Princess of Liang (XI)
This is not the first time Meng Shizhuang has gotten into trouble.
Back at Sujian Mountain, he was a natural source of irritation, easily stomped on by anyone. This kind of trouble was endless, and he couldn't fight back. If he did, not only would the fact that Lao Hu was teaching him swordplay be exposed—even though Luo Shun clearly knew about their nightly tricks during their bet—but if he couldn't find a good disciple, he'd probably turn on Lao Ju.
After coming down the mountain, people in the mortal world were polite to each other. But he, a barbarian who never listened to education, became the biggest cancer, cheating and deceiving. If it weren't for the old man, I'm afraid the next step would be rape and looting.
The capital city, however, was truly a fairyland of splendid beauty, a world of Penglai. Invitations were sent one after another, either to admire flowers or to write poetry. Fairies came in groups, elegantly dressed, fanning themselves and chatting amidst flowers, their voices soft and gentle, each one attentive and genuinely polite.
At the first banquet, Meng Shizhuang, a country bumpkin with a pale face, a straw head, and a pink silk dress and pink pearl flowers, suddenly rushed in. The young ladies and wives stopped to look at her, with shock and dullness revealed on their faces. However, these people not only ignored Meng Shizhuang's slightly funny outfit, but also seemed to be unaware of the embarrassing situation in Prince Liang's Mansion. In short, they treated her very well.
No one gathered around him to comment on his behavior, and no one suggested a competition in pot-to-pot or flying flowers.
So Meng Shizhuang was not at all opposed to going out to appreciate the flowers.
As long as the beautiful fairies are a little polite, they will make people linger.
The banquet concluded. The Shangshu family's daughter presented Meng Shizhuang with a bouquet of flowers he couldn't name. She stood by the door curtain, maintaining a polite demeanor. "...I'd like to thank you, Princess, for your presence today. Please forgive me if our hospitality has been inadequate. The day after tomorrow, Sister Fang will be hosting a birthday party at her residence, and I'm sure she'll send you an invitation. I hope you won't mind and will be happy to join me."
The Minister of Personnel's surname was Li. Miss Li was about the same height as Meng Shizhuang, with fair complexion and rosy cheeks, a low and soft voice, and clear and sincere eyes.
Meng Shizhuang took the flowers, but did not agree immediately. She only said that she would go if there was nothing to do in the palace.
Outside the Shangshu Mansion, carriages were parked in a dense row. Meng Shizhuang was looking down at the flowers, while Qiuhe was looking around, searching for the carriage from the palace.
After getting on the carriage, Qiu He said from outside, "Your Highness, there are too many carriages and horses on the road to South Street. Let's go back to the mansion via East Street."
It doesn't matter if Meng is wearing makeup, he is not in a hurry to go home.
He asked Qiuhe, "What kind of flower is this?"
In fact, Miss Li had told him everything when she handed him the flowers just now, including the names and origins of the flowers. However, her voice was too soft, and the banquet was coming to an end, so it was quite noisy at the table, so Meng Shizhuang didn't hear a word she said. However, he didn't show any doubtful expression, and just said that he liked it.
Qiu He leaned against the carriage, lifted the curtain and took a look: "It's peony."
He didn't know much about flowers either.
Shangyang is a land of bitter cold and wind, devoid of flowers, not even a decent tree. Although the Liang Palace possessed considerable wealth, it would not spend money on something it could not sustain. He recognized it as a peony because, on his way to the capital, he knew that the wealthy were prone to pretentiousness, and he had been catching up with Qin He all the way.
Meng Shizhuang kept holding the flowers, and as she looked at them, she suddenly thought of Bian Hongqiu, and her face which was more beautiful than that of a peony.
He moved to a different place, unable to hold back, and whispered to Qiu He, "Did you find any beautiful butterflies?"
Qiu He looked around hesitantly and simply shook his head at Meng Shizhuang.
