Chapter 510: The Temptation of Sixth Young Master [Many Thanks

Lady Yan Su Jun and the other two young ladies from civil officials' families,

were accustomed to hearing their fathers and brothers compose poetry and match couplets at home,

so upon hearing Gu Gu Tingye's voice outside the tent, the three young ladies felt their eyes brighten considerably.

"Brother Zong, how is it?"

Gu Gu Tingye's voice continued to come from outside the tent.

"Mm, I don't understand it either, but it sounds quite good."

Lu Zezong replied.

"That is true; you are too young to understand the sorrows of people our age."

"So many female servants are standing at this entrance; is someone browsing inside? Is my sister in there as well?"

Gu Gu Tingye continued.

"Yes, Young Master."

Gu Gu Tingyi's personal female servant replied in a crisp voice.

"Brother Zong, then will you go upstairs with me?"

A voice different from Gu Gu Tingye's rang out.

"Xu Wu Ge has also followed over," Zhang Family Fifth Young Lady whispered.

Chai Chai Zhengzheng walked while looking inside the tent, coming to a stop at a position where she could see the tent entrance.

Outside the tent,

"Young Master, you haven't seen Han Wulang for some days; why not stroll with Han Wulang and grow closer! With the two of us here, we guarantee nothing will go wrong."

Hearing the words of the old family servant,

Lu Zezong lifted his head, looked at Xu Xu Zaijing who was smiling and nodding nearby, hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

"Let's go."

As he spoke, Xu Xu Zaijing extended his hand.

Lu Zezong placed his hand into Xu Xu Zaijing's palm.

Qi Heng, standing nearby, smiled and put his arm around Lu Zezong's shoulder.

The group took steps and walked toward the direction of the second floor.

Liang Han, standing nearby, turned around just as he was about to leave,

but thinking of something, he halted his movement and waved to the young servant Diao Che standing nearby.

After whispering a few words into his ear, Diao Che nodded with a look of difficulty on his face.

Very soon, the scene of many people at the tent entrance disappeared.

The young servant Diao Che did not follow them up; instead, he walked to the side of the Lu Troupe's old steward, cupped his fists, and whispered a few words.

"Old sir, nothing too expensive is needed; something around this price will be about right." Saying this, Diao Che pulled several silver notes from his sleeve with a somewhat pained expression on his face.

"Understood! Once the noble young ladies inside have finished choosing, this old one will send someone to select the items and deliver them to Liang Liu Lang," the Troupe's Old Steward said, nodding his head.

Diao Che hurriedly waved his hands repeatedly: "No need, no need; this humble one will come over to collect them myself!"

Inside the tent,

Chai Chai Zhengzheng withdrew her gaze from the tent entrance,

and looked at a wooden box before her, which contained ropes intricately woven from several strands of fine gold and silver threads combined with fine silk cords, their patterns dense and exquisite; she waved to Cui Cui Mama Lu of the Lu family.

When Cui Cui Mama Lu of the Lu family approached with a smile,

Chai Chai Zhengzheng smiled and said: "Cui Cui Mama, I will take this box of gold, silver, and colored silk cords."

Cui Cui Mama Lu of the Lu family nodded with a smile: "Miss has good taste; such colored cords are perfect for the handles of sachets."

Chai Chai Zhengzheng nodded: "If there are more, I will take them all as well."

"Ai! Please wait a moment; let me go ask."

Such colored cords naturally look beautiful when made into sachets, but they are equally excellent when woven into bridles for mounts.

On the other side,

the three young ladies, including Miss Yan from Gu Gu Tingyi's side, reluctantly withdrew their gazes from the hairpins or ear studs.

Although they were daughters of official families, they did not carry too much silver money on their persons when attending this Chrysanthemum Appreciation Gathering; the prices of the items in this tent were somewhat 'over the limit.'

Gu Gu Tingye, standing nearby, noticed the hesitation of these three young ladies and opened his mouth as if to speak, wanting to remind the three of them.

But with the words on the tip of his tongue, Gu Gu Tingye thought for a moment, then had a sudden inspiration and called out to Cui Cui Mama Lu of the Lu family not far away: "Cui Cui Mama, please set aside this item I have selected for now; I will come back to buy it after I have consulted my mother."

Cui Cui Mama Lu of the Lu family nodded with a smile.

Lady Yan Su Jun and the other two young ladies exchanged glances; Lady Yan Su Jun spoke up: "This gold hairpin also troubles Cui Cui Mama! Whether Mother agrees or not, we will surely inform Cui Cui Mama promptly."

