Mountain and River Festival 294. Confession of Mr. Xu San

"How...how could it be?" Xu Qingfeng stuttered. That was clearly Miss Hua from the Duke Hua's Mansion, a good friend of his cousin and his second sister-in-law. Why did she become Miss Yang? Most importantly, why did she happen to be there and hear what he said!

Seeing Xu Qingfeng's face full of annoyance, Ye Li and Qin Zheng exchanged glances quietly. Qin Zheng smiled and said, "Third brother, do you know her?"

"Well..." Xu Qingfeng was a little embarrassed, "I've seen him by chance a few times in the capital before?"

Ye Li smiled and said, "I see. It's not a big deal. Tianxiang isn't such a petty person. I'll apologize on behalf of my third brother later. But... Second Aunt, since my third brother doesn't mean that, let's forget about it. Although Miss Yang is now staying at Prince Ding's mansion, her family is an old friend of Xiu Yao after all. We can't let her down."

After all, he was her own child, so how could Second Madam Xu not notice that Xu Qingfeng was different? She smiled and said to Ye Li, "Li'er, this was reckless. I was anxious because your third brother was going to go on a long trip, so I lost my temper. You should talk to Miss Yang, and I will come to apologize in person tomorrow. Forget about me, this unfilial son... I am too lazy to care about him anymore."

"Mother..." Xu Qingfeng looked anxiously at the doorway where no one was, and then looked at his mother who looked relaxed, and couldn't help but blush. Madam Xu II calmly wiped the sweat from her forehead with a handkerchief, and turned to Madam Xu Da and said, "Sister-in-law, I get angry when I see this unfilial son, let's go back."

Madam Xu looked at Xu Qingfeng, smiled and nodded, saying, "Okay, let's go out of the city to visit the old lady and Yu Chen and Rui'er. It's much better to be cool outside the city than to be suffocated at home."

Madam Xu smiled and said, "Sister-in-law is right. Let's go back first. Zheng'er, it's okay for you to go back later. By the way, go and apologize to Miss Yang on behalf of your mother."

Qin Zheng smiled lightly, bowed slightly and said, "Zheng'er understands, Auntie is satisfied, take care mother."

After watching the two ladies leave, Qin Zheng and Ye Li smiled at each other and looked at Xu Qingfeng who was standing on the side with his head down and looking depressed. Ye Li blinked her eyes and walked up to Xu Qingfeng with a smile, "Third brother, tell me, how did you get to know Ruohua?"

"Ruohua?" Xu Qingfeng was at a loss.

Ye Li raised her eyebrows, and Xu Qingfeng finally came back to his senses. His usually cheerful face showed a rare bit of embarrassment and shyness, which made Ye Li and Qin Zheng laugh in their hearts.

"Uh... I have really seen her twice in the capital. Also, didn't I come back and visit Prince Ding's Mansion two days ago? Feng San asked me to help deliver something to Mr. Shen. Then I saw her... with Wuyou at Mr. Shen's place..." Xu Qingfeng looked at Ye Li distressedly and said, "Li'er, I really didn't mean it. I... I didn't know she was Miss Yang. If I had known..."

Ye Li looked at him with a smile and asked, "What if Third Brother knew?"

Xu Qingfeng lowered his head and pondered for a moment, then shook his head in a somewhat depressed tone and said, "Forget it, it's nothing. Well...you guys go and apologize to Miss Hua...Yang for me. I really didn't mean it."

Qin Zheng looked at Ye Li in confusion, somewhat puzzled as to why Xu Qingfeng had suddenly changed his mind. Ye Li smiled and said, "Wouldn't it be more sincere if you apologized in person?" Xu Qingfeng shook his head, "Forget it, Miss Yang is a lady of high rank, and it would be bad for her reputation if I went there rashly. I'll leave first, Li'er, second sister-in-law."

Seeing Xu Qingfeng turning away, Ye Li narrowed her eyes, raised her hand and held Xu Qingfeng, whispering: "Third brother, you are afraid that something might happen to you while you are away on the battlefield and you might delay the girl, then are you afraid that when you come back alive, the girl will already be married?" Xu Qingfeng looked at Ye Li in surprise, and Ye Li smiled and said: "There is always a way to solve the problem, go and explain it to Tianxiang. People in our Dingwang Mansion are not so fond of gossiping, be good..."

