Chapter 397: One Hundred and Fifty, the Old-Shouldered, Super-Slick Little Sister (Thank you, Honey-Girl, for your Alliance Donation)

One Hundred and Fifty, the Old-Shouldered, Super-Slick Little Sister (Thank you, Honey-Girl, for your Alliance Donation)

No way, even a gentleman should guard against craftsmen—One Hundred and Fifty, the Old-Shouldered, Super-Slick Little Sister. Magistrate Ouyang Rong stepped out of the Wang Fu, boarded the carriage, and said casually:

"Head out of the city, to Shuangfengjian."

The coachman immediately set off.

At the back gate of the Wang Fu, the carriage slowly moved.

He entered the cabin, sat with sleeves folded, eyes lowered, expression still as if lost in thought over the red-black talisman materials.

The carriage headed toward the West City Gate, passing through the bustling Xingzi Fang.

Magistrate Ouyang Rong lifted the carriage curtain, quietly observed the marketplace scene for a moment, then suddenly spoke.

"Wait—don't go to Shuangfengjian yet. Stop here first."

The carriage pulled over into a side alley. Magistrate Ouyang Rong immediately stepped out.

The streets they had just passed were filled entirely with chrysanthemums—golden yellow, and every other color imaginable.

Recently, Prince Xunyang City had become a city of chrysanthemums, signaling deep autumn, the season's atmosphere thick and pervasive.

The Jiang Nan people loved chrysanthemums; the people of Jiangzhou's Prince Xunyang especially so.

Due to the famed Jin-dynasty scholar Tao Li Qian, whose line "Picking chrysanthemums beneath the eastern fence, calmly viewing the southern hills" had inspired a centuries-long chrysanthemum-worshipping tradition in Mount Kuanglu.

The Four Gentlemen among flowers: plum, orchid, bamboo, chrysanthemum.

The chrysanthemum, with its solitary elegance and proud frost-resistance, was called the "Hermit Gentleman," perfectly matching Prince Xunyang City's cultural atmosphere of exile and quiet retreat since ancient times…

High-end restaurants decorated their entrances with chrysanthemum arches; flower markets were dominated by potted chrysanthemums shipped from all over; Prince Xunyang's elite hosted chrysanthemum-viewing banquets one after another; even common households in Xingzi Fang placed one or two chrysanthemum plants for seasonal decor.

Chrysanthemums were everywhere in the city; some rare varieties emitted intense fragrances.

Magistrate Ouyang Rong had caught a whiff of them from inside the carriage, which is why he decided to get off.

He pulled down the brim of his felt hat, walked to a roadside tavern, pulled out his purse, and called out cheerfully to the shopkeeper: "Two jugs of chrysanthemum wine!"

"Right away, sir! Can you handle spice? Want some cornelian cherry sprinkled in?"

"One with, one without."

"Got it! Thank you for your patronage—twenty wen…"

The shopkeeper called out, moved swiftly, and soon filled both jugs, skillfully plucking chrysanthemum petals and scattering them atop the wine.

The wine, infused with chrysanthemum blossoms, made Magistrate Ouyang Rong's mouth water—he held off drinking for now.

The shopkeeper first filled one jug with chrysanthemum wine; for the other, as requested, he added a handful of cornelian cherries on top.

After autumn arrived, festivals like Chongyang and Mid-Autumn followed in quick succession, and drinking chrysanthemum wine became extremely popular.

Chrysanthemum is known as the "Guest of Longevity"; cornelian cherry is the "Exorcist of Evil."

Perhaps because combining longevity and exorcism could dispel the ill fortune of the traditional ominous day "Double Nine," adding cornelian cherry to chrysanthemum wine became a brief but popular custom.

But Magistrate Ouyang Rong had no interest in longevity or exorcism—he simply craved the taste, being the famed "Magistrate Ouyang Magistrate Ouyang Lianghan, who never gets drunk."

With two slender fingers, he hooked the red strings tied to the wine jugs, lifted both, returned to the carriage, sat down, and said softly:

"To Jingyi Ting."

"Yes."

