Chapter 251
As for how she offended them? Three or five strong guards, a delicate noble lady… Zhan Feiyu’s fair and tender cheeks held a smile of innocent ignorance; she was young and knew nothing.
He Sheng and the carriage driver were both stunned. They exchanged a glance, then remained silent.
Chong Guang stared dumbfounded at the unrestrained Zhan Feiyu. Did this girl know what she was saying? She even knew such vulgar words!
Yin Wuyan narrowed his phoenix eyes, looking at the little girl bathed in the firelight. With He Nuan and He Sheng watching her, it was impossible for the girl to come into contact with unsavory people and matters. But where did she learn to say such things? Had she read some forbidden books?
Thinking of the popular romance novels circulating in the capital, and recalling Zhan Feiyu’s blood-red earlobes in the carriage earlier, Yin Wuyan’s gaze suddenly turned cold. Some bookstores even sold illicit novels in private.
“How dare you!” Lady Lian reprimanded angrily, looking down at Zhan Feiyu sitting on the cushion. “You dare to offend my lady like this, do you know who my lady is…”
Her voice trailed off. Recalling the purpose of their visit, Lady Lian, with a stern face, glanced at Chong Guang and the others as if they were ruffians. “You few, go over there.”
It was raining outside, and Lady Lian knew it was impossible to send the guards out.
Fortunately, the dilapidated temple was spacious. They could go to the left side to wait. As for this unrestrained little girl, it was fine for her to stay. They could draw a curtain later, and there would be no worry about these vulgar people offending the lady.
“Alright, take your fifty taels of silver notes and get lost. Does my young lady look like she’s short of money?” Chong Guang sneered sarcastically.
The fat girl’s clothes alone were worth at least ten taels, not to mention the jade pendant at her waist. The fat girl had also dressed herself up today, wearing a coral hairpin and a red coral bracelet on her wrist. Her entire attire was worth more than fifty taels.
“You!” Lady Lian glared at Chong Guang, but unlike Yin Wuyan’s disguised ordinary face, Chong Guang, in his early twenties, was in his prime. His handsome eyebrows and eyes held an unrestrained arrogance. Lady Lian inexplicably blushed.
But thinking of the lady in the carriage, she glared fiercely at Zhan Feiyu, stamped her foot, and turned to run away.
Seeing this, the two old women also hurried away. Although Zhan Feiyu was young, she had a maid and guards with her, which clearly indicated she was not to be trifled with.
“She actually glared at me?” Zhan Feiyu examined Chong Guang with her round, dark eyes, clicking her tongue twice and shaking her head. “Big brother, it’s a good thing you disguised yourself, otherwise you would definitely attract troublesome admirers.”
Chong Guang pointed at himself and angrily shouted at Zhan Feiyu, “Fat girl, what kind of look is that? Let me tell you, the women in the capital who want to marry me line up from Donghua Gate to Nanhua Gate, and then circle around three times!”
“That’s because they have poor eyesight!” Zhan Feiyu unceremoniously poured cold water on him. With Uncle Chong Guang’s unreliable personality, he was definitely not a good match!
Feeling scorned, Chong Guang became spirited and insisted on arguing with Zhan Feiyu to get to the bottom of it. “Who do you think is better than me?”
Zhan Feiyu grinned, pointed to the side with her small hand, and it was Chong Guang’s turn to roll his eyes.
Risking being beaten to death by his own seventh master, Chong Guang nervously asked, “Fat girl, are you blind? With Master Seven like this, don’t you feel cold?”
Chong Guang knew his own seventh master’s personality better than anyone. He was naturally cold-blooded and heartless. He was only good to the fat girl because Master Seven treated the fat girl like his own daughter. If they were to get married, hah, it would be a victory if he could say three sentences a day!
“Look at my handsome face, with sword-like eyebrows, starry eyes, and a heroic spirit.” Chong Guang brought his face close to Zhan Feiyu, letting her see what a beautiful man comparable to Pan An looked like.
Zhan Feiyu pushed Chong Guang away with disdain. “Beautiful skins are all the same; interesting souls are one in a million. Uncle Chong Guang, after a hundred years, we’ll all be skeletons.”
Yin Wuyan cast a cold glance over. Chong Guang, who was about to argue further, immediately subsided and went to whisper to He Sheng. “Don’t I look more handsome than Master Seven! But Ah Sheng, you’re not good enough, far inferior to Master Seven, and even more so compared to me.”
He Sheng, with his naturally ordinary features, silently fiddled with the fire. What use did a man have for good looks? Could it be eaten or drunk?
“Big brother, let’s eat the flatbread.” Zhan Feiyu cast another disdainful glance at the whispering Chong Guang, placed the flatbread stuffed with meat slices and fried eggs on a plate, and handed it to Yin Wuyan.
Yin Wuyan did not refuse. After He Nuan brought Zhan Feiyu’s flatbread, the two sat on the cushions and began to eat.
