Chapter 6 Springtime Play
The activities in the park have already begun in a lively manner, with the most eye-catching being the "Spring Throwing" performance.
Soft sachets wrapped in fine silk, filled with colorful flower petals and precious spices, are vigorously hurled across the babbling water onto three copper plates placed in the designated area.
The bronze plates are set up according to their distance, with the furthest one being the most difficult to set up.
Occasionally, a mischievous young man would deliberately miss, causing the sachets to glide past the girls' skirts and temples, eliciting a chorus of coquettish exclamations, laughter, and playful scolding, making the atmosphere even more lively.
Amidst the chirping of birds, one figure stood out conspicuously, dressed in a bright dress, yet lacking any semblance of ladylike elegance.
She was petite and not particularly fair-skinned. At that moment, she was alone, sleeves rolled up, and without any hesitation, picked up a sachet and threw it forcefully across the river to the group of young men on the other side, eliciting laughter from them. She herself laughed so hard she almost fell over.
The women around her watched her actions coldly, and none of them stepped forward.
Gu Qingyu watched this scene and whispered to Ling Wei with a sneer, "That's Du Qianqian, the legitimate daughter of the recently popular Vice Minister of Works. Her poems are quite good."
"At first, some people thought she was free-spirited and wanted to befriend her. She always said that she couldn't get along with delicate young ladies like you, and that she was always fraternizing with those young masters, putting her arm around their shoulders. The other day, a kind noble lady privately reminded her to be careful, and guess what she said?"
Gu Qingyu mimicked Du Qianqian's nonchalant tone, "'What you think in your heart is what you see in your eyes!'—You made her cry!"
At this point, Gu Qingyu warned Ling Wei, "Stay away from her. I think her brain is still malfunctioning from the cold she suffered in the water; she's acting erratically. If you're not careful, she might step on others to show off!"
Ling Wei nodded and gave Gu Qingyu an admiring look; Gu Qingyu's ability to judge people was truly remarkable.
But how could Du Qianqian, acting like this, become the empress? Were the people who chose her blind?
The system warned: "Don't underestimate her. She's blessed with good fortune and has already gained the favor of a renowned healer. Next up are assassins, members of the royal family, and civil and military officials..."
Wait a minute, it feels like some information was just skipped.
Ling Wei had a bad feeling: "...Civil and military officials? Could the civil official mentioned be Gu Qingyan?"
System: "Coconut Silk, it's him, the future head of the civil service, Lord Gu."
Ling Wei looked disgusted.
System (*╯3╰): "No way, isn't this what you like?"
The system noticed that Ling Wei had lost her enthusiasm for the fish and tried to salvage the situation: "Gu Qingyan is an upright gentleman who cares about the common people. Later, when Du Qianqian was engaged in alchemy, which was wasteful of resources and manpower, he, despite being Du Qianqian's fish, still took the lead in remonstrating with her to the death. In the end, he resigned in disappointment."
Currently, Gu Qingyan's interaction with her is limited to being amazed by her poetry and helping her out of a difficult situation.
Ling Wei (￣_，￣): Anyone with a normal brain would be interested in this kind of manly tea? And he's the head of the civil service.
If the dynasty doesn't fall, who will?
Just then, Du Qianqian grabbed a sachet and threw it at a figure dozing against a pillar in the corner of the open pavilion, shouting, "Xie Zhuo! Stop playing dead! Get up and let's see if you can hit the farthest plate! Are you chickening out?"
The boy who was hit lazily opened his eyes and caught the sachet that was about to roll away.
He stood up, his posture as upright as a pine tree.
He was about seventeen or eighteen years old, with an extremely aggressively handsome face, sword-like eyebrows that slanted upwards to his temples, a high nose bridge, and clearly defined lips. His eyes, full of affection, seemed to be smiling but not smiling, carrying a hint of nonchalant wildness.
