Chapter 10 010 Entangling Eyes Pressed Together
Lin Wan crumpled the handkerchief in her hand, pursed her lips, and couldn't help but mutter angrily, "Liar!"
They said they were just ordinary merchants who encountered thugs and accidentally fell into the river.
It's all a lie!
Now that your eyes are healed, you pretend you don't recognize yourself, what a waste of those beautiful eyes.
That's truly despicable.
Lin Wan thought angrily that she had taken such good care of him when he was seriously injured, and had even injured her face twice because of him, but now he was saying that he didn't recognize her.
This is so annoying! It's infuriating!
Lin Wan picked up the handkerchief that was crumpled into a ball in her hand and angrily tugged at it a few times to vent her anger.
Seeing her daughter's angry expression after hearing this, Shiliu wondered if she had truly fallen deeply in love because of their encounter yesterday. Thinking of the veiled words she had overheard, many families in the capital were eyeing Xie Huaiyuan. If her daughter were to throw herself at him, wouldn't she be torn apart by other envious people?
Let's not go for it. Besides, with his status as a prince, his standards must be incredibly high. How could he possibly be interested in a girl?
After much hesitation, Shiliu still gently advised, "Miss, there are plenty of handsome young men in the capital. We don't necessarily have to focus on just the young master."
"Even if there are no suitable men in the capital, there are plenty of handsome gentlemen back in our great Jiangnan region."
He didn't hear Lin Wan speak for a moment, so he assumed she had listened to his advice.
The courtyard was completely silent.
Lin Wan suddenly spoke up: "You're saying there are quite a few people in the capital who are paying attention to him?"
"Him?" Shi Liu hesitated and said, "The Crown Prince?"
Lin Wan nodded and hummed in agreement.
"That should be it. I only mentioned the beginning, and the maids chattered on and on. Almost every girl in their family who is of marriageable age hopes to marry the young master. However, at least so far, none of them have won the young master's favor."
Since everyone is paying attention, it should be relatively easy to find out about his affairs.
Lin Wan was furious. She had to see him again. She wanted to confirm in person whether she had mistaken him for someone else or he was just a blind and deceitful liar!
-
The next morning, Lin Wan got up a little earlier than usual.
Since arriving at the Su residence, she had come to understand to some extent why she was able to come to the capital: it was because her maternal grandmother was concerned about her mother.
After quickly finishing her hair and makeup, she walked through half of the Su residence towards her maternal grandmother's courtyard.
After her serious illness, the old lady rarely went out and mostly stayed in the Buddhist hall in the courtyard to worship Buddha. Seeing Lin Wan come over early in the morning and patiently have breakfast with her, she was in a particularly good mood.
After breakfast, Lin Wan accompanied the old lady for a stroll in the small garden in the yard to help her digest.
The old lady's eyebrows curved slightly as she looked at Lin Wan, who was helping her take a walk. Lin Wan did indeed look a lot like her mother. She couldn't help but ask softly, "Have you gotten used to life in the capital these past few days?"
“It’s a habit, my aunt and uncle have always been very kind to me.” Lin Wan hesitated for a moment, “The other day, my aunt took me out, and I accidentally drank too much osmanthus wine… and, well, I offended someone important…”
The capital city is full of people and affairs, and ordinary trivial matters usually go unnoticed. However, Lin Wan's public display of affection with the prince spread throughout the capital in less than half a day. Many people secretly gossiped and smeared Lin Wan, and even the old lady had heard about it.
Lin Wan: "Won't you blame me for this?"
“A distinguished person wouldn’t be so stingy.”
The old lady looked her over. Although she was dressed in plain clothes and her hair was styled in a gentle bun, her stunning beauty was still undeniable. She was even more outstanding than her mother when she was young. Thinking of her mother, she regretted that she should have stayed by her side instead of marrying far away and not being able to see her one last time.
Thinking of this, he gripped Lin Wan's hand slightly tighter: "Wan'er, do you know the Crown Prince?"
Lin Wan said shyly, "This is the first time I've been to the capital since I can remember. How could I possibly know you? I'm just worried that I might cause trouble for your household."
"The heir comes from a distinguished family and is destined for great things," the old lady said with a smile. "Speaking of which, I often met him with your maternal grandfather when he was young. He was a very sensible little boy."
