As for the main character of this plum blossom banquet, the prefect is nowhere to be seen at this moment. Most of the people admiring the plum blossoms here are marginalized people. Although they are fortunate enough to be able to enter here, most of them can only stop at this plum garden. As for other places, they cannot go anywhere else.
Even so, no detail of hospitality was overlooked. Servants and maids bustled around everyone, fulfilling any needs immediately. A banquet had already been prepared inside the pavilion, where one could enjoy warm wine and fine food if desired.
Hua Yingyue walked ahead and suddenly asked, "Young Master Ning, what do you think of the plum blossoms here?"
Ning Ye shook his head and said, "I don't know much about appreciating plum blossoms, but they must be exceptional, otherwise why would I have specially invited people to come and admire them together?"
"Young Master Ning, this won't do. That prefect is a great lover of poetry. It's no surprise that he'll be asking you to take plum blossoms as your model today. If you can't do it, won't all your efforts be wasted?"
Xiao Qing proudly replied, "Please don't worry, Miss Yingyue. My young master's literary talent is naturally excellent. A few poems are nothing to him."
Hua Yingyue became interested. "Oh, Young Master Ning is also accomplished in poetry? Why don't you recite one now, so you won't embarrass yourself later?"
Ning Ye shook his head and said, "Miss Yingyue, please don't make fun of me. My little girl is just talking nonsense. How could I possibly write poetry? If something like that really happens later, I'm afraid it will be a bit difficult for her."
"Young Master Ning is too modest. If you really didn't know how, I'm afraid you, his maid, wouldn't have said that. But since you don't want to now, let's wait and talk about it later."
Just then, a cheerful voice rang out, "Music girl, don't listen to this country bumpkin's nonsense. I bet he just doesn't know how and is afraid of making a fool of himself in front of you."
Xiaoqing immediately glared at him, "You're not allowed to talk about our young master like that."
The man didn't look very old, probably just past his coming-of-age ceremony. He was wearing a blue scholar's robe with a pure white fox fur coat over it. Judging from his attire, he must be someone of considerable importance.
The newcomer paid no attention to what Xiaoqing said, his eyes were fixed on Hua Yingyue's figure and appearance.
Hua Yingyue covered her mouth and chuckled, "Young Master Jiang, you're talking about my guest right from the start. That's not a good thing to do."
Jiang Yuxing laughed and said, "When did such an ordinary person become Miss Yingyue's guest? Could it be that I've misjudged him? Is there something about this young man that makes him different from others?"
He asked a series of questions, but his words revealed his disdain for Ning Ye.
Ning Ye calmly replied, "I don't think someone who can so easily slander others can be considered a good person. Or is this young master simply born so ill-mannered?"
Jiang Yuxing's smile froze instantly. "As expected of a country bumpkin, his words are so crude. Although I don't want to argue with you, your words have gone too far. Men, break his legs and throw him out."
One of the guards behind him immediately stepped forward, seemingly ready to take action.
Xiaoqing stood directly in front of Ning Ye, saying, "If you want to touch my young master, you'll have to get past me first."
Xiaoqing's heroic and spirited appearance was quite eye-catching, and coupled with her good looks, she immediately caught Jiang Yuxing's eye.
"Young man, I never expected to find such a beautiful maidservant, and she seems quite wild at that. How about this, give me your maidservant, and I will let bygones be bygones for what happened today."
Hua Yingyue said, "Young Master Jiang, you are my guest after all. Why not give me some face and just consider it as him speaking without thinking? I will have him prepare an apology gift when we get back."
Jiang Yuxing smiled, "If Miss Yingyue speaks up, this matter is not without room for discussion. However, she must be a maidservant. Otherwise, I will lose all face today."
Hua Yingyue inwardly felt a sense of foreboding; Ning Ye's mouth was far too hasty and impulsive.
Of all people to mess with, they had to provoke Jiang Yuxing. And how many people in the entire Cangzhou City would dare to mess with Jiang Yuxing?
The man in front of me, Jiang Yuxing, is the son of the garrison general of Cangzhou. It can be said that apart from that prefect, there is no one that Jiang Yuxing cannot afford to offend.
The guard general was known for being fiercely protective of his men; no matter what they did, the general could always smooth things over.
Ning Ye calmly replied, "You were the one who started the verbal abuse, yet now you're trying to turn the tables on me. Do you think I'm easy to bully?"
Jiang Yuxing narrowed his eyes. "That's right. Judging from your clothes and your accent, you're definitely not from Cangzhou. You're just some country bumpkin who came from who-knows-where. What can they do if they curse you? Even if they beat you to death, you'll have nowhere to go."
Hua Yingyue pulled Ning Ye aside and whispered in his ear, "Say less. This is not someone you can mess with right now. You really don't plan to leave here. If you keep talking nonsense, even I can't protect you."
This intimate gesture, however, only fueled Jiang Yuxing's jealousy. "Kid, no matter who comes today, they can't protect you. Break his legs right now and throw him out. No one is allowed to stop him!"
Without hesitation, the guard reached out to grab Xiaoqing. In his eyes, she was just a weak woman. Did she think she could stop him?
With a swift movement, Xiaoqing slammed her sword sheath down, then thrust the hilt into the guard's chest. This fatal blow sent the guard staggering back several steps until he was half-kneeling on the ground.
The movements were fluid and seamless, completed at such a fast speed before anyone else could react, leaving everyone present astonished.
Jiang Yuxing angrily said, "You useless trash, keep going! I want to see how many of my men this little maid can stop."
One after another, more than a dozen guards suddenly surrounded them from all directions. No one knew where these people had been before, but they were able to rush over so quickly at a single command.
Despite the large number of people, Xiaoqing was not afraid at all. What could they do even if there were many people?
Anyone who wants to harm her young master today must first ask the sword in her hand; otherwise, no one will be able to get close.
Just as tensions were running high, a butler slowly approached. Upon seeing the butler, Jiang Yuxing was no longer in a hurry to order his men to take action.
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