"Thank you, Miss," Cui Cui Mama Lu of the Lu family, standing beside Chai Chai Zhengzheng, said with a nod and a smile.

On the second-floor platform,

where the various Da Da Niangzi were seated,

the voices of Xu Xu Zaijing and the others came up from downstairs,

and very soon,

the sound of footsteps rang out on the staircase nearby,

so Cui Cui Mama Chang, standing beside Bai Shi, glanced toward the stairs and a smile floated onto her face.

Having ascended the stairs,

and seeing the various Da Da Niangzi seated there, Xu Xu Zaijing hurriedly bowed and cupped his fists to greet them.

In an instant, greetings such as "Auntie Wu, may you be in golden peace," "Da Da Niangzi," "Aunt, may you have autumnal peace," and "Hello, Aunt-by-marriage" rang out on the second floor.

The various Da Da Niangzi nodded with smiles.

When people were being called out,

Xu Xu Zaijing, Gu Gu Tingye, and the others mostly cast curious glances toward the unfamiliar Da Da Niangzi standing beside Sun Shi and the rest.

After the greetings concluded,

Bai Shi smiled and said, "Ye'er, Jing-ge'er, do you two still remember this Da Da Niangzi?"

Hearing this, Xu Xu Zaijing and Gu Gu Tingye carefully examined the smiling woman.

"She looks somewhat familiar now; I'll recall her immediately, immediately!" Gu Gu Tingye frowned, his eyes filled with recollection as he spoke.

Xu Xu Zaijing, however, cupped his hands and said, "I pay my respects to the Eldest Young Lady of the Yan family."

"Yes, yes, yes, I remember now! We met in Chuzhou!" Gu Gu Tingye hurriedly exclaimed.

Listening to their words, the Eldest Young Lady of the Yan family smiled and nodded, then said to Sun Shi and Bai Shi, "The two of you Da Da Niangzi are truly blessed! In the few years since we last met, these two young men have become even more handsome and distinguished."

Gu Gu Tingye: "Hehe."

Xu Xu Zaijing: "Thank you, Da Da Niangzi; Da Da Niangzi praises us too highly."

Gu Gu Tingye: "Yes, yes, yes, Da Da Niangzi praises us too highly."

Bai Shi smiled somewhat bashfully and shook her head.

Sun Shi quickly changed the subject, saying, "Did you manage to pick out a few good horses at Maotuo Ridge?"

Xu Xu Zaijing and the others smiled, while Liang Han cupped his hands and said, "Lady, we each selected one."

Sun Shi looked at Sheng Changbai and Sheng Changfeng and asked, "Did you two also find some?"

Sheng Changbai and Sheng Changfeng hurriedly cupped their hands in affirmation.

"Good, then this trip was not in vain."

Afterwards,

Wu Wu Daniang glanced at Sun Shi, who had finished speaking, and seeing that no one else intended to continue, she opened her mouth and said, "Alright, you may go sit over there! The dishes will be served shortly."

Xu Xu Zaijing and the others hurriedly cupped their hands in farewell and walked toward the side of the platform.

After the few of them took seats near a low table, a female servant carried over a screen, separating them from where the Da Da Niangzi were situated.

Gu Gu Tingye, sitting beside Xu Xu Zaijing, asked, "Jing-ge'er, who was that Lady sitting next to Wu Wu Daniang just now?"

Xu Xu Zaijing: "From the Wu family."

Gu Gu Tingye: "Ah?"

Liang Han, sitting nearby, leaned over and said, "My aunt."

After a while,

the voices of young ladies speaking came from beyond the screen,

as one young lady, having received her mother's permission, sent a female servant to the first floor to purchase a hairpin she had taken a fancy to.

Afterwards, with the various Ladies and Da Da Niangzi seated in the center, another screen was erected on the opposite side, where the noble young ladies then took their seats.

During the banquet,

because the two knew each other,

Yan Yan Sujun was arranged to sit below Gu Gu Tingyi,

where she drank a few cups of dogwood wine with the young ladies somewhat nervously,

and after eating some dishes, the atmosphere gradually grew lively, causing the young lady of the Yan family to relax slightly.

Afterwards,

after clinking cups with Gu Gu Tingyi, Yan Yan Sujun whispered to him, "Third Lady, do you know what has become of that Wei Xiaoniang from the story we heard on the boat before?"

Gu Tingyi put down her wine cup, nodded, and whispered, "Of course I know! That Wei Xiaoniang is currently in Bianjing."

"Ah?"

