Chapter 21 It's all his fault!
A seemingly casual remark, laced with barbs, made Qian Yingyi glance at the guard.
The willows rustled, blocking a sliver of sunlight. Qin Lizheng stood in the shade, and as Qian Yingyi turned to look at Yan Ruheng, he gave him a cold, emotionless smile.
The next moment, he lowered his eyes and stepped back, creating distance between himself and Qian Yingyi.
Yan Ruheng frowned slightly; this guard was doing it on purpose.
After a moment of silence, Yan Ruheng asked Qian Yingyi gently, "I heard from Qiu Yan that you picked him up?"
For some reason, Qian Yingyi felt that his words just now were somewhat aggressive, but now they had become gentle. His attitude before and after was really strange. She pursed her lips slightly and looked at the guard again.
That one glance made her suddenly stop.
It was quite strange that a hint of grievance could appear on his cold and sharp face.
Yan Ruheng's smile gradually faded, and his gaze passed over Qian Yingyi to look at the guard. "Where did you learn your kung fu?"
Qin Lizheng leaned against a willow tree, no longer avoiding Yan Ruheng's sharp words, and said seriously, "Lord Yan is so eager to ask me, and so interested in a mere guard, what do you suspect about Miss?"
"Could it be... that Lord Yan brought his expertise in handling cases with him when he came out for a stroll?"
He emphasized the word "suspicion" with particular force. Seeing Qian Yingyi's brows furrow, Yan Ruheng paused for a long while before saying, "I didn't mean that."
Qian Yingyi glanced at his exceptionally handsome face, and just like when she left the Lin family last time, she felt that something was missing. Therefore, she only said politely, "It was precisely because of his good skills that Grandfather kept him as my bodyguard. I am also curious, why is Lord Yan interested in him today?"
This guard was sharp-tongued and had dug a hole for himself with just a few words. If he continued to talk, wouldn't he be falling into his trap?
Yan Ruheng quickly changed his expression and said with a smile, "I just asked him casually because I saw that he was very skilled that day."
Just then, Qian Qiyu also escaped. Upon seeing Qin Lizheng, she happily ran over, but halfway there she realized there was someone standing in front of her sister, so she turned back. After seeing clearly, she smiled and said, "Lord Yan?"
At first, he called me "Third Brother," but now he suddenly became distant. Yan Ruheng remained calm and composed. After a long pause, he chuckled softly and said to the two siblings in a joking manner, "If you keep calling me 'Sir,' I really feel like I'm here to investigate a case. I'm not used to it. Why don't you just call me by my name, or like everyone else and call me 'Third Brother'?"
Qian Qiyu, being young and naive, assumed it was just a form of address, so he nodded his chin and simply cupped his hands in greeting, saying, "Third Brother."
Yan Ruheng's brows relaxed, and he was about to speak again when Qian Qiyu cleverly avoided him, tilting her head to look into the shop and giggling, "Mom! Over here!"
Xu Jun had spotted Yan Ruheng from the second floor. She glanced at the sky and estimated that it would be dark by the time he got home. She then smiled and said, "Oh, it's Sanlang. What a coincidence! I'm so sorry. If it were still early, I would have let the two children wander around Jiangning. But there are still two mouths to feed at home. It's late now, so please don't be offended, Sanlang."
The Qian family has a multitude of maids and servants; why would a mistress like her need to cook? Yan Ruheng understood that the Qian family, while not rejecting him outright, were not particularly close to him either. Therefore, he simply adopted the etiquette of a junior, bowing and saying, "Madam, please don't blame Sanlang for not entertaining you."
He immediately turned away and left.
Seeing Qian Qiyu being unreasonable and pestering the guard, demanding that the guard teach her a few more tricks, Xu Jun quickly slapped him on the back of the head and grabbed his ear, pulling him into the carriage.
"What are you learning? You're lucky to have had half a day to relax. When we get back to Yingtian Prefecture, you'd better go back to the prefecture and stay there obediently! The family won't take care of your food, drink, or toilet needs today!"
Qian Yingyi stood there, laughing happily.
Qin Lizheng broke away to call her to get into the carriage, but as he got closer, he suddenly realized that Yan Ruheng, who had already walked away, was looking back at him from afar.
