Moupi
Xie Lingxi asked directly, "Is my husband on a day off today?"
The other party replied, "No."
"Then why don't you attend court?"
At the end of the Yin hour, the east gradually turns white.
Suddenly, a woman came to his door asking if he was going to court. Chu Liying thought this man was crazy. He was already cold-hearted and didn't want to deal with Xie Lingxi now. He raised his eyelids and immediately closed the door.
—Bang!
Xie Lingxi: "?"
The next instant, the sound of hooting and swaying of a stick rang out from the courtyard, startling the chickens in the cage into the air. Then, a rooster, its large red comb atop the wall connecting the two houses, let out a long crow—
"Giggle!"
The sound was loud and clear, and in an instant, dewdrops slid down from the peach and willow leaves.
Xie Lingxi gritted her teeth and clenched her fists.
ill!
This young man was burly, with sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes, a sharp face, and when he looked down at people, he gave off the feeling of a wild wolf spying on them.
Previously, he hadn't gotten up this early, but now, in the still-dark fifth of the night, he was already practicing in his courtyard, growing stronger every day. Xie Lingxi wasn't afraid of his imposing manner. She stood silently at the door for a while, then couldn't bear it any longer. She took off her butterfly hairpin, pressed the hidden clasp, and shot it at the rooster—
Before the rooster had finished crowing, it slumped down, lost a few feathers, and fell to the ground with a thud.
The sounds of guns and clubs suddenly stopped. The person in the yard picked up the chicken, strode over, and, still angry, pushed the door open!
Chu Liying held a chicken in one hand and the "wicked" silver needle in the other, her face unfriendly: "What are you doing?"
Xie Lingxi gave a forced smile: "What's the point of keeping a rooster that can't lay eggs and only knows how to crow? It's better to kill it so it won't disturb people's sleep."
"you--!"
Even the most straightforward Chu Liying understood that this woman was making veiled accusations. Her arm muscles tensed, her chest heaved, she took several deep breaths, and spread her hands: "Pay up."
"Pay back? No problem."
Xie Lingxi pushed the wooden door aside and stepped inside before anyone could speak. She glanced at the desolate scene in the courtyard, then saw the neatly stacked wooden frame and pointed to the knives and spears. "How much is this pile of copper and iron? I'll compensate you for it all."
……pay?
Chu Liying's eyes narrowed, and she exuded an aura of martial prowess. She refrained from making a move, raised her finger to the door, and coldly said, "Get out."
Having said all that, Xie Lingxi, having had her fill of fuss, said bluntly, "My lord, you know the difficulty of reluctantly parting with someone, but why don't you put yourself in my shoes? Starting to practice your spear before dawn, keeping my backyard awake, is that appropriate?"
After she finished speaking, she turned and left.
A quarter of an hour later, two maids came out of the Liu residence, knocked on the door of Chu Liying's house, and brought a rooster with a crest.
...
Unable to sleep, and with the sunlight growing brighter, Xie Lingxi pondered for a moment, then picked up some belongings and headed towards the princess's residence.
Upon entering the gate, no one dared to stop them. They walked around the stream and flower garden, passed through the hanging silk flower gate, and headed straight for the Princess Garden.
Not long after Yan Ying woke up, she was sitting in front of the mirror washing her face and doing her makeup. Just as the maid behind her was slowly putting hairpins on her, the heavy sandalwood door was suddenly pushed open.
She stared intently at the person, a faint smile playing on her lips, her gaze turning cold. "Trespassing... Is this the upbringing of the Third Mistress of the Xie family?"
Xie Lingxi said, "Why beat around the bush? Time waits for no one, I have something to discuss with you today."
She was still seething with anger at the mention of guns and clubs. She found a chair, took off her light green handbag embroidered with cranes and peonies, and pulled out a manuscript.
The princess dismissed the servants, then touched a few loose strands of her dark hair. "What is this?"
Xie Lingxi stepped forward, handed her the manuscript, and took the hairpin and bracelet while combing the princess's long hair.
