Chapter 23 Little Grandson
Feng Linyu's smile froze slightly, and he folded his folding fan with a "swish." "Miss Luo, you're joking." He turned around and scolded his sister, "Why don't you apologize to Miss Luo quickly!"
"Brother!" Feng Linzhi stomped her feet and refused to give in. "She clearly pushed me on purpose, why are you so rude?"
She originally wanted to vent her anger for her brother, but unexpectedly she was scolded in public.
Luo Zhaohan suppressed her smile, the silver tassels of her jade hairpin dangling softly beside her ear. "Miss Feng, let alone the fact that you and I have no grudge against each other, even if we did—" She suddenly stepped forward, her sleeves embroidered with twined branches brushing against the pearls in her hair, "there's no need to resort to such vile tactics."
Golden osmanthus flowers rustled down beside the rockery pond. Feng Linzhi was about to step back when she saw the crimson skirt had already brushed across the bluestone slabs.
Luo Zhaohan stopped in front of the rugged rocks, and placed her slender white fingers on the protruding rocks: "You said I pushed you?" Before she finished speaking, the red gold bracelets on her wrists jingled, and the eighty-pound Taihu stone was flipped to the ground by her single hand, and the loud noise startled the egrets in the pond.
"If that's really the case—" Luo Zhaohan tilted his head and chuckled, the sunlight illuminating the flower ornaments between his eyebrows. "Miss Feng should be blowing bubbles among the koi fish right now."
The sound of cups breaking came from the water pavilion opposite, and several young men leaned out from the vermilion lacquered railing.
Feng Linzhi took three steps back clutching her handkerchief, and saw that the evil star had carried the boulder back to its original place. When the bluestone base collided with the ground, fine golden sand was splashed out.
"You, you..." Feng Linzhi's fingertips trembled, and the golden hairpin on her hibiscus bun swayed unsteadily. "Vulgar! Monster!"
The dark cloud-shaped shoes stepped over the fallen flowers on the ground. Luo Zhaohan approached with the scent of pine resin: "You want to leave now?"
She picked up the osmanthus petals stuck to the other person's clothes with her fingertips and said, "Miss Feng, you have slandered my innocence with your white teeth and red lips. You must apologize."
"How dare you talk about innocence?" Feng Linzhi suddenly straightened her back, her nails almost digging into the tip of the man's nose. "Sister Liu's father died saving General Luo, leaving her alone and helpless in the general's mansion. Yet, out of jealousy, you repeatedly bullied and humiliated her! You even used your power to coerce Master Xie, forcing him and Sister Liu to separate—"
Luo Zhaohan's pupils shrank slightly, and he suddenly grabbed the flailing wrist: "You said... Xie Wuqi and Liu Yueli are in love with each other?"
"Everyone in the capital knows this!" Feng Linzhi broke free from the shackles and pulled out a jade pendant with a lotus flower from her purse. "This is something that Master Xie always wore. It clearly fell out of Sister Liu's sleeve when she was drunk that day!"
The jade pendant glowed warmly under the sun. Luo Zhaohan looked at the familiar pattern and suddenly remembered that when Xie Wuqi came to break off the engagement that day, the jade ornament he had worn since childhood was indeed missing from his waist.
The autumn breeze by the pond, carrying the fragrance of the remaining lotus leaves, brushed past her temples. She suddenly chuckled, "So that's what you said..."
"What are you laughing at!" Feng Linzhi was frightened by her laughter. "Mr. Xie would rather break up with his family to marry Sister Liu, you vicious woman—"
"But you could never imagine that even if you used all your tricks and pestered him endlessly, Brother Wuqi would always have Sister Liu in his heart. He even went so far as to quarrel with Uncle Xie, just to spend his life with Sister Liu and be together forever!
"Haha, Luo Zhaohan, I never knew there was someone as ungrateful and shameless as you hiding in the capital!"
Luo Zhaohan remained calm and listened to Feng Linzhi's accusations patiently.
Only after Feng Linzhi stopped her aggressive words did Luo Zhaohan reveal an interested smile, tilting his head slightly and asking jokingly:
"Did she...really tell you that?"
"The facts are right before our eyes. What else is there to question?"
