14 Chapter 14
You're soaking wet.
The sketchbook held by her fingers painted with cardamom embodies the words—
The Ever-Changing Male Concubine, Chapter One: The Male Concubine's Melody Under the Moon Amazes the Princess
...
Xie Yutang began to regret his decision to use the sketchbook to pass the time.
If she remembered correctly, the courtesan in the manor was skilled at playing the zither.
*
When the carriage stopped in front of Gulou Street, the air pressure around Lin Tan had dropped so low that crows could fall to the ground.
She stopped bothering him these days; it turns out she was watching these kinds of things!
Lin Tan was both angry and annoyed, wishing he could burn all these unlucky things to the ground, but his remaining rationality held him back—he had come today to make peace with Xie Yutang, and he must not forget his purpose for tonight because of his anger.
Thinking of this, Lin Tan forced a smile, extended her hand, and looked at Xie Yutang gently.
In the past, when he made this gesture, Xie Yutang would have already gotten off the carriage with a big smile on her face and would have tried to hold his hand for a while longer. When she let go, her eyes and brows would be full of reluctance. She would never do this, not even glancing at the hand that he offered to her and waited quietly.
Xie Yutang got off the carriage on his own.
The ruts were high, but she got out of the car with more composure than he did.
"Your Highness is too kind, but I have used better ones, so I won't trouble you."
Better?
What's better?
When did she ever use something better?
Lin Tan's expression hardened.
He remembered.
That day, when Xie Yutang visited Wei Xianxi's villa, that little bastard Su Lu actually knelt on the ground and used his own shoulders as a footstool for her.
The news has spread far and wide.
At the time, he didn't believe it, thinking that even if that little bastard was obsequious, he wouldn't be so shameless. Now it seems that this matter is probably true.
Lin Tan recalled the storybooks she had glimpsed in the carriage earlier.
...Would a crazy woman like Xie Yutang just watch?
If someone would do something like using another person as a footstool in public, what must they be like in private?
Lin Tan could barely maintain her smile.
The more I thought about it, the more terrified I became.
Xie Yutang wasn't interested in his ever-changing expression. She noticed the streets of Gulou were decorated with lanterns and colorful ribbons, and her steps faltered slightly. For some reason, she thought of the illustrations in those storybooks—Su Lu's slender wrists, if wrapped with such ribbons…
Xie Yutang lowered her eyes and smiled.
The smile was so fleeting that when Lin Tan looked over, all that remained was a fluttering arc. He was stunned for a moment, then followed Xie Yutang's gaze and saw a lantern shop decorated with colorful lanterns.
"Does Tangtang like this lantern? I'll buy it for you."
"No need."
Xie Yutang raised her hand indifferently, stopping Lin Tan from taking out the silver. This was the first time she had looked at him properly since they met that evening, and her words were just as ruthless: "What I want, I don't need you to give it to me."
The bright moon in the sky was reflected in her eyes, brighter than the lanterns around her.
Lin Tan was enraged by that gaze, and for the first time felt an uncontrollable fear. He opened his mouth, about to say something, but Xie Yutang had already turned and walked away indifferently.
They didn't even bother to glance at him.
It was as if she had been tolerating him for a long time.
"Tangtang".
He caught up with Xie Yutang, grabbed his wrist, and shouted angrily, "What have I done to make you hate me so much?"
hatred.
As soon as he said it, he was startled.
Yes, it is hatred.
Although she concealed her feelings well when she looked at him, the hatred in her eyes still showed through.
Xie Yutang's gaze shifted from the man who was holding her wrist to his face.
Xie Yutang suddenly smiled and touched his heart with the index finger of his other hand.
"Because you stabbed me in the back."
She spoke clearly, word by word. Lin Tan was taken aback, but Xie Yutang had already stopped laughing and coldly shook off his hand.
Is it related to Wu Zhui?
...or something else?
Lin Tan chased after her: "Tangtang, explain yourself clearly, when did I ever upset you?"
On the second floor ahead, Huai Jin, disguised, stood in front of the railing and nodded to Xie Yutang.
Xie Yutang looked down without making a sound and saw Guo Yan'er in a lake-blue dress.
Guo Yan'er is the legitimate daughter of Guo Shouzhen, the commander of the Imperial Guards. In her previous life, because her father had made meritorious contributions to the emperor, Lin Tan welcomed her into the palace and made her Consort Hui after ascending the throne. She was not on good terms with Xie Yutang in the palace.
"Miss, are you really going to try to match the Third Prince with this Miss Guo?"
That day, after hearing Xie Yutang's instructions, Huaijin couldn't help but ask a question.
