Chapter 36: Envy of a handsome man and a beautiful woman, respecting each other as equals, and harmonious music...
The zither girl naturally agreed and brought the zither over. Xie Jing thought for a moment, rolled up his sleeves a little, placed his fingers on the zither, and immediately the sound of the zither poured out like flowing water.
It was the first time Yu Qing knew that the princess could play the piano. He saw her with her eyebrows lowered, playing the strings casually, and he was so engrossed that he could not even move his eyes.
The music is beautiful, the people are beautiful, and the night breeze in the center of the lake makes it seem like a dream.
When Qingjia finished playing, Yu Qing couldn't help but clap his hands and exclaim, "This is the best piece of music I've ever heard in my life."
Qingjia looked up at her and asked, "Do you know what the best song I've ever heard is?"
Yu Qing shook his head.
Qingjia smiled and said, "It's the flute you played for me before."
Yu Qing was stunned, then suddenly realized what was happening and felt embarrassed for a moment.
"That's nothing, it's just an ordinary song," she said. "Sir... please stop making fun of me."
Qing Jia said softly, "I'm sincere."
Looking at Qingjia, Yu Qing felt a burning sensation in his heart.
A thought suddenly flashed through her mind: Maybe one day, she could tell Qing Jiaxuan.
Qingjia is the kindest and gentlest person in the world. If anyone wants to know this secret, it can only be her.
The cruise ship had already made a big circle and returned to the shore where it started.
When landing, Xie Jing said cautiously: "You don't—"
You don't have to carry me, I can walk by myself.
Before he could finish his words, Yu Qing simply carried him off the boat easily.
Xie Jing: “…”
He really didn't understand why Yu Qing said that he didn't have much strength?
He really found it hard to accept that a living person was being carried around like a rabbit.
It was already night when the two returned to the mansion. Yu Qing sent Xie Jing to his residence. The maids were waiting for him and asked, "Your Highness, why are you back so late?"
"Well... I went somewhere else to play."
Dong Li whispered to Qiu Lian, "See, I told you she must be out on a date with the prince."
Xie Jing: "...I'm not deaf, I can hear it."
Qiu Lian coughed and said seriously, "I received another secret letter today. Your Highness, would you like to read it?"
Xie Jing calmed himself down and said, "Bring it here."
He opened the letter, read it all, and then burned the credit candle.
Everything was going smoothly. If Xie Jing had received this news two or three months ago, he might have been shocked and impatient, but now as he looked at the ashes, he felt more lost.
Too fast.
How long can I stay in the Marquis' Mansion? A year? A few months?
Will I still be able to see Yu Qing at this time next year?
*
Yu Qing didn't expect that a spontaneous trip to Nanhu with Qingjia would actually cause a little stir.
She didn't realize that she was once the famous Major General Yu in the capital. Although she was very low-key, many people still recognized her face.
Some people said that they saw Prince Yu and a woman walking hand in hand on the lakeside, talking and laughing, and they looked very affectionate.
The rumor spread, and everyone finally concluded that General Yu and the Seventh Princess were a match made in heaven. Yu Qing was puzzled. Even a simple outing became gossip. It seemed that the people of the capital really were at ease, with nothing to do after a full meal.
"I heard that General, you went to Nanhu a few days ago?"
"That place should be nice!"
"It's not just the place that's good. How do they say it? A talented man and a beautiful woman, equal in status, harmonious music..."
"Oh, when will His Majesty grant me a marriage..."
Yu Qing snorted, "You wish! The time has come, let's go patrol the camp!"
Yu Qing didn't like being talked about or gossiped about most of the time, but if others said that she and the princess lived in harmony and happiness, it didn't sound bad to her, and she even felt a sense of pride.
When he met Wen Shuo during his break, he joked with him for a long time.
Yu Qing teased, "Your leg isn't lame anymore, is it?"
Wen Shuo immediately twisted his body. He had made his father angry two days ago, and the tutor used a crutch to beat him from the mansion to the outside. He rolled and crawled on the steps and twisted his leg, so he was nicknamed the Rolling Stone Master.