Feng Linzhi was extremely surprised to see that Luo Zhaohan could still laugh, and her heart was in turmoil.
Under the wisteria trellis, Luo Zhaohan's fingertips brushed the edge of the bluestone table. When he raised his eyes, his gaze was as sharp as a blade: "Liu Yueli is here too?"
Feng Linzhi was so shocked by the look that he took a half step back, and the forbidden step on his waist hit the Taihu stone with a clanging sound.
She recalled the woman's strength in pushing the boulder over with one hand, and hurriedly clutched her handkerchief. "Sister Liu has long since severed ties with your General's Mansion. Brother Xie specifically asked us siblings to protect her. You...you don't even think about doing anything rash!"
Luo Zhaohan chuckled softly at the girl's timid appearance. How could she have been fooled by such a clumsy trick in her past life? Liu Yueli's specialty was wrapping dirty deeds in a saccharine way, coaxing these boudoir girls into becoming her pawns.
"Does Miss Feng know?" She picked up a falling wisteria petal. "Last year during the Qiqiao Festival, Liu Yueli used my name to invite Xie Wuqi to the lantern market, but she deliberately left her embroidered handkerchief in his arms."
Feng Linzhi's eyes widened: "You're talking nonsense!"
"She claimed to be ill and couldn't go out on Lantern Festival night, but she turned around and secretly met with Xie Wuqi in the plum forest. That twin-petal plum hairpin..." Luo Zhaohan ran his fingertips through her hair, "I'm afraid it's still hidden in the third compartment of the dressing box in the Xie family's villa."
Seeing the girl's face turn pale, Luo Zhaohan sat down leisurely: "Since I'm here today, I want to see if she dares to confront me face to face."
The pavilion is surrounded by Xiangfei bamboo curtains, filtering the spring sunlight into fine golden spots.
Feng Linzhi stared at the deep palm print on the stone table - that was left by Luo Zhaohan when he slammed the table just now - and suddenly remembered what her brother said, that the girl in Fuyuan General's Mansion could shoot a three-stone bow.
"The princess is in the west courtyard..." Her voice trembled, "You...you don't mess around!"
"Mess around?" Luo Zhaohan picked up the stone bench and spun it lightly. "If I were to mess around, you'd be feeding the koi in the lotus pond right now." The stone bench landed with a dull thud, startling the birds under the eaves. "Go tell Liu Yueli I'm here for you."
Feng Linzhi staggered backward, her embroidered shoes stepping on the hem of her skirt and she almost fell.
The two maids hurriedly supported them, and the master, servant and three of them retreated hastily towards the moon-shaped gate, like birds scared away by a hawk.
As the footsteps faded, Luo Zhaohan's smile faded. Memories of her past life flooded back—ever since she married Xie Wuqi, whenever she appeared at a banquet, the sudden silence, the subtle glances the ladies exchanged—it turned out that the sting had already penetrated her flesh and blood when she was still young!
It turned out that Liu Yueli had been secretly spreading rumors about her, causing her to be regarded as an alien by the upper-class ladies!
"Why are you sitting here alone, Madam?" the wife of a certain minister in her memory pretended to be concerned. "Are you feeling unwell?" Suddenly, the surroundings were filled with laughter, like a thorn in the flesh.
Her knuckles clattered against the stone table, and Luo Zhaohan snapped back to her senses. Now that she had been reborn, how could she allow such a scoundrel to ruin her reputation?
Since Liu Yueli wanted to put on a show, she built a bigger stage!
Luo Zhaohan's lips curled up slightly, and the hem of her skirt embroidered with silver butterflies swept across the cobblestone path.
Just as I was about to go to the pavilion, I suddenly heard a clear child's voice coming from behind the rockery: "Sister——"
In the shade of green bamboos, Luo Jince's black arrow sleeves were stained with a few ink marks, and a tall figure stood beside him.
The silver fish bag on Pei Ji's waist shone coldly in the sun, and his dark blue official uniform made his features look even more solemn.
The two men stepped aside at the same time, the corners of their royal blue brocade robes brushing against the stone steps, and the dragons embroidered with gold thread glittered in the sunlight.
"Is this the girl from the Luo family?" A crisp child's voice sounded.
