Chapter 24 (8,000 words) Beauty holding a lantern, a mirror...
Perhaps because of the blurred vision in the darkness, Yin Xing's other senses were particularly sharp. He could smell the familiar sweet herbal aroma mixed with a hint of coolness. Curiously, he leaned closer and called out, "Yizhen, you smell a little different. Are you wearing any perfume?"
Xuan Yizhen slowly opened his eyes, pausing in the darkness. Tentatively, he raised his hand to feel around, lightly tapping Yin Xing's upturned nose. He softly said, "No, what do you smell?"
"I feel it's a very cool and subtle fragrance. Compared to Yizhen's previous gentle herbal sweet fragrance, it's a little colder, a bit like the fragrance of frozen woods."
"Your nose is indeed very sensitive. I recently changed the medicinal bath formula. The mint and spikenard have a cool and woody fragrance. Do you like it?"
Yin Xing nuzzled Xuan Yizhen's cool fingertips, feeling a bit intoxicated. He half-snuggled in, sniffing greedily, and smiled with curved eyebrows. "Hmm, I like this smell. It smells very refreshing and heat-removing. Why don't you let me take a medicinal bath too?"
As he spoke, bursts of hot breath hit his ear. Xuan Yizhen tilted his head slightly, and placed his slender fingertips on Yin Xing's warm forehead. He then slowly traced the changes in her expression, her eyebrows and eyes curved. Only then did he feel the truth, and he opened his thin lips and said, "That won't work. Medicinal baths vary according to physical constitution. If you want a medicinal bath, I'll have someone prepare a special medicinal soup for you during the Dragon Boat Festival to dispel pathogens and regulate your body."
"Okay, but is there any difference with Yizhen's medicinal bath?" Yin Xing rested his head on Xuan Yizhen's shoulder. He couldn't see her face and expression clearly, and felt a little uneasy.
Perhaps Xuan Yizheng's strange expression was related to her illness.
"There's no difference, it's just for calming the nerves and helping you sleep, but everyone's physique is different, and the medicinal properties are also different, just like you easily get sleepy after burning incense." Xuan Yizheng spoke calmly and frankly, his tone soft and casual, as if there was nothing to hide, but his eyes were more silent and frozen than the dark night.
After hearing this, Yin Xing didn't ask any more questions. After all, it was easy for him to become confused and dazed when he smelled incense.
But Xuan Yizheng acted as if nothing had happened and burned incense all day long. Maybe he really had a different physique.
The conversation stopped, and a little silence fell inside the closet. The two of them, wearing thin clothes, snuggled together, as if they were one and the same, as if they were on an isolated island.
However, Yin Xing was worried that if she rested her head on Xuan Yizheng for too long, she would feel numb and uncomfortable.
So Yin Xing tried to stand up and lie down on the side, but the hand that was originally patting his back quietly restrained his movements, and then a soft voice called out in his ear: "What's wrong?"
"It's nothing, I'm just worried about crushing Yizhen." Yin Xing felt that Xuan Yizhen looked like a piece of warm and beautiful jade, precious and fragile, a complete sick beauty.
"It's okay, your small size is not enough to crush me." As he spoke, Xuan Yizheng raised his hand and gently patted the back of Yin Xing's neck. His movements were gentle, as if he was petting a kitten.
"..." Yin Xing leaned over shyly and continued to snuggle up to her side, feeling that the words just now sounded a little familiar.
After a while, Yin Xing finally spoke out weakly, "Yizhen, actually, my size has changed a bit recently."
"Really? I didn't notice it." After saying that, Xuan Yizheng smiled softly to himself, ethereal and vague, as if close yet distant. Her graceful figure swayed slightly, and although the movements were subtle, they were clearly transmitted to Yin Xing's ears through her bones.
Instantly, Yin Xing's cheeks flushed deeply, and he blinked at the blurry outline before his eyes. He raised his hand and gently poked her slightly cold cheek, whispering, "Yizhen, if you laugh at me like this, I will ignore you."