After being reborn, Xie Yutang sent people to investigate Guo Yan'er. The girl was still as infatuated with Lin Tan as she was in her previous life. When she heard that Lin Tan had come to be the chief examiner of the martial arts test, she secretly slipped away without telling her family.
“Now is not the time to completely fall out with Lin Tan, but I feel like throwing up just looking at his face, and I really can’t be bothered to deal with him. Besides…” Xie Yutang paused, then said what she was most worried about, “If Father Emperor issues an imperial decree to grant us a marriage, I really won’t be able to refuse.”
After the Battle of Daomaguan in the eleventh year of the Kaiyuan era, the entire Xie family became martyrs. However, the Xie clan had cultivated their influence on the battlefield for decades, and their remaining power and influence in the Ministry of War remained. The remaining power and influence were all controlled by Xie Yutang, and the emperor could not possibly let go of this valuable asset. Arranging for Xie Yutang to marry a prince, thus securing military power firmly in the hands of the imperial family through a marriage alliance, was the emperor's long-standing plan.
Xie Yutang had once been happy to see this plan come to fruition.
But not now.
Since Lin Tan and this Guo Yan'er girl were bound to get involved sooner or later anyway, she might as well play matchmaker.
"Tangtang".
Lin Tan finally caught up. He was so difficult to please along the way. In the past, he could be easily pleased by a few sweet words and gifts, but for some reason, he suddenly stopped responding to that.
He even said he stabbed her in the heart.
She said she wanted what she wanted, and didn't need him to give it to her.
Lin Tan suppressed the panic and slight anger in his heart, "Tangtang, you don't want this, you don't want that, what do you want?"
What do you want?
Oh.
Xie Yutang beckoned with his finger, and Lin Tan's eyes lit up.
It's finally time to give in to him.
Lin Tan coughed lightly, feigning modesty, and slowly leaned closer. He heard Xie Yutang whisper in his ear, each word distinct and clear—
"I want to give you a big gift."
A gasp came from behind as a flowerpot fell from the second floor, hitting a young woman on the head below.
Before Lin Tan could react, Xie Yutang suddenly slapped him on the back. Caught off guard, Lin Tan stumbled back a few steps, bumping into the woman in the lake-blue dress.
The woman lost her balance and was about to fall. Lin Tan had been watching coldly, but when he saw the woman's face clearly, he suddenly changed his mind and reached out to catch her around the waist.
The two spun around a few times due to inertia.
The flowerpot grazed their toes and shattered with a crash, bringing them back to their senses from staring at each other.
Lin Tan released her hand and bowed to the woman with gentle grace and proper manners: "Miss Wei, are you alright?"
Guo Yan'er covered her mouth with her sleeve, a blush rising to her cheeks, and gracefully returned the greeting, "Greetings, Third Young Master."
One of them was the third prince, and the other was the legitimate daughter of the Imperial Guard Commander. Since they were both in the capital, it was unlikely that they wouldn't know each other. However, now they finally had a chance to talk alone.
Lin Tan's attire clearly indicated that he did not want his identity to be exposed, so Guo Yan'er readily changed her form of address: "Did you come alone, young master?"
The use of the word "也" here is brilliant.
Lin Tan immediately understood what Guo Yan'er meant—
I'm alone. If you're also alone, why don't we go for a stroll together during this festive season?
Lin Tan was unmoved. The other party was the legitimate daughter of Guo Shouzhen, the commander of the Imperial Guards. The Imperial Guards were different from the patrol battalions. The latter were responsible for the security of the capital, while the former directly protected the emperor with swords. If he could get Guo Shouzhen's support, his chances of successfully ascending to the throne would be greatly increased.
Normally, Lin Tan would have agreed, but—
Xie Yutang is still here.
Princess Ning'an, the eldest daughter of the Xie family who holds military power over the border defenses and is deeply favored, is someone he will not tolerate any mishap to.
Lin Tan smiled gently, neither confirming nor denying, being polite on the surface while his mind raced to figure out how to handle the situation without offending either side.
Thinking this, she turned to look at Xie Yutang, only to find that Xie Yutang was gone.
A figure flashed past in the crowd, bearing a striking resemblance to Xie Yutang. Lin Tan's heart stirred, and she was about to give chase.
"Young master."
Guo Yan'er tugged at his sleeve, her smile revealing the perfect shyness of a young lady meeting someone she likes. "Young master, you clearly came alone, so what excuse are you making?"
...
Lin Tan couldn't refute it. He had come tonight with the intention of making progress with Xie Yutang. Apart from the secret guards who were protecting him, he had deliberately sent everyone else away, and he hadn't even brought Xiao Fuzi with him.