"Back then, your maternal grandfather was his mentor, and he and your cousin grew up together. Although they weren't as close as they were when they were young, the young master still respected your maternal grandfather. He would attend the poetry gatherings at Lishan Academy every year, after all, it was founded by your maternal grandfather."
"Actually, the Crown Prince is a very thoughtful person. His mother, the Princess, loves magnolias, so he collected all kinds of magnolias. I heard that when the magnolias planted in his mansion bloom, the whole street can smell the fragrance of magnolias."
As Lin Wan listened, she became increasingly puzzled. She looked up at the old lady, who was smiling gently at her. Lin Wan's heart skipped a beat. Had the old lady noticed that she wanted to inquire about Xie Huaiyuan?
The old lady said, "Oh dear, look at me, I've been nagging you for so long. When you get old, you start to reminisce about the past."
Lin Wan: "Grandmother, you're not old at all, Wan'er doesn't think so."
"Haha, I'm really grateful to your father for letting you come to the capital to keep this old woman company."
At this moment, Granny Zhang brought a brocade box from the room. The old lady took it and said with a smile, "I was originally thinking of asking someone to help deliver it to Lishan Academy. Since you're here, why don't you do your grandmother a favor and deliver this brocade box to Lishan Academy? Is that alright?"
The old lady took Lin Wan's hand and placed the brocade box in her hand: "Tomorrow is the poetry gathering at Lishan Academy. The academy will send someone to wait at the gate. You can give it to him then."
After Lin Wan left, Zhang Mama, who was standing behind her, asked in confusion, "Grandma, are you trying to play matchmaker for my cousin?"
"It's just helping to deliver a brocade box, why think so much about it?" the old lady said with a smile, adding that she was tired and wanted to rest inside.
Finally, he added, "Tell the steward in the manor that there has been too much gossip in the manor these past few days, disturbing my peace and quiet."
Granny Zhang was surprised, thinking to herself that it seemed the old lady was determined to keep this cousin in the capital.
-
Lishan Academy is located on the western outskirts of Beijing, and the journey is not too far.
Since it was something that the maternal grandmother had instructed them to do, the people of the Su family were very perceptive and had the carriage ready at the gate early in the morning.
This carriage was smaller than the one I rode in with my aunt last time. Although it was ordinary, the interior was decorated with great care, with cushions, soft blankets, and a small table for tea and snacks.
Lin Wan leaned against the soft blanket, examining the brocade box on the table, wondering why her grandmother wanted her to make this trip.
The news of what happened at Zuixiang Restaurant that day had already reached the mansion. Shiliu said she had heard a lot of bad things said about her behind her back. She even knew the bits and pieces of what was said. Her maternal grandmother must have heard about it too. So why did she say so much about Xie Huaiyuan to her?
Lishan Academy was built on the mountaintop, and the carriage could only stop at the foot of the mountain. It took her more than half an hour to walk up the long and high stone steps to reach the top of the mountain and arrive at the gate of Lishan Academy.
At the grand gate of the academy, a young man was looking around.
Lin Wan, holding the brocade box, lifted her skirt and stepped forward: "Excuse me, is this what you were waiting for?"
Shen Rongshi saw a beautiful woman wearing a veiled hat slowly walking towards the academy from afar: "Who are you?"
Because today's poetry gathering will require the use of Su Gong's poetry collection manual, which has always been kept at the Su residence, Xie Huaiyuan asked him to wait at the courtyard gate for someone from the Su residence to deliver the brocade box.
A gentle breeze blew by, lifting Lin Wan's white veil and revealing her charming face, her captivating eyes like autumn water.
Shen Rongshi's eyes widened instantly. He recognized her. Suppressing his surprise, he smiled politely and asked, "Are you from the Su family?"
"Greetings, young master. My maternal grandmother asked me to deliver this brocade box to you. Is it for you?"
While secretly observing her, Shen Rongshi took the brocade box and said, "Yes, thank you for making this trip, young lady. May I ask if Master Su is yours?"
"It's my maternal grandfather."
"Today, the academy is hosting a gathering of poetry masters. Would you like to come in and take a look, young lady?"
Lin Wanwan refused.
If her grandmother's words yesterday were meant for her, then Xie Huaiyuan would definitely come to Lishan Academy today. However, there are too many people and too much gossip at the academy, so it's really inconvenient to meet. Fortunately, she noticed a pavilion halfway up the mountain when she went up earlier. It's the only way down the mountain, so she'll wait for him there.
