drift
In the dead of night, while the guests were still drinking and embracing the dancers, a jade pendant was thrown down from the open window of a private room on the second floor of the ship.
The thin jade pendant with the red tassel tied above it sank into the river waves and disappeared without a trace.
At the same time, Xie Lingxi wiped the blood that had accidentally splattered on her face, coldly sheathed the gleaming dagger, and walked downstairs wearing a veil.
Liu Xu caught a glimpse of the veil and hat, then pulled away from the feast of fine wine and food. He naturally put his arm around Xie Lingxi's waist, offered a few words of comfort, and asked softly, "Is she dead?"
Xie Lingxi: "He's not dead."
Seeing Liu Xu's worried expression, she thought to herself, "Since General Pei is already guarding the door, why is he still worrying about this?"
However, the man's eyes were slightly red and brimming with tears, and the emotions they contained were truly touching. She couldn't bear to pretend she didn't see them, so she patiently explained, "It's nothing, I was just disgusted by his greasy body."
Liu Xu unconsciously touched his waist and abdomen. "You took off his clothes?"
"Nonsense," Xie Lingxi gestured at him, "otherwise how would I have found that jade tablet?"
The man hid the jade pendant in the flesh of his waist, making it difficult for her to find.
Liu Xu took the letter from Xie Lingxi and compared it carefully. "It is undoubtedly this stamp."
During the conversation, Pei Zhao, carrying his sword, lifted the terrified Zhao Xianzong into a sack, tied it tightly with hemp rope, and sealed it. Blood trickled from the calluses on his palms, which he had developed since childhood from practicing swordsmanship.
He said, with a mix of complaint and amusement, "Third Sister, I never knew you were so capable."
The "powerful" here refers to things other than poetry and literature.
Everyone says that Xie San Niang's poetry and prose can amaze guests all over the world, but who would have known that this woman could stab a fat young man with her bare hands and hit him with a single blow, without leaving any mud or water behind?
Xie Lingguang often confided his worries about his younger sister to him, saying that Third Sister had been frail since childhood and knew no martial arts; the journey to Jingzhou would be fraught with peril—it was truly unbearable.
In his opinion, putting aside the fact that she was not used to the local environment, her unpredictable movements alone made her someone no one could easily mess with.
Liu Xu stepped forward and took a look. Upon seeing the blood, he exclaimed in surprise, "Zizhang, why are you bleeding?"
Is Zhao Xianzong really that difficult to deal with? Even General Pei has lost his wings... What about Lingxi—
He subconsciously glanced at Xie Lingxi, who was sitting behind him, leisurely sipping tea, and then heard Pei Zhao say, "This blood isn't mine. I'd like to ask, what did he do to displease Third Sister and cause so much blood?"
As the words fell, the two men focused their gazes on Xie Lingxi's face. They saw the woman take a sip of tea and say calmly, "It's nothing. It's just that I'm not skilled enough, and his skin is too thick, so I didn't manage to pierce his acupoint."
"..."
Pei Zhao tightened his grip on the hemp rope, nearly suffocating the man.
On the other side, Liu Xugang's outstretched hand paused in mid-air, finally landing calmly on Xie Lingxi's shoulder, his eyes crinkling into a smile, "Lingxi, it's late, let's rest."
...
A few days ago, they deliberately spread the word that a fellow traveler was going to Jingzhou to do grain trading, in order to lure Zhao Xianzong onto the ship. Now that they have successfully knocked the man unconscious, they can use his identity to investigate properly.
This unscrupulous merchant was truly cunning; he brought along a few clever thugs to impersonate servants, but Pei Zhao dealt with them all.
The contact person in Jingzhou had never seen Boss Zhao's face in person; they communicated only through stamped documents. Xie Lingxi stole his jade pendant and had it remade. It turned out that the original pendant had been thrown into the river because it was stained with unclean blood.
After thinking it over, Xie Lingxi watched Liu Xu take off his outer robe and get into bed, and slowly said, "Tomorrow when we arrive in Jingzhou, you will be Liu Si, the wealthy man from Chang'an, and I will be your ninth wife."
"The ninth one?"
Liu Xu chuckled and asked, "What about the first eight?"
"What kind of logic is this? Why can't a rich man get married normally?"
Xie Lingxi, however, did not playfully tease him as usual. Instead, her expression remained calm, and her words instantly wiped the smile off Liu Xu's face:
"Your second brother said that when you were a child, your mother took you to a fortune teller who said that you had a shallow fate and that your marriages would never have a good outcome. Your previous brides either died suddenly or disappeared, until you married your ninth wife."
"The ninth one?"
“The ninth one,” Xie Lingxi repeated, tucking the blanket under her arm and moving closer to him, “is the ending of a pair of mandarin ducks entwined around each other’s necks, growing old together.”
The woman's emotions were indifferent, and her words were devoid of any inflection. Liu Xu sensed something was amiss and, after stripping down to only his undergarments, climbed onto the bed and embraced Xie Lingxi. "What's wrong with you today?"
"What did I do to upset you?"
Liu Xu reflected on himself: "Did I scare you when I was in Chang'an? Or did I just push you to that Boss Zhao?"
Xie Lingxi remained silent.
She removed the hairpins from her hair and packed the newly made, brightly colored clothes into the trunk one by one, keeping only the one she would wear tomorrow. At this moment, she stared at the glass-like floral dress with a somewhat bewildered expression.
Liu Xu waited for a long time, and seeing that she had her eyes open but did not intend to speak, he couldn't help but shake her body.
"Lingxi, what do you mean by not saying anything? Are you going to cut ties with me now?"
At this point, Liu Xu himself felt wronged, "You said you loved me not long ago, and today you want to divorce me... The books are right, a girl's heart changes in an instant, and it can't be taken seriously."
