Chapter 482: Old Hairy Bristles, Old Scoundrel, Old Grandfather [Many Thanks! Bowing Again]

Exactly at the hour of Mao (6:00 AM)

In Jiying Lane,

at the entrance of the Sheng residence,

Qi Heng and Bu Wei, who was carrying the book box, stepped down from the carriage stool onto the ground.

Walking two steps toward the main gate as if lost in thought, Qi Heng then stopped.

"Young Master, did you forget something?"

Hearing Bu Wei's voice behind him, Qi Heng glanced back in the direction they had come and said, "Bu Wei, do you think Jing-ge'er will encounter that brother and sister selling lotus flowers today?"

"Young Master Qi, even if Han Wulang does not meet them, the young servants from our Fu have already gone out to search; this humble one also hired several idle helpers. Before the Princess's birthday, they should be found. Otherwise, this humble one knows a highly skilled artisan who can sew a replica for us."

"Mm."

Qi Heng uttered a sound of acknowledgment and continued walking forward.

Bu Wei stepped forward to follow.

Nodding to the Sheng family gatekeeper servant who was bowing respectfully, Bu Wei followed Qi Heng into the courtyard.

Glancing sideways toward the stables, Bu Wei said, "Young Master Qi, today is strange; I saw the carriage from Hou Fu, but I did not see Brother Qingyun, who usually accompanies Han Wulang."

Qi Heng replied distractedly, "Perhaps there is some matter at hand."

Soon, the master and servant pair stepped into the academy courtyard,

walking to the academy entrance,

where Qi Heng looked with full hope toward Xu Xu Zaijing, who was lowering his head to write in the corner.

"Young Master Qi, look quickly!" Bu Wei's voice came, filled with joy.

Qi Heng turned his head to look and saw Hua Xiang carefully tending to a twin-stemmed lotus flower placed in a slender vase.

A smile rose on Qi Heng's face; he walked quickly to Xu Xu Zaijing's side and said,

"Jing-ge'er! Did you meet that brother and sister today? And it is twin-stemmed lotus flowers again."

Xu Xu Zaijing finished writing the characters under his brush, lifted his head with a smile, and said, "Yes."

Glancing at Hua Xiang, Xu Xu Zaijing continued, "They were picked just this morning; with careful maintenance, they should bloom for six or seven days."

Hearing this, Qi Heng's smile became even brighter; standing beside Xu Xu Zaijing, he bowed with clasped hands, about to perform a formal salute.

But the hands clasped in salute were immediately supported by Xu Xu Zaijing: "There is no need for such ceremony; just take it back with you when classes end."

Qi Heng nodded at Xu Xu Zaijing and smiled, "Thank you, Jing-ge'er! If this gift is given to Mother, she will surely be very happy."

"Jing-ge'er, then you... continue."

Xu Xu Zaijing also smiled and nodded, continuing to write.

Qi Heng walked over to Hua Xiang, gazing at the lotus flowers in the vase with eyes full of appreciation.

Bu Wei, having put away the book box, also walked over.

"Truly beautiful!"

Hearing Bu Wei's words, Hua Xiang nodded repeatedly and said, "That brother and sister who were selling flowers this morning have been taken in by the Young Master to work in Sister Hua Qing's shop; from now on, they will live within the Fu."

Bu Wei nodded in agreement: "In just over half a month, you managed to find two such lotus flowers; that shows considerable ability."

"Young Master Qi, we searched all across Bianjing for seven or eight days..."

Qi Heng nodded in approval.

Once Qi Heng took his seat,

Gu Gu Tingye, Xu Zaizhang, Sheng Changfeng, and several others entered the academy one after another,

followed by another round of exclamations of wonder.

Around exactly the hour of Si (10:00 AM),

everyone rested and strolled outside the academy,

where Gu Gu Tingye, standing in the shade of a tree beside Xu Xu Zaijing and stretching his limbs, said, "Han Wulang, next year lend me that brother and sister to try; let's see if they can truly be so miraculous and actually find twin-stemmed lotus flowers."

