Chapter 122 That纨绔少年
While Shui Xian was enjoying the emperor's exclusive favor, the area in front of the imperial city gates was quite lively.
When the banquet ended at dusk, Shui Xiu and her parents arrived at the palace gate, by which time it was already dark.
Various luxurious and tall carriages filled the long street, and the comings and goings were filled with elegant ladies and noblewomen in green sleeves and red skirts.
The men who usually held great power in the court seemed dim-witted at this moment, mostly just walking ahead with their heads down, occasionally turning around to urge others on.
Narcissus's father held his wife's hand tightly, his eyes never leaving his youngest daughter.
They didn't hire a carriage; they just wanted to walk back along the long street, since the Dengdi Inn wasn't too far from the capital.
However, the long street is now completely blocked by horse-drawn carriages, and the horses' hooves have turned the snow into a muddy and dirty mess.
Shui Xiu cherished the dress her mother had painstakingly made for her, carefully lifting the hem as she walked, her steps uneven.
She walked alone ahead of her parents.
However, it was dark and the road was slippery. She accidentally stepped on a step and was about to lose her balance...
"Be careful, young lady."
A hand gently supported her.
Shui Xiu was actually able to stand on her own, but since the other party had helped her, she turned around and thanked them.
Before she could even turn her head to say thank you, she met Prince Duan's mature and handsome face.
Shui Xiu looked at the dashing smile on his lips and felt something was off, so she subconsciously took a step back and stood a little further away.
Prince Duan approached unnoticed, dressed in brocade robes with a fox fur shawl over his shoulders, a smile he thought was charming playing on his lips, his burning gaze fixed on her delicate and pretty face.
"The roads are slippery in the snow, so please be careful."
"Thank you for your help, Your Highness."
Shui Xiu curtsied and was about to leave when, unexpectedly, Prince Duan moved aside, blocking her way.
"Is the young lady named Shui Xiu?"
He sized up Shui Xiu, seemingly oblivious to the distance she had deliberately maintained, and stepped forward, saying:
"I am also acquainted with your sister, Consort Jin. Now that I see you, you are graceful and elegant, truly resembling your sister in style."
Some secrets within the palace were naturally kept secret, and Prince Duan took advantage of this to deliberately pretend to be familiar with Shui Xian.
The sight of the two conversing inevitably caught the attention of the remaining noble families and their relatives.
Some of the noble ladies who were still waiting for the carriage cast concerned glances at them.
They whispered among themselves, their voices a mixture of envy and jealousy.
"Look, who is Prince Duan talking to?"
"It seems to be... the younger sister of Consort Jin, who was just conferred the title today?"
"The position of Prince Duan's concubine is still vacant. Although there is already a princess, she is a prince's concubine..."
Prince Duan was handsome and charming, and held a prestigious position. He was the dream lover of many noble ladies in the capital.
Seeing that he was actually taking the initiative to talk to Shui Xiu, who came from a humble background, the noble ladies all thought that Shui Xiu might be like her sister, relying on her face to climb into the upper class.
Shui Xiu vaguely sensed those gazes, but she felt no joy whatsoever.
She felt that the Prince Duan's smile was a bit strange, as if he was deliberately being charming, and it always reminded her of a piece of lard in the inn's kitchen, which made her feel nauseous.
Not to mention... he was quite old, and Shui Xiu couldn't understand why the noble ladies of the capital would flock to him.
"Your Highness is too kind... It is getting late, and my parents are still waiting. If there is nothing else, I will take my leave now. I thank Your Highness again before I offered my assistance."
Shui Xiu spoke calmly, curtsied again, and tried to walk around to the side.
Unexpectedly, Prince Duan took another step and blocked her way again.
He even reached out and grabbed Shui Xiu's wrist.
"Traveling on a snowy night is difficult, Miss Shuixiu, why be so polite?"
Prince Duan's fingertips were warm, pressed against Shui Xiu's skin.
"Why don't I have my carriage take your family back?"
Prince Duan believed that no woman could resist his advances, especially someone like Shui Xiu who came from a humble background.
He didn't care about Shui Xiu's humble origins, and Prince Duan never even considered the possibility that Shui Xiu might reject him.
Prince Duan gazed at Shui Xiu with a leisurely air, as if waiting for a blush to rise on her cheeks.
However, Shui Xiu glanced down at her wrist, which had been suddenly grabbed, and felt that Prince Duan was being rather rude.
Contrary to Prince Duan's expectations, she did not blush or feel her heart race; instead, she frowned.
"Your Highness, please show some self-respect!"
Shui Xiu's voice was slightly cold. With a sudden twist and pull of her wrist, she swiftly broke free from Prince Duan's grip.
Having worked as a maid for many years, she had done a lot of rough work and had some strength.
Shui Xiu was not a delicate noblewoman. If she hadn't wanted to avoid making too much of a commotion, Prince Duan might have been pushed off balance by her.
Prince Duan was stunned when his hand went empty. He was clearly surprised that the little girl had such strength and courage to shake him off.
Shui Xiu quickly took two steps back to create distance.
She said, "Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness, but my home is not far from here. I dare not trouble you with your carriage. We can walk back..."
