Chapter 23 Forbidden Floating Bridge
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The man, devastated by his failed attempt to falconry, stormed into the falconry shop, slamming the door shut with a deafening crash. He grabbed the shopkeeper by the collar and roared, "Your falcon hasn't been tamed yet! Give me my money back!"
Seeing that the guests were determined to smash the shop sign, the shopkeeper's face turned ashen: "Of all the hawks that come from my shop, the most intelligent are those that understand human intentions. Someone! Go to the backyard and fetch one so you can all see it on the spot!"
The onlookers nodded in agreement.
The waiter brought out a falcon. It took off as command, then, at the innkeeper's instruction, swiftly circled before landing steadily on its perch. The falcon's sharp eyes scanned the crowd, its expression fiercely menacing.
Those who were watching the commotion quickly retreated to a safe area.
Seeing that he was in the wrong, the man raised his voice: "That beast even attacked the eldest daughter of the Lin family and pecked out her eyes!"
"Hiss..." Everyone was shocked.
Some busybodies insisted on asking, "Is Miss Lin blind?"
The man paused, then mumbled, "No, not at all." He made no mention of Miss Lin hiding under Young Master Wen's sleeve unharmed.
Curious onlookers wondered, "How could a frail woman, who couldn't even kill a chicken, possibly repel such a fierce eagle?"
The people chimed in with their opinions. There had been rumors that Miss Lin's madness had been cured, that she had simply lost her mind. Now, thinking back, it wasn't just ordinary hysteria.
"It must be possessed by a ghost!"
"A young lady who miraculously survived repelled a ferocious bird with a single palm strike?"
"If it wasn't the power of ghosts and gods, what else could it be?"
"The Taoist priest who jumped off the Floating Wave Bridge didn't shout 'Heavenly secrets change, heresy appears.' Now that I think about it, that 'heretic' was clearly a person!"
"Good heavens! That young lady from the Lin family, who single-handedly repelled an eagle... Isn't she the biggest heretic?!"
"..."
The next day, it happened to be Lin Zhaoheng's day off, and Lin Xihe barely opened her eyes to serve tea to her cheap old man.
"He'er is unwell, so let's skip the formalities and go back to your room to rest."
"Dad, can I still take a nap?"
She was stunned after asking the question. Wasn't the Lin family a prominent and wealthy household? Wasn't this family atmosphere overly liberal? Where were the family rules?
"A nap?" Lin Zhaoheng dissected each word, pondered it carefully, and then asked, "Is it because the inner room of Tinghe Pavilion is cramped and you feel stuffy while sleeping? It just so happens that the Wen family mansion is being renovated. Your father will make the decision to start construction on both sides at the same time and build you a better room! The boudoir of the eldest daughter of the Lin family must be more spacious than that of Wen Hongyuan's grandson!"
Help! This isn't a construction site; it's clearly an infrastructure race.
Lin Xihe hesitated, then asked, "Father, you and Lord Wen...?"
It seems like they have a grudge.
The incense burner gradually shrank amidst Lin Zhaoheng's accusations.
The old woman brought over a few soft cushions, and Lin Xihe rested her head on one of them, feeling drowsy.
Lin Zhaoheng spat as he spoke: "Yesterday in court, Wen Hongyuan didn't give me the slightest bit of face!"
"Disagreements on political views are perfectly normal, don't get angry." Lin Xihe was so busy stroking his fur that she blurted out, "Dad, please have some tea."
"Dad...does that mean Father?"
"hold head high."
Lin Zhaoheng's eyes curved into the shape of bean pods: "He'er's words are particularly pleasing to the ear."
"..." So it turns out that there were also daughter slaves in ancient times.
Lin Xihe had enough of a headache with her biological father in her previous life, so being assigned a doting father in this life isn't so bad.
"Does he really think the Emperor is helping him? The Emperor is only doing it because of Wen Zhiyue!"
Almost hearing the preface to the article, Lin Xihe immediately perked up: "Who is Wen Zhiyue?"
“He is Wen Zhixu’s elder brother.” Lin Zhaoheng mentioned Wen Zhiyue and bowed solemnly to the north. “General Wen was brave and skilled in battle, and deserves the title of hero.”
Sure enough, every good-for-nothing has a powerful older brother. Lin Xihe swatted away the sleepiness in her head and asked, "Why haven't I seen him before?"
Lin Zhaoheng's expression darkened: "To die on the battlefield..."
There is no such thing as a peaceful world; it is just a wall built of white bones on the border to block the sandstorms blowing towards Shengjing.
The topic became heavy.
Seeing his daughter's solemn expression, Lin Zhaoheng deliberately stood up and spun around, his light blue robe tracing arcs in the air. He insisted that his daughter take a look and say, "He'er, take a look for your father... for your father, what do you think of this outfit?"
Lin Xihe commented, "It's a bit too plain."
"If I apologize to someone, will they forgive me?" he murmured, as if talking to himself.
Lin Xihe was a little confused. She looked the middle-aged man up and down and asked, "You did something wrong and want to get the other party's forgiveness?"
