Chapter 15 Tomorrow I'll take her out; it's Prince Su's...
The Xu family has been in business for generations, and they are involved in many industries. They have dabbled in anything that the imperial court does not restrict. In the common people's view, people are generally divided into Taoists, farmers, artisans, and merchants, and merchants are considered to be of the lowest class. However, when it comes to the Xu family, people use a different set of standards to judge them.
The reason Xu Wenche's trip to the capital is not necessarily due to his wealth, but rather to cultivate relationships with the government. It is also rumored that the current head of the Xu family has a private relationship with Prince Su.
Biezhi's gaze was fixed on the palm-sized booklet sent by the mountain dwelling. After reading it through again, he had a general idea in mind.
If Xu Wenche wanted to get closer to the powerful families in the capital, he would have to find a way to approach the Qin family. If he tried to get in through the siblings Qin Wan and Qin Xiao, it would be extremely difficult. The second daughter of the Qin family, who had just returned to the capital, was definitely his best choice.
Based on the route, it was estimated that Xu Wenche would arrive in Beijing tomorrow afternoon, so Biezhi didn't plan to wait for him to arrive. "I have to show my face in front of him tomorrow."
Just as he finished speaking, the tightly closed door was suddenly knocked on.
Biezhi, who was leaning against the bed, sat up and calmly put away the booklet in her hand before getting up and pushing open the door. Looking at the woman standing at the door, she belatedly realized that she was Huachao, the maid arranged by the Qin family to serve the "second daughter of the Qin family". "Is it Qin—" Biezhi paused and changed her words: "Are my parents looking for me?"
“It’s Wei Feng, who’s by the young master’s side.” Hua Chao took two steps back and looked at the figure standing in the courtyard. “Wei Feng said that the young master has something to discuss with the second young lady.”
Upon hearing this, Bie Zhi looked slightly puzzled and gazed at the familiar figure in the courtyard.
Why would Qin Xiao want to see her at this time?
Could it be that it recognized me?
That shouldn't be the case...
Wei Feng nodded to the suspicious-looking girl and led her to the study.
Biezhi followed closely behind him, her eyes occasionally sweeping over the surroundings. In no time, she had memorized the layout of the Qin family mansion. Passing through the quiet corridor, she could see the bamboo forest. The green bamboo leaves rustled in the wind, but they did not drown out the laughter coming from the study and the courtyard.
As they approached the arched bridge over the villa, Wei Feng stopped and said, "Please wait here for a moment, young lady, while I go inside and inform them."
Before arriving, Biezhi had crammed on the rules of high-ranking families, and nodded with an "Mm".
She watched Wei Feng walk onto the arched bridge. After he stepped off the bridge, an unfamiliar face came forward to greet him. The man who came forward had sharp eyes, and the sword hanging at his side swayed slightly with his steps. Wei Feng said something to him, and the man looked up at her.
Biezhi had never seen the man before, but she had a rough idea of what he was doing.
The man was likely a guard serving Prince Su.
It was nearly noon, and Prince Su had been at the Qin family's residence for almost an hour. Everything was indeed as rumored; the Qin family's two children had a close relationship with Prince Su. Thinking about it this way, she must have been overthinking things. He had indeed come today for other matters.
Not long after, Wei Feng returned.
Biezhi followed him inside, and just as they stepped onto the arched bridge, they saw a tall, unrestrained figure. He was leaning against a tree trunk that was about four people wide. He didn't know what others were saying, but the corners of his mouth slightly turned up, and the warm smile in his eyes made him look gentle, like a spring breeze. People couldn't help but look at him a few more times and linger.
The man's gaze fell on Qin Wan's face in front of him, his thin lips parted slightly, and he spoke slowly and deliberately.
Across half the courtyard, and because of his slightly deep voice, Biezhi didn't hear him, nor did she know what he said. She only saw him talking, his thin lips suddenly pursing, followed by his gaze suddenly turning towards her.
The cold, indifferent gaze made Bie Zhi's heart tighten slightly; no matter how hard she looked, she couldn't see the warmth that had just flowed in his eyes.
In that instant, she suddenly felt very fortunate that Ji Ran was different from him.
Otherwise, it would be a real waste of her looks.
If it were Ji Ran standing in front of her, she would definitely teach him how to make good use of that face.
A man who is so handsome should be more gentle.
No one likes someone who always has a long face, as if everyone owes them a fortune!
Sitting on the stone bench, Qin Wan seemed to sense his gaze and turned around, following his eyes. The moment their eyes met, she stood up and waved, "We were just talking about going out tomorrow. Would you like to come with us, little sister?"
Biezhi's eyes lit up for a moment upon hearing this. She was just thinking about what excuse she should use to go out tomorrow, but she still pretended to be reserved: "May I go out?"
"Of course." Qin Wan glanced at Fu Huaiqing under the tree, noticing her hesitation, and asked, "There's a calligraphy gathering on Yongle Avenue tomorrow, where scholars and artists will all be gathered. Neither of them plans to go with me. Would you like to come with me?"
A calligraphy gathering?
Bie Zhi's lips twitched slightly; having spent years wielding swords and spears, she naturally had no desire to go.
However, even if she were asked to attend a calligraphy gathering tomorrow, she would resolutely bring her own original, scribbled calligraphy with her.
Biezhi smiled faintly: "Okay, I'll go with my sister."
