Chapter 11 Are all women like this?
The water clock dripped with unusually long, drawn-out sound. The garden was completely silent tonight. Suddenly, the candlelight in the yellow gauze lantern went out. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to have been blown out by the wind.
The guard took out a tinderbox from his pocket and lit it again.
As the light gradually brightened, Qian Yingyi noticed the red marks on his finger bones. She took a deep breath, regained her senses, and rolled her eyes. "What can I say to you? Weren't you going against me during the day? Now you're hitting the wall as I told you to?"
Qin Lizheng lowered his eyes slightly, looked in the direction she was pointing, and curled his lips, "Since Miss wants to send me away, I naturally have to be obedient."
Upon hearing this, Qian Yingyi glanced at him lightly.
She was genuinely concerned for him just now, but he always knows how to take advantage of her. How come she didn't notice that before?
The night fog was as cold as the dew on a cold night. The rustling north wind made the lanterns sway wildly, casting a pair of slanted shadows on the wall, drifting and drifting... The shadows gradually overlapped, as if entangled.
Strangely enough, Qian Yingyi suddenly remembered to avoid suspicion, so she stepped off a stone step to avoid his shadow, touched a handkerchief to wipe her face, and then suddenly remembered him wiping away her tears. She felt as if even the handkerchief was on fire.
Qian Yingyi glanced sideways at the motionless figure standing on the wall, then stealthily lifted her skirt and moved a little further away.
Just as he was about to increase the distance, he suddenly stopped. She was his mistress, his master; why was she hiding? She should be punishing him...
So Qian Yingyi decisively loosened her skirt, lifted her chin, glanced at the guard out of the corner of her eye, and snorted, "Come on, what are you lingering here for?"
She decided to let his first unruly offense go for the time being.
Perhaps because her face was a little too warm, when Qian Yingyi turned through a moon gate, she couldn't help but look at the figure holding a lantern and leading the way ahead.
Suddenly feeling agitated, she disliked this feeling of being out of control. So, in the quiet night, her lips, lightly rouged with lipstick, gently touched, and she changed the subject to divert attention. "Hey, you said you're from the capital. I used to live in the capital too. Which street in the capital do you live on?"
Qin Lizheng paused, his tone indifferent, "Why does Miss ask this?"
Before he could answer directly, Qian Yingyi pouted, inwardly cursing him for being stingy, and asked, "I heard from Xiao Daimao that your parents are in good health. You've been in Jinling for so long, do you miss them?"
"If you are in good health, why do you miss me?" Qin Lizheng stopped, still speaking in an undisguisedly indifferent tone.
Qian Yingyi nearly bumped into his back again. She quickly stopped and poked his back, then grabbed her skirt and went around to his front, her eyes still full of confusion. "Why would I need a reason? People are all made of flesh and blood."
Qin Lizheng's gaze turned slightly cold. He composed himself, stepped aside, and led the way without saying a word.
Qian Yingyi was stunned by that glance, and suddenly remembered that when he first came to the house, he said that her younger brother was a gambling addict, otherwise she would not have picked him up from the street after he was beaten.
There are countless families in Nanjing, and some families more or less have parents who favor their younger son. Thinking of this, Qian Yingyi assumed that he was not close to his family because of his younger brother.
It's not good to rub salt in someone's wounds, so Qian Yingyi realized it was inappropriate and didn't argue with him.
The road back to Yunteng Pavilion seemed a bit long tonight. After escorting them to the courtyard gate, Qin Lizheng stopped and hung the lantern high.
A few slivers of yellow light slanted in front of him. Qian Yingyi turned around and looked at him, pursed her lips, and said, "If you listen to me, I will consider not sending you away."
Two maids came out when they heard the commotion. Qian Yingyi twirled her skirt and went into the room, leaving only her pretty and graceful figure reflected on the gauze window.
Qin Lizheng's gaze lingered on the window for a long while. The light from the yellow gauze lantern gradually faded until the night was pitch black. Only then did Qin Lizheng turn and walk towards his own room.
When they opened the door, Little Tortoiseshell was dressed neatly. The two brothers patted him on the shoulder and said, "You feel better after sleeping through the first half of the night. It was your idea to let me come back to sleep first."
As soon as he finished speaking, he hurriedly drank two cups of tea and then slipped away from Qin Lizheng to go and guard outside Yunteng Pavilion.
Qin Lizheng pushed open the window, lit the lamp, and sat down at the desk. He leaned back in the chair, the candlelight shining on half of his face. After sitting alone for a while, cracks finally appeared on his calm and composed expression.
Hearing about the past from the Qian family tonight was truly unexpected. Therefore, he despicably sent Little Tortoise away and eavesdropped outside.