"Don't mention it. My father wants me to study at the Imperial College, but I'm not cut out for that!" Wen Shuo said, "How about I go hide in your house for a while? Your family is well-connected, so my father won't break into the Marquis's mansion."
Yu Qing: "You should also calm down. You are so old and you don't even have a proper job. Your brother was the top scorer in the imperial examination when he was your age."
Wen Shuo said sourly, "Well, even you're starting to make sarcastic remarks. I've established a career, a family, you're already amazing..."
Yu Qing: "Hmm."
Wen Shuo: "...You have changed!"
He muttered and complained for a long time. He had been locked up at home recently and it was rare for him to come out for some fresh air. He also planned to get together for a drink later.
Yu Qing said: "I won't go, I will go back home soon."
"Why don't the princess allow you to go back home so early?" Wen Shuo asked.
Yu Qing: "I usually don't have time to accompany her, she's bored alone."
Recently, she basically goes to Qingjia's place every time she returns home, but she has to attend court and deal with military affairs, so all in all, they can only be together for two or three hours a day at most.
The princess spent the rest of the time alone in the courtyard, and she told Yu Qing that she felt very lonely.
Wen Shuo's eyes rolled around: "Hey, I have an idea."
*
"In recent years, it has become popular among noble ladies in the capital to keep pets. Even concubines in the palace keep pets. Having a living creature around is better than flowers and plants."
The two of them were in a rare pet pavilion in the market. There were many pets, including cats and dogs of various breeds, as well as rabbits, foxes, minks, birds, etc. There were even rarer ones such as deer and cranes in the backyard.
Yu Qing hesitated for a moment, thinking that animals that were too big would be difficult to raise, and parrots and starlings were noisy, and the princess liked quietness, so they were not suitable either.
It is better to be humane, gentle and well-behaved.
Before she could carefully choose, a little white ball clung to the guardrail and hummed twice. Yu Qing took a look and saw that it was a snow-white long-haired Whiting dog. She reached out her hand, and the puppy came up to lick her fingertips, wagging its tail.
Yu Qing's heart melted instantly.
"This one's two months old, lively, affectionate, and smart," the shopkeeper recommended. "Does it look appealing to you, sir?"
Yu Qing teased it and said, "Then let's take this one."
With the puppy, the two walked towards the carriage. Yu Qing said, "Should I tell His Highness in advance?"
Wen Shuo said: "If you tell me, there will be no surprises!"
Yu Qing said, "But what if the princess is afraid of dogs?"
Wen Shuo looked at the small ball of fur in Yu Qing's hand that could be held in both hands, and was puzzled. Who could be scared by this thing?
At this time, the crowd in front dispersed, and from afar, one could see the roof of a carriage in the middle of the avenue. It was extremely luxurious and extravagant, and was escorted by guards with swords.
Yu Qing also stepped back: "Eastern Palace."
"That guy has just been released from house arrest, but he's still making such a big fuss. It looks like he just needs to drink three cups as punishment." Wen Shuo said.
Yu Qing said: "He is the crown prince after all."
Wen Shuo: "By the way, I heard from my brother a few days ago that there is a General Duan in the court who is close to the Crown Prince, and the Crown Prince wants to promote him. Did you know that?"
Wen Xu's gossip was probably true. Yu Qingqi asked, "Your brother still told you this?"
Wen Xu said angrily, "My father beat me that day, and I went to hide in my brother's study. Didn't I hear it?"
"..." Yu Qing, "Well, let the prince promote him. It's not a bad thing."
I had heard before that General Duan had some abilities. If he could attract the prince's attention, Yu Qing wouldn't mind giving him a push. If he really got the position of deputy commander of the Golden Feather Guard, Yu Qing would be able to breathe a sigh of relief.
As the saying goes, you're not afraid of thieves stealing, but you are afraid of thieves thinking about stealing. She was just afraid that the prince was still determined to recruit her.