Xu Qingfeng's handsome face suddenly turned red. He took a few steps back and stared at Ye Li, "Li'er..."

Ye Li took Qin Zheng and waved to him, saying, "Go quickly. Zheng'er and I still have something to talk about, so we don't have time to clean up after this for you. If no one goes to apologize to her today, the girl might be sad and..." Xu Qingfeng's face turned pale, and he turned around and left in a hurry.

Behind them, the two women looked at each other and burst into laughter.

"Li'er, you teased my third brother like this..." Qin Zheng laughed enough and shook her head while wiping her tears. Ye Li shrugged helplessly and said, "How could I tease him? Third brother looks straightforward, and his personality is probably more honest than second brother. If I hadn't said that, he might have gone out with this in mind. If Tianxiang has someone else when he comes back, won't he cry to death?"

"Third brother is in a mess because he is in the middle of the situation. When he comes to his senses..."

"What dares he do to me?" Ye Li looked up and smiled. Third Brother couldn't beat her! And if it really worked, would she still be afraid that Third Brother wouldn't thank her?

In the guest house of Prince Ding's mansion, Hua Tianxiang sat alone by the flowerbed in the spacious and quiet courtyard, sulking. She didn't get hung up on Xu Qingfeng's words, after all, she knew a little about the personalities of the young masters of the Xu family, otherwise she wouldn't have agreed when her aunt told her what Second Madam Xu meant. From the situation at the time, it was clear that Xu Qingfeng was forced to speak without thinking.

Although she knew Xu Qingfeng had no opinion on her, it was impossible for a girl to not be angry when she was rejected like this. At least she did not hesitate to slap the thick book in her hand. Unfortunately, she didn't slap Xu Qingfeng in the face!

Mr. Xu! Don't let me get you into my hands!

Xu Qingfeng quietly fell from the top of the wall into the garden and saw the beautiful and graceful woman pinching a flower. He couldn't help but shrink his neck. He was not really stupid. He had no doubt that the girl was thinking of pinching her own neck at this moment.

"Ahem..." After a light cough, Xu Qingfeng looked at Hua Tianxiang with some embarrassment. She turned her head and was stunned when she saw him, then her pretty face sank and she turned and left.

"That...Miss Hua, Miss Yang!" Xu Qingfeng called out hurriedly.

Hua Tianxiang turned around, looked at him calmly and said, "Mr. Xu San, what can I teach you?"

Xu Qingfeng stepped forward awkwardly and said, "That's not what I meant just now. Please forgive me, young lady." Hua Tianxiang's beautiful face showed a cold smile, "Sir, you are too kind. How dare I, a nouveau riche who came from nowhere, blame Mr. Xu San?"

"Miss Yang..." Looking at the pretty girl in front of him with a cold face, Xu Qingfeng felt at a loss, and was more nervous than going to the battlefield. He regretted that he didn't have the eloquence of his eldest brother and the fourth and fifth brothers. At least he should have a wooden face like his second brother who could remain calm even when facing a disaster. He didn't even know if he was blushing at this moment.

Hua Tianxiang looked at the embarrassed man in front of her with a cold face, and couldn't help but twitching her lips, looking up at the sky and rolling her eyes. Why does it look like this girl is bullying him?

"Mr. Xu, if you have nothing else to do, please go back." After waiting for a while, Xu Qingfeng did not say anything, and Hua Tianxiang was too lazy to waste time with him. She might spend the whole afternoon here and the other party might not even say a word.

Seeing Hua Tianxiang turning around to leave, Xu Qingfeng became anxious and reached out to hold her.

"you……"

"Ah?!" Coming back to his senses, Xu Qingfeng realized that he had offended the girl. He became even more flustered and almost wanted to flee. But his cousin's whispered reminder came to his mind. Luofu has a husband... Luofu has a husband... Suddenly, the scene of the woman in front of him being led to the wedding by a man whose face he could not see appeared in his mind. Xu Qingfeng quickly shook his head to get rid of the scene in his mind. He and Hua Tianxiang had indeed met twice when they were in Chujing, but Xu Qingfeng did not care. It was not until two days ago when he returned to the city that he ran to Prince Ding's Mansion on the pretext of delivering something for Feng Zhiyao to avoid his mother. However, he happened to meet Hua Tianxiang who was chatting with Princess Changle at Shen Yang's place. He was shocked at the first sight.