Before he could finish speaking, a jarring sneer suddenly came from a beautifully decorated carriage that happened to be passing by.
"Oh."
Immediately afterwards, a folding fan with bamboo ribs and gold trim parted the carriage curtain, revealing a young and handsome face that was full of impatience.
The boy's eyebrows were raised, and a beauty mark at the corner of his eye was faintly visible in the moonlight.
He didn't even glance at Shui Xiu, but stared blatantly at Prince Duan, his tone drawn out and sarcastic.
"Prince Duan, how much wine have you drunk?"
"You're acting drunk and disorderly at the palace gate, blocking a young lady from going home. Isn't that incredibly disgraceful? You're a prince, can't you at least have some self-respect? You may not be cold, but the young lady is freezing!"
Prince Duan's face instantly darkened. He stared at the young man and said in an unpleasant tone, "Yuan Chiyu! What business is it of yours what I do?"
He recognized the boy; he was that good-for-nothing playboy from the Marquis of Yixin's mansion, who spent his days cockfighting, dog racing, and squandering his family's wealth. He was a notorious libertine in the capital.
The boy called Yuan Chiyu seemed to have heard a joke. He closed his folding fan and said with a half-smile, "What does this have to do with me?"
He chuckled, slightly raised his chin, and said nonchalantly, "I don't like you, so what?"
"Isn't this a coincidence? I've had quite a bit to drink today, and I was just wondering where to sober up. If you don't move aside and insist on getting in my way, then I'll just stay here with you and see who freezes to death first!"
Before he finished speaking, the faint sounds of dice clattering and low chuckles could be heard from the half-open carriage curtain, indicating that there were other cronies in the carriage.
They had barely left the palace gates when they gathered together to gamble again; they were truly the epitome of纨绔 (wan ku, meaning spoiled and dissolute).
The noble ladies in the surrounding carriages all turned their heads, feeling that Marquis Yixin was really going to squander all the wealth he had earned from his ancestors' illustrious military achievements.
Prince Duan's temple throbbed, almost disregarding his refined and elegant image.
He thought to himself that confronting a spoiled brat like Yuan Chiyu at the palace gate was indeed beneath his dignity.
If word got out, Yuan Chiyu wouldn't feel ashamed, but he would feel it was bad luck!
Prince Duan suppressed his anger, snorted coldly, and turned to say something more to Shui Xiu...
However, when he turned his head, he found that Shui Xiu, who had been standing next to him just moments before, had vanished without a trace!
In the short time it took for him and Yuan Chiyu to exchange a few sharp words, the clever Shuixiu had already taken the opportunity to pull her parents away quietly and quickly, hiding on the other side of the Yuan family's large carriage, in the shadows.
Prince Duan looked around, but could he still find anyone?
He was furious, but he couldn't show it, so he could only glare coldly at Yuan Chiyu, who was leaning out of the car window.
Prince Duan turned around with a flick of his sleeve and strode toward his carriage, his face so gloomy it could drip water.
Seeing that Prince Duan had finally left, Shui Xiu, who was hiding in the shadows on the other side of the Yuan family's carriage, breathed a sigh of relief.
She instinctively turned around, wanting to see who had helped her out of that predicament.
Just then, one of Yuan Chiyu's friends lifted the curtain of the car on Shuixiu's side.
"Oh, whose young lady is this? Why is she hiding here!"
"If you have nothing else to do, why don't you come up and play some dice with me?"
His friend chuckled, but the next second Yuan Chiyu picked up the dice from the table and threw them at his face.
"Too talkative."
Yuan Chiyu lowered his side curtain, and when he turned his head, his eyes met those of Shui Xiu outside the carriage curtain.
Shui Xiu's gaze unexpectedly met his.
This time, Shui Xiu clearly saw the small mole at the corner of his eye, as well as his delicate and somewhat handsome appearance.
Shui Xiu's mind raced, not because of his somewhat handsome face, but because she didn't recognize the person in front of her.
Although he appeared to be a playboy, he did indeed help her get rid of that annoying Prince Duan.
Just as she was searching her mind for the right way to address this person and how to express her gratitude...
But Yuan Chiyu merely glanced at her casually, then, as if he had seen something insignificant, he indifferently lowered the curtains.
The moment the curtains fell, Shui Xiu seemed to see him slightly part his lips, as if he were giving a message to the driver in front.
Immediately afterward, as if receiving an order, the coachman cracked his whip.
"drive!"
The carriage wheels spun rapidly, propelling it away from its original position.
At that moment, Shui Xiu and her parents were still standing on the other side of the carriage when it suddenly started moving, catching them off guard...
"Splash!"
The icy snow water, mixed with black mud, splashed high into the air and accurately drenched Shui Xiu and her parents who couldn't dodge in time!
A large, unsightly stain suddenly appeared on Shui Xiu's precious new skirt, and a few drops of cold mud even splashed onto her face.
Shui Xiu: !!!
She froze on the spot, watching the carriage disappear into the distance, her eyes wide with anger.
Whoever he is!
She remembered his handsome yet irritating face... and that annoying beauty mark under his eye!
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