Chapter 623 Junior Sister's Expert at Checking Up on Others [5k4, Requesting Monthly Tickets!]
"Xie girl, how long are you going to keep whispering?"
"This isn't a private conversation; it's serious business."
"What important matter is it that this fairy cannot hear? Is it perhaps inappropriate for a fairy to do this? I feel something is very strange; the three of you are in one room, even drinking warm wine..."
"Hmm, actually this fairy can also drink a little. Just dip your finger in and taste it. Xiao Xuan let me try Da Huang's wine before, it was really potent..."
"Xian'er? Senior Brother said you're several hundred years old, and that you're some kind of old fairy..." Her voice was clear and gentle as she said, "No, you can't drink. Senior Brother said that if you drink, you'll easily burp, and Ling Mo will smell of alcohol afterwards."
"He is the most despicable, without exception."
"Shh, someone's coming. Pull your head back in."
At the entrance to the staircase of the Red Building in the Xunyang Prince's Mansion, in the Plum Shadow Studio.
Xie Lingjiang followed his senior brother's example, covering his hands with his sleeves, and gently patted the little girl in Confucian robes who was lying down, her head bobbing up and down.
The noble lady Xie walked down the stairs with her back straight, carrying a small inkstone from her sleeve, her eyes fixed straight ahead, passing by a group of maids carrying books in the courtyard.
The chubby-faced maid was directing the other maids to place the books that had been brought in from outside in their designated spots.
"Oh, where is Miss Xie going?" Cai Shou asked curiously.
As she spoke, her gaze shifted slightly downwards, glanced at the subject, and then quickly returned to its original direction.
"Go back next door to get something." Xie Lingjiang said softly, "Sister Guo'er told you to rest after you've moved this batch of books, and continue in the evening. Let everyone leave the yard first."
"Okay."
"You're busy."
Cai Shou watched as the graceful and elegant Xie Xiao Niangzi disappeared through the courtyard gate.
She looked down at her exposed toes and sighed.
There was a hint of envy in his eyes.
"Miss Xie has such a good figure, no wonder she is a noble lady of the Xie family of Chenjun."
In ordinary families, young women who are even slightly attractive are usually good at dressing up and highlighting their advantages through clothing or makeup.
The more sophisticated and intelligent will know how to tailor a set of clothes that fit their figure well and are made of high-quality fabric, specifically to accentuate their figure.
They're all just petty schemes and little comparisons between young women.
However, based on Cai Shou's long-term observation, she discovered that Miss Xie was different. Not only did she not flaunt it, but she was also trying to hide this extraordinary talent.
For example, make the bra strap tighter, wear clothes of the same color, such as a bright red dress, to eliminate the sense of layering and visually conceal a broad chest.
It's clear she's really trying hard to hide it, but unfortunately, she's overnourished. Hmm, it seems to fit the saying that young lady often jokes: "The way of man is to take from what is lacking and give to what is abundant."
In particular, Miss Xie speaks in a very serious and clear manner.
She no longer possessed the impulsive and reckless spirit she had when they first met in Longcheng, dressed in a fiery red outfit; instead, she exuded a unique feminine charm.
However, some things are still retained. For example, his brows still have a fierce and upright look, giving people a sense of awe and inviolability.
Therefore, the maids, including Caishou, were somewhat respectful and afraid of this Miss Xie.
However, Xie Xiaoniangzi's figure was so captivating that they couldn't help but stare at her.
This feeling is somewhat contradictory. I know perfectly well that Miss Xie is a very upright and proper young lady, a virtuous woman from Bailudong Academy.
However, the maids in the courtyard couldn't help but wonder what Miss Xie was like in private in front of Young Master Ouyang, whether she had any girlish mannerisms...
Xie Lingjiang had no idea that Li Guo'er's personal maid was so prone to overthinking and loved reading comic books.
She walked back to the courtyard of Yilan Pavilion.
First, he found a reason to send the maids in the courtyard out.
