Chapter 63 Night Boat, the Beauty Returns Again, the Return Date Uncertain.
When the carriage arrived at the gate of Fengfu, Su Jinxiu thanked Zhang Mingxu before getting out of the carriage, saying, "Thank you for helping me out of this predicament today, sir."
Zhang Mingxu simply gave a faint "hmm" and didn't say anything more.
Su Jinxiu then stood up, supporting herself on the carriage shaft, her movements deliberately slow. Sure enough, just as her toes were about to touch the ground, she heard him ask the question she had expected.
"How is the wedding dress I entrusted to you to embroider before I left?"
Su Jinxiu stood steadily on the steps. Upon hearing this, she turned around and respectfully replied to the carriage, "Knowing that Your Excellency is returning to the capital, the wedding dress was already embroidered before your return date."
A low laugh came from inside the carriage, sounding quite pleased: "Very well. Then, when I take a break in a few days, I will send another hundred taels of gold to Huayun Pavilion. At that time, I hope that Lady Su will personally hand over the phoenix coronet and wedding gown to me."
He emphasized the word "personally" slightly. As soon as he finished speaking, the driver whipped the horse, and the carriage quickly disappeared into the night at the end of the long street.
After entering the mansion, Su Jinxiu was preoccupied with her thoughts. She walked around the moon gate and through the winding path, with only the sound of the babbling stream behind the artificial hill in her ears.
"Qiaoqiao".
A soft call came from behind her. She turned around and saw Shi Yunyu standing there. She had been lost in thought and hadn't noticed that he had been waiting by the rockery for quite some time.
She had been slapped on the left cheek earlier, and the swelling had not yet subsided. So when Shi Yunyu approached, she subconsciously dodged and stayed to her left, not daring to turn her head when they talked, for fear of exposing the injury.
"Qiaoqiao, didn't I remind you before that the screen was supposed to be embroidered with daylilies? The affairs of the palace are complicated, you mustn't..." Shi Yunyu said earnestly, and Su Jinxiu just nodded in agreement, not daring to turn her head.
"Okay, okay, I understand. I was busy the past few days and forgot for a moment. Thank you for reminding me, Sister Yunyu."
Seeing that she kept her neck stiff, Shi Yunyu frowned and said, "Turn your face around."
Su Jinxiu glanced sideways and pretended to be uncomfortable, saying, "Oh? My neck is a little uncomfortable."
Shi Yunyu stopped, reached out and pinched her chin, forcibly turning her face around. After seeing the redness and swelling, her tone instantly turned cold: "Who did this?"
"...I tripped and fell on my way back."
"Qiaoqiao, do you really think I'm a fool who can be easily deceived?"
Although Shi Yunyu was usually easygoing, she was ultimately a palace lady who had spent a long time in the palace. At this moment, she put away her gentle demeanor and exuded a powerful and intimidating aura. Su Jinxiu was so intimidated by this aura that she dared not lie any longer and had no choice but to tell the whole story, but she still deliberately embellished it, only emphasizing that she had been the one to lose her manners and offend the noble lady first.
Upon hearing this, Shi Yunyu sneered and reached out to pull her away: "A cunning old woman who relies on the power of her master to bully you dares to lay a hand on you? Now that you are a member of the Feng family, how can you allow such a petty person to provoke you? Come, let's inform our uncle first, and then we'll go and seek justice for you!"
Su Jinxiu quickly grabbed her sleeve and said urgently, "Sister Yunyu, it's better to avoid trouble. Today's matter was truly my fault for losing my temper and offending her."
"With your gentle nature, you should know better than to judge the situation!" Shi Yunyu turned around and glared at her, exasperated. "Are you afraid that you won't get justice and will be attacked by them instead? Our General's Mansion has been a family of officials for generations. Do you think we are afraid of the Prince's Mansion? Your uncle and aunt have always doted on you and are definitely on your side."
Su Jinxiu, in her haste, clung tightly to the stone table under the eaves to stop her, pleading, "It is precisely because the General and Madam have been kind to me that I do not want to cause them any trouble. I am too busy repaying them to make enemies for the household."
Just as the two were locked in a stalemate, a servant bowed and reported, "Reporting to the two young ladies, the second young lady of the Lan family has arrived."
