Chapter 14 014 Taking a bath in broad daylight
Xie Huaiyuan was naturally very handsome, like a jade tree in full bloom, but he was like an unapproachable snow mountain, like snow that never melts. Even when his face was amiable and smiling, it was always surrounded by a sense of aloofness, indifference, and unapproachability.
Just like now.
Lin Wan had just regained her balance and let go of his sleeve. The commotion she had made just now was truly daring; she would have definitely fallen if she hadn't been careful. Luckily...
"It's alright," Xie Huaiyuan turned and walked away. A cool breeze gently dissipated the sweet fragrance that had just wafted towards him.
"Your Highness, wait a moment." Lin Wan caught up with him, reached out to tug at his sleeve, and looked at him with teary eyes.
"Miss Lin, please have some self-respect." Xie Huaiyuan flicked his sleeve away, glanced at her with a slight frown, his gaze cold and indifferent, his voice icy, "No need to see me off any further, please leave."
He strode away.
The servant Green Bamboo, who was carrying a guqin behind her, glanced at her in astonishment and hurriedly followed.
Lin Wan was somewhat annoyed.
She had some ideas, like falling into Xie Huaiyuan's arms to make everything seem more natural and accidental, but she didn't expect that as soon as she got close to Xie Huaiyuan, she would have no such ideas at all.
I watched him leave through the academy gate, and it took me a while to come to my senses.
My cheeks felt slightly hot, and my heart was racing.
She covered her wildly beating heart with her slender, fair hand and smiled secretly with delight.
—
Xie Huaiyuan remained silent on his way back to the Prince of Xiangyang's residence, his face so gloomy that even Green Bamboo dared not ask him a question. She could only minimize her presence and silently follow him with her zither.
Shen Rongshi had been waiting for him at the mansion for half a day. The two had originally agreed to discuss something, but now he completely ignored her. Shen Rongshi looked at him in surprise as he walked past her without paying attention to her, and heard someone say that he should prepare hot water for a bath.
Shen Rongshi peeked out at the dazzling sunlight outside, his expression showing a strange look: "Bathing at this hour?"
Before long, the maidservant inside the room came out packing the clothes she had seen him wearing and was walking out.
Shen Rongshi, with her sharp eyes, recognized the clothes he had just been wearing: "Aren't these clothes that were just made a couple of days ago? Where are you packing them up to take?"
"Reporting to Lord Shen, the young master said that the clothes were dirty and asked me to take them away to be thrown away."
"Isn't this a brand new pair of clothes?" Shen Rongshi asked, puzzled, and was about to turn around to look at the people in the room.
Squeak—
The door opened.
Shen Rong noticed that Xie Huaiyuan's long hair, which was tied up, was slightly damp, indicating that he had finished bathing.
"Weren't you going to Lishan Academy to teach the guqin? Why do you have to take a bath and change clothes as soon as you get back in the middle of the day?"
For some unknown reason, Xie Huaiyuan's expression changed, and he paused slightly: "It was just an accidental soiling. Next time there's something to teach the guqin, you'll have to figure it out yourself. Don't come looking for me again."
"Among Lord Su's prized students, you are the most skilled at playing the guqin. If you are too humble to be competent, I'm afraid there is no one in the capital more skilled than you."
Shen Rongshi looked at Xie Huaiyuan with a strange expression, as if she was thinking: Could it be that something happened at Lishan Academy? Why did he take a bath and change clothes as soon as he came back?
Just as he was about to ask more questions, he was interrupted by a secret letter handed to him by Xie Huaiyuan.
Shen Rongshi skimmed through the text: "Lizhou rebels have revolted?"
"Well, the disaster had already caused resentment among the people of Lizhou. In addition, the local officials were not kind to the people and even exploited them, which fueled their resentment. Now there are many people involved. His Majesty ordered Prince Jin to investigate and resolve the matter. You usually handle the affairs of the Ministry of War. What do you think of this matter?"