Aside from close friends and family like Li Guo'er and Yan Liulang, it's best if Xiao Mojing doesn't let anyone else see her.
In particular, the female officials of the Control Yuan outside the Control Yuan must not know.
Seeing that everyone had left, Miaosi, who couldn't stand being cooped up in her sleeve any longer, crawled out.
"Xie girl, it's so strange, really so strange. The three of you are in one room, the more I think about it, the stranger it seems. It's mainly because you're too naive, Xie girl. You can't outsmart the mischievous Xiao Rongzi. And that pretty little princess surnamed Li, she always seems to be glancing at you two. I wonder what she's up to. I don't think she's some kind of innocent little rabbit. You have to be careful."
She peeked out with her little head and began to give detailed instructions.
"What's strange about it?"
Xie Lingjiang shook her head:
"We really need to talk about serious matters. It would be strange to include a little kid like you in the conversation."
"What's so strange about me? Don't I seem like the type to talk about serious matters?"
Xie Lingjiang laid her hands flat in front of her abdomen. Miaosi stood on her hands, tilting her little head up, but found that she could not see Xie Lingjiang's face because her vision was blocked.
At that moment, the sun was high in the sky, and the little ink spirit felt as if a shadow was blocking its head, preventing the sunlight from getting through and making it feel completely oppressive.
It's a perfect shady spot.
Miao Si was also taken aback, and her little face showed a slight surprise.
Above, Xie Lingjiang, whose expression was obscured, seemed to shake her head.
"Let's flip through some books and talk about things from the Northern and Southern Dynasties period. You won't be interested."
"The Northern and Southern Dynasties? I'm familiar with that, but I'm really not interested anymore. Nothing beats a peaceful era. Only you guys have nothing better to do than reminisce about the chaos of war... By the way, Xie girl, I've met quite a few people from your Xie family. It seems like all the aristocratic families in Jiangzuo like raising geese."
Miao Si chuckled, then turned around and leaned against Xie Lingjiang's chest, propping her head up with something to make herself more comfortable.
However, because he was too short, not only did he not get any cushion, but his little head was also pressed down.
I suddenly felt a heavy pressure that I shouldn't have to bear at my age.
She bent down, turned around, looked up, and clicked her tongue in amazement: "But this fairy didn't realize before that your Xie family's nutrition was so good, and that you could have such a fertile child..."
"What are you saying? Don't talk nonsense."
Miao Si was halfway through her reflection when Xie Lingjiang tapped her on the head.
She turned her head, brandishing her fists and shouting:
"That's true. It's hard to say about her literary talent, but Xie girl, in terms of... fertility, you're definitely among the top of all the Xie family women. Who knows, in the future, you might just be like that Xie family woman who was famous for her poetry a hundred years ago, and go down in history... Mmm... Don't cover this fairy's mouth..."
Xie Lingjiang showed no annoyance and said softly:
"Eldest brother is right, sometimes I really should tear your mouth apart."
She gently placed the petite girl in her Confucian robes and headdress on the table with both hands, then bent down, brought her pretty face close, and whispered her instructions:
"Alright, stay in my yard. I had someone bring back a few white geese from Jingyiting. They're in cages. I'll have them bring them over later. But don't pluck all the goose feathers off the ground again."
"No, I have to take it out on them. Hehe, I wish the merit would go to Xiao Rongzi. If there really is such a thing as merit in the world."
Xie Lingjiang chuckled and shook her head, then patted her little head.
He turned around, ready to walk away.
"Ahem, Xie girl, have you forgotten something?"
Miao Si cleared her throat and asked with a stern face.
Xie Lingjiang continued moving, looking in the direction she was going, and realized she hadn't actually walked out of the courtyard.
She went back into the house, and soon returned with three long, stacked lacquer boxes. She put them on the stone table in front of Miaosi.
Miao Si couldn't wait to push open the sliding lid of the top lacquer box with both hands, and a light ink fragrance, similar to that of a pine forest in summer, floated in the air in front of the table.