After a few more words, she coaxed him softly, "How about we don't get a divorce? I'll make you apricot blossom cake."
The candlelight burning by the window was about to go out. Xie Lingxi's gaze shifted from her clothes to the moon reflected in the window, and she finally spoke: "Apricot blossom cake?"
"But there are no apricot blossoms now."
In a few months, it will be apricot season. She glanced at the full moon in the sky, "Today is the fifteenth."
Liu Xu followed her gaze and glanced at it. "Yes, full moon."
In his previous life, Xie Lingxi died quietly on a full moon night in the chilly spring. Unfortunately, Liu Xu didn't know this, nor did he need to.
Xie Lingxi felt the warm embrace of her chest, quickly composed himself, and said, "You kissed me today."
Seeing the person holding her catch their breath, Xie Lingxi softened her gaze, "This is the first time in my life I've been like this with someone."
Liu Xu blushed deeply. He had been unable to control himself at the time, and now he felt that he hadn't cherished it enough. How could he have kissed her so easily, without even considering the romantic setting under the moon?
But he asked sincerely, "What do you think?"
"Lingxi, are you angry with me because of this?"
You must never act so recklessly again.
Xie Lingxi was a lady from a noble family, so she was naturally reserved. He was also a reserved and introverted person. How could he forget his own name as soon as he met Xie San Niang?
Xie Lingxi, however, was not angry.
Her initial resentment vanished into thin air. Who still cared about romantic moments under the moon? A kiss is a kiss. Could she possibly turn back time?
Besides, they are a married couple, what's wrong with them being intimate?
Thinking it over, she turned around and hugged Liu Xu back, nestling against his chest and inhaling the faint scent of soap on his simple undergarments. "No."
She said, "I think I just had a nightmare, thank goodness you were here."
A small round moon in the sky, a small dragon on the ground.
Xie San Niang and Liu Si Lang drifted on the river, yet they had someone to rely on, someone to confide in, and were protected from the frost and dew, and free from sorrow. It was truly wonderful.
...
The next morning, the ship docked, and the group of people slowly set off, creating a grand caravan that stretched for miles.
Upon entering Jiang County, the most prosperous county in Jingzhou, they headed straight for the Huajiuloufang (Flower Wine House). Magistrate Liu's clerk made repeated trips to find out the whereabouts of this group of merchants who had just arrived in Jiang County.
The sharp-tongued, monkey-faced clerk recounted with great enthusiasm that the group first went to the Honghu Restaurant, ordered a table full of dishes, hired several dancers to perform around them, rewarded their servants with several jugs of fine wine, and then went to an underground gambling den to have some fun.
"Gambling den?"
The magistrate exclaimed in surprise, "They found the gambling den so quickly?"
"Don't be afraid! Don't be afraid!"
The advisor said confidently, "What are you afraid of? We are legitimate officials, running legitimate shops. What can a few commoners do to us?"
"That's right."
Magistrate Hua, his hands clammy with sweat, paced back and forth, adjusting his official hat as he spoke. "I don't own any shops!"
Those underground gambling dens are explicitly prohibited by the current emperor. Not to mention ordinary people, even officials must be extremely careful, so as not to let anyone discover that he is the one behind the scenes!
“Liu He,” he pointed his brush and tapped it, sternly reminding him, “that land deed bears your name!”
"Yes, yes, yes!"
Master Liu slumped over, bowing and nodding repeatedly, his gray robe covered in dust.
He secretly cursed in his heart: How could his name appear on that land deed? This official must have become too complacent and gone mad from being an official!
...
Meanwhile, Xie Lingxi and her group had already walked to the Paradise Pavilion, paid the deposit, and gracefully sat down at a gambling table.
They disguised themselves as a pair of merchants from Chang'an, from a prominent clan in Hedong, and wore the most fashionable styles in the capital at the time, made of soft silk satin.
He was incredibly generous with his money. After losing several gambling games, the woman simply said a few coquettish words, which delighted the wealthy man, who then ordered his servants to bring over another box of jewels.
Liu Xu stroked his beautiful hair, lazily waved a gold fan, slammed a pair of gold-inlaid jade buttons onto the table, and said boldly, "Bet on Big!"
"oops!"
Xie Lingxi clenched the handkerchief tightly, then suddenly cried out and stomped her foot, "Liu Lang! Those are my favorite pair of jade buttons!"
Upon hearing this, Liu Xu put one arm around the beautiful woman and quickly put away the jade clasp with the other. "Qingqing, don't be angry, I'll change to another one."
He then untied the gold belt from his waist and slammed it heavily onto the table.
"Oshida!"
A young man in blue glanced mockingly at the two inseparable lovers, "Brother, you've bet on seven big wins—"
He wondered which wealthy family Liu Xu came from, and why he was so fearless.
This rich man had already lost a whole bag of silver. He bet big every time, and every time he lost. Anyone with eyes could see that this was just a trick in the casino, just exploiting him like a sheep.
Unfortunately, this man's wife is also not very bright, and she keeps urging her husband to gamble, which is likely to wipe out the family fortune today!
After thinking for a moment, he said, "I'll choose the smaller one."
People all around followed the two and placed their bets. Amid the commotion, the dealer calmly changed the dice and raised a smiling face.
"Okay!"
Music played all around, and the farmer twirled his hands and shook a drum. After a few moments of fiddling, he lifted the lid and revealed another small number.
"well……"
Liu Xu feigned a sigh, then, in a fit of annoyance, removed his jade thumb ring and, looking quite enthusiastic, declared, "Again!"
"Okay, okay!"
The dealer's face lit up with a smile. "Bet on big this time too?"
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