Chapter 41 Fighting a Love Rival
Early in the morning, the orchard in the south of the city became lively, with everyone busy at work.
Some were cleaning the houses, some were pruning the flowers and plants, and some were checking the fruit.
For example, remove fruits that are too ripe and rotten, or those that have been pecked and messed up by birds, so as not to offend the nobleman's eyes.
At the entrance of the manor, the steward was instructing his men on the proper etiquette for currying favor with dignitaries.
Two days ago, they received a message from Princess Chang Le, saying that they wanted to come to the estate to pick fruit for leisure.
This kept them very busy, as they were afraid of not serving the princess well in any way and displeasing her.
Despite having been instructed for two days, the person in charge was still not at ease and repeated those same few sentences over and over again, to the point that many of the students were practically tired of hearing them.
"Upon meeting the princess, one must perform the full kneeling ceremony, refrain from looking directly at her, and avoid whispering. When answering the princess, one must not be cunning, lazy, or presumptuous..."
They knew it by heart, and everyone nodded in agreement.
As he was giving instructions, the sound of wheels rolling suddenly came from outside the door. The steward looked over with a start, initially thinking that the princess had arrived early, but when he saw a blue cloth carriage, he relaxed.
A young man in white robes stepped down from the carriage, carrying a zither; his demeanor was elegant and gentle.
Manager Hu naturally knew that this was a musician from the Imperial Music Bureau who had recently climbed up to the princess's good side. He had only played a few tunes for the princess and won her favor. In his delight, the princess promoted him from an ordinary musician to the head of the Left Imperial Music Bureau with a single sentence.
Today, I am still here to play music for the princess.
As the princess's favorite, Steward Hu naturally greeted him with a smile and politely escorted him to his room.
"The princess has not yet arrived. Young master, please rest here for now. If you need anything, please call upon the servants."
Xi Bai thanked him gently, "Thank you, Steward. We are here to welcome the princess today, so I won't bother you any longer. Please go ahead and do your work."
Neither humble nor arrogant, but humble and polite, unlike those who become haughty after gaining power overnight, Manager Hu smiled and took his leave.
With such looks and temperament, such excellent piano skills, and such a good sense of propriety, it's no wonder that he won the princess's favor.
There is some risk involved.
After all, the prince consort is not known for his gentle and kind temper, and if he were to really make things difficult for this young master Xi, he would likely face a tough time.
Of course, if the princess is willing to protect him, then everything will be fine.
Manager Hu sensed an impending storm.
After Steward Hu left, Yin Nu, the servant who had come with Xi Bai, busily packed her master's things. Glancing at her master's indifferent and calm face, she couldn't help but say, "My lord has already risen to the position of Left Director of the Imperial Music Bureau. I think that's already quite good. Why not stop here? After all, the Imperial Son-in-Law is not someone to be trifled with, and besides..."
Yin Nu hesitated, somewhat afraid to speak.
Xi Bai was wiping the strings of the zither, his gaze and tone indifferent.
"And what?"
When Yin Nu heard her husband ask about it, she became bolder and whispered, "Yin Nu feels that Princess Chang Le doesn't seem to care much about you."
Instead of being annoyed by these words, Xi Bai smiled and said, "If I could easily become the head of the Music Bureau without caring about it, what would it be like if I did care?"
At this point, Xi Bai's eyes lit up, as if he were talking to himself, or perhaps chatting with a fellow idiot.
“I think it’s not a bad idea to be the Minister of Ceremonies.”
The Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, one of the Nine Ministers, was a high-ranking official of the third rank, wearing a purple robe that many officials dreamed of wearing their entire lives.
But if it were Princess Chang Le, she could choose whoever she wanted to be.
Humans are always greedy.
He used to think that he would be free from the control of that Jiang guy, but now that he has become the Left Director of the Music Bureau, he has a higher position and can see further.
He began to feel dissatisfied with the small position of Zuo Jiaofangsi.
Yin Nu still worriedly said, "But Princess Chang Le's husband..."
That's a notorious troublemaker and tyrant in Chang'an. If he's angered, how could my husband, with his musician's physique, possibly withstand even a single round?
When Lin Lanting was mentioned, Xi Bai also felt that he was a bit of a problem, but he still said calmly, "As long as the princess protects me, even the prince consort cannot be rude. No matter how troublesome he is, the princess is still the most important."
Fortune favors the bold; there's no such thing as a high return without risk.
Xi Bai told himself this, and his heart gradually calmed down.
