The Red Fades, the Fragrance Disappears; Who Will Pity It? (13)
Although he said it like this, in fact Liang Shao was terrified inside. The gossip in the city always said Xie Fei was of great talent and a genius in trade. But it wasn"t until today he truly understood that the scariest thing about Xie Fei wasn"t his skill in planning strategies, but his absolute, terrifying strength.
He, Liang Shao, was able to take the position of Dingbei Great General within three years. It could be said that his strength was in the top three of Great Qi. Yet he couldn"t even catch a single hit from Xie Fei; instead, he was completely suppressed without the capability to retaliate.
He smiled bitterly. In a second, the depression suffocating Liang Shao spurted out as a mouthful of blood. It splashed onto Chen Bing"er"s face, the thick scent of blood scaring her into tears. She frantically raised her hands to cup Liang Shao"s face. Worriedly, she said quietly, "Liang-dage, are you okay?"
Liang Shao"s shook his head weakly, his face pale. "I"m fine. Bing"er, Liang-dage is really useless, right?"Please read at yanyantls dot wordpress dot com
"No, Liang-dage… is really amazing…" Chen Bing"er said, her eyes swollen and red.
Xie Fei looked at the two people indifferently. He interrupted, "Today is just a small punishment. A punishment for your audacity to insult this young master"s fiancée."
Hearing this, Liang Shao lifted his head angrily, his gaze sharp as a knife. Uneasily, he said, "When did we ever insult your fiancée?" He snorted. "If you want to condemn someone, don"t worry about the pretext! How laughable!"
"The backyard pavilion," Xie Fei said cooly. "You couldn"t have forgotten these two words, "medicine bottle", right?"
Liang Shao widened his eyes in disbelief. How had he never thought this humiliation he was facing was actually because of those words he had used to coax Chen Bing"er? He laughed lowly. In the end, his face turned upwards, laughing heartily as if he had gone crazy.
It was only when Xie Fei had left with Lu Qi that the guests who had come to join in the action began to speak. In the midst of the chatter, Tang You and the others gradually returned to their senses.
Tang You panted, heart palpitating, eyes unblinkingly staring at the distance. He muttered, "Was that person just now really Fei-ge?"
Chen Yuyan shuddered unconsciously, nodding in a daze. "It should be… It should be Fei-ge."
"Fei-ge… when did he become so scary?" someone else asked. "Or is it that Fei-ge has always been so scary, he just hid it deeply?"
"I don"t know." Chen Yuyan shook his head, his face pale. "I just know in the future we absolutely can"t provoke Fei-ge. Oh, right, we also can"t provoke Princess Anping."
"Exactly, exactly! Just now, didn"t Fei-ge say he only taught this Liang Shao a lesson because he insulted Princess Anping?" Tang You bobbed his head enthusiastically.
The other people at the scene nodded fearfully. One after another, they decided to warn their families immediately, especially the madams and young ladies who liked to gossip, absolutely not to provoke Princess Anping. They couldn"t say things like medicine bottle at home. Who knew if Young Master Xie had allocated people to monitor their homes? It would be better to be careful.
Lu Qi followed behind Xie Fei, looking at his back in disbelief. He had never known Young Master had such scary strength. No, not only him, who knew if it had scared all of Great Qi?
While he was still letting his imagination run wild, Xie Fei"s cold voice came. "Lu Qi, prepare a horse. I"m going to the palace."
"Yes." Lu Qi bowed respectfully, wind rising under his feet and disappearing, but he came back after just a few breaths. "Young Master, Princess Anping"s carriage is still outside waiting for you."Please read at yanyantls dot wordpress dot com
Suddenly hearing these words, Xie Fei"s eyes flashed with a glimmer of surprise. He raised his eyebrow calmly, cold eyes warming.
He originally thought that Xi Wen was so upset today that she would certainly have returned to the palace already. He hadn"t thought she would wait for him instead. It really made him surprised.
In front of the doors of the Liang residence, Ting Lan stood silently in front of the carriage. Seeing Xie Fei, she bowed. "Young Master."
Xie Fie nodded. With a flick of his robe, he stepped onto the carriage, lightly lifting the curtains. Before his eyes was Xi Wen, her arms hugging her knees, sitting pitifully in the corner of the carriage. Her little head was buried in the crook of her arm, her delicate shoulders shaking. With one look it was obvious she was crying silently.
"I"m here, what are you crying for?" Xie Fei sighed, a sliver of tenderness flashing in his eyes. He lifted his hand, rubbing her little head.
Xi Wen was still deep in her thoughts and didn"t notice Xie Fei had gotten in the carriage at all. Suddenly hearing Xie Fei"s helpless sigh and feeling the big hand tenderly stroking the top of her head, her shaking shoulders went still.
She froze for a moment, then hurriedly raised her head, rubbing fiercely at her face. She pouted, mumbling, "I wasn"t crying."
Xie Fei"s brow relaxed into a smile. "You weren"t crying? Your face has already become like a spotted cat."Please read at yanyantls dot wordpress dot com
"Really?" Xi Wen blinked, lifting her lovely eyes to look at Xie Fei.
Her limpid pupils sparkled, curly lashes still wet with two glimmering teardrops. This appearance like a pear blossom bathed in rain looked so lovable. Inside his sleeve, Xie Fei"s hands fidgeted with his thumb ring.
Seeing the way that Xie Fei looked at her with a smile that wasn"t a smile, Xi Wen immediately believed his words. She straