Chapter 43. He Beiqing trembled, and she cried…
"Where are they? Go find them now! All the guests have arrived, and the banquet is about to begin. If you can't find them, don't come back, you bunch of useless trash!"
The prefect was sweating profusely with anxiety, breathing heavily in anger, and glaring at the servants.
The servants were so scolded they were almost bent over, and they didn't dare wipe the sweat from their faces from repeatedly searching for the person. They only cautiously explained:
"We've searched so many times, we've searched the entire manor, but we still can't find Lord He! Lord He... what if he's not coming?"
The prefect kicked the servant, sending him sprawling face-first into the dirt: "Nonsense! Today is his welcome-home banquet, where else could he be if he didn't come!"
Although the prefect said this on the surface, his eyes darkened, and he was not sure himself. He Beiqing had come with a mission, and he had already tried to fool him many times. It was normal for him to give him a hard time.
"Grandpa and Grandma, watch your step."
Jiang Shuifu helped them step into the prefectural government's gate, but she overheard their conversation as soon as they entered.
He Beiqing has disappeared.
How could someone as grown up as him disappear?
When the prefect saw Jiang Shuifu arrive with Jiang Zongnan and his wife, he became even more annoyed. They were all so old, yet they still had to wander around aimlessly. So, without even giving them a glance, he turned and stormed off.
Jiang Shuifu patted the two elders on the back, telling them not to worry. Fortunately, the two elders were already well-versed in the fickleness of human relationships and didn't feel anything.
The banquet was about to begin, and the table was full of people. They were among the last to arrive, so she settled them in and then left on her own.
She was going to find him.
However, she was unfamiliar with this vast prefectural government compound and could only wander around by chance.
Fortunately, the people in the mansion were busy searching for someone and no one noticed her impolite intrusion.
Spring has arrived, and everything is coming back to life. The garden is filled with many flowers, and she can see different varieties almost every few steps.
The falling, fluttering, fragrant wisteria vines obscured her vision and blocked her path. She gently pushed them aside, allowing her to get closer to the inner part.
She walked through the wisteria vines, heading deeper into the valley. The more she walked, the quieter and more serene the surroundings became, and somehow she felt much more at ease.
She only realized why when she got to the back; it was the smell of crabapple blossoms.
The wisteria flowers concealed a somewhat abandoned courtyard, which probably hadn't been visited in a long time, with people only coming to clean it every now and then.
Although this courtyard is rarely visited, it is precisely because of this that it has been able to retain its natural state, allowing the crabapple blossoms to bloom luxuriantly and beautifully.
She suddenly stopped in her tracks, no longer wanting to go any further.
The next moment, a crabapple bud fell, drifting gently and softly, landing right between her eyebrows. She quickly caught it.
The begonia fairy lying in her palm was quite enchanting. She was initially shy about revealing her true face, but upon seeing her, she gradually opened her face, becoming more and more beautiful, like a rosy cloud. Before long, she revealed her crystal-clear pistil, which she placed on the tip of her nose.
The next moment, she looked up slyly, her tone carrying a hint of arrogance:
"Got you!"
Following her gaze, a man was found lying beneath the clusters of lush green and vibrant red crabapple blossoms.
Because the crabapple blossoms were so beautiful, every branch and twig of the tree was covered with pink blossoms, completely concealing the man's massive body. From a distance, it didn't look out of place at all.
If she hadn't caught a whiff of something suspicious, she probably wouldn't have guessed he would be here.
Hearing the noise, the man bent one leg. It turned out that he had a wine flask hidden at his waist. When he raised his leg, it touched the cluster of crabapple blossoms on his chest. The crabapple blossoms looked up and drank the wine from the edge of his wine flask. They became drunk and swayed, and a few more blossoms fell. The sunlight also took the opportunity to shine through.
The fallen crabapple blossoms landed on her hair, adorning her side by side with her red pomegranate gemstone hairpin.
The swaying crabapple tree would sometimes bend down to cover the man's face, teasing him, and sometimes it wouldn't let him see it. It was so mischievous that his face would appear and disappear in this way, sometimes bright and sometimes dark.
The man's profile was turned to the side, the shadows of the crabapple tree and the sunlight intertwined, making him appear more mysterious and his features more defined and profound.
He drank wine amidst the flowers, so unrestrained.
He Beiqing looked down and was somewhat surprised to see the person who had come: "They've been searching for so long and have failed. How did you find out?"
Jiang Shuifu proudly raised the crabapple in her palm.
"This crabapple blossom is absolutely enchanting!"
intoxicating?
He Beiqing understood immediately after a moment's thought, and a smile spread across his face as his eyes darted around:
"Indeed intoxicating. This Thousand Dew Drink is made by crushing spring flowers. Its fragrance is refreshing and naturally intoxicating."
Jiang Shuifu didn't waste any words with him and went straight to asking for the person: "You told me to come to you, and now that I'm here, where's Yunzhu? Shouldn't you lend her to me now?"
He admitted defeat a few days ago and asked her to come find him today, so she abandoned her grandparents to come looking for him. Who knew he was hiding in this secluded tree.
He Beiqing seemed not to hear her words and made no move. He continued to lie on the tree branch, took a sip of wine, and picked a crabapple blossom to chew together.
He had the air of a pretentious, affected intellectual.
Seeing his indifferent attitude, Jiang Shuifu's lips unconsciously pouted, and she stared intently at him. As she stared, she suddenly noticed his attire.
