Chapter 739: When Did You Oversleep? [Thank You! Again! Behind on Chapters]

Turning to look at Xu Zaijing, Rong Feiyan smiled as she stood before the small Liliju horse and said, “Xu Wu brother, I’ll head back to the city first!”

“Go slowly,” Xu Zaijing replied with a smiling nod.

Watching Rong Feiyan depart from before them, Yunxiang and Qingyun quickly lowered their heads and bowed slightly.

The two maids behind Rong Feiyan smiled and returned the bow before hurrying to catch up with their mistress.

After walking a dozen steps,

Rong Feiyan stepped onto the horse-drawn carriage’s mounting stool,

stood at the front of the carriage, yet did not immediately enter—instead, she turned back to glance at Xu Zaijing.

In the morning light,

the light, luxurious cloak she wore faintly shimmered, and together with her jet-black hair tied into a bun, it made her skin appear even paler, her features as delicate as a painted scroll.

Seeing Xu Zaijing standing a little ways off, momentarily stunned, Rong Feiyan smiled faintly, waved her hand, then ducked into the carriage.

Yunxiang watched the Rong family maid enter the carriage, recalling Rong Feiyan’s grace, and gently touched her own slightly chilled cheek with a quiet sigh.

Soon,

the sound of the driver urging the horses rose, and amid the rumble of wheels, the Rong family carriage rolled into the gate arch.

Xu Zaijing walked to the Liliju horse, mounted up, cast one last glance at the Rong carriage, then spurred his horse toward Jiyin Alley.

Passing through Guangli Gate into the city,

this southwestern corner of the outer city was a place Xu Zaijing rarely visited.

Walking along the canal that entered the city, Xu Zaijing glanced curiously around at the surrounding scenery.

Suddenly,

Xu Zaijing’s gaze sharpened as he fixed his eyes on a man by the roadside ahead.

Qingyun, a beat slower, also turned to look at the roadside.

Seeing Xu Zaijing and Qingyun stare, the middle-aged man by the roadside quickly bowed with clasped hands and raised his head to look at the group.

Qingyun frowned, glanced farther down the road, thought for a moment, then his eyes lit with sudden understanding.

“Master, this place is near Old Crow Alley—this man seems to be my mother-in-law’s tenant.”

Qingyun leaned over to tell Xu Zaijing.

Xu Zaijing nodded.

After Hua Qing married Qingyun, they moved with his mother to Quyuanjie; Qingyun repaired the nearby house in Old Crow Alley and rented it out.

As Xu Zaijing’s party drew near,

before Qingyun could even speak, the man’s greeting confirmed he was their tenant.

After some polite exchanges, Qingyun politely declined the tenant’s invitation to inspect the house, then spurred his horse to catch up with Xu Zaijing ahead.

After crossing two bridges over the canal, the scenery ahead grew familiar to Xu Zaijing.

The reason was they had arrived near the capital’s famed inn, Qingfeng Pavilion—a place Xu Zaijing had visited several times.

The sun had just risen,

still below the horizon,

only the highest points in the city caught its rays.

Two streets remained before reaching Jiyin Alley,

when from a brothel by the roadside,

Gu Tingyang, having spent the night there, emerged with dark circles under his eyes, rubbing his lower back as he draped an arm over a young servant’s shoulder.

Stretching beneath the brothel’s ornate awning at the door, Gu Tingyang casually glanced around.

His gaze drifted over a maid from a nearby household buying goods, then, hearing hoofbeats, he turned southward.

Then,

Gu Tingyang’s eyes snapped wide—he rubbed them in shock, then stared again.

Once he recognized the rider, whether from last night’s excess or something else, Gu Tingyang suddenly felt his knees go weak.

The Gu family servant behind him, quick on his feet, stepped forward to support him, preventing him from collapsing onto the ground.

Before the servant could speak, Gu Tingyang cried out urgently: “Go back, go back, hurry back!”

“Huh? Oh!” The servant blinked, then hurriedly half-carried, half-dragged Gu Tingyang back into the brothel.

“Master, what happened?” The servant glanced outside, puzzled.