Xu Qingfeng didn't care at the time, until he got home and his mother pulled him to talk about a lot of things about marriage. Hearing the words that originally gave him a headache, the beautiful face kept flashing in his mind. Xu Qingfeng was not a fool, and he naturally understood that he had a good impression of the girl, but he didn't dare to think too much because he was about to go to war. He didn't expect that he had offended her before he even started.

Hua Tianxiang looked at the man in front of her strangely, speechless.

"Miss Hua, Miss Yang... I really didn't mean it. I didn't know it was you. My mother kept mentioning this to me, and I said that because I was pushed into a corner. In fact, I wanted to tell my mother that I already... already have someone I love." At this point, Xu Qingfeng lowered his head with red ears.

Hua Tianxiang couldn't help but frown, and said lightly: "Since it's just a misunderstanding, just solve it. I don't blame Master Xu, Master, go back. Goodbye."

Watching Hua Tianxiang turn around and leave, Xu Qingfeng couldn't help but be stunned. Did he... say something wrong?

Outside the moon-shaped door not far behind him, Ye Li and Qin Zheng could not help but roll their eyes. Third brother (third younger brother) is not usually so stupid. Ye Li gritted her teeth, took off a pearl flower from her head and threw it over, hitting Xu Qingfeng's head with a thud. Xu Qingfeng touched his head and turned around to see the two half-exposed heads. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry, "Li'er, second sister-in-law, what are you doing here?"

"Idiot... confess your feelings." Ye Li reminded in a low voice.

"Eh?" Third Master Xu blushed, turned his head and stole a glance at Hua Tianxiang who had just turned around the flowers and left, only to see a piece of clothing passing by. Ye Li said angrily: "How can she know what you mean if you don't explain it clearly?" Qin Zheng smiled and covered her lips and said: "Third brother, Tianxiang may think you like another girl."

"I...I didn't..."

"No, hurry up!"

Finally realizing what was wrong, Xu Qingfeng quickly turned around and chased after her. Ye Li and Qin Zheng looked at each other and followed quietly. After just two steps, they heard Xu Qingfeng's voice coming from not far away, "Miss Yang, I mean that the person I love is you!"

Xu Qingfeng's voice was not loud but it was definitely not small. At least Ye Li and Qin Zheng who were standing at the gate of the courtyard could hear it clearly. They could hardly bear to watch and covered their faces with sighs.

Behind the flowers, Hua Tianxiang was startled by his sudden confession. Before she could say anything, a figure fell from the tree on the wall next to her. Xu Qingfeng quickly blocked Hua Tianxiang behind him, staring at the unknown guard in front of him with dissatisfaction, "What are you doing here?"

"Standing guard. Sorry to bother you, please continue." The dark guard said calmly with a blank expression, then jumped up to the treetop again, thought for a moment, and then turned back to add, "Congratulations."

"Thank you." Xu Qingfeng said with a silly smile.

"Bang!" The secret guard who had just climbed up the tree fell down again, but this time he was outside the wall. The third son of the Xu family could not be so stupid, it must be that his posture was wrong!

When Mr. Xu San came to his senses and turned around, he saw Hua Tianxiang glaring at him and running away. Mr. Xu San was immediately confused, "This... did I say something wrong again?"

"You didn't say anything wrong, but you chose the wrong place." Ye Li and Qin Zheng walked out from behind the flowers and glared at him angrily.

"What do you mean?"

Ye Li smiled and said, "It wasn't just us just now. At least ten people in and outside the courtyard heard your true confession, Third Brother."

"So what?" He knew that the Dingwang Mansion had many secret guards. It was just that their mental quality was too poor. Just now, he fell from the tree twice in just a few moments.

Qin Zheng glared at him unhappily, "Third brother, Ruohua is an unmarried girl. You are doing this... wanting her to..."