Today he was not wearing a fitted outfit with tight sleeves, nor a round-necked long robe favored by officials, but a pale yellow gauze robe with wide sleeves and rattan patterns.
His gauze robe had extremely wide sleeves, and the silk was light and smooth. When the wind blew, the hem of his robe fluttered with the scent of crabapple blossoms. He should have had the air of a Taoist immortal, but his appearance was too handsome and his lips were too red, so he had nothing to do with that. If you had to say what he resembled, he would be more like a male demon who cultivates in a cave and bewitches people.
She couldn't take her eyes off them, and though she didn't want to admit it, she did enjoy watching male demons.
Unexpectedly, He Beiqing suddenly opened his eyes. She wanted to look away, but he captured her eyes before she could move and stared at her.
He raised an eyebrow, asking her casually yet curiously:
"You... like this outfit of mine?"
Although Jiang Shuifu was caught red-handed, she wasn't guilty. She had simply made a mistake that all men make, and she retorted confidently:
"So what? You do look somewhat good, but who told you to dress like that!"
He Beiqing was used to the word "good-looking"; it wasn't the first time he'd heard it. Besides, he could tell that she was simply admiring it, without any other mockery or disdain.
Since she'd already been caught, she might as well look openly. With looks like that, she'd probably cost a fortune in a brothel.
He didn't care about her staring, but she should change this habit; otherwise, he didn't know how many brothels he would have to shut down and how many men he would have to imprison.
Because of Shen Jizhao's personality, he knew all too well that Shen Jizhao was intolerant of any imperfections, not even the most vulgar.
If anyone dares to covet his people, he will use his power and status to crush that person.
In an instant, large clusters of crabapple blossoms fell rapidly, hitting her and causing her to bend over. At the same time, a gust of wind rose from somewhere, causing her to bend over again and get her eyes wet.
Under these circumstances, Jiang Shuifu could no longer watch and could only cover her eyes, waiting for the "attack" to pass.
After a long while, she slowly opened her eyes.
She was startled when she opened her eyes. When did this man come down from the tree? And he was looking at her warily.
Being stingy again.
He did it on purpose!
Pshaw! Who cares!
Jiang Shuifu stepped forward and held out her palm: "Give the person to me, I don't want to see you! I've never seen such a petty man!"
He Beiqing brushed past her palm, completely ignoring her request.
She got angry and chased after him to settle the score, but he suddenly turned around and a sword was held right in front of her nose.
The sudden action startled her again. She felt wronged and angry. From childhood to adulthood, no one had ever pointed a sword at her repeatedly. Even Shen Jizhao would not treat a woman who was powerless like this.
Her eyes were slightly moist, and tears rolled and welled up inside. The man with the sword noticed her unusual expression, so he frowned and raised his eyebrows, and then retreated repeatedly.
Is she... about to cry?
Heavenly Bodhisattva, why is she crying?
This realization sent shivers down his spine, his mind went blank, and all that remained was a sharp, piercing noise.
He almost immediately wanted to turn and run away; he had no experience and didn't know what it looked like when a woman's tears fell.
But his feet felt like they were made of lead, and he couldn't move.
The next instant, the woman, tears welling in her eyes, drew his sword and thrust it at him, determined to settle both old and new scores.
He Beiqing stared blankly at the empty scabbard in his hand until the sword pierced through him, and the fiery lotus on the sword grew larger and larger before his eyes. Only then did he come back to his senses.
The Fire Lotus Sword approached his chest inch by inch, and just as the tip was about to pierce through, he suddenly dodged, and her attack missed.
She changed her tactics and chased after him, determined to vent her anger. Although she didn't know kung fu, she was skilled in riding and archery, so she naturally had some strength and techniques.
But this was far too easy for a general with a distinguished military record. He turned the tide with a single move, capturing his Fire Lotus Sword beneath the blank hilt of her sword.
So the situation on the field was that she held the upper part of the sword hilt, and he held the lower part.
Jiang Shuifu glared at him fiercely, even angrier, her eyes becoming more moist. She couldn't win the fight with his hand, but she was unwilling to simply hand over the sword. So she kept the sword in her hand, but increased her footwork, attacking his lower body.
He Beiqing remained calm and composed, as if he had anticipated her actions. He then grabbed the sword and turned her around.
She thought she had failed again, her face flushed and tears were about to fall, but unexpectedly, he only dodged the previous attack, and then turned his sword to stab at his own lower hem.
His gauze robe was instantly torn to shreds!
He didn't stop, stabbing himself again and again, from his hem to his waist and then to his arm. Before long, the sky was filled with pale yellow fragments.
Jiang Shuifu's hand was always gripping the sword, so although he was the one who stabbed her, she was also involved.
Because she wouldn't let go, and he didn't intend to let her let go either, she could feel the tip of the sword sometimes veering off course, as if it had pierced into his flesh.
Her anger subsided considerably. By the end, his gauze robe was so torn that it no longer clung to his body. She noticed this and didn't look at him once.
However, since she and he were holding the same sword, they were not far apart, and she could vaguely feel his breath.
She turned her face away, unwilling to get even a little bit of it on her.
During this time, he took the sword back when she wasn't paying attention.
"Don't think that I..."
She glared at him angrily, but quickly turned her eyes away and covered them tightly.
Because the sound of clothes being torn apart echoed in the courtyard.
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