Chapter 5 Witnessing Her Flirting with Other Men
Xue Mingyao quickly realized why she saw Xie Zhuo here.
Chen Liangqing wrote a history on the pacification of the southern frontier, and Xie Zhuo, as the general who had just returned from the southern expedition, was undoubtedly the protagonist of "The Record of the Southern Expedition".
Sure enough, the host said, "Princess, this is General Xie Zhuo. Like you, he has come to my humble abode at my request for the 'Record of the Southern Expedition'."
Chen Liangqing sat by the window, smiling as he spoke. His voice was clear and gentle, his features were handsome, and he was dressed in simple robes and wooden clogs. Without saying or doing anything, his noble and refined demeanor was subtly revealed.
He rolled up his wide sleeves and personally poured tea for Xue Mingyao.
"So that's how it is, what a coincidence. I've come rather abruptly, I hope you won't mind me bothering you, Hanlin Chen." Xue Mingyao gave him a perfectly elegant glance, then took the tea and sipped it lightly.
"I was ill on the fifteenth and failed to keep my appointment, which was already impolite. The princess disregarded past grievances and visited again to help with the writing of the letter. How could I feel that I was bothering her?"
"Speaking of illness, has Chen Hanlin's cold been cured?"
Chen Hanlin nodded gently, "Thank you for your concern, Princess."
Xie Zhuo had been staring at Xue Mingyao ever since she entered the room.
She was a complete stranger to him.
She was dressed simply, without gold or silver ornaments, only a jade hairpin tucked diagonally into her hair, like a shy and demure young lady from a scholar's household. He had never seen her so plainly before.
She also adorned her hair with a few pure white jasmine buds, which exuded a delicate jasmine fragrance.
Jasmine...
Xie Zhuo's eyes darkened. What had Xue Mingyao said before?
"Jasmine is a flower that ordinary women can wear in their hair, how could it suit my status? Besides, the flowers are small and the leaves are many, it's too petty. The scent is nice, but unfortunately it's too ordinary."
Xue Mingyao finally noticed Xie Zhuo staring at her for too long.
She smiled at Xie Zhuo, "I really liked the bow the general gave me the other day. I wonder how your condition is? Is your face feeling better?"
"I'm feeling a bit better," Xie Zhuo said, bowing his head to drink his tea.
Xue Mingyao turned to Chen Liangqing with a charming smile, "Chen Hanlin, when you describe the scenery of the southern border, you must include the 'Beauty's Intoxication' flower. General Xie and I have both suffered terribly from this beautiful but poisonous flower."
She recounted her childhood poisoning story with great emotion.
Chen Liangqing already knew from Xie Zhuo why he covered his face. Now, after hearing Xue Mingyao's explanation, he smiled gently and said, "Such a beautiful woman has actually caused both the princess and the general to be poisoned. I am truly curious. What kind of fragrance is it?"
Xue Mingyao said, "That's easy. I once had a craftsman make a similar scented bait, which I often wear. I'll send you some next time, and then you'll know."
Xie Zhuo listened without saying a word, his eyes growing colder and colder.
After Chen Liangqing thanked her, Xue Mingyao took out an old book and handed it to him. "This is a notebook that my father wrote when he was in the southern border region. I thought it would be useful for your book writing, so I brought it over. There is another scroll that has been soaked in water, and the handwriting has bled and is difficult to read. I will have someone make a new copy and then give it to you."
Xue Chongyi's other notebook was actually lying perfectly fine in the Xue family's library. The neat and clear characters inside could be read smoothly even by an eight-year-old child. Xue Mingyao said this only to use the excuse of delivering the book to meet Chen Liangqing again.
There's no longer any "gentleman's favorite fragrance" in the manor, but that's alright, we can just have the incense maker make it again according to the recipe.
Chen Liangqing opened the thin book and quickly read a few pages. He had two questions and asked them casually. Xue Mingyao answered as best she could. After she finished, Xie Zhuo, who had been silent for a long time, added a few words.
Chen Liangqing spread out a sheet of white hemp paper, moistened his brush with ink, and wrote down the key points the two men had discussed.