The carriage turned around and soon returned to Xiushui Fang, the wealthy district, turning down a clean, nearly deserted street, and slowly halted before a mansion overflowing with vegetation, vines spilling over its walls.

The private mansion bore no family name—only a simple plaque inscribed with "Jingyi Ting."

Yet to those in Prince Xunyang who knew the scene, this mansion named "Jingyi Ting" was among the top three most luxurious private residences in Xiushui Fang, second only to the Prince Xunyang Wang Fu. Unlike other mansions that flaunted wealth through ostentation, Jingyi Ting exuded the highest refined elegance: its nine Jiang Nan-style gardens, with their exotic rocks and winding waterways, were all designed by famed garden masters from Yangzhou.

One glance revealed the owner's exceptional taste—far beyond any merchant tycoon. The owner's status must be exalted.

Yet Jingyi Ting had long stood vacant; its owner was elusive, often absent for extended periods, leaving neighbors among Prince Xunyang's elite to regard it with an air of mystery.

Magistrate Ouyang Rong had no idea his little sister's temporary lodging outside the Wang Fu was so refined.

His coachman knocked on the door. Upon announcing his name, the mysterious gate swung open immediately. The steward rushed out, followed by a group of maids, bowing respectfully to welcome the future son-in-law inside.

"Are Seventeen-niang and Miss Qin both here?"

"Yes, Young Master. The Xie Xiao Niangzi and Miss Qin have not gone out today."

"Alright, you all carry on." Magistrate Ouyang Rong smiled gently, paused, then added his daily question: "Wait—has Madam Chenjun Xie not returned?"

"Report, Young Master: No. When the First Xie Xiao Niangzi returns from Yangzhou, she always informs us. Rest assured."

"Cough, cough. Fine then."

He waved the steward away and declined the maids' offer to carry his things. Carrying the two jugs himself, he walked alone toward the rear courtyard.

He knew the way well.

He'd been here twice before.

Jingyi Ting was private property of the Chenjun Xie family. Last time Chenjun Xie Xue'e came to Prince Xunyang and helped Magistrate Ouyang Rong arrange a meeting with Qin Qin Jingqin and her granddaughter, after the family banquet, before leaving, she casually handed the mansion's key to her little sister.

The little sister had a quiet, refined nature, indifferent to the Chenjun Xie family's vast holdings across Jiang Nan. She was unpretentious about travel—any place to sleep would do—and came and went from Jingyi Ting with quiet discretion.

Later, to facilitate the marriage alliance between the Prince Xunyang Wang Fu and the Qin family, the little sister and Su Su Guoer invited Qin Ying to stay.

Since the Qin and Chenjun Xie families had long been close, Qin Ying accepted and moved into the mansion. The little sister often came over to keep her friend company.

That morning, upon learning the little sister was not at the Wang Fu, Magistrate Ouyang Rong had already guessed she had come here.

Lu Ya's arrival had also eased some of her security burden.

Previously, for the safety of the Li Su Xian family, she spent most of her time inside the Wang Fu. Now, with Lu Ya present, she could occasionally leave the palace grounds to accompany Miss Qin on outings around Prince Xunyang—and, incidentally, help bring her and Li Su Xian together.

But Chenjun Xie Ling had another reason for moving out.

The Wang Fu was, after all, someone else's home—crowded, full of eyes. Yet her big brother kept sneaking into her private quarters, sometimes lingering in quiet corridors for tender embraces… Chenjun Xie Ling, being a young lady, had a thin face and a heart torn between sweetness and annoyance.

Better to live out here, in her own space, with more privacy. So lately, she had been shuttling between Jingyi Ting and the Wang Fu, both of them understanding without speaking.

Soon, Magistrate Ouyang Rong arrived before a secluded inner chamber and knocked.

Inside, the maid's voice replied: "Who is it? Miss Qin? Sorry, the Xie Xiao Niangzi is bathing and perfuming in the back courtyard—she hasn't come out yet…"

"Cough, cough—it's me. No problem, I'll wait."

At Magistrate Ouyang Rong's voice, silence fell inside.

For half a cup of tea, neither side spoke.