"Be good, I won't laugh at you." Xuan Yizheng's tone gradually returned to normal, clear and serious, with no trace of previous teasing. However, his slender arms quietly restrained Yin Xing, silently eroding her retreat.
Yin Xing didn't notice it, but he felt embarrassed and frustrated by Xuan Yizheng's reaction, so he simply kept silent. Otherwise, the more he spoke, the more it would seem like he was trying to hide something.
After a long time, Yin Xing could only faintly feel Xuan Yizheng's gentle touch on his hair, and could tell that she was not asleep.
"Xing'er, of course you can go to the night market, but you must inform us in advance, otherwise it will be difficult to arrange secret guards."
"Well, will Yizhen go to the night market with me in the future?"
Yin Xing carefully moved his fingertips to touch Xuan Yizheng's face, but they were held in Wenliang's palm, so he had to stop.
Xuan Yizhen played with Yin Xing's soft hands and said thoughtfully, "Okay, but how do you want to be punished for your prank tonight?"
After saying this, Yin Xing suddenly regretted not pretending to be asleep!
"Yizhen, how do you want to punish me?"
"The punishment, of course, depends on the degree of fear the punished person has."
Yin Xing was silent, thinking, who would be punished and have to honestly confess their weaknesses?!
Perhaps only Xuan Yizheng could ask about this matter so openly.
Just as Yin Xing was hesitating, Xuan Yizheng suddenly stood up and looked down from above, his silence revealing a solemn majesty.
Yin Xing, who originally thought it was just a joke, suddenly felt a little scared. After all, Xuan Yizheng was not the type to like joking.
"Yizhen, I was wrong." Yin Xing admitted his mistake without hesitation and tried to seek leniency.
"Since you admit your mistake and correct it, let's make the punishment lighter." Xuan Yizheng responded slowly, his slender jade hands wandering on Yin Xing's warm cheeks. Thinking of her ticklish reaction, he decided to punish her in his heart.
In the silence, a delicate and short cry gradually came from the wardrobe in the inner room of the pavilion. It was intermittent and never stopped, sounding helpless and pitiful.
At this time, Manager Xin, who was standing quietly in the outer hall of the water pavilion, had a solemn expression and sighed secretly.
Soon, the only half door of the wardrobe was kicked open by pink and white bare feet, and the faint moonlight penetrated inside, bringing some light.
Yin Xing, lying there, looked like a withered and decadent flower, his clothes disheveled, his clear, round eyes filled with grievance. He weakly called out, "Yizhen, I know I was wrong. Don't punish me."
As soon as he finished speaking, the fingertips that were playing tricks on Yin Xing's weak spot were revealed. It felt itchy and cold, which was simply torture for someone who was ticklish.
Yin Xing was tickled so hard that he shrank and trembled constantly, his muscles cramped, he laughed and was frightened, but he was pinned down with nowhere to escape. He regretted in his heart why he told Xuan Yizheng that he was ticklish!
Yin Xing was like a pitiful piece of fish on the chopping board, powerless to resist. He was exhausted, tired and sleepy. He raised his hand to hold Xuan Yizhen's hand defensively, and said softly as if begging for mercy: "Yizhen, please let me go tonight, okay?"
Xuan Yizheng said nothing. He couldn't see Yin Xing's expression clearly, but he could feel her rapid breathing from the palm of his hand that she was holding tightly.
The entire wardrobe, or even his own ears, were filled with the sound of her soft breathing, like a damp and warm spring, as if it could soak and wash away everything.
The clamor of cicadas in the summer night and all the noisy and sharp tinnitus were unexpectedly swallowed up and dissipated, leaving only the soft breathing sounds, rushing like waves, making people at a loss.
I don’t know how long it took, but all the strangeness disappeared, and the lingering breathing sound gradually became long and long.
In the silence, Xuan Yizheng leaned closer, his eyes silently falling on Yin Xing who was sleeping with her eyes closed. Her fair cheeks were still flushed, like a bright flower or a tender spring peach, making people want to taste its sweetness.