Xu Qingfeng suddenly realized, "Lier, second sister-in-law, thank you for your advice. I'm leaving first." After saying that, the third young master Xu turned around and ran out of the yard.

"Where are you going?!"

"Ask my mother to propose marriage..." The voice of Mr. Xu San came from far away. Ye Li and Qin Zheng, who were left where they were, could only look at each other.

"Princess, Madam Xu." The Queen came out from behind the rockery, pulling Hua Tianxiang. Seeing Ye Li and Qin Zheng, Hua Tianxiang lowered her head shyly. Ye Li stepped forward and said apologetically, "Madam, Third Brother is straightforward and not particular about details. Please forgive me for neglecting you and Ruohua. But the Xu family definitely has no intention of taking you lightly, please believe this." The Queen smiled and said, "Of course I believe what the Princess says. Third Master Xu... well, he is also a man of temperament."

Seeing that Ye Li and the Queen had something to say, Qin Zheng also wanted to find out what her friend was thinking. She pulled Hua Tianxiang and smiled softly, "Let's talk."

The queen smiled at her niece and said, "Go ahead. I want to talk to the princess, too."

Qin Zheng then took Hua Tianxiang away. The Queen turned around and looked at Ye Li and said, "I believe in the sincerity of the Princess and the Xu family. I'm afraid this is just a misunderstanding. However, although the Third Master Xu has expressed his feelings to Ruohua, but..." Ye Li smiled and said, "Marriage is a big deal, so we can't force it. Even if Ruohua and Third Brother are not destined to be together, I guarantee that what happened today will not affect her reputation. The secret guards of Prince Ding's Mansion will not spread gossip casually."

"I'm sorry to have caused you trouble, Princess." The Queen said apologetically.

"What are you talking about, Madam? One of them is my cousin and the other is my close friend. How can I ask if I should worry about them?" Ye Liqian said with a smile.

When Ye Li and the Queen finished talking, Qin Zheng and Hua Tianxiang also came back hand in hand. Seeing the smile on Qin Zheng's face and Hua Tianxiang's slightly red face, Ye Li knew the answer. He didn't say anything to make Hua Tianxiang uncomfortable, but just smiled at her. Hua Tianxiang's face was slightly flushed, and she whispered: "Li'er, thank you."

"Silly."

The Xu family acted quickly, and the second wife of Xu came to propose marriage the next morning. Since both parties were interested, the queen naturally agreed without making any trouble. In the end, because the expedition was imminent, the two families agreed to the wedding next year. Although she was a little regretful that she could not marry her daughter-in-law immediately, she was relieved that it was settled, and she was happy all day long. Seeing this, the first wife of Xu was envious and helpless, but unfortunately her sons were more difficult to deal with than the other, and she was afraid that there was no way to make them submit.

After Xu Qingfeng's marriage was settled, the day to send troops arrived in the blink of an eye.

On the 26th of June, the sky was clear and the breeze was gentle. The bustling Licheng had become unusually quiet, while outside the Licheng there were huge crowds of people and the sound of drums was deafening.

The Mohist army soldiers dressed in black, holding their sharp weapons in their hands, stood in neat rows at the city gates waiting for orders. The people who came to see them off looked around and saw only the dark side that seemed like an endless black tide. There were also countless silver lights flashing in the sun, adding a bit of coolness and sharpness to this hot summer.

Behind these soldiers, strong and powerful horses stood quietly. Even the deafening sound of war drums could not scare them in the slightest. Beside each war horse stood a tall and straight figure wrapped in a black robe. This combination of one man and one horse made people feel as if they could see their heroic posture charging into the battlefield.

"This... this is Black Cloud Knight." Someone in the crowd who was seeing him off whispered curiously. People always admire heroes instinctively. All the men looked at them with a little more awe, and all the girls looked at them with a little more admiration.

"As expected of the Black Cloud Cavalry, the whole world knows that Prince Ding's Mansion possesses such elite troops." People were talking among themselves, looking towards the city gate in front of them with more awe in their eyes.