He seemed to be infected by Qian Yingyi's laughter, and chuckled twice as well. He moved closer to her, his broad shoulders shielding her figure. He pressed the scabbard against her back and gently poked her forward. "Miss, let's go back."
"Hey, hey, why are you pushing me!" Qian Yingyi was pushed forward two steps. She tried to dodge, but the sword sheath seemed to be rooted to her back.
The scabbard was cold, but the warmth behind him was almost burning.
She abruptly stepped aside, giving the man a sharp shove, "Why should I ask you anything!"
Qin Lizheng bent down slightly and smiled, "Madam and Young Master are waiting for Miss. If we stay any longer, it will really be dark by the time we get home."
Qian Yingyi's eyes remained unchanged. She was slightly out of breath from being pushed by him, and her face was flushed, making the thin layer of rouge even more vibrant.
She glanced at the carriage and saw Xu Jun lifting the curtain to urge her on. She didn't have time to settle scores with him now, so she said "Mind your own business" and hurriedly ran away.
After she climbed into the carriage and the light yellow curtains covered her completely, Qin Lizheng gradually straightened up and turned around to look for Yan Ruheng's figure.
The streets were bustling, filled with the aroma of cooking. Qin Lizheng, observing Yan Ruheng's calm and collected expression, let out a slight smile.
Sunlight slants down through the bricks and tiles, casting faint specks of dust within the beams of light.
Perhaps at this very moment, two hearts, like these colliding dust particles, silently began their confrontation.
As dusk approached, a crescent moon rose from the evening glow, sending Qian Qiyu back to the prefectural school. On his way home, he happened to run into Qian Lanting.
Knowing they had gone to Jiangning to pay respects, Qian Lanting searched around but couldn't find Qian Younian. He frowned and asked, "Why didn't the second brother go with you?"
Xu Jun said, "Oh, it's just a visit to pay respects. His position as an official in the county government is far away. Yongping is not like Shangyuan or Jiangning. It would take him much longer to travel back and forth, so I didn't invite him to go."
After saying this, he hurriedly entered the house and sent his maids and servants to the kitchen to urge them to prepare dinner.
Qian Yingyi smiled and moved closer to Qian Lanting, saying, "Grandpa, is the Ministry of Works very busy? I haven't seen you for several days."
The Ministry of Works has indeed been busy lately. At the beginning of the year, an inspection of the imperial tombs revealed that they needed repairs. The ships that transported goods through the canal every year also showed signs of aging. Less than half a month after the memorial was submitted, the emperor ordered the ships to be rebuilt.
The Ministry of Works in Southern Zhili was divided into four departments. Coincidentally, the official in charge of shipbuilding, the Water Conservancy Department, fell seriously ill and was bedridden for several days. The task of supervising shipbuilding fell to Qian Lanting.
With all the official business piling up, Qian Lanting has been busy lately, returning home late at night and going out again before dawn. The grandfather and grandson haven't seen each other for several days.
Qian Lanting smiled at her and patted her head. "Missed Grandpa?"
"Of course I want to, how could I not?" Qian Yingyi gently nudged him twice, urging him to come inside. The two of them walked for a while to the small flower hall where the meal was served. Seeing the tired look on his face, Qian Yingyi obediently pressed his shoulders and casually said, "Grandpa, we ran into Yan Ruheng in Jiangning today."
Qian Lanting leaned back in his chair, his expression unchanged. "What did they say?"
"He didn't say anything, but my brother and I remember your teachings!"
Qian Lanting suddenly laughed, "Why be so cautious? Grandpa said not to get involved with their family, not that you should always be on guard against them. If you run into them in the future, just do whatever you want."
Upon hearing this, Qian Yingyi didn't say anything more, just noted what was said and left everything else to chance.
Dinner consisted of a roasted duck, a bowl of hot and sour shredded lamb tripe, a plate of fried hairy tofu, and three fragrant cornbreads.
Qian Yingyi had been out all day and had eaten quite a bit. She put down her chopsticks, gently wiped her mouth clean, patted her stomach, and pouted, saying, "How am I going to sleep tonight..."
Little did they know that their words would come true. That night, trapped in her bed, Qian Yingyi tossed and turned, unable to sleep soundly.
