"Thought" was a word that had a wide range of uses. It was often used to describe the feelings between men and women. When Ning Que left the City of Wei for Chang 'an, he traveled with Li Yu, who was disguised as a maidservant. They had gone through hardships together at the entrance of Northern Mountain Road and told stories by the bonfire. No one could tell if he had any feelings at that time. But even if he had, it had been broken in the morning when Li Yu slowly left his shoulder and stood up.
He had no feelings for Li Yu, but he still had some feelings for her. In the past few years in Chang 'an, the relationship between Ning Que and Li Yu had not been broken. Since he knew that Qinghe Prefecture was helping Li Yu, he had no reason to suppress her. He just wrote a letter to the manor of the Cui family by the Fuchun River and returned to the inn with Sangsang. They enjoyed the scenery and drank wine, as if they did not know what was happening in Yangguan City.
A simple letter was just a test, and it hid some of Ning Que's impure thoughts. He wanted to know if the families of Qinghe Prefecture made things difficult for the House of Red Sleeves simply to please Li Yu and the Academy. They wanted to show their loyalty by disrespecting the Empress, or if they had other intentions …
Just as he had said to the shopkeeper, it would be fine if it was the former. However, if the families in Qinghe County really had complicated ideas, then when Ning Que could not understand them, he would inevitably have bad ideas. He represented the Academy and entered the human realm. His ideas were very important to the Tang Empire today.
…
…
In the Song family's house by the Thin Lake, autumn was coming, and the greenery was still there. It was a beautiful season, but the atmosphere in the courtyard was a bit depressing. The girls of the House of Red Sleeves were either leaning against the railings or sitting quietly behind the tables. Their beautiful faces were filled with uneasiness and worry. They were not in the mood to enjoy the scenery at all.
Not all the girls in the House of Red Sleeves were brothels. But whether it was dancing, singing or something else, they all lived a life of greeting and seeing people off. They were all very knowledgeable. They were very clear that although they were favored by the officials in Chang 'an, it was because of Mistress Jian's relationship with the palace. In Qinghe Prefecture, even the officials of the imperial court were born to be three levels lower than them, not to mention weak girls like them. They were in big trouble when they met the aristocratic families that did not fear the Empress.
They all knew what the problem was, but they could not find a solution. Although the House of Red Sleeves was going to the Lanke Temple under the imperial court's order, they were not an official mission after all. They could not expect the aristocratic families to fear them. As the Western General Xian Zhilang was in the Cui's Garden, how could they count on him?
Thinking of the frosty face of the steward of the Cui family when he left in the morning, the girls became even more frightened. A few of them looked at the little girl sitting at the head of the table and could not help showing a look of resentment. They thought that if she had not been so arrogant and fierce to the steward of the Cui family, she would not have offended the aristocratic families in Qinghe Prefecture to this extent. Although she was usually spoiled by Mistress Jian, this was not Chang 'an. How could she be so arrogant?
The little girl was Mistress Jian's personal handmaiden, Xiaocao. This time, she was the leader of the House of Red Sleeves' trip to the Lanke Temple. It was obvious that Mistress Jian had begun to train a successor.
Compared to three years ago, Xiaocao was slightly older, but still young. However, in this gloomy atmosphere, there was no uneasiness in the little girl's clear eyes. Instead, she looked extraordinarily cold. Looking at the girls, she frowned slightly and said, "Nothing has happened yet. What are you doing?"
In the world of brothels, Mistress Jian's status was equivalent to that of an emperor, and Xiaocao was her designated successor. Although these girls couldn't help but silently criticize or make faces, no one dared to point out her wrongdoings. A gentle girl looked at the faces of her companions and reluctantly smiled. She stepped forward and softly advised, "Even if Lady Cui is deliberately making things difficult, your attitude this morning is a bit too tough."
Xiaocao sneered and said, "The House of Red Sleeves only performs for His Majesty and the Concubine. No matter how much the Old Master of the Cui family talks, he can't win against these two. For the sake of respecting the elderly, it's okay to go to the Cui Garden. However, they deliberately made things difficult. The steward even dared to threaten them. Do they really think that the House of Red Sleeves is an ordinary brothel? "
Hearing this, the girls looked at each other. They thought that Xiaocao really had some of Mistress Jian's aura now. However, facing the families of Qinghe Prefecture, the House of Red Sleeves was no different from an ordinary brothel. Now that she showed such an aura, wouldn't it be more humiliating when others bullied her?
Xiaocao knew what they were thinking, but she did not bother to explain. She took out a bag of fragrant melon seeds from her sleeve and started eating them. She knew that even if the Great General of the West did not speak, someone else would. Of course, the little girl was not as calm as she looked because she was not sure whether that person was in Yangguan or not.
The wind came from the Thin Lake and slowly blew through the courtyard. It was quiet, and only the sound of eating melon seeds could be heard. Suddenly, a servant came to report that the Cui family had sent someone again. Hearing this news, the girls who could barely sit still stood up in surprise. They thought that how could they come so fast? It seemed that the Cui family was really angry. What should they do?
Xiaocao was slightly stunned and slowly put the melon seeds back into the bag.
The Fourth Steward of the Cui family came to the Thin Lake again. It should be the third time that he came here in one day and one night. There were few things that could make the Fourth Steward of the Cui family come to Yangguan City three times in a row. Those who could enjoy this kind of treatment must have an extremely powerful background. Then, there would be a lot of trouble.
