teahouse
Yiye Residence is located in a bustling city. It is a two-story building with four rooms, constructed entirely of pine wood, with a shiny black lacquer finish. A half-length blue cloth curtain hangs between the doorposts, blocking out the dazzling afternoon sun.
When Mu Qing arrived, it was nearly late afternoon. Looking around, she saw that the tea tables in the main hall were full of all sorts of people. She tightened the drawstring of her veil.
"The young lady from the Tongzhi family? She seems to be there; she just arrived."
The waiter carrying the teapot pointed to a spot not far away, a few steps from the counter, where two girls wearing veils stood, and the maid beside them was from the Ji family.
Mu Qing spoke to the young prince, then pulled Lu Tongxue over. Before she could say anything, she saw the Ji family maid's expression change drastically, and the two young ladies who were accompanying her also stepped back.
A round-faced waiter came over from behind the counter and greeted them one by one: "Miss Ji, Miss Ji, please follow me. The private rooms are upstairs."
Seeing two more ladies wearing veils approaching, seemingly heading towards a certain place, he looked around and asked, "Have your guests arrived as well?"
But then Miss Ji the Fifth took another step back, and Miss Ji the Sixth also seemed unsteady. The maid beside her looked nervous and said, "Our young lady is suddenly feeling unwell and has to go back first."
The round-faced waiter scratched his head, "This is too sudden..."
Mu Qing wanted to ask who was unwell, but as soon as she approached, she saw Miss Ji the Fifth and Miss Ji the Sixth turn around and walk quickly around a bend, with several maids blocking their way behind them, saying that they would make an appointment with Miss Lu another time.
They were walking in such a hurry that they didn't pay attention to their manners and almost bumped into a waiter carrying a tea tray. Although they were unharmed, their veils were caught on the tea tray he was holding high.
In that instant, Mu Qing clearly saw that the person under the veil was not Miss Ji Wu at all.
Lu Tongxue didn't see clearly, and watching the group of figures hurriedly leaving, she wondered, "What's wrong with them? Why are they in such a panic?"
The round-faced waiter, scratching his head, remained in place, and said with an embarrassed smile, "Miss Ji has already reserved a private room. Would you two like to go up and have a seat?"
Mu Qing was still wondering why Miss Ji's personal maid wasn't accompanying Miss Ji herself.
Xiao Yu walked over. "No need, they're with me."
The round-faced waiter's eyes lit up, and he smiled broadly, "Oh, Your Highness has reserved the best seats."
Just then, someone entered and called out, "Do you have a female musician here?"
The one who spoke was a man in fine clothes, wearing a golden crown and jade belt. If it weren't for his unfriendly expression, he would have been considered quite handsome. Behind him were two tall and imposing followers.
The old shopkeeper didn't answer immediately, but squinted at him.
The richly dressed man kicked the counter with his boot. "Are you deaf or mute, old man?"
The round-faced waiter immediately stepped forward, bowed, and said with a smile, "Young Master Jiang, you are very well-informed. We have just received a musician who will be performing on stage in a little while. Why don't you go upstairs to a private room and listen to his music?"
Young Master Jiang looked disdainful and said, "I can't be bothered to listen. Tell her to come out and see me."
The round-faced waiter couldn't help but scratch his head again.
This young master Jiang was a notorious playboy in Weizhou City. Although his parents were both dead, he had an uncle who became the chief secretary of the Grand Commander. Just look at the followers behind him, and you can tell that he was hated by them and would be extremely troublesome.
"Young Master Jiang, we have quite a few guests waiting to hear the music." The round-faced waiter forced a smile, raised both hands, and pointed at the young prince. "Look, the prince is here too. He booked a private seat a long time ago."
When Young Master Jiang glanced at the young prince, he became more restrained, but his eyes still wandered to the side.
Lu Tongxue had never seen such a person before. Even with her veiled hat on, she felt offended by that gaze. "Where are your dog eyes looking?"
Instead of getting angry, Young Master Jiang laughed: "Heh, whose young lady is so shrewish?"
But then a voice came from outside the door: "Who's harassing women here?"
His voice was gentle, but his tone of reproach was unmistakable.
Young Master Jiang swallowed hard, turned to look at the door, and bowed to the person who lifted the curtain and entered.
