Chapter 6
The voice coming from behind forced him to look away temporarily, but today's events were all thanks to his younger brother. Now that there were finally no outsiders around, he, as the elder brother, became even more unhappy and said indifferently.
"Nothing, do I have to go today?"
"Third brother! I called people here to welcome you today. How can you leave?"
As she said this, she was about to pull him back. He frowned and was about to find a reason to refuse, but a woman's voice came from the dock.
"There are no boats now?"
There was only a shabby little boat moored on the shore, which seemed to be used by the boatman himself. Yue Qingning took a look at it and became more and more reluctant to go, but he could not stop the stubborn Sister Teng from coming up.
"Miss! It's not that I don't want to rent you a boat, it's just that all the boats for today have been rented out. The lotus flowers have been blooming beautifully these past few days, and there are so many people coming to see them, so there's no boat to rent for you! Why don't you come back tomorrow, and I'll definitely leave one for you!"
Yue Qingning tugged at Sister Teng's sleeve and didn't want to embarrass him any further. There were many dignitaries in the capital, and he, a boatman, certainly wouldn't dare to deceive them. It would be better to let it go today.
"It's just that it's so hard to get here, and it's hard to ask you out anyway. I'm afraid I'll miss the good opportunity!"
"After the lotus, there are water lilies. After the lotus, there are hibiscus. As long as Sister Teng calls me, I will come!" There was a hint of coquettishness in the soft voice.
Teng Xieji pretended to pinch her face, but she dodged it with a faint smile.
The two people in front of him were joking, but their conversation was heard by someone behind him. He only heard a hint of laughter coming from the opposite side of the dock.
"Miss, if you don't mind, you can join us. We also happen to be going to Lianhu Lake to enjoy the flowers."
The two turned around in surprise, only to see two people standing at the bow of the pleasure boat. One of them was wearing a moon-white round-collar robe with gold thread, looking dashing but a little frivolous.
The other man was completely different from him. He was wearing a black robe under the scorching summer heat. Although it looked low-key, the collar had some gold thread edging. His eagle-like eyes shot straight at them, making both of them feel a little uncomfortable.
"No need to bother!"
Yue Qingning didn't want to get entangled with strangers, not to mention that Que Ming was standing behind him.
As he was about to pull Sister Teng away, he didn't expect that the man in white robe would chase him down the pier.
"I'm afraid you two have misunderstood! Don't be afraid, young ladies! I don't know if you have heard of the Duke of Cui's Protectorate. Cui Bo is my father."
Yue Qingning was shocked. The Duke of Protectorate was very famous. He had followed His Majesty in battle and was highly respected in Kyoto. He didn't expect that the person in front of him was a member of the Cui family.
The man in black also walked down the stairs and stood behind him.
The man in white smiled and said, "I am Cui Jing, and this is my brother Cui Hu."
This simple sentence made both of them a little surprised. The two young masters of the Cui family died in the battlefield, leaving only the third and fourth sons. So the one in front of them was the current young master Cui Hu who was still leading the troops to war. But why did he come back?
Yue Qingning's mind was in a mess and she couldn't make sense of it for a while. Although Cui was the Duke of Protectorate in her previous life, she gradually declined after the emperor fell ill. She even worked hard for her father before her death. She was truly a rare and respected upright minister.
Seeing that Qingning hadn't responded yet, Teng Xieji stepped forward and greeted the two on her behalf.
"My name is Teng Xieji, and this is my sister Yue Qingning. Nice to meet you two gentlemen."
When Yue Qingning heard her name, she hurried forward and bowed. However, unexpectedly, a pair of black boots suddenly stopped in front of her, and a big hand stopped her body from continuing to bow and lifted her up.
Having never met such a person before, Yue Qingning frowned and quickly took two steps back. Unexpectedly, a slender figure beside him stepped forward and blocked the sight of the person in front of him.
Que Ming rushed over the moment he stretched out his hand, and now completely blocked her, standing face to face with the man in front of him who was a head taller than him.