The two old women worked quickly, first clearing the sundries to the back of the dilapidated temple, and then sweeping away the fallen leaves and dust from the ground. Fortunately, the dilapidated temple was large, so there was no worry about the dust flying over to Zhan Feiyu, who was eating.
After a while, four tall and strong guards walked in quickly. Two of them spread out a bedsheet and quickly nailed it to the wall. It not only blocked the drafty window but also covered the moldy and damp wall.
Zhan Feiyu couldn’t help but smile at this, and whispered to Yin Wuyan, “When I was in the Huai’an Prefecture prison that day, I also had Ah Nuan cover the walls with cloth.”
Chong Guang took a bite of the flatbread and threw out two words: “Pretentious!”
“I’m happy!” Zhan Feiyu hummed childishly. In Jinlin Village before, she couldn’t be particular. When she was three years old, she was woken up by a rat bite.
Another time in the summer, she was sleeping on a bamboo bed at noon, and a snake crawled onto her neck. Although it was only a small snake as thin as a finger, it scared Zhan Feiyu so much that she couldn’t close her eyes for two days and two nights.
Er Lang was even more unlucky. Second Aunt was not clean, and the room was not cleaned much. There was a dead rat on top of the wardrobe, which had been dead for who knows how long, stinking and breeding maggots.
When Er Lang and San Lang were playing and bumped into the cabinet, the maggot-ridden dead rat fell down and hit Er Lang’s head. When Zhan Feiyu found out, she stood on a stool that day and checked the top of her own wardrobe, and also swept under the bed.
Thinking about it now, the years spent in the Zhan family seemed like a past life. She was willing to do anything to study, not for fame or fortune, but perhaps simply because she couldn’t continue to live such a poor and difficult life.
“Spread the quilt here… you two, get some firewood to start the fire and cook.”
“It smells musty. Get the ‘Magpie Perching on a Branch’ copper brazier. Madam likes plum blossom fragrance the most. Don’t bring the wrong one.”
“Fetch some water, quickly. Madam will want tea soon. Also, bring a copper pot. Madam has no appetite and wants to cook porridge tonight.”
“Where’s the insect repellent powder? Sprinkle a little in the corner.”
After Zhan Feiyu finished eating, she saw that the opposite side had already been set up. If not for the surroundings, one would think it was a guest room in someone’s back residence. Incense was lit, and vases were placed. Although only a few trimmed young branches were inserted, it still had some artistic conception.
Against the wall, there was also a ground mat, but it was covered with white fox fur cushions. In front of the ground mat was a folding screen with the Four Gentlemen: plum, orchid, bamboo, and chrysanthemum, which served to create a simple resting space.
In front of the fire, two guards busied themselves skillfully. The disassembled tables and chairs were reassembled. It was estimated that these simple tables and chairs were not elegant enough, so Lady Lian spread a blue satin embroidered with peonies on the table.
Chong Guang raised his hand and poked Zhan Feiyu. “Fat girl, I was wrong. This is called attention to detail.”
Zhan Feiyu was truly curious about the other party’s background now. No wonder a maid would offer fifty taels of silver. This setup was absolutely extraordinary.
A moment later, the sky had completely darkened. Outside the dilapidated temple, the wind and rain raged, while inside the temple, with the firelight and the aroma of food, it seemed out of place.
A cacophony of footsteps sounded. Zhan Feiyu looked up and saw two maids enter first, standing on either side.
“It’s just a night’s rest, why the need for such a grand fuss.” A delicate voice mixed with the sound of wind and rain, soft and lingering, like a gentle whisper, making one’s heart melt just by listening.
After the voice sounded, a slender figure walked in. Her face was as small as a palm, her features as beautiful as a painting. The white ruqun she wore set her off, making her look like a white lotus in the wind and rain.
Zhan Feiyu’s eyes suddenly widened a little more. So beautiful! Beauty lies in the bones, not the skin. The woman’s features might not be the most exquisite, but her elegant charm was intoxicating. “There is a beauty, and once seen, never forgotten,” it was exactly like this.
“The body and skin are gifts from our parents, how can we neglect them?” A voice like a booming bell, but it was an old man who walked in.
The old man was tall and burly, wearing a black straight robe and a sash embroidered with the Ruyi pattern. He strode with the bearing of a dragon. If not for his hair tied up and completely white, his energetic appearance would have made him look like a middle-aged general.
Zhan Feiyu’s round eyes widened even further, her face full of curiosity. At first glance, these two seemed like father and daughter, but upon closer inspection, there was no resemblance in their faces, and their conversation did not suggest they were family.
As soon as the two entered the dilapidated temple, they noticed Zhan Feiyu’s group on the right. The woman looked at the little girl sitting on the ground mat with her hands propping up her chin from afar, and smiled gently, nodding slightly in greeting.
The old man also glanced over, but his gaze was sharp. Even though he restrained his fierce and murderous aura, most people would not dare to look him directly in the eye.