However, the House of Red Sleeves was destined to not encounter any trouble today.
Because the Fourth Steward of the Cui family was carried into the Song Garden on a stretcher.
The girls of the House of Red Sleeves looked at the middle-aged man on the stretcher who was dying. Looking at the blood stains that the man's clothes could not hide, they could not help but cover their mouths in shock. They could not associate this man with the calm and gentle Master Steward of the Cui family last night and this morning.
Xiaocao was also a little surprised. She stood up and looked at the white-haired old man beside the stretcher.
The old man bowed to Xiaocao and said, "I am the Head Steward of the Cui family. I heard that a servant of the family was disrespectful to you, so I tied him up and brought him here to apologize to you. This servant pointed his finger at you, so the head of the family broke five of his fingers and gave him 12 strokes of the cane. Are you satisfied?"
At this time, Xiaocao naturally understood that the person was really in Yangguan City. The nervousness that she tried to hide previously disappeared in an instant. Looking at the Fourth Steward on the stretcher who was covered in blood, she struggled not to clench her fists but let them hang naturally by the side of her skirt.
After getting no dissatisfaction from the House of Red Sleeves, the Head Steward of the Cui family apologized respectfully again and left the Song Garden with his people.
Except for a few drops of blood on the bluestone ground, it was as if nothing had happened. It was as if the horrible shadow cast by that family in the morning last night was just an illusion.
It took a long time for the girls to wake up from the shock. When they looked at Xiaocao again, the way they looked at her was obviously different. The calmness and indifference in Xiaocao's childish eyes made her look unfathomable in their eyes. Moreover, she had a real imposing manner.
Xiaocao suddenly smiled and then lowered her head to continue eating melon seeds.
The girls waved their hands to drive the maidservants away. They personally served the tea and stood aside with a smile.
After a long time, Xiaocao dusted off the crumbs in her hands and took the tea to moisten her throat. She looked at them and said, "In the past, no one dared to provoke us in Chang 'an City. Now that we are out of Chang' an City, you don't need to panic. As I said, the House of Red Sleeves is not an ordinary dance club."
…
…
The Fourth Steward of the Cui family was beaten half to death. He was carried out of the Song Garden and then carried around Yangguan City on a stretcher, which caused many shocked discussions and speculations. The people in Yangguan City could naturally see that this was done deliberately by the Cui family. They were shocked and speechless. They wondered what kind of background the House of Red Sleeves in the Song Garden had to do this to the Cui family. After all, it was not an ordinary noble family, but the Cui family from Qinghe Prefecture who had the confidence to look down on the Empress's family!
Then, something even more shocking happened in Yangguan City. A wood-colored carriage came from outside the city. The wheels were still stained with the red river mud of the Fuchun River. The carriage looked shabby and lonely, but everywhere it passed, the bustling Yangguan City suddenly became extremely quiet. Many government runners and stewards stood on the street to maintain order. Many shopkeepers along the street even knelt down in front of the carriage.
Everyone in Yangguan City knew that there were only two people in Qinghe Prefecture who were qualified to sit in this carriage. One was the clan leader of the Cui family, and the other was the old master of the Cui family.
The street in front of the best inn in Thin Lake had been closed in advance. There was no one on the street, and it was extremely quiet. The carriage slowly drove to the front of the inn. The innkeeper of the inn had already been waiting by the street. He knelt beside the carriage and respectfully kowtowed a few times. Then, he carefully helped the ordinary rich man out of the carriage.
The innkeeper was the innkeeper of the inn, but he was not qualified to enter his own inn today.
Following the clan leader of the Cui family into the inn, there was only an ordinary-looking, stooped old steward.
…
…
The Cui family was the leader of all the families in Qinghe Prefecture. The clan leader of the Cui family was the first person in Qinghe Prefecture. In the hearts of many Tang people, the first person in Qinghe Prefecture was actually the second person in the Tang Empire. Except for His Majesty who lived in Chang 'an City, no other man could surpass him in status.
It seemed that anyone should come out of their room to welcome such a bigwig who came to visit in person. However, Ning Que did not do so. He did not even show any smile on his face.
Because he was sure that the person who could become the first person in Qinghe Prefecture was at least as smart as him. Since they were both smart people, why did they have to do so many hypocritical and meaningless things?
The Cui Clan's Patriarch had an extremely ordinary appearance, and he was even more ordinary than the old manager that followed behind him. He wore silk clothes that couldn't be said to be vulgar, yet absolutely couldn't be said to be elegant, and he looked like an ordinary wealthy man.
However, his words were not ordinary.
"I was wrong."
The clan leader of the Cui family sighed with emotion. "Back then, I wanted to make His Majesty happy in the imperial court. However, I made His Majesty unhappy, so I was driven back to Qinghe Prefecture. Now that I know that you passed by Yangguan, I probably want to prove that I can flatter you in addition to learning and governing the state. Therefore, I wanted to try to make you happy and restore some of my reputation in this field. However, I did not expect that I would still fail. It seems that I was really wrong. I don't have the talent in this field."
…
…
(Looking up at the sky, I have been writing from noon till now. But I have finally broken through the most difficult hurdle! Tomorrow will be much smoother! The newly bought chair is still very difficult to sit on!) (To be continued. If you like this work, please come to Qidian.Com to vote for me. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
