Chapter 40: Charging... The dog eyes that women can't resist. ...
This was the first time Shen Changfeng met Chuqi.
He stood on the pavilion, his moon-white robe fluttering with sleeves, evoking the elegance of a scholar. The sky was gloomy, yet a few rays of morning light fell on his face, making his ears gleam faintly. He propped his hand up, creating a canopy between his brows, and the hazy sunlight filtered through his fingers, landing on his naturally upturned lips.
His eyes are bright, like a pool of amber. The corners of his eyes are a little droopy, but the curvature is just right. When he was young, his smile was playful and even a little shy. After fine lines appeared at the corners of his eyes, he looked very wise and experienced - the puppy eyes that women can't resist.
Shen Changfeng saw him bow and nod slightly in his direction. His eyes caught Lin Meizhu's movements and he realized she might have thought Chuqi was signaling to her. He noticed her dimples, and felt a little unhappy. He couldn't remember the last time Lin Meizhu smiled at him. She was willing to be nice to strangers, but she had been cold to him for such a long time!
He was just on the sidelines towards Chuqi at first, but now he feels annoyed with him for no reason.
Lu Fei'er felt a thorn in her side. She felt that Shen Changfeng, who had been following her all the way, wasn't a tourist attraction, but rather a stalker. She knew that Lin Meizhu hadn't paid much attention to Shen Changfeng's imprisonment, believing it was simply a quarrel between the two of them over rumors. But seeing how coldly they treated each other today, each one more distant than the other, she felt the situation might be more serious than she had imagined.
Fortunately, someone came to deliver a message soon, saying that the eighth prince also wanted to listen to the conversation and sent someone to invite him.
Shen Changfeng immediately looked at Lin Meizhu. She didn't say anything, but her expression clearly said, "Goodbye, I won't see you off." Lu Fei'er felt a chill on her back and shuddered. Suddenly, she heard someone above her say, "It's been raining a lot lately, and the roads are slippery. Don't go too far. I brought some new cloaks. They're plain and wearable. I'll be back soon."
Lu Fei'er was secretly surprised. Perhaps because of Shen Changfeng's physique and usual style, she thought his temper must not be very good, but she didn't expect him to say such words.
When Shen Changfeng looked back, Lin Meiju had already walked away. He stood there silently for a while, suppressed the disappointment in his heart, and walked towards the pleasure boat by the lake.
Shen Changfeng heard many people talking about Chu Qi's life experience, but when he saw him coming, they immediately shut up and laughed as they watched him leave. He seemed to hear someone say that Chu Qi had the shadow of Song Jiusi.
All the portraits and poems related to Song Jiusi were burned when he was suspected of treason and collaborating with the enemy. Shen Changfeng had never seen Song Jiusi's appearance and thought to himself: So this is why I naturally hate him.
He paused, effortlessly finding Chuqi in the crowd. A sudden sense of crisis welled up in him. He secretly hoped Li Jieyi would never find the missing child. If she did, he felt she would devote everything to making up for her regret and debt, let alone if it was someone like Chuqi...
Even though he didn't like Chuqi, Shen Changfeng had to admit that he was very handsome, and Li Jieyi herself admired literati... If it was really him, Li Jieyi's love for him, which was already very little, would drop to negative values.
Shen Changfeng looked at Chuqi's face carefully for so long that everyone present realized something was wrong and quietly stopped talking, fearing that they would accidentally become the first to speak out.
Chu Qi did not dodge, but faced Shen Changfeng's unfriendly gaze with composure. Finally, Shen Changfeng curled his lips, strode through the crowd, and walked towards the inner cabin of the pleasure boat.
It couldn't be him. First of all, the age didn't match. Secondly, I heard that the child was very active and injured his brow bone while learning swords and spears, leaving a severed eyebrow. But this guy's eyebrows were as clear as ink, so I must have been distracted for a moment and made a wrong assumption.
After the child fell off the cliff, Li Jieyi refused to give up until she found the body. Maybe it was just obsession.