She pondered the end time of the poetry gathering at the academy, and slowly walked down the mountain, looking around. It took her almost half an hour to reach the pavilion halfway up the mountain.
Lin Wan: "I'm tired from walking, let's rest here for a bit."
Shiliu, unsuspecting, gently wiped the dust off the stone bench in the pavilion and let her sit down to rest.
About fifteen minutes later, the sky turned gloomy, and before long, thunder roared and a torrential downpour began. Large raindrops poured into the pavilion from all directions, sometimes dense and sometimes slow.
Shiliu: "What should we do? The rain isn't going to stop anytime soon."
Lin Wan remained silent. She was annoyed that she had spent so much time here and still hadn't seen Xie Huaiyuan. She felt even more frustrated and angry. Could it be that he didn't come today? Or had he already left?
That stinky iceberg, how annoying!
Thunder rumbled with lightning, and the rain intensified, making the air inside the pavilion damp. Seeing that her clothes were about to be soaked, Lin Wan couldn't help but complain in her heart, "Why hasn't he appeared yet?"
Sigh, maybe I'm just unlucky. I came out for nothing, and before I could even see anyone, I got stuck in the rain. I can't help but feel a little annoyed.
After a while, through the rain curtain, I could see three or four people walking towards me from the other side of the mountain steps, holding umbrellas. As they got closer, their figures became clearer.
It's him!
They were about to descend the mountain when the rain became too heavy, so they had to take shelter in the pavilion.
"Girl, we meet again, what a coincidence!"
Lin Wan recognized him as the young man she had seen at the academy gate earlier. The silent man beside him was Xie Huaiyuan. She was not drunk today and looked at Xie Huaiyuan very seriously, recognizing him as the liar who had lied about being Lu Liangyu last year!
Suppressing her anger, she said softly, "I didn't expect that being trapped by the rain and taking shelter here would lead to another meeting with you, young master."
When Shen Rongshi noticed that her gaze was only directed at Xie Huaiyuan beside her, he chuckled inwardly and looked the two of them back and forth with an ambiguous expression.
He chatted with Lin Wan for a few more minutes as if they were old friends: "Judging from your accent, you don't seem to be from Beijing."
“My home is in Jiangnan,” Lin Wan said, her eyes, as clear as autumn water, falling on Xie Huaiyuan with an alluring gaze, but Xie Huaiyuan didn’t notice at all.
Lin Wan couldn't help but curse inwardly, what a waste of those good eyes, even if the eye disease is cured, she'll still be blind.
Still unwilling to give up, he tentatively asked, "The scenery in Jiangnan is no less beautiful than that in the capital. Have you ever been there?"
Shen Rongshi immediately understood that the question was clearly directed at Xie Huaiyuan, and gently nudged him: "Have you ever been to Jiangnan?"
Xie Huaiyuan glared at Shen Rongshi with annoyance, then turned to Lin Wan and said politely, "No."
Lin Wan was now certain that he didn't remember her, and she couldn't help but feel a little disappointed, but she was also glad that he hadn't perished in the fire and that his eye ailment was now cured.
Suddenly, a strong wind arose, blowing away the veiled hat that Lin Wan had taken off and placed on the stone table. It drifted out of the pavilion and disappeared into the rain.
Lin Wan didn't react in time and tried to grab it, but couldn't. She exclaimed, "Ah, my veil!"
At that moment, Shen Rongshi noticed the conspicuous scar on her cheek: "Girl, your face?"
Lin Wan glanced at Xie Huaiyuan and complained, "I was scratched by a heartless man."
Shen Rong recalled the rumors that she had grabbed Xie Huaiyuan at the Zui Xiang Restaurant, and now she was waiting here. She figured out most of it and, suppressing a laugh, continued gossiping: "Why don't you find that heartless man to take responsibility?"
Lin Wan glanced sideways at Xie Huaiyuan and snorted, "Just consider yourself unlucky. This heartless man is blind in both eyes and heart!"
Shen Rongshi finally couldn't help but burst into laughter, patting Xie Huaiyuan's shoulder a few times as she laughed: "Miss, this is a very true statement. That man really is blind."
A note from the author:
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