Chapter 26 Ripples (Part 4) Zhi Rou also lay down, almost touching him...
Sheng Xingyun stopped and stood in front of the table, looking back at Wei Yuanzhan: "You two... when you're on good terms, you're better than anyone else, but when you turn on each other, it's faster than flipping through a book. What, aren't you going to go after them?"
“What’s there to chase?” Wei Yuanzhan picked up his chopsticks again, his voice indifferent, devoid of any emotion. “She has hands and feet, how could she possibly get lost?”
Sheng Xingyun shook her head repeatedly, wanting to scold him, but before she could speak, Wei Yuanzhan stood up, wiped his hands, and said, "I can't eat anymore." He then quickly left the room.
When he arrived outside the building, there was no sign of Zhi Rou. Wei Yuanzhan's hands were slightly clenched, and he seemed a little anxious.
She even threw away her ring, so she had nothing else on her. This place was still far from the Song residence; how would she get back?
After leaving the Broken Cloud Tower, Zhi Rou's arrogance gradually subsided. There was really no need to say more when opinions differed, let alone get angry.
She turned her face away and looked around. Although she couldn't rent a car, it was very close to the art gallery her second brother often went to; it was just a small alley at the end of the street.
Zhi Rou took a light breath and decided to walk into the alley. Whether her second brother was there or not, she had to do something.
Xunyinzhai was not a brothel, but it differed slightly from the places where literati gathered. Those who came here were either merchants or sons of minor officials and nobles, so it was rather strange that Song Qizhang was mixed in with them.
Zhi Rou arrived at the door of a house in a small alley, knocked on the door, bowed politely, and asked them to exchange clothes.
The woman who answered the door saw that her eyes were bright and clear, and her clothes were made of the finest fabric; she was clearly a young lady from a noble family. Although she was suspicious of her intentions, she still agreed without much thought and led her inside.
Zhi Rou changed into a plain-colored robe, took off her hair, wrapped her hair in a blue cloth, and looked exactly like a young man from the streets.
She peered into the well, a slight smile playing on her lips, quite pleased with her appearance. She then thanked the woman, dusted herself off, and went to Xunyinzhai.
In the courtyard stood a tall sycamore tree, and under its shade stood a tea table. A woman played the zither and sang, while a man closed his eyes and gently swayed his head, creating a truly leisurely scene.
As Zhi Rou walked to the eaves, many people saw her but only glanced at her casually, continuing to chat with those around them. Not even a waiter greeted her, which made her feel much more at ease.
Therefore, she gradually slowed down, listening to the music filling the room, and couldn't help but exclaim: "The music flows like clouds and water, and the fingers create beautiful flowers. It is even better than the young lady Xiaoyu from Chang Le Lou."
No wonder my second brother doesn't go to Chang Le Lou to support us, he just stays here all day.
She walked and looked around, searching for Song Qizhang's shadow.
Before long, a man dressed in a moon-white robe came into view. He rested his chin on his hand, his elbow on his left knee, and held a bone fan in his other hand, idly fanning himself with a few strokes, exuding a rather romantic charm.
Even from behind, Zhi Rou recognized him instantly – it was her second brother.
She chuckled silently, put her hands behind her back, and coughed twice behind Song Qizhang: "Second Master, the Old Madam sent me to get you."
He was startled for a moment, then stood up and asked her, "Why is Fourth Young Master here?" He raised his handsome eyebrows slightly and looked her up and down.
Zhi Rou stopped joking and became somewhat reserved: "I have something to ask of you."
Song Qizhang paused for a moment, then gave the bone fan to the musician and led Zhi Rou out. Once they reached the courtyard, he asked, "What happened?"
"Second brother, do you have money?"
How much do you want?
"Enough to get home."
Song Qizhang looked at her for a while, and suddenly a question arose in his mind: "Didn't you come out with your third sister? Did she throw a tantrum and leave you behind again?"
When Zhi Rou heard him say something bad about her third sister, she frowned and said, "No, that's not true! I told my sister to go back first."
He clearly didn't believe her and stared at her intently. After a moment, he shook his robes and took a step: "Alright, I'll go back with you. Let's go."
A light rain suddenly began to fall, and two pairs of satin boots stepped on the carriage shaft, leaving a trail of wet footprints.