But he couldn't openly admit that he was going to find Xie Yutang.
Not only would they be unable to find her, but they would also offend the legitimate daughter of the Imperial Guard Commander.
Guo Yan'er interpreted Lin Tan's momentary quietness as the reserve of a noble young master. She smiled and pointed to a lantern shop ahead, saying, "Shall we go there and have a look?"
During the Lantern Festival, the streets of Gulou were bustling with people. Colorful lanterns, adorned with red ribbons, added a touch of human warmth to the night in the capital city of Yanzhou.
Everywhere you look on the streets, you can see various stalls and vendors pushing bamboo waterwheels. The bamboo waterwheel is a unique folk custom of Dayan. Sections of bamboo are hung on the wheel, and water is filled in the bamboo tube. The water is sprinkled on relatives and friends with willow branches as a blessing.
The moment Lin Tan embraced Guo Yan'er, Xie Yutang slipped into a narrow alley. Only after Guo Yan'er pulled Lin Tan away did she emerge from the alley and head in the opposite direction from them.
In her previous life, every interaction between Lin Tan and Guo Yan'er would make Xie Yutang extremely jealous. But just now, when she saw Lin Tan's hand on Guo Yan'er's waist, when she saw the two exchanging glances, and when she saw Guo Yan'er smilingly inviting Lin Tan to see the lanterns, Xie Yutang felt very calm inside.
She was still happy to have escaped the clutches of that scumbag.
There was no unpleasantness that was hard to pinpoint.
She was like a bystander, an outsider, calmly watching the man she once loved so deeply interact and travel with other women.
Human emotions are truly strange; love that was once so intense can vanish so abruptly and swiftly.
She unconsciously touched her chest, where the skin was delicate and smooth, but the wound, unseen, had long been etched into her soul and bones.
Rotten, decayed.
She would have nightmares, in which he would stab her again and again with a dagger, and she would lie awake, almost self-destructively, reliving the feeling until dawn.
Lin Tan, we'll settle our score slowly.
"Sister, let's buy some fireworks."
A child's innocent voice pulled Xie Yutang back from her memories. She looked down at the sound and saw that the boy holding the firework tube had not yet dissipated. He instinctively shrank back a step. When she looked again, she saw that the boy's eyes were as clear as autumn water. It seemed that the fierceness just now was just his illusion.
The boy rubbed his eyes and asked again in a clear voice, "Sister, do you want to buy fireworks?"
Xie Yutang was dressed simply, with a veil covering half her face, like a young lady from a wealthy family out for a lantern parade, which is why he came over to ask.
This girl is so beautiful.
Although it was just a pair of eyes, he felt that this was the fairy from the stories his mother told him.
Xie Yutang looked at the fireworks in the boy's hand, her long eyelashes fluttering slightly.
She once really wanted to see a fireworks display.
I want to see dazzling fireworks bloom in the night sky, and then lean on the shoulder of the person next to me with a smile.
She pleaded year after year and waited year after year, but Lin Tan never came; he always had so much official business to attend to.
It took Xie Yutang a long time to understand that Lin Tan wasn't busy; he just didn't spend his time on her.
Xie Yutang smiled, bent down and tossed some loose silver into the boy's tray, saying gently, "No need for fireworks, go home early."
The money she gave me was enough to buy several baskets of fireworks.
The boy nodded blankly and was about to turn around when he suddenly heard a gasp from ahead.
"careful!"
The street was crowded, and someone accidentally bumped into the vendor pushing the bamboo water cart. The water cart, which was half a person's height tall, tipped over and fell straight at the boy.
Xie Yutang grabbed the boy, spun around, and pushed him away. She quickly retreated as well. Although she was not hit by the falling waterwheel, she could not avoid the water pouring over her head from the bamboo tube.
With water pouring out of dozens of bamboo tubes, it was impossible not to be disheveled. In his haste, Xie Yutang only had time to cover his face with his sleeves and close his eyes, bracing himself for being drenched.
The expected water was delayed.
Xie Yutang looked up.
What catches the eye is a plain-colored oil-paper umbrella.
She followed the clean umbrella surface and straight handle down the path, her gaze finally settling on a clean, slender hand.
The wrist bone is delicate, with slightly protruding tendons on the inside.
Xie Yutang paused, taking a breath.
He slowly turned his head.
Su Lu stood quietly behind her, the umbrella in his hand tilted forward, the water splashing in her face hitting the umbrella surface, making a short, sharp sound like raindrops tapping on a window.
Startled by the sound, she looked up and heard herself say, "You're soaking wet."
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