When he writes, his back is straight but not stiff, his head is slightly lowered, and his crane-like neck curves in an elegant arc. His hands, holding the black pen, are long and fair, with slightly protruding knuckles and thick calluses. The dim midday light shines on him, making him look like a serene landscape painting.
There are no mountains or rivers, but people can be mountains, and the words flowing from the tip of the pen are water.
Xue Mingyao stared at Chen Liangqing, this ethereal mountain with its superior aura, and unconsciously began to associate him with Xie Qinglang from her memories.
Xie Qinglang was writing at his desk, his posture upright and focused, as if he had stepped into a painting, exuding a tranquil and refined scholarly aura. She liked him like this and never stopped him from reading and writing. Sitting quietly beside him, she admired the painting that she had snatched and carefully framed, making it exclusively hers, and felt very content.
She even found the hard callus on his middle finger adorable, and even wanted to kiss it.
Unfortunately, Xie Qinglang would only admire it for a short while before saying with disgust, "Get out, don't look at me."
How could she obey his orders? Not only did she refuse to go out, but she also crossed her legs, propped her chin up, and openly stared at him, becoming even more blatant in her gaze.
At this point, Xie Qinglang would blush and slam the book heavily onto the table.
Xue Mingyao didn't care about his attitude. When he threw down his book, she threw down her inkstone, and ink splashed out, flying onto his face, making her laugh out loud.
Xie Qinglang was even more annoyed, "Still laughing at me? Don't you even know what kind of person you are!"
She screamed and quickly covered her face. The two hurriedly searched for bronze mirrors and handkerchiefs.
Xue Mingyao was lost in her memories, her eyes involuntarily glazed over.
Xie Zhuo witnessed the change in her expression, and several thoughts flashed through his mind. His face gradually turned extremely pale, but fortunately, he had a mask to cover it up.
Inside the room, the guests had different thoughts, but the host was single-minded. After writing half a page, he put down his pen and continued to ask and discuss matters concerning the southern border with the two men.
Half an hour passed in a flash, and it was already noon. The clerk came to ask Chen Liangqing if he was going to the public kitchen for lunch.
All the departments of the Great Zhou Dynasty had their own public kitchens. Although the Hanlin Academy was a loosely organized government office with only a few scholars on duty each day, it still set aside a small hall as a place for scholars to dine.
Since there were guests present today, especially female guests, it would be inconvenient to eat at the public kitchen. Therefore, Chen Liangqing asked a clerk to bring the food table and invited Xie Zhuo and Xue Mingyao to stay and have lunch together.
Xue Mingyao had been waiting for this opportunity for a long time. She glanced at Xie Zhuo and said to Chen Liangqing, "It is inconvenient for General Xie to eat while wearing a mask. If he takes off the mask, he may feel embarrassed because of the red rash on his face. Why don't we go to another place and let General Xie eat alone? Perhaps he will be more comfortable there."
"I failed to consider this carefully; Your Highness is too kind," Chen Liangqing said in his usual gentle and polite tone, then turned to Xie Zhuo and asked, "What is General Xie's opinion?"
"Let's do as the princess wishes," Xie Zhuo said.
When Xue Mingyao and Chen Liangqing left, she vaguely felt that Xie Zhuo gave her a cold smile.
Because he was wearing a mask, his sneer was not clearly visible, but his brief and indifferent reply was enough to make Xue Mingyao feel his displeasure.
Strange, what is he unhappy about?
She thoughtfully considered his feelings and helped him express his unspeakable difficulties, but instead of showing gratitude, he was so irritable.
What a strange person, both rude and inexplicable. Recalling his words and actions when he came to ask for medicine a few days ago, Xue Mingyao secretly made this judgment.
The two knelt down in front of the dining table in the outer room. Xue Mingyao gave Lüzhi, who had been waiting for a long time, a wink. Lüzhi understood and took the things to find the clerk.
Inside the cell, Xie Zhuo quickly finished his lunch and quietly slipped out through the doorway.