Shen Changfeng knew that the Eighth Prince had left the palace under the pretext of attending a private discussion in order to gather intelligence from a few days ago. Although the Emperor had neglected the Third Prince for quite some time due to the incident with Shorty Wu, he hadn't harshly reprimanded him. Just a few days earlier, someone had handed Shen Changfeng evidence of corruption and collusion among several ministers affiliated with the Third Prince, leading to the riverbank breach.
Although Shen Changfeng had conducted secret investigations in Henan Province, those individuals had, unfortunately, wiped out all traces before he arrived. This piece of evidence, however, was clearly organized, and the wording and sentence structure were familiar to Shen Changfeng—more importantly, the messenger had passed it along through his undercover agent, known only to very few. Shen Changfeng, with a secret hope in his heart, asked, "Do you think Zeyuan is still alive?"
The eighth prince Li Yan was stunned and sighed in his heart. By now everyone had accepted Qin Yan's death, and it seemed that only he still had hope. He felt that Li Jieyi was obsessed, and so was he.
Li Yanzhi didn't answer, but simply pressed his shoulder and changed the subject: "Father heard that the scholars were discussing here, and he is planning to go on a private visit. I estimate that the time is almost here. You should prepare and go with me to meet them."
Just as the two were whispering, Shen Changfeng suddenly caught a glimpse of Qingsong's anxious face swaying twice behind the window.
Shen Changfeng thought for a moment and quickly walked out of the cabin: "What happened to the Crown Prince's Consort?"
Qingsong didn't know how he knew that something had happened to Lin Meizhu, and he didn't have time to ask. He whispered in his ear, "The Crown Prince's Consort and the County Lady had an argument and even came to blows. The County Lady cried and asked the Imperial Concubine to make the decision."
Shen Changfeng thought of her experience in the Lin family, his pupils shrank, and he scolded her harshly: "How can you come to me at this time? What if she suffers a loss!"
Qingsong was startled, thinking back to the miserable plight of Su Qinxue and her sister, how could he be at a disadvantage? The prince's wife was more than enough to deal with many people, and Chen Yue was still there.
Shen Changfeng walked quickly towards the scene and asked, "What on earth is going on?"
Lin Meiju was originally in a good mood because she met Chuqi and knew that he had made many good friends, but unfortunately things did not go as she wished. Someone came to her again and again to ask for scolding and beatings.
Lu Fei'er knew that Lin Meizhu had been unable to leave her home due to mourning, so she invited a few friends from the Poetry and Painting Society to a small gathering under the pretext of burning incense, so that she could get some fresh air. As she was saying this, she suddenly saw a group of people rushing into the courtyard. The one leading them was dressed in plain clothes like Lin Meizhu, with a hemp sash tied around her arm. Who else could it be but Su Qinxue?
Following Su Qinxue was a little girl of about twelve or thirteen years old, who was Su Qinxue's younger sister Su Yuwan.
Lu Feier heard that Su Yuwan relied on the favor of her family elders and was willful and capricious. She felt a little uneasy in her heart, but after the Su family and others entered the flower pavilion to pay their respects, they made tea and talked on the other side, and there didn't seem to be anything wrong.
Lin Meiju knew that Lu Feier was worried that these people would affect her mood, so she gave her a look that said it was okay.
Su Yuwan suddenly called over, "It's more fun when there are more people! Ladies, do you want to come over and write poetry and enjoy tea with us?"
Lu Fei'er and the others naturally followed Lin Meizhu's instructions. Lin Meizhu was sketching and casually raised her eyelids: "I only have one sister. Who are you calling sister?"
Su Yuwan looked at a loss, her eyes immediately reddened, and she stammered aggrievedly, "I..."
Su Qinxue stood up and said apologetically, "My younger sister made a mistake in her words. Please don't blame me, Princess."
Su Yuwan nodded repeatedly behind him and blinked: "I just wanted to be kind and invite everyone to taste something good together."
Lin Meizhu sneered. Seeing that they were now in the wrong, she was no longer planning to pursue the matter, but Su Yuwan added, "This is plum blossom snow water that's been stored for five years!"
Lin Meizhu smiled strangely: "Five years? Pickles are so fermented every other year that even dogs would avoid them."
