Chapter 374: A rude request!It was only after listening to Li Shinian"s explanation that Li Muyang became aware of what the Still Water Dew was.
Li Muyang looked at the deeply troubled face of Li Shinian, “Since someone has sent you an invitation then you should go take a look. If you plan to stay in Tiandu in the long term, then you should meet some friends. When I leave for Starry Sky Academy, you won"t be bored or lonely.”
“But why would they invite me?” Li Shinian asked with a puzzled expression. “They only invite princes, aristocrats, n.o.bles or princess——I heard that even the Kingdom"s second prince Chu Jiang will partic.i.p.ate in this gathering. Why did they ask me to attend? I don"t know anything about it.”
Li Muyang took the invitation card, studying it for a moment, and then said with a smile. “The person who sent the invitation is Song Tao. Perhaps because he had a good opinion of you during the trip to the Thousand Buddha Temple so he also invited you to partic.i.p.ate in this gathering.”
Li Shinian blinked and said, “There is another possibility.”
“What?”
“He wants to impress Sister Xiaoxin, so he also invites her close friend. I heard that Sister Xiaoxin is a regular member of the gathering. If I were to help him say something nice in front of Sister Xiaoxin, would he be grateful?” Li Shinian said with a grinning smile.
“Of course you"re not going to do that, right?” Li Muyang said aloud. He had boundless confidence in his little sister. Even if the world betrays him, she would still be on his side.
“Well, that"s not guaranteed. It depends on the behaviour of someone.” Li Shinian said proudly. She stretched out her soft, fair hand and said, “Come, support me over to admire the plum blossoms.”
“Yes. Miss.” Li Muyang walked forward, holding the small hand of Li Shinian, and the sibling headed over to the plum garden.
After a while, Cui Xiaoxin"s personal servant Liulu came over. Liulu came to deliver the message that she knows that Miss Shinian is invited to the Still Water Dew gathering, so Miss Xiaxoin will come collect Miss Shinian in the evening to head over there together.
Li Shinian expressed her thanks, and personally walked Liulu to the door.
“Sister Xiaolu, I just received an invitation card, how would Sister Xiaoxin know about this already?” Li Shinian pulled Liulu by the hand, asking with a smile.
“Third young master delivered a message to Miss saying that Miss Shinian will also partic.i.p.ate in tonight"s scholar gathering. He also asked our Miss to be sure not to be absent.” Liulu did not have any suspicion and answered Li Shinian honestly.
“I see.” Li Shinian nodded. “I troubled Sister Xiaolu.”
“Miss Shinian is too polite.” Liulu smiled, bowing her head. “Our Miss will come pick up Miss Shinian in the evening, please don"t forget.”
“I won"t. I"ll be at home waiting for Sister Xiaoxin.” Li Shinian nodded.
Waiting until Liulu"s carriage had gone far, Li Shinian walked back to the courtyard with a tight frown on her face.
“What"s the matter?” Li Muyang asked, setting aside the brush in his hand. Li Shinian had heard the legendary story of Li Muyang making the courtyard of peach blossom bloom with his painting, so when the two of then were admiring the Plum blossom she urged Li Muyang to draw a snowy plum blossom painting. Li Muyang did not know how to refuse his precious little sister"s request, and had no choice but to draw for her.
“I still feel something is a bit strange.” Li Shinian said.
“When soldiers arrive, a General will defend; when the water rises, the soil will keep it back.” Li Muyang said with a smile, “if you are really worried, then why don"t you decline the invitation?”
Li Shinian responded with a wry smile: “Brother, do you believe it? If I decline the Song family"s Third young master"s invitation to the Still Water dew gathering, then tomorrow all the Gongzis and young masters of Tiandu will regard me as an enemy——What they cannot get was declined by me with one word. They would not resent Third young master for not inviting them, but detest me, a servant"s daughter, for not knowing how to appreciate someone"s kindness.”
Li Muyang gently sighed.
From Li Shinian"s words, he heard something that his family had never told him.
The fact that Li Shinian, a servant"s daughter, had become famous throughout Tiandu must have brought her countless ridicule and disapproval?
A servant"s daughter—these words were not something that Li Shinian would say. It must have be because she had received a lot of criticism and had been miserably condemned, that she blurted out these words without thinking.
Although in his mind, Li Shinian was intelligent and outstanding, clever and sensible, as well as talented and beautiful, but her family background was still a big problem. In this Kingdom where status was particularly important, and in this imperial capital where there were as many n.o.bles as the hair on an ox, for Li Shinian to obtain the reputation of the "Fourth moon" of the kingdom, she must have suffered many attacks and slander as a result.
Li Muyang"s heart was full of tender feelings, looking at his little sister with infinite pity, “Li Shinian is the best in the Kingdom, Li Shinian is the best sister in the entire divine continent. You are not the Kingdom"s fourth Bright Moon, you are my sun. My only sun.”
Li Shinian looked at Li Muyang in shock, “Big brother, when did you learn to speak like that? Is that what the Starry Sky Academy taught you?”