Meng Shizhuang didn't ask any more questions.
Peonies don't have much of a fragrance, just the scent of grass and trees. Meng Shizhuang buried his face in the flowers, his nose stained with morning dew. He didn't wipe it off. The carriage rattled along slowly, and he was about to close his eyes for a moment's rest when a sudden, frantic clamor erupted outside. Sharp shouts startled pedestrians, and street vendors fled, spilling their wares all over the floor.
Qiu He's horse riding skills are superb, so Meng Shizhuang is not worried at all.
When he wanted to lift the curtain to see what was happening outside, Qiuhe suddenly let out a scream.
Meng Shizhuang grabbed the flower with one hand and lifted the curtain with the other. She saw Qiuhe covering his arm. A young man was riding a horse in front of her. The whip in his hand affected everyone around him, and he was still shouting "get out of the way".
The man struck with great force, whipping Qiu He's arm until it bled profusely.
Qiu He felt pain and subconsciously loosened the reins.
The horse pawed the ground and neighed, probably hurt by the whip. There were all kinds of things on the ground, including red hairpins, fruits, and vegetables. Several stalls had collapsed. The horse was panicking and trying to rush into the inn. The people screamed and ran away, and the street was in chaos.
Meng Shizhuang grabbed Qiu He's uninjured shoulder with her flower-catching hand, turned sideways, and pushed him into the carriage. Then, she lunged forward and grabbed the reins. The horse's front hooves rose high, and the entire carriage nearly tipped over. Meng Shizhuang remained unfazed, holding on to the reins tightly. Qiu He was pushed back into the carriage, and before she could catch him, she stuffed him with peony. She watched as Miss Li's feelings flew away with the wind.
Unable to withstand the destruction, the delicate flower shattered into pieces in the wind, and fell on Meng Shizhuang's head without a single piece left.
The horse under his command finally calmed down. The old woman who was trying to pick up fruits under the horse's hooves escaped death and was helped away by a kind-hearted person while trembling.
At this time, Meng Shizhuang's heart began to beat wildly.
He lowered his head slightly, and the pearl flower that had not been pinned in the morning slipped out of his hair, fell to the ground, rolled twice, and stopped under the culprit's horse's hoof.
The culprit was still in high spirits, waving his whip arrogantly. He steered his horse and stepped on the pearl flower with his foot, his eyes scornful: "Where did this country bumpkin come from? Whose clothes are you wearing?"
Meng Shizhuang gave a soothing gesture to Qiu He, who had just climbed out of the carriage and was still in shock. She turned to look at the unrepentant young man and said, "It is forbidden to ride horses in the busy streets of Beijing."
This was the rule that Song Jingyan specifically sent someone to emphasize to him.
Although he had never caused any trouble and was less of a worry than the decorations in Prince Liang's mansion, he still had a history of blackmail and looked like a prick. In order to prevent him from getting into trouble without knowing it, Song Jingyan asked someone to explain all the written and unwritten rules in the capital to him.
When the other party heard this, he burst into laughter: "He is indeed a country bumpkin from Shangyang."
As soon as these words were spoken, it was obvious where they came from.
Qiu He ignored the injury on his arm and endured the pain on his face. He wanted to ask Meng Shizhuang to avoid him first. This was a person who came to Liang Wangfu specifically to cause trouble. "Your Highness..." He was about to ask Meng Shizhuang to go back to the mansion first, but Meng Shizhuang nodded thoughtfully: "Your Highness..."
The man snorted and swung his whip again, sweeping away the stall owner who had the audacity to pick up the red hairpin: "Get out of the way! Can't you see that I haven't passed yet?"
Even a fool like Meng Shizhuang could tell the other man was either wealthy or noble. He could tolerate the pecking of wild birds on Sujian Mountain, so now he should be more aware of the situation and act accordingly. No wonder he was treated so respectfully by the fairies, yet he was so infuriated by this arrogant firecracker. He used the momentum from the carriage to push out and, with one punch, he sent the man flying off the horse.