These words were said so bluntly and simply that Lu Fei'er couldn't help but burst out laughing, and the people around her couldn't help but lower their heads and cover their lips.
Lu Fei'er shook her head and sighed, then said to the Su sisters, "Alas, you really are... I really am, forget it."
Su Yuwan blushed, realizing she'd gone too far. She'd heard that aged snow water was the best for making tea, and she only listened to half of what others said, believing the older the water, the better. She'd intended this as a way to mock Lin Meizhu's vulgarity, but she'd ended up publicly humiliating herself.
Su Qinxue's face was a little stiff, but she quickly regained her gentle and generous expression and said, "My little sister is being pretentious and embarrassed."
With a wave of her hand, a maid came forward carrying a black lacquer food box. Su Qinxue said, "This contains vegetarian food that I personally prepared as a token of my apology."
The rest was fine, except for the bowl of rice in front of Lin Meiju, which was as watery as porridge that had not been cooked thoroughly. The surface of the rice grains was still a raw grayish-white, and there was a faint green smell of raw rice.
Su Qinxue blushed, looking uneasy: "My skills are not so good, if the Crown Prince's wife dislikes it..."
Su Yuwan immediately chimed in, "How could that be? Every grain of rice is hard-earned. I heard the Crown Prince's Consort grew up in the countryside, so she naturally understands the preciousness of every grain. She wouldn't waste it, right?"
This was putting Lin Meizhu on a moral high ground. Lu Fei was disgusted, thinking that the two sisters were truly worse than each other. She stood up suddenly. Lin Meizhu held her hand and said slowly, "I don't mind." She picked up a mouthful of rice without changing her expression and said with a smile, "I don't know how many things tasted worse than this."
Su Yuwan couldn't hide the smugness and provocation on her face. "Then you really aren't picky about food."
Lin Meizhu nodded. "There was a famine in Lingnan before. When we were starving, we didn't care about anything else. At first, we had porridge and bran, and later, bean cake residue, algae cake, and dandelion soup. Oh, I also ate soil, Guanyin soil mixed with grass seeds. It actually didn't taste as bad as you think. It tasted a bit like fried noodles at first, and was easier to swallow than dried field mice. At that time, I thought, if I can survive, I must not be picky about food. I must eat whatever is available. So even now, I still have the habit of wearing a bag around my waist to put some snacks in it. I always feel at ease when there is something to eat."
The whole place was silent.
Lin Meizhu finished the last grain of rice and said, "Actually, I have a big appetite. I finished it before I could even taste it."
Lu Fei'er and the others' eyes turned red, and they stared at the Su sisters with anger, as if saying: Are you satisfied now?
Even the servants of the Su family were whispering to each other, and Su Qinxue's face was burning.
Su Qinxue thought Lin Meiju was tongue-tied and never expected that she would openly admit her past, instantly making herself the target of public criticism.
During this period of time, Su Qinxue had been the focus of attention because of the death of her husband. Everyone who saw her was full of pity. Also, because Concubine Xue was on good terms with the Su family, many people were cautious in praising her. Su Qinxue was used to being the focus of public opinion. This sudden reversal made her at a loss. She thought about how the rumors had died down after she returned to Beijing, and Shen Changfeng refused to see her again. Her jealousy towards Lin Meiju became even worse.
Su Qinxue suppressed the surging anger and pulled Su Yuwan to apologize: "I accidentally brought up the sad memories of the Crown Prince's wife. This humble servant deserves death."
Lin Meiju smiled generously, but Su Qinxue knew that she had been tarnished and was no longer the talented and elegant woman praised by everyone.
Su Yuwan had been repeatedly humiliated. She was used to being a tyrant, so how could she swallow this? She ignored Su Qinxue's hints and refused to leave. Her eyes swept across the paintings depicting hairpins on the table, and when one plan failed, she came up with another.
She put one of the paintings down, pointed at the others, and said, "Is this painted by the Crown Prince's Consort? It's quite... unique."
Su Yuwan offended everyone with just one sentence, and Lu Feier and others' faces turned dark.