At the city gate, Licheng's civil and military officials came to see the army off. Even Mr. Qingyun and Su Zhe, who had always been indifferent to worldly affairs, came with students from Lishan Academy. Perhaps because of the military service system in the northwest, scholars in the northwest, unless they had special circumstances, had to serve in the military for at least one year before they could take the examination to become officials after reaching a certain age. Therefore, in the northwest, scholars looked down on military commanders, and the concept of civil and military officials looking down on each other was much weaker than in other places. There were even some students who simply gave up their studies and joined the army after serving in the military.

"From now on, Licheng will have to rely on Mr. Qingyun to take charge." Mo Xiuyao bowed respectfully to Mr. Qingyun. Mr. Qingyun quickly reached out to support him, nodded and smiled, "Don't worry, Your Majesty. I wish Your Majesty a successful start."

Mo Xiuyao smiled and said, "Thank you for your kind words, Grandpa."

"Mother, mother... Mother, don't you want Xiaobao anymore?" Mo Xiaobao tugged at Ye Li's clothes pitifully, tilting his head and looking at her with his big wet eyes. Ye Li sighed softly, leaned over and touched his head and said, "Mother is going on a long journey with your father. Xiaobao has to listen to Grandfather and Uncle at home, do you know?"

"Mother lied to me! Mother was obviously going to fight with father, not going on a long journey." Mo Xiaobao said angrily.

Ye Li was helpless, "Okay, Mom is going to the war, Xiaobao stay at home and be good."

"Xiaobao also wants to help mother fight!" Mo Xiaobao said excitedly.

Two lines of black lines slid down Ye Li's face. As expected... she knew it...

"No, you're too young. You can go when you grow up." Ye Li shook her head. Mo Xiaobao looked at the soldiers standing in the distance with regret, his big eyes sparkling, "Really? When Xiaobao grows up, he can lead so many soldiers to fight?"

Ye Li nodded silently. Although she was not kindhearted, she was a peace lover. Why was her son so excited when he talked about war?

After talking to Mr. Qingyun, Mo Xiuyao turned around and lifted Mo Xiaobao up to look at him. Mo Xiaobao looked at his father with a stern expression on his face. He was still angry that his father didn't let him sleep with his mother last night.

"Stay at home and be obedient?" Mo Xiuyao raised his eyebrows and said lightly.

Mo Xiaobao frowned and said in a more indifferent tone, "Protect mother well, and win a great victory?"

Mo Xiuyao reached out his hand, rubbed his son's head and asked, "Nothing else to say?" Mo Xiaobao hesitated for a moment, then said with some hesitation, "Be careful." Obviously, Mo Xiaobao was not used to showing concern for his father, who had always been his enemy.

The others couldn't help but laugh secretly at Mo Xiaobao's tangled and calm appearance. However, no one tried to save Mo Xiaoshi's face. Xu Qingchen coughed lightly and said to the two of them, "Be careful. You can rest assured that I'm here in Licheng."

Mo Xiuyao nodded and said, "Of course I trust Master Qingchen. I'll leave everything to you."

Ye Li said softly: "Brother, take care."

"Be careful." Xu Qingchen whispered as he looked at the woman in front of him who was dressed in a white outfit, without any makeup or earrings, but looked even more graceful.

The women of the Xu family also came forward to say goodbye to Ye Li. Madam Xu looked at Ye Li and said sternly, "Don't worry, Yu Chen and Jun Han. Your aunt and second aunt will take good care of them. You must be careful when you are out there."

"Li'er, take care." Qin Zheng and Hua Tianxiang pulled Ye Li and whispered. Although they had known for a long time that Li'er was different from them, it was not until they saw her standing beside Prince Ding in her masculine outfit with a calm face that they truly realized that their friend was really different from them. Since ancient times, the story of girls going to the battlefield was just a legend in opera repertoires for them. But now, they not only admired her ability and courage, but also envied her courage to stand shoulder to shoulder with her husband and advance and retreat together.

"I know, take care of yourselves too." Ye Li said with a smile.

"Prince, Princess, the time is almost up." Zhuo Jing, dressed in military uniform, stepped forward and reported in a low voice.

Mo Xiuyao nodded and said to Ye Li: "Ah Li, it's time for us to set off."

"Okay." Ye Li nodded and responded with a smile.