Chapter 9 An Accidental Encounter at the Hot Springs: The Young Minister is Destined for Wealth
The carriage creaked and turned for nearly half a day before finally arriving at Qingluan Mountain outside the city. This area was scenic and dotted with numerous hot springs of varying sizes. Many wealthy nobles in the capital had built villas here, and it was said that the best-located ones had all been acquired by the imperial family.
Xie Chengyu's villa was also located there. The Xie family was a true aristocratic clan, with a history spanning hundreds of years and a profound heritage. Naturally, they wouldn't let such a fine place slip by. This villa was one of Xie Chengyu's birthday gifts this year.
"Finally here! I've been waiting for you." Meng Lingyao had just stepped off the carriage when she was embraced by the beauty. Xie Chengyu took her arm and walked into the estate. "I specially asked the cook to prepare silver fish soup. It's made with fresh silver fish transported from Taihu Lake, which are the sweetest and most delicious."
Ascending a few bluestone steps, Meng Lingyao saw upturned eaves and vermilion pillars peeking through the trees on the mountainside not far away. Xie Chengyu followed her gaze and said, "That's the Princess's villa. She's been there these past few days."
Meng Lingyao frowned slightly.
"Don't worry." Xie Chengyu seemed to know what she was thinking and casually said, "I arrived the day before yesterday and haven't had a chance to visit yet, but they sent someone to deliver two baskets of tangerines, saying that we juniors can make ourselves at home and there's no need to stand on ceremony."
It seems that even the eldest princess is impatient to have to deal with other people while traveling.
The two exchanged a glance and both smiled slightly.
After lunch, Xie Chengyu took Meng Lingyao for a walk around the estate. The place wasn't spacious, but it was quiet and elegant. In particular, there was a hot spring, built deep in the bamboo forest, with a pool made of a single piece of white marble, surrounded by a yellow bamboo screen that created a misty atmosphere.
Meng Lingyao's eyes brightened, and she suddenly felt a surge of anticipation for this journey.
Her long hair was tied up with a jade hairpin, and Meng Lingyao was immersed in the hot spring water. Lotus petals floated on the surface of the water and swirled with the ripples. The bottom of the pool was paved with pebbles, and a maid knelt by the pool to massage her shoulders. Two other maids held silver platters containing candied tangerines and candied plums.
"How is it?" Xie Chengyu leaned over the edge of the pool, his cheeks flushed from the steam. "This water comes from an underground hot spring, and I specially had it mixed with the jasmine dew you gave me earlier."
Meng Lingyao scooped up a handful of water, and glistening droplets leaked through her fingers, accumulating into a small pool on her delicate collarbone. "Your extravagance is excessive. Be careful that the Censorate doesn't impeach your father."
"Where would you find me?" Xie Chengyu casually peeled open a segment of a tangerine. "The house with the best view and the best hot spring water at the top is..."
Before she could finish speaking, she pointed to the sky.
As dusk settled, the two changed into light dresses and leaned against the waterside pavilion, drinking together. Xie Chengyu suddenly leaned closer, propping his chin on his hand, and gently tapped Meng Lingyao's cheek with his finger.
Meng Lingyao didn't dodge, but asked in confusion, "What are you doing?"
"Let me touch it to see if it's warm. The more I look at it, the more it resembles my grandmother's most treasured mutton-fat jade statue."
"..."
This guy really has more and more things to say when praising someone.
but--
It sounds nice, I love listening to it.
Cloudy, mostly cloudy.
Meng Lingyao slightly raised her chin, "Now that I've touched it, I wonder what Miss Xie's opinion is?"
"It feels warm to the touch, even more so than that jade statue." Xie Chengyu's words of praise flowed freely. "I think only the Pei family's heirloom jade pendant can compare to it."
Meng Lingyao glanced at her sideways, and Xie Chengyu immediately changed the subject, "Good jade is becoming increasingly scarce these days, but I imagine the Zhou family's treasure vault has no shortage of it."
Meng Lingyao pursed her lips slightly, finding it difficult to swallow the osmanthus wine in her throat.
"I'm afraid I'm not fortunate enough to enjoy it."
Xie Chengyu looked puzzled, "That day at the Marquis of Weiyong's residence, I saw that he was very eager..."