Inside the box lay a piece of elegant ink, as black as a raven's feather, rectangular in shape with an oval top, simple and unadorned.
Two characters in cursive script are faintly engraved on it: 兰奢.
Judging from the appearance, there are three similar ink sticks in total.
"Hey."
Miao Si plunged headfirst into the box. It was unclear whether she possessed some kind of supernatural power, but the viscous ink on the ink stick did not stick to her body or clothes at all. Instead, faint, continuous, and seemingly illusory ink lines emerged from the ink stick and disappeared into the delicate, porcelain-like skin beneath the little ink spirit's clothes.
Some of the hair had not yet been absorbed into her white Confucian robes and Taoist hat. The white Confucian robes and Taoist hat, which were originally plain and unremarkable, became increasingly "clear," just like the fine hairs on her porcelain-like skin, becoming extremely visible.
This state is similar to the rapid growth of plants in early spring, becoming increasingly robust and healthy.
Like phantoms, ink-black threads emerged from the inkstone and burrowed into Miaosi's body like earthworms. Whether it was an illusion or not, the inkstone seemed to gradually shrink.
"Lanshe, Wujue, Songshi... Not bad, not bad at all. It has to be your Chenjun Xie family. You have such a high-quality, timeless masterpiece. Delicious, delicious, the firing is really good."
Little Ink Spirit was so happy he almost jumped for joy, opening the three lacquer boxes one by one, as if they were his most treasured possessions.
"And it looks like it's been kept away on a high shelf, full of scholarly atmosphere... Is it some kind of study left behind by one of your ancestors of the Xie clan of Chenjun, or a secret treasury of the clan, and has been treasured for a long time?"
Xie Lingjiang nodded and said softly, "My aunt brought it from Wuyi Lane. She said that a clan elder who loves ink making was reluctant to part with it."
"Of course I'm reluctant to part with it. Apart from Xie girl and your aunt, your Chenjun Xie family used to be so stingy. Last time when I stayed in your Wuyi Lane, even though I was both clever and brave, I couldn't sneak into your family's secret vault. You really hid it well."
Xie Lingjiang said helplessly, "Senior Brother is right, Xiao Miao, you are indeed a bit dishonest and like to steal things."
"Who said that? What does 'stealing' even mean?"
The little ink spirit, who was very cunning, was eating ink in the lacquer box with its back to Xie Lingjiang. Upon hearing this, it immediately turned around.
Miao Si, with her neck stiff, said:
"It's because my lackey is useless that I have to go hunting myself. That lackey was the most useless, without a doubt. Hmm, even Xiao Xuan is better than that lackey. At least Xiao Xuan would occasionally bring me some scraps from Hanlei Ink Studio, although I still wasn't full... *burp*"
She burped, covered her mouth, and then muttered:
"But Xiao Xuan didn't eat her fill either. It's not that she's deliberately starving me. It's called sharing blessings and hardships. Xiao Xuan is so good. It would be even better if she didn't go back to cultivate with those Taoist priests from the Shangqing Sect."
"Yes, it's a pity that Xiaoxuan isn't here."
Xie Lingjiang said softly, her tone tinged with regret:
"Tell me what you want to eat, and I'll get it for you. Don't steal anything again."
"I didn't steal, I hunted! Hunting! This is called foraging for yourself, understand? Xie girl?"
Xie Lingjiang tilted her head slightly: "The cycle of karma will come back to you. You'd better not get hunted by someone else."
"That's impossible."
Miao Si didn't take it seriously and waved her little hand dismissively:
"Even the big white goose is no match for this fairy. As for the others, my follower can handle them with a little effort. My follower and I are generally invincible. Unless an enemy comes from the sky, we can just kill them all. Little Rongzi is showing some potential."
"However, he still needs some guidance from this fairy, as he's always a bit clueless. But, considering how virtuous and considerate Xie is, I'll give him a chance to be my follower. My follower can be a lifesaver in a critical moment."