Gu Tingyang said nothing, only muttered in panic: “This can’t be right! Xu Zaijing, that demon, should be studying with the eldest branch’s Gu Tingye right now! Why is he here?”

“The Xu family’s Fifth Young Master?” the servant stammered.

“Damn! Is he here to cause trouble? I’ve barely set foot near Pan Lou to avoid him!”

“That bastard dares to bully me so much—he really thinks I’m afraid of him?!”

Hearing Gu Tingyang’s muttering with a fierce glare, the servant was startled by his master’s tone.

But knowing Xu Zaijing’s martial skill, the servant rubbed his belly—once punched by Qingyun—and was about to offer advice.

"Come! Let’s avoid his sharp edge—we’ll hide in the back courtyard!"

“Yes, Master!”

The servant hurriedly supported Gu Tingyang as they moved toward the rear of the building.

Xu Zaijing rode past the brothel’s entrance, glanced once, then continued forward.

“Master, I just saw someone appear beneath that awning, glance our way, then retreat,” Qingyun said, pulling his gaze from the brothel.

“Mm. Ignore it,” Xu Zaijing replied coolly.

Arriving at the Sheng residence,

Xu Zaijing led Yunxiang toward the study courtyard.

Just as he crossed the threshold,

he saw a young lady walking ahead, followed by her maid.

Perhaps hearing footsteps,

the Sheng girl turned her head back,

saw Xu Zaijing and Qingyun, and stopped—Rulan’s face showed surprise, tinged with a hint of delight.

She stood still as Xu Zaijing approached, then pursed her lips and asked tentatively: “Xu Wu brother, did you oversleep today too?”

Hearing this, Yunxiang tightly bit her lips; Xique’s face flushed with embarrassment.

“Mm.”

Seeing Xu Zaijing nod, Rulan’s eyes brightened with joy; she hurried to walk beside him toward the study hall.

“Master, your student has returned.”

Xu Zaijing bowed at the study hall’s entrance.

“Master, your student has come too,” Rulan echoed behind him.

Master Zhuang, seated behind his desk, took a deep breath, glanced at Rulan hiding beside Xu Zaijing, shook his head slightly, and said, “Come in.”

“Yes, Master.”

After half an hour of lessons, the master announced a short break.

Gu Tingye turned to look at Xu Zaijing and said, “Jingge’er, has Rong Xian left the capital?”

“Mm,” Xu Zaijing nodded.

Changfeng’s eyes widened in surprise: "Jingge’er, I heard the capital’s playboys were betting on when Rong Xian would 'fall ill'?"

Qi Heng turned back, waved his hand to Bùwéi, who held a teacup, signaling him not to approach, and asked curiously: “Changfeng, why were they betting Rong Xian would fall ill?”

Gu Tingye laughed: “Yuanruo, do you really need to ask? If Rong Xian falls ill, he won’t have to go to the southern malarial lands.”

Qi Heng blinked, then nodded at Gu Tingye: “So that’s it! I didn’t think Rong Xian had such spirit.”

Gu Tingye and Xu Zaijing exchanged glances, then shook their heads: “Yuanruo, praise him only after he reaches the south—falling ill on the journey is still possible.”

In the corner, Minglan, her five-colored headband threaded with gold thread, held her teacup with both hands, listening to their conversation, her eyes flicking between them.

Xiao Tao whispered beside her: “Miss, I heard Fifth Young Master Xu went to see Rong Xian off today.”

Minglan nodded.

The sun rose and set,

and by afternoon,

at dismissal time, Xu Zaijing and the others walked out of the courtyard together.

“Yunxiang sister, wait for me,” came Xique’s voice from behind.

Yunxiang glanced at Xu Zaijing; seeing him wave, she smiled and stayed where she was.

Xu Zaijing continued chatting with his classmates as he walked out.

On the way back to Quyuanjie,

“Dengdeng.”

Xu Zaijing tapped the carriage wall.

“Master?” Yunxiang lifted the curtain.

“What did Xique want with you?” Xu Zaijing asked.

Yunxiang pursed her lips, her face slightly embarrassed: “Master, Xique… she wants to know when you’ll oversleep again.”

Hearing this, Xu Zaijing helplessly rubbed his forehead.

