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Xie Sui'an originally wanted to wait for Qin Sang to apologize, but when he saw her listen to what the waiter said, she went upstairs with him.
He sulked for a long time, but the other party ignored him completely, and the young master's heart shattered with a snap.
But despite my anger, I was still worried about her safety. After all, with someone like that, if she encountered someone with ulterior motives... tsk, trouble.
He stormed upstairs, intending to take the person away, but before he even turned the corner, he heard a familiar voice.
He stopped at the corner, peeked out, and froze.
Bai Yiqing, what's he doing here?
There are four young masters in Kyoto, all of similar age and reputation, all recognized as handsome men with both talent and ability, and also powerful and wealthy. Xie Sui'an, the eldest grandson of the current prime minister, is one of them, followed by Xiahou Ye of the Marquis of Du Nan, Feng Ruihuan of the Ling Shui Feng family, one of the century-old families in Kyoto, and Bai Yiqing of the family of Princess Yuan Zhao.
When they were young, they went to school together. Their relationship wasn't exactly good; it was more like a chaotic mess. One day you'd team up with me, the next day I'd team up with him. They fought so much that not a single good table remained in the academy. The craftsmen kept patching and repairing, until finally they went on strike in anger, forcing everyone to contribute money to buy new wood to rebuild the academy.
Back then, the four young masters of Kyoto were all incredibly arrogant and fearless. Unfortunately, they angered Zhao Bing, who was later made crown prince. After being severely punished by the Empress, they all dropped out of school and went back to their own homes.
Strangely enough, since that serious illness, Bai Yiqing seems to have become a different person, transforming from a mischievous and naughty boy into the unfathomable and icy person she is now.
He dislikes going out and prefers to stay at home to enjoy tea and make porcelain, becoming elusive and rarely seen. What a coincidence that he has also come to Quzhou to relax?
Regardless, Xie Sui'an didn't want to be seen by him. He had sneaked out this time, and it involved his grandfather, the Prime Minister, a matter that could be big or small. He didn't want to cause any trouble and couldn't let any suspicion get out of his hands.
So he gritted his teeth, turned around and went back to his room, telling the waiter to tell Qin Sang to come to his room later.
Quite some time had passed, and he had already eaten his dinner without tasting anything, but Qin Sang still hadn't returned. Young Master Xie was getting increasingly impatient. He said to Jinyun, "Go out and check, but be careful that the ice sculpture and his men don't see you." Suddenly, he raised his voice, "Is she still eating with someone? What good food could she possibly have? Did I not have any food for her??? I told her I'd get the fish back for her, and she dared to yell at me, then turned around and shared a fish with someone else. Has she never eaten fish before or what??? Hey! Come back here, I haven't finished! This is outrageous! Even a guard dares to give me attitude! It's absolutely outrageous!"
Jinyun didn't want to listen to her young master's nagging, so she went out for a walk but didn't see Qin Sang and Ying'er. She pulled the waiter aside and asked, and the waiter said that they had gone out.
"What is she going out for?" Xie Sui'an asked, puzzled.
Jinyun shook his head: "I don't know, the waiter said... Hey, young master..."
Before Jinyun could finish speaking, Xie Sui'an had already rushed out of the room.
He casually grabbed a waiter's turban, put it on his head, and then took out a handkerchief from his pocket to cover his face. He then disguised himself and rushed out of the inn's gate.
The streets outside were already dark, but the food stalls along the way were still quite lively. He thought Qin Sang might be out having fun and had come out for a stroll, so he searched for her on the street.
While searching, he thought that if he found her, he would definitely threaten her. If she continued to treat him so arbitrarily and rudely, then she would have to go through this journey of seeking justice on her own, and he would not cover for her!
However, Xie Sui'an and Jinyun walked from one end of the street to the other, and then from the main street to the alley, going around in circles before returning to the inn's entrance, but they still couldn't find Qin Sang and Ying'er.
He asked uneasily, "Where is he?"
Jinyun asked cautiously, "Could something have happened?"
***
While Xie Sui'an was still wandering aimlessly in the street, Qin Sang had already been taken away in a carriage to the villa of a wealthy family.
This courtyard, named Linlang Pavilion, occupies a prime hill in the city. With its vermilion tiles and gray walls, lush greenery, pine trees and bamboo groves, and a riot of colorful flowers, it is an exceptionally well-maintained courtyard.
The carriage entered through a side gate, passed through countless carved archways, and finally stopped in a small courtyard overlooking the lake.
Qin Sang was covered in a sack and carried out by a guard, who then untied her.
Although her limbs were weak, she could barely open her eyes. She saw that the courtyard was surrounded by lanterns, as bright as day. Under the eaves of the main hall, a handsome young master sat in a grand chair, looking at himself in the mirror. There was a bruise under his left eye, like an unsightly stain or birthmark, which looked very out of place on his originally flawless face.
Wu You put down the mirror, stood up, put his hands behind his back, and walked into the courtyard, squinting his eyes as he carefully examined Qin Sang.
Even with her hair disheveled and her face partially obscured, her beautiful features were still faintly visible.
The young master's previously displeased face lit up with surprise. He squatted down, brushed the hair from Qin Sang's face, paused for a moment, and then said, "She's actually a beauty."
After looking at her intently for a while, he added, "She's three or four points prettier than Sisi. Hey, I'm the one who came out on top."
