Chapter 645: Contention [Thanks! Thanks again! 37k words owed]

After the Cold Dew solar term,

it was late autumn.

This morning, the sky was dim.

"Clatter, clatter."

Crisp and chaotic hoofbeats rang out on the street.

The commoners who had risen early to head into the city for work saw a line of carriages and horses approaching with lanterns in the distance and hurriedly dodged to the side to make way.

It was a bit far, and the sky was dim, so the commoners didn't see the appearance of this group clearly.

Once they got closer, they discovered that the horse ridden by the person in the lead was exceptionally tall and handsome.

After watching the group pass by, the commoners on the roadside continued on their way.

"Daddy, did that young master in the very front just nod at us?" a young voice asked.

"What are you thinking? Why would he nod at you for no reason?" a more weathered voice replied.

"Oh, then maybe it was my son."

Listening to the conversation behind him, Xu Zaijing, who was riding his own small Li horse, pursed his lips in helplessness.

After walking for quite a while in the dim morning,

Xu Zaijing and his group got onto the large bridge over the canal.

Looking down from the bridge, one could see that many ships on the canal had already lit their candles.

After descending the bridge,

a cold wind blew past, bringing with it quite a bit of chill.

On the trees by the roadside, many leaves fell from the branches when blown by the cold wind, landing on the ground in a swirl.

A portion of the cloak Xu Zaijing was wearing was draped over the broad back of the small Li horse, so several fallen leaves landed on the cloak.

Some leaves also landed on the roof of the carriage behind Xu Zaijing and Qingyun.

However, the sky was dim, so it wasn't very clear.

Upon arriving at Jingying Lane,

when Xu Zaijing flipped off his horse, those few leaves that had landed on his cloak fell into the Sheng family's courtyard along with his movements.

5:30 AM.

In the Sheng family school,

candlelight had already been lit on the desks of Xu Zaijing and the others.

Scholar Zhuang walked into the school carrying the cool morning breeze, looked at everyone in the room, and nodded with satisfaction.

Subsequently, Scholar Zhuang looked at Minglan's seat with some surprise.

Minglan originally only needed to come after daybreak, yet she had actually arrived early today.

When Scholar Zhuang looked at Minglan, Xiaotao, who was sitting on the wooden platform at the very back, was yawning widely with her mouth open.

After finishing her yawn, Xiaotao smacked her lips, then closed her eyes and leaned against Yunxiang's shoulder.

Yunxiang, who was also unable to lift her eyelids due to rising early, looked at Xiaotao, then borrowed the force of Xiaotao leaning over to lean against her as well.

As the sky brightened,

Rulan and Seeing Mo Lan also arrived at the school one after another with their maids.

When Seeing Mo Lan sat down, she glanced at the burnt-out candle stub on Minglan's desk, then looked at Qi Heng.

The sun in the sky slowly climbed higher.

Scholar Zhuang, who was lecturing, stopped his words,

tilted his head to look at the position of the sun, and said, "Everyone, let's take a break."

Everyone stood up one after another to acknowledge.

After finishing the warm water or tea handed over by the manservants and maids,

Xu Zaijing walked out with his fellow students, preparing to stroll and chat in the courtyard.

When the few of them walked out, the three Lan sisters were still by their desks.

Once Xu Zaijing and the others reached the courtyard, the three Lan sisters all tilted their heads to look outside.

Rulan and Seeing Mo Lan's gazes were both on Qi Heng; only Minglan glanced at Xu Zaijing before withdrawing her gaze, not standing up but sitting back down in her seat.

Subsequently, Minglan picked up her brush, preparing to continue practicing calligraphy.

After writing only three characters, Minglan looked up and saw her two older sisters also sitting down.

She glanced outside, but Xu Zaijing and the others had already left the range of sight.

Seeing this, Minglan put down her brush and began to look at the scenery outside to relax her eyes.