It wasn't that her stomach was bloated, but when she lay flat, she always felt as if a stone had inexplicably grown out of the bed, making her back extremely uncomfortable.
Hearing the merriment on the riverbank, the drunken revelry, Qian Yingyi couldn't sleep. So she picked up a cloak and wrapped herself up tightly, then sat down at her desk to continue writing the strange tale she had just heard.
The room was brightly lit, but Qian Yingyi did not use the yellow gauze cover. The candlelight flickered a few times, and gradually it became a bit hot.
Qian Yingyi casually pushed open the window. The courtyard was dim and quiet, and the maids were all fast asleep. A gust of wind blew in her face, and she looked up at the starry sky, becoming even more unable to sleep.
As she admired it, the ink hanging from the tip of her brush gradually seeped down, and by the time Qian Yingyi noticed, it had spread into a striking ink dot.
"Hiss..." Qian Yingyi said angrily, grabbing the paper and looking at it over and over. "I went to so much trouble to write this! Now that you've tainted it, how am I supposed to use you!"
He actually started talking to the paper.
When this habit of hers strikes, nothing seems right to her. One moment she's fiddling with the books on her desk, the next she's feeling a discomfort in her back.
Thinking of this, Qian Yingyi suddenly blamed the guard. If he hadn't been pointing that cold, hard scabbard at her, how could she have acted this way?
It's all his fault!
Qian Yingyi put on a jacket and tied it with a pale yellow skirt. Although she wasn't dressed up, she was still presentable. When she opened the door aggressively, she startled Chuntang, who was holding a lantern and tying knots.
Chuntang rushed over to greet her, but Qian Yingyi simply waved her hand and gestured twice, saying that she didn't need to follow.
Qian Yingyi walked into the courtyard and searched around, but couldn't find the guard. She figured he must be hiding in some corner, so she picked up a lantern and walked out, determined to find him and punish him severely!
"Miss, were you looking for me?"
A voice suddenly appeared behind her, startling her so much that she shrugged and nearly jumped up. Afraid of waking the maids, she gritted her teeth and asked, "Are you trying to scare me to death?"
Qin Lizheng stared at her clothes, his eyes flashing slightly. After a moment, he turned his chin slightly and asked, "Why did you come out?"
"Hmph, you still have the nerve to ask?" Qian Yingyi pouted, her heart filled with resentment. "If it weren't for you, I would have been asleep long ago!"
The young man raised one eyebrow slightly, somewhat intrigued, and said in a low voice, "What does this have to do with me?"
"It's all because of you..." Qian Yingyi quickly shut her mouth at this point, secretly thinking that if she said this out loud, it would make it seem like she was tossing and turning because of him, which would greatly change the meaning of her words. She didn't want to suffer that kind of loss.
So she hung the lantern high at her waist, letting the light reflect off her face, and said in a sinister tone, "I'm going to punish you."
Qin Lizheng glanced at her. "What punishment?"
"I'll punish you..." She took two steps back, squinting as she scanned him up and down. She was thinking of a way to torment him, but when her gaze fell on his lean waist, she suddenly remembered that when she took him home, he seemed to be badly injured.
So she changed the subject, her tone softening unconsciously, "Everyone is asleep tonight. If I punish you now, it would make me seem heartless as a young lady. I'll punish you tomorrow! Now you come with me to the garden. You're not allowed to speak, not allowed to get close, and not allowed to scare me!"
Qin Lizheng was still attracted by her innate gentleness, and in the instant she couldn't see him, his smile softened. He then took her lantern and led the way for her without saying a word.
The water clock dripped softly, and Qian Yingyi's skirt fluttered as she walked until she reached a small garden. She didn't want to go any further, so she casually leaned against the railing and gazed at the moon. The mist had cleared and the wind was gentle tonight; it was a truly beautiful night.
Perhaps the guards were too quiet, because she turned her head slightly and finally broke the silence, asking, "Hey, I'm curious too. You said you were so skilled, so how did you get injured when I met you?"
She stared at him intently, and Qin Lizheng gritted his teeth, almost revealing everything to her.