Little did they know that just as the master and servant finished their conversation, a group of people arrived menacingly from outside the manor, led by none other than Lin Lanting.
He wore a narrow-sleeved black robe, his black hair was neatly tied up high, he wore deerskin boots, and a long sword hung at his waist. His steps were frantic.
Upon arriving at the gate of the estate, they were stopped by Steward Hu, who did not recognize them.
"Who are you, young man? This is Princess Chang Le's estate. No unauthorized personnel are allowed to trespass!"
In fact, Manager Hu was not stupid. The group of men were capable and burly, dressed in tight-fitting clothes, and each carried a long sword. As they walked in, it was obvious to anyone with eyes that they were the retainers of a high-ranking family.
The leader, in particular, was dressed simply, but the fabric was of the highest quality, and he exuded a heroic and extraordinary aura. However, he now carried a strong sense of menace.
Manager Hu had only ever experienced this feeling with the neighbor's son who had returned from the battlefield after distinguishing himself in battle.
This one is even worse.
They must come from a prominent family and are not to be trifled with.
But so what? No matter how extraordinary her background, how could she compare to Princess Chang Le?
With Princess Chang Le's influence, Steward Hu spoke with a lot more confidence.
Stopped, Lin Lanting's already irritated expression turned even colder.
"Unauthorized personnel?"
He scoffed coldly. If he hadn't thought that Manager Hu was just a clerk who knew nothing, he would have kicked the man into the ditch long ago.
If I'm not mistaken, that pretty boy surnamed Xi should have been inside long ago, but the prince consort is being kept outside.
How ridiculous.
The sight of Steward Hu stroking the knife at his waist made him break out in a cold sweat, and his legs went weak.
Before he could utter a few more harsh words, the man before him said arrogantly, "I am the second son of the Lin family, the husband of Princess Chang Le. How dare you obstruct me?"
The words were spoken with such conviction that Steward Hu's face twitched. He immediately changed his expression and said with a fawning smile, "So you are the Prince Consort. It's all my fault for being blind and not recognizing you. Please come in, Prince Consort."
It's normal for the prince consort to accompany the princess, but it's strange that the couple walks in front of each other.
Manager Hu's tactful manner softened Lin Lanting's expression. She strode inside and, without delay, asked Manager Hu directly, "Where is that pretty boy surnamed Xi?"
Upon hearing this, Manager Hu's heart immediately skipped a beat.
He hadn't expected the commotion they were just whispering about to come so quickly and so fiercely.
Steward Hu was only stunned for a moment, but the Prince Consort took it as reluctance and said in a sinister tone, "What, don't you want to talk?"
Feeling a chill run down his spine under the gaze of those dark eyes, Steward Hu immediately snapped back to reality and nodded vigorously, saying, "No, I'm willing, I'm willing!"
"Your Highness, please follow me."
Without thinking of anything else, he led the way with great enthusiasm, leading a group of fierce-looking attendants towards the residence of that young master Xi.
At that moment, Xi Bai was tuning his zither when he suddenly heard a series of chaotic footsteps outside the door. Then the door was kicked open with a bang, letting in the sunlight and a menacing figure at the door.
Tall and imposing, with an imposing presence, one could tell at a glance that he was the build of a military general.
Xi Bai gradually recognized the person who had come into view, and a moment of unease appeared on his face, but he quickly suppressed it.
With his usual gentle demeanor, Xi Bai rose with a smile, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "I was unaware of General Zhonglang's arrival. I have failed to greet you properly. May I ask why General Zhonglang has barged into my house and broken down my door?"
Looking at Xi Bai's fair and handsome face, Lin Lanting became even angrier.
So what if he has a fairer complexion? In other ways, how can he compare to him?
He looked her up and down, from head to toe, and shook his head with a look of disdain, especially at her thin and frail frame.
Having reached his limit of patience, Lin Lanting made no attempt to conceal his malice, exuding an aura of hostility from head to toe.
Without uttering a word, Lin Lanting immediately kicked the pretty boy, sending him flying several meters away. He crashed into many things with a loud thud, and you could tell how painful it was just by listening to the sound.
"What for? I'm here to teach you a lesson, of course!"
"You don't even know what kind of reputation I, Lin Er, have in Chang'an? Anyone who dares to provoke me, I'd like to see how many lives you have!"
After kicking her, Lin Lanting crossed her arms, feeling at least half of the frustration in her heart released, and a sense of relief washed over her.
Conversely, Xi Bai, who had been kicked, lay on the ground, his face pale and his eyes filled with fear.
He was careless; the risk was still too great.
...