"Whose life should we save?"
"Of course, it's this fairy who will save him." Miao Si rolled her eyes at Xie Ling Jiang.
Looking at the little Mo Jing standing in front of her, hands on her hips, always talking big, Xie Lingjiang wondered how she had survived.
What if we run into a tough opponent? Should we try to fight them head-on with words?
"I'm so full, the fullest I've ever been, bar none."
Miaosi patted her bulging little belly, lay in the lacquer box basking in the sun, and sighed.
Xie Lingjiang went over, fetched her a bowl of spring water, placed it on the table, and said softly:
"Then I'll be going now. Senior Brother and Sister Guo'er are still waiting for me. You can wait here for the goose."
"Go on, go back quickly. They're alone in a room, and they're both looking shifty. In my opinion, from now on, Xie girl, you can only see them at noon. Other times are not allowed."
"Why is that?" Xie Lingjiang asked curiously.
"Because something bad was bound to happen sooner or later," Little Ink Spirit said earnestly.
"..."
Xie Lingjiang's tone was helpless:
"Alright, you can play now. You've had some good ink this time, so when you get back, listen to your senior brother and help him produce more spirit ink. He seems to need it a lot lately..."
"You're the one who needs it the most."
Miao Si interrupted, shaking her head.
"Xie girl, you're already a sixth-rank sage, and Lingmo can greatly assist your Qi refining technique. But instead, you let this fairy give all the Lingmo to that stinky man."
Xie Lingjiang calmly and gently said, "You have to listen to him, understand?"
"No, no, no." Miao Si stood proudly with her head held high: "He's not even a seventh-rank yet, and I don't know what he wants the Spirit Ink for. He seems to be doing something sneaky, and I don't know what kind of evil he's plotting. Luckily, you bribed me, Xie girl, otherwise this fairy would have definitely thwarted Xiao Rongzi's conspiracy."
Xie Lingjiang patted Miaosi's head and spoke patiently and gently:
"Your senior brother must have his reasons for doing this. Just cooperate. If you get really hungry later, you can hold off and come to my place for some good ink. Don't worry, I'll talk to your senior brother and have him bring you over."
"It feels like an affair, too bad Xie girl, you already have a man." Miao Si rolled over, propped her chin on her hands, and asked the woman outside the box with a curious expression:
"However, why did you secretly bring this to me without telling Xiao Rongzi?"
At this point, Little Ink Spirit pouted:
"Hmph, every time he brings Hanlei Inkstones to boast and bargain, they're just rations. Especially after eating so many of the good things you brought, Xie girl, hehe, this fairy feels that a lot of spiritual ink has been brewed. Not bad, not bad."
"That's good." Xie Ling and Jiang Yanran smiled.
Miao Si suddenly said:
"Miss Xie, don't be so sentimental. You have to acknowledge your kindness to him. It's not about asking him for money, but about not giving without expecting anything in return, understand? You have to... at least write an IOU. For you human men and women, that's like signing a marriage contract. Otherwise, that big jerk will think it's all his due."
Xie Lingjiang seemed to lower her head and think for a moment, but in the end she didn't say anything. She quietly tidied up the stone table and turned to leave.
"Oh right, I forgot to report to Xie about Xiao Rongzi's recent performance."
Miao Si watched her retreating figure, then suddenly tilted her head and spoke.
Not far away, Xie Lingjiang's figure paused, and she remained silent, as if waiting for her to continue.
"Hmph, I knew you cared about this the most, but you were too embarrassed to ask. Were you afraid it would seem like you were monitoring him? You clearly think that's what you're thinking, but you won't admit it. You're such a hypocrite. You'll suffer a lot if you keep this up, especially when you run into the most despicable Xiao Rongzi." She was exasperated.
Xie Lingjiang turned around and glared at her.