Thinking back to when that net was woven to trap someone, it might have caught a pool of blood. He didn't want to involve her in this complicated plan, so he said, "It was an accidental mishap."
Qian Yingyi pursed her lips, pretending she had already heard, and didn't press the matter further. She then looked up again to admire the Milky Way woven by the stars.
She seemed to have started, glancing at him every now and then, when suddenly she noticed a bright color between his fingers. She exclaimed "Huh?" and moved closer to him, her gaze falling on his hand. "A silver ring?"
Qin Lizheng lowered his eyes and stared, his voice very soft: "Mm."
He stood still for a moment, inhaling the scent of tonka bean on her body, and glancing at her hand with her head tilted to the side. The next moment, he hung the troublesome lantern high up.
It was this movement that made Qian Yingyi see that he was wearing silver rings on both hands, and that the rings on his left and right hands were not asymmetrical.
She pursed her lower lip, a renewed itch stirring in her heart.
She is his master, and although she shouldn't concern herself with such trivial matters, but... if she brings it up, he will do it, right?
"Why...why do you have two rings?" The moonlight shone brightly, making her slightly downcast face even clearer. She wasn't wearing any makeup tonight, and her ear piercings were empty, but Qin Lizheng felt that her figure resembled the earrings she used to wear, swaying into his heart. "Could you wear them symmetrically?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Qian Yingyi's eyes held a hint of hope, wishing he would listen and change the position of the silver ring.
Unfortunately, tonight he refused to grant her wish. He tightened his grip on her finger, twirling the silver ring back and forth, a half-smile playing on his lips. "Didn't you say earlier that you didn't want me to interfere? Then why is it your business to interfere?"
Qian Yingyi choked abruptly, biting her lip inwardly. She was about to say something nonchalant to save face when she detected a hint of teasing in his tone, and her heart skipped a beat.
In the long silence, only the different breaths of the woman and the man remained, shallow and heavy, both clearly audible and somewhat agitated.
Finally, Qin Lizheng turned his head to survey the sky, then turned away to take down the lantern. "It's time to go back to sleep."
The empty, quiet garden was bursting with flowers. The guards' footsteps were heavy, so heavy that Qian Yingyi's meager strength could not be mobilized, and she could not concentrate her thoughts on anything else. Only at this moment did the repaired hairpin pop into her mind.
As if possessed, she stood still and asked softly, "Why did you put insect-repellent fragrance in my hairpin?"
The moonlight slanted down onto the young man's shoulder. He didn't turn around, but said, "Because I serve Miss, I don't want her to be afraid."
Qian Yingyi stared at his back, gently clenched her fist, opened her mouth as if to say something, rolled her tongue around, but only lightly licked her lower lip, unusually speechless.
After a long pause, the young man started walking forward, turning his head slightly to signal her to follow. "It's getting chilly. If you don't go back to sleep soon, and catch a cold tomorrow, don't blame me, Miss."
Walking one after the other to the outside of Yunteng Pavilion, Qian Yingyi took the lantern. Her heart gradually calmed down. Thinking of how he had startled her earlier, she stole a glance at him and asked, "Little hawksbill turtles are often lazy and don't build their nests. What about you? Where do you usually guard them?"
Qin Lizheng answered succinctly, "The roof."
Qian Yingyi's expression suddenly turned strange. "Do I not have money to pay for your sleep or what? It's one thing for him not to want to stay in the house, but you're even worse?"
She cursed him inwardly for being stupid, but didn't show it on her face. She still glanced at him and snorted, "I'm going to rest now. If you don't fall asleep, you'll be punished tomorrow."
After speaking, he turned and walked back to his bedroom, handing the lantern to Chuntang and leaving Qin Lizheng with a hazy, indistinct view.
After wandering around the garden, it was quite chilly. She washed her hands and face, changed into her nightgown, and then collapsed into the gauze tent.
The quilt was soft and warm, and whether it was just my imagination or not, the unpleasant feeling on my back had long since disappeared.
She looked up at the top of the tent, remained silent for a moment, and then, wanting to test if he was there, she softly called out, "Hey."
It was a whisper, a very soft sound.
To her surprise, two dull, heavy knocks came from the tightly sealed roof. Qian Yingyi suddenly smiled, thinking to herself that she really was a fool, then turned over in bed and soon fell asleep.
