Chapter 55: Twists and Turns, Erfeng's Unique Apology Techniques, and His Disappearance Again...
"Speak properly, and don't you dare slap my face!"
The moment the fire hook was flung in front of him, Li Shimin leaped back a step.
Despite this, he neither covered his face with his hands nor blocked with his arms, but instead showed a perfunctory attitude of wanting to stay away and avoid causing any further trouble.
He simply hid the paper behind his back or held it tightly in his arms to prevent it from being torn by the fire hook.
Under the relentless pursuit of the fire hooks, Li Shimin awkwardly ducked down and rolled under the flying fire hooks.
Li Shimin's nonchalant and yielding attitude surprised Changsun Qingjing. If it weren't for the mourning clothes she wore reminding her that she was observing the mourning period, she would have almost laughed at his comical actions.
Changsun Qingjing was only bluffing out of anger and embarrassment, and had no intention of hurting Li Shimin, so he held the fire hook horizontally at his side.
Li Shimin stopped spouting wild words and teasing Changsun Qingjing. With a flick of his tail, he leaped up from the floor, the paper in his hand not falling apart.
After he got up, he neatly arranged the mulberry paper and placed it on the corner of the table. He then took out a silk handkerchief embroidered with deer and leek patterns from his sleeve pouch, folded it again, and placed it on top of the paper.
"This is..." Changsun Qingjing was stunned. He threw down the fire hook and ran to the table. "Where did you get this?"
“I took this from a corner of an old screen. It doesn’t look like an old item from the mansion, and it’s embroidered with deer and chives, so it must be one of your personal belongings.” Li Shimin changed his playful and lazy demeanor from before, lowered his head to tidy up his desk, and didn’t dare to look at Changsun Qingjing.
He said awkwardly, "What the parrot said actually makes some sense. I was a bit stupid; I should have come to find you sooner. But I was afraid you would cry and make a scene..."
"Divine Machine Annihilation! I'm not as good at crying as you..."
“I do seem to be the way you described.” Li Shimin was not affected by Changsun Qingjing’s revelation of his embarrassing past. He simply picked up a five-stringed pipa from the floor at the other end of the desk and placed it in Changsun Qingjing’s arms.
As if afraid of being rejected, Li Shimin's palm lingered for a moment under his hand, making sure that Changsun Qingjing wouldn't angrily throw back his cherished old possession before he withdrew his hand.
"This is a pipa I just found, and the strings have been tuned. Although it's a bit old, the tone is still acceptable. I hope you won't mind."
"Okay." Changsun Qingjing lifted the neck and back of the instrument, looking bewildered by the unexpected gift.
Seeing that she showed no joy, Li Shimin hurriedly asked, "Are you more skilled at playing the konghou? I should have given you a konghou, but there isn't a suitable one in the treasury..."
“Not at all. I also love the pipa. All my relatives on my mother’s side are skilled at playing the pipa,” Changsun Qingjing said softly, bowing her head.
Li Shimin remained silent for a long time before finally speaking with a determined heart: "I have carefully stored my mother's old screen away. After asking the maids, I have hidden it in the storeroom you have chosen. Yesterday, I was blinded by greed and spoke carelessly. Please do not take it to heart. Today, I have come to apologize with a bundle of thorns on my back."
The two looked into each other's eyes, their silence a silent understanding.
“Clouds may obscure the sky, but the sun will eventually shine; rivers and seas may surge, but there is never a moment of peace. Vidyaraja, even in your current predicament, you still harbor lofty aspirations. If your mother knew this from beyond the grave, she would be greatly pleased.” Changsun Qingjing felt that this comfort was somewhat hollow. However, she racked her brains but could not find any better words.
She felt that this filial and respectful young man had to have great courage to sever ties with the past, and that her own decisive action in disposing of Madam Dou's belongings the day before was, to this young man who trusted his wife wholeheartedly, a hateful and terrifying encounter with a beautiful woman turned into a blade.
Yesterday, in Li Shimin's eyes, she was not without arrogance, domineering nature, and repulsive appearance.