When the thought came to his mind, he seemed to taste sweetness between his teeth, his throat tightened slightly, and Xuan Yizheng's eyes flashed faintly in the darkness, like a shooting star in a summer night, but in the blink of an eye they turned into a hideous dark color, confused and painful.
The night was long, and the rosy glow of the sky fell into the pavilion, illuminating the entire room.
The fish in the pond splashed in the water, and the egrets pecked at the food with upright postures, standing proudly on the water lilies, as if they were strolling in the garden and spreading their wings to fly high.
Yin Xing opened his eyes in confusion, a little dazed. He turned over and looked inside, but it was already empty and deserted.
Yin Xing had no recollection of how the punishment ended last night, let alone how he got back to the couch.
Thinking about it, it was probably Xuan Yizheng hugging him. Yin Xing raised his hands to cover his face, and felt like leaving the earth.
However, Yin Xing found that his throat was a little hoarse, and his stomach hurt from laughing last night, and now it felt a little sore.
If Yin Xing had known that Xuan Yizhen was so good at picking on people's weaknesses, he would never have played pranks and brought trouble upon himself.
Since it was a day off today, Yin Xing lay down for a while before getting up to wash up.
Manager Xin came in as usual to serve the medicinal food, but his eyes were filled with ambiguous expressions.
Yin Xing thought that Manager Xin had heard her begging for mercy last night, and her face turned red, and she didn't dare to look at him.
It's shameful, so shameful!
The sun was shining brightly in the sky, and because officials in the capital were on leave, the streets, restaurants and gardens were bustling with activity.
The usually bustling Dali Temple now seemed deserted. From the main hall and attic came the sound of chess pieces falling. Neither hurried nor slow, but calm and composed.
Jiang Zhengming, the Dali Temple judge, was playing chess alone. The tea beside the table was being refilled, and hot mist was swirling around.
"The Dragon Boat Festival is approaching, and the city should be very busy these days."
"Yes, the weather is getting hotter now. Why don't you go back home and rest?"
Jiang Zhengming took a sip of his tea, looking from the chessboard to the offices outside the window. He said quietly, "I have to go to court tomorrow, and I have to submit the documents closing the case of the Third Princess's boat accident. What do you think the outcome will be?"
The attendant official hesitated and replied, "Sir, assigning only the four administrative offices to handle this case is inevitably a bit stretched. I'm afraid His Majesty will be dissatisfied and reprimand you."
"Even if the entire Dali Temple came to investigate this incident, there would be no way to solve it. Not to mention, just look at the four people involved. They were involved in bribery of officials, arson of the archives, and murder to silence witnesses. So more people are not necessarily a good thing." Jiang Zhengming put down his teacup, raised his hand to pick up the black chess piece and placed it, his expression relaxed. "After all, this involves the princesses and princes. His Majesty has few descendants. If you fight hard, you will be killed. If you help hard, you will also be killed. It's better to have less trouble than more."
Seeing this, the attending official did not say a word until the carrier pigeon landed by the window, then he stepped forward to take the letter and presented it to him.
Jiang Zhengming waved his hand, and the attendant official understood and took the initiative to unfold the letter and read it, saying in a low voice: "Sir, that person went to Chang Tonghai's residence this morning."
As he finished speaking, the sound of chess pieces stopped. Jiang Zhengming suddenly smiled, raised his hand to stroke his beard, and said, "This is the first time he has made any move in all these years. Tomorrow's court affairs will be interesting."
The accompanying official was puzzled and burned the letter. Smoke rose up, the fire leaped, and an invisible heat wave was set off.
In the afternoon, the sun was scorching high in the sky and the number of pedestrians on the streets of the capital city decreased. Wu Shijie took a sedan chair out of the house and closed his eyes to rest.
When the sedan chair turned the corner and entered the street, Wu Shijie lifted the curtain and saw the seal on the door of the study. He was slightly startled and immediately said, "Don't stop, keep going forward and go back to the mansion."
"Yes, sir." The sedan bearer responded, and with brisk steps, he quickly left the street in front of the study.