Yue Qingning hadn't figured out what had just happened yet and was shocked by Que Ming's behavior.
What was he going to do? What if Cui Hu got angry and knocked off his veil?
Thinking of this, Yue Qingning's heart was filled with alarm. If he had any other thoughts... After all, he had been liked by men before. If this group of people were also involved with him, things would become even more confusing!
"Queming! Back off!"
The eldest lady's voice came from behind him, but he didn't want to retreat. The man in front of him came from the frontier after all. He had no manners at all and touched her without any scruples!
"Que Ming!"
She called out again, and this time Que Ming slowly backed away, came to her side and lowered his head quietly.
Yue Qingning glanced at him sideways without saying anything, then stepped forward again and bowed.
"My servant is ignorant, please don't blame me, young master!"
If Que Ming was a head shorter than him, then Yue Qingning looked like a little clay doll in front of him, not to mention that his military aura made her a little scared.
"It's okay, I was abrupt too!"
He looked at the woman in front of him. The light veil of the curtain blocked her entire face and he could not see her appearance. But he didn't know why he could not forget the flying light purple ribbon just now. The purple shawl was now hanging on her shoulders, swaying slightly in the breeze from the lake.
"If you don't mind, come with us!"
He tried to soften his voice. Things like boating on the lake and admiring the flowers made him extremely irritable, not to mention the two women on the boat who kept chattering and annoying him. But if she was there, it seemed he could still endure it for a while.
"this……"
She subconsciously didn't want to have anything to do with strangers. More people would mean more variables, and she didn't have the time or energy to deal with them.
"Thank you very much!"
Teng Xieji unexpectedly agreed. Yue Qingning wanted to refuse but it was not convenient for her to leave her alone, so she had to nod along with her.
Cui Hu smiled lightly, and a lot of the murderous aura on his face melted away. Seeing that she agreed to make way for her to board the boat, the four of them boarded the pleasure boat, leaving only Que Ming standing behind, looking at her figure, wanting to say something but stopping himself, but finally followed her onto the boat.
When passing by Cui Hu, he obviously felt something. When Que Ming got on the boat, he glanced back, but he just glanced and did not stop him from following.
The pleasure boat broke through the ripples on the water and went towards the depths. There were many lotus flowers along both sides of the lake. From a distance, the leaves were as big as plates, overlapping and intertwined. Among them, white and pink were the majority. The lotus flowers stood upright on the leaves six or seven inches above the water surface. From a distance, they looked like a dream, like clouds and fog.
Yue Qingning was immersed in the rare scenery of the lotus leaves and boats, and did not notice that the Third Young Master Cui sitting opposite him was also admiring the hazy spring scenery.
There seemed to be a bun under the veil, which seemed to be hanging down but not falling down. There were two or three snail hairpins inserted in the black hair, and some blue-green color was still visible under the gauze, like wisteria flowers blooming on ebony.
The eyebrows and eyes on her face cannot be seen clearly, but there is a hazy beauty under the veil. I wonder what kind of charming beauty she will look like when the veil is lifted.
Sitting face to face like this, the two girls opposite each other were sitting upright, and it was obvious at a glance that they were both well-educated.
And behind them, those two... I don't know where the younger brother called them from, but they refused to stop talking for a moment. Even now they were still laughing and playing with their younger brother, and their laughter was like a bell, which was very annoying!
Yue Qingning also heard the laughter behind her. Although the two girls were dressed similarly to them, their words and actions made it seem that they were not girls from decent families, but rather prostitutes brought out from the land of smoke and willows by the brothers.
She didn't care much about this. The prostitutes also had some talent, and as women, she felt more compassion for them. But these women had no choice, so what did these men think?
She raised her eyes and glanced at him. The third young master seemed to be very disgusted and felt a little embarrassed when he saw her looking at him.
"My younger brother is ignorant. I'm sorry to both of you for making fun of me!"
"How could that be?"
Sister Teng is a flower lover. At this moment, she doesn't care about the frolicking behind her. She is only looking at the lotus flowers outside the window. She is a real flower maniac.
