Chapter 62 Murder Case
Standing to the side with dozens of young women, Li Sanniang looked at the dozens of handsome young men of different ages and appearances walking towards her and couldn't help but find it amusing. As she thought about it, the corners of her mouth curved slightly and she chuckled to herself. Fortunately, she knew she couldn't laugh out loud.
But at this moment, Li San Niang felt a burning gaze on her. She looked in the direction of the gaze she felt and was stunned. What a coincidence! The man wearing the indigo-blue Taoist-style robe was none other than Xu Jingzhen, who had confronted Li San Niang in the garden earlier!
Li San Niang felt embarrassed, but she still forced a smile at Xu Jingzhen, and then received a happy, toothy grin from the handsome Xu Sanlang.
Li Sanniang thought to herself, "This man is quite clever." Then she heard one of the young women beside her say, "Ah, Xu Sanlang looked this way and smiled. He must be smiling at me. My pale yellow dress is the most eye-catching one today."
Before the woman in the pale yellow dress could finish speaking, the woman in the blue dress beside her interrupted, "Ha, she's just a daughter of a sixth-rank official, how could she be worthy of Xu Sanlang?"
Watching the young women vying for Xu Sanlang's attention, Li Sanniang thought that while there's an old saying that beautiful women can be a source of trouble, handsome men are just as capable.
Putting that aside, Li San Niang began to carefully examine the furnishings in the open space. The servants of the Liang State Duke's Mansion were very efficient, and they had already set up three positions in a row. One of them had five desks with writing brushes, ink, paper and inkstones, provided for those who wanted to compete in poetry and prose.
A table with five cushions and a small table is provided for anyone who wants to play music, whether it is a zither, zheng, xiao, or dizi.
Finally, a large area in the very center of the pavilion was covered with a Western Region carpet, for those who wanted to dance, practice swordplay, or play drums.
Li San Niang recalled some things from her memory. In fact, cultural and entertainment activities in Chang'an City were already quite prosperous at this time.
However, apart from those who make a living from it, it is mostly popular among the upper class. After all, ordinary people still have to struggle to make ends meet every day, so where would they find the time to learn and practice these things?
However, every year on the Lantern Festival and New Year's Day, there are very grand celebrations in Chang'an, which are among the few times of entertainment for the people throughout the year.
Li San Niang avoided Xu Jingzhen's gaze, but Xu Jingzhen, the male guest, continued to search for her.
Fang Chengxian, who had a close relationship with Xu Jingzhen, coughed a few times when he saw Xu Jingzhen looking at the woman, which caught Xu Sanlang's attention. He then looked back at Xu Jingzhen to see if he was uncomfortable.
Fang Chengxian slowly spoke, "Jingzhen, don't look at the women anymore. I think these young women are losing interest in the competition and just want to get a few more glances from Xu Sanlang. Cough cough."
“Oh, it’s alright if you’re teasing me. Are you tired? Duoshou, quickly bring me a cloak and put it on your husband.”
Ignoring his friend's joke, Xu Jingzhen took the cloak handed to him by the servant Duoshou and carefully draped it over Fang Chengxian, then helped him to a stone table a little away from the other young men.
After seeing Duoshou place a thick brocade cushion on the stone bench, he felt it wasn't enough and added his own on top as well.
Fang Chengxian looked at the raised stone bench, shook his head helplessly, said nothing more, and sat down.
Fang Chengxian, who had calmed down after taking a sip of water, still looked at Xu Jingzhen with amusement. Receiving this look, Xu Jingzhen glanced in the direction of Li Sanniang again and said in a low voice, "Chengxian, I met a very interesting woman today. I was just looking at her."
"Oh? Xu Sanlang, who ranks third on the Chang'an Beauty List, has actually taken an interest in a young girl. This is something I have never seen before."
“Chengxian, judging from her appearance, she shouldn’t be considered a young woman. However, the fact that she can still attend this banquet suggests that she is more likely a divorced or widowed woman.”
Upon hearing this, Fang Chengxian was genuinely surprised. Then he realized that Xu Jingzhen had grown up in Wudang Mountain and knew some physiognomy. He must have seen something from the woman's face.
"Since you like her, then ask for her name and we'll have an official matchmaker come to propose marriage later."
Xu Jingzhen shook his head and said with some regret, "Chengxian, this matter is a bit complicated. Let's talk about it later."