“My father said that having peach blossom eyes is a bad omen, as it indicates a womanizer.” Meng Lingyao swirled her wine glass and said seriously, “I have no patience for dealing with those female confidantes.”
Xie Chengyu blinked; she didn't believe even half of what he said.
Men aren't that important; if one doesn't work out, there's always another.
Sensing the need to change the subject, Xie Chengyu said, "My uncle sent a letter home a few days ago, saying that the situation in the Northern Desert is now stable, and he may return to the capital after the New Year."
Xie Chengyu's uncle was personally appointed by the Emperor as the General Who Guards the North, and he led troops to guard the northern desert year-round. But for some reason, his name was mentioned. Meng Lingyao's thoughts raced, and she finally found a name in a corner of her mind.
"Does that mean Zhao Xu will be back soon?"
"Exactly."
"His sister always gets all grumpy whenever she sees you," Xie Chengyu mimicked Zhao Ruxuan's eye-rolling. "She must be jealous that her brother came to see you before he left."
Meng Lingyao chuckled softly. The bamboo curtain was suddenly lifted by the night wind, bringing in a few withered leaves. She reached out to catch them, and the jade bracelet on her wrist slid halfway down, revealing a section of her snow-white forearm. "I don't even remember what General Zhao's nose and eyes look like, but she's held a grudge for three years."
She was beautiful from a young age and knew it. Countless young men had shown interest in her since childhood, and Zhao Xu was just one of them—someone who had been gone for three years with no certainty of his return.
Is it really worth waiting three years just because he said "wait for me"?
Her surname isn't Wang.
Xie Chengyu stared intently at the woman before him, not even daring to blink.
This cold-hearted look is quite beautiful.
-
The days at Xie's villa were very leisurely and comfortable. During the day, I would enjoy the snow and brew tea with Xie Chengyu, read some popular stories from the capital, and then criticize the many delusions in them. At night, I would soak in the hot spring and have a good night's sleep.
In the early morning, when Meng Lingyao was dressing in front of the mirror, she picked up the face powder and then put it down. Her skin was already very fair and rosy, so applying more powder would be unnecessary.
Xie Chengyu had drunk a few too many cups of wine last night and was still unconscious. Meng Lingyao put on a white fur coat and took Songlan out for a walk. She had been staying in the manor for the past few days and had not yet left the house.
The gatekeeper, seeing that they were about to go out, pointed to the east and said there was a small waterfall there. Because of the warm climate, it didn't freeze even in the dead of winter, and they could go and see it.
Nothing was amiss, so Meng Lingyao slowly walked forward in the direction he pointed. The mountain air was crisp and clear, the trees were lush and green, and the scenery was beautiful. Before she knew it, she had walked for quite a while and could gradually hear the gurgling of water.
Meng Lingyao quickened her pace and walked out of the woods. Suddenly, a clear view opened up before her. A white ribbon of water cascaded down from the mountainside, splashing water like shattered jade. Below was a deep pool, and perhaps because the water temperature was just right, several red carp swam around.
As the master and servant leaned closer to examine the fish, a ball of snow-white suddenly darted past their eyes.
"It's a rabbit!" Songlan exclaimed in surprise.
Meng Lingyao, suddenly seized by a playful impulse, lifted her skirt and crept closer. The rabbit, unafraid of people, perched on the bluestone, its ears twitching. Just as she was about to reach out, a whooshing sound suddenly ripped through the silence.
"Whoosh—"
The arrow grazed her temple and embedded itself deeply in the rabbit's hind leg. Meng Lingyao's pupils dilated suddenly, and she staggered backward, her embroidered shoes stepping on the moss by the stream, causing her to fall to the ground, her lotus-colored skirt stained with water.
"Who goes there?" Songlan spread her arms to block her way.
The sound of horses' hooves grew louder as the lead woman reined in her horse. Her lake-blue riding attire accentuated her capable figure. Meng Lingyao looked up and met the gaze of the princess—a gaze that possessed the unique majesty of someone long accustomed to a high position. Her features were graceful and dignified, and the few fine lines at the corners of her eyes did not detract from her beauty but rather highlighted the composure honed by time.
Are you injured?