The setting sun fell on the west wall of the courtyard. The flowers and plants in the courtyard had already drooped and wilted. Wu Shijie paced alone in the house, feeling that something was wrong.
Soon, two people hurried in from outside, their faces anxious and sweat dripping. They raised their hands to close the door and whispered, "Sir, the study was sealed off not long ago, and there's been no news or movement from the capital government. It's very strange."
Wu Shijie's body stiffened as he slowly sat down on the table, his face slightly pale. He waved his hand and said, "You guys go down."
"Yes." The two men left the house one after another, not knowing why.
The setting sun outside the window was as red as blood, and the dusk was dark, which made Wu Shijie's pale face look gloomy and terrifying.
Wu Shijie originally thought that Yin Xing, the son of the Marquis of Xizhou, could be used as bait to perhaps pull Princess Zhang Hua into the whirlpool, which would certainly be a great achievement.
Who would have thought that he was the bait of a feint, and Yin Xing was just a cover. Now he was trapped step by step and was inevitably unable to move forward or backward.
Cut off the tail to survive, or sacrifice the rook to save the king, Wu Shijie has been in the officialdom for many years, knows the consequences of being exposed, and understands the importance of self-rescue.
But how to cut off the tail requires careful consideration. Wu Shijie didn't know when he had fallen into the other party's plan, so it was difficult to estimate how much he had exposed.
Wu Shijie stood alone by the window, looking at his grandchildren who were laughing and chasing each other outside the house. His expression was as kind as before, but he knew in his heart that he was doomed to die. Now he had only one way to go to the end in order to protect his wife and children.
The blood-red sunset glow in the sky completely disappeared, and the dark blue night covered the sky. In the waterside pavilion, Yin Xing was writing the resignation document with a rigorous pen.
Originally, today was a day off, and Yin Xing wanted to find Xuan Yizheng to get the official seal, but he remembered that Xuan Yizheng had said earlier that he had something to do and would not meet, so he had to stay in the waterside pavilion.
Unfortunately, Yin Xing forgot to ask Xuan Yizheng the questions in his letter last night, so he didn't know the details of her recent banquet.
Not long after, Yin Xing handed the resignation document and letter to Manager Xin, thinking that after Xuan Yizheng saw it, he would send someone to deliver it together with the official seal and document.
However, Yin Xing did not receive any reply the next day and had to go to the Dali Temple first.
In the morning, Yin Xing stepped into the office and sat down at the desk with a nervous heart, feeling as if he was sitting on pins and needles.
God knows whether Wu Sicheng will falsely accuse him when he goes to court today.
Yin Xing raised his hand to make a cup of tea to calm his nerves, but he saw a note in the cabinet where the tea leaves were stored.
"Master Xiao Yin, I take personal responsibility for my own actions. I know I have committed a grave sin. I beg you to spare my wife and children. I would be deeply grateful."
Yin Xing was puzzled, and then a group of tall and strong palace guards, with cold and heavy armor, hurried in with a fierce momentum.
Yin Xing immediately closed the cabinet door, and broke out in a cold sweat. He thought to himself that even if Wu Sicheng falsely accused him of murdering the owner of the shipyard, he would not send out the palace guards.
However, these palace guards did not give any glances to the other officials, and just moved quickly up to the attic.
The officials looked confused and uneasy. Yin Xing stared dumbfoundedly at these guards who seemed to be here to search, and was a little confused about the current situation.
Of course, Yin Xing didn't believe that Wu Shijie, the smiling tiger, would suddenly have a change of heart.
But if Smiling Tiger's apology letter was just a hypocritical trick, then the palace guards should have arrested himself instead of searching his attic.
It’s really curious, what happened in the morning court today?
Throughout the morning, the office buildings were strictly guarded by the palace guards. The atmosphere was extremely tense and terrifying.
Officials from all over were summoned one by one for individual questioning, but Yin Xing sat in front of the hall like a transparent person, as if he was a badger sitting on a melon field.
In the afternoon, some officials who had been questioned were released back into the hall one after another. After all, they were all officials from the Dali Temple who tried cases and their ability to make inferences was not bad.