Before Xu Xu Zaijing could answer, Gu Gu Tingye continued, "Taking them into your own retinue was truly a brilliant move! Han Wulang, how did you think of this?"

Xu Xu Zaijing smiled slightly, glanced at Qi Heng who was equally curious beside him, and said, "Perhaps it is fate; last year, that brother and sister once tried to sell lotus flowers to me."

Gu Gu Tingye pursed his lips: "Why do you have so much fate, while I cannot seem to encounter any?"

Xu Xu Zaijing helplessly gazed into the distance; while relaxing his eyes, he thought to himself: Should I find Zhu Zhu Manniang for Gu Gu Tingye again?

At this moment, the sound of footsteps approached.

Brother Qingyun walked into the courtyard, arrived before the group, bowed respectfully to Qi Heng, Gu Gu Tingye, and the others, and then said to Xu Xu Zaijing, "Young Master, the people have been settled."

Xu Xu Zaijing nodded: "Have their family matters been investigated clearly?"

Brother Qingyun replied with a smile, "They have been investigated clearly; both parents make their living at the city docks and usually help households in the capital clean out underground channels and ponds; that boy is exceptionally skilled in water activities."

"Mm. This afternoon, go find an old naval veteran from Marquis Hu Yan's family who is staying in Bianjing; see how Tan Xiao performs, and if he is good, recommend him to my fourth brother-in-law."

"Yes, Young Master."

After speaking, Xu Xu Zaijing smiled self-mockingly at his own thoughts.

Previously, seeing the miserable appearance of that brother and sister, he had assumed they were orphans who had lost their parents.

Today, however, it appears both parents are alive, and the two are simply earning money to supplement their household expenses.

Indeed,

when the Xiao Xiao Gongye's Fu purchases a female servant, their background must be clear and their origin distinct; it is best if their entire family resides in Bianjing, making them easier to control.

If Xu Xu Zaijing was not mistaken, the sister in this sibling pair, Tan Yun, was the female servant mentioned in stories by others as resembling Minglan in appearance, especially in her eyes—Tan Yun.

In a few years' time, when Minglan follows the Old Lady to Youyang, Tan Yun will be purchased by Princess Princess Pingning to serve in the Xiao Xiao Gongye's Fu and attend to Qi Heng.

And then she will be beaten to death.

A character whom others merely mention in passing has now appeared vividly and lively before his eyes; Xu Xu Zaijing could not help but feel a sigh of emotion arise within him.

Why exactly was she beaten to death?

Was it because Tan Yun's resemblance to Minglan caused Young Master Qi Heng to favor her, leading Tan Yun to harbor thoughts unbefitting a maid, deluding herself into climbing the social ladder and seducing Qi Heng, which resulted in her being beaten to death?

Xu Xu Zaijing was not entirely sure; even if this was the reason, the Qi Xiao Xiao Gongye's Manor had always maintained strict household discipline, so if a maid developed such thoughts, it was eighty percent likely due to Princess Princess Pingning intentionally indulging her and Qi Heng foolishly pampering her, which spurred it on.

Then,

the fact that a maid beaten to death resembled someone spread throughout the city, which seemed even more like a message intended for the Sheng family.

Xu Xu Zaijing shook his head, shaking those thoughts out of his mind, turned around, and walked back to the study hall.

"Dismissed."

"We thank the Scholar for his instruction."

"Mm."

Very quickly,

Scholar Zhuang, holding a fan to block the extremely glaring afternoon sunlight, strolled leisurely out of the study hall.

Summer days are long and nights are short,

and although Scholar Zhuang had already dismissed everyone,

the sky remained very bright.

"Brother Qi Heng, this twin lotus flower is extremely rare; I wonder what it tastes like!"

Mo Lan said with a smile, looking at Qi Heng.

Hearing Rulan shot Mo Lan a sideways glance, also fixed her gaze on the lotus flower, and said proudly, "The branch Grandmother sent to my mother a few days ago was incredibly fragrant after it bloomed!"

Qi Heng's eyes lit up: "Fifth Sister, is that true?"