"But you, look at them competing here. It'll take at least an hour or two. The sun's about to set, and the wind's about to pick up. Let me take you home first."
"It's alright, let's stay a little longer. After all, I kept my promise to Grandma, so staying a little longer before going back will give me something to say."
Xu Jingzhen was helpless. He thought to himself, if you don't leave now, the Dali Temple will probably come later, and then no one will be able to leave.
However, he couldn't directly tell Fang Chengxian about what happened between him and Li Sanniang in the garden.
Fang Chengxian was the eldest grandson of the Fang family in this generation. His mother was in poor health when she was pregnant with him, but she still managed to give birth to him and passed away before he was even a month old.
He has an older brother who died young, an older sister who is already married, and a younger brother born to his father in recent years.
Because he was born weak, he was diagnosed by the former head of the Imperial Medical Bureau as not living past the age of twenty-five.
For the sake of having offspring, his grandmother forced his father to take two concubines. After many years of trouble, his father finally gave birth to a half-brother two years ago.
But this younger brother is only a four or five-year-old child now. It will take at least fifteen or sixteen years for him to be able to support the family.
Although the former head of the Imperial Medical Bureau originally said that if he was given good medicine, he could still live past twenty-five.
If Fang Chengxian had married for the sake of having offspring, he would not have lived past the age of twenty-five.
Now, Fang Chengxian is eighteen years old.
Therefore, Fang Chengxian's purpose in attending this matchmaking event was simply to appease Madam Fang.
Madam Fang felt that it was fine if he didn't have children, but how could he not get married? No matter what, if he got married, he would have a maid to take good care of Fang Chengxian, so that Fang Chengxian could live more comfortably.
Furthermore, Madam Fang also felt that placing Gen'er (Fang Chengxian's younger half-brother) with Fang Chengxian and his future wife would also help cultivate the next generation of leaders for the Fang family.
Even if Fang Cheng passes away first in the future, his wife can stay in the Fang family and take good care of her younger brother as he grows up, so that the Fang family will still have the opportunity to have three more generations.
But what woman would want to get close to Fang Chengxian if she knew that she would be a widow if she married him, that she would never have her own children, and that she would really be a widow in a few years?
But why did Fang Chengxian still come to this matchmaking event?
Because there are families who don't care about their daughters, yet they are willing to sacrifice a young girl in exchange for the countless shops, land, and wealth managed by Fang Chengxian.
Li San Niang is currently with the female contestants, while Xu Jingzhen and Fang Chengxian are with the male contestants, watching the male and female contestants compete on the competition stage set up in the center.
Whether Xu Jingzhen and Fang Chengxian found it interesting or not, Li Sanniang certainly enjoyed watching it.
Apart from the poems and essays that were written on the table and then presented directly to the pavilion for the princess and two other judges to evaluate, the rest of the people could not see them.
But Li San Niang could see and hear the competitions of playing the zither, dancing, sword dancing, and drumming clearly from the outside.
You know what, the artistic taste of the ladies and gentlemen in these noble families is really quite good. Li San Niang can't see the skill and artistic conception, but whether it's the music, the dancing ladies, or the sword-wielding gentlemen, it's all beautiful to listen to and to watch.
As mentioned before, her pale yellow dress was the most eye-catching, attracting Xu Jingzhen's attention. The young lady from the minor official's family even went up and danced a short dance, her graceful figure and powerful rhythm were truly captivating.
Before the young woman in pale yellow bowed and walked to the side, she glanced back at her husband, but not finding Xu Jingzhen, she had no choice but to step aside and make way for the next young woman to go up.
At this moment, a young woman dressed in a light green dress came up. She first bowed, followed by a young woman playing the pipa. The two exchanged a glance, and as the pipa music began, the young woman in the light green dress began to dance gracefully.
Just as Li Sanniang was enjoying the dance of the young girls and was about to forget the secret rendezvous she had overheard in the garden, as well as the news of Lin Lang's sudden death, two servants stumbled up to her, knelt down, and began to shout, "My lord has been murdered!"
The shouts of the two servants drowned out the pipa music, and the woman in the light green dress collapsed onto the carpet upon hearing this.
After shouting, the servant knelt down, bowed his head, and began to weep. At first, everyone present was silent upon hearing this, but after a few breaths, they suddenly started buzzing with discussion.
"Whose servant is this? Do you recognize him?"
"Looks like the person who used to follow..."
"He is the servant who follows Wu Silang."
"It's that Wu..."
"right."
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