Miao Si shrank back, then turned serious and said:
"Don't worry, Xiao Rongzi has been behaving well at home lately. He leaves early and comes home late every day. Although he sometimes comes home a little late and eats dinner out, he has never stayed out overnight. Judging from his serious expression every time he comes back, he must have been busy with official business and only came back after working overtime."
"He didn't bring any random women home either. That money-owing beauty from the Supervisory Commission hasn't come back."
"Aside from being a bit of a rascal, Xiao Rongzi has been behaving well lately. Occasionally, when I find him getting up at night, he always sneaks around in his study, trying to stay awake. I wonder who's so unlucky to be the one he's been eyeing..."
After saying that, Miao Si patted her chest and said, "Anyway, don't worry. With this fairy here, bad women will definitely not be able to get in. I will definitely keep an eye on things for you, Xie girl."
After Miao Si finished speaking, Xie Lingjiang pursed her lips and turned her head away, as if she hadn't heard. She calmly reminded him:
"Don't wander off, wait for my senior brother and me to come back."
"Oh, go ahead, go see what they're doing upstairs."
Miao Si waved goodbye.
After Xie Lingjiang left.
She happily ate Ya Mo by herself for a while.
The courtyard was deserted and silent.
A moment later, a maid came in and brought in several cages of geese.
With a "whoosh," someone walked in, and the figure of the young woman in Confucian robes on the table had disappeared. Inside the lacquer box that had lost its elegant ink, an identical ink stick had reappeared.
The maids didn't notice the ink stick in the lacquer box. After putting away the goose cage, they left one after another. Inside the lacquer box, the "ink stick" moved slightly, and was about to turn back into its original form in the next moment, and they began to pluck the feathers from the goose.
Just then.
Meow~
A white lightning bolt darted down from the top of the Meiyingzhai wall, performing parkour with a "whoosh" sound, as if it were in an empty place.
On the table, the lacquer box vibrated with a "snap".
Miao Si looked up in a daze and saw a furry paw resting on the edge of the box.
"What...what are you going to do?"
The kitten's head popped out, examining the "talking ink stick," and tilted its head in confusion.
"The goose belongs to this fairy!" Miao Si immediately exclaimed warily.
There's a kind of: Meow?
...
Why are you peeking at this princess?
"I wasn't looking at Your Highness; I was flipping through a book."
"You'd better be flipping through a book."
"However, if Your Highness doesn't look at me, how can you know that I have looked at Your Highness?"
"I sensed it out of the corner of my eye."
"I am merely a glimpse from the side."
Are you sure it's Yu Guang?
"Perspective."
On the third floor of the Zhu Lou building, in a study filled with new books, Li Guo'er and Ouyang Rong stared at each other for a while.
Ouyang Rong thought for a moment, then pointed to the table:
"Why doesn't Your Highness read these poems and essays presented to you a few more times?"
“I won’t read it. It’s obviously something you wrote perfunctorily. It’s meaningless. It’s just a bunch of nonsense about jade plates and round gods.”
Ouyang Rong sighed.
Li Guo'er walked to the table, where there was a small stove warming clear wine.
She lowered her eyes, poured herself a glass of wine, took a sip alone, her expression and emotions unreadable, her tone cold and indifferent:
"You've been sending gifts a bit too frequently lately, Young Master Ouyang, please accept them. You're being so overly attentive; surely you're not asking me to wear another hairpin? You're being far too presumptuous..."
Before Ouyang Rong could speak, light footsteps came from the stairwell, and someone approached.
"What do you mean by 'don't be so formal'? What do you mean by 'hairpin'? Senior Brother, Sister Guo'er, what are you two talking about?"
Xie Lingjiang, carrying a stack of finely bound ancient books, entered the study and asked curiously.
The atmosphere was quiet, and no one answered.
Xie Lingjiang looked around and saw that one of them was warming wine and the other was flipping through a book, both of them keeping their eyes straight ahead.
...
——————
(PS: 5k4 doesn't count as an update)
My buddies, I'm begging for some monthly votes! (or 2)
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
