Chapter 75 Red Sleeves Beckon As I pass through Zhuque Street, red sleeves beckon everywhere.
We've finally been waiting for this day.
Before the victorious army even entered the city, its fame had already spread far and wide. Upon hearing the news, the people crowded both sides of the streets, shoulder to shoulder, just to catch a glimpse of the heroes. The young women, unable to contain their excitement, rushed to occupy the elegant window seats on the second and third floors of the restaurants along the street, each one standing on tiptoe, craning their necks in anticipation.
An imposing presence slowly approached.
First came two rows of silver-armored cavalry, leading the way with an imposing and awe-inspiring presence. These were the surviving warriors from the eight hundred Mighty Spirit Cavalry, now promoted for their military merits, each brimming with youthful vigor and an unstoppable spirit of youth.
After the cavalry came a troop of infantry marching in perfect formation, their military bearing impeccable.
Then, a tall, jet-black horse galloped in.
Seated on horseback was a young general clad in soft armor, wearing a jeweled gold crown that bound his hair, with long pearl tassels hanging down on either side, swaying gently in the wind. This accentuated his imposing presence and extraordinary handsomeness.
Passing through Zhuque Avenue, one sees red sleeves beckoning from every building.
The girls upstairs threw down their embroidered handkerchiefs and flowers, the pink, white and red objects fluttering down like petals. These objects, with their stitches concealing the tender feelings of young girls, were either adorned with silver threads or inlaid with pearls and flowers, falling down in a flurry of pink, white and red petals.
Wen Shiqin was hit all over the head and face, and couldn't help but raise his arm to protect himself.
The moment he raised his hand, Su Jinxiu's heart leaped into her throat, wondering who he was going to accept.
He merely bent his elbow to block in front of him, without taking any action. His gaze remained fixed on the open road in front of him, without even glancing at the buildings on either side.
Before the horse's hooves had even stopped, it did not linger on matters of personal affection.
Su Jinxiu was gazing out the window, her thoughts drifting away with the hoofbeats, when she suddenly heard a few silly laughs coming from the opposite seat.
Turning around, I saw Lan Shexiang and Shi Yunyu flirting with each other.
She quickly averted her gaze and simply said, "Eat your food."
Shi Yunyu then chimed in, "Let's eat, let's eat." She then added jokingly, "This is a street-facing table that Miss Su booked long ago, and she even chose such a good spot with a great view. We can't let it go to waste."
Su Jinxiu paused in her tea-serving motion: "I booked this table only for a small gathering of us sisters, not for anything else."
The disbelief in Lan Shexiang's and Shi Yunyu's eyes was obvious.
Seeing the expressions on the two people's faces, Su Jinxiu knew that it would be futile to say anything more, so she simply kept quiet and picked up a piece of crystal sashimi from the table with her chopsticks.
Following the sound, Shi Yunyu looked out the window again and saw that the procession on the long street seemed to stretch endlessly. At the end of the procession was a sedan chair with layers of thin gauze hanging down its body, through which one could vaguely see a person sitting upright, who was obviously a woman.
She couldn't help but exclaim softly, "That's strange. The princess's palanquin returned to the manor a few days ago. Who is this noble person?"
Su Jinxiu, who had just taken a bite of crystal-clear sashimi, looked up at him upon hearing this.
A gust of wind swept by, causing the white gauze curtain beside the sedan chair to flutter gently, revealing the figure of the woman inside. She wore a snow-white exotic dress, with openwork at the shoulders and neck, revealing a small patch of fair skin. Her lower body was draped in a sheer gauze skirt, its hem flowing like water, and even though the thin fabric covered her body, it could not conceal her slender figure.
Her appearance was simply breathtaking. Su Jinxiu, who had lived in the capital for a long time and was used to seeing the pampered beauties of high-ranking officials and nobles, was stunned by this face. She was not a girl from a modest family; her nose was delicate and high, her eyes were deep, and her beauty was extremely striking, carrying both an unapproachable aloofness and a passionate and charming allure.
Before the sedan chair even got close, a fragrant breeze brushed against my face. Looking at her, I could see that she sat gracefully in the sedan chair, like a bright pearl hidden in a clam shell, her radiance impossible to conceal.
The woman in the sedan chair seemed shy. When the wind lifted the gauze curtain, she only gave a slight smile to the people on the street before hurriedly lowering her eyes and no longer daring to look out.