Xie Zhuo weighed the sachet in his hand, glanced at Du Qianqian who was standing on the opposite bank with her hands on her hips shouting, and sneered: "Du Qianqian, your provocation is something even a three-year-old wouldn't use."
Although his tone was dismissive, his lazy manner, combined with his handsome appearance, gave him a unique kind of sexiness.
He actually accepted Du Qianqian's challenge, which immediately caused many noble ladies who were watching him to secretly tighten the handkerchiefs in their hands.
It was Xie Zhuo, the heir of the Duke of Dingguo of the Xie family. At a young age, he already held a real position and was a highly sought-after young man in the capital.
The fifth-rank Jinwuwei Captain was different from the historical Jinwuwei. The Jinwuwei of the Zhaoyin Dynasty had great power. They were not only in charge of the imperial city's army, but also directly under the emperor's command, participated in royal investigations and arrests, and were not bound by ordinary judicial procedures.
(Similar to a combination of the Imperial Guards and some of the Embroidered Uniform Guards)
After listening to Gu Qingyu quietly introduce Xie Zhuo's identity, Ling Wei's alarm bells rang again: "This... is a military general?"
System: "Hmm."
Ling Wei: "..." (￣_，￣)
Our old nemesis, Xu Ziqi, at least pretended to be someone else, so her fish can also be considered Mongolian.
And this one, without even acting, can still captivate fish; her sex appeal is truly off the charts.
The system stubbornly tried to salvage the situation: "Well, this young general, later when foreign enemies invaded, led his troops to fight bravely and relentlessly, ultimately..."
Ling Wei: "Stop! Don't give me that crap, I'm not here to play the victim..."
Xie Zhuo then made a move.
He casually pulled a red silk ribbon from the servant's tray, covered his eyes, tied it neatly behind his head, and picked up three sachets with his slender fingers, weighing them in his hand.
The bright red ribbon was lifted by the wind, its ends brushing against his Adam's apple, adding a touch of asceticism.
He leaped into the air with the lightness of a cheetah, propelling himself forward with the strength of his toes.
The narrow waist was outlined with smooth lines by the belt, with broad shoulders and narrow hips, and the spine stretched into a powerful bow.
Immediately afterwards, with a flick of the wrist, three light sachets, accompanied by a sharp whooshing sound, were precisely thrown into the center of the three copper plates—the furthest, the second furthest, and the closest—in sequence.
A sense of wildness and absolute control, a power that seems almost tangible, assaults the senses.
A low gasp of surprise erupted from the opposite bank.
Especially the young girls who were still naive and innocent blushed as they watched, while the experienced ladies exchanged knowing smiles.
The system only heard Ling Wei give a deep "hmm," and then she said:
"It's heartbreaking to see young people go astray. But looking at this waist... this fish, there's still hope for saving it."
System: "......" ==
Sing, even if all I have are memories of this world, I'm still an old pervert.
After Xie Zhuo finished demonstrating his skill, a chorus of cheers erupted from the group of young masters, with some laughing and teasing Du Qianqian:
"Miss Qianqian, you're really making a fool of yourself by comparing yourself to Young Master Xie in this regard!"
"Yeah, yeah, it's obvious they're going to lose!"
Du Qianqian immediately put her hands on her hips and raised her voice in a coquettish tone: "Hmph! You're a grown man, trying to outmuscle us women, how dare you? Fine, you're good enough!"
Ling Wei felt a chill run down her spine upon hearing this.
Just then, several more exclamations rang out from the opposite bank.
A girl, also blindfolded, leaped and spun nimbly, her clothes tracing a graceful arc, and her sachet swung out smoothly—
"Thud! Thud! Thud!" The ball landed with perfect precision in the center of the three bronze plates!
The girl tore off the red blindfold and laughed heartily: "What's so difficult about that!"
She had a spirited face and a healthy wheat-colored complexion.
Compared to the cheers from young masters and ladies who were applauding Xie Zhuolu's actions, there was an eerie silence for a moment, apart from the initial gasps of surprise.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com