Meng Lingyao quickly stood up and bowed, "Greetings, Your Highness, I am at ease." Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of the person on the black horse behind her, who was Pei Xu, looking at the distant mountains with his head turned to the side, as if a flower had suddenly sprouted from the bare stone wall.
Meng Lingyao couldn't help but grit her teeth inwardly. It was him again!
This person must be born with a silver spoon in his mouth; every time I run into him, I always encounter a sharp weapon.
The princess dismounted nimbly and quickly helped her up. "It's good that you're alright." She said apologetically, "From a distance, all I could see was white, and I only spotted the rabbit. I didn't expect it to almost hurt Miss Meng."
Noticing the little girl's soiled skirt, the princess took off her cloak and wrapped it around her, saying, "My villa is just ahead. Go and change your clothes."
As she spoke, she shook the reins, seemingly intending to personally take Meng Lingyao along on the same horse.
Meng Lingyao's brow twitched, and she was about to decline when the female guard spoke up, "Your Highness, let me do it."
"You think my riding skills are inferior to yours?" The princess raised an eyebrow, and the female guard silently retreated.
Meng Lingyao had no choice but to step forward and say, "Thank you for your kindness, Princess."
With a sudden tightening around her waist, she was lifted onto the horse's back.
The eldest princess had a very faint scent of styrax on her. Meng Lingyao's mother also liked the scent of styrax. Now, riding with the eldest princess, she felt inexplicably at ease.
The black horse suddenly snorted, and Pei Xu spurred his horse to catch up, "Your Highness, I..."
"Just follow. Don't forget my rabbit." As the princess loosened the reins and the horse began to trot, Meng Lingyao heard a few suppressed coughs behind her.
rabbit……
Meng Lingyao huddled inside her fur coat, the snow-white fur collar partially concealing her small face. She felt as if she were a captured rabbit.
The princess was an excellent rider, navigating the mountain path as if it were flat ground. Meng Lingyao's initial sense of relief quickly turned into a much stronger one, her tense nerves gradually relaxed, and her thoughts began to wander.
The current emperor and the eldest princess are siblings born of the same mother. The eldest princess was the late emperor's most beloved eldest daughter and was also close to the emperor. More than ten years ago, she married a handsome and accomplished son of the Pei family. The two were a harmonious and deeply affectionate couple. Meng Lingyao remembered that her mother once said that at that time, the eldest princess was the envy of all the women in the capital.
However, this period of good fortune was short-lived. Ten years ago, Prince Consort Pei died unexpectedly in the war in the southwest.
Nowadays, the old-fashioned system of chastity arches from the previous dynasty is no longer valued. The imperial court even explicitly encourages women to remarry, let alone someone of the princess's noble and privileged status. Rumor has it that Madam Pei once personally visited the princess to persuade her to remarry, but ten years have passed and the princess is still single.
That Prince Consort Pei was Pei Xu's uncle. Meng Lingyao had heard before that Pei Xu and this uncle had a deep relationship, and that the Princess had no children of her own, so she treated him like her own son.
In retrospect, it seems that rumors can sometimes be true.
The princess's villa was vast, with walls stretching as far as the eye could see from a distance.
I wonder what kind of magnificent palaces and towers lie within.
With these thoughts in mind, Meng Lingyao entered the house, still keeping her eyes down and following the princess's instructions, walking with the maids in the mansion towards a small courtyard.
It must have been a room specifically for storing clothes, and there were many chests and boxes inside.
"These clothes are all ones that the eldest princess has never worn."
“Miss Meng is tall and slender, and the princess’s clothes suit her perfectly. May I ask what style you usually prefer?” The aunt asked with a kind smile, looking Meng Lingyao up and down.
"My humble self is but a firefly's brilliance; how dare I compare to the Princess?" Meng Lingyao said cautiously. "Your aunt is in charge."
Her aunt glanced at her again, took a few steps, and took out a smoky blue palace dress from a chest at the back. "You have an outstanding temperament, this outfit is barely suitable for you."
This dress is plain in color, with lotus patterns embroidered only on the hem and cuffs; it's a dress that can't go wrong.
Meng Lingyao calmed down a bit and was about to reach out to take it when a woman's voice came from outside the door. It was like striking ice and jade, and if it were the height of summer, it would sound very refreshing.
“I remember making a set of crimson embroidered begonia dresses a few years ago, which suited her even better.”
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