"You've had a long and tiring day, get some rest." Li Shimin felt a little relieved and then laid out his next schedule: "These past few days I've been dealing with the refugees at the estate in Beiman. After that, I'll learn some flattery techniques, as you suggested, to gain the Emperor's trust. Although I'm quick-tempered and easily angered, I'm not incorrigible. Having you by my side is like having a lamp in a dark room!"
He left quietly, leaving behind a secret plan to recruit assassins and a promise to learn how to flatter and fawn.
Although Li Shimin did not experience the scene he had imagined—where Changsun Qingjing wept bitterly, he gently comforted him, and everyone reconciled happily—this unexpected ending was not too bad.
Ah Cai, who had been watching from behind the screen, finally let out a sigh of relief. However, she still felt that Changsun Qingjing was treating her husband a little coldly.
Her previous fierceness was somewhat understandable; the young master had been rude first, and as a maid from her maiden family, A-Cai couldn't bear to see her mistress suffer any injustice. Even when Lady Liu inquired about their quarrel, she would do her best to defend her mistress. However, since the young master had already softened his stance and entrusted both of their old belongings to her, it was clear that he trusted her.
The wife showed no intention of keeping him, which was rather heartless.
Changsun Qingjing was indeed exhausted and leaned against the couch, feigning sleep. Acai didn't say anything more about their trivial matters, but simply covered her with a quilt.
She was about to instruct the maid waiting outside to prepare a drink to ward off the cold when the young maid who had just informed her rushed into the inner room with a parrot on a perch, bumping into Ah Cai and startling the parrot into frantically flapping its wings.
"Keep your voice down, my wife is resting." Ah Cai gestured for silence.
The girl's sentiments had a kind of foolishness that disregarded A-Cai's unfamiliarity and melancholy upon first arrival; she was simply expressing her surprise and joy at the strange and wonderful things she had heard.
"Cicada's Robe." Madam Liu, who had been waiting outside, stepped into the room and scolded softly through the screen, "It's been a year since I last saw you, and you're still so childish, always jumping around like a startled bird. Come out quickly and call Guo Niang to come and serve me. Don't disturb Madam Changsun and Miss A Cai's rest."
Chanyi stuck out her tongue at Acai, not particularly afraid. She deliberately lingered as she passed by Liu Niangzi, counting the flower buds on her fingers, which prompted Liu Niangzi to lightly tap her forehead.
Then, the clever, bright, and charming girl shrank her neck and ran away like the wind.
The corners of Changsun Qingjing's mouth curled slightly as he feigned sleep, revealing a faint, almost imperceptible smile...
After Renri (the seventh day of the first lunar month), the entire city of Luoyang began to bustle with preparations for the upcoming Lantern Festival. Tongyuan City and Fengdu City were teeming with people, adorned with silk and satin trees, held aloft coral, and displayed countless rare and precious items. Even the frequency of sweeping and cleaning in Zhuque Street and the various wards increased due to the emperor's presence.
Because of his duty to guard the Ziwei Palace, Duke Li Yuan of Tang dared not slacken his efforts for even a moment. The young couple had to observe mourning for their mother and dared not visit relatives and friends in a grand manner, only receiving visiting relatives sporadically on behalf of their father.
After a few days' delay, Li Shimin decided to go to the farm near Beiman to check on the situation, leaving his wife to guard the house.
Although Changsun Qingjing had no objections, she was still somewhat worried that she wouldn't be able to support the family on her own. Seeing her husband's eagerness to find out more about the estate, she gritted her teeth and agreed.
However, the head of the household strongly opposed the young master leaving Luoyang at this time.
"The Lantern Festival is approaching. My lord is on duty guarding the palace and has no idea how things are arranged at home. It is really not appropriate for you to leave at this time."
"I can ride a fast horse and return in less than an hour. I will inform you of any matters that need to be discussed. If there is any emergency, you can send someone to find me. It won't be troublesome. Is there anything wrong with that?"
