Chapter 31 There are three young masters
At this moment, in a private room of a restaurant, three young men dressed in casual clothes are drinking and chatting together.
A young man in a purple robe leaned against the window and looked down. He saw a man and a woman getting off a carriage and smiled, saying, "Brother Xingzhuo has brought a beautiful lady with him."
"Really?" The others became excited and crowded around the window to look down. One of them chuckled and said, "Could it be your sister-in-law?"
They could only see that the woman was wearing a cone-shaped hat, so they couldn't see her face, but judging from her slender figure and graceful demeanor, she was clearly a beauty.
"My sister-in-law is the Grand Princess's woman. When has Xingzhuo ever brought her out?" The man in the moon-white robe denied it without hesitation. He fanned himself with a folding fan, narrowed his eyes slightly, and slowed his speech. "This one looks like—"
As they were talking, the two men had already entered the restaurant and disappeared from sight.
The group returned to their seats; there was no need to guess anymore, they would find out soon enough.
Just then, the waiter pushed open the door to the private room, and Zhan Xingzhuo entered with his men.
"Brother Xingzhuo, which house does this girl belong to? Does your wife know her?" the purple-robed man asked casually with a grin.
Another man in a blue robe smiled and said in a gentle tone, "I heard you had a falling out with your wife. Did you find a girl to upset her and make her feel sorry for you?"
Zhan Xingzhu smiled, first gesturing for the woman next to him to sit down, then he sat down beside her as well, before saying, "Take a guess."
The man in purple robes looked the girl up and down, his expression shifting slightly, and his brows furrowed.
The private room fell silent. Some people were puzzled, some were in no hurry to guess and slowly poured their drinks, while others' expressions changed slightly.
The man in the moon-white robe spoke up at this moment: "Junior Sister, you left the Left Governor's Mansion without permission. Aren't you afraid the Wang family will blame you?"
"It's rare for you to call me Junior Sister. I thought you'd forgotten me." The woman took off her conical hat, revealing her elegant face. She smiled slightly at the people present, stood up, and bowed. "Greetings, fellow senior brothers."
The men's expressions changed, and they all looked at Zhan Xingzhuo.
The three people present have all studied under Zhou Zhining's father, Zhou Qin.
After the embezzlement case, almost everyone in the three branches of the Zhou family went to exile, except for Zhou Zhining and her younger brother who escaped.
After Zhou Zhining married Wang Xuan, she faced constant turmoil. Only Zhan Xingzhuo took care of her as her sworn brother, while everyone else seemed to have forgotten about her.
These people were all scions of powerful families or members of royalty.
The corruption case involves a wide range of people, and they are all strictly forbidden from contacting Zhou Zhining. They are not to follow Zhan Xingzhuo's example, ruin their future, and implicate their entire family.
They remained seated there, not leaving immediately to avoid suspicion, partly to save face for themselves and partly to save face for Zhan Xingzhuo.
But they all looked rather pale.
It would be better to bring Yao Qingling along for a drink.
Seeing their expressions, Zhou Zhining guessed what was going on and smiled with a touch of sadness.
She said softly, "Thank you all for still acknowledging me as your junior sister." She stood up, picked up the wine pot, and poured wine for each of them. As she spoke, she said slowly, "Don't be afraid, senior brothers. Although my Zhou family members are guilty, neither the Emperor nor the Dali Temple has convicted me. Otherwise, how could Wang Xuan have married me? The Wang family would not have agreed to it."
"Is it because I have a bad reputation, and my senior brothers also look down on me?"
The man in the blue robe was Tao Weixian, the fifth young master of the Shen State Duke's Mansion. He frowned slightly. Everyone knew how Zhou Zhining had escaped from that calamity back then.
Seeing her sorrowful smile, he felt bad too. Remembering their past friendship as fellow disciples, he comforted her, "It's not that. It's just that several years have passed, and I never thought I would see my junior sister again."