Lin Zhaoheng nodded slowly.
"Then you'd better wear a monk's robe; it will be more effective that way."
"You child..."
Lin Zhaoheng took out a purse embroidered with animal patterns from his pocket, stroked it a few times with care, and stuffed it into Lin Xihe's hand: "It was my fault, I forgot that my He'er is a grown girl. You can take this to buy jewelry."
Lin Xihe, who had received her allowance, watched Lin Zhaoheng get into the carriage. Her purse was quite heavy, containing a lot of silver. She held onto the carriage window and insisted on seeing him off to the end of the mansion.
"Father, is Shushi Nunnery far away?"
Lin Xihe quickly calculated: Bu Bu had slept well last night, but when she changed the dressing this morning, the wound showed no improvement whatsoever. She had to go to the back mountain of Shushi Temple to find the flower stamen stone that could stop bleeding and promote tissue regeneration, just in case.
What are you doing in Holti?
"Huh?" Lin Xihe glanced at him sideways. The composure that the middle-aged man inside the carriage curtain usually had was gone.
Soseki-an.
It seemed to be a forbidden place he was unwilling to touch.
Lin Xihe coaxed him a few times, and Lin Zhaoheng's expression changed from gloomy to sunny.
"Today is an auspicious day. You must follow the custom and circle the bridge three times to ward off evil spirits. The carriage and servants are ready. Make sure this is done today. Do you understand?" Lin Zhaoheng carefully instructed.
To ward off evil spirits? Isn't that just feudal superstition?
"Qingwu and I will go." She didn't want a string of "tails" following behind her.
"No. Qingwu is a gluttonous and playful girl, you two—"
"That's why they're called Crouching Dragon and Young Phoenix!"
"..."
A carriage was approaching from behind the alley, and Lin Xihe stepped aside, her skirt tucked in.
"Goodbye, Dad."
“Bye…?” Lin Zhaoheng mimicked her, raising the last syllable.
After seeing Lin Zhaoheng off, the carriage behind her drove up, its red wheels brushing past the hem of her skirt as it drove away.
Lin Xihe raised her fist: "Dangerous driving! If you hit me, you'll pay for it to death!"
That carriage belongs to the Wen family.
The arch-enemy definitely did it on purpose.
Just as she was about to chase after the car, the purse in her arms suddenly fell to the ground.
Lin Xihe quickly picked it up; the embroidery on the purse depicted a withered little monkey. This design was quite rare in ancient times. The embroiderer had taken an unconventional approach; though the stitches were clumsy, they were full of charm.
She punched the air twice: "I'll settle the score with you later."
The sudden swerve caused the car to sway slightly.
Wen Zhixu lifted the carriage curtain and looked back, just as a ray of sunlight pierced through the alley and fell squarely on the girl behind him.
After the eagle snatched her hairpin, she changed to a different one. That new hairpin, however, had its pearls shimmering and dangling as she moved, which was rather irritating.
It's not as good as that green bamboo hairpin; at least it's not as dazzling. Wen Zhixu turned away.
Her slender figure blended into the gate of the Lin residence and disappeared.
The aloof young man inside the carriage said calmly, "Stop the car."
The coachman said in a panic, "Second Young Master, Miss Lin startled the carriage just now, and I couldn't avoid her in time!"
"Is this your excuse for deliberately hitting someone?"
The coachman jumped off the carriage and knelt down, saying, "Second Young Master, I only wanted to avenge you because I found that Miss Lin truly despicable..."
Wen Zhixu interrupted him: "It's her business if she's awful, it's none of your business. Wen Qi, take him to collect the money."
"yes."
"Second Young Master, please forgive me! I have an elderly mother to care for, and children to raise—"
Wen Qi carried him away.
Creak—the gate of the Lin residence opened again.
The car body obscured the view, only the apricot-colored hem of the skirt was visible.
Wen Zhixu leaned forward slightly and saw the Lin family's gate. The gate was made of the finest rosewood and was significantly larger than the Wen family's gate—this was Lin Zhaoheng's doing; he couldn't be satisfied with just one gate that outshone the Wen family.
The massive gate almost swallowed up the girl's petite figure.
She poked her head out: "Is Shushi Nunnery far?"
“Far away.” Wen Zhixu blurted out, then dug his nails deep into his palm. “Why are you asking about that?”
Lin Xihe scrutinized him. His wary demeanor mirrored that of her adoptive father.
What's wrong with that nunnery? Is it haunted?
"Just asking," she said casually, then nimbly slipped inside.
"..."
With neither the coachman nor the servant around, Wen Zhixu was alone, feeling lost and confused.
The clear voice rang out again: "The Floating Wave Bridge can't be far, can it?"
Wen Zhixu's gaze refocused on the Lin family mansion gate, where that wretched head was swaying back and forth.
"Not far." As soon as he said it, Wen Zhixu wanted to slap himself.
"Do you have a car? Can you take me to Fubo Bridge?" Fearing that Wen Zhixu might change his mind, Lin Xihe immediately raised her bulging purse. "It's not free; I'll pay for the taxi fare!"
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