Upon hearing that it was Lan Shexiang, Su Jinxiu felt a sudden glimmer of hope. She quickly stepped forward and pressed Shi Yunyu's hand, saying softly, "Sister Yunyu, I'm really alright." After speaking, seeing that the servant was still standing aside waiting for orders, she added, "Quickly invite Miss Lan in."
Seeing that Lan Shexiang was about to arrive, and noticing Su Jinxiu's pitiful and considerate manner, Shi Yunyu, though still feeling sorry for her, ultimately abandoned her desire for justice. The two then sat down together at the stone table, waiting for Lan Shexiang to enter. Before long, the soft tinkling of jade pendants could be heard, and a figure gradually approached from outside the door.
As soon as Lan Shexiang sat down, her face showed anxiety. Seeing this, Su Jinxiu quickly poured her a cup of tea and handed it to her, saying gently, "Look at you, so flustered. What happened?"
Lan Shexiang took the teacup, tilted her head back and drank it all in one gulp, then slammed the cup down heavily on the table. Su Jinxiu knew her to be gentle and mild-mannered, and had never seen her so angry before. She quickly reached out to pat her back and soothe her, saying, "Don't be anxious, tell me slowly, what exactly made you so angry?"
Lan Shexiang then said, "That young master of the Ye family dares to go back on his word!"
"Going back on his word?" Su Jinxiu was taken aback. "Didn't he promise you he would help you break off the engagement?"
Lan Shexiang's eyes reddened with anxiety: "Two days ago, my father finally managed to find time to visit, but when he came back, he gave me a severe scolding, saying that the Ye family had no intention of breaking off the engagement, and that I had deliberately played some trick! I..."
"How is that possible?" Su Jinxiu was also full of confusion. "He clearly told me at the time that he already had someone he liked and didn't want to hold you back."
"When I went out the day before yesterday, a servant from the Ye family came up to me again, saying that he wanted to invite me to a painted boat on the Tongjin River tomorrow night to discuss the specific details of the annulment of the engagement with me in person."
Upon hearing this, Su Jinxiu felt that the matter was quite strange, so she bid farewell to Shi Yunyu and returned to the Lan residence with Lan Shexiang. The two of them pondered the matter repeatedly in their boudoir and made many guesses.
Su Jinxiu pondered for a while, then suddenly came to her senses and asked, "By the way, did you ask the name of the person you mentioned earlier?"
Lan Shexiang paused for a moment, then lowered her head somewhat embarrassed: "He...he only told me his nickname."
Su Jinxiu was already seven or eight parts certain of her guess, but she still calmly pressed on, "You've spent all this time together, yet you've never even told each other your real names?"
Lan Shexiang explained, “We…we were attracted to each other’s personalities, which led to our gradual contact. When he helped me gather herbs, the old lady at the clinic called me A-Xiang, and he started calling me that too. At that time, I didn’t know him very well and hadn’t developed any real feelings for him, so I was too embarrassed to tell him my real name. Over time, we got used to calling each other that and forgot to ask for his real name.”
Su Jinxiu sighed helplessly: "Alas, you two fools... Oh well, you are indeed attracted by true feelings. Just wait and see, tomorrow's events may not be a bad thing."
Lan Shexiang was full of questions, but no matter how she pressed her for answers, Su Jinxiu only smiled and remained silent. Finally, she slowly said, "I can't be completely sure right now either. We'll know for sure tomorrow. I'll go with you tomorrow."
The next day at dusk, the two broke through the dusty world and arrived at the banks of the Tongjin River.
Looking out over the water, a two-story pleasure boat is moored, brightly lit, with red gauze curtains hanging from the windows, and figures are faintly visible, making it both exquisite and mysterious.
The boat was filled with the gentle sounds of string and wind instruments, and the melodious singing of female singers carried on the wind, attracting passersby on both banks to stop and listen. The Tongjin River was usually very lively, with the lights of the houses on the banks twinkling, the shouts of the taverns and teahouses, the laughter of children and the music on the river blending together, creating a scene of peace and prosperity.
In the past, the pleasure boats were as numerous as carp, coming and going like shuttles, but today there is only one boat, standing alone, which makes it very easy to identify.