Thinking to myself, Zhou Zhining is actually not wrong. Old Zhou is guilty, but she has already entered the Wang family and is now a daughter-in-law of the Wang family, so she has nothing to do with the embezzlement case.
Over the years, apart from the occasional rumors of discord in her marriage with Wang Xuan, nothing else has happened.
The man in the purple robe is Prince Xin, Lian Chengtai, the seventh brother of the current emperor.
After Zhou Qin was implicated in the case, he was neglected by the emperor and spent the last few years traveling around. He only returned to the capital last year.
He gave a slight smile and said nothing.
The man in the moon-white robe was Shao Wenchu, the third son of the Minister of Revenue. He waved his folding fan and looked at Zhan Xingzhuo: "Xingzhuo, is it convenient for Zhining to come out like this?"
He was the most cautious of all.
Zhou Zhining and Wang Xuan didn't get along, but she was still a member of the Wang family. Zhan Xingzhuo took care of her as her sworn brother, and the Wang family turned a blind eye, but allowing her to see other men was somewhat inappropriate.
If the Wang family finds something to hold against them, or if the outside world makes any connections, it will be bad for Zhou Zhining and for all of them.
Zhan Xingzhu smiled, a hint of disdain in his expression, and said, "Brother Wenchu is still as cautious as ever." He raised an eyebrow slightly, took a sip of wine, and remained composed. "Five years have passed; things should have calmed down by now. Has Zhining been doing well all these years?"
He's right; Zhou Zhining wasn't purged by the emperor during those five years.
He added, "The teacher's family lives in the north, and they're doing alright."
This shows that the Emperor intended to spare their lives, but only to punish them severely.
"Now, in the entire capital, we are the only disciples left of our teacher. So I invite you all to gather together and reminisce."
Shao Wen-chu raised an eyebrow, and the others all knew that this was not a simple gathering to reminisce.
The atmosphere was a bit cold. Zhou Zhining stood up, called over a waiter, and asked for a zither: "It's been a long time. I'll play a tune for everyone as a greeting gift."
The bustling streets were filled with the sounds of carriages rolling on the pavement, horses' hooves, vendors' cries, and the haggling of the marketplace. Amidst this cacophony, suddenly came the melodious and gentle sound of a zither, plaintive and plaintive, like a gentle spring rain, stirring the heart and soul. Then, the tune changed, becoming clear and bright, like a light and cheerful mountain stream, bringing joy and liveliness.
Lin Qiao crossed her arms, looked up at the restaurant, and curled her lip in disdain.
He confined the young mistress to her quarters, but then brought his concubine to a restaurant to play the zither.
Pooh!
She turned into an alley.
There are a few little beggars here, about the same age as her.
Lin Qiao pulled out a handful of copper coins: "Keep singing the songs I taught you. Sing them louder over at Xizhao Tower today."
The little beggars took the coins and ran out to sing folk songs.
The child's voice was unlike any other; it was clear, sharp, and even louder when mixed together, possessing a remarkable penetrating power. That voice drowned out the sounds of horse-drawn carriages, peddler's cries, and women's arguments in the marketplace, as well as the intermittent piano music.
On the second floor, several young men were listening to the music and reminiscing about their time at Qingshan Academy when they were suddenly drawn to the children's songs downstairs.
Lien Cheng-tai said, "Listen, what are they singing?"
Tao Weixian was closest to the window. He pushed open the carved window, and the sounds from downstairs poured into the room.
"...There was a virtuous and beautiful woman who helped the weak and poor in her secluded courtyard; in Gourd Alley, she was truly kind and virtuous. There was a young master who didn't appreciate the fragrance of his own home, mistaking wildflowers for orchids. This young master, he disliked his wife for his beauty; he was blind and his heart was black..."
Their gazes returned to Zhan Xingzhuo.
Although the nursery rhyme did not name names, "Gourd Alley" is exactly the alley where Zhan Xingzhuo lives now.
Moreover, both wildflowers and wildflowers seem to match perfectly.
Zhan Xingzhuo's face was grim, and he clenched his fingers tightly.
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