Seeing their discussions growing louder, Yin Xing pricked up his ears and eavesdropped openly.
"I never thought that Lord Chang's resignation was related to Wu Sicheng. They have been close friends for many years. It's really sad."
"If Lord Chang hadn't gambled his life and written in blood to accuse the Grand Princess of bribery, no one would have known that Wu Sicheng was the true murderer who burned the archives and killed his two colleagues."
"It's said that Wu Sicheng also admitted to being the eldest princess's man, which is why he destroyed the evidence of the boat accident. Because the eldest princess and the third princess were at odds, upon learning that the boat was undergoing renovations, she maliciously ordered a major alteration to the ship's skeletal structure. Not only was inferior wood used, but even the paint was counterfeit and extremely flammable."
Yin Xing was dumbfounded when he heard this. He didn't expect that the eldest princess was involved in this. No wonder she dared to set fire and kill people. Who else except the royal family could be so lawless.
However, Yin Xing recalled the case closing document he saw last time. Although Wu Shijie put the blame on the cruise ship renovation, he did not point the finger at the eldest princess.
Moreover, Yin Xing did not find any clues about the eldest princess when he checked the shipyard. That smiling tiger was deep-minded and all the witnesses and evidence were destroyed and silenced. How could he change his words and admit his guilt today?
Soon, all the palace guards left the offices. Yin Xing couldn't help but ask curiously, "Why didn't they check on me?"
A few officials looked at Yin Xing strangely, and one couldn't help but sneer, "Although you have the official documents for the position of Junior Secretary of the Dali Temple, it's not filed in the official files of the four places. So strictly speaking, you are just an idler with a nominal position."
After that, the officials scoffed contemptuously. Yin Xing remained awkwardly there, only then realizing that on his first day at the Dali Temple, Chang Shaoqing and Wu Sicheng had been fooled by their empty promises.
The world is becoming more and more corrupt, and people's hearts are no longer as pure as they used to be. It is simply impossible to guard against it.
I should have listened to Xuan Yizheng's advice and resigned earlier, so I could have avoided being deceived.
Yin Xing reached out to collect the writing utensils on the table and put them into a small box. He had already decided to leave as soon as he received his salary today.
Officials from the offices in the hall went to the front hall due to the order of the Dali Temple Minister, and came back after a while.
"Your humble servant greets Lord Ke!"
"This time, thanks to Lord Ke exposing Wu Shijie's conspiracy in front of the palace, we were able to restore the truth to the innocent victims!"
"Yes, thanks to Lord Ke, Si Si finally put an end to the thorny and troublesome case of the Third Princess' boat accident."
As they were talking, a person was escorted into the hall. Yin Xing was too lazy to stand up and look up, he just wanted to finish the last day by slacking off.
But a figure walked up to Yin Xing's desk and said in a deep, quiet voice, "Are you the young master of the Marquis of Xizhou who is serving in the Dali Temple?"
Yin Xing looked at the official in front of him blankly, then remembered that he had questioned him when he entered the Dali Temple, but he had ignored and scolded him. He nodded and replied, "Yes."
"I'm sure you've heard about what happened in the court today. Chang Tonghai admitted to accepting bribes, and Wu Shijie committed arson and murder. Both have been brought to justice. The work of the Dali Temple is far more dangerous and complicated than the ordinary six ministries. So, a playboy like you is not needed anywhere. You should find another job." After saying this, Ke Yutao flicked his sleeves and stepped up to the attic. The officials in the hall were full of joking whispers.
Seeing this, Yin Xing took a deep breath, held the small box, and walked out of the office, but did not leave the Dali Temple.
Because today is the day for salary distribution, Yin Xing would not be so angry as to not even ask for his salary.
So Yin Xing went to the corridor of the warehouse and strolled alone. His sight suddenly stopped at Wu Shijie who was tied up high in the hall by the palace guards, and he couldn't help but feel frightened.
At this moment, Wu Shijie was covered in blood, and there was blood stain accumulated between the bricks and stones under his feet. His head was lowered, and he had already died. He no longer had the cunning and treacherousness that he had when he threatened him that day.
