Chapter 44 His sweat almost dirtied her.
"Splash!"
"Hiss hiss hiss!"
Jiang Shuifu covered her eyes tightly, then quickly turned around, facing away from the strangely behaving man, and rebuked him:
"He Beiqing, what's wrong with you!"
The man's actions did not stop because of her reprimands; instead, the sounds of tearing and pulling became even louder in the empty courtyard.
The piercing sound echoed throughout the courtyard, and even with eyes closed, the imagery became even more vivid.
Perhaps it was the gentle spring breeze, but the man's voice unconsciously took on a slightly seductive quality:
"This gentle breeze and the intoxicating crabapple blossoms, what's wrong with going a little crazy? You really won't turn back?"
Jiang Shuifu not only covered her eyes, but also her ears, refusing to listen!
Her face grew increasingly red, but not from embarrassment; rather, from anger at his despicable methods.
He actually tried to force her away with this method, thinking that she would let him off the hook?
It's just fair skin. Men don't even keep their chastity, so why should she follow those outdated and foolish rules?
She wouldn't let him have his way.
With a determined heart, she stomped her foot, preparing to turn around and settle scores with him again. But perhaps she stomped too hard, and the crabapple blossoms above her head suddenly fell to the ground.
But the direction she fell wasn't straight down to the ground, and the scene that unfolded the next moment made her blink wide.
Dozens of clusters of crabapple petals on a single branch suddenly swirled and danced in the air, the delicate, curled petals seemingly being swept up in the air by a gentle yet powerful force, circling around the house, around the tree, and around her.
The crabapple blossoms spread out in concentric circles, like a light drizzle of rouge, half pink and half white under the warm yellow light.
Like a dream, it condensed into mist, creating an ethereal and hazy atmosphere.
In that instant, the world seemed to be filled with beauty and wonder, and she looked up and gazed at the dense cluster of two-colored crabapple blossoms.
She reached out her hand, and the crabapple blossom fell into her palm, smaller than her fingernail.
Another gentle breeze arose, and the crabapple blossoms in her palm fluttered, carrying away a large shower of petals in front of her. With her view unobstructed, she could clearly see the person in the center of the shower of petals.
He wasn't as naked as she had imagined; instead, he was a lotus-colored figure, leaping and dancing with a sword in hand, his sleeves billowing and fluttering.
The crabapple blossoms danced on his sword, the spring breeze was slashed by the tip of his sword, his dance was as smooth as flowing water, and shimmering with light.
Seeing that she finally turned around, He Beiqing's sword energy solidified, and he spread his arms wide, unfurling his large, lotus-colored brocade robe, and said with a smirk:
"I had intended to dance for you while wearing a wide-sleeved gauze dress, but I'll have to make do now, Miss Fu."
It turned out that he had another robe underneath. This robe was not as ethereal as the one before, but when worn, it made him even more graceful and charming. In short, it was simply a matter of two words: dashing and romantic, or even flamboyant.
Jiang Shuifu's eyes narrowed instantly. Sword dance?
He did say he would dance for her, so just now... he wasn't trying to scare her.
Did she misunderstand him?
Seeing her puzzled look, He Beiqing didn't defend himself. He flashed his sword and began to practice his sword dance. "I never break my word. Watch closely, Miss Fu."
He called her Miss Fu, no longer the stiff, unyielding woman.
Jiang Shuifu didn't notice the change in how he addressed her, because the crabapple blossoms had all fallen, leaving petals scattered all over the ground.
He Beiqing followed her gaze, and in the next instant, he moved as lightly as a swallow, his sword rising and the wind surging.
The sword was fiery red, yet its light was as white as snow. It glided lightly across the crabapple petals, effortlessly lifting the fallen crabapple back to the ground.
The crabapple blossoms spun in response to his movements, and for a moment, because of the color of his robes, he and the crabapple blossoms blended perfectly, becoming indistinguishable.
This sword dance had much more power; his sword cut through the wind, each move leaping and tumbling, sharp and fierce.
His lotus-colored robes billowed and rippled with each leap, magnificent and beautiful, as graceful as a painting.
Although she was in a small mansion, she felt as if she were in a world of mountains and rivers, grasslands and exotic lands, under peach blossoms.
There is a kind of free and unrestrained, refreshing beauty.
She thought that he might prefer freedom to being an official.
Only when the dance was almost over did she slowly look away, remembering her purpose, and step forward: "Give me the person quickly!"