When the young general passed through earlier, there had been a commotion on the long street, but now that he saw this saintly figure, the noise suddenly disappeared, and the whole street was so quiet that the soft tinkling of the golden bells by the sedan chair could be heard.
Having witnessed all that had happened, Su Jinxiu's heart was already as firm as stone, and she simply said, "Perhaps she is from the Northern Desert. In our capital, it is rare to see such a peerless beauty."
Seeing that she looked calm and had no doubts, and that her words were reasonable, Shi Yunyu and the other man stopped probing and resumed their laughter and eating.
Upon returning to the Feng family mansion, one finds lanterns adorning the eaves, colorful curtains hanging from the corridors, and the entire courtyard bathed in light, exuding joy and celebration.
Su Jinxiu changed into a newly made silk skirt, light pink with layers of tender green ribbons, resembling a lush spring stream. She adorned her hair with a shimmering pink and gold hairpin and tender green pearl flowers, making her appear even more charming and vibrant.
As they reached the corner of the covered walkway, they bumped right into Feng Xun.
Feng Xun looked up and froze on the spot.
She usually wore plain-colored dresses, mostly moon white, with only a silver hairpin in her hair. Today's gorgeous attire made him suddenly realize something.
It seems that women dress up for those they love, and when feelings are at their peak, even autumn clothes can be tinged with the colors of spring.
Su Jinxiu was about to apologize when Feng Xun stepped aside and walked silently past her without saying a word.
She was secretly puzzled, wondering where she had offended her brother, but she was filled with joy at the prospect of hearing of Shi Qin's return, and didn't dwell on it any longer.
Flowers bloom bright, moon is dim, shrouded in light mist; tonight I shall go to my lover's side.
Su Jinxiu lifted her skirt and ran to the main hall, where her father and mother were already waiting, and Shi Yunyu was also sitting beside them.
The four chatted about interesting stories from the capital, their laughter echoing through the rafters, unaware that time had flown by.
It wasn't until Ye Lingbo softly asked the maid, "What time is it?" that everyone realized they had been waiting for nearly two hours. Normally, someone entering the palace to express gratitude wouldn't stay until the palace gates were locked, so Madam Feng frowned, a look of doubt on her face.
Just then, footsteps came from outside the courtyard; it was a chief eunuch from the palace.
Everyone hurriedly rose to greet him, and just as they were about to curtsy, the eunuch quickly stepped forward to support them: "No, you mustn't! I've come to deliver a message. The Emperor and the Empress Dowager were delighted to see our Second Young Master's youthful vigor and decided to keep him in the palace for drinks and casual conversation. He won't be returning to the Feng residence tonight."
After everyone thanked the Emperor for his grace, they all breathed a sigh of relief. Feng Yanting smiled and said, "Since it is the Emperor and the Empress Dowager's wish, and it is not a bad thing, let's go back."
Ye Lingbo nodded in agreement, and Shi Yunyu also reassured her. Although a hint of disappointment flashed through Su Jinxiu's heart, she quickly thought that this was an honor, so she suppressed her emotions and left with the others.
Two days passed in this wait. Everyone in the Feng family assumed it was a great favor from the Emperor to keep him in the palace, and no one dared to say anything. Only Su Jinxiu felt that something was wrong.
Sure enough, while she was working at Huayun Pavilion that day, Linlang suddenly lifted the curtain and came in with a brisk pace: "Jinxiu! Have you heard that the army that returned to the capital a few days ago brought back that Holy Maiden of the Northern Desert?"
Su Jinxiu paused, looked up, and asked, "What's wrong?"
"It's all over the capital now!" Linlang lowered her voice. "That holy maiden was originally to be offered to the palace, but the Empress Dowager said that her appearance was too alluring and might disturb the peace of the harem. So she changed her mind on the spot and gave her to the young marquis as a concubine!"
"He immediately bestowed her as a concubine?" Su Jinxiu gripped her handkerchief tightly and pressed, "Did he accept her?"
"It's hard to say, I only know that's how it's been circulating in the palace," Linlang shook her head.
Su Jinxiu suddenly realized that he wasn't being kept by the Emperor's grace, but was deliberately avoiding her.
He was clearly up to something again, yet he wouldn't even give her a reason. This cryptic attitude was exactly the same as it had been in the past.
On the third day, Su Jinxiu rode on Zao Gao and waited outside the palace walls before the palace gates were locked.
He has returned victorious from his campaign; there's no reason for him to stay in the palace for three days straight. She figured he'd have to leave the palace today, so she decided to wait and see, and get to the bottom of things.
Zao Gao lightly stomped its hooves in place, its tail mane sweeping across the ground, seemingly quite agitated.
Su Jinxiu pulled her outer robe tighter, her gaze fixed on the palace gate, eager to see how he would avoid seeing her this time.
Though there was a hint of resentment in her heart, the remaining eight parts were still immersed in anticipation, entangled and inseparable.
She knew perfectly well that as long as he showed up, even if he just stood nearby and said, "It's really official business that I can't refuse," her resentment would melt away like snow, and she could immediately forget all the suspicions and grievances she had felt in the past few days.
I stood there in the afterglow of the setting sun, waiting until the last ray of light faded from the horizon and the chill of the autumn night gradually crept in, but the figure I longed to see never appeared.
Suddenly, the sound of carriages and horses approached from afar, but it wasn't the one she was hoping for.
The carriage stopped as it approached, and the curtain was lifted by a hand with distinct knuckles, revealing a handsome and dashing face—it was Cui Cheng.
"Oh, who's gotten themselves into this mess of romance, leaving such a beautiful young lady waiting here?"
Su Jinxiu was too lazy to deal with him and turned the reins of the jujube cake to turn around. But then Cui Cheng called out from behind: "Hey! Don't wait here in vain. The person you're looking for has gone to Mingyufang."
Su Jinxiu paused for a moment, then spurred her horse toward the place where the red candles flickered and the air was filled with the fragrance of musk.
This brothel is called Mingyu, but it is completely different from Zuichunfang. Zuichunfang mainly houses courtesans, and the women in the brothel are all talented in poetry. They adhere to the rule of "selling their art but not their bodies," and the patrons are mostly refined guests who enjoy tea and discuss poetry.
But Mingyufang was quite different. The courtyard was full of women from the Western Regions, many of whom were hot and unrestrained Hu women, and it was a place where flesh trade could be done for a lot of money.
It was just as the lanterns were being lit, the most lively time in Mingyufang, filled with laughter and cheerful chatter.
Su Jinxiu, her face still bearing the scent of perfume, stepped through the door.
Just as she passed through the gate, she was stopped by a madam who was wearing makeup and rouge. The madam looked her up and down and said, "Oh dear, this young lady looks unfamiliar. Could it be that you have wandered into this place by mistake?"
Su Jinxiu was too lazy to argue with her, so she took out three ingots of pure gold from her sleeve and threw them directly at her. She then proceeded smoothly without any obstacles.
She walked in without looking to the side, passing by the elegantly dressed and bustling crowd, looking at each room one by one.
Any Hu woman or servant who tried to speak to him was shoved away by Su Jinxiu without a second thought, showing no mercy whatsoever. Her steps were brisk, but in her heart, she had already searched for the reasons behind his actions.
Perhaps some incompetent subordinate, emboldened by a few drinks, dragged him to this brothel, and he simply couldn't refuse his comrade's request. Or perhaps the authorities had secretly assigned him a mission, instructing him to use this place of entertainment to investigate some hidden secrets, for things are best kept hidden in the shadows.
She kept justifying herself like this, her eyes secretly welling up with tears, but in her heart she insisted on holding up an umbrella for him.
Until the curtain of the deepest room was half open, I could hear familiar laughter coming from inside.
Su Jinxiu peeked through the curtain and saw three or five men sitting around inside. One of them, a very familiar figure, was sitting in the seat of honor, his black robes highlighting his straight back.
This room was originally the largest and most valuable in Mingyufang. It was lavishly furnished, with long pear wood tables on both sides, laden with delicacies and fine wines, like a small banquet hall.
An open-air lotus platform is erected in the central courtyard, with silver gauze hanging all around, making the scenery on the platform appear and disappear.
On the stage stood three Hu women with eyes like cat pupils, dressed in revealing emerald green dance costumes. The hems of their skirts fluttered with their hot dance steps, and the gold bracelets on their ankles rustled, dazzling the audience.
Beside that familiar figure was a woman in snow-white strange clothes, whispering in his ear, which made him chuckle. No one noticed that she was getting closer step by step.
A jar of Daughter's Red wine that fell from the sky.
Everyone present was shocked and paled. Wen Shiqin suddenly stood up, turned around, and tried to use the dim light and shadows to see which audacious intruder it was.
Su Jinxiu looked up at him and saw him wiping the wine off his face, then squinting at her as if trying to identify who she was.
She waited quietly until he suddenly understood, until his anger subsided like the receding tide, leaving only his chest heaving violently.
The wine slid down his cheeks, down his long neck, and soaked through his clothes.
The two faced off silently in the dim light.
Wen Shiqin raised his hand to stop them, and the guard immediately fell silent.
He turned away from the crowd as if avoiding them, and strolled to a soft couch not far away to sit down.
Without uttering a word, Su Jinxiu walked up to him step by step, clearly demanding an explanation from him.
The light was even dimmer here, and Wen Shiqin kept his eyes down the whole time. Whether he was feeling guilty and avoiding the issue or had something else to hide, he just sat there silently.
Su Jinxiu had plenty of patience to wait him out, so she stood in front of him neither humble nor arrogant, her eyes calm.
The group managed to figure out the situation, but no one dared to step forward to mediate. No one wanted to risk a stalemate involving privacy.
Only the snow-clad saintess, taking advantage of the stalemate, quietly lifted her skirt, intending to slip away to Wen Shiqin's side.
Just then, Wen Shiqin took a deep breath and finally looked up to speak. Su Jinxiu, however, didn't give him a chance to speak and slapped him across the face.
The sharp "smack" was particularly jarring in the silence. Wen Shiqin was knocked to the side, and a red mark instantly appeared on his cheek.
Those around gasped in shock, thinking that this woman was truly reckless, daring to lay a hand on the general who was known for his vengeful nature.
Before he could finish speaking, Su Jinxiu slapped him across the face, the crisp sound echoing once more. The snow-clad saintess, who had intended to take the opportunity to step forward and stop him, had barely moved close before being struck squarely on the face. Her face paled instantly, and she staggered back two steps, no longer daring to approach.
Seeing this, the remaining few fell silent, too terrified to make any rash moves.
Before the general could utter a word, their rash advance only resulted in slaps. They had no choice but to retreat to a corner, shrinking back and not daring to even breathe.
Su Jinxiu turned around and saw that Wen Shiqin was still looking down and not meeting her gaze.
Then, Wen Shiqin reached out and wrapped his arm around her lower back, pulling her close and holding her firmly between his legs. With his other hand, he gently took the hand she had used to slap someone, and lowered his head to kiss her palm tenderly, his actions full of careful and ingratiating gestures.
Seeing this, the people around suddenly realized that it was just the general flirting with his sweetheart, not some kind of insubordination.
So one by one they wisely kept quiet and quietly slipped out, leaving only the two of them in the private room in an instant.
Su Jinxiu looked down at him, and he really looked like a defeated dog with its claws clenched, all its fierceness gone. She raised her hand and pinched his chin, trying to lift his face with a little force, but his jaw seemed to weigh a ton, clearly unwilling to look up and meet her gaze.
"Feeling guilty?" Su Jinxiu asked in a low voice, "Why don't you dare look at me?"
Wen Shiqin kept his eyes closed, his soft lips gently tracing patterns on her palm, sometimes biting her tender flesh, sometimes inhaling her delicate fragrance from her wrist. After a long while, he finally uttered a low, hoarse question: "Does your hand hurt from hitting me?"
Upon hearing this, Su Jinxiu merely sneered, "Even if I slapped all of you in this room, it wouldn't be enough for me to beat."
This time it was Wen Shiqin's turn to laugh. He held her hands and gently pressed them against his cheeks. Su Jinxiu lowered her eyes, and could only see the top of his head where his hair was tied up. He refused to look up, and only a slightly aggrieved voice came from behind him: "Just kill me, sister. You don't care about me at all, just kill me."
"Do you think I'm reluctant? If you're going to hit me, you'd better have the nerve to do it." Su Jinxiu said impatiently.
Wen Shiqin still held her hand against his cheek, desperately suppressing the urge to pull her tightly into his arms and lock their breaths together.
He dared not look up, afraid that if he saw her face, he would lose control of his madness. He wanted to take her back and lock her in a small place that only he could set foot in, but he also wanted to take a knife and storm into her mansion, stab her husband to pieces, and make sure that no one in the world could stand between them.
He had originally intended to bring the alien saintess to Mingyu Fang and casually hand her over to the madam for accommodation. But as soon as he reached the second floor, he saw her figure chasing after him. In a panic, he could only pull the saintess over and put on an intimate act, hoping that she would give up completely and stay away from him, so that he would not make another mistake and be unable to turn back.
However, she was more headstrong than before and was not intimidated by the scene. Instead, she pressed him for an answer, making his efforts to cover things up backfire.
Seeing that he kept his head down and refused to look up, Su Jinxiu's anger flared up. She suddenly pulled her hand back and went straight to pinch his ear.
She heard him let out a suppressed groan, and she tightened her grip, forcefully pulling his head up.
But he just happened to have a face that could charm the world. When she pulled him up to look up, there was a pitiful look in his starry eyes beneath his sword-like eyebrows, his thin lips were slightly downturned, and even the corners of his eyes were red.
Looking at a beautiful woman under the lamplight, one feels more and more pity. The same goes for handsome men. Even though Su Jinxiu had reservations, she couldn't help but feel some pity, and the strength in her hands unconsciously loosened a little.
"Don't you have anything to say to me?" She steeled herself, her fingers clenching tighter.
The person below seemed to be neither drunk nor sober, with his eyelids half-closed, feigning a bit of ignorance, and slowly shook his head.
"Since you have nothing to say, I have a question for you." Su Jinxiu said in a deep voice, "Do you intend to take that saintess from earlier as a concubine?"
After a moment of stalemate, Su Jinxiu heard him slowly say, "My Marquis's mansion will welcome the princess as my wife, and then take two more beautiful concubines. I'll be able to enjoy the bliss of having two wives, wouldn't that be wonderful?"
Upon hearing this, Su Jinxiu's breath hitched. Before he could say anything more, her palm flew up and down with a crisp slap across his face.
Su Jinxiu felt that the slap she had given him hadn't even vented a tenth of her anger. Her reason was burned away by her rage, leaving only a few bits of it. She actually went straight forward, reached out and grabbed his neck, slamming him hard against the cloud-patterned back of the soft couch behind her.
He wasn't afraid at all. Instead, he leaned back casually, even stretching his neck slightly forward, and offered his fragile throat bone to her palm.
Su Jinxiu, however, did not dare to use real force. She only held him loosely, her fingertips clearly feeling the pulse beating on his neck, hot and vibrant.
Her chest heaved violently, her breathing trembled, and she tried to calm herself down.
"Qiaoqiao, this won't work." Wen Shiqin suddenly spoke, his voice as soft as a lover's murmur. He gently brushed her hand away with his fingertips, then guided her fingertips to the protrusion on the side of his neck, pressing down. "You have to go here, use your fingernails to press down on this spot. It would be best to take a knife and cut along the skin. The blood will spurt out very quickly."
He gently increased the pressure on her hand with his fingertips, while letting out a satisfied sigh: "Look, if you pinch harder for a while, I'll get dizzy, my vision will go black, and my breathing will become heavier and heavier... If you pinch well, I won't even be able to breathe in the end, and my body will go limp like a lump of mud."
Wen Shiqin looked at her with reddened eyes, his tone carrying a seductive expectation: "And then... I died. Qiaoqiao, want to give it a try?"
Su Jinxiu released her grip abruptly as if burned, staring at the nonchalant expression on the person on the bed for a long while.
"What did I do wrong? Why are you treating me like this?"
Wen Shiqin, who was reclining on the couch, was leaning against the soft pillows, his posture relaxed to the point of being nonchalant, and he was smiling casually. But upon hearing these words, the smile on his face vanished instantly.
He turned his head away, deliberately avoiding her gaze, and after a long pause, he said softly, "You did nothing wrong. You're fine."
"Then why?"
"There's no reason." He avoided her gaze, his tone as hard as ice. "Just live your life and stop bothering me."
Su Jinxiu was so angry that she laughed, gritting her teeth as she said, "Fine, fine!"
As soon as she finished speaking, she didn't look at him again, turned around and strode out, galloping all the way out of Mingyufang. The jujube cakes outside the door were already prepared. She mounted her horse, flicked the reins, and the horse carried her away at high speed.
Wen Shiqin stood quietly by the window, his gaze fixed on the departing figure until it disappeared from sight.
He turned around, hands on his hips, gazing at the room's dazzling array of furnishings: embroidered curtains, jade and porcelain ornaments, each one exquisite.
But the room felt eerily empty.
Finally, he turned around abruptly, no longer caring about anything else, and strode after her.
Author's Note: The Palm Princess has arrived! [Exaggerated praise]
Note:
"Flowers bright, moon dim, shrouded in a light mist; tonight, I'll go to my lover's side." (Quoted from Li Yu's "Bodhisattva's Charm: Flowers Bright, Moon Dim, Shrouded in a Light Mist")
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