Chapter 29 Ripples (Part 7) I felt her trembling. ...
"You think you can take me?" Zhi Rou was startled. She exerted her strength and shook him off. He Tingzhou thought his grip was as strong as a vise, but she immediately shook him off.
Upon seeing Wei Yuanzhan, Zhi Rou became somewhat anxious, never before feeling so ashamed. The people in the stands were staring at her, not admiring her excellent archery skills, but rather watching her make a fool of herself.
She walked straight ahead without looking to the side, deliberately avoiding Wei Yuanzhan's gaze. She could almost imagine what he would say, such as, "Why bother with someone as narrow-minded as He Tingzhou?" and so on.
She didn't want to be ridiculed by him; it was too embarrassing.
A sudden burst of noise arose in my ears, as if I had seen something shocking. A subtle and restrained sound came from the stands.
Before he could even glance at Wei Yuanzhan, his body instinctively reacted to the danger.
She dodged halfway to the left, and with a muffled thud, a headless arrow fell at her feet, just an inch from her right boot.
Zhi Rou glanced at it and turned around.
He Tingzhou hadn't even lowered his bow yet when he raised an eyebrow at her, his mouth seemingly saying, "Coward."
Zhi Rou clenched her cheeks slightly.
If she couldn't dodge in time, where did He Tingzhou intend to shoot? Her leg?
Since arriving in the capital, she had never encountered such a vicious person.
Zhi Rou's hands were trembling. She was never one to swallow her anger. He Tingzhou dared to humiliate her like this; he deserved a beating.
She lifted her satin boots and was about to walk over when a figure swept past her, unexpectedly appearing in front of He Tingzhou and punching him to the ground.
Zhi Rou paused for a moment before she could clearly see the situation before her.
It's Wei Yuanzhan; he's beating someone up.
After the arrow was shot, Song Hanjin and Song Qizhang immediately pushed through the crowd and rushed to Zhirou's side to check on her anxiously: "Is Fourth Sister alright?"
She shook her head: "It didn't hurt me."
Looking at Wei Yuanzhan again, Song Qizhang suddenly became even more worried about the other side. Seeing that Zhi Rou was unharmed, he ran over and tried to pull her away.
Wei Yuanzhan, enraged, landed two punches, leaving He Tingzhou with a bruised and swollen face, a pitiful drop of blood on his lips. If the arrow shot at Zhi Rou hadn't been a dud, he truly intended to finish him off.
He Tingzhou was dizzy and disoriented, and before he could even see who it was, a barrage of fists rained down on him, knocking him to the ground. Only after the person on top of him was pulled away slightly did his blurred vision and senses gradually return.
Looking at the person straddling him, He Tingzhou suddenly became furious. Although he didn't understand when he had offended the heir of the Marquis of Yining, his body betrayed him. In an instant, he grabbed Wei Yuanzhan's collar and raised his hand to retaliate.
But then Wei Yuanzhan smiled, with a kind of heroic and wicked air about him. He lowered his eyes and looked down, neither dodging nor flinching, as if he was deliberately letting He Tingzhou make a move.
The fist, which was halfway through its swing, stopped abruptly. He Tingzhou hesitated, unsure whether he should retaliate.
His fellow clansmen, who were traveling with him, were indignant upon seeing this.
They were used to being arrogant and domineering in the capital and had never suffered such a setback. Seeing the arrogant and ruthless Prince Wei, they were all furious, but they were afraid of his status and dared not utter a word.
Looking around, Lan Wen was the highest-ranking among them, so he encouraged him to stand up for He Tingzhou.
The words had barely left his mouth when they made Lan Wen laugh—an awkward, dismissive laugh.
He is different from Wei Yuanzhan.
The Marquis of Yining's family was already renowned for its merits and was also related to the imperial family. He couldn't compare to them, much less offend them.
He Tingzhou gritted his teeth and swallowed his humiliation. Even though he was extremely dissatisfied, he only dared to resist verbally.
She tightened her grip on his collar slightly, pulling him down, and leaned forward, saying, "Young Master Wei hit me without even asking what happened, this won't end here!"
The volume was low, just enough for the two of them to hear.
Wei Yuanzhan was up to something. He pried He Tingzhou's hands off, slowly straightened his clothes, and stepped off He Tingzhou, even helping to tidy his clothes.
"The eldest son of the He family, right?"
The boy's hands were always wielded by a gun, yet his appearance was gentle, with well-defined knuckles and a slender, powerful build.
With each inch of Wei Yuanzhan's fabric pulled, He Tingzhou felt a lump in his throat. Listening to Wei Yuanzhan's words, it didn't sound like an apology at all; it was clearly an attempt to provoke him.