The girl's charming tone revealed no hint of reluctance. Fu Huaiqing recalled the notes she sent back to the capital when she was on a mission, and a subtle, almost imperceptible, teasing glint flashed in his eyes.
Saying her handwriting is like a scribble is actually a compliment.
Qin Wan pulled Bie Zhi to sit beside her and introduced her to the literati who would be attending the gathering the next day. Bie Zhi, who knew nothing about this, listened in a daze and occasionally looked confused. However, Qin Wan did not stop there, but explained the life stories of these people to her in more detail.
Biezhi swore that she had never listened so attentively when the teacher in Xianyun Tower explained books to her; she just kept getting distracted.
Seeing that Qin Wan showed no sign of finishing anytime soon, she blinked her tired eyes, straightened her back like a child in a classroom, and when she caught sight of Prince Su under the shade of a tree, Bie Zhi stiffened.
When he's not smiling, he looks like a vengeful ghost.
And seemingly sensing her distraction, he pressed his thin lips into a straight line, his deep pupils dark as ink, as if brewing a storm.
Just as they were getting into the conversation, Qin Wan noticed her younger sister's slightly tense body, stopped talking in confusion, and followed her gaze to Fu Huaiqing under the tree. She was also taken aback when she saw his expression.
Aside from the year he eliminated the empress's relatives, Qin Wan rarely saw him with this expression.
She frowned, and just as she was about to ask a question, she heard hurried footsteps behind her. Cheng Jin walked over quickly, followed by the young emperor's attendants. The two of them came to Fu Huaiqing one after the other, cupped their hands and said, "Your Highness, something has happened in the palace."
Upon hearing this, the courtyard fell silent instantly.
Bie Zhi glanced at the Qin siblings, whose brows were slightly furrowed, but didn't ask any questions, pretending she hadn't heard anything.
Fu Huaiqing remained silent.
He lowered his eyelids slightly, glanced at Biezhi who was sipping her tea, gave a look to Jiang Yue behind him, and left without looking back.
Qin Xiao followed.
In an instant, only Biezhi and Qin Wan remained in the quiet courtyard.
Coming to her senses, Qin Wan patted Biezhi reassuringly and said, "The Prince's relationship with the family is fairly good, so you don't need to be too afraid of him." Seeing her younger sister's half-believing and half-doubting expression, she added, "People who don't know him well may find him difficult to approach, but he has a pretty good impression of you. It was his suggestion that I take you to the gathering."
Upon hearing this, Biezhi was slightly taken aback.
Is it Prince Su's intention to take her out tomorrow?
In an instant, Biezhi's impression of him falling to the bottom rose slightly by the size of a finger's gap.
Moreover, only half a cup of tea's time had passed since Prince Su left, and Qin Wan seemed to have other matters to attend to, so she was able to leave without further explanation of the gathering.
Qin Wan was about to leave, so Bie Zhi declined her offer to escort her back to her courtyard. After watching her figure disappear from sight, she walked towards the main courtyard where Madam Qin lived.
Even the branch needs to go out once.
When Madam Qin learned of her purpose, she immediately took her out of the mansion.
On the surface, it was Madam Qin who took her to have her clothes taken and tailored, but in reality, the two split up when they entered the fabric shop. Biezhi put on a veiled hat to avoid being seen and quickly ran to the stronghold outside the city gate, while she quickly changed into an inconspicuous cloth dress, leaped onto her horse, and spurred her horse along the path leading to the capital.
After running for about half an hour, Biezhi rode up the hill, tied the horse up, and then drove for another hour before stopping.
After waiting for nearly two hours, she finally saw two or three servants riding horses to scout ahead.
Biezhi used her inner energy slightly to follow them closely along the mountain path. Only when she saw them heading towards Ding'an Gate did she stop, turn around, untie the horse's reins, and urge her horse back to the capital at a leisurely pace.
Based on her observations over the past few days, if nothing unexpected happens, the Xu family should send someone to scout ahead again tonight. Each scout consists of three people, and including tonight's scout servants, Xu Wenche has brought nearly forty people into the capital.
With such a large-scale operation, the Xu family had long known that this journey was fraught with danger.
Thinking of this, Biezhi smiled.
A business worth ten thousand taels of silver is indeed not easy to do.
She wanted to investigate the situation further that night, so she didn't rush back to the Qin family. Instead, she rode her horse to the Vermilion Bird Gate.
Biezhi didn't enter the city. Looking at the bustling Wuweipu from afar, she sighed. If it weren't for her status as the second daughter of the Qin family, she really wanted to go over and talk to Jiran.
She had a lot to say, but apart from Ji Ran, there was really no one else who allowed her to freely express herself.
The babbling brook was melodious and pleasant to the ear. Biezhi casually found a spot to sit cross-legged under the shade of a tree, watching the families working at the end of the stream, and her tense heartstrings relaxed a little.
Just then, she heard a faint sound. She didn't turn around immediately, but listened intently to the footsteps, one or two, which seemed to be coming in her direction.
As the person drew closer, Biezhi's thoughts gradually settled. Her hand slowly landed on the hilt of the sword beside her leg. She tightened her grip on the hilt, and the moment she drew the sword, she startled the birds in the treetops and frightened the man carrying the basket who was walking towards her.
The moment Biezhi saw the person's face clearly, the sharp blade was only a palm's distance from the person's heart. She had to use some strength to barely hold onto the thrusting blade.
She quickly sheathed her sword, looking at Ji Ran with surprise and confusion: "What are you doing here?"
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