Around 7:30 AM, Yan Zhai's carriage arrived late and came to a steady stop at the entrance of the manor.
As Huiyi got out of the car with Biqing's help, she saw the steward running over, panting heavily.
"Princess, something terrible has happened! The Prince Consort has just arrived and is going to kill Prince Xi!"
Huiyi thought he was in a hurry to greet her and was about to comfort him, telling him not to rush, when she heard this.
"What?"
"Lin Er is here, and he's going to kill people again?"
"Walk!"
In broad daylight, I have no idea what's gotten into this guy.
Before even entering the gate, a group of people could be seen coming out aggressively from afar, with Lin Er at the head.
Even worse, Xi Bai was being held captive there, his face bruised and swollen, almost unrecognizable.
I feel a bit like I'm dead.
"What a terrible thing to do."
Huiyi saw this and murmured something.
Just then, Lin Er raised his eyes, and their gazes met, sparks seemed to fly between them.
Those were eyes that seemed to want to devour people.
Do you intend to hit her too?
They've really got some nerve.
"Lin Lanting, you stop right there!"
Even after seeing her, he continued to do as he pleased, showing no intention of letting go of Xi Langjun. Huiyi got angry and blocked his way.
The fact that he personally blocked her way and demanded this pretty boy was even more outrageous in Lin Lanting's eyes.
"You're stopping me for this pretty boy?"
He already had a rather unfriendly face, and now, with his stern and furious expression, he looked even more ferocious.
Huiyi was a little intimidated to speak to her with such a face.
Not wanting to appear weak, Huiyi raised her chin and replied, "You have the nerve to say that? You beat the musician I invited like this, what is your crime!"
They simply don't respect her at all.
Lin Lanting almost laughed out of anger; he had only just realized that someone could make him this angry.
It feels like there's a mouthful of blood stuck in my throat that I can't swallow or spit out.
Enraged, Lin Lanting grabbed Huiyi's wrist and forced out the words, one by one.
"Isn't the one who should be punished? Who does he think he is, daring to try and steal my man? I'll teach him a lesson today!"
Huiyi listened in a daze. Combining these words with the jealousy on Lin Er's face, she finally understood something.
"What are you thinking? There's nothing between us. I just happened to have him come and play a little tune. What's this talk of stealing someone else's partner?"
"And what right do you have to interfere in my affairs? Release them immediately!"
The once refined and handsome young man had been beaten into a pulp, and Huiyi couldn't bear to look at him, feeling a pang of guilt.
The more Huiyi defended her, the more furious Lin Lanting became, especially after hearing the last sentence about distancing herself from the situation; he was practically driven mad with anger.
"I'm your husband, why can't I interfere? You slapped me across the face, and you won't even let me fight back?"
Just as Huiyi was about to bring up their private affair, she caught a glimpse of the large crowd around them and immediately changed her mind, saying, "Let him go, and we'll go inside and talk."
Fearing that Lin Er might act recklessly again, Huiyi grabbed Lin Er's hand and half-dragged, half-pulled him away.
After giving Yu Niang and the others a look that indicated they should continue cooking, Huiyi quickly led Lin Lanting into the nearest room.
Yu Niang was an old servant in the palace and had seen many such scenes. She first politely apologized to Xi Bai, then had a servant take him to the clinic for treatment. She then sternly reprimanded the servants present and managed everything in an orderly manner.
Inside, the two closed the door, and their conversation became much more open.
"What on earth is wrong with you?"
Huiyi has become somewhat unsure how to communicate with Lin Er; lately, he's been acting like a mad dog that can't understand human speech.
Lin Lanting had been quiet since he was pulled in. He first looked down at their clasped hands, and then stared intently at Huiyi.
"Didn't I say that the pretty boy surnamed Xi harbors evil intentions and has repeatedly tried to seduce me? Isn't that a slap in my face?"
Huiyi, feeling exhausted, solemnly said again, "Didn't I already say that I just invited him to play music for amusement? There was no other meaning behind it?"
"And even if I do like him, so what? This is what we agreed on beforehand, so don't..."
"I've also said that I want to live a good life with you, so none of those bastards will be allowed near you!"
To be honest, Huiyi had heard a lot of vulgar and offensive language in the countryside of Lingzhou before, but none of them had the same impact on her as Lin Er's words.
She was held captive for several breaths, her lips trembling slightly, looking somewhat bewildered.
This time, Huiyi took the other person's words to heart, her emotions churning.
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Author's note: I'm here! I didn't do well yesterday, it was too difficult [crying emoji]
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