"I'm sorry, I have some eye problems and I mistook you for my nemesis. I will definitely admit my mistake."
Wei Yuanzhan's lips curled slightly as he freed his hand. "How about this, right now, you fight back. Come on."
He said that, but who dared to make a move?
He Tingzhou did want to, but the difference in power and background was like night and day. Once his reason returned, even if he had twelve times the courage, he wouldn't dare to touch this ruthless star.
Seeing that the situation was improving, Lan Wen stepped forward to smooth things over and prevent the scene from becoming too ugly.
Unexpectedly, Prince Wei refused, urging, "Brother He, hurry up, so many people are waiting."
Turning my head, I saw that there were people all around, near and far, watching the commotion.
He Tingzhou blushed, lifted his robe and stood up, bumping into Wei Yuanzhan's shoulder before turning away.
After Song Qizhang pulled Wei Yuanzhan to a stop, he had been observing quietly from the sidelines. He had never seen his cousin so out of control; perhaps "out of control" was an understatement.
But he had to admit that he admired him to some extent.
He was full of courage and daring. He was a bit arrogant, but he felt very satisfied to have avenged his fourth sister.
Thinking of Zhi Rou, Song Qizhang looked at Wei Yuanzhan again. He hadn't expected his fourth sister to hold such a place in his cousin's heart, and he couldn't find the right words for a moment.
After Lan Wen and the others had left, he asked, "Cousin Wei, aren't you afraid of being punished by the Marquis and his wife for doing this?"
Ultimately, this was provoking trouble. How could a noble family, with its upbringing, tolerate such a mistake?
Wei Yuanzhan gave him a relaxed smile and corrected his words, saying, "I'm used to it."
As he passed Zhi Rou, he glanced at her intently, but neither stopped nor spoke.
For the first time, Song Hanjin felt a tiny bit of goodwill towards Wei Yuanzhan. Perhaps it was a case of loving the house because of the house; he had helped Zhirou, and in Song Hanjin's mind, his image became a little more pleasing.
Therefore, she nodded to him in gratitude.
The absurd turn of events ended with He Tingzhou's defeat and retreat.
The onlookers had no idea what was wrong with Wei Yuanzhan or why he would suddenly start fighting with He Tingzhou.
Some speculate that it was for the sake of Miss Song.
As soon as he spoke, someone immediately retorted: "How could the Crown Prince go to such lengths for Song Zhirou?"
“At the spring banquet two years ago, it was Prince Wei himself who said that he and Song Zhirou were not related, but merely acquaintances. I was there that day, and Prince Wei’s expression and tone did not seem to be feigning.”
"But I clearly heard him call out Song Zhirou just now..."
"You must have misheard. Isn't Young Master Song here too?"
"Why bother with all this? He Tingzhou deserves it..."
A murmur of chatter rose and fell around them, not loud, but Zhi Rou could hear it clearly.
Two years ago, she did have a big fight with Wei Yuanzhan, a very fierce one. A few days later, during the Spring Banquet, Wei Yuanzhan's former classmate made some teasing remarks. She didn't remember exactly what they said, but it was probably mocking his relationship with her, his "cousin from the Song family."
He gave a faint, mocking smile and said something very hurtful.
To this day, Zhi Rou can't remember why they argued, but she still vividly remembers the spring banquet that year.
Back then, she disliked Wei Yuanzhan for a long time. She almost loathed him because of his arrogance, as if everyone had to grovel at his feet.
But most of the time, he is very, very good, more considerate than anyone else, just like today.
He left directly because he didn't want others to criticize her.
As Zhi Rou watched his retreating figure, her heartbeat, which she rarely felt before, became heavy and hard to ignore at this moment.
That night, as Song Qizhang recalled the events of the day at the banquet garden, he added another layer to his conclusion about Lan Wen: weak, indecisive, and utterly incompetent. These words overlapped with the images he had encountered at Chang Le Lou, and he instinctively felt that this man was utterly rotten and not a suitable match for his second sister.
Of all the people in the Song family, the only one he could confide in was Song Zhirou.
After dinner, he sent someone to invite Zhi Rou to Longyue Pavilion, but she didn't come. He had just learned that she had been punished by his second aunt and was currently copying the Analects in the courtyard.
Song Hanjin learned the news faster than him. As soon as she returned to the manor, before she even went to Danyu Garden to pay her respects, Liu Mama, who was by Xu Yueyuan's side, had already come through the corridor and glanced at Zhi Rou indifferently.
"Fourth Miss, please return to your courtyard. Madam said: 'Fourth Miss, you've been confined for half a month and made to copy twenty passages from the Analects. If you still don't learn your lesson, we'll have to ask Wu Shanggong, who was just released, to come to our house and teach you manners.'"
