Xiao Zhun, the Marquis of Qinghuai, was granted the title of marquis at the age of sixteen, established his own government at the age of seventeen, and was granted the title of General of the Cavalry at the age of nineteen, commanding 300,000 troops in the Subei Camp. He had never been defeated since he was twenty-three.
Such a man was respected and admired throughout Chizhou, yet for some reason he had yet to marry. Generals often led troops on campaigns, often leaving for months or even years. Quecheng wasn't Xiao Zhun's regular base, so even the few women who had seen him were few and far between. People speculated that perhaps it was because Qinghuai Hou wasn't particularly attractive that no woman from an aristocratic family was willing to marry him.
But those few who had seen Xiao Zhun's face argued that he was a truly handsome man, with a face as beautiful as a jade. This led to rumors that he had been shot by several arrows since he was a young man, and that he had become famous during the Battle of Qingping Ferry. Could it be that one of those arrows had, by chance, lodged itself where it shouldn't have?
"If that's the case, wouldn't the Xiao family be extinct?"
The diner who was listening attentively spat out a melon seed shell and couldn't help but ask his own question.
The one who was speaking was thirsty, and when someone interrupted him, he quickly drank a glass of wine to moisten his throat: "You are right, although there is one in the Marquis' Mansion now, it is a girl after all, and it is said that she was picked up from the roadside."
The other man at the other end of the table was clearly a bit drunk, his tongue tangled as he spoke: "If you ask me, this can't be entirely blamed on Qing Huaihou. If you want to blame someone, blame the Xiao family's bad luck. If Prince Shuo were still alive, how could the Xiao family..."
The man who was cracking melon seeds covered the drunk's mouth with his hand, his face covered with cold sweat. He looked around. Fortunately, it was dinner time and the restaurant was noisy, so no one noticed what the drunk said in the corner.
The one who spoke the loudest before also fell silent. He shrank his neck, lowered his head and muttered, "Drinking will cause trouble, drinking will cause trouble..." While muttering, he walked to the window and propped up the window frame to let some of the cold night wind in to wake up the smell of alcohol in the room.
The warm light poured into the night through the small wooden window, illuminating the small area at the base of the wall and a pair of furry ears with a few tufts of mixed hair.
The ears twitched, as if a little impatient.
Finally, a woman's low voice came from the darkness: "Let's go, Jixiang."
******************
Despite occupying the prime location in Que City, the Qinghuai Marquis's residence seemed exceptionally deserted at night. Beyond the walls of the vast courtyard, not a single sound or bustle could be heard from within. Chen Si stood beneath two eternally burning lanterns, helping Xiao Nanhui hold his horse. A charming woman in a pink coat stood in the courtyard. Hearing the commotion, she hurried over to welcome her in.
"Why are you back so late? Is dinner ready? I heard Uncle Chen say you didn't eat much this morning. Look at the table of dishes I prepared, and they've all gone cold."
Xiao Nan looked back at the undisguised concern and complaint on the woman's face, and his heart finally warmed. "Sister Dujuan, you've worked hard. I've eaten. You and Uncle Chen should eat soon too. Don't wait until this time next time." She paused, then glanced around as if remembering something. "Is my foster father not back yet?"
Du Juan nodded awkwardly: "But it should be soon. I won't sleep outside."
It would have been fine if she hadn't said anything. As soon as she did, Xiao Nanhui's heart began to lift again. If he had known earlier, he should have gone to Yukun Street to take a look when she came back. "Have you been to the old mansion?"
Du Juan knew Xiao Nanhui's worries: "We sent someone to check before dark, and he really hasn't left the palace yet."
Xiao Nanhui breathed a sigh of relief, then remembered what he had promised Yao Yi, and quickly ordered, "Have someone send the mushrooms I brought back last time to Wangchen Tower."
Du Juan didn't understand what was going on. She raised her eyebrows in dissatisfaction, "What's the rush? It's already so late. Is that Yao Yi going to blame you for sending the gift late?"
Xiao Nanhui could only smile awkwardly: "I originally brought it for him. If I keep pressing it, it will get damaged."
Du Juan was a straightforward person. She couldn't stand Yao Yi's sarcastic attitude and muttered on her own initiative: "It's better not to give it all to him. Leave half for Jixiang."
Xiao Nanhui didn't know whether to laugh or cry. The fatigue from a long day gradually washed over him. "He's picky, so make sure you save the good ones. If my adoptive father comes back, tell him I'll be waiting for him in the backyard."
After saying that, Xiao Nanhui walked straight to the backyard.
Behind her, Dujuan opened her mouth slightly, with a complicated look in her eyes.
The backyard of the Qinghuai Marquis's mansion seemed somewhat desolate because it was rarely visited. Aside from a few stone benches and tables, there were also flowers and plants that had been there since the mansion was built, though there weren't any rare species. Xiao Nanhui didn't know how to tend to them, and Du Juan and Uncle Chen had no time to care for them either. Over time, only the native wildflowers and weeds thrived, and each spring brought a bit of life.
Xiao Nanhui changed into clean clothes and walked into the yard, looking left and right.
It was exceptionally quiet tonight, as there was still some spring chill. The noisy little insects had not had time to crawl out of the soil, and only a few subtle sounds could be heard in the yard, like the rustling of leaves in the evening breeze, or perhaps the creaking of tiles on the roof.
Xiao Nanhui listened for a while but couldn't understand what was going on, so he simply lay down on the stone bench, looked up and counted the flowers blooming on the old tree vine above his head. After counting the flowers, he counted the buds, and after counting the buds, he counted the leaves.
Xiao Zhun once taught her to train her eyesight by standing under the scorching sun and counting leaves.
The sunlight often dazzled her eyes, so much so that when Xiao Zhun spoke in her ear, she thought it was the sunlight that dazzled her heart.
The air is hot, scattered and suffocating.
It's completely different from the cool atmosphere tonight.
But Xiao Nanhui felt that if Xiao Jun were here at this moment, the dim starlight would also blind her heart like the scorching sun.
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