After a pause, Qin Lizheng took out a note from his pocket and wrote:
—I will personally settle the score for my brother's death. I haven't corresponded with my parents for the past two years, but I've heard from my subordinates that they are gradually opening up to each other, which gives me some peace of mind… Longing? The pain of separation is like spring grass, growing ever more abundant the further one travels. How can I not miss them? Yet, the more distant we are, the easier it is to get things done.
—Thinking of our parents, thinking of our elder brother, can our brother's spirit in heaven hear us? Even now, there are still people who are filled with righteous indignation for our brother.
Qin Lizheng was used to using the wind to force himself to remain calm. He was engrossed in writing when a gust of wind blew by, bringing with it a strong scent of ink and a faint, almost imperceptible wisp of... Lingling fragrance.
He held his arm across and sniffed lightly, realizing that he had inadvertently picked up a trace of her scent while wiping away the young lady's tears.
A pretty face appeared in his mind, sometimes gritting her teeth and smiling as she pinched him, sometimes gathering tears and pouting. Qin Lizheng unconsciously laid out another sheet of paper, picked up a pen and drew that face, deliberately making her cheeks puffy, with two large teardrops hanging on her cheeks.
Qin Lizheng smiled as he drew the portrait, adding a note beside it:
The warbling birds, which had been jumping around, became listless after crying and fell silent.
He paused, then wrote again:
—Although she is delicate, she is not arrogant. When she softens, even if she is fierce, she is hard to dislike. Her temperament is still unpredictable. That's how women are.
Unfortunately, Qin Lizheng couldn't quite figure out the issues related to women for the time being. He closed his notebook, remaining as taciturn as ever, and went to fetch water for a bath.
In Jinling, the rain always comes just in time for the sun to shine, and a crane soars into the clear sky, inspiring poetic thoughts that reach the heavens. The banks of the Qinhuai River are once again filled with scenes of harmonious verses and poetic exchanges.
The pretty girl in front of the courtyard gate smiled as always. When she was bored, she would deliberately toss her handkerchief in the breeze, and whoever picked it up would be teased and joked with by the girls.
On this day, Yan Ruheng left the Jiangning County government office and boarded a carriage to head home.
Jiangning is far from home, and Yan Ruheng usually stays at the yamen. Today, he was able to take some time out of his busy schedule to go home because his mother, Wang Cailing, was about to celebrate her birthday and sent someone to tell him to come home for a family reunion.
The Yan family lived in Sifu Lane next to the Confucius Temple. At first glance, their house did not seem wealthy, but upon closer inspection, one could find an air of elegance emanating from their scholarly home.
As you walk inside, the house is spacious and luxurious. Along the way, maids and servants are constantly working, and they all bow and greet Yan Ruheng when they see him.
After darting left and right, Yan Ruheng entered Wang Cailing's courtyard. He lifted the curtain and went in, a gentle and polite smile on his face. He bowed to the hazy figure behind the landscape screen and said, "Mother, your son is back."
"Oh, so you know how to come back," the voice came out before the person did. The sound of shoes clattering came from inside, and after a while, a beautiful woman came out. She looked like she hadn't woken up from her afternoon nap, and her face showed her laziness. "Before, when you were in Fengyang Prefecture, I couldn't see you, so I always wrote to urge you to come back and visit. Now that you've been transferred back, I have to go and invite you. What kind of logic is that?"
Yan Ruheng laughed, "It's the son who is unfilial."
Wang Cailing glared at him a few times, then had two maids help her wash her face. After a short while, she smiled and said, "Your father came home early today. He said he prepared some new things for me. Come with me to take a look."
So the mother and son walked through the hall and found Yan Yu in the front hall. He was walking an ordinary-looking parrot. When he saw the two of them coming, a servant took the birdcage from him.
Yan Yu has well-proportioned features. Although he is getting older, his physique is far superior to that of the other officials. He can be vaguely seen as handsome and elegant. His eyes and eyebrows also bear a resemblance to Yan Ruheng.
Yan Ruheng stepped forward and bowed, but was lifted up by him. "We're family, my son, why be so formal?"
After speaking, he smiled and beckoned to Wang Cailing. The servant, who was good at reading people's expressions, quickly brought over a chest. When he opened it, it was full of the finest Yun brocade.
In addition, Yan Yu pulled out a small dressing case from somewhere and held it up to the sunlight for Wang Cailing to examine. The dressing case was filled with gemstones and jade hairpins.
Wang Cailing's gaze was drawn to the two glass incense bottles, and she couldn't help but pick them up for a closer look. "They're exquisitely crafted and very beautiful..."