He Beiqing was having a wonderful time wielding his sword, his eyes shining like moonlight.
This song made him break out in a sweat; a tiny bead clung to the tip of his nose. He then gently shook his head, giving her a very innocent look.
"you······"
She was so angry that she stomped on him several times, almost getting his sweat on her, but he dodged it by joking around.
On the table.
There were constant sounds of ridicule:
"Even the old man from the Jiang family is here, but where is their granddaughter? Where is the Crown Princess?"
"No, I should say, where did the abandoned former Crown Princess go? Is she hiding and afraid to face anyone?"
"Hahaha!"
Gossip is a common topic at banquets. If a family were to have a major scandal, the situation would be like this: you can shut one person up, but you can't shut everyone up.
You can cover it up for a while, but you can't cover it up forever.
Moreover, everyone present was an official whom Su Yang could name.
Jiang Zongnan slammed his cane on the ground. "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, filial piety, brotherly love, loyalty, trustworthiness, propriety, righteousness, and integrity! We Jiang family members despise this kind of person the most!"
This was originally a couplet. The first line should have included the number eight, but it forgot to include it. The second line was originally the Eight Virtues of Confucianism, namely filial piety, brotherly love, loyalty, trustworthiness, propriety, righteousness, integrity, and shame. The word "shame" was omitted. Therefore, this couplet implies that the turtle is shameless.
The man who had just mocked Jiang Shuifu was utterly ignorant; upon hearing this, he didn't even realize it was an insult and laughed so hard he could barely breathe.
"Do they still think the Jiang family is some prestigious clan? They've long since fallen from grace. They used to be able to bully others by relying on the Crown Prince, but now! She's just a discarded woman! They wouldn't even take her if she were given away to a beggar on the street!"
Jiang Zongnan was furious. The Jiang family had been a prosperous family for dozens of generations before it gradually declined in recent generations.
Even now, the Jiang family still stands firmly in Suyang.
What's more, it's one thing to criticize him, but to bully his granddaughter is another!
He cursed the shameless brat several times. He only regretted that he could not be as shameless as him, otherwise he would have made this bastard taste the power of his pure gold cane!
Just as the man was gaining the upper hand, a languid yet icy voice boomed throughout the courtyard: "Even a rat has skin, but a man has no manners; a man without manners, what is the point of living!"
As the person approached step by step, revealing their true face, the prefect immediately stood up, his eyes shining, and his body bent over hunched over: "Lord He! You've finally arrived!"
His manner was too obsequious; if he could, he would gladly carry He Beiqing's shoes.
He raised his head and looked down at the people below. These snobs had been laughing at him for who knows how long, and now that someone had arrived, he naturally wanted to gloat.
"Lord He, you must have been too busy just now. Actually, court affairs are of great importance, there was no need for you to come here specifically, Your humble servant..."
He Beiqing interrupted his boasting directly: "Didn't you invite me here three or four times? But now you've even brought along some Tom, Dick, and Harry. You really don't care about my welcome-home banquet, Your Excellency!"
Upon hearing the word "Prefect," his knees buckled uncontrollably, and it took him a great deal of effort to regain his balance.
He Beiqing was always kind and gentle to his subordinates; he never acted so sarcasticly.
It seems he's angry.
The prefect seemed to be a perceptive person. Seeing that Jiang Shuifu was following behind him and that her expression showed neither dislike nor disgust, he immediately knew how to deal with his anger.
The prefect hurriedly slapped his thigh and cried out for justice, fiercely summoning his guards:
"Men, get this troublemaking scoundrel out of here right now! From this day forward, he shall never set foot here again!"
The man, unable to discern the truth in the words, assumed the speaker wasn't him and sneered at Jiang Shuifu and her family beside him, "Get lost!"
He Beiqing was stunned for a moment, somewhat surprised by his foolishness. Jiang Shuifu was not one to swallow her anger. She slowly helped the old man sit down, quietly snatched the cane from his hand, and then pretended to shake off the obstacle and accidentally threw it hard on the man's back. The golden cane was heavy, and the man immediately collapsed to the ground crying.
"Murder! Help!"
As he shouted, he hunched over and rushed toward Jiang Shuifu, looking like he was about to make a move.
He Beiqing stopped him in time:
"It was merely a slip of the hand. Who are you, sir? Why not ride the wind and soar ninety thousand miles into the sky!"
Upon hearing this, the man immediately ignored Jiang Shuifu, abruptly turned around, and knelt down directly in front of him.