Zhi Rou boarded the carriage first. She glanced around the carriage and picked up an outer robe, handing it to Song Qizhang, who entered later.
He pushed it back, sat down against the wall, and said to the coachman outside, "Return to the mansion."
As soon as the carriage started moving, Song Qizhang crossed his arms and asked Zhirou, "Tell me, why did you come looking for me?"
Before she could answer, he quickly added, "Don't say it's to borrow money. You don't look right."
When he mentioned Song Hanjin, she vehemently refuted him as usual, but today, after her rebuttal, there was still a look of confusion in her eyes, unlike her previous carefree demeanor.
If it wasn't Song Hanjin, then something else must have offended her.
Zhi Rou raised her eyelashes, a dark yellow tinge falling into her pupils: "Second brother, have you heard of the battle that took place in Wu Ning?"
“Wuning…” Song Qizhang frowned in thought, “Which year was this?”
"Twenty-three years ago."
He chuckled and said, "Twenty-three years ago, I wasn't even born yet. How would I know?"
Yes. Twenty-three years ago, such a long time ago, how could these younger generations have known about this if no one had mentioned it?
"Why did he do that..." Zhi Rou murmured.
Recalling Wei Yuanzhan's tone, it was as if he had personally experienced it and was standing up for the General. But what military order was he referring to? Who gave the General that order?
Song Qizhang had been watching Zhi Rou, and noticing her slightly darkened expression, he interjected, "Who is he?"
Zhi Rou finally realized what had happened, sighed, and told him everything that had happened at Suiyun Tower that afternoon.
After she finished explaining the whole story, Song Qizhang summarized: "So you had a quarrel because of General An Yuan?"
Zhi Rou nodded.
He glanced at her, smiled, and shook his head.
"Do you know what General An Yuan's surname is?" His tone was flat, but his expression held a hint of pity and helplessness.
It was as if a drum had struck Zhi Rou's mind. She suddenly remembered that Wei Yuanzhan had told her that his grandfather was a famous general.
"He is..."
Lord Wei.
No wonder, no wonder.
Zhi Rou frowned deeply, suddenly realizing that she had done everything wrong.
After a moment of silence, Song Qizhang's voice suddenly rang out.
"Before the current emperor ascended the throne, General Wei accompanied him on a distant expedition to the northern deserts and made the greatest contribution in battle. Later, General Wei's sister married the current emperor and became Empress Wei."
The Wei family were related to the emperor, yet she had never known this. Zhi Rou lowered her eyes and remained silent.
"The Marquis's mansion is of great prestige, enjoying both imperial favor and imperial fear. Therefore, Cousin Wei is both arrogant and humble, which is quite contradictory."
As Song Qizhang and his entourage spoke, one of them pointed at her with a lip, saying, "I truly admire your ability to endure until today."
Zhi Rou is also a contradictory person. She can blend into the streets and is also well-versed in etiquette and manners. Don't the noble ladies of the capital often say that she is "neither fish nor fowl"?
So she muttered, "Nothing is perfect, and no one is without flaws. That's what Dai Fuguo said."
Upon hearing this, Song Qizhang moved slightly away from the carriage wall, his body tinged with the scent of perfume, which instantly enveloped Zhirou, spreading subtly.
"Which side does Fourth Sister's elbow belong to?"
Zhi Rou threw the robe in her hand to him, hitting him squarely in the chest, causing him to lean back involuntarily.
Then she smiled and said, "Of course I'm on my brother's side."
The next day, before the sun had even risen halfway up the sky, Zhi Rou had already gotten up, eaten breakfast, and was practicing her martial arts in the courtyard.
Upon arriving at the family school, she and Wei Yuanzhan exchanged awkward glances. Fortunately, Song Qizhang approached and brought up the matter of the spring banquet, after which the two began to talk.
Wei Yuanzhan's gaze lingered on Zhi Rou for a moment, and seeing that she was neat and unharmed, he turned his head away.
Yesterday, he was worried and asked Lan Ye to wait for him at the entrance of the Song residence while he searched for her along the way for a long time. Later, Lan Ye said that he saw the Fourth Miss return safely, and only then did he feel relieved and return to the residence to take off his wet clothes.