Then, as if someone whispered an order within, the heavy door of the inner chamber suddenly swung open. A dozen maids rushed out, heads bowed, cheeks flushed, slipping past the tall, slender Magistrate Ouyang Rong without a word.

They glanced at him a few times but said nothing—no one knew what they meant.

Magistrate Ouyang Rong watched them hurry away, noticing the inner chamber's heavy door had been left open.

Bathing and perfuming?

His eyes flickered. He immediately carried the two jugs inside, quietly closing the door behind him.

It was midday, the sunlight perfect—ideal for bathing.

Magistrate Ouyang Rong nodded inwardly, stepped lightly toward the back courtyard.

What if he accidentally saw something?

Then so be it.

As Magistrate Ouyang Rong neared the courtyard, he immediately caught the familiar fragrance of orchid, mingled with the pleasant scent of dragon-brain chrysanthemum.

The air also carried a clear mist of steam—normal after-bath moisture.

"Little sister?"

Magistrate Ouyang Rong feigned accidental intrusion, approaching closer before asking in feigned confusion:

"Huh? Where is everyone? I'm coming in then…"

He stepped forward, giving the woman in the courtyard no time to react.

The next instant, as he strode into the courtyard, he met a clear, stream-like gaze—smiling faintly.

"Big brother, what are you looking for?"

"Uh… Little sister, why are you… arranging flowers? Have you eaten?"

"The sun is so bright—what else should I be doing besides arranging flowers? What do you think I should be doing?"

She stood in the sunlight, fully dressed—not "exposed." Her eyes swept over his face:

"Big brother, what were you expecting just now? Hmm… your expression looks a bit disappointed."

"No such thing."

Magistrate Ouyang Rong stiffened his face, denied outright:

"Little sister, why do you always say things I can't understand? The weather's fine, I saw chrysanthemum wine for sale on the street, so I came to share a drink with you… By the way, did you just finish bathing?"

"Mm."

"Then perfect! No need to wait. Better to arrive early than late—I came at just the right moment."

"Really? Why do I feel you wanted to arrive even earlier?"

"Do I seem like that kind of person?"

"Mm-hmm."

After being grilled by Chenjun Xie Ling, Magistrate Ouyang Rong barely managed to soothe and flatter his way out of it.

He coughed twice, then finally had a chance to observe his little sister's attire and the courtyard's objects.

She had just finished bathing and perfuming, her face bare, a small, oval face like a lotus emerging from clear water—natural, unadorned.

Her long, black, silken hair fell loosely over her shoulders.

Barefoot in white socks, she wore red-stringed wooden clogs, clad only in a long, dazzling white gown like snow on a mountain peak. The neckline slipped slightly, revealing half a delicate, fragrant shoulder—her collarbones exquisite, tempting one to take a bite… She stood bathed in brilliant sunlight, dazzlingly white.

Also, since she hadn't yet bound her chest, her snowy peaks rose even more imposingly.

In the courtyard stood a wooden table, upon which rested two or three vases. She now stood before the lacquered table, inserting a dragon-brain chrysanthemum into one.

Facing Magistrate Ouyang Rong's unwavering gaze, Chenjun Xie Ling turned her dark eyes away, her slender hands instinctively lifting her loose, silken black hair and sweeping it to her right shoulder.

She crossed her slender hands, removed a red cord from the white jade bracelet on her right arm, and loosely tied her long hair into a single ponytail, letting it rest over her right shoulder, subtly concealing part of her collarbone and snowy shoulders.

But this small, half-concealing gesture, seen by Magistrate Ouyang Rong, only made her seem more alluring and adorable.

"What are you staring at? Come help me."

Chenjun Xie Chenjun Xie Lingjiang suddenly turned her head and glared at him with wide, almond-shaped eyes.

Magistrate Ouyang Rong immediately stepped forward, walked to the desk, set down the wine flask, and joined his junior sister in arranging the flowers in the vase…

PS: Thanks to my son Mijizhi's alliance donation—my paternal love is as vast as mountains. Also, I recommend my son's book "If You're Raising Cats, Why Bother With Love?"—a single-female, dog-food romance. Interested brothers should check it out~