Her hair seemed to have been soaked in the fragrance of pepper and orchids, with a faint, subtle shimmer. The sunlight streamed through the window, and the two people's serene faces were reflected in the bronze mirror.
The lady, with her gentle and demure features, skillfully styled her hair into a bun resembling rabbit ears, adorned it with silk flowers, and then nodded in satisfaction.
Meanwhile, the princess was carefully reading the manuscript, unaware that her hair had been styled in this way. She looked up and pointed to the dense ink, "When was this written?"
The princess had never seen Xie San Niangzi's handwriting before, but she felt that the handwriting reflected the person, and a fragrance of orchids and lotus blossoms filled the room, even enveloping her.
Xie Lingxi stepped back. "There are pieces of calligraphy from three years ago, from last year, and some new ones from a few days ago."
The scroll was filled with information about the current political situation, factions, and even important state affairs.
She asked, "Are you satisfied?"
After reading it, Yan Ying put away the manuscript, her gaze suddenly falling into the mirror. She stared at her hair bun with an uncertain look in her eyes and slowly said, "Satisfied, very satisfied."
Xie Lingxi: "Right? How long has it been since Your Highness styled such a cute double bun? It's quite novel at first glance."
Yan Ying: "I can't remember...it's been three or five years."
“Your hair is so well combed, and your handwritten scroll is so beautiful. Third Sister is so generous in giving me such things, which makes me feel ashamed.”
Feeling ashamed? Xie Lingxi might not think so.
She sat down, leaning on the table, and quietly watched as a stalk of bamboo swayed through the crack in the window, casting dappled light and shadow into the room, faintly illuminating the princess's face.
Vibrant yet subtly understated.
"There's no need to feel ashamed. We spoke hastily that day and hadn't yet carefully considered what Your Highness intends to do next?"
Yan Ying simply asked, "What do you think?"
Whether she was testing the waters or seeking a deeper discussion, Xie Lingxi spoke up: "Your Highness comes from a good family, but you have an incompetent older brother. It's not difficult to get the support of noble families, but is the Lu family of Boyang truly loyal to the princess, or wholeheartedly devoted to assisting Yan Sheng?"
That's a good point.
With the eldest son still alive, how can a woman possibly rise to power? The elders of the Lu family, though well-versed in poetry, etiquette, and history, surely have a plan in mind.
If even family members don't express their opinions, it's not appropriate for others to overstep their bounds and make decisions on their behalf.
Yan Ying broke off a flower branch and sneered, "That's easy."
Xie Lingxi scrutinized her, expressionless: "Killed?"
...
"Who to kill?"
Xie Lingjun's pupils contracted, and he pulled his sister into the house, slamming the door shut so tightly that not even a mosquito could get in.
As soon as Lingxi returned home, she headed towards Guanzhi Garden, constantly talking about treasonous things. After listening for a while, he finally understood what Xie Lingxi was after.
The princess's ascension to the throne was truly astonishing, unprecedented in history. Even if it were to become a reality, the obstacles it would face should not be underestimated.
Instead of answering "yes" or "no," Xie Lingjun asked, "If we kill the King of Qin, then what? The King of Jin, the King of Chu... and all those other miscellaneous princes, can we kill them all?"
"We like the princess's political views, but such an important matter needs to be considered carefully."
“No,” Xie Lingxi said, “all that is needed is to kill the King of Qin.”
"It is said that 'a mother's status depends on her son.' The Lu family is in decline. Once Yan Sheng dies, if they want to regain their glory, they can only cling to the princess as their lifeline."
This is the princess's family affair, and has nothing to do with those surnamed Xie, Cui, Wang...
We should just wait and see.
Xie Lingjun frowned.
There were few military affairs today, and upon hearing that Xie Lingxi was looking for him, he returned early for lunch.
He was horrified upon hearing about the previous incident involving the Prince of Pingnan, the interconnected disturbances in Jingzhou, the bandit uprising, and even the conspiracy to kill him in the northern frontier.