Now he didn't hear a word he said and was just concentrating on looking at the flowers outside the window. Yue Qingning was dragged up and couldn't ignore him, so he chatted with him for a few words.
"The girl's surname is Yue. I wonder which noble family she is from?"
"My father, the Minister of Revenue, is in charge of the expedition."
"I see!"
He seemed even happier when he heard the answer, and his joy was almost uncontrollable and revealed. Yue Qingning was a little puzzled, but did not try to delve into the deeper meaning. Not wanting him to ask about herself again, he quickly changed the subject.
"I heard that the young master had been at the border before, and a grand banquet should have been held to welcome him back to the capital. Why haven't we heard any news this time?"
"I just came back, not even half a day later, and my brother dragged me out."
Yue Qingning nodded. The clanging of the jade earrings beside her hair drew his thoughts back to under the veil. She didn't notice and continued talking.
"The Third Young Master has achieved great success at a young age and is a role model for our generation in his loyalty to his country. Qingning has never had the chance to meet him. This time, my sister and I are lucky enough to have this honor!"
"I'm lucky that a mere warrior like Cui didn't scare you two. It's a real honor to be able to travel with you two girls!"
He paused, seeming a little nervous. "It's fate that I met you two today. Tomorrow I'm hosting a welcoming banquet for my neighbors. I wonder if you two would be so kind as to come and join us?"
This sudden invitation made her a little at a loss. Just as she was thinking about how to refuse, the sound of a piano suddenly came from behind her and saved her. The three of them were attracted by the sound of the piano.
The two courtesans were seen, one playing the zither and the other singing. The melodious tunes lingered in the boat, easing the tense atmosphere. Yue Qingning also took the opportunity to breathe a sigh of relief and looked back, not giving him a chance to speak again.
As the zither played, the bow of the boat gently pushed against the water. Miao Niang hummed a tune, her voice intertwined with the music, creating a hazy mist that enveloped the lake. Under the blazing sun, her delicate voice drifted softly, like jade and pearls, crisp and melodious. The melody gradually rose, dispelling the dark clouds in the hearts of the few people.
Yue Qingning was listening to the wonderful music silently, but when he raised his eyes, he accidentally bumped into the person holding an umbrella on the other side of the cabin.
He was not moved by the singing, not at all, as if he could not hear the melodious music. When everyone was looking at the two people playing the music, he looked straight in the direction where she was. It was hard to tell whether he was looking at her or listening to the music, and for a moment he called her out of the music.
In the entire cabin, it seemed that they were the only two people who were not in a mood to appreciate it, and they looked at each other with complicated emotions.
When the song ended, Teng Xieji praised.
"This song is truly wonderful! The singing voice is as rare as a lark in the world. I wonder where you two came from?"
The one who was singing took a step forward, bent her slender waist, and spoke softly.
"My name is Juyuan Caibi, and the one playing the zither is my sister Hongli. My skills are only modest, but I'm sorry for your compliments, madam!"
Yue Qingning was much more interested in them than the young master of the Cui family, and he also praised them a few words.
"There's no need to be so modest, the two of you. This zither and song are of outstanding quality, and there are only a few in the capital. Could you please play another piece for us so we can enjoy it?"
The Third Young Master Cui seemed to have something to say in the back, but seeing that she still wanted to listen, he stopped talking and looked silently at his brother. Cui Jing naturally understood what he meant, and smiled lightly and asked them to play a few more songs.
The sound of the piano once again passed through the pleasure boat, and accompanied by the green lotus flowers in the sky, it formed a beautiful scenery.
However, someone outside the window also heard this moving music and became interested in it inappropriately.
Before the song was half over, a servant from the Cui family came in and whispered something to Cui Hu.
After hearing this, his brows furrowed and he looked at the two of them with some worry.
"Girls, there's a distinguished person outside the boat who heard the music and wants us to dock. I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to be patient."
Noble lady? Only the princes and concubines in the imperial palace could be called noble ladies. So, did she meet a prince?
Yue Qingning was shocked, his heart pounding. What if the person outside was...
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