Jia Ling frowned, as if he had something to hide. But if he continued to argue, he would probably be scolded, so he remained silent.
It was only early morning, three days before the Lantern Festival, and Li Yuan had not yet sent out any official document from the palace. Li Shimin simply took his household guards and troops and rode north of the city.
Changsun Qingjing was not idle at home either. She wrote a letter to her mother, sending her one hundred peppercorns from Lingnan and some baby clothes she had made herself; she reported her safety to her uncle, Changsun Chang, and sent him a newly acquired gilded gold urn with a forest pattern. She didn't quite understand why there were huge horses in front of the two armies depicted on the urn, and she was too embarrassed to ask Guoniang to go back to the Persian who sold it to inquire about the reason; she sent newly written poems about Luoyang and the latest styles of floral crowns, necklaces, and hairpins from Luoyang to the unmarried women of Yan, Cui, and Wang...
After a flurry of activity, it was nearly midnight. She then summoned Guoniang and inquired about ordering the screen.
"That's a painter who's well-acquainted with the various dukes' mansions. He paints according to the poetic intent, so there's no doubt he won't make any mistakes. It's just that he's famous but also has a bad temper and a fondness for drinking. How about I take a eloquent and somewhat knowledgeable scholar with me to Fengdu City tomorrow to coax him a bit more? We'll definitely get this important screen back to the mansion as soon as possible." Guo Niang knew that Changsun Qingjing needed the screen urgently, so she repeated what she had said before, and in her desperation, she came up with a good way to urge him to hurry.
At first, Changsun Qingjing felt as if his mind was trapped in a cocoon, but now he had a sudden inspiration: "Remember to bring a pot of newly brewed fine wine, and prepare plenty of gold and silver. You two remember to say many kind words, and flatter the painter so much that he would be eager to finish the painting overnight."
She thought to herself: If only I were a man, I could meet those talented, unrestrained, and self-pitying down-on-their-luck painters directly. Wouldn't that be interesting?
Changsun Qingjing kept thinking about Xiao Yu's words about the emperor wanting to visit and comfort Tang Gong. Although the entire Luoyang was the emperor's vast "maze," where he could enter wherever he pleased with his childlike whims, it was clear to everyone that the comfort was probably a pretense, a test. However, she was surprised that Li Yuan and Li Shimin, father and son, didn't seem to care.
If Lady Dou were still here, that would be wonderful. Since she could discern the emperor's likes and dislikes and persuade her husband to offer him a horse, she could certainly make the emperor feel at home here.
The emperor needs absolute loyalty, loyalty to the point of death; otherwise, it is considered disloyalty, usurpation, and unforgivable evil.
Then let him see this utter, nauseating, and unwavering loyalty!
It was already early evening, but there was no sound of the horses neighing.
As the hour of Xu (7-9 PM) approached, the resounding sound of the evening drum echoed throughout the entire city of Luoyang.
Changsun Qingjing was puzzled. What could have caused such a delay on such a short journey?
However, she was not too anxious, because when Li Shimin was eleven or twelve years old, she had personally witnessed his righteous act of staying out all night to rescue a friend.
Ah Cai brought over a warm drink and a plate of honey-fried plums. She took a bite of the plum preserves, the sourness of which was completely masked by honey, and an idea came to her.
...
When Changsun Qingjing woke up in the warm pavilion, it was already the hour of Mao (5-7 AM) the next day. She had barely endured until the morning bell rang and the hour of Chen (7-9 AM) had passed when she finally couldn't wait any longer and sent several servants to Beiman to inquire about what had troubled her husband.
But the result shocked her.
The servants, along with the steward, returned to the manor from the farm. Everyone in the household inquired about each other's whereabouts and confirmed their identities. Finally, the steward and Lady Liu went to pay their respects to Lady Changsun and informed the new mistress of the house: Erlang (Second Son) is likely missing.
The author says: Only sincerity can move a girl.
Only affectation can move people in Guangdong and Guangxi.
Where did the missing Erfeng go?
Should Qingjing wait idly or go find him?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