"Your Honor, she was the one who insulted me first. She was wearing a veil, so I couldn't see anything. She immediately called me a dog-eyed person. If it weren't for that, I wouldn't have spoken so offensively."
Seeing that it was Censor Zhong who walked in, dressed in a light blue robe, which was rather simple but much more pleasing to the eye than Young Master Jiang, Lu Tongxue happily bowed.
“Your Honor is wise. I only said ‘Where are your dog eyes looking?’ I didn’t mention this Young Master Jiang at all. He came forward to admit it himself, so you can’t blame me.”
The surrounding area erupted in laughter, while Young Master Jiang's face turned ashen.
Zhong Linlan nodded to the young prince, then looked at the two people wearing veils beside her, saying, "It's wrong to insult anyone. Young ladies should be careful with their words and actions in public to avoid hurting people's feelings."
Young Master Jiang laughed heartily: "Your Excellency is indeed fair and just."
Lu Tongxue felt quite depressed. Her earlier joy had vanished. She thought that this Imperial Censor Zhong looked quite good, but it turned out he was someone who couldn't distinguish right from wrong.
Then Imperial Censor Zhong said, "Young Master Jiang should also restrain his eyes and ears when he is in a crowd. If he doesn't look around casually, he won't feel like he is being scolded. If he doesn't listen to things casually, he won't take the insults to heart and become angry."
Young Master Jiang put away his smile and nodded casually.
"Imperial Censor Zhong is truly impartial," Xiao Yu said with a smile. "Did you come here alone just to listen to music?"
Zhong Linlan's expression was pleasant. "I'm just passing by. If there's any music playing, feel free to listen."
Seeing that the situation had calmed down, the round-faced waiter grinned and said, "Sir, you can come upstairs to listen! The musician we invited today is no ordinary person. She composed and played her own music, and she is playing a completely new piece that no one outside has ever heard before. I guarantee that you will not regret coming here."
Young Master Jiang sneered, "That's too much to say."
Seeing his gloomy expression, Xiao Yu asked, "Have you heard that musician play music?"
"No, I just want to see her." Young Master Jiang said, and asked the round-faced waiter, "Find me a private seat, one where I can see the musician's position clearly."
The round-faced waiter frowned. "The good seats are all taken."
Young Master Jiang took out his bulging money bag and said, "I'll offer a high price. You can negotiate. There's bound to be someone willing to trade."
The round-faced waiter glared at him, said "Okay," and led him upstairs.
Xiao Yu smiled, tucked his hands into his sleeves, and turned to say, "Listening to music alone is rather lonely. How about Imperial Censor Zhong sits with us? The two young ladies of the Lu family are not strangers."
Zhong Linlan agreed and expressed her gratitude.
Lu Tongxue was dissatisfied with him and didn't want to be with him right now, but because of the round-faced waiter's words, she really wanted to hear some so-called new songs. She glanced at her cousin next to her with a sullen expression and then realized that her cousin hadn't made a sound for a while.
Ning Gu also noticed that something was wrong with her young lady. She had been sitting still like a wooden statue for a while, so she quickly went over to ask her what was wrong. However, she found that her hands, which were warm even in the snow, were now very cold, and she immediately exclaimed in surprise.
Mu Qing quickly said, "It's alright," and after a few words of reassurance, she withdrew her hand and tightened the drawstring of her veil.
She had met Jiang Likun before in the past two years without any problems, so there was no need to be nervous.
Upon reaching the second floor, push open the door and enter the room. Passing by the landscape painting screen, you will see a tea table set up by the window. A pale yellow gauze curtain is drawn on the inside of the wall. Sitting by the window, you can take in the entire interior of the tea house with the help of the rays of light filtering through the narrow courtyard.
Xiao Yu looked at Mu Qing across the tea table, "You've always been in good health, what happened just now?"
Mu Qing held a blue-and-white porcelain cup inside her veil. "I may not have been sleeping well lately and have caught a bit of a chill."
Xiao Yu smiled faintly and asked, "Why didn't you sleep well? What's bothering you?"
Seeing him smile, Mu Qing felt guilty and confused. She thought about it for a while before realizing that the young prince thought she was uneasy because the wedding was approaching. By the time she was about to answer, the opportunity had passed.