There was another small commotion around.
Now no one dared to pick up things anymore. When big shots fought, it was easy for innocent people to be affected. So in the blink of an eye, all the birds and beasts scattered.
When Fang Changjun got up from the ground with his face covered, he had not yet realized what had just happened.
In an instant, the left side of his face swelled up bigger than a steamed bun, and he scolded incoherently, "Do you know who I am?"
Meng Shizhuang picked up the whip he had used to wreak havoc on her. For once, he showed some flexibility, frowning and raising one eye, tilting his ear to the side. "What did you say? I can't hear you clearly."
Fang Changjun's eyes darkened, and then he forced a nonchalant smile. He no longer wasted words and jumped up a few steps to grab the whip from Meng Shizhuang.
Meng Shizhuang's silk dress was very inconvenient to wear when fighting.
He had been the Princess of Liang for most of these days, but he hadn't experienced any real situations. Now, in broad daylight, he suddenly felt burdened. He felt that tearing his skirt was too unsightly, so he twisted the complicated skirt with great skill. He only had one hand to use, and it was newly connected, so the slightest movement made it creak.
So he used the old method, quickly wrapped the whip around his wrist, and punched Fang Changjun's right face with his left hand as he pounced on him.
This is what he learned after Shao Zheng taught him martial arts.
In the past, Lao Hu had taught him many moves, and since there wasn't enough food in the mountains, fighting among his peers was easy, but against a merciless opponent, he could easily be defeated by "one force over ten skills." Shao Zheng focused on strengthening his muscles and bones, and after half a month, he had developed a strong body.
Even though Fang Changjun was prepared, his cheek was swollen by his punch.
Two punches left him completely disfigured.
He covered his face in pain, and immediately threw all the temptations out of his mind.
What a disorderly country bumpkin!
Don’t you know that you shouldn’t hit someone in the face?
Meng Shizhuang didn't expect that the young man in the capital would be so fragile.
Peony petals fell gracefully from his hair, and as he thought of the beautiful and gentle Miss Li, he decided that he shouldn't be too prejudiced against the capital. He looked at Fang Changjun's face, thinking that the upper half of his face was pointed and monkey-faced, while the lower half looked like a steamed bun.
Tsk.
Meng Shizhuang finally understood why Mr. Liu was always reluctant to look him in the face.
Fang Changjun covered his face and caught a glimpse of Meng Shizhuang's disgusted eyes from between his swollen cheekbones - this girl who looked like a man dressed as a woman, full of rudeness, who looked at him once and didn't want to look at him again, actually despised him, a rich and beautiful girl in Beijing?
Without putting on any pretense, he uttered an angry "hmm," which died away just as it began.
Fang Changjun closed his mouth painfully, swallowed the saliva that was flowing out uncontrollably, and then said vaguely: "Just wait, I'm going to the palace to file a complaint!"
Meng Shizhuang really didn't understand what he was saying this time. Seeing Fang Changjun limping away, she took off the whip in her hand and wanted to take Qiuhe back home first.
At this time, another group of officers and soldiers came to the end of the long street.
The soldiers trotted over and surrounded them. Meng Shizhuang looked around. They all had solemn expressions, and no one was about to speak. Just as he was about to force Qiu He to leave, a modest gentleman in a white shirt emerged from the path cleared by the soldiers.
The young man's attire was modest yet elegant. He wore a gold medal and a dragon-shaped jade pendant at his waist. His long hair was tied up, revealing his long eyebrows and a pair of bright black eyes. He had a gentle and mature demeanor. He glanced briefly at Meng Shizhuang, the half-grown child, then at Fang Changjun, the half-grown adult. With a flick of his sleeve, he turned and left.
At the same time, a faint voice drifted over: "You are both riding horses and fighting in the street. You two are of noble status. Please follow me into the palace to explain to His Majesty."
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