Luo Zhaohan lowered his head and saw two figures on the ground. The older one wore a dragon-patterned pendant with a crimson ribbon around his waist, and the younger one wore deerskin boots, with golden bells jingling as he jumped.
She recognized the visitor's appearance and quickly knelt and saluted: "Your Highness greets His Royal Highness the Prince of Jin and His Royal Highness the Emperor's eldest grandson."
"Miss Luo, you have good eyesight." A gentle male voice was accompanied by a smile. "The king and Yunye were traveling incognito, but you discovered our identities."
The six-year-old child suddenly leaned forward, raised his little face, and looked at the jade hairpin in her hair. "Third Uncle said that Sister Luo can lift rockery stones. Is that true?"
The nine rings on his waist jingled, and his grape-like eyes shone surprisingly brightly.
Luo Zhaohan caught a glimpse of Pei Ji's boot tip moving slightly, and hurriedly said, "Your Highness is joking, it's just some basic skills."
"I saw it with my own eyes!" Chao Yunye grabbed the sleeve of the King of Jin, "Just now on the top of the rockery, she used one hand to -"
"Yunye." Chao Yinxi patted his nephew's head gently. "Don't scare Miss Luo." Then he turned to the pavilion and said, "The sun is getting hotter. Why don't we move and talk?"
Everyone filed off. Luo Zhaohan deliberately lagged behind, tugging at his brother's sleeve. "Why are you with Master Pei?"
"Just now in the library..." Luo Jince hadn't finished speaking when the crisp sound of a jade pendant suddenly came from the front.
Pei Ji stopped and looked back, his eyes as sharp as blades from under his black official hat, falling on the cuffs of the brother and sister holding hands.
A bowl of chilled sour plum soup had been placed on the stone table in the pavilion. Chao Yunye sipped from the jade bowl and suddenly pointed at the red mark on Luo Zhaohan's wrist. "Sister, is there cinnabar on this?"
Everyone's eyes were focused on it. It turned out to be the ochre powder that they had touched when moving the stone just now.
Luo Zhaohan was about to explain when Pei Ji pulled out a white handkerchief from his sleeve and handed it to him: "Bloodstains."
These two words startled Luo Jince so much that he knocked over his teacup. Only then did Luo Zhaohan feel the sharp pain in his wrist, a small cut from the gravel.
When she took the handkerchief, she felt the cold fingertips of the other party. Pei Ji had already turned to report to the King of Jin: "There are traces of fresh chiseling on the base of the rockery."
Chao Yinxi paused, fanning himself: "Oh?"
"There are drag marks on the moss on the stone base, and the mud marks in the southeast corner are not dry yet." Pei Ji's voice was steady, "It must have been tampered with within half an hour."
Luo Zhaohan held the blood-stained handkerchief in his hand, and suddenly remembered Feng Linzhi's strange posture when she fell - it didn't look like she was falling backwards, but rather like something had pulled her skirt.
She looked towards the rockery and saw two servants hurriedly passing by carrying a wooden box.
"Mr. Pei is indeed very observant." Chao Yinxi chuckled while shaking his mud-gold folding fan, "But we are here to appreciate the chrysanthemums today, these trivial matters..." He suddenly coughed, and his pale knuckles pressed against the side of his neck where the pale blue veins protruded.
"Third Uncle!" Chao Yunye frantically reached for the medicine pouch at his waist. Luo Zhaohan quickly grabbed the stone table, and the celadon medicine bottle rolled to the edge of her skirt. Picking it up, she caught a glimpse of the words "Xuechan Pills" written in small seal script on the bottle. This was a powerful medicine for treating heart ailments.
Pei Ji had already slipped behind the Prince of Jin, his palm pressed against his back, ready to strike. Luo Zhaohan tactfully retreated outside the pavilion, where he heard Luo Jince's whispered explanation: "His Royal Highness the Prince of Jin has suffered a relapse of his old illness, and has therefore come to the other courtyard to recuperate."
The cicadas' chirping suddenly became shrill.
Luo Zhaohan leaned against the vermilion lacquer pillar and watched Chao Yinxi pick up a cloud-patterned brocade handkerchief and carefully wipe away the sweat from the little prince's forehead. The sweat rolled down the child's pink cheeks and left dark marks on his apricot-yellow collar.