It turned out that the officials from the four offices had left just to come and watch the execution.
The emperor really knows how to kill one person to warn the rest.
Seeing this, Yin Xing looked away with mixed feelings. Although Wu Sicheng had done many evil things, the eldest princess was said to have been only confined to her house for half a year for reflection, which was just child's play in comparison.
Hundreds of people were injured or killed in this cruise ship accident, not to mention the noble children who were killed, injured or drowned on the cruise ship that night.
There were dozens of supervisors and craftsmen in the shipyard alone, not to mention the fireworks makers who were killed by the third princess out of anger and suspicion. The number is probably not small.
So many lives were lost, but the culprit was only confined to house arrest for half a year for reflection. Yin Xing felt that it was a good thing that he left the Dali Temple.
Passing through the corridor, Yin Xing actually couldn't understand why Chang Shaoqing, who had resigned for many days, suddenly had a change of heart and chose to commit suicide in a dog-eat-dog fight.
When Yin Xing arrived at the treasury and took out his badge, two clerks took out silver ingots and said warmly and respectfully, "Master Yin, you have come so early to collect your salary. Where are you going to have fun tonight?"
As he spoke, the clerk rubbed his index finger, and it was obvious that he was asking for a reward.
Yin Xing skillfully looked away, reached out and handed the small box to the clerk, then held the heavy silver ingot in both hands to weigh it, before taking the small box back and smiling brightly with curved eyebrows: "Thank you!"
After saying that, Yin Xing turned around and left, his steps light and bounding, fearing that if he was a step slower he would be blackmailed for his hard-earned money!
The clerks in the treasury were a little dazzled by the fair and handsome smile. When they turned around to look at the figure that was leaving quickly, they were filled with disbelief. Finally, they understood the origin of the name of this poor nobleman.
None of the clerks running errands in the Dali Temple could get a single penny from this guy. He's so stingy.
At dusk, Yin Xing placed the silver ingot that was emitting a silvery-white glow on the table, and wrote a letter with one hand to express that he was rich now. He planned to invite Xuan Yizheng to travel for the Dragon Boat Festival in advance so that he could ask about the time arrangements.
Soon, Yin Xing handed the letter to Manager Xin, took a bath early, and even started to think about packing up and moving to the villa.
The night was hazy. Yin Xing placed the silver ingots neatly beside his pillow, touched them one by one, and then closed his eyes in peace. He vaguely remembered that Wu Shijie had said that there was a blood letter that falsely accused him, and now he didn't know whether it was true or not.
For some reason, Yin Xing felt that the end of this cruise ship accident was hasty and strange, and many things could not be explained.
Since the eldest princess had already tampered with the cruise ship and killed the shipyard supervisor and stole the atlas, her plan of killing and silencing people was basically completed.
However, as for the fireworks, the third princess herself confirmed that they were adulterated and was severely injured and disfigured, so she did not even show up at the princess's viewing banquet.
The clue of this fireworks is much more hidden than that of the cruise ship, and there are basically no subsequent flaws.
If the third princess had not been so sure, everyone might have thought that the fireworks had accidentally ignited the cruise ship.
With his thoughts in a tangle, Yin Xing fell into a deep sleep and didn't think about it anymore.
Outside the waterside pavilion, a waning moon hangs low in the sky. In the quiet place, the moon moves and the stars rotate. In the deep walled garden, there is a main house of the villa full of green vines and flowers. Inside the layers of doorways, maids add incense and retreat.
When the buckles on the doors on each floor were fastened, the sound of iron rings rang out in the silence, making the place feel particularly empty and cold.
In the inner room, the hanging candlesticks flickered with light, and the hazy incense lingered like clouds. Xuan Yizheng lay alone beside the couch, her graceful figure wrapped in a moon-white underdress, her black hair flowing softly like a winding silk fold at her side. Her beautiful eyes lowered to look at the cheerful words on the letter paper, and her fingertips lightly touched it, and a faint ripple was reflected between her beautiful eyebrows, making her look quiet and gentle.