Xiao Yu changed the subject: "You've been wearing your veil for too long, why don't you take it off? Anyway, there's no one else here, and Imperial Censor Zhong has seen you before. You can sit further back, and the people outside won't be able to see you."
Lu Tongxue listened from the side, wanting to nod in agreement. She couldn't stand wearing a veil almost all day long, but her cousin next to her shook her head and said, "No, I also want to see the musician."
Mu Qing had no intention of taking it off. Wearing the veiled hat would prevent her from making eye contact with Zhong Linlan and also serve as a precaution.
Zhong Linlan spoke softly, "One should be careful in a place like this. Young Master Jiang is in the private room across the way."
Mu Qing's body stiffened.
The window opposite was wide open, and Young Master Jiang was peering down.
Lu Tongxue's anger, which she had just suppressed, resurfaced. "You knew he would look around, and you even told me I was wrong earlier. His eyes were cold and greedy. I was worried he would bite me if he looked at me for even a second."
Zhong Linlan explained briefly: "He is not magnanimous. If he does not get his revenge on the spot, he will definitely retaliate twice as hard afterward."
Lu Tongxue was speechless, but the grievances in her heart were very real.
Xiao Yu smoothed things over, saying, "My cousin is new here and doesn't know who this Young Master Jiang is, so it's no wonder she wasn't on guard. Imperial Censor Zhong has only been in Weizhou for a few days, yet he knows him so well; he must have put in a lot of effort."
“It was just a coincidence that I ran into him twice.” Zhong Linlan glanced out the window, her gaze sweeping over Mu Qing, who was sitting still wearing a veil. “His father was a former magistrate. He experienced the destruction of his family five years ago and was an important witness in that major case. It’s hard not to pay attention to him.”
Lu Tongxue blurted out, "His family was destroyed!" Realizing her tone was excited and gloating, she quickly coughed lightly and changed to a calmer tone, "What major case was it back then?"
While she was speaking, Mu Qing put down her teacup and hid her trembling fingertips inside her sleeve.
Before answering, Zhong Linlan asked, "Does Your Highness know about that case?"
Xiao Yu pondered, "I was ill at the time and only vaguely heard about it. I knew that bandits attacked a villa in the suburbs, killing and burning people. Later, I heard that the bandit leader was a young and beautiful woman. I just felt that this was a misfortune for humanity."
The words were filled with compassion, and Mu Qing couldn't help but be moved. Just as she was about to speak, she saw Zhong Linlan, who was sitting diagonally opposite her, glance at her.
"A young and beautiful woman?" Lu Tongxue exclaimed in surprise, "Perhaps it was that young master Jiang who was so audacious as to flirt with someone and brought disaster upon himself."
Zhong Linlan revealed a faint, emotionless smile. "Young Master Jiang said that when he found that bandit leader on the road, he thought she was a weak woman and only took pity on her. Who knew that not long after he brought her home, this woman actually colluded with the bandits to rob their treasure and kill his whole family."
Lu Tongxue didn't believe the young master Jiang, but she couldn't completely deny it either. She seized on the suspicious point in his words and asked, "Didn't you say it was a villa in the suburbs? How come there's treasure there?"
Zhong Linlan said calmly, "The prefectural magistrate is in charge of the state's finances. If he is greedy, it is not difficult for him to hide a courtyard full of treasures."
"Then they deserve it!" Lu Tongxue said indignantly. "I think those bandits did a good deed for the people."
“The perpetrators might feel comforted to hear your words. However,” Zhong Linlan turned his gaze to the window, “the country has its laws. Those bandits murdered officials, robbed treasures, and killed dozens of people, including the elderly, women, and children. They deserve the death penalty.”
Mu Qing turned her eyes to look at him through the curtain. When she heard him finish speaking, his tone turned icy, and she couldn't help but hold her breath.
Lu Tongxue remained silent for a moment, then asked with regret, "But how come Young Master Jiang is still alive?"
Xiao Yu sighed softly, "I do know that. He was seriously injured at the time of the incident and fell into a coma. It took him eight months to regain his senses..."
As they were talking, they heard a soft, clear sound outside the window, as someone casually plucked the strings of a zither.
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