Hearing Rulan nodded repeatedly with pride.

Mo Lan pursed her lips.

Qi Heng turned his head to look at Minglan, who was at the very back speaking with Hua Xiang, thought for a moment, and said, "Three younger sisters, would you like to smell it?"

Mo Lan's face was full of surprise and delight: "Brother Qi Heng, may I?"

Qi Heng nodded.

After both Mo Lan and Hearing Rulan had smelled it,

Minglan withdrew her gaze from Hua Xiang, smiled, and waved her hand: "Young Master, I will not smell it."

Speaking thus, she pointed at Hua Xiang and said, "Hua Xiang has already described it to me."

Qi Heng looked at the increasingly beautiful and radiant Minglan, a hint of disappointment in his eyes, and nodded.

Bu Wei glanced at Minglan with appreciation in his eyes and said, "Young Master, let us hurry back! Should we keep this lotus flower hidden from Her Ladyship the Princess?"

Qi Heng smiled and nodded, then said to Xu Xu Zaijing, who had returned to his desk, "Brother Jing, I am heading back now; the day after tomorrow, my maternal grandfather is hosting a banquet at Marquis Xiangyang Hou Fu, so you must definitely attend then."

Xu Xu Zaijing smiled and nodded.

Subsequently, Qi Heng, joyfully clutching the porcelain vase, left with Bu Wei.

Chang Bai, who had already packed his book box and prepared to return to his own study, saw Xu Xu Zaijing sit back down at his desk and continue studying something.

"Young Master?"

Han Niu, standing beside him, asked.

Chang Bai hesitated for a moment: "Next time, if Brother Jing does not leave, do not pack up."

"Yes, Young Master."

Having said this, Chang Bai also sat back down.

The next day,

in the northwest of Bianjing City,

within the Western Army Camp,

a group of young Wei Xiao who had returned to the capital with Marquis Marquis Yongyi gathered in a single tent, each holding a piece of paper with writing on it.

Ye Fang, formerly a personal soldier of Hou Fu and now a Wei Xiao, who had once been struck in a vital spot by an arrow and saved by Watching Yu Yu Huguang, scratched his sideburns and said to Di Jing beside him, "Leader Di, what character is this pronounced as?"

Di Jing took a look: "Yi."

Ye Fang: "Eh? And then? What is it pronounced as? You don't know either?"

"Yi!"

Seeing Ye Fang frowning, Di Jing directly rapped Ye Fang on the head and said, "I said it is pronounced 'Yi,' the 'Yi' of Keyi Gate!"

Ye Fang nodded repeatedly.

Hearing the conversation behind him, Zhu Zhu Qinghu turned to look back.

Ye Fang leaned over, shaking the paper in his hand, and said, "Leader Zhu, who wrote this terrible verse? What 'war horses rumbling,' what 'shattering the dream of Keyi Gate'? What is this!"

"Back then outside Keyi Gate, it was our infantry who faced Bai Gao's Iron Hawks directly; Leader Di led us in hacking and killing our way through~ what does that have to do with the cavalry!"

After Ye Fang spoke a few sentences, he looked at his silent superior in front of him and asked, "What's wrong?"

Di Jing said with a smile, "Ye Fang, you had better not let Brother Jing know you speak this way, otherwise..."

Ye Fang froze, many scenes flashing through his mind, including the long spear Xu Xu Zaijing practiced with at dawn at Hou Fu, the twanging bowstrings of the powerful bows, the flying axes flashing by, the short spears thrown, and also the nearly ten thousand captives on the Bai Gao battlefield.

"Hiss~ the weather is too hot, I'm so hot I'm speaking the truth... no, I'm speaking nonsense! Good, well written indeed, look at these last few sentences."

Having said this, Ye Fang wiped the sweat from his forehead, looked at the paper in his hand, and continued, "Leader Di, I don't recognize any of these characters at the end."

At this moment,

a Wei Xiao walked in from outside and said, "General Cao Lao and Xu Hou have arrived."