Gu Gu Tingyi continued nodding: "She returned to Bianjing with us! Some time after we parted, that Wei Xiaoniang gave birth to a boy in Yang Zhou."

"Oh!" Yan Yan Sujun smiled.

"By the way, that Lady Wei who told us stories is now working at my family's salt estate; her arithmetic skills are quite formidable."

While speaking, Gu Gu Tingyi craned her neck to look toward the platform and said, "What a pity Minglan didn't come today; otherwise, we might have had the chance to compete with her in pitch-pot."

Seeing the puzzled expression on Yan Yan Sujun's face, Gu Gu Tingyi explained a few things about the relationship between Minglan and Wei Wei Shuyi.

"I didn't expect so many things to happen afterward."

Observing Yan Yan Sujun's sighing expression, Gu Gu Tingyi thought for a moment, then smiled and said, "Speaking of which, the sister-in-law of Wu Wu Daniang's natal family has two sons under her care, and it is said the eldest has already been betrothed."

"Third Lady, why are you telling me this?"

the young lady of the Yan family said, her face showing some embarrassment.

"That Da Da Niangzi was not anywhere near here when we left the second floor earlier! Why did Wu Wu Daniang call her over?"

Yan Yan Sujun looked at Chai Chai Zhengzheng, Rong Rong Feiyan, and others on the banquet mat.

"Why are you looking at them? They are all young ladies who have been in Bianjing for quite some time; if they were going to be matched, they would have been matched long ago."

In the afternoon hours,

under the guidance of Wu Wu Daniang, Bai Shi, Sun Shi, and the others,

the official wives and noble ladies who had come to admire the chrysanthemums

merely made one round through the Lu family's tent

before 'snapping up' everything Lu Zezong had brought, nearly buying even the ball-game prizes Wu Wu Daniang herself had prepared.

Seeing this scene,

Wu Wu Daniang said to Bai Shi and Sun Shi beside her, "It seems next year we must have the Li family prepare more."

It was precisely when the Da Da Niangzi and Ladies had all gone to view the gold and silver ornaments

that at a location some distance from the Lu family's tent, on the opposite side along the edge, where tents were surrounded by pots of chrysanthemums,

At this moment, most people were far away; here, few remained, making it quite secluded and quiet.

Liang Han's young attendant, Diao Che,

placed the last pot of chrysanthemums he had moved right before the curtain at the tent's entrance, so that with the chrysanthemums blocking the way, others would not easily enter the tent.

Afterwards, Diao Che stood nearby, occasionally glancing around in all directions.

Inside the tent,

tables and chairs were already arranged,

and Liang Han, carrying a slight scent of wine, sat on a chair and pushed a precious wooden box forward across the table: "Sister Wan, take a look at this pair of earrings; do you like them?"

On a chair separated by the table,

the rather beautiful Wan Wan Chunge pressed her lips together, shook her head, and said, "I cannot accept rewards without merit; whether I like them or not, I will not take them."

A smile played on Liang Han's lips: "Just look first; these are fine items crafted by the Wen Si Yuan."

Speaking thus, Liang Han reached out himself and opened the wooden box: "Wow!"

Hearing Liang Han's exclamation, Miss Wan turned her head to look into the wooden box,

and seeing the pair of exquisitely crafted gold earrings inside, Wan Wan Chunge involuntarily widened her eyes.

"Sister Wan, try them on!"

Wan Wan Chunge shook her head without taking her eyes off the earrings.

Seeing this, Liang Han took the earrings from the box and said, "Then, let me help Sister Wan try them on."

With that, Liang Han brought the earrings close to Wan Wan Chunge's earlobes.

The golden crow tilted westward,

the sunlight turned golden,

and the Chrysanthemum Appreciation Gathering was dispersing.

At the entrance of the polo field,

young attendants and grooms were busy leading horses and driving carriages,

while Xu Xu Zaijing, Gu Gu Tingye, and others stood near the entrance, talking and waiting.

Standing on the periphery, Qi Heng watched Liang Han approach with some curiosity and asked, "Liang Liu Lang, where did you go?"

Liang Han smiled very proudly: "Nothing much, just looking at a gift."

Xu Xu Zaijing, having heard the exchange between the two, glanced back.

Liang Han hurriedly nodded with a smile.

Seeing Xu Xu Zaijing point to his own lips, Liang Han froze for a moment before hastily touching his lips.

Subsequently, Liang Han looked at the red lip rouge on his hand, and his face immediately showed some embarrassment.

By the time he looked up again, Xu Xu Zaijing had already turned his head away and was no longer looking at him,

while Qi Heng, standing nearby, wore a face full of curiosity and asked, "Liang Liu Lang, why have you started applying lip rouge?"

