Chapter 148: Getting Scolded

It is well known that a scholar with an official title does not need to kneel when meeting an official in the hall. Wherever they go, they are respected to some extent. Sending a business card to an ordinary household, it’s not enough to just provide food and drink; you have to offer some silver as a gift.

They say, “No worries about food or clothing.”

Generally speaking, ruffians bully the weak and fear the strong; not everyone in the capital can be bullied.

Some have said that this incident is very unreasonable.

But others say, “Who can recognize anyone when they’re drunk? It must have been the alcohol causing trouble.”

In the end, the ruffian who killed someone ran away, and nothing came of it.

It became an unsolved case.

In the previous life, Jiang Xuening was still busy scheming for the selection of the Crown Princess of Linzi, and she didn’t have time to care about the various situations in the imperial examination field.

She only heard about Weng Ang’s incident after marrying Shen Jie.

Today, unexpectedly hearing this person’s crazy words and seeing his crazy actions, upon careful consideration, she felt that there might be something behind it.

To push Xiao Shu for marriage…

When these words came out of Weng Ang’s mouth, they were enough to scare a group of people.

But when they reached Jiang Xuening’s ears, they seemed to take root.

Until she had seen the soaring silver stock price of Ren’s salt field, returned to the Jiang residence, slept, and began to prepare for the various matters concerning her entry into the palace to accompany the emperor during the New Year, these words still lingered in her mind, occasionally flashing, unable to disappear no matter what.

It was already afternoon, and the remaining snow had melted.

There were two chess books placed on the corner of the desk next to the window.

It was arranged by the person sent by Jiang Xuehui’s side to inform her. They said that during the time she wasn’t in the palace, although Lord Xie had been ordered to pursue and eradicate the Tianjiao, he didn’t teach anything new. However, another teacher, on a whim, taught everyone how to play chess. This time entering the palace, they were afraid they would continue learning.

Jiang Xuening stared at them, lost in thought.

On the other side, Lian’er was lighting the silver tickets and various types of silver ingots prepared for Jiang Xuening’s entry into the palace, preparing to go back to take care of the palace servants.

But as she counted, she muttered to herself, “The days of entering the palace happen to coincide with your birthday. At noon, the madam’s side sent someone to invite you to celebrate with the eldest miss. You, on the other hand, cleanly declined with just a few words, letting them have fun over there. If someone who doesn’t know sees it, they might think today is just the eldest miss’s birthday. If it were me, I would go without hesitation, not only would I go, but I would also be happier than all of them! But when the palace rules become strict, it won’t be good to celebrate birthdays openly…”

Jiang Xuening listened to her rambling, only coming to her senses later, realizing she was pondering her own birthday.

Did she ever miss it in her past life?

Indeed, just as Lian’er said, not only did she attend, but she also had a great time. After all, the situation was different back then. In her past life, she had pleased Shen Jie, and in the end, she was the one chosen by the Prince of Linzi as his consort. It was almost a certainty, so she was particularly pleased, intentionally seeking out Jiang Xuehui and Meng’s misfortune on her birthday. With just a few words, she made everyone change their expressions.

Jiang Xuehui looked at her for a long time.

Then she said nothing and asked everyone to leave, bidding farewell herself.

What Jiang Xuening detested the most was the calm expression on her “sister’s” face, making her feel like she was punching cotton. So she chased after her, stopped her, and coldly asked, “Don’t you like Shen Jie? But now, the one the Prince of Linzi wants to marry is me. You took advantage of me back then, taking my position, enjoying years of comfort. Unfortunately, the heavens still let you live comfortably. Since that’s the case, I’ll take matters into my own hands and let you taste the consequences.”

Jiang Xuehui still wanted to leave.

She stepped forward and stopped her.

Finally, she stopped, looked up at her, and slowly said, “Are you truly happy?”

Why wouldn’t she be happy?

Married to the Crown Prince of Linzi, seizing the position that used to be hers and still holding the title of the legitimate daughter, with everyone in the household catering to her every whim, wealth and glory within reach…

Jiang Xuening felt like she was originally very happy.

But seeing Jiang Xuehui seemingly unmoved, that hint of joy seemed to fly away as if it had grown wings. When the day of her marriage to Shen Jie arrived, her mind was unexpectedly empty, filled with confusion. She felt like she was floating, untethered.