"It's okay to be a little naughty now." Prince Jin's fingertips brushed across Chao Yunye's crooked purple-gold crown, "You must be well-behaved at the banquet later..." Before he finished speaking, the little prince turned around and grabbed the pomegranate branch that was sticking out from the stone railing, and the hem of his crimson robe was stained with pollen.
Chao Yunye suddenly raised his little face: "Uncle San, I'm hungry!"
The nine-linked chain at his waist clanked against the stone table. The attendant eunuch immediately brought the food box, and when he opened it, a sweet aroma filled the air—the crystal hibiscus cake was as translucent as amber, the rose pastry was layered with crispy layers, and at the bottom was a lactose lion specially made by the imperial kitchen.
The young eunuch knelt down and brought a silver basin. Chao Yunye dipped his ten fingers in the warm water with jasmine petals floating in it, and suddenly grabbed a candied plum and stuffed it into his mouth.
Seeing this, Prince Jin shook his head and chuckled, then took the pine soot-stained handkerchief handed to him by the palace maid and wiped his hands.
"I want this!" The fingertips covered with water droplets poked at the goose yellow pastry.
Chao Yunye bit off the crescent-shaped piece and suddenly raised the remaining half to Chao Yinxi's lips: "Third uncle, eat too!"
The jade chopsticks were suspended in mid-air as Prince Jin bit into the sweet snack from his nephew's hand. Luo Zhaohan saw his Adam's apple rolling with difficulty, and remembered the small cinnabar words on the medicine bottle: "Avoid sweets."
"Sir, you don't eat sweets." Chao Yunye shook his head and turned to Pei Ji. Seeing that the black official robe was motionless, he winked at Luo Jince: "Where is Brother Luo?"
Luo Jince stared at the candied kumquats in the food box and suddenly felt a pain in his teeth - when he was seven years old, he secretly ate three cans of candied plums and rolled around on the bed in pain.
His sister immediately called in the imperial physician, and from then on, whenever he saw sweet food, his tongue would salivate.
"Can I ask for a piece?" Luo Zhaohan came to the rescue at the right time.
Chao Yunye's eyes lit up, and he stood on tiptoe to hand over the sardonyx plate. The icing sugar on his fingertips looked like falling snow.
Seeing the little grandson about to grab a third piece, Chao Yinxi tapped the edge of the table. As the food box snapped shut, Chao Yunye suddenly grabbed the Prince of Jin's sleeve and said, "Bring some to Mother! She loves rose pastries the most!"
Once a child is excited, he will be like a raging storm. Once his ideas come into his mind, he can't wait to put them into action.
Seeing this, Chao Yinxi had no choice but to follow closely behind, and Pei Ji followed closely behind.
Luo Jince hesitated for a moment, and just as Luo Zhaohan finished his greeting and stood up, she gently pushed him.
"Jin Ce, hurry up and catch up." She was still worried just now. With Prince Jin and the emperor's grandson here, Feng Linzhi and others didn't dare to act rashly. It was the right time to leave now.
But Jin Ce absolutely couldn't stay. Firstly, he was a man, and secondly...his eagerness to protect his sister made her worry that he would be furious. It wasn't hard to imagine that Princess Yinzhen's attitude towards her wouldn't improve until the misunderstanding was cleared up.
Luo Jince obeyed, nodding slightly at the call and cautiously following Pei Ji. It was unclear whether he looked up and whispered to Pei Ji, but Pei Ji's simple response made his eyes sparkle and a smug smile spread across his face.
Luo Zhaohan suddenly realized it at this moment.
It turned out that he had revealed the secrets of his previous life to Jin Ce last night and mentioned Pei Ji's kindness, so he was so eager to follow Pei Ji today.
When she returns home today, she must have a detailed talk with Jin Ce and remind him to be cautious.
Others might not notice, but I must not let Xie Wuqi catch any clues. Thinking of this, Luo Zhaohan sat back in his original position and eagerly picked up a cup of clear spring water from the stone table to quench his thirst.
In fact, she doesn't like sweets. She always feels that her mouth is sticky and uncomfortable after eating them...
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