But suddenly Xuan Yizheng's expression changed, her brows were furrowed, her beautiful eyes were fixed, her body was curled up, her gaze fell on the thing crawling under the flesh of her arm, the thin sweat on her forehead reflected a dense cold light, her smooth black hair fell messily on her ears and neck, wrapping around her jade-white and exquisite figure like a spider web, her breath was low and suppressed, as if she was enduring endless pain.
Several maids were quietly guarding outside the doorway. The female official Chunli had a slightly gloomy expression on her face. Her eyes fell on the occasional strange noises coming from inside. She moved her feet but paused in fear.
Nowadays, the amount of medicine Princess Zhang Hua uses is increasing dramatically every day, which is not a good thing.
Sooner or later, the medicine will be unable to suppress the disease, and once it loses its effect, it will backfire, and the pain is self-evident.
The greenhouse is as dark as ink at night, and the green vines are like chains, clinging tightly to the roof tiles and beams, seeking support and attachment.
As the sky brightened, the sound of cold chains was heard, the door knocker gradually opened, the maids retreated, and the female official Chunli entered alone. Her eyes fell on the blood on the ground, and she stopped in horror!
The sun was rising high in the sky. Yin Xing didn't expect to receive a rare reply from Xuan Yizheng. He opened it with great anticipation, but was rejected for his Dragon Boat Festival invitation.
Moreover, Xuan Yizhen did not mention moving to another courtyard. Yin Xing fell on the low couch, opened his round eyes wide and tried to read the two short lines of words. How happy he was last night, but now he felt lost. He touched the shiny silver ingot in his palm and could not understand the reason at all.
She had clearly been punished last time. Xuan Yizheng has always been gentle and easy to talk to, so she shouldn't be so petty.
But since Xuan Yizhen said she was busy, it was obvious that Yin Xing had no reason to ask her.
So Yin Xing lay there for two days with nothing to do, and finally decided to go to the villa to find Xuan Yizhen. Even if he didn't go out for fun, at least it would be good to see her.
Maybe Xuan Yi is really sick.
So Yin Xing took Xiaoguai out of the courtyard and held an umbrella to block the sun so as not to go to see Xuan Yizheng with sweat all over his head.
However, people kept looking at him sideways, and Yin Xing felt embarrassed by being looked at, so he had to put away his umbrella.
Just as he turned the corner of the street, Yin Xing saw many carriages and horses passing by. He gripped the reins tightly to avoid them and caught a glimpse of the small sign hanging on the carriage.
It was then that he discovered that they were all from prominent and famous families, and even the carriages of the three major families were heading towards the same place, which reminded Yin Xing of the time when he saw the young master of the Xiahou family coming out of the villa.
The third princess also said that Xuan Yizheng was holding a banquet and many people were vying to attend.
Yin Xing, as if possessed by a ghost, followed the huge procession of carriages and horses around the corner, all the way to the gate of a garden called Guangbai Garden.
It is said that this place is a favorite gathering place for aristocratic families, and royal relatives also often come and go. Yin Xing heard officials from the Dali Temple talking about it, and they all said it was extremely expensive.
"Stop, young master, what's your name?"
"My last name is Yin."
The servant at the gate looked at Yin Xing's calm face, flipped through the list suspiciously, and frowned, saying, "The garden is reserved for distinguished guests. No one is allowed to enter unless they are invited to a banquet. Hurry up and get out of the way!"
Yin Xing gazed at the numerous pavilions and terraces in the garden, still unwilling to give up. He dismounted, made way for the path, and asked the servant, "Hey, is this where Princess Zhanghua is having her banquet?"
The servant looked at him arrogantly and said, "Why, are you here because you admire Princess Zhang Hua?"
"No, I'm Princess Zhanghua's friend." Yin Xing explained with an inexplicable flush on his face.
"Princess Zhanghua's friend, do you think I would believe it?" the servant responded with a mockery.
Yin Xing had no choice but to take Xiaoguai and retreat away from the garden gate. He then discovered that many people stayed there to watch the fun.