“Second Miss, although you didn’t go to Madam and Eldest Miss’s side, today is still your birthday. We should seek some auspicious signs.” Tang’er smiled faintly and took out a pouch from her sleeve. She then pulled out a bracelet from it, strung with nineteen small round golden bells on a red string, exquisitely crafted. “Two years ago, on your birthday, Master Yan sent this to you. There were originally nineteen bells, one added each year as you grew older. I have already added them for you.”

She handed the bracelet to Jiang Xuening to see.

Jiang Xuening took it and, in a daze, remembered that indeed, there was such a gift: when she was sixteen and celebrating her second birthday in the capital, Yan Lin played with her all day at the lantern festival. When it was time to send her back, he pulled her into a dim corner of a small alley. Was the young man blushing? He awkwardly stuffed this thing into her hand and quickly left.

Wasn’t that the first time Yan Lin gave her a gift?

She was puzzled at the time and found it a bit tacky.

But unable to resist Yan Lin’s insistence, she wore a bell on her birthday every year.

Later, when the Marquis of Yongyi’s residence fell, she naturally didn’t wear it again, and gradually, it disappeared like the jade bracelet from Wanniang.

Now, holding this long-lost item in her palm, what echoed in Jiang Xuening’s mind was the scene of Yan Lin, now a general, kneeling in front of her after returning victorious and taking power, gently tying this long-lost golden bell bracelet on her delicate wrist, speaking softly as if in a dream, “Your Highness, I once quietly hoped that when this bracelet reached twenty bells, I could bring this miss wearing it back home. But it seems, Your Highness, your ambitions are lofty, beyond my reach…”

Seeing her expression, which seemed both sad and happy, Tang’er couldn’t help feeling anxious. It suddenly occurred to her that the Marquis of Yongyi’s residence had already fallen. “It’s all my fault…”

Jiang Xuening interrupted her, saying, “It’s okay.”

She let out a sigh, simply handing the bracelet back to Tang’er and smiling, “Didn’t we want to seek some good luck? Help me put it on.”

This life, she had already made it clear with Yan Lin, severing all ties.

There was no need to avoid this bracelet anymore.

After all, it was just a young man’s heartfelt gesture. She hoped he was well, and he hoped the same for her, that was all.

Tang’er saw her smile, feeling slightly relieved in her heart. After hesitating for a moment, she still put on the bracelet made of golden bells for her.

A slender, snow-white wrist adorned with a string of golden bells.

The red string at the end formed a delicate knot, hanging down on the delicate back of the hand, vibrant and captivating.

Lian’er couldn’t help but praise, “It looks really beautiful. Only our young miss’s hand can wear such an exquisite accessory.”

Jiang Xuening shook her hand, and the faint sound of the bells could be heard, small but imbued with a sense of lightness.

She said, “Alright, let’s prepare to enter the palace.”

Both Jiang sisters were to accompany the palace studies. Logically, they should depart together, but Jiang Xuening still harbored some reservations towards Jiang Xuehui. She deliberately made an excuse, saying she hadn’t finished packing yet, and let Jiang Xuehui depart alone while she arranged for another carriage from the mansion, leaving a little later.

However, she didn’t expect that as soon as she boarded the carriage and traversed two main streets, several fast horses came charging towards them.

The riders were all wearing foreign attire, with leather caps on their heads and a foreign appearance. They were even wielding whips and laughing loudly.

This was a bustling market street, yet their speed showed no signs of slowing down!

The carriage driver from the Jiang residence was startled.

In his panic, he hurriedly steered the carriage to the side. The fast horses coming towards them managed to avoid a collision, but the carriage’s wheels hit the hard stones propped up by a few vendors’ stalls. With a “crack,” the wheel broke and couldn’t roll anymore.

Jiang Xuening was almost thrown out of the carriage. When the carriage finally stopped, she furrowed her brow and immediately opened the curtain to ask, “What’s going on?”

The carriage driver, still in shock, stammered, “Just now, a few Tatars rode their horses over. Fortunately, the little one dodged quickly, so only the carriage was damaged and didn’t hit anyone!”

Jiang Xuening looked towards the other end of the street.

The horses had long disappeared, but chaos ensued along the street. Pedestrians, vendors, everyone was cursing and complaining, clearly affected by the incident and experiencing trouble.