Behind the door was a screen. Nobles often preferred screens made of precious wood, mica, or jade, but Chen Liangqing's screen was made of paper, painted with continuous green landscapes, full of charm and not showing any artificiality.
Chen Liangqing was not only skilled in literature, but also in painting; a single painting of his was worth a fortune.
When Xue Mingyao arrived, she stared at the screen for a while, and then glanced at it again while eating. The painting technique on the screen gave her a vague sense of familiarity.
Adhering to the principle of not speaking while eating, Chen Liangqing asked only after finishing his meal, "Does the princess understand painting?"
"Just taking a look," Xue Mingyao said. "The brushstrokes and washes of the Hanlin Academy are rich and vibrant, the rocks are colored, and the clouds and water are left blank. The colors are vivid yet the transitions are natural. It is a masterpiece of the small green-and-blue style. I like it very much."
Chen Liangqing smiled and said, "You are clearly an expert in the field, so why do you say you are just looking at things blindly? However, although I love painting, the green and blue technique is not my forte, so this screen painting is not my work."
Xue Mingyao was somewhat surprised, "Who made that?"
"A friend found this painting in the city a few years ago. It is said to be the work of a scholar from Xichuan. He did not sign it, so we have no way of knowing his name."
Xue Mingyao's heart stirred slightly. Could it be Xie Qinglang? He was skilled in painting, especially in heavy-color landscapes, and it seemed that he had sold calligraphy and paintings before meeting her.
Unfortunately, it could not be verified in the end.
Even if it was painted by him, so what? He has nothing to do with her anymore. Does she have to use the painting to remember him? Xue Mingyao would not do such a despicable thing.
She gave up the idea of asking Chen Liangqing for the screen painting.
Behind the screen, Xie Zhuo turned his head slightly and quietly observed the two of them. The piled-up green rocks in the painting completely concealed his tall figure.
When he visited in the morning, he was quite surprised to see his old paintings appear here after traveling thousands of miles. Now, however, he was wondering why Xue Mingyao looked at the paintings several times, but stopped glancing at them after hearing that they were not by Chen Liangqing.
Also, when did Xue Mingyao learn to paint?
She clearly doesn't even know how to pronounce the word "chapped skin"!
Light footsteps sounded, and Lvzhi came in carrying a food box. She took out the porridge that she had just warmed in the kitchen and placed it in front of Chen Liangqing.
Xie Zhuo immediately heard Xue Mingyao's warm and sweet voice, "Chen Hanlin, it's cold in winter, and you've just caught a cold, so it's easy for it to flare up again. This is a porridge I brought from my residence. I thought ordinary porridge wouldn't be very effective, so I specially consulted the physician these past two days and adjusted the recipe. In addition to saposhnikovia and scallions, I added perilla leaves and a little bit of ginger, which makes the effect of dispelling wind and cold more obvious, and the taste is also more spicy and fragrant. Please try it."
Xie Zhuo gripped the wooden frame of the screen, a fire instantly igniting in his heart.
Years ago, Xue Mingyao's complaints still buzzed in his ears, assaulting Xie Zhuo along with the dizzying heat: "Xie Qinglang, why are you always sick? You just recovered from a cold the month before last, and you've caught it again this month? It's a good thing you're a scholar; if you were in my father's army camp, marching through the wind and rain every day, you'd be tortured to death..."
"...Here, I had the cook make you some wind-preventing porridge. The temperature has dropped again these past two days, so drink it quickly to avoid catching a cold and getting a fever."
Xie Zhuo didn't remember what he answered, but it was definitely a refusal. No matter what Xue Mingyao asked him to do, his first reaction was always to refuse.
"...You dare not drink it? Let me tell you, this is no ordinary porridge. It's a medicinal porridge that I spent tens of thousands of yuan to have prepared by the best doctor in Xichuan. I added perilla leaves and ginger to dispel cold. If you don't drink it, you'll have to pay me back the money!"
Suddenly, everything went black before his eyes.
A note from the author:
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General Xie broke through the defenses [droopy-eared rabbit head].
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