ARTTEDSBGT Chapter 74
Xiao Yan lowered his head and looked at the girl under his horse. Her eyebrows were like spring mountains, her eyes clear as water. At this moment, she had shed the cunning and pretense of the past, appearing exceptionally sincere and almost naive, just like she did when facing the Grand Princess.
Xiao Yan remained silent for a long time. In that moment, he seemed to hear the sound of pine winds howling through, echoing in the valleys, like raindrops falling on a canopy, gentle and rustling. It took him a while to realize that it might not be the sound of the wind but his own heartbeat.
The golden sunlight filtered through the gaps in the pine branches, casting dappled shadows on Li Zhizhi’s forehead. It was small and adorable, and his fingertips began to itch, wanting to reach out and touch it.
Would her skin be hot under the sun?
As the Crown Prince’s mind heated up, voices and footsteps approached from a distance. Li Zhizhi turned to look and saw Su Tangyu and his sister emerging from behind a tree. Su Tangyu also noticed her and exclaimed, “Zhizhi!”
Li Zhizhi was also surprised to encounter them here. Su Tangyu walked quickly towards her, followed by Su Qingshang, who held something in his hands. He greeted Li Zhizhi with a slight smile and said, “Miss Li.”
They were accompanied by two guards, one carrying a string of birds, seven or eight in total, each with red cloth tied around their claws. In addition, the other person was holding two wild rabbits.
Li Zhizhi exclaimed, “You’ve had quite a harvest on this trip.”
Su Tangyu happily said, “It’s just luck. I almost hit a bird too, but my aim was off, so it ran away.”
Li Zhizhi, looking at the small bow on her shoulder, laughed and said, “That’s still impressive.”
She suddenly remembered something and asked in surprise, “So, are these birds and rabbits all hunted by the Second Young Master?”
Su Tangyu’s eyes shifted, ready to take credit for her brother, but the Crown Prince on the horse spoke indifferently, “All the arrows in his quiver are still there, so it’s unlikely that he did the hunting.”
Su Tangyu:…
She could only force a smile and say, “Uh… they were all shot by the guards from my family.”
In her heart, she silently criticized the Crown Prince for having sharp eyes.
Su Qingshang, however, was nonchalant, just glanced at Xiao Yan and smiled, confessing to Li Zhizhi, “I’m ashamed. I’m just a scholar, weak and incapable of archery. Far inferior to the Crown Prince’s exquisite archery skills.”
Although this statement seemed to flatter Xiao Yan, anyone with eyes could see that Xiao Yan didn’t even bring a bow and arrow, so how could he have exquisite archery skills?
Xiao Yan’s handsome face darkened slightly, and his phoenix eyes stared at Su Qingshang. Even Su Tangyu felt that something was wrong and was worried about her brother. The Crown Prince sneered, “If we’re talking about archery skills, you are indeed no match for me.”
Li Zhizhi naturally sensed that there was a different atmosphere, and Xiao Yan and Su Qingshang might not get along well. As for the reason, she couldn’t figure it out. Logically, this was their second meeting, and the last time at Beiping Mountain, they were getting along just fine. Why did it seem like there was a hint of confrontation today?
Could they have had a falling out somewhere else?
Seeing her friend looking uneasy, Li Zhizhi changed the topic and focused on Su Qingshang’s hand, saying, “I wanted to ask earlier, what does the Second Young Master have in his hand?”
Su Qing Shang held a small thing in his hand, wrapped in a silk cloth, still moving slightly. Su Tangyu reacted and smiled, “I actually wanted to give this to you. Take a look.”
Seeing her being mysterious, Li Zhizhi became curious, “What is it?”
She leaned in, carefully uncovering the cloth. The thing inside moved more noticeably, as if trembling. It felt soft and fluffy, and when a pair of long ears appeared, Li Zhizhi’s eyes lit up in surprise, “Is it a little rabbit?”
Su Tangyu laughed and said, “Isn’t it cute? My second brother specifically caught it for you.”