*

Across the street is the Bamboo Pavilion.

Lu Xian sat by the window, frowning at the piece of qin board lying on the table. It was evidently recently carved from excellent quality zelkova wood, with fine wood grain. However, there was a glaring flaw at the position of the left palm, where the carving knife had slipped, leaving a mark. There was even a bit of blood residue not completely wiped off.

“I remember this was the best piece of wood from those few I found for you two months ago. Didn’t you already use it to carve the qin?” Lu Xian looked at Xie Wei, who was sipping tea across from him, with a hint of dissatisfaction in his voice. “A tree grows for eight hundred years, and when it’s finally cut down, there are only a few good pieces of wood like this. Where else can I find more pieces from the same tree or even the same quality for you? Xie Ju’an, were you dreaming or possessed when you were carving? How could you mess it up like this!”

Xie Wei had been preoccupied with trivial matters recently. He had only just come out of the mansion after several days of snow since the Lunar New Year, specifically to visit the Bamboo Pavilion.

He naturally knew how difficult it was to find wood suitable for carving a qin.

But if it weren’t difficult to find, why would he need to trouble Lu Xian?

He sat with his back to the window covered in snowy white paper, almost half of his face buried in the dimness. Setting down his teacup, he said, “I appreciate your efforts. Please continue to look another for me.”

Lu Xian was really at his wit’s end.

He knew that since Xie Wei had come in person, this qin must be quite important. 

So, he rubbed his temples and finally called in the staff to bring out the inventory records from the past few months, meticulously searching for a piece of wood with similar texture and quality to the one on hand, hoping to match the qin previously carved by Xie Wei.

After searching for a while without any results, a sudden thought struck him, and he said, “Since you have time today, have you heard about what Xiao Dingfei has been up to recently in the Duke’s mansion?”

That was indeed a matter of concern.

In the past ten days, Xiao Dingfei had done many outrageous things, all of which had reached Xie Wei’s ears. 

However, with his recent responsibilities at the Ministry of Works and the fact that Xiao Dingfei was causing trouble for the Xiao family, he had temporarily ignored it. But too much of anything was harmful, and if Xiao Dingfei wasn’t restrained, he might even forget who he was.

With this in mind, Xie Wei called for Jian Shu and instructed, “Have Dao Qin personally go and admonish him. He has already flaunted his power enough; he shouldn’t cause too much trouble…”

Before he could finish his sentence, a commotion erupted outside.

It sounded like something had happened.

Lu Xian, who was checking the account books, couldn’t help but raise his head, listening intently for a moment. 

His eyebrows suddenly raised, and he even pushed open the nearby window to look out onto the street. “It seems like those Tatar envoys who entered the city before the New Year are causing a commotion…”

Upon hearing this, Xie Wei’s brows furrowed as well, and both of them glanced out the window in the same direction.

Sure enough, there was chaos below.

On the side of the street, there was a carriage tilted to one side, with the coachman squatting down to inspect the wheel. Beside him stood a girl wrapped in a cloak of snow fox fur and scarlet satin, looking on. On her petite face, there was an icy coldness.

Lu Xian also saw her and couldn’t help but turn to look at Xie Wei. 

***

These Tatar envoys really have an imposing presence!

They truly treat the capital as their own home.

Jiang Xuening was supposed to leave the Jiang mansion a bit later than Jiang Xuehui. If nothing unexpected happened on the way, she would arrive at the palace around the appointed time. 

But encountering such an incident halfway, with the carriage breaking down and being stranded on the road, she didn’t know how long she would be delayed. She was truly filled with frustration.

She was just about to suggest hiring a sedan chair nearby to go to the palace first, leaving the carriage matter to the coachman to deal with slowly. 

However, before she could speak, she lifted her head and saw someone coming down from the second floor of the Bamboo Pavilion across the street, walking straight towards her.

She was surprised for a moment.

Jian Shu, with a sword at his waist, glanced at the carriage and confirmed that it was indeed broken. 

He bowed to Jiang Xuening and said, “Second Miss, are you going to the palace? With the carriage broken like this, it’s not suitable to proceed for now. It’s windy outside. Why not come upstairs and sit for a while? Master is also there.”

Jiang Xuening subconsciously glanced at the second floor across the street. Indeed, one of the windows was half open, and she could see the clear and refined profile of Xie Wei.

It had been more than ten days since she returned from Tongzhou.

Xie Wei hadn’t asked her to come over for qin lessons again, and coupled with the various dramas caused by Xiao Dingfei, she had a rare peaceful Lunar New Year. 

Now, she was about to enter the palace again, and she had just been thinking in the carriage that she would likely be troubled by this Master again, making her feel uneasy.

But unexpectedly, before she could enter the palace, she ran into him.

Suddenly, Jiang Xuening remembered Zhang Zhe. He had also been promoted after returning from Tongzhou. He was probably busy as well, right?

Although she was thinking like this, she felt a bit stifled for some reason.

Since Xie Wei had invited her, and it was indeed cold outside, she naturally couldn’t refuse. She nodded, gave a few instructions to the coachman, and followed Jian Shu upstairs into the Bamboo Pavilion.

She had been here before with Yan Lin, and the layout of the pavilion hadn’t changed much.

Jian Shu led her further inside.

As they lifted a door curtain, Jiang Xuening saw Xie Wei sitting inside, with a brazier burning with silver charcoal warming the room. He was sitting by the window, wearing a dark blue Daoist robe, and happened to look up at her.

Xie Wei was definitely meeting Lu Xian at the YouhuangPavilion.

But now, she didn’t see Lu Xian around.

Jiang Xuening’s gaze flickered past the teacup on the opposite side, which hadn’t been cleared away yet, and she approached with proper manners, saying, “Greetings, Master Xie.”

As she bowed, her hands were clasped together at her waist, and the slender fingertips peeked out slightly, while there was a faint tinkling sound from her sleeves.

Xie Wei asked, “Did you encounter the Tatar convoy?”

Jiang Xuening couldn’t help but roll her eyes, remembering the incident just now, and said with a bit of frustration, “This disciple didn’t completely encounter them. If we really did meet face to face, what you’re seeing now might be a person missing an arm or a leg.”

Xie Wei furrowed his brows, “On the sixteenth day of the first month, why speak nonsense?”

On the sixteenth day of the first lunar month, it’s still my birthday, I don’t mind at all. What’s the big deal about my birthday?

Jiang Xuening muttered to herself, not feeling too happy about him, but also not daring to contradict him. She could only bury her head and whisper, “Oh.”

Xie Wei could tell she was dissatisfied.

After staring at her for a moment, he suddenly said, “These days, you’ve been in contact with Xiao Dingfei. I see him causing trouble at the Duke’s Mansion, even taking many rewards from the palace to give to you. Are you happy about it?”

Jiang Xuening’s heart skipped a beat. She didn’t expect Xie Wei to bring up this matter to her. She raised her head suddenly, but when she met Xie Wei’s clear eyes, she inexplicably lost her courage.

She thought that there was no need to hide this matter from Xie Wei.

So she decided to tell the truth, straightforwardly saying, “Anyway, he’s not a saintly person. I’m indeed happy to see him causing trouble at the Duke’s Mansion. Not only am I happy, but I also want to applaud him. The deeper the trouble at the Duke’s Mansion, the happier I am.”

In the end, it’s just a matter of holding a grudge.

Her words had a bit of her past rebellious and willful demeanor. When her delicate eyebrows furrowed, there was even a hint of coquettishness and defiance, too lazy to conceal anything.

Xie Wei looked at her for a while and suddenly said, “You’re not pretending in front of me now.”

Jiang Xuening’s heart froze.

But after a moment’s thought, she chuckled self-deprecatingly and said, “You’ve known all my virtues and vices long ago, haven’t you? If you don’t bother to pretend in front of me, why should I bother pretending in front of you?”

They didn’t just meet recently.

In the desolate mountains and valleys four years ago, they had already stripped away their masks, seeing each other’s most despicable sides. Now, the more elegant and virtuous they pretended to be, the more hypocritical they seemed.

So she was more unrestrained in front of Xie Wei than in front of others.

Wasn’t Xie Wei a bit impolite when speaking to her privately?

But as soon as the words came out, Jiang Xuening felt a chill down her neck. Suddenly, she realized: she shouldn’t have said that. The experience of going to the capital with Xie Wei should have been buried in her heart and never mentioned again.

That was Xie Wei’s Prohibition.

Sure enough, as she slowly raised her gaze, she met Xie Wei’s extremely calm eyes.