Liang Han turned around, glared fiercely at his young attendant Diao Che, then looked at Qi Heng and said, "Young Master, is there still some on the corner of my mouth?"

Qi Heng pointed to his lower lip, and Liang Han hurriedly wiped it with his sleeve.

Seeing that Qi Heng was about to speak again, Liang Han said in a low voice, "Young Master, please do not ask."

Observing Liang Han's expression, Qi Heng now realized something; after glancing around, Qi Heng said, "Liang Liu Lang, is this about that person who embraced you at Jinming Pool?"

Liang Han licked his lips, nodded, and said, "Yes! Young Master, you must absolutely not leak this; otherwise, if others find out, a great disaster will occur!"

Qi Heng nodded repeatedly, looking at Liang Han's demeanor and saying, "I understand, I understand."

Suddenly thinking of something else, Qi Heng waved his hand at Bu Wei; after Bu Wei stepped aside, he said, "Liang Liu Lang, what exactly happened to you?"

Liang Han: "What?"

Qi Heng pointed to his lips.

Liang Han understood the implication, glanced forward, and seeing that no one was paying attention to him, said somewhat proudly in a low voice, "Does Young Master wish to ask how I managed to kiss the Miss?"

Qi Heng also felt somewhat unnatural; glancing ahead at Chang Bai as if he were a thief, he nodded.

Liang Han moved closer to Qi Heng and whispered, "Give gifts!"

Seeing Qi Heng's eyes light up, Liang Han continued whispering:

"If a Miss has feelings for you, you give gifts! However, you cannot kiss her immediately after giving the gift!"

Qi Heng nodded with the air of one receiving instruction from the Yifushou Sect: "If I cannot kiss, then what should I do?"

"Do nothing at all! But you can draw the distance between the two of you closer; once a Miss accepts your gift, she will find it difficult to refuse your approach."

"Oh."

"The next time you give a gift, Young Master, you can attempt to hold hands."

Listening to Liang Han's whisper, Qi Heng, thinking of something unknown, developed a slight smile at the corner of his mouth and said in a low voice, "Then previously at Jinming Pool, Liang Liu Lang, you even managed to embrace her with your hands; was that..."

"Mm! It took many gifts before I succeeded."

"What did you give this time, Liang Liu Lang?"

"A pair of gold earrings from the Wen Si Yuan."

Seeing the way Qi Heng's eyes darted, Liang Han said, "Young Master, you must absolutely not start by giving something so valuable! If it is too valuable, first, the Miss will find it hard to accept, and second, it will easily expose your intentions."

"Then what should I do..."

Liang Han said in a low voice, "Start by giving delicious food and fun things."

After speaking, Liang Han glanced curiously at Qi Heng and continued in a low voice, "Young Master, which noble family's daughter has caught your eye?"

As he spoke, Liang Han glanced at the line of carriages already traveling on the road back to the capital.

Qi Heng first turned back to cast a warning glance at Bu Wei, then shook his head: "Nothing, I was just asking out of curiosity."

Behind the two, the face of the young attendant Diao Che looked somewhat unnatural as he exchanged a glance with Bu Wei, who remained completely bewildered.

At this moment, Qi Heng, seeing Liang Han staring straight ahead with fixed eyes, said, "Hmm? Sixth Brother, what is wrong with you?"

Liang Han scratched his temple and whispered, "Young Xiao Xiao Gongye, just now Brother Jing glanced back at me; could it be that he heard what the two of us were saying?"

Qi Heng gauged the distance, shook his head, and said, "At a distance of three or four zhang, how could Brother Jing have heard? Look, Second Uncle showed no reaction at all."

Liang Han nodded. "That is true. In any case, Brother Jing already knows everything about my affairs."

Within the city of Jingcheng,

Kaifeng Prefecture Constables and Yamen Runners, leading hunting hounds,

arrived at the outer city,

where they saw soldiers of the Imperial Guard, swords at their hips and spears in hand, standing solemnly before several entrances leading to the 'Worry-Free Cave'.

The few of them exchanged glances.

Constable Li Li Mubai walked forward slowly, clasped his hands, and said, "Greetings. May I ask which guard's general is stationed here?"

An Imperial Guard soldier glanced at Li Li Mubai and announced loudly, "Dragon Guard! This mission was personally arranged by General Tan, the fourth son of the Xiao Xiao Gongye of Anguo, to purge the bandits within the Worry-Free Cave!"

(End of Chapter)