One of them, who clearly looked like a dandy, jokingly said, "Boy, are you trying to sneak in and see how beautiful Princess Zhang Hua is?"
Yin Xing shook his head and replied solemnly: "I know Princess Zhang Hua."
After he finished speaking, many people around him burst into laughter, and the scene was very awkward.
"Little brother, you drank a few ounces and passed out in broad daylight."
"It is said that even the sons of marquises cannot enter, let alone the sons of wealthy families. They should just go and drink wine and have fun."
There were some obscene words in the conversation. Yin Xing took Xiaoguai a little further away, raised his hand to hold the umbrella, and planned to wait a little longer.
As we waited, the sun set in the west and the dusk darkened. Many carriages passed into the garden one after another and disappeared.
Yin Xing looked at each carriage one by one, but didn't see Xuan Yizheng, and felt a little disappointed.
When night fell over the capital and the waning moon emerged, the surroundings became deserted, and Yin Xing had no choice but to turn over and ride his horse.
The sound of horse hooves clattered past as Yin Xing lowered his eyes to look at his own shadow cast on the ground, feeling an indescribable loneliness.
Suddenly, a clear sound was heard behind him, and the sound of gold and jade colliding slowly approached. Yin Xing stopped turning by pulling the reins, looked out into the distance, and recognized Xuan Yizheng's convoy at a glance.
Yin Xing wanted to call out with his eyes shining, but he found two people reflected on the gauze curtain in the dim candlelight, and he stood there in shock.
It was a long time, so long that Yin Xing could no longer hear the clear sound of the jade colliding. He only came to his senses when the convoy had disappeared into the night.
It turned out that Xuan Yizhen was not sick, she just had other friends and refused her invitation.
Yin Xing, holding the reins, suddenly didn't want to go back to the courtyard, so he drove casually into the market.
People were coming and going around, and the stalls were filled with fragrance, but Yin Xing followed the scent of flowers to the flower market.
It is said that when Yin Xing first came to the capital, he hid in a float here and entered Xuan Yizheng's villa.
Yin Xing looked at the various flower shops and saw someone loading identical flower carts. He asked the owner, "Where are these flowers being sent to?"
"This is a big customer, so we dare not ask too many questions. Anyway, the flower market relies on this for survival."
"Does the nobleman have any favorite flowers?"
The flower shop owner shook his head and replied, "No, they are mostly seasonal flowers. The nobleman never seemed to have a particular preference. However, tonight we have three additional carts of Dragon Boat Festival flowers sent to another location."
Yin Xing asked in confusion, "What is the name of the Dragon Boat Flower?"
"That's not the name of the flower. It's just a common name because it grows around the Dragon Boat Festival. It's actually called hollyhock, a very ancient flower," the flower shop owner patiently explained, quite emotionally. "And the nobleman had them picked in pink and red. If you carefully decorate your garden, it's bound to be very pleasing to the eye."
After he finished speaking, the flower shop owner watched the young man hurriedly leave on his horse, not having any time to sell his flowers, and felt quite helpless.
In the darkness of the night, the sound of horse hooves gradually reached the courtyard. Yin Xing saw Manager Xin with an anxious look on her face from afar. She knew that she had returned late, and she was probably looking for someone.
Yin Xing smiled apologetically, then handed Xiaoguai to Manager Xin and walked in expectantly.
But all the way from the corridor to the outer hall of the water pavilion, Yin Xing didn't see any flowers. His eyes were dim and his heart was full of loss.
Yin Xing went in by himself. There was no light inside, so it was a little dark. He walked towards the couch listlessly.
But before Yin Xing sat down on the low couch, a faint light slowly appeared in the darkness. The tall figure standing quietly in the distance, holding a lamp, let the faint light illuminate her cold and beautiful face, just like an angel. The pink flowers around her were gorgeous and beautiful, like an ink painting of water, moon and mirror flowers, so dreamy and magnificent. Yin Xing felt her heart beating like thunder, and it was difficult to describe her ecstasy at this moment.
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