Yunxiang: “And also—”

Xu Zaijing blinked: “Also?”

Yun Xiang nodded: “Mm! Because we sent those horses, the old lady said reciprocity is propriety, so she wants a few of the young ladies to think of something suitable to return to our household.”

“So, Xi Que asked you directly?” Xu Zaijing chuckled.

“Mm. The maidservants beside Mo Lan and Ming Lan were listening too,” Yun Xiang said.

“What did you say?”

“I told them I’d ask Master Xu.”

“Clever,” Xu Zaijing praised.

Hearing this, Yun Xiang’s eyes crinkled with a smile.

Quyuanjie,

Yongyi Marquis Mansion,

Yun Xiang followed behind Xu Zaijing as they walked into the courtyard.

“Master, when we go to the Sheng household, how should I reply to the three young ladies?”

Xu Zaijing waved his hand: “Anything will do.”

“Huh? Master, you thought all this way… and came up with that?” Yun Xiang looked up at Xu Zaijing.

“Mm! No need for handmade items—just anything you can buy.”

“Yes, Master.”

On the way, Xu Zaijing had actually wanted a knee guard.

But he feared asking too early would spoil the auspicious omen—that would be bad.

The next day,

as Xu Zaijing trained in the horse arena,

the inner and outer courtyards of the Marquis Mansion were unusually busy from early morning.

After finishing his training, Xu Zaijing did not go to the Sheng household—he stayed home to help.

The reason: today the Xu family was hosting the full-moon banquet for the sixth daughter.

Xu Minghua and Xu Zaiduan, who should have greeted guests at the main gate, were now thousands of miles away.

Zai Zhang and Xu Zaijing had to take their place.

Inside the Marquis Mansion,

the horses that usually wandered the riding grounds were all locked in the stables today.

At precisely the eighth hour (8 a.m.),

outside the Marquis Mansion,

guests’ carriages appeared at the entrance of Quyuanjie.

Watching the carriages turn in, Zai Zhang squinted and said: “Little Five, whose is that? Is Big Sister here?”

Xu Zaijing shook his head: “Our maternal grandparents’ family.”

“Oh!”

Soon,

a long line of carriages entered Quyuanjie, accompanied by numerous young men from the Sun family riding horses.

When the first carriage reached the mansion’s main gate, the attendant beside it lifted the curtain aside.

Seeing the two elderly figures inside, Xu Zaijing and Zai Zhang quickly bowed deeply and clasped their hands: “Grandfather! Grandmother!”

The two silver-haired elders smiled warmly; Sun Laofuren’s eyes sparkled with delight as she gazed at her two grandsons: “Good children, you’ll have a busy day today.”

Zai Zhang laughed and waved: “Grandmother, it’s nothing! Lighter than sitting in class!”

Hearing this, Sun Laofuren gave Zai Zhang an exasperated look, then turned to Xu Zaijing: “Jing’er, since your brother says that, later you come with me into the courtyard—he can handle things out here alone.”

Xu Zaijing chuckled: “Grandmother, if you do that, Mother will be furious.”

Sun’s patriarch patted his wife’s hand: “Enough. Don’t delay the children—let’s go inside.”

This last remark was addressed to the Sun family’s coachman.

Xu Zaijing and his brother bowed and smiled, watching the carriage enter the mansion.

Next came the Sun family’s aunts-in-law and cousin sisters-in-law.

As before, the older cousin nephews rode horses outside, while the younger ones sat inside their mothers’ carriages.

The older cousin nephews dismounted, respectfully bowed to Xu Zaijing and Zai Zhang, then entered the gate.

The children inside the carriages pressed against the windows, chattering: “Uncle! Cousin Uncle!”

As one carriage after another passed, Xu Zaijing and Zai Zhang’s cheeks grew stiff from smiling.

After seeing the children enter the gate again,

Zai Zhang glanced at Xu Zaijing: “Little Five, did you recognize all your nephews and nieces?”

Xu Zaijing wiped imaginary sweat from his forehead, thought back on the children he’d seen, and shook his head: “Too difficult.”

After chatting a while,

the carriage of the Yongchang Marquis Liang family arrived; Liang Han rode beside it, dressed in new clothes.