A while later,

"Hahahaha, Brother Changbai, well said!"

Although she didn't see the person, Minglan didn't need to ask to know that this was the hearty laughter of her Xu family cousin.

Hearing this laughter, Minglan shook her head in some incomprehension, then looked toward the direction of the laughter with some worry.

Seeing a figure appear in the gaps between the flowers and trees, Minglan hurriedly withdrew her gaze and lowered her head to continue "focusing" on practicing calligraphy.

Meanwhile, Scholar Zhuang, who was taking a nap on the arhat bed at the front of the school, had sat up at some point and was looking at the scene in the school with an unobstructed view.

Listening to the conversation approaching from outside the school, Scholar Zhuang shook his head, then stood up and walked toward his own desk.

After another class,

it was noon.

By the time Cui Mama brought people to deliver the food meticulously prepared by the Sheng family kitchen, the three Lan sisters had already taken their maids back to their respective courtyards.

After Cui Mama also left the school, Qingyun stepped out of the hall.

Xu Zaijing stood up and walked out.

"What is it?"

"Young Master, the manservant beside the Rong family's second young master came to say that after you finish school, he invites you to gather at Mama Ruan's small courtyard," Qingyun said in a low voice.

"How many people?"

"Just you and the Rong family's second young master."

Xu Zaijing pondered for a moment and nodded, saying, "Alright."

In the Sheng family's backyard,

at Shou'an Hall,

the Old Madam sat on an arhat chair, holding a porcelain bowl in one hand and chopsticks in the other, with several dishes placed on the table in front of her, exactly the same as what Xu Zaijing and the others were eating.

Sitting opposite the Old Madam was Minglan.

Seeing the thoughtful look in Minglan's eyes and the way she was eating mechanically, the Old Madam sighed lightly and said, "Ming'er, what are you thinking about?"

"Ah? Grandmother, granddaughter isn't, isn't thinking about anything!"

"Really?"

Looking at the Old Madam's concerned gaze, Minglan pursed her lips, shook her head, and said, "Fake."

The Old Madam tilted her head and raised her chin slightly toward Fang Mama; the understanding Fang Mama greeted Cuiwei, Danju, and Xiaotao, and they walked out together.

Once only the grandmother and granddaughter were left in the room, the Old Madam said softly, "Speak, what's wrong?"

"Grandmother, these days granddaughter has heard Auntie, Danju, and Xiaotao say that outside, everyone is spreading rumors that Jing Jing Biao Ge Jing..."

"His reputation in Bianjing City is already like this, yet Jing Jing Biao Ge Jing doesn't think about remedying it, nor does he go to investigate how this news came out! Today, he was even laughing heartily!"

"Like this, it's not good for him!"

Looking at the worried Minglan opposite her, the Old Madam said softly, "Ming'er, your Jing Jing Biao Ge Jing isn't a young lady! Reputation is something that hasn't even reached the public court; for a man like him, the impact isn't as great as you think!"

"Think of the many outstanding figures in history books; when they were young, many were unruly and unrefined, and many were even called 'wicked youths.' But it didn't affect them in the slightest from establishing merit and building a career!"

"Nowadays, Jing Jing Biao Ge Jing is proficient in both literature and martial arts; as for reputation, just let others say what they want."

Minglan frowned, her eyes turning as she thought, and said, "Grandmother, what you say makes sense! But, like this, Jing Jing Biao Ge Jing, he, he, how..."

The Old Madam chuckled and said, "What, Ming'er, are you afraid your cousin won't be able to find a wife?"

Minglan nodded repeatedly.

Looking at Minglan, who was growing increasingly outstanding, the Old Madam sighed lightly and said, "Ming'er, you're overthinking this. Not to mention anything else, just the status of your Jing Jing Biao Ge Jing as the legitimate son of a Marquis's mansion means there won't be the things you're worried about."

Minglan looked up at the Old Madam, and the grandmother and granddaughter looked at each other.