Su Yuwan was now a little embarrassed. Just as she was about to leave, she saw a plain white wooden hairpin on the table. She picked it up and examined it. "What style is this? It's very unique. I don't think I've ever seen such craftsmanship before."
This is the "Spring Flower," a popular flower found in Lingnan, particularly among the common people. The white flower wasn't originally white; it faded to its present appearance, resembling splashed ink, elegant and lovely. Lin Meizhu hasn't been able to wear jewelry lately, so she follows southern custom and simply uses a white flower hairpin to tie her hair. Lu Fei'er and the others liked the style of this hairpin and decided to copy it and find someone to make a replica.
Lin Meizhu's face suddenly turned cold: "Put down the hairpin."
Su Yuwan was just looking at it at first, but she could clearly hear her tone that she was very nervous. She tilted her head and looked at it for a few more seconds before slowly putting it down.
At this time, Chen Chali and Lin Qiwu came chasing each other playfully. When they passed by Su Yuwan, she seemed to be frightened and took two steps back. Her elbow hit the carved pillar, and her hand slipped, and the hairpin disappeared.
Su Yuwan glanced at the small circular ripples on the lake and said with a playful smile, "I accidentally let it slip. It's all my fault for those two brats bumping into me..."
Chen Chali immediately said, "You're talking nonsense! I didn't touch you at all!"
Su Yuwan glared at the smaller Lin Qiwu, "That must be you!"
Lin Qiwu hadn't recovered from the incident at the mourning hall yet. He was so frightened that his face turned pale. He hurriedly shook his head: "I didn't, I really didn't!"
Lin Meizhu pushed the two children behind Lin Youan and stared at Su Yuwan: "Go pick it up for me."
Although Su Qinxue also blamed her sister for being reckless, she subconsciously resisted when she heard Lin Meiju's tone of command. How could a mere concubine's daughter dare to speak to the daughter of a prince in this way?
Su Qinxue held back her anger and tried to protect her sister behind her: "I will send someone to find the Crown Prince's Consort right away."
Lin Meizhu grabbed Su Yuwan's wrist and said through gritted teeth, "Go down and get it back!"
Su Yuwan cried out in pain, "I didn't mean to do this! My sister told me to send someone to find you, please let me go!"
"You lost it, find it for me!"
"You're crazy! Do you know how cold it is right now?"
"You! Give! Me! Find!"
Before Su Yuwan could react, she suddenly felt dizzy and a big hand twisted her neck and pushed her into the lake. At this time, most of her body was leaning back and hanging on the beauty seat. If Su Qinxue had not grabbed her belt, she would have fallen into the water.
There were screams everywhere. The Su family servants rushed forward and hugged Su Yuwan tightly, but Lin Meizhu kicked one of them away. Su Qinxue was already frail, so how could she hold on? Seeing her sister about to fall into the water, she shouted anxiously, "Have you lost your mind? It's just a broken hairpin!"
It’s just a broken hairpin, just a broken hairpin! It’s just a broken hairpin!
She didn't want to bother with Su Qinxue and Shen Changfeng's mess at all, but trouble always came knocking on her door. Why could they tease and ridicule her as they pleased, destroying the things she cared about, and then casually say, "It's just a broken hairpin?!"
Lin Meizhu felt as if the taut string in her body had snapped, and the emotions that had been pent up for a long time burst through the dam. At this moment, she didn't want to care about anything anymore. She didn't care that the money from the Xishan Hunting Ground had been confiscated, she didn't care that the pass to the south had not been received, she didn't care that Shen Changfeng refused to sign his name, she didn't remember her identity or status... Lin Meizhu's ears were buzzing, and she felt like she was going crazy. There was only one thought in her mind: her hairpin was gone!
Lin Meiju kicked Su Qinxue's knee, and the latter lost her strength, screamed in pain and let go.
With a splash, Su Yuwan made a huge splash in the lake.
Su Qinxue was stunned and hurriedly said, "Hurry, hurry down and save them!" She was about to leave with the servants when someone pulled her scalp back. She heard a sinister voice explode in her ears: "Go?! You get down too!"
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