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CHAPTER 25
Chapter 25
The small courtyard under the Xiang family's control was located at the other end of the town, but the town was not large, and it took only about two or three quarters of an hour to walk from one end to the other.
The agreed-upon day for Tan Ting to bring Xiang Yi back had not yet arrived. Tan Ting didn't know how he ended up here, perhaps because the weather was too cold or Tan Jian, being uncompetitive, couldn't surpass the students from Qingzhou Academy in writing.
The crowd surged like a river. The market in the twelfth month was particularly lively. Along the roadside, vendors sold flower lanterns, firecrackers, couplets, and New Year paintings, painting the ground in vibrant red. Even the faces of pedestrians were filled with the joyous color of red.
Originally, Tan Ting was being swept away by the crowd towards the other end of the town. However, when his gaze swept over the other side of the road, his steps abruptly halted. People behind him almost bumped into him, but Tan Ting paid no attention, his eyes fixed on the trio walking and chatting on the opposite side.
On the left, Xiang Yu wore a royal blue robe, still bearing the folds of new clothing. It was a new garment, but perhaps due to limited resources, the fabric was a bit lacking.
On the right, Xiang Ning had a slender figure, wrapped in two layers of cotton clothes. The outer layer was a brand-new red jacket, a style from a few years ago. However, the young girl, with her age akin to a blooming flower, looked charming in anything she wore.
As for the person in the middle, between Xiang Ning and Xiang Yu, today she finally changed out of her plain clothes. She wore a brand-new lotus-colored long jacket. The floral pattern was not extravagant, yet the slightly vibrant color complemented her face, making her appear even more radiant.
During her time at the Tan family, aside from a few casually adorned hairpins, she mostly wore silver hairpins. She hadn't worn the three sets of gold and pearl headpieces he gave her these past few days.
But today, she styled an uncommon hair bun and adorned it with a lively and crowded red plum blossom hairpin at the side of her temple.
Somehow, when Xiang Ning said something, she smiled, and the rosy hue of her lips reflected against the red plum blossom at her temple.
Unknowingly, Tan Ting stood still, his gaze lingered for several moments. The surrounding crowd continued to surge like waves, but the trio briefly stopped at a pastry stall on the side of the road.
On the cart of the pastry stall, various pastries were displayed. The owner introduced them, mentioning that they were famous snacks from the nearby prefecture. Pointing to a yellow pastry with a hint of red, he said, "This is the Dian Hong Cake from the neighboring Qingyuan County. It's delicious; would you like to try it?"
Before he could finish, Xiang Yu directly snorted, "I would never eat pastries from Qingyuan."
His sudden remark caught the stall owner off guard, and he stammered, "W-Why is that?"
Tan Ting, standing not too far away, heard his unfriendly tone.
"I can't help feeling angry whenever I hear about Qingyuan, especially the Tan family in Qingyuan, especially that young master from the main family." The stall owner was completely confused, wearing a bewildered expression, not knowing how to respond.
Tan Ting, not far away, heard it all. He remained silent, blending into the crowd even more. His gaze fell on the person in the lotus-colored attire.
She didn't notice him but gave Xiang Yu a quick glance and softly said, "Enough."
"Why make yourself unhappy because of others?" She spoke with calmness in her eyes, then called Xiang Ning and Xiang Yu, "Let's go."
The trio turned and walked away. The chilly wind couldn't cut through the crowded people, and Tan Ting felt a stifling sensation pressing in from all sides.
Her words kept echoing in his ears. "Why make yourself unhappy because of others?"
Others...
*
Tan Jian felt he was in trouble, and his elder brother's complexion worsened on the way back. He nervously awaited reprimand, but his elder brother remained tight-lipped, refusing to say a word, and returned home in silence.
He didn't even know what happened to his elder brother in the small town of Qingzhou. However, a letter arrived from someone who returned from the capital, indicating that his elder brother was too busy to attend to him. Tan Jian narrowly escaped any consequences.
It was a letter from Li Chengyun. In Tan Ting's previous reply, he briefly mentioned the Taoist by the Crown Prince's side. Unexpectedly, Li Chengyun brought up the Taoist again in this letter.
The Li family in Huaining, where Li Chengyun resided, was not as prominent as the Li family in Huaichuan, one of the four major families of the time. Li Chengyun couldn't access precise information.