As if having made some kind of resolution, Minglan pursed her lips and nodded: "Mm! Grandmother is right!"

Looking at the girl raised at her knees, the Old Madam said, "Eat."

After finishing the meal, Minglan took Xiaotao for a nap.

Fang Mama, who was standing by, looked at the Old Madam, who was leaning against a pillow on the arhat bed with her eyes closed and her brows slightly furrowed, and said softly, "Old Madam, what's wrong with you this noon?"

The Old Madam opened her eyes, looked at Fang Mama beside her, pondered for a moment, and said slowly, "Nothing, just some wild thoughts."

Subsequently, the Old Madam continued, "At this hour, has Hong'er returned to the mansion?"

Fang Mama shook her head and said, "Returning to Old Madam, when we went out just now, the Master hadn't returned yet. I heard Dongrong come back to pass the message that the Master is busy with official business today."

The Old Madam closed her eyes and hummed, saying nothing more.

Unknowingly, the Old Madam fell asleep.

Not knowing how long she had slept, the Old Madam slowly opened her eyes. At a glance, only Cuiwei was standing by, and there were faint sounds of conversation coming from outside the room.

"Cough!"

The Old Madam coughed.

"Old Madam, you're awake!" Cuiwei hurriedly stepped forward and said.

Hearing Cuiwei's voice, the conversation outside the room stopped.

When Cuiwei brought over warm water to soothe the throat, Fang Mama also lifted the cloth curtain and walked in.

"Old Madam, the Master has returned. Hearing that you were napping, he thought about taking his leave."

"Let Hong'er come in."

"Yes."

Subsequently,

Sheng Hong, who hadn't yet changed out of his official robes, walked in.

"Mother."

Sheng Hong bowed and cupped his hands in a salute.

The Old Madam didn't drink the water but waved her hand, saying, "Hong'er, sit down first."

"Yes, Mother."

The Old Madam drank a few mouthfuls of water to soothe her throat, handed the porcelain bowl to Fang Mama who reached out, looked at Sheng Hong, and said, "Hong'er, you haven't even changed your official robes and came to my courtyard. Is there some major event in the imperial court?"

Sheng Hong took the teacup handed over by Cuiwei, nodded, and looked at the Old Madam, saying, "Yes, Mother."

"Drink some water first."

Sheng Hong drank a mouthful of water as instructed. When he put down the teacup, Cuiwei had already walked out of the hall, and only Fang Mama was standing by.

"Mother, today when your son was on duty at the yamen, I learned that something major has happened in the Guangnanxi Circuit in the south."

Without waiting for the Old Madam to ask, Sheng Hong continued, "They say the Princess of Prince Yong, not knowing why, flew into a rage and wanted to punish a Nong tribe woman who had married into Prince Yong's mansion. As a result, she accidentally beat her to death. The Nong tribe, which is currently fighting against Jiaozhi, heard this news, returned to the Guangnanxi Circuit, and is now in a standoff with the imperial court's army!"

The Old Madam frowned and asked, "When did this happen?"

"Your son saw in the report that the incident happened more than half a month ago."

"This incident happened more than half a month ago; does that refer to the Princess of Prince Yong beating the Nong woman to death, or the standoff with our imperial army?" the Old Madam asked further.

"The standoff with our imperial army!" Sheng Hong said.

The Old Madam took a deep breath, frowned, and shook her head, saying, "This Guangnanxi Circuit is more than three thousand li away from Bianjing. Sending this letter to the capital takes nearly half a month. Now, who knows what the situation is in the Guangnanxi Circuit!"

"Originally, Northern Liao was somewhat chaotic, which was a great opportunity for our dynasty! With chaos in the south, our dynasty will have to divert some energy to deal with it!"

After the Old Madam finished speaking, Sheng Hong nodded: "Mother is right!"

"Then how does the court plan to handle this matter?"