That night, under the moonlit flowers, a few drops of dew gradually gathered on the branches of the garden blossoms, slowly converging in one spot. It was as if something unspeakable was quietly drawing closer.
Meanwhile, Yan Ruheng returned home before dark. As soon as he entered the study, he was hit on the head. The object fell to the ground, and he realized it was a book he had picked up casually.
He looked up and saw Yan Yu sitting behind the desk with a sullen face, and Lin Bianhong sitting beside him with a slightly embarrassed expression. He bent down to pick up the book and bowed to Lin Bianhong with his usual gentle manner.
Lin Bianhong's son, Lin Yuhu, was utterly useless, so he found Yan Ruheng increasingly pleasing to the eye. He then spoke up to stop him, saying, "Why take your anger out on the child? Shouldn't you blame Lu Jue?"
Because Lu Jue suddenly appeared in Jiangning, after this inspection, they had to spend more money to repair the good mud, and even had to take money out of their pockets to make up for it. How could Yan Yu be happy?
His face remained tense, but he didn't say anything to scold him.
Yan Ruheng walked to Lin Bianhong's side, gently lifted the hem of his robe and sat down, lowering his eyes and saying, "Father, I saw Yingyi today."
“Now that you’ve met her, you must find a way to make her happy and to make her remember you,” Yan Yu said calmly, taking a sip of tea. “Just meeting her once is not enough.”
"Yes, son will remember."
Lu Jue's arrival disrupted Yan Yu's control over everything. Yan Yu got up and paced back and forth for a long time before finally making up her mind. She looked at Lin Bianhong and said, "You're right. We still need to let go of our inhibitions and get things done without being timid."
He squinted and continued, “My brother-in-law, Wang Yi, is in charge of the delivery station. He has a concubine in his house whom he took in the year he was promoted. His concubine is from Huai’an. I heard that a cousin of his is doing silk business in Huai’an. That cousin is a merchant. The Huai’an Weaving Bureau is poorly managed, and the people below are lazy, so half of the fabric comes from him. He has always wanted to follow in my brother-in-law’s footsteps, just for the sake of protecting each other between officials and merchants.”
Lin Bianhong crossed his legs and laughed, “Huai’an Prefecture has to supply a lot of silk to the higher authorities every year. If he wants to find protection for himself, he will inevitably have to use his most valuable possessions. We should take at least half of that silk.”
"What's the merchant's surname?"
Yan Yu said, "I've only heard that his surname is Pei."
Thinking of the high price of silk, which must have been worth a fortune in silver, Yan Yu's anger gradually subsided, and her gaze towards Yan Ruheng softened considerably.
The candlelight flickered slightly, making his expression even more unpredictable. He smiled and waved to Yan Ruheng, "Sanlang, why don't you go and invite your uncle over?"
"Oh, don't forget to thank your uncle again. If it weren't for his good relationship with Lord Wen of the Ministry of Personnel, who transferred you back, even if I had money, it wouldn't be convenient for me to use it."
Yan Ruheng nodded with a smile, but as soon as he stepped out of the door, the smile on his lips suddenly faded, and his hands, which were tied behind his back, gradually clenched.
As they walked to the covered walkway, the servant Ruoshan glanced at him and, knowing he was struggling between blood ties and the debt of gratitude for being raised, sighed and stepped forward to advise him: "Young master, don't think too much. Why make things difficult for yourself? Actually, if you take care of things first, you can marry Miss Qian later, seize the opportunity to be transferred to another place, and the two of you can live a peaceful life together. That would be better than being torn between both sides."
It was probably afternoon when Yan Ruheng saw Qian Yingyi. Thinking of her gentle smile, Yan Ruheng's eyes suddenly shifted.
The guard's taunts as he left also flashed before my eyes.
“You’re right,” Yan Ruheng suddenly felt a surge of energy and quickened his pace. “If I can marry her, perhaps I can also find relief.”
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Author's note: I wrote this quickly today, so I'm posting it ahead of schedule.
Qian Yingyi: [Question mark][Angry][Eye roll][Shy]
When facing Yan Ruheng, the guard almost exuded the aroma of tea, hahaha!
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