The two waited briefly at the ferry before boarding the boat together for the pleasure boat. As soon as they boarded, a clever servant was already waiting by their side, leading them to the second floor. At the top of the stairs, Su Jinxiu paused slightly, tugged at Lan Shexiang's sleeve, and said softly, "You go up first, I'll wait for you on the first floor."
Lan Shexiang asked, puzzled, "Aren't you coming up with me?"
Su Jinxiu pondered for a moment, then smiled and said, "If I go with you, I hope you won't find me in your way later."
Lan Shexiang said urgently, "What are you saying? How could I find you an eyesore?"
Su Jinxiu smiled and patted her hand: "It's alright, I'm downstairs. I'll know immediately if you make any noise. You'll understand when I get up."
Lan Shexiang took a deep breath and stepped onto the second floor.
She had rehearsed her words a hundred times in her mind, either saying directly, "You are a man of lofty stature, and I, of humble appearance, am hardly worthy of your presence," or reciting, "We gaze at each other from afar, yet remain strangers; we meet on the road, yet know not each other," indicating that the two had never met and had no feelings for each other. She had even prepared the resolute words, "I cannot disobey my parents' command, but my heart belongs not to you. I hope you will show mercy."
There should be something that will make this young master, whom I've never met before, back down and see how absurd this marriage is.
She gently lifted the pearl curtain, and the handsome young man standing by the window with his hands behind his back turned around at the sound.
All the words I wanted to say have been silenced.
After waiting for a while, Su Jinxiu started chatting with the servants and maids who were waiting. They talked about the crucian carp in the river, the habits of the bream, the techniques of night fishing, and how to make the soup milky white and delicious when stewed with bamboo shoots and ham.
Just as they were talking animatedly, a soft sound finally came from the stairs, and the beautiful couple descended the stairs. Lan Shexiang had completely lost the impatience and resentment she had shown on her way there; her face was now beaming with happiness. Ye Jiuzhao, who was following behind her, was considerately protecting her shoulder, as if afraid she would bump into the corner of the corridor as she descended the stairs.
Seeing this, Su Jinxiu smiled knowingly and went to greet her. Lan Shexiang couldn't help but say coquettishly, "Since you already understood, why didn't you tell me?"
Su Jinxiu explained gently, "How could I guarantee anything? I'm only about 70-80% sure. If I told you too early, only to find out she's not the one you're looking for, wouldn't that be a bad thing? I've already caused a misunderstanding once, I can't add another obstacle."
Now that things have come to this, it's truly a happy ending for everyone, a perfect and harmonious conclusion. However, the reluctant farewells continued from the ferry crossing to the carriage, making Su Jinxiu's teeth ache with tears.
The two held hands and said goodbye several times, unable to separate. Su Jinxiu finally couldn't help but tease, "Alright, alright, if you keep sticking together like this, I might as well just sleep here."
Lan Shexiang then sheepishly released his hand, and the teasing continued unabated along the way. After the carriage had traveled for about half an incense stick's time, Lan Shexiang suddenly remembered the important matter: "Shall I take you back to the Feng residence?"
Su Jinxiu waved her hand: "Just drop me off when you pass by Huayun Pavilion. I still have a phoenix coronet and wedding gown to take care of."
After she got out of the carriage, Lan Shexiang lifted the curtain again, peeked out and asked, "How about we go back to my residence for a while after you've settled down?"
Su Jinxiu had already turned around, but upon hearing this, she turned back, smiled, and waved her hand, saying, "I'm afraid I'll be dealing with this until late at night. You should go back first. I'll stay at Huayun Pavilion."
The two then reluctantly parted ways.
After Lan Shexiang left, the laughter and chatter dissipated. Gazing at the deep night and the deserted street, Su Jinxiu felt a profound emptiness in her heart.
Having just seen the perfect couple, she couldn't help but think of Wen Shiqin.
But not only is his return date uncertain, his battles on the battlefield are fraught with peril, and even returning unharmed has become a distant dream.
By this time, Huayun Pavilion was already closed. Su Jinxiu unlocked the door with practiced ease, entered, and went straight through the courtyard to the pavilion. The fallen leaves of the paulownia trees in the courtyard rustled in the night wind, adding to the desolation.
Under the cover of darkness, with her mind preoccupied with her phoenix coronet and wedding gown, she was completely unaware that a figure was quietly following her from a short distance away.
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