"Mother, after some discussion among the lords in the court, they feel that appeasement is the priority: reprimand the Princess of Prince Yong and give the Nong people some rewards."

"Moreover, the Guangnanxi Circuit has the Imperial Guard under the command of Viscount Xie, and the Kang'an Earl Xiong family's young master also recruited and trained many soldiers before. If the Nong people don't understand civilization, our dynasty also has the means to deal with them."

The Old Madam listened to Sheng Hong's words and nodded slowly.

"But with such a commotion in the Guangnanxi Circuit, I imagine some business and trade will be affected," Sheng Hong added.

Hearing this, the Old Madam sighed and said, "I heard that some of the life-saving and hemostatic prescriptions used in the army have an ingredient from the south, right?"

"Yes, Mother. Your son heard that the Marquis's mansion seems to be trying to cultivate it to see if it can be kept alive on the manor."

The Old Madam nodded: "Hopefully, it won't delay things in the north."

Everyone in the school,

also learned about the incident in the south in the afternoon.

After school,

everyone leaving the school discussed it for a few sentences.

After exiting the Sheng family's main gate, everyone cupped their hands to bid farewell and returned to their respective homes.

Xu Zaijing rode his horse, looked at the Rong family manservant waiting by the roadside, leaned over to Zaihang, and said, "Brother, tell Mother that Rong Xian is hosting a treat today, so I'll be back later."

"Alright." Zaihang glanced at the Rong family manservant, nodded, turned, and left.

Subsequently, Xu Zaijing, accompanied by the Rong family manservant, hurried toward Pan Lou Main Street.

In the late autumn afternoon,

the weather was already somewhat cool, especially after sunset in the evening.

When Xu Zaijing arrived at Pan Lou Main Street, under the cover of the wooden buildings along the street, the street was somewhat dim, so the main shops, brothels, and roadside stalls along the street had all hung up lanterns.

Looking at the flow of people and carriages on the main street, and listening to the noise of conversation and the sounds of silk and bamboo music from the buildings by the roadside, Pan Lou Main Street seemed even livelier than during the day.

Guided by the Rong family manservant,

Xu Zaijing's group of carriages and horses turned off the lively main street and entered an alley.

Under the cover of the buildings on both sides of the alley, the lively and noisy sounds of the street seemed to drop significantly all at once.

In front of a household hanging a lantern with the character "Ruan," Xu Zaijing, Qingyun, and Yunxiang got off the carriage.

Yunxiang, who was here for the first time, listened to the noise on the street not far away and turned her head to look a few times.

What met her eyes were the towering Pan Lou and Qiyun Tower not far away, hanging with lanterns.

"Yunxiang." Qingyun called out softly from the side.

"Oh!" Yunxiang responded and hurriedly followed.

They entered the courtyard.

"Fifth Young Master, it's been a long time since you've come," Mama Ruan said to Xu Zaijing with a smile.

When Mama Ruan was speaking, a young maid with outstanding looks standing beside her glanced at Xu Zaijing and hurriedly bowed in a salute.

Moreover, when looking at Xu Zaijing, this extremely beautiful young maid also took the opportunity to glance at Yunxiang, who was following behind Xu Zaijing with a curious expression.

Xu Zaijing nodded with a smile and said, "It must have been three or four years."

Feeling Xu Zaijing's gaze sweep over, the young maid behind Mama Ruan naturally lowered her head, her eyes looking toward the ground.

Mama Ruan continued, "Fifth Young Master is right. When you came, Fang Niang was still in this courtyard of mine."

Subsequently, Mama Ruan reached out and said with a smile, "Please come inside."

While speaking, Mama Ruan also scanned Yunxiang, her eyes full of appreciation and admiration.

Xu Zaijing nodded with a smile and said, "Has the Second Young Master arrived?"

"He has, he just arrived not long ago."

Mama Ruan said while guiding Xu Zaijing toward the room.

