half-open door. Behind the door, behind a screen painted with bamboo, came the sounds of men talking loudly and laughing. The steward knocked on the door, and when the noise subsided, he announced in a clear voice, "Master, Miss Huanglou has arrived."
With that, he pushed the door open completely, and the smell of wine grew stronger. Xie Huailing entered gracefully, leaning out from behind the screen before stepping into view. Inside, a wooden table stood with three people seated.
The first person Xie Huailing saw was Su Mengzhen. As night approached, he wore an extra dark cloak, revealing black and red cuffs. His sharp, hawk-like gaze fell upon her, but Xie Huailing felt no unease. Next was a man around thirty years old, dressed as a scholar, but a priceless jade pendant adorned his waist, a mask of cunning. His amiable face concealed a shrewdness, like a smiling Buddha. This was Zhu Qiqi's brother-in-law. The third person at the far end was Zhu Qiqi herself. She idly counted the jade bracelets in her hand, shaking the bells and looking around. When Xie Huailing arrived, she waved to him.
Zhu Qiqi pointed to the seat opposite her, which was right next to Su Mengzhen, and said, "Huailing, come sit here!"
So Xie Huailing first lifted her skirt and sat down, then greeted Su Mengzhen, ultimately without feeling uncomfortable: "Greetings, cousin."
Su Mengzhen nodded, her thoughts unreadable. She called someone to pour her tea and introduced her to Zhu Qiqi's brother-in-law: "This is my cousin, she takes my uncle's surname, Xie."
Zhu Qiqi's brother-in-law was named Fan Fenyan, who was known as "the Tao Zhu of Lu". Most self-made businessmen are shrewd and cunning. He first toasted Xie Huailing: "I have been in the capital for two or three days, and only today have I been able to meet Miss Xie. She is truly a beauty beyond compare. Let me first offer you a toast."
Xie Huailing accepted the cup of tea instead of wine, and she went all out in her act, pretending to only half understand what she was hearing, which Su Mengzhen saw through.
Su Mengzhen asked, "Where were we?"
"Speaking of Qiqi taking Miss Xie out of the building to play," Fan Fenyan continued, "Qiqi is just like that by nature. She is used to being unrestrained at home, so please forgive her, Master Su and Miss Xie."
His protectiveness towards Zhu Qiqi was evident in his words, showing how much she was pampered at home. However, Zhu Qiqi didn't quite understand, thinking Fan Fenyan had exposed her weakness, and said to him, "Brother-in-law!"
Fan Fenyan smiled and ruffled Zhu Qiqi's hair: "Alright, don't be so childish when you get back—this matter was brought up again after noon, I wonder what Su Louzhu thinks now?"
Su Mengzhen's gaze seemed to fall on Xie Huailing. In the afternoon, Zhu Qiqi grabbed Fan Fenyang, saying she wanted to take Xie Huailing out to play. She came all the way to his place, pestering Fan Fenyang until he said he didn't need to be so serious about his cousin. She came again in the evening, determined not to give up until she got what she wanted. If he couldn't figure out that Xie Huailing had done something wrong, he might as well not be the owner of this building.
“It’s not impossible,” he said. “However, my cousin is not skilled in martial arts, so I’m afraid it will be a lot of trouble for Miss Zhu Qi.”
“That’s easy to say.” Zhu Qiqi spoke her mind, raising the corners of her lips as if she couldn’t wait a moment longer. “My martial arts skills are quite good, so I can protect her. After all, I’m the one taking her out to play. Besides, at worst, I can just bring a few more people, or I can take her to my place.”
There must have been something in her words that made Su Mengzhen's heart stir, because he changed his words and said, "Then I'll have to trouble Miss Zhu Qi."
Zhu Qiqi beamed with joy, her beautiful eyes crinkling as she looked at Xie Huailing: "Look, now we can go out and play together! I'll come find you first thing tomorrow morning!"
Xie Huailing nodded, then paused again, "Wait a minute, so early in the morning?"
Before she could tell Zhu Qiqi that she couldn't get up, Fan Fenyan had already bid farewell to Su Mengzhen, cupping his hands in a gesture of respect: "Now that things have been settled, I'll take Qiqi back to rest first, and we'll come to see Master Su again tomorrow."
As the screen folded and opened, the bamboo shadows reflected the rosy clouds outside, extinguishing Xie Huailing's desire to sleep until noon. She let out a short "uh-ah" and collapsed onto the table, her hair barely brushing against the teacup. The noise was so loud that Su Mengzhen's tea snacks spun around in the dish.
Su Mengzhen simply put down the tea and snacks, and stopped eating. Her voice, which was faint and almost frosty, said, "You said I was harsh on you and told me not to take you too seriously?"
"It's fake." Knowing he was going to settle the score, Xie Huailing frankly admitted it in broken Mandarin, took out the scallop hidden in his sleeve, and stuffed the red flower into Su Mengzhen's hand, "I'm apologizing to you, please let me have it."
He spoke with such self-righteousness, and even seemed unrepentant, as if to say, "I've already apologized." Fortunately, his face was so flawless that at first glance, one could actually find him somewhat tolerable.
Su Mengzhen lowered her head and glanced at the flower in her hand. A petal had fallen into her palm, and she had ruthlessly crushed the entire flower, turning it into a crimson mud, the sap seeping out and dripping onto the table. This audacious behavior—how could this person dare to do such a thing? She was utterly baffled. Did she have nine lives?
Crushed pieces of the flower corpse fell through her fingers. New and old grievances piled up, and the initial chill of offense didn't dissipate; instead, it coalesced into a raging fire, growing ever more icy and piercing: "What are you going to the capital for?"
Xie Huailing acted as if nothing had happened, as if she hadn't felt anything, and replied, "I'm just going to take a look. Opportunities are always reserved for those who are prepared."
She tapped the porcelain plate twice with her knuckles, leaned on her arm, and squinted her eyes: "I'm just giving the opportunity to you, Master. If you have something to say, you can say it directly. Before anything important is accomplished, you can't be too cautious."
The air seemed to freeze at that moment, as if even the sunlight had stopped moving downwards. Having one's thoughts accurately guessed was no pleasant experience. The chilling intent of the "drizzle" seemed to be closing in. Su Mengzhen remained silent, her gaze hardening and cold, fixed firmly on Xie Huailing. The room temperature continued to drop, and the autumn chill seemed to carry on into winter.
What she revealed was the reason Su Mengzhen agreed to Zhu Qiqi's request. He only agreed because Zhu Qiqi mentioned that she could take Xie Huailing to her home. However, no matter what he thought, Xie Huailing could never say the same thing.
But he suppressed the turmoil and murderous intent in his heart. He was genuinely amazed by her intelligence, and he still had time to hone her sharpness. Besides, he would indeed need her tomorrow, and she was certain of that.
"I will send someone to follow you." As soon as he said that, the air in the room seemed to come alive again, and the whole place felt relieved.
Xie Huailing immediately seized the opportunity and said, "So you mean I don't have to do anything, right? It's better if I just play a fun role and avoid trouble—so what about today's matter?"
Su Mengzhen said calmly, "I don't care."
"Yes, sir! See you tomorrow, Master." Xie Huailing, who had escaped unscathed, sprang to her feet. From beginning to end, her nonchalant air remained completely intact.
She hadn't walked far when she suddenly turned back. Having just been subjected to a scathing stare, she still hadn't learned her lesson and dared to push her luck, asking, "Will the landlord pay for tomorrow's expenses?"
Su Mengzhen remained silent, his expression a mixture of sigh and non-sigh. After a long pause, he said, "...Alright."
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