However, he speculated that the Taoist might indeed be accompanying the investigation, as there was a sudden increase in officials requesting the Crown Prince to keep a distance from this person. Some even claimed that there were unusual signs in the celestial observations of the Qintian Observatory, indicating that a demonic path threatened to disrupt the court's order.
The Taoist has been by the Crown Prince's side for quite some time, but unexpectedly, a storm has arisen now. Li Chengyun speculated in the letter that the Taoist might indeed stir up trouble in the court, but currently, no one knows where the Taoist is.
Tan Ting recalled Li Chengyun's concerns in the previous letter, realizing that after the New Year, there might be significant changes in the court and even throughout the entire political landscape.
The wind outside the window rattled the doors and windows. After contemplating for a while, Tan Ting picked up his pen and wrote a reply.
* Qingzhou, House of Xiang.
Suddenly, a courier arrived with a message. The message was for Xiang Yu, and as Xiang Yi observed him receiving it in the courtyard, her brows furrowed. After the courier left, she called him over.
"Is something wrong? Is it about our sworn brother?" Xiang Yu nodded in response.
Earlier, when the stationery shop lost contact, he had foreseen potential issues and instructed the escort heading to Kaifeng to keep an eye out. The courier who just arrived informed him that the stationery shop had been sealed by the authorities, claiming that escaped criminals had been traced to this area. While this seemed like an excuse, the closure of the stationery shop was indeed true.
Xiang Yu asked Xiang Yi, "Elder sister, what should we do about our sworn brother's situation?"
Xiang Yi remained silent, gazing up at the overcast sky. Layers of dark clouds pressed down, indicating that snowfall was imminent, though it was uncertain when it would begin. She advised Xiang Yu not to focus on the stationery shop.
"Even before the authorities sealed it, our sworn brother had already severed that path. I believe he must have been prepared with his strategic foresight. In this case, we must not reveal any clues and unnecessarily trouble him further."
She spoke, taking in a deep breath of the cold air and exhaling slowly.
"Our sworn brother's current whereabouts are unknown, but if he needs assistance from us, he will naturally appear. We will do our best to help when the time comes," she said.
Xiang Yu agreed repeatedly, but Xiang Yi thought of something else and whispered a sentence.
"Our sworn brother might not appear under his former name; he might use an alias, perhaps... Sheng Gu."
On the fifth day after Xiang Yi's return, Xiang Yu wore a sullen expression early in the morning.
Seated beside Xiang Yi, Xiang Ning suggested, "Sister, how about returning home for a few days every few months? You don't have to face him; let Yu go and talk to the Master of the Tan family."
In the previous two encounters, Xiang Yu spoke impolitely in front of the Master of the Tan family, who showed no particular reaction. Xiang Ning and Xiang Yu thought they could make some requests.
However, Xiang Yi didn't share the same optimism. The first two times, the Lord of the Tan family might have tolerated Xiang Yu's behavior due to a sense of guilt for his own wrongdoing. But could he tolerate it every time?
Xiang Yi was well aware that her relationship with the Master of the Tan family didn't warrant such leniency.
She instructed Xiang Ning and Xiang Yu not to speak recklessly, quickly packed her belongings, thinking that although the master of the Tan family had said he would come, it wasn't certain. Perhaps he would only send someone to take care of matters. In any case, he might not arrive until the next afternoon.
Unexpectedly, just after she finished packing and had breakfast with her siblings, the sound of horses and carriages arrived outside the gate. Xiang Yu, with an unsatisfied expression, opened the door, and Xiang Yi saw a man in a brown robe.
Not only did he come alone, but he also brought Tan Jian and Yang Zhen along. The small town was petite, with morning smoke lingering. The sudden arrival of the convoy made the atmosphere lively, resembling the grandeur of a girl getting married.
Xiang Yi stood still in the courtyard, unable to utter a word. On the other hand, Tan Ting, perhaps accustomed to her confusion and surprise, pressed his lips, not showing much emotion.
Regardless, he hoped to gradually close the distance with her, something he believed he should do for her. With these thoughts, his expression softened as he walked forward to welcome her home, facing her puzzled gaze.
*Tan Family Estate.*
After being intentionally frightened by someone, madam Zhao kept Tan Rong confined to the mansion, fearing any further disturbance. When the opera troupe came to perform at the Cuì Wine House, she didn't attend. Even when the Anluo Temple distributed porridge, she refrained from going. That would have been the end of it, but madam Zhao recently started arranging blind dates for her. This time, she even obtained portraits of several young men from distinguished families.