Wu Da Niangzi lifted the curtain, spoke a few words, then entered the gate; Liang Han tossed the reins to a servant and stood beside Xu Zaijing, smiling: “Jing-ge, I’ll enter with you later.”

Xu Zaijing didn’t refuse—he simply nodded and smiled.

Soon after,

the Ningyuan Marquis Mansion’s carriage arrived at the gate; as the curtain was lifted, Gu Shixing in Bai Fu Ren’s arms excitedly shouted, “Third Uncle! Little Uncle!” and tried to get down to play, but his mother Ping Mei immediately “suppressed” him.

Gu Tingye, like Liang Han, dismounted and stood nearby chatting.

Behind the Gu family’s carriage came the carriage of the Qi State Duke’s mansion; Princess Pingning merely smiled at Xu Zaijing and his brother, then entered directly.

After conversing with Qi Heng, he learned the male guests were all at the gate, so he sat beside Liang Han and joined the conversation.

While speaking, Qi Heng kept glancing at passing carriages, as if searching for something.

The eldest daughter of the Xu family’s in-law noble family, the Xie household, arrived today with her younger daughter, who had married into the Xiong family; like Princess Pingning, she merely lifted the curtain and smiled at Xu Zaijing and Zai Zhang.

Later, Fourth Sister Anmei and her mother-in-law, Pan Da Niangzi, entered the mansion; Xu Zaijing’s aunt, who had married into the Zhu household, arrived with her daughter-in-law Ni Qiuqiu and Xiaodie, each in separate carriages.

As the sun rose higher,

carriages on Quyuanjie grew increasingly numerous.

Several high-ranking officials’ and marquises’ noble ladies also arrived one after another at the Xu household.

Lu Zezong had now taken his place behind Xu Zaijing, occasionally bowing and greeting guests alongside him.

Liang Han, standing by the roadside watching the entrance, smiled and said: “The Rong family carriage is coming!”

Behind Xu Zaijing, Gu Tingye asked curiously: “Little Five, did you see Feiyan last night when you saw people off?”

“What do you think?” Xu Zaijing replied.

Gu Tingye scratched his cheek and smiled.

Liang Han hurried over to stand beside Xu Zaijing.

Soon,

the Rong family carriage drew near,

Rong Da Niangzi lifted the curtain, looking puzzled at Qi Heng and the others; when she saw Xu Zaijing and the others bowing, she merely nodded.

Beside Rong Da Niangzi, Rong Feiyan’s clear face appeared; seeing Liang Han and Lu Zezong’s dazed expressions, and Xu Zaijing’s gaze, she gave a faint smile.

After watching the Rong family carriage enter the mansion, Lu Zezong tugged Xu Zaijing’s sleeve: “Brother, I think Feiyan-jie was looking at you.”

“You’re wrong,” Liang Han said without turning around. “She was looking at me!”

“Oh? Today’s Second Young Master from the Chai family came along,” Zai Zhang remarked.

Everyone turned to look down the street.

Beside a luxurious carriage, Chai Bo waved to them from horseback.

When the carriage reached the gate,

Chai Fu Ren smiled warmly at the crowd bowing and greeting her.

Inside the carriage, Chai Zhengzheng was smiling at first, but when she noticed Xu Zaijing’s dry lips from speaking, a flicker of concern passed through her eyes.

“Madam, Cousin,” Qi Heng smiled and bowed beside the carriage.

Chai Zhengzheng and her mother nodded together; Chai Fu Ren asked: “Yuanruo, when will you enter?”

Qi Heng paused, glanced at Chai Bo, then smiled: “Madam, I’ll wait a bit longer.”

“Mm,” Chai Fu Ren smiled and lowered the curtain.

Nearby,

in the second carriage,

Ru Lan lifted the curtain, grinning: “Mother, look! It’s the Chai family’s carriage! So big, so luxurious!”

Wang Ruofu sighed and glanced at Ru Lan: “Ru’er, you’re too reckless outside the house! Sit properly!”

“Oh!”

After one more glance outside, Ru Lan sat demurely.

“When greeting the young masters at the gate, remember: smile without showing your teeth!”

“Yes, Mother!”

(End of Chapter)