The courtyard was originally filled with servants and guards holding sticks. One of them, who seemed to be the leader, asked, "Shall we continue fighting?"
The young master didn't even look up: "What are you hitting me for? Don't you know anything about chivalry? She's already grown up like this, and you still want to hit her?!" He stood up. "Go find two maids, take her to wash her clean, and put her in the side room to wait for me. What are you looking at? This is not for you to look at. If you look again, I'll gouge your eyes out!"
The guard lowered his head and turned to send someone to find the old woman.
Young Master Wu's mood finally improved. He had prepared so many gifts today just to make Sisi smile and have a romantic night with her. Who knew that this woman would sow discord and ruin everything? He watched helplessly as the cooked duck flew into Wang Shizhen's mouth, and he even got beaten up. He deserved to die!
But things took an unexpected turn; the woman they brought back was a stunning beauty, far superior to those brothel girls, and perhaps even a virgin… Young Master Wu became increasingly pleased with himself. He patted his stomach and said, “Where’s my midnight snack? I’ve been waiting for ages. Are those idiots in the kitchen giving up?”
A maidservant hurried over and said, "Everything is ready, please come in, young master."
"That's more like it. Let's eat first, it'll be easier to get things done when we're full." He grinned, then yelled in some direction, "Make sure you're clean!"
Linlang Pavilion is a villa belonging to the Wu family. Wu You often comes here to do some shady things. His small courtyard is located at the lower end of Linlang Pavilion, near a low lake. The location and scenery are quite good, and it is also quiet. However, Linlang Pavilion is not a place he can go to just anywhere.
At the head of the hill at Linlang Pavilion, there is a garden within a garden, filled with red maples. Climbing a hundred or so stone steps, you will find a pair of unique wooden gates. On both sides of the stone steps are planted lemon trees with straight, pale trunks. The older the eucalyptus trees are, the more their branches reach towards the sky, blocking out the sun. The narrow and deep path makes the two wooden gates seem even more mysterious and secluded.
This garden has no name. Its owner is a guest of the Wu family, and Prefect Qiao personally ordered that no one should disturb it.
The person living there was none other than Bai Yiqing, a figure who seemed to have been banished to heaven.
After returning from seeing Qin Sang at the Star-Picking Tower, he enjoyed the moon and played the zither in the courtyard.
The music was elegant and refined, each note played with a casual ease. Upon hearing the report from the guards that the person had been brought into the mansion, he showed no reaction until the music ended. Only then did he calmly pick up his teacup, take a sip, and say, "Bring him in. Please take him to the left wing."
“But… Young Master Wu has already brought the person to his room, and he seems to be preparing…” The guard hesitated to continue.
Bai Yiqing gave a soft "hmm" and then said, "Go ahead and bring them up."
The guard, accustomed to his concise style of doing things, didn't ask any more questions and led his men away.
The sound of the zither filled the courtyard again, and Bai Yiqing suddenly said softly, "Have you found out anything? Why is Xie Sui'an here?"
A guard floated down from under the eaves and knelt down to report, "Your subordinate is incompetent and cannot find any clues for the time being. He came alone this time, with only one personal guard by his side. He has not revealed his identity along the way and seems to be just sightseeing. We will have to wait for more information from the capital."
"What about that woman? What's her relationship with him?"
"The woman's surname was Qin, and her given name was Sang. She was the daughter of an ordinary landlord in Lixian County. Because Master Wu sent people to buy her family's tea garden and also sent people to injure her relatives and friends, she seemed to have come to Quzhou Prefecture to file a complaint."
"Oh? So, that's why she got involved with Sui'an? No, that doesn't make sense. Sui'an won't reveal his identity." Bai Yiqing answered her own question twice and gave up. "Alright, if it's just a coincidence, let's not alert them for now. He seems quite interested in that woman. If she gets hurt or killed, it will backfire. Lock her up first and see his reaction. If they're not after the gold mine, then let's do as they want and make Master Wu stop and send them away."
The black-clad guard agreed and disappeared back into the shadows.
The guards brought the person back from Wu You. The young master of the Wu family dared not speak his anger, and could only vent his frustration on the maid. Then he ordered the guards, "Go! Go out and find me a pretty girl!"
Xie Suian wandered aimlessly through the streets like a headless fly, until all the street stalls were packing up to go home, but he still couldn't find Qin Sang. He had no choice but to run back to Zhaixing Tower, grab the waiter by the collar, and ask, "When did she leave? Did you see clearly?"
The waiter said in a panic, "I...I went out after dinner."
Did they reveal why they went out?
The waiter pretended to think seriously, then suddenly realized and said, "It seems to mean going out to find someone!"
"Looking for someone?? Who are you looking for?!"
"I don't know either!"
Xie Sui'an pushed the man aside, his eyes blazing with suppressed anger. He said to Jinyun, "Search the inn first, room by room! I'll go out and search some more."
Jinyun hesitated, thinking to himself that if he didn't reveal his identity, which innkeeper would let him search each room one by one? After all, it was one of the top inns in Quzhou Prefecture, and the guests inside were all rich and noble.
Seeing his young master's current madness, he knew that persuasion was useless, so he had no choice but to consult with the innkeeper. He offered a large sum of gold to help him check the rooms, and as expected, the innkeeper was unwilling to ruin the inn's reputation for a small profit. Helpless, Jinyun had to disguise himself as a waiter and check each room under the guise of delivering water.
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