Tan Rong initially went to see the portraits with a hint of shyness, but the more she looked, the more disheartened she became. These young men from distinguished families had rather stiff appearances. Only one or two were passable in terms of looks, but Zhao dismissed them due to inferior backgrounds. Instead, she chose one with a genuinely average appearance, looking quite satisfied.
Tan Rong felt frustrated inwardly. In the novels, the male characters were all exceptionally good-looking. How was it that none of them looked appealing in real life?
Feeling increasingly stifled, she said she wanted to spend a few days at the farmstead. Madam Zhao naturally agreed, only advising her not to stay too long and to return after a couple of days. Tan Rong agreed verbally but planned to extend her stay, thinking that a few more days of leisure wouldn't hurt.
However, on the second night at the farmstead, she unexpectedly heard the roar of a tiger from the nearby mountain. She wasn't the only one who heard it; many people in the farmstead were awakened, and the entire village lit torches in the middle of the night. There hadn't been tigers in those mountains for many years, so the sudden roar frightened Tan Rong. She dared not sleep for most of the night, keeping her maids close by.
Thankfully, the night passed without incident. When daylight came, Tan Rong couldn't bear to stay any longer. She quickly had her maids pack her belongings and enlisted several sturdy villagers to accompany her back to the mansion. Just as they were not far from the farmstead, nearing the foot of the mountain, the tiger's roar, which had already disappeared, suddenly echoed again.
*The villagers held their clubs, and Tan Rong was scared, beads of cold sweat forming. However, the tiger's roar changed its tone within moments, from fierce to mournful. The sounds gradually faded, quickly disappearing. The villagers exchanged glances, and someone speculated, "Could it be that a hero who fights tigers appeared and scared the tiger away?"
Upon hearing this, Tan Rong felt somewhat relieved. "Is there a tiger-fighting hero around here?" The villagers said they hadn't heard of any and suggested, "Maybe it's a passing hero."
As they spoke, shouts suddenly came from the distance in the mountains. Everyone turned to look. Not far away, in the middle of the wooded path, a servant-like person was supporting a young man in a crimson and purple brocade robe, slowly descending the mountain.*
*The young man had a tall and slender figure, with slightly disheveled hair. His left hand covered his chest, and his body was slightly bent, but everyone noticed the sword he held in his right hand. The sword emitted a chilling light, yet blood droplets fell steadily from its crimson edge.
In an instant, everyone realized what had happened. Could it be that this person had driven away the beast in the mountains with his sword?
The villagers quickly went forward to assist, but Tan Rong remained in the carriage, her gaze fixed on the man. The servant and the villagers helped him walk over.
The man seemed to be injured, his complexion slightly pale, and a strand of disheveled hair swayed gently at his forehead. Despite his disheveled appearance, his handsome face showed no signs of panic. A subtle smile lingered at the corner of his mouth, either from fatigue or pain. He kept his eyes half-closed until he approached the carriage. Slowly, he opened his eyes.
Tan Rong was suddenly captivated.
The man's eyes resembled peach blossoms, reflecting the daylight. As his gaze fell upon her, Tan Rong's heart skipped a beat. Hastily, she lowered the carriage curtain.
The villagers were already asking if he was the one who drove away the tiger. He chuckled, nodded, and casually replied, "The tiger took two of my swords. Although it ran away, it won't cause trouble anymore. You can all rest assured."
The people of the village couldn't contain their joy upon hearing this. In the carriage, Tan Rong couldn't help but smile. She could imagine the young man outside wielding his sword, bravely injuring the tiger and driving away the fierce beast.
However, she felt a bit embarrassed to step out, so she cleared her throat from inside the carriage. The villagers immediately quieted down, and someone quietly explained to the young man, "This is our young lady."
Upon hearing this, the man took a step back as if making a respectful gesture, saying, "I apologize for the disturbance."*
*With such courtesy, Tan Rong couldn't help but say, "Thank you, hero, for driving away the ferocious beast for us. It must have been tough. I can see that you're injured. How about resting and recuperating at our Tan family estate? Would that be acceptable?"
The man's voice was rich, "Thank you for your kind offer."
Listening to his voice, Tan Rong's heartbeat quickened a bit. She then asked, "May I know the hero's name?"
The wind lifted the carriage curtain slightly, and through the gap, Tan Rong caught a glimpse of the young man's face. His lips still held an unruffled smile, and his peach blossom eyes glanced over.
"I am surnamed Sheng, a single-character name," he replied.
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