Sure enough, she was so clever that she always found a way to protect herself.
When school ended in the afternoon, Zhi Rou and Wei Yuanzhan went to Qiyun Garden. As usual, they practiced martial arts together, and when they got tired, they sat down and chatted.
They both tacitly avoided mentioning yesterday.
The light rain that fell during the night had dried the roof tiles completely. Wei Yuanzhan had somehow climbed onto the eaves, his entire body bathed in the crimson glow of the sunset.
Zhi Rou had just washed a few pears in the kitchen when she came out and saw Wei Yuanzhan sitting on the roof. She stopped and raised her hand: "Wei Yuanzhan, do you want some pears?"
He gestured with his chin: "Throw it up."
Zhi Rou chuckled lightly, "What a character." She then assumed a fighting stance, "Get ready!"
I threw away two.
Seeing that he had taken it, she turned around and gave the other one to her master. She quickly ran back, climbed onto the roof, and sat cross-legged beside him.
The view here is excellent; you can see a couple bickering in the alley; children running and jumping; a man cooking. All aspects of everyday life are displayed here.
Zhi Rou took a pear from Wei Yuanzhan's hand, but hesitated to take a bite. Instead, she looked at the houses with their smoke rising from the ground and said out of the blue, "I'm sorry, I didn't know that General An Yuan was your grandfather."
When the topic was brought up again, there was no awkwardness or the expected tension. Wei Yuanzhan listened quietly and calmly replied, "What can you change even if you know?"
"General An Yuan is my grandfather, so you won't say those things?"
Wei Yuanzhan knew her too well; her personality was completely at odds with her name. Sometimes she would endure, but in the end she would still fight back, unwilling to suffer a loss, and she had her own reasons for it.
Zhi Rou couldn't deny it: "I just feel that everyone's life is important, and no one is born to be inferior to others."
“You’re right.” Wei Yuanzhan glanced at her, then looked up at the distant sky. “My grandfather said the same thing.”
"Then he..."
"It is His Highness the Crown Prince's order."
He gave a mocking laugh, his voice low, but the unspoken emotions in his words struck Zhi Rou's ears instantly, and she seemed to sense it immediately, furrowing her brow.
“His Highness has shown mercy to his people, and who can refute him? My grandfather will bear the infamy, but if there is any benefit, it will all go to His Highness the Crown Prince. This is the nature of the imperial family.”
“Aren’t soldiers also subjects of our dynasty? Your Highness the Crown Prince…” Zhi Rou paused for a long time, then suddenly said, “I don’t accept him.”
These are utterly outrageous words. If Lin He heard them, I wonder how she would punish her.
Fortunately, the person sitting next to her was Wei Yuanzhan.
He glanced at her in surprise, then smiled brightly: "I'm not convinced either."
After saying that, he lay down, one hand behind his head, and the other hand holding the half-eaten pear.
The sky was not yet completely dark, and the moon was faintly shining through. Zhi Rou lay down as well, almost side by side with him.
Under the eaves, as dusk settles and others bustle about amidst the dazzling lights, the two of them remain nestled high above, quiet and unhurried about anything.
After a long while, Wei Yuanzhan suddenly called out, "Song Zhirou."
She turned her head slightly: "Hmm?"
"You absolutely mustn't talk about what happened tonight outside, or you'll lose your head."
Am I that stupid?
Wei Yuanzhan laughed, his voice bursting from his chest, very low, giving the illusion of being somewhat pleasant to listen to: "No, that's for the best."
Zhi Rou gave a soft hum and took a bite of the pear.
Not long after, Wei Yuanzhan asked again, "Why are you more familiar with Sheng Xingyun than with me?"
He was still thinking about yesterday afternoon, when Zhi Rou and Sheng Xingyun chatted and laughed as if he wasn't even there.
His question was ambiguous, and Zhi Rou raised an eyebrow slightly: "What did you say?"
It was obvious that he couldn't bring himself to ask the question. He pursed his lips repeatedly, giving himself ample time to prepare before turning half of his face towards the camera.
With a hint of expectation, Wei Yuanzhan stared intently at Zhirou.
"Between me and Sheng Xingyun, who is better?"
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