Seeing the situation was turning against her, Song Hanjin immediately went to Danyu Garden to defend Zhirou. Unfortunately, Xu Yueyuan was a woman of her word, and she had no choice but to sneak off to Longyue Pavilion to try and help Zhirou.
The lights were on in the room, and when they reached the door, only Xinghui was on duty. Song Hanjin tried to go in, but Xinghui tried to stop her in every way, which aroused her suspicion. In the end, she dismissed Xinghui and pushed the door open to enter.
There was no one inside.
At this time, at the residence of the Marquis of Yining.
The candlelight in the hall shone like the eyes of two judges, staring intently and brightly at Lan Ye and Chang Huai.
They knelt with their heads bowed, listening to the Marquis speak: "Speak, what is the reason for Yuan Zhan's trouble this time?"
Neither of them spoke.
It wasn't that they were protecting anyone; they were wholeheartedly loyal to Wei Yuanzhan and only listened to his instructions.
Wei Jingfan smiled, a slight smirk playing on his lips. Knowing Lan Ye was a simpleton, he didn't point at him but instead pointed at Chang Huai: "Chang Huai, you speak."
It was still so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Wei Jingfan said, "If you delay your explanation, Yuan Zhan will kneel in the ancestral hall for an extra hour."
The two handsome faces below finally changed. Chang Huai frowned slightly: "It's the Fourth Miss."
Hearing this answer, for some reason, Xu Yueqing, sitting to the side, wasn't very surprised. Her good son... was always surrounded by a few lowly and humble people.
Wei Jingfan swirled his teacup, not looking at them, but his words were like a scrutinizing gaze, focused on them, creating an invisible sense of oppression that made them dare not straighten their backs, and could only bend and obey.
“Changhuai, go to the ancestral hall and kneel with your master. As for Lanye, watch them. If one of them runs away, he shall go and receive his punishment.”
"...Yes." The two acknowledged the order and withdrew.
The Wei Family Ancestral Hall and the mansion are quite separate, connected by a long bluestone path. The outer wall leads directly to the open space of the mansion, where some pine and cypress trees are planted, blending in with the night, like a quiet dream.
Wei Yuanzhan knelt in the center of the ancestral hall, his back straight, without even a prayer mat, looking as if he was sincerely accepting his punishment.
The firelight on the desk flickered in the wind, and suddenly a dark figure nimbly darted into the room.
In a short while, another person appeared beside him.
When Wei Yuanzhan saw that incredibly familiar profile, he froze, as if he were drunk and hallucinating.
Why would she come?
Is she crazy?
Wei Yuanzhan stared at her in disbelief for a moment, the dim candlelight casting a soft glow on her face, adding a touch of pure joy to her smile.
"It's me." Zhi Rou leaned closer, her sleeve brushing against his, her tone nonchalant, as if she had no heart or conscience. "I'll stay with you."
Wei Yuanzhan was startled by her chaotic actions and panicked, finally managing to stammer out, "You should leave quickly, don't get me hurt."
His father made him kneel until dawn, so what's the point of Zhi Rou being here with him?
"I've checked, there's no one outside." She said confidently.
As a daughter of an official, she was unlikely to be discovered and leave behind the reputation of "Song Si-guniang sneaking into someone's ancestral hall in the middle of the night".
Wei Yuanzhan felt helpless, unable to tell whether he was more happy or worried; all mixed together, it was probably a mix of excitement and unease.
But if you calm down and think about it, it's really not good for her. If someone sees her, won't she lose her reputation?
Just as he was about to speak, footsteps sounded outside the door.
Wei Yuanzhan and Zhi Rou exchanged a glance, then suddenly grabbed her hand, silently apologizing before hiding together under the offering table. The area was completely covered by silk cloth, making it airtight.
The space was as narrow as a coffin. His sleeves were folded together, and a plain white brocade quilt with gold trim was pressed down by his dark wide sleeves. He couldn't move it and dared not move.
Zhi Rou was filled with regret. Her initial intention was simply to prevent Wei Yuanzhan from suffering the consequences for her, which was why she came here to atone for her sins. Just now, she had been peering over the wall for a long time outside, making sure no one was passing by before daring to jump in. How could she have ended up like this!
Zhi Rou couldn't understand it, so she silently cursed the Wei family ancestors in her heart and begged for their forgiveness.
Wei Yuanzhan was distracted by the noise outside and noticed that she was trembling, so he turned his face slightly to remind her.
They were so close that his lips almost brushed against her earlobe, and she paused for a moment.
I don't know what kind of fragrance she was wearing, but it made the air feel thin.
Wei Yuanzhan suddenly felt as if his heart had fallen into a pot of boiling oil, trembling, convulsing, and constantly heating up.
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