But Zhan Feiyu still had that curious and innocent look, not knowing worldly fears because she was ignorant of them.
“Look, even the child doesn’t have as much of this as I do,” the woman whispered coquettishly.
Zhan Feiyu’s group of six, He Sheng, He Nuan, and the carriage driver were dressed ordinarily, clearly attendants. Although Chong Guang was handsome, he wore a sword at his waist, and he sat squeezed with He Sheng, clearly not the master, but more like a guard.
As for Yin Wuyan, he sat with Zhan Feiyu, but his features were too ordinary.
Only Zhan Feiyu had a rosy complexion and fair skin, clearly a pampered young lady. Moreover, she wore a red coral hairpin of excellent quality on her head, and the fabric and cut of her clothes were done by skilled seamstresses.
People first respect the clothes, then the person. It was no wonder they thought Zhan Feiyu was the master.
“Big brother, I’m going to read a book.” The group opposite also started eating, and Zhan Feiyu couldn’t keep staring, as it was too impolite.
Chong Guang’s eyes lit up, and he quickly got up. “What book are you reading? Why not practice calligraphy?”
Before Zhan Feiyu could speak, Chong Guang took out the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, and also brought over a box to serve as a table. He winked at Zhan Feiyu. “I’ll write two characters first, and you can copy mine.”
“Fat girl, quickly grind the ink,” Chong Guang urged.
Zhan Feiyu suppressed a smile. Even He Sheng and He Nuan looked at Chong Guang speechlessly. His handwriting, which only he himself could recognize, was something he dared to show off.
After a while, looking at the four characters written on the paper, Zhan Feiyu glanced at them, but Yin Wuyan directly snatched the paper.
Chong Guang’s expression stiffened.
“Big brother.” Zhan Feiyu tugged at Yin Wuyan’s sleeve and asked in a low voice, “I guess they are not a couple.”
The paper read: “Dragon and Phoenix Dancing”: an old husband and a young wife.
But Zhan Feiyu didn’t think the two looked like a couple at all. Although Daqing allowed women to study and even take imperial examinations, women’s status was still lower than men’s because they depended on men. Therefore, the situation of an old husband and a young wife was not uncommon. However, the two opposite each other lacked the intimacy of a couple in their every move, but there was a hint of entanglement and ambiguity. If it weren’t for this, Chong Guang wouldn’t be so gossipy, even forgetting that Zhan Feiyu was still a young girl and discussing this matter with him.
Yin Wuyan looked at the little girl with sparkling eyes, knowing she was also curious, so he picked up the brush and quickly wrote three words on the paper: Zhenbian Hou.
Huh? Zhan Feiyu was taken aback. She had previously been engrossed in her studies, only reading the words of the sages. However, she had replaced Scholar Gu to visit General Yang in Weizhou, so she had learned some information along the way.
If the one who helped General Yang was the Lone Fishing Old Man, then the witness accusing General Yang of colluding with the enemy and betraying the country came from the Zhenbian Hou Mansion. And if Zhan Feiyu remembered correctly, Zhenbian Hou had married a princess of the imperial family back then, and it was also because of this relationship that he was enfeoffed as Zhenbian Hou by the late emperor.
…
Chong Guang’s expression stiffened.
“Big brother.” Zhan Feiyu tugged at Yin Wuyan’s sleeve and asked in a low voice, “I guess they are not a couple.”
The paper read: “Dragon and Phoenix Dancing”: an old husband and a young wife.
But Zhan Feiyu didn’t think the two looked like a couple at all. Although Daqing allowed women to study and even take imperial examinations, women’s status was still lower than men’s because they depended on men. Therefore, the situation of an old husband and a young wife was not uncommon. But the two opposite each other lacked the intimacy of a couple in their every move, but there was a hint of entanglement and ambiguity. If it weren’t for this, Chong Guang wouldn’t be so gossipy, even forgetting that Zhan Feiyu was still a young girl and discussing this matter with him.
Yin Wuyan looked at the little girl with sparkling eyes, knowing she was also curious, so he picked up the brush and quickly wrote three words on the paper: Zhenbian Hou.
Huh? Zhan Feiyu was taken aback. She had previously been engrossed in her studies, only reading the words of the sages. However, she had replaced Scholar Gu to visit General Yang in Weizhou, so she had learned some information along the way. The paper read: “Dragon and Phoenix Dancing”: an old husband and a young wife.
But Zhan Feiyu didn’t think the two looked like a couple at all. Although Daqing allowed women to study and even take imperial examinations, women’s status was still lower than men’s because they depended on men. Therefore, the situation of an old husband and a young wife was not uncommon. But the opposite…
If the one who helped General Yang was the Lone Fishing Old Man, then the witness accusing General Yang of colluding with the enemy and betraying the country came from the Zhenbian Hou Mansion. And if Zhan Feiyu remembered correctly, Zhenbian Hou had married a princess of the imperial family back then,