Now that His Majesty is critically ill and has little time left, if other princes were to ascend the throne, there would be two possibilities: either they would become puppets of other powers, or they would suffer the same fate as Yan Ji, plotting against the Xie family and meeting a bad end.
Xie Lingjun didn't want either of these outcomes.
If anyone is acceptable, why can't it be a princess?
As a woman herself, Lingxi might have felt some compassion.
But he knew that his younger sister was not the type to treat important matters as a game, to confuse personal interests with the greater good, or to recklessly mix things up.
The emperor was destined to relinquish power, while the princess's political views were considered virtuous.
In such a rapidly changing situation, should the Xie family forge ahead and compete with the people in the Ink Pond, or retreat behind the scenes to protect themselves?
He looked at Xie Lingxi with concern and said, "As power grows, people's hearts are no longer simple. Desires are like a snowball; once they start, they can't be stopped—do you understand this principle?"
To seek a position from someone is like seeking a tiger's skin.
Xie Lingxi simply smiled and said, "Whether to cooperate with a tiger or to play chess with it depends on the abilities of each party."
She had always been extremely confident. Xie Lingjun chuckled, shook his head slightly, then, as if remembering something, slammed his teacup down and sighed, "Whether we're planning something or not, we should talk to Father. What are we worrying about for no reason..."
"..."
Xie Lingxi remained silent.
After a long silence, she said, "I'm not worrying unnecessarily; it's you who are overthinking things, brother."
"I've only come to inform my brother that the princess is about to make her move, and the King of Qin's life is nearing its end."
...
It turns out that the military officer who disturbed people's peaceful sleep was named Chu Liying, and was actually the newly appointed commander of the Golden Guard.
Born into a poor family, he passed the imperial examinations several years earlier than Liu Xu and entered officialdom as the top military scholar. He fought in battles in the northern frontier and southern barbarian lands, rising from a lowly soldier to the position of commander of the Golden Guard.
Now I am approaching thirty.
Xie Lingxi thought to himself that this Grand Commander had benefited from the wave of Lu Wei's dismissal. There had been another one before him, who came from the Xiao family of Lanling and was related to Xiao Yin. He died of illness at the beginning of this year.
No wonder he exudes such a murderous aura.
He had just returned to Chang'an from the northern frontier a month ago. The emperor granted him the right to return home to visit his family and purchase a residence, and there was no rush for him to take up his post. However, now that people have died one after another in Chang'an, he has been forced to take up the post.
A majestic procession marched down the long street, led by a black horse with a large red ribbon tied around its neck, swaying gently in the breeze. Chu Liying, however, remained as steady as a mountain, her brows furrowed and her eyes fixed straight ahead.
A flower cake stall on one side had a canopy of green grass and pink butterflies, blocking out the sunlight. Xie Lingxi took the peach gum cake, staring thoughtfully at the tall horse passing by.
Just then, a young man emerged from the restaurant next to her, staggering drunkenly. "Three rounds a day, it's really annoying!"
Someone asked, "What three rounds?"
The drunkard ignored him and continued talking to himself: "They don't even spare the night, petty thieves and scoundrels... If petty thieves and scoundrels are gone, will people truly be honest and trustworthy?"
The person murmured and walked away, leaving only a pool of filthy wine on the ground.
She stayed for a while, then returned home. She saw the setting sun casting its last rays, the flowers drooping, and Liu Xuban sitting upright in the lush courtyard, flipping through a stack of bamboo slips.
Xie Lingxi stepped forward and asked, "What era is this from? It's carved on bamboo, without any paper."
Liu Xu gestured for her to look over. It was an account from twenty years ago, belonging to a small prefecture or county not under the jurisdiction of Chang'an. He rubbed his temples. "There are people in the world who cannot afford Xuan paper."
“Decades ago, the person in question is dead, yet they still bring up these old debts and try to settle them on the spot. But the amount involved is enormous, so I take them home and count them slowly.”
Upon hearing this, Xie Lingxi bent down and read the two large characters: "Qing County".
She recalled the Imperial Guards of today and sighed, "Chu Liying's ancestral home seems to be there..."
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