The tent fell silent,

and very quickly,

General Cao Lao, with white hair and beard, and Xu Minghua entered, bringing a man with them,

Inside the tent, all the Wei Xiao immediately rose to their feet, clasping their fists and bowing deeply in greeting.

General Cao Lao looked at Xu Minghua, who had stepped aside, and could only shake his head with a smile before addressing the crowd in the tent: "This is Wang Duzhi from the Imperial Music Bureau, invited by the camp; he will teach you all how to sing this piece. Are there any difficulties?"

"General, if you make us sing songs, won't that turn us into actors!"

Someone spoke up, and after that, a buzz of discussion rose among the people in the tent.

General Cao Lao lifted his eyes and said: "You lad, sing if you love it, or get out if you don't! You're refusing the chance to face the Sage, is that it?"

Hearing these words,

everyone in the military tent looked at each other in surprise.

After returning to the capital, they had only performed martial arts before the Baojin Tower south of Jinming Pool; at that time, the Emperor was high up on the tower, and the crowd could only see a shadow of him.

From the meaning of General Cao Lao's words today, it seemed they were to sing right before the Emperor!

"Sing! I just love singing songs~"

"Hehehehe"

The people in the tent burst into muffled laughter.

On this day,

in the morning,

the bright sun shone high,

cicadas chirped from unknown places in the trees,

at the main gate of the Marquis Xiangyang Hou Fu,

Xu Xu Zaijing rode a horse, walking alongside the Xu family carriage.

Because the Marquis Xiangyang Hou Fu occupied a vast area,

and the venue for the banquet was some distance from the main gate,

Xu Xu Zaijing did not linger at the gate but, following the guidance of the Hou Fu's gatekeepers, rode his horse directly into the courtyard along with the carriage.

The Marquis Marquis Yongyi's residence on Quyuan Street was large,

but compared to the Marquis Xiangyang Hou Fu, there was still a slight gap.

Dismounting at the gate of a courtyard where trees could be seen from afar,

he sent Brother Qingyun to take the mount away for stableing,

while Xu Xu Zaijing stood beside the carriage, helping Sun Shi disembark; from the other few carriages, Lady Xie, Sheng Hualan, and their respective maids also stepped down.

Subsequently,

the group walked to the courtyard entrance,

and upon seeing the Xu family party,

Princess Princess Pingning's smile nearly overflowed from her face.

"Heng-ge'er, take your two older brothers into the courtyard to play."

"Yes, Mother."

Qi Heng replied with an equally smiling face.

"Brother Zhang, Brother Jing, this way please."

Watching Xu Xu Zaijing and the others walk away,

Princess Princess Pingning took Sun Shi's hand, smiled at Lady Xie and Sheng Hualan, and said: "The day before yesterday, Heng-ge'er hid something when entering the manor; I wondered what it could be, but today I saw it was actually a blooming twin lotus!"

"Then Your Highness the Princess is truly blessed! This twin lotus carries an extremely auspicious meaning."

Sun Shi said with a smile, and the two daughters-in-law beside her nodded repeatedly.

Princess Princess Pingning patted Sun Shi's hand and said: "That is also thanks to Jing-ge'er's good fortune."

Sun Shi shook her head smiling: "What nonsense does Your Highness speak! Jing'er told me that this person appeared neither early nor late, but precisely before Your Highness's birthday; is that not fate!"

Princess Princess Pingning's smile grew even brighter; glancing at the maid and elderly nurse holding gifts behind Sun Shi, she accompanied Sun Shi inward while saying: "Da Da Niangzi, I am still so young, and actually did not wish to hold this event while still in my maiden home, but my father insisted on adding some joy and liveliness to the household."

"The Old Marquis is right~"

Sun Shi replied.

Inside the courtyard,

where living water flowed,

beside the wellhead built of bluestone,

robust women, covered in sweat, busily drew up icy well water and poured it into large tubs placed nearby containing melons and fruits.

Looking around, there were several dozen such large tubs.

From time to time, maids carried away plates lined with lotus leaves, laden with the chilled melons and fruits.

On the corridor not far away, other robust women were busy chipping ice to make cold drinks.