Yan Yu smiled and said, "They came by sea and aren't very valuable, but they're rare. Your brother found these two sachets at the post office and told me about them, so I asked for them."
Seeing Wang Cailing's delighted expression, Yan Yu couldn't help but gently pat her back.
The sun was high in the sky, and fearing that Wang Cailing would get sunburned, the family of three went into the hall. During this time, Yan Yu asked Yan Ruheng about his official duties in Jiangning County, and Yan Ruheng answered honestly.
As dusk settled, maids and servants came forward to set out the meal. Wang Cailing was very happy at the table and kept piling food onto Yan Ruheng's plate, soon filling the entire bowl.
Yan Ruheng said helplessly, "Mother, I'm not young anymore."
Wang Cailing glanced at him and asked with a smile, "Your sister rarely comes home, and you're even less and less at home. Does that mean I'm guilty for being a loving mother?"
"It's the son's fault." Yan Ruheng held his bowl and ate, no longer saying a word.
After dinner, Wang Cailing said she wanted to go see the Yun Brocade and said to Yan Ruheng, "You two haven't seen each other for quite some time, chat a bit more, I'll go out first."
When she left, the maids in the room also withdrew, making sure to close the door behind them.
Yan Ruheng sat in the chair, eyes lowered, silent for a long time.
After a while, Yan Yu got up and slowly paced on the floor tiles of the hall. She asked with a smile, "Heng'er, did you see that Miss Qian in Jiangning a few days ago?"
Yan Ruheng suddenly looked up at her father. When they were alone, her father didn't like to beat around the bush and always got straight to the point.
After a moment, he nodded slightly. "Yes, I saw him."
Yan Yu patted his shoulder with a half-smile, "It's not that your father sent people to follow you, it's just that your father also wants to know how things are going. Now that you've seen her, have you said anything to her?"
We chatted about everyday things.
Yan Yu seemed quite satisfied. He walked back to his chair, sipped his tea, and a calculating look appeared in his eyes. "I've received the official documents you submitted. If it weren't for the group of people in Yingtian Prefecture waiting for me to fall, I wouldn't have had to take such a risk and rely on official documents to pass on information. Thirty thousand taels... is just a small amount. Your most important task now is to win over Miss Qian's heart. She has quite a background. For the sake of her brother-in-law, who is a secretary in the Ministry of Revenue, we also need to work hard behind the scenes."
“You know, although the emperor hasn’t implemented any new policies, the direction of the court can change at any time. While I’m still the head of Yingtian Prefecture and your uncle is in charge of the delivery station, our family is planning ahead and has some money in hand so that we can still live a good life in the future.”
"Once the Qian family and we are in the same boat, we won't have to worry about the accounts at the Ministry of Revenue."
Yan Ruheng was somewhat lost in thought, pursing his lips without answering.
Suddenly, a pair of feet stood in front of him. Yan Ruheng replied in surprise, "Son understands."
Yan Yu's eyes turned slightly cold as he stared down at Yan Ruheng for a long time before finally managing a smile. "You've always been obedient. Listening to your father is never wrong."
The magnificent buildings, with their vermilion gates and jade doors, stretched out in splendor. From afar, one father sat while the other stood; the father patted his son on the shoulder, looking very pleased.
What the two said next was somewhat unclear. But fortunately, the figure who had been secretly gathering information on the roof had sharp ears and eyes. He gradually widened his eyes, and when there was no more movement below, he quietly disappeared.
So the figure traveled through the night, winding through streets and alleys, circling half of Jinling City, and nimbly scaling the high walls of the Qian family.
Qin Lizheng was on duty when he suddenly heard a very low signal sound. His expression turned serious, and he hesitated for a while before following the sound.
A figure was leaning against the wall; who else could it be but Chu Zhiyan?
Qin Lizheng's thick eyebrows furrowed. "Who gave you permission to come here without permission?"
While buying food for Qian Yingyi, the two met by the river two days ago and exchanged information.
Chu Zhiyan showed no hesitation, his eyes filled with excitement. He lowered his voice and said, "Commander, big news!"
“Didn’t you tell me to keep a close eye on Yan Ruheng? That 30,000 taels was indeed embezzled. Yan Ruheng returned home today, and I heard Yan Yu admit it himself.” Chu Zhiyan stepped forward, his face seemingly split in two, one side hidden in shadow, the other shining in the dim moonlight. “You guessed correctly, Yan Yu did indeed have his sights set on Yu Cheng, but tonight there’s something more important…”
He gave a mysterious smile, "What's even more exciting is that the two seem to be father and son, but they're not actually related!"
A note from the author:
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Qin Lizheng was drawing a portrait, and he was even gossiping, hahaha!
Qian Yingyi: If you behave well, I won't kick you out!
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