Jiang Xuening couldn’t help but feel that she was in trouble. When one is under someone else’s roof, one has to bow one’s head, so she took the initiative to admit her mistake, “I spoke without thinking and said the wrong thing again.”

Xie Wei looked at her for another moment and said, “Give me your hand.”

When Jiang Xuening heard these words, her scalp tingled for a moment. She still remembered the slap she received last time when she reached out for money. Not only did it hurt, but she didn’t dare to reach out this time and even took a step back in fear.

Xie Wei said, “How do you justify accepting things from Xiao Dingfei?”

Jiang Xuening forgot about her earlier mistake and shouted, “I’m good at causing trouble for people. He actively sought me out to teach him. After I gave him some guidance, he showed a bit of improvement. Isn’t that reasonable?”

Xie Wei sneered, “Being good at causing trouble makes you qualified to teach others?”

Jiang Xuening wanted to argue, but seeing his face darken even more, she found him even scarier than before. She couldn’t help but shudder and stopped herself from speaking.

There was a bamboo ruler on the table.

Not the kind used by school teachers, but the kind brought back from the temple by Lu Xian after listening to the master’s teachings.

It happened to be within reach.

Xie Wei picked it up and said to her, “Give me your hand.”

Jiang Xuening knew she was going to get hit. With her eyes closed, she finally spread out her hand.

Xie Wei really wanted to give her a couple of hits to make her remember. But when he saw the small golden bells hanging from her wrist, making a delicate sound when shaken, the red thread accentuating her fair skin, he noticed a faint old scar on the inner side of her wrist.

The bamboo ruler he raised didn’t fall after all.

Jiang Xuening waited anxiously for a while, feeling uneasy, but the expected pain didn’t come. She couldn’t help but quietly open her eyes.

Xie Wei asked her, “Is today your birthday?”

Jiang Xuening’s eyes lit up. She knew Xie Wei, a person like him, wouldn’t know her birthday. He must have noticed the bracelet on her wrist, hence the question. 

So she quickly came up with a pitiful expression and said, “Yes, today is my birthday. But it’s also the day I have to go to the palace. I haven’t even celebrated my birthday yet, haven’t had any good food or drink, not even a bowl of longevity noodles. And now you want to punish me! I know I was wrong and won’t do it again. Can you forgive me this time, considering how miserable my birthday is?”

Xie Wei didn’t say anything.

Jiang Xuening, emboldened, asked, “So, do you agree?”

She began to retract her hand.

But just at that moment, with a “snap,” Xie Wei mercilessly brought down the ruler onto her palm, causing her to retract her hand in pain and anger.

Xie Wei’s voice remained steady, “Today’s punishment won’t be postponed. Xiao Dingfei is such a frivolous playboy. If I find out you’re in close contact with him again, I won’t forgive you so easily.”

Jiang Xuening was shocked and scared, tears welling up in her eyes as she looked at him.

Xie Wei threw the ruler aside without even looking at her, poured some tea, and called out loudly, “Jian Shu, tell Dao Qin to bring the memorials from my carriage and send her to the palace.”

Jian Shu came in to escort Jiang Xuening.

Jiang Xuening hadn’t reacted yet, still thinking about how “Xie Wei, this cold-blooded person, actually hit me on my birthday.” She sat in Xie Wei’s carriage, holding her hand with a red mark on it, feeling extremely angry.

Dao Qin drove the carriage directly towards the palace.

When Jian Shu returned, he saw Lu Xian, who had previously avoided the secret room, back somehow. Lu Xian was staring at Xei Wei with a meaningful look.

Jian Shu considered for a moment and said, “Since Dao Qin has taken Miss Ning away, should I personally go to Master Dingfei’s place?”

Xie Wei held the tea in his hand but didn’t drink it.

He looked at the ripples on the tea for a moment and unexpectedly said, “No need. Let him do whatever he wants.”

Jian Shu was stunned.

Xie Wei seemed a bit annoyed, with a furrowed brow. He closed the tea lid, letting it fall back into the teacup with a clatter, then pushed the teacup aside and said, “In any case, I’ve got it covered. Nothing serious will happen.”

Jian Shu: “……”

Lu Xian: “……”

Haha, now it’s your turn again. Who was it just now that said they wanted to restrain Xiao Dingfei and tell him to stop causing trouble?

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