The little rabbit was indeed very cute, still very small, just a tiny ball covered in light brown soft fur. It seemed to be scared, with big round eyes looking frightened. Its long and soft ears were pressed tightly against its back, and its three-part mouth kept moving, constantly shrinking into the cloth.
It looked so small that Li Zhizhi didn’t dare to touch it. She asked in surprise and joy, “How did it come here?”
Su Qingshang smiled and replied, “I dug it out of a rabbit hole. This is the only one left. I think the others might have been eaten by something, so I brought this one back.”
Beside him, Su Tangyu smiled and asked Li Zhizhi, “Do you like it? Second brother said he caught it for you to keep as a pet.”
Li Zhizhi certainly liked it but hesitated, saying, “I’ve never raised a rabbit before. I don’t know how to take care of it. Don’t you want it yourself?”
However, Su Tangyu said, “I’ve raised one before. I’ll teach you! Baby rabbits are very easy to take care of.”
Upon hearing this, Li Zhizhi couldn’t help but feel tempted. Su Qingshang noticed and said, “It’s not something valuable. It’s so small, it won’t survive in the wild. Sooner or later, it would become prey for wild animals. If you raise it, you’re saving its life.”
After saying that, he gestured for Li Zhizhi to extend her hand and placed the little rabbit in her palm. The touch was soft and warm. Li Zhizhi held it as if holding a piece of tofu, carefully and curiously examining the small creature.
Only then did she notice that the little rabbit’s limbs were bound with red cloth strips, making it behave so obediently. However, she didn’t know what went wrong; the rabbit suddenly leaped out of Li Zhizhi’s hands, darting away into the distance. The rabbit still had a handkerchief wrapped around it, frantically fleeing towards the woods.
Li Zhizhi exclaimed, and Su Tangyu urgently shouted, “Quick, catch it!”
Two guards chased after it, but the rabbit was just too small and extremely agile, darting around and making it nearly impossible to catch.
At this moment, Xiao Yan, who had been watching coldly all along, suddenly reached out to Li Zhizhi and said, “Give me the bow and arrow.”
Although Li Zhizhi was puzzled, she still handed over the small bow and arrows. Xiao Yan skillfully bent the bow and nocked the arrow. Sitting on the horse, he had a better view than them, his phoenix-like eyes sharp, tightly staring at the small rabbit hopping frantically in the distance. He slowly drew the bowstring.
Realizing what he was about to do, Li Zhizhi instinctively blurted out, “Don’t shoot—”
Before she could finish her words, Xiao Yan released his hand, and the bowstring made a faint buzzing sound. In the blink of an eye, the arrow swiftly flew past the two guards and accurately pinned the lively little rabbit to the ground.
Li Zhizhi took a sharp breath, staring at him in shock, almost unable to speak. “You…”
Su Tangyu, afraid that she would speak without thinking, would offend the Crown Prince, quickly grabbed her and comforted her repeatedly, “It’s okay, it’s okay, Zhizhi, I’ll bring you another one next time.”
“Miss.”
The guards of the Su family came over, holding the little rabbit in their hands. It was still kicking its legs vigorously, making chirping sounds, still lively and energetic.
Li Zhizhi was surprised. Upon closer inspection, she saw that the arrow was pinned to a red cloth strip between its claws, not harming the little rabbit at all.
With such a distance, the accuracy was astonishing.
Su Tangyu marveled, “Impressive.”
Xiao Yan, on the horseback, raised his lips and smiled, glancing at Su Qingshang before asking Li Zhizhi, “How is my archery?”
Li Zhizhi, holding the recovered little rabbit with joy and grat.i.tude, smiled and praised, “Prince Brother’s archery is superb, unparalleled in the world, unmatched by anyone.”
Seeing her smiling with crescent-like eyes, very cute, Xiao Yan’s previous frustration dissipated, and he felt light-hearted again.
Concerned about the rabbit escaping again, Li Zhizhi emptied the quiver and let it stay inside, occasionally looking down at it, fearing something might happen.
Su Tangyu spoke softly, teaching her how to raise a rabbit. The two chatted together, and Su Tangyu suddenly asked, “Zhizhi, what do you think of my second brother?”
Li Zhizhi was stunned, turned to look at Su Qingshang, who was carrying her, looking up at a pine tree, seemingly lost in thought. He stood tall and elegant, with a gentle and calm temperament, appearing to have a good temper.
However, Li Zhizhi recalled the incident at the Su family’s estate that day. Su Qingshang was also calm and composed, standing in the distance under the eaves, watching her reprimand Jiang Ziyu. When discovered, he didn’t panic but instead thanked her with a smile.
Su Qingshang was a somewhat peculiar person, Li Zhizhi thought. He didn’t seem as harmless as he appeared on the surface.
“Zhizhi?”
Su Tangyu’s voice brought her back to reality, and Li Zhizhi smiled before saying, “Second Young Master is a very good person…”
Not far away, Xiao Yan’s ears twitched, and he looked over. With his exceptional hearing, he roughly heard the conversation between Li Zhizhi and Su Tangyu. The good mood he had just regained plummeted.
Su Qingshang is a good person? Why didn’t he feel that way?
Xiao Yan, having grown to his current age and served as the Crown Prince for many years, had encountered numerous people. Someone like Su Qingshang seemed to him to be full of deceit, a smiling fox at best.
Meanwhile, Su Tangyu continued to praise her brother earnestly, and Li Zhizhi nodded in agreement. Regardless of Su Qingshang’s true nature, he had given her gifts twice, and she felt obliged to acknowledge his kindness.
The two women chatted happily, and suddenly Li Zhizhi remembered something. She asked Su Tangyu, “How are you and Cousin Song doing?”
Su Tangyu hesitated for a moment, blushing slightly. She replied, “We’re doing well. Brother Song came to see me a few days ago. I wanted to invite him to join us today, but he was too busy.”
At this point, Su Tangyu recalled Song Lingyun’s criticism of Li Zhizhi that day, feeling a bit awkward. However, Li Zhizhi seemed completely oblivious and smiled, “That’s good. Since you’ve agreed to marry, when do you plan to tie the knot?”
Su Tangyu, still thinking about what Song Lingyun had said, hesitated before saying, “My parents plan to wait until he pa.s.ses the imperial examination next spring before discussing marriage.”
Li Zhizhi nodded and glanced at her, hesitating before saying, “But I have something to say, don’t think I’m meddling.”
Su Tangyu smiled and said, “With our relationship, is there anything we can’t talk about?”
Li Zhizhi replied, “You haven’t married Song Lingyun yet. They say it starts with affection and ends with propriety. If he truly likes you, he will surely respect you. You must not indulge him.”
After hearing this, Su Tangyu’s face turned red, and she whispered, “I understand…”
After finishing her words, she smiled again and said, “Why are you saying the same thing as my second brother?”
Li Zhizhi was somewhat surprised, glanced at Su Qingshang, and asked, “Did Second Young Master say the same thing?”
Su Tangyu nodded and said, “Second Brother mentioned it, advising me not to meet Song Ge alone. I understand your intentions, and I’ll keep it in mind.”
“That’s good,” Li Zhizhi pondered for a moment and whispered, “Tangyu, there’s another thing I don’t know if I should mention.”
“Go ahead.”
Li Zhizhi looked at her, hesitated, and said softly, “Last time at the Li residence, I seemed to see Song Lingyun and Li Suwan in the backyard.”
Su Tangyu’s expression changed slightly as she asked, “What were they doing in the backyard?”
Li Zhizhi hesitated and said, “I felt that their behavior was a bit too intimate, not like cousins, but more like…”
She saw Su Tangyu’s pale face and quickly said, “Perhaps I misunderstood. I didn’t look carefully at that time. Tangyu, don’t worry. What if it’s just a misunderstanding?”
Su Tangyu recalled that day when Song Lingyun spoke ill of Li Zhizhi with an ambiguous att.i.tude. She was not happy about it at that time. Why did Song Lingyun believe Li Suwan’s words and not trust her and Li Zhizhi?
Now, she finally understood the reasons behind it.