He thought he had been favored by He Beiqing and was about to be promoted, so he excitedly kowtowed to He Beiqing and thanked him: "Thank you for your favor, Lord He. I will definitely serve you well!"
Talking to fools is exhausting. He Beiqing suddenly chuckled, then clapped his hands in a wry smile.
"Very well! I have another suggestion: why don't you look at yourself in the water?"
The man still couldn't understand, and looked at He Beiqing with hopeful eyes. He Beiqing casually decided his fate: "You only have two choices: rise with the wind, or drown in your own reflection!"
His words were light and quick, but his eyes betrayed a different story. They were deep and dark, like a mountain about to collapse, slowly and precisely crushing the man to death.
After Jiang Shuifu helped her grandfather sit down, her grandmother quickly went over to comfort him. She helped by serving him tea and water. Holding her breath, she looked at He Beiqing. Since he wanted to stand up for her, she would definitely accept.
She made the decision for the man: "Let's do it a few times with both of them!"
First tie him up and put him in the air, then let him piss on his face and wash it.
This happens twice, in a continuous cycle.
The man finally realized something was wrong. He couldn't tell whether the words coming from He Beiqing's mouth were good or bad, but the words coming from this vile woman's mouth were definitely not nice!
He was frightened and tried to say something in his defense, but when the guards came to seize him with sticks, he was too scared to utter a complete sentence. He could only wail and beg for mercy with tears streaming down his face.
This scene caused the people below to whisper among themselves, discussing not the Jiang family, but He Beiqing, his attitude towards the Jiang family, and his attitude towards Jiang Shuifu.
They came together and helped the Jiang family vent their anger.
What exactly does he mean?
It should be understood that officials would never do anything in vain; they would always do something to make a profit.
Jiang Shuifu just wanted to leave with her grandparents. She had brought them here on her own initiative. This whole thing was supposed to be a welcome-home party, but her uncle had to leave Suyang for work, so she thought she could bring them here to get some fresh air and exercise.
He Beiqing sensed her mood and waved his hand. The servants carried plates of freshly cooked delicacies to Jiang Shuifu. He walked down from the high platform and came step by step to Jiang Zongnan.
He clasped his hands together and bowed deeply in sincere apology:
"What happened today was my fault, and I will take full responsibility. These are all specialties of the capital. Knowing that you two elders do not eat greasy food, I have modified them all. There are also some tribute peaches, which I received and transported to your residence today. I will deliver them to you two elders' residence later. I hope you two elders can calm down. In addition, I will definitely visit you another day to express my apologies."
Upon hearing this, everyone present looked at Jiang Zongnan with new respect. The fact that even the highest-ranking official in Suyang was on good terms with the Jiang family speaks volumes.
The Jiang family is about to rise!
The Jiang family is not to be trifled with!
From this day forward, no one will dare to say a bad word about Jiang Shuifu like they did today!
Jiang Zongnan never expected that a high-ranking official of the third rank in the capital would personally apologize to him and make such a show of it, especially since the matter had nothing to do with him at all.
Although he was old, he could still distinguish right from wrong. How could he possibly hold a grudge against him? He exchanged a few polite words with him, praised him a few times, and then sat down to continue his meal. He thought that he did this because he didn't want his welcome-home banquet to go wrong.
But his wife saw it more clearly than he did. He Beiqing's action unconsciously told all the officials in Su Yang that he was protecting the Jiang family.
But the Jiang family had no connection with him, and no one was on good terms with him.
At this moment, He Beiqing turned back to the high platform, but his steps became slower and slower. As he brushed past Jiang Shuifu, he paused almost imperceptibly. "I told you, I came to help you. Do you believe me now, Miss Fu?"
Grandmother's eyesight was very sharp, and she took in the scene.
.
After the banquet, Jiang Shuifu returned to the mansion with her grandparents, but before she could step into the mansion, someone unexpectedly grabbed her arm.
Didn't you ask me for people?
She impatiently brushed his hand away, gave him a look as if rebuking his inconsistent behavior: How dare you say that!
The next moment, he suddenly smiled wickedly, took out a veil and covered his head with it. In an instant, most of his body was covered, and his face could not be seen at all.
"Isn't the person right here?"
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Author's Note: The male lead is still on horseback, but he will likely appear in about two chapters.
①——"Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio: Veteran of Three Dynasties"
②——《The Book of Songs》, Yong Feng, Xiang Shu
③——Derivative of "To Li Yong"
④——Supplement to the Complete Works
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