While walking, Xu Zaijing could vaguely hear the sounds of pipa and other musical instruments in other rooms in the courtyard.

Following Xu Zaijing's gaze by the candlelight, Mama Ruan smiled and said, "Fifth Young Master, that is Head Musician Yang teaching the young girls the pipa."

Hearing this,

Qingyun, who was following behind Xu Zaijing, also glanced in the direction of the music.

"Sigh!"

Mama Ruan sighed lightly. Qingyun looked at Xu Zaijing, who didn't respond, and said at the right time, "Mama Ruan, why are you sighing?"

Mama Ruan tilted her head to look at Xu Zaijing's expression, smiled, and said, "After Head Musician Wei and Head Musician Yang performed in the palace, they have become increasingly difficult to invite! If it weren't for our friendship, I don't know what I would do with these girls under my command!"

Qingyun smiled and said, "Mama Ruan, you are being too modest. If others said this, I would believe it, but when you say it, I dare not believe it."

While they were speaking earlier,

Yunxiang was walking side-by-side with the young maid beside Mama Ruan in the back.

The young maid with outstanding looks was looking at Yunxiang beside her with eyes full of scrutiny.

When Yunxiang looked over, this young maid hurriedly looked to the side.

Just as they were about to reach the private room where Rong Xian was, this young maid looked at Yunxiang again. After making eye contact with Yunxiang, this young maid was stunned for a moment, then smiled.

Ahead of the two,

Rong Xian in the private room was smiling and talking with Xu Zaijing.

After Mama Ruan said two polite words, she turned and took her leave.

On the way out, Mama Ruan looked at the young maid beside her and said, "Shishi, what was wrong with you just now? Why did you become so well-behaved after making eye contact with Fifth Young Master Xu's maid?"

"Where was that pride of being determined to win when you were talking to me earlier?"

Looking at the young maid who was pursing her lips, Mama Ruan continued, "When you heard that Head Musician Wei had a good impression of this person earlier, you couldn't help but want to contend, but what was the result? Why aren't you saying anything now?"

The young maid called Shishi looked at Mama Ruan and said, "Mama, did you see the maid beside this young master? I thought just now that she would look at me with eyes of seeing a rival, or eyes of scrutiny and comparison."

"But there was actually an appreciative look in her eyes, and her gaze was so gentle."

Mama Ruan curled her lips and said, "Hmph! That's a girl trained from childhood; how could she be the same as you, who started halfway!"

As the master and apprentice were talking and walking out, the courtyard gate was knocked on again.

Soon, a manservant dressed in decent clothes walked in, cupped his hands in a salute, and said, "Mama Ruan, my Marquis will also be coming over later."

Mama Ruan narrowed her eyes and said politely, "This one, forgive my poor eyesight, I don't know which mansion you are from?"

"Mama Ruan, I am from the Marquis Xiangyang's mansion."

When the manservant was speaking, his eyes uncontrollably glanced at the maid beside Mama Ruan.

By the candlelight in the courtyard, it almost made this manservant think he had seen a fairy.

"Cough." Mama Ruan coughed lightly.

The manservant hurriedly withdrew his gaze and, after looking at the back of the young lady Shishi who had turned and left, lowered his head.

"Alright, then I will go tell the two young masters in the private room," Mama Ruan replied.

"Thank you for the trouble, Mama."

In less than two quarters of an hour,

Xu Zaijing and Rong Xian saw the Marquis Xiangyang enter the private room and hurriedly stood up to cup their hands.

"Hahahaha! You kid, you finally came out to play! I heard you've taken a liking to calligraphy recently?"

"Come, take a look at this piece of calligraphy I wrote!"

Rong Xian, who was standing to the side, glanced at the Marquis Xiangyang who was speaking, then looked at Xu Zaijing, and said hesitantly, "Jing Jing Biao Ge Jing, how about I also splash some ink and write a piece?"

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 646 =====