"But the governor and viceroy of this region have been requesting troops and pay for them year after year, each time amounting to hundreds of thousands of taels of silver. So much silver has gone down the drain, they really deserve to die!"
Xie Huaiyuan chuckled, a cold glint in his eyes, and said disdainfully, "Our spies have noticed an increase in unidentified people coming and going from the capital recently. Something's probably up."
Hearing him say that, a sudden coldness appeared in his eyes as he looked at the secret letter: "That's the key point!"
Xie Huaiyuan glanced sideways and saw him unfold the secret letter: "Someone has already gone to the capital to file a complaint. Who is this person? If we can find this person before they are discovered, it will definitely be of great benefit to this matter."
Xie Huaiyuan frowned, pondered for a moment, and then agreed.
Shen Rongshi: "You weren't in the palace this morning. After the court session, the Emperor mentioned that a polo match would be added to the Peach Blossom Banquet. All unmarried young men in the court must participate. One team is the Crown Prince, and the other is the Prince of Jin. Do you want to join the match?"
At this moment, Xie Huaiyuan remembered that after he returned to the capital, the emperor had asked about his marriage and said that if there was still no indication of marriage, he would find a way to arrange a marriage for him. Thinking of this, he couldn't help but feel a headache.
It seems that organizing a polo match at the Peach Blossom Banquet must have been the idea of a sage.
When Shen Rongshi left, as he passed through the courtyard of the mansion, he saw several servants following Lü Zhu, working together to carry a cushioned table from the carriage into the carriage.
What are you doing?
Green Bamboo: "The young master said the carriage smells a bit and needs to be cleaned and replaced."
Strange? When did he become such a germaphobe?
Shen Rong muttered to herself and walked away, puzzled.
-
The Peach Blossom Banquet happened to be a day off for the officials.
Early in the morning, Lin Wan and her uncle's family gathered together to prepare for their departure.
Uncle Su Shaohua was the last to arrive, and declined, saying, "This is a matter for you young people. I'm too old to handle the hassle, so I won't go."
He turned to Su Xuanhuai and instructed, "Since you're going to play polo today, don't disappoint the Crown Prince. Play well."
Su Xuanhuai: "I will do my best."
The Peach Blossom Banquet was held at a royal manor on the outskirts of Beijing, when the peach blossoms were in full bloom, creating a beautiful scene.
Early in the morning, many sons of officials and noble ladies from prominent families in the capital rode horses or took carriages to the manor. As they got closer to the manor, the carriages gradually became stuck together, and the road became even more congested.
Lin Wan looked out of the carriage window and saw that the peach blossoms on both sides of the road had also bloomed, a large expanse of pink, which was quite beautiful.
The Su family's carriages arrived late; by the time they stopped at the manor gate, only a few scattered carriages remained behind them.
On this rare and beautiful spring day, Lin Wan wore makeup. With her scars gone, her face appeared even more delicate and flawless. A bright red floral adornment adorned her snow-white forehead, and her rosy cheeks seemed to radiate from her skin. Her alluring eyes were brimming with autumn water, and her lips were slightly red. When she smiled, she was beautiful and charming in every way.
She followed beside Su Furong. Along the way, Meng chatted and laughed with the ladies she knew. During their conversation, many people were already quietly inquiring about her identity. Before she even entered the horse farm, many people were already amazed by her.
The polo stands are located on the east and west sides, with a large open space in the middle serving as the polo field, surrounded by a fence.
Lin Wan and her group were seated on the east side. Looking around, they saw a dense crowd of people, all of whom were young and beautiful women, or wives and elders from their families, as well as younger scions of prominent families. It was truly lively.
Before long, both sides entered the arena, one in black and one in red. Cheers erupted from the stands, everyone was excited and captivated by the charm of these young men.
Lin Wan was also very happy. From her position, she could see Xie Huaiyuan in the football field at a glance. Among the group of dashing young men, he was the most eye-catching. His tight-fitting clothes accentuated his broad shoulders and narrow waist, making him look elegant and graceful.