*
The puppy that Yu Qing chose was really well-behaved. Yu Qing told it not to bark when it saw the princess, and it seemed to understand and let Yu Qing hold it obediently.
"Your Highness?"
Xie Jing stood up and walked to the door, only to see Yu Qing standing outside the threshold with his hands behind his back.
He noticed that Yu Qing seemed to be hiding something behind him, and subconsciously lowered his head to look behind him, but was blocked by Yu Qing.
"What is it?"
The princess spotted him right away; it was too obvious. Yu Qing asked, "...Your Highness, why don't you take a guess?"
Qing Jia frowned and asked, "...I can't guess. Is it a flower? Or jewelry?"
Xie Jing saw Yu Qing shaking her head but refusing to say what it was, and he didn't know why she suddenly kept it a secret.
Yu Qing said: "Your Highness, please close your eyes first. Then, extend your hand."
Xie Jing closed his eyes in doubt.
After a moment, I felt a soft and warm touch on my palm... and it moved.
"Um?"
He was startled and opened his eyes to see Yu Qing holding a half-grown puppy in his hands.
Its entire body was snow-white, with black eyes. It stretched its head and called out to him excitedly.
Xie Jing had never dealt with this kind of creature before, so his hand stopped in mid-air, neither moving forward nor retreating.
"Didn't I tell you not to make noise?" Yu Qing scolded it lightly, then said to Qing Jia, "It's quite well behaved. It's been with me for two hours now. It's not afraid of strangers and doesn't hurt anyone. Would you like to pet it?"
Xie Jing touched it carefully twice. This puppy was a valuable breed, with long but smooth fur, and looked clean.
"It's so small, where did it come from?"
Seeing that Qing Jia wasn't repulsed or afraid, Yu Qing felt relieved and said, "I heard that many people in the capital keep pets, so I bought it. Didn't Your Highness say that you were bored at home? Having it accompany you will at least bring you some fun."
Xie Jing said that he was lonely mainly because he wanted to stay with Yu Qing. As a result, Yu Qing found a puppy to keep him company, and he was helpless for a while.
However, the dog was indeed not ugly. With so many servants at Wenhua Garden, Xie Jing didn't have to take care of it himself, which should be quite worry-free. Xie Jing said, "Okay."
Yu Qing could feel the little thing trying to move to the other side. If it hadn't been held by his hands, it might have rubbed into the other person's arms.
She smiled and said, "It obviously likes Your Highness more. Give it a name."
In this way, the Fulin dog made its home in Wenhua Garden. Qiu Lian and Dong Li were particularly fond of it, petting and teasing it from time to time. They gave it a few names, but Xie Jing thought that some were not good, such as "Jixiang Ruyi Zhaocai Jinbao". In the end, they decided to call it "Xuetuan". Everyone just called it "Xiaotuanzi".
At first, Xie Jing was rather indifferent. He didn't want the dog's dust or hair to appear around him, so he would always ask someone to wipe its paws clean before allowing it to enter the house.
But this dog was very good at acting like a spoiled child. It circled around Xie Jing's feet, rubbed against him, and barked softly. Xie Jing had no choice but to touch it twice, and then it turned over on its belly.
He had to go through several steps from the moment he entered the door. Later, when he was held on Xie Jing's lap, he didn't even need to wipe his paws. Tuanzi only used it for two or three days.
Xie Jing's final insistence was to put a cushion under it when carrying it to prevent clothes from getting dirty.
After it found out that its owner spoiled it, it became bolder.
The huge yard was not enough for the dog to play in, so it had to run outside every day. Xie Jing was forced to take the maid to walk the dog around the house, taking a big circle and feeding the koi in the pond.
After waking up from a nap, the servant came to apologize again, holding the dog in his arms, trembling: "Your Highness, Tuanzi ate the flowers you raised."
Xie Jing: “…”
He looked outside and saw that the row of flowers at the door had been gnawed by a dog and were in tatters.
He looked down again and saw the puppy lying on his shoe without making a sound.
Xie Jing gritted his teeth and thought to himself, I really don’t feel lonely at all.
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