To honor and humble oneself
Then, the soldiers at the water gate shouted and hoisted the sluice gate, ready to let the small boat into the inner palace city waterway.
A Qiu and Chu Huaiming looked at each other. Chu Huaiming showed a resolute and decisive look, and said in a clear voice, "I am going back to Beining Pavilion. I will not go to the palace with you."
A Qiu gestured to inquire about the extent of his injuries. Chu Huaiming mouthed, "Although not fully healed, I can still walk back." A Qiu then looked at Gu Yi, who nodded, indicating that Chu Huaiming could leave.
Chu Huaiming silently crept onto the bow of the boat. Xiao Chang'an felt the movement under his feet and looked down to see Chu Huaiming, who had covered his face again, with only his eyes showing, gesturing for him to be quiet.
Xiao Chang'an understood his meaning and had long been fond of this resolute and decisive young man. He pretended not to see anything, while still chatting idly with Pei Yu, intentionally or unintentionally distracting her.
As the boat passed through the city gate, Chu Huaiming seized the moment when the light boat disappeared into the shadows and silently skimmed ashore.
Just as A Qiu was about to ask Gu Yi in a low voice what he wanted to do with the Flying Phoenix Guards at the Music Bureau, the sound of waves lapping against the boat began to rise slowly, and a sliver of dawn was already appearing on the eastern waters.
Seeing that Chu Huaiming had already disembarked and left, and that the two remaining in the cabin were both influential figures, it wouldn't be a big deal if Pei Yu alone discovered them. He no longer needed to hide anything, so he also fell silent.
Pei Yu said leisurely, "Lord Xiao, you seem to be living a very carefree life outside Jianzhang Palace. Even though the Junior Tutor has been back for quite some time, Lord Xiao has not returned."
Xiao Chang'an did not return with Gu Yi for two reasons. Firstly, he had agreed on the conditions for crossing the river to pay homage to Li Chongyu. Secondly, if Gu Yi had not sent an urgent letter urging him to come back, he would have served as the Southern Dynasty's special envoy to welcome Li Chongyu, accompanying him all the way and helping him to deal with any border crossings he encountered.
Hearing Pei Yu's probing, he simply smiled and said, "Chang'an is just doing what the young master instructed, enduring wind and rain, and wandering the wilderness. How can it compare to the young lady's wealth and leisure in the capital?"
Pei Yu, however, seemed quite interested and interrupted him, saying, "Where did you hear that I live a life of wealth and leisure? I spend most of my time training in the military camp. Now that I'm on duty at the Eastern Palace, I'm sometimes in the palace and sometimes patrolling the outer city. I don't have a moment of free time."
Inside the cabin, A Qiu felt increasingly uneasy. Was Miss Pei really having a serious chat?
In the past, Pei Yu had always been seen as someone with the calm and heroic spirit of a military family's daughter and the pride of a noblewoman, someone not easily approachable for casual conversation. On the other hand, although Miss Shangguan Yuqi seemed aloof and ethereal, she was actually much more approachable.
Xiao Chang'an seemed to become more vigilant. He, who was usually so talkative among the dancers in the music hall, was unusually silent and taciturn.
Pei Yu seemed oblivious and asked again, "What was your life like at the Hidden World Sect? I've heard people say that it's a place of beautiful mountains and clear waters, a secluded paradise. I imagine you must have spent your days practicing swordsmanship and playing the flute in the mountains, living a life of quiet solitude and oblivion."
A Qiu had witnessed Xiao Chang'an's scheming methods and learned from Gu Yi that he was a descendant of the Lanling Xiao family. She knew perfectly well that Xiao Chang'an was so cunning and shrewd at such a young age, and that his life was definitely not the life Pei Yu had imagined.
Although she was very close to Gu Yi, she was still worried that Pei Yu would hear her if she spoke, so she took one of Gu Yi's hands and wrote in his palm, "What is she doing?"
Given Miss Pei's noble status, it is quite unusual that she first took the initiative to board this ship, and then took the initiative to ask questions about various topics.
If Pei Yu wanted to know something, given her personality, she could use coercion or bribery, but the least likely thing she would do was to lower herself to the level of doing this to extract information.
Gu Yi stared at the hand she had pulled up, momentarily stunned, a bitter smile appearing on his lips.
He was confident he could guess about 70-80% of Pei Yu's thoughts. Although he was averse to women and wouldn't allow them to get close to him, he had lived a long time and had some experience with human relationships.
But it was difficult to say it aloud, because even Pei Yu herself probably didn't understand. As the noblewoman of the most powerful military family in the Southern Dynasty, it was truly unexpected that she would suddenly be attracted to a wandering swordsman from the deep mountains and marshes.
The key point is that Pei Yu has always been navigating the circles of powerful and influential families in the capital. Among those纨绔子弟 (sons of wealthy and powerful families) and 王侯公子 (sons of noble families), there are not many with real talent and learning. Even if there are, their sharp edges and spirits have long been worn away by the strict hierarchy of their families and clans.
Xiao Chang'an was not only selected into the Flying Phoenix Guard based on his own abilities, but he was also not a true prodigal son, still possessing the innocence and insight of a young man.
Sophistication and nonchalance, shrewdness and innocence—these seemingly contradictory traits combined in such a handsome and dashing young man are truly a disaster for young girls.
Upon thinking of this, Gu Yi couldn't help but recall Xiao Chang'an's confession of his feelings for A Qiu. Immediately, alarm bells rang in his heart as he looked at A Qiu. But seeing her earnest eyes, as if expecting him to teach and enlighten her, with no other ulterior motives, Gu Yi felt much relieved.
He thought for a moment, then took A-Qiu's hand and opened it, writing on it: "Just curious."
Just out of curiosity?
A Qiu repeated these four words to himself several times. Then, listening to Pei Yu's increasingly relaxed chatter outside, he pondered for a moment and understood most of it.
Among the Four Guards of Flying Phoenix, Shangguan Yuqi and Pei Yu came from ordinary backgrounds, so there's nothing to be curious about. General Fan Liancheng grew up in a Northwest military camp, which, while different from Pei Yuanli's Divine Hound Camp, was essentially the same.
There is only one Xiao Chang'an. He is not only the only boy among the four, but also comes from a completely different background in the martial arts world, which has shaped his unique free and unrestrained temperament.
After Pei Yu pressed him with a series of questions, Xiao Chang'an remained even more silent.
Pei Yu then asked, "What do you usually like to do? Where have you been?"
Xiao Chang'an finally said meaningfully, "I have indeed been to many cities, but wherever I go, my favorite place to visit, and the place I always go to, is the largest brothel in the area."
A Qiu was stunned. She and Gu Yi looked at each other, but Gu Yi's expression was not much better than hers.
The reason is simple: it was quite astonishing that these words were spoken so openly by a fourteen or fifteen-year-old boy.
Pei Yu was undoubtedly startled by these words and was speechless for a moment.
Xiao Chang'an laughed and said, "To be honest, Miss Pei, I just came from Luoyufang, the brothel with the most Hu women in Jianzhang. The advantage of being a Jianghu person is that you are not bound by any family rules, nor do you have to pay attention to your father or uncles. As long as you have money, you can do whatever you want."
A Qiu knew that his words were half true and half false. If true, he really did come from Luoyufang; if false, even a martial artist had to abide by the rules of their sect and be disciplined by a bunch of senior uncles and elders. Especially since his Hidden Sect was a famous and righteous sect. However, these words were more than enough to scare Pei Yu, who was still in her boudoir.
Gu Yi's eyes flickered slightly as he glanced at her face without making a sound. Seeing that she seemed unaffected, he suddenly pulled her hand back and wrote on it, "Aren't you angry?"
A Qiu was taken aback for a moment, wondering why she was angry. She rubbed her forehead and wrote two words on his hand: "Fake." This meant that Xiao Chang'an's words were false.
Gu Yi withdrew his hand thoughtfully and stopped talking to her.
At this moment, the small boat was completely silent, as Pei Yu still did not answer Xiao Chang'an's question.
After a moment, Pei Yu said calmly, without showing any emotion, "Bring the boat closer to the shore."
Xiao Chang'an must have immediately obeyed her orders, because A Qiu immediately felt the boat drift to one side.
The boat felt lighter, and then there was the sound of armor and clothing cutting through the wind as it rushed toward the shore. A Qiu didn't need to look to imagine that Pei Yu had already leaped off the small boat and walked into the palace alone.
A Qiu was a little confused: Didn't she say that she was going to enter the palace with Xiao Chang'an? Why did she leave the boat and walk halfway through the journey?
Gu Yi, however, knew perfectly well what was going on.
For Pei Yu, this bold leap onto Xiao Chang'an's small boat tonight was probably the most adventurous and proactive experience of her life so far. She herself might not even understand her own feelings at this moment.
Whether Xiao Chang'an's words were true or false was no longer important; he was deliberately making it difficult for her to respond, causing her embarrassment and making her unable to stay any longer.
As one of the two noble ladies of the Southern Dynasty, Pei Yu was usually surrounded by flattering and fawning young men and women, with smiling faces. She didn't need to take the initiative to find topics to talk about, nor would she be rudely interrupted.
Therefore, she immediately understood Xiao Chang'an's intentions towards her. If she still had a shred of pride befitting a noblewoman, she wouldn't have stayed there to listen to his veiled insults. And indeed, she understood his meaning from his words and left immediately.
Gu Yi, being a gentleman, sighed.
Xiao Chang'an had already crawled into the cabin, letting out a heavy sigh of relief. He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and said with lingering fear, "Finally she's gone! I didn't want to keep dragging her to Tangli Garden like this, doing all the work and chatting!"
She added reproachfully, "That boy has already left, and the young master didn't even come out to say a word. I guarantee that as soon as she sees the young master's face, which is so black it could drip ink, she will immediately know to take her leave."
Gu Yi said calmly, "You handled it very well, there's no need for me to help."
A Qiu looked at Xiao Chang'an and said with some amusement, "You used to mingle among us geishas, always arguing and having a great time. Why are you risking offending the Pei family today and being so impolite to Miss Pei?"
Without a second thought, Xiao Chang'an replied, "How is she the same as you? The young lady always needs to be pampered, while you and I are equals. Today, I only said a couple of words that were a little presumptuous, and she stormed off. If we were closer, I'm afraid if I said a single word to another woman, she would want to wipe out my entire family. I know I can't handle this little tigress, so it's best to offend her sooner rather than later."
A Qiu looked at him, but could no longer laugh. She thought Xiao Chang'an was just used to being arrogant and regarded power and wealth as fleeting clouds, but she did not expect that he saw through the intricacies of human nature so clearly. She herself could not match his grasp of the subtleties of human nature.
Gu Yi looked at her face, coughed, and said, "This kind of experience will come with time; there's no need to learn it. If you're really curious, you can ask the Left Prime Minister; he knows more than Xiao Xiao does."
Xiao Chang'an's eyes immediately lit up, and he said with an unfriendly expression, "I'm right here, so why did you tell Sister A Qiu to ask the Left Prime Minister?"
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