She nestled in her chair, holding a round fan to block out the bright sunlight, gazing at the figures playing polo on the field.
As the gong sounded, figures moved across the field, and the match began.
Su Furong excitedly pulled Lin Wan forward, leaning against the railing of the viewing platform to look into the field, "...Prince Jin's horse is good and runs fast, why did you rush towards him, brother! Oh dear, the ball that we finally managed to get was snatched back by Prince Jin's side, he really doesn't learn his lesson."
"...The Crown Prince is amazing! He easily intercepted the Prince of Jin's pass! Ah! The Heir Apparent actually deflected the ball back just before it was about to be shot on! Amazing! Goal!"
Cheers erupted from the stands!
Overcome with excitement, Su Furong disregarded her ladylike demeanor and shouted, "Brother, come on! Don't lose again!"
The clear and melodious voice drew the attention of everyone in the stadium. Su Xuanhuai heard it and thought to himself, "This Su Furong thinks he's not eye-catching enough. He hasn't even scored a few goals yet, and she's already adding drama to the situation." He hurriedly turned his horse around and hurried after the ball.
As soon as Su Furong finished speaking, Shen Rongshi made a graceful bending motion, hooked the polo ball, and threw it to Prince Jin, who was leading the charge. Then she looked back at the viewing platform and said, "Oh, she's here too." Xie Huaiyuan, who happened to be riding past him, tightened his grip on the reins slightly, and then "Giddy up—" galloped forward.
Xie Huaiyuan intercepted Su Xuanhuai's polo ball that the Prince of Jin was about to shoot, and easily dribbled all the way to the opponent's goal. However, the Crown Prince was already waiting and intercepted the shot back.
As Lin Wan looked at the football field, she recalled what her grandmother had told her at Lishan Academy that day.
"Originally, the Su family and the Crown Prince lived in peace. However, after the Crown Prince and your cousin entered the court to serve as officials, the Crown Prince gradually grew closer to Prince Jin. You should know that our Su family has always obeyed the imperial power and been loyal to the Crown Prince, while the Crown Prince and Prince Jin have been at odds for a long time. Because the two families follow different paths, they are gradually not as harmonious as before. However, because your maternal grandfather was the Crown Prince's mentor, he still respects him to this day. But no one can predict what will happen in the future. If you are to choose a husband, I hope you can take a look at other men in the capital. Although the Crown Prince is very outstanding, there are many excellent young men in the capital as well."
For some reason, my grandmother guessed what I was thinking.
Lin Wan looked troubled. She still had to start with Xie Huaiyuan and make him fall for her.
In the first half, the Jinwang team was far ahead. The second half was about to end, and the Crown Prince fought hard to catch up. The two teams finally tied the score, but then suddenly changed their minds.
When Minister Li of the Jin Prince's team volleyed the ball towards the goal, his eyesight was poor and the shot was blocked by the goalpost. However, the ball did not fall but continued to fly towards the nearest viewing platform due to its great force!
The polo ball galloping away was breathtaking, its trajectory heading straight for the stands, where two people were leaning against the railing watching the game.
"Get out of the way!"
Seeing the galloping polo ball approaching, Lin Wan and the others were so startled that they momentarily forgot to move.
"ah!"
Those who noticed the mutation screamed in panic.
In the blink of an eye, just as the polo ball was about to reach them, a small stone that was moving even faster suddenly followed behind, deflecting the ball at the last moment and narrowly missing Lin Wan's hair.
Clang—Smash
Lin Wan had specially chosen a magnolia-patterned jade hairpin this morning, but it was hit by a polo ball, fell to the ground, and broke.
She was so panicked that she almost couldn't stand up straight, her forehead covered in a fine layer of sweat.
When Xie Huaiyuan looked over, he could see from afar that her incredibly charming eyes were filled with tears, and she looked so pitiful that she was too scared to speak.
A note from the author:
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