In places further away,

musicians were playing soothing melodies,

while women and Misses, dressed in vibrant Xia Shan, walked in groups of three or five, fanned by their maids holding round fans.

In the cool and refreshing pavilion,

Chai Chai Zhengzheng was talking with Gu Gu Tingyi while drinking clear, chilled beverages.

"Ah? Chai Zhengzheng, you already know this? Is it good to listen to?"

"Mm-hmm, someone I know is among those who composed the piece; whether it sounds good depends on the person, but I think... it's passable!"

Gu Gu Tingyi hesitated: "Passable... well, alright!"

Looking at Xu Pingmei, who was smiling and talking with Bai Shi not far away, Chai Chai Zhengzheng asked in confusion: "Sister Gu Tingyi, why does your sister-in-law, Sister Xu Pingmei, look even more beautiful?"

Gu Gu Tingyi nodded and said: "Now that Sister-in-law has both a son and a daughter, and although Eldest Brother is far away in Xingqing Prefecture, he is currently in high favor and heavily relied upon, and recently even more..."

Chai Chai Zhengzheng: "Hmm? What do you mean 'even more'?"

Gu Gu Tingyi: "Even more, many noble ladies from the capital are surrounding her, asking about Jing-ge's marriage."

Chai Chai Zhengzheng glanced embarrassedly at her own mother, Lady Chai, who had just walked away to speak with the eldest branch of the Xiao Xiao Gongye of Cheng's family: "Ahem, oh!"

At this moment,

Bai Shi saw her in-law Sun Shi entering with her two daughters-in-law, so she rose and walked over with Xu Xu Pingmei.

After Gu Gu Tingyi and Chai Chai Zhengzheng exchanged a glance, before their bottoms had even moved, they saw several Da Da Niangzi in the courtyard already walking toward Sun Shi.

Wu Da Da Niangzi, seated in the pavilion not far away, did not rise; she merely held a bowl of cool drink, a smile of watching the spectacle on her face as she looked at Sun Shi.

In the male guests' courtyard,

Marquis Xiangyang Marquis Hou Laohou was speaking with others, full of pride,

occasionally straightening his old waist,

watching his grandson arrive with Xu Xu Zaijing and the three female servants Seeing Qingcao, Hua Xiang, and Yun Xiang.

Marquis Xiangyang Marquis smiled and went to greet them.

After saying a few words,

Marquis Xiangyang Marquis looked at the three female servants behind Xu Xu Zaijing, who had changed greatly and grown even more beautiful; his expression on his face was quite playful.

Afterwards,

Marquis Xiangyang Marquis glanced at Qi Heng, then said to Xu Xu Zaijing: "I say, young man of the Xu family, how about I offer another ten carts of fine goods to swap back my two female servants?"

Hearing these words,

Xu Xu Zaijing's smile froze on his face.

Qi Heng looked at his own grandfather in surprise.

"Hmm, what do you think?"

Marquis Xiangyang Marquis, that old rascal, pressed on.

Xu Xu Zaijing turned to look at Hua Xiang and Yun Xiang, and at Seeing Qingcao who was blocking the two behind her, then shook his head and said: "No way."

"My storehouse's contents, you can pick whatever you like, is that not enough?"

Marquis Xiangyang Marquis, that old scoundrel, continued.

Xu Xu Zaijing was tempted for a moment, failed to catch his breath properly, coughed lightly once, then shook his head and said: "Ahem, at most, when my niece gets married, my family will ask for more betrothal gifts. As for the matter you mentioned, old sir, no way!"

"You young man really are! You don't... When I was your age back then, concubines..." Marquis Xiangyang Marquis cut himself off.

"Tch~"

Marquis Xiangyang Marquis shook his head, turned around, and left with his hands behind his back: "What a loss! How could I have made such a losing deal back then~"

After the banquet ended, Marquis Xiangyang Marquis Hou Laohou, Venerable for virtue and prestige, sent three carts of fine goods as the dowry for the Hua Xiang and Yun Xiang sisters; that is another story.

(End of this chapter)