“——”
Li Shinian came over to pull Li Muyang"s arm, leaning her little head on his shoulder, and softly said: “Brother, I"m fine. What is there to be upset about? If they scold me in person, then I will fight back. I"m not afraid of them. If they scold me behind my back, then I can"t hear them anyway——As long as Father and Mother are healthy, as long as you can come back safely, our family can be like how we were in Jiangnan, living happily and harmoniously, then a little tribulation is nothing. The foul-mouthed, like the wind, cannot cut me at all, right?”
Li Muyang earnestly nodded. “Yes. It will get better and better in the future.”
“I don"t want it to get better and better.” Li Shinian shook her head, “I want to be——just fine.”
“Good.” Li Muyang smiled, “Then we"ll just have to be just fine.”
Li Shinian looked at Li Muyang"s painting on the easel, "Cold plum against the snow", “What a good painting. I"ll put the picture away and give it to Sister Xiaoxin.”
“Is that a good idea?” Li Muyang said with some concern. His painting skills had entered the realms, if Cui Xiaoxin noticed something strange, wouldn"t that make her doubt his ident.i.ty? “
“Brother, don"t worry.” Li Shinian said with a smile. “I know what I"m doing.” “
Li Muyang smiled, shaking his head, “I know you are the smartest.”
After dinner, Li Muyang and Li Shinian each took a bath and changed into clean clothes.
Li Shinian put on a Chinese dress and draped the Fire fox cloak that Gongsun Yu gifted to her this morning over her body. A white dress matched with a red cloak, made her looked as beautiful as a blooming begonia.
Li Muyang was more cold and miserable, wearing the outfit of a cart driver and putting on the mask that Hongxiu made. He took on the disguise of a sickly cart driver just like the last time.
Li Shinian was going to partic.i.p.ate in the Still Water Dew gathering, Big brother Li Muyang naturally had to accompany her.
Of course, with the ident.i.ty of a carriage driver.
Before evening had come, Cui Xiaoxin"s luxury carriage had arrived punctually outside the back door of the Lu mansion.
Cui Xiaoxin was travelling with little luggage and few escorts, but the person acting as her cart driver was Heart Buddha Ning Xinhai.
Ever since the attack at Thousand Buddha temple, the Cui family had been paying close attention to the safety issues of Cui Xiaoxin, and Heart Buddha Ning Xinhai had been placed as her personal bodyguard.
Li Muyang somewhat feared Ning Xinhai, because they had met before and he was worried that this person can see through his ident.i.ty.
Fortunately, he only coldly swept a glance over Li Muyang when he saw him before turning away.
Cui Xiaoxin drew open the curtain, beckoning to Li Shinian, “Shinian, come sit in my carriage.”
Li Shinian declined with a smile: “Sister Xiaoxin, I will go by my carriage. Otherwise I have to trouble you to take me back afterwards.”
As they were talking, Li Muyang had diligently done his job as a cart driver by pulling a carriage out from the Lu mansion.
Li Shinian jumped on her own carriage, smiled to Cui Xiaoxin and said: “Sister Xiaoxin, my carriage driver does not know the way, I have to trouble you to guide in front.”
Cui Xiaoxin nodded, “Okay, I"ll see you at the gathering.”
Cui Xiaoxin lowered the curtain. Ning Xinhai speeded the carriage toward West Wind University where the Still water dew gathering was held.
Li Muyang did not say a word, quietly following behind.
The carriage drove for half an hour, before it stopped before a stone tablet.
The stone tablet was engraved with three ancient characters: West Wind University.
Li Muyang stared at the stone tablet, gazing at the three ancient and profound characters, indescribable emotions filling his heart.
This was the school of his dream for a long time, the beautiful future that he and Cui Xiaoxin agreed to meet together at to see the sunset.
Unfortunately, things did not go smoothly, he did not come to study at West Wind University and also lost contact with Cui Xiaoxin.
What he did not expect was that so many things happened after, which pushed him and the Cui family to opposite sides, and also pushed him and Cui Xiaoxin to such awkward positions.
Cui Xiaoxin was also staring at West Wind University stone tablet, every time she came here she would stay for a moment and stare fixedly at it.
For some reason, there was an extremely hidden but difficult to get rid of sour feeling inside.
“Let"s go.” Cui Xiaoxin softly said.
Ning Xinhai shook the horse reins, and the carriage speedily rumbled across the stone path toward the school.
Li Muyang caught up with the carriage in front, his eyes panning across the unfamiliar yet made him feel very familiar university. It is as if he was a former student graduated from this school and came to revisit ten years later.
The carriage came to a stop outside the doorway of a small building and Ning Xinhai drove the carriage to the boulevard, where servants came over to take care of the horse.
Li Muyang also drove the carriage over, but no one came to pick up the reins in his hand.
Li Muyang scanned the surroundings and yelled to a few servants in the distance: “Brothers, please take care of our carriage.”
The servants all cast a look over at Li Muyang and then burst into laughters together.
“Is this man crazy? Telling us to help him take care of his carriage——”
“He must be crazy, or why would he make such a rude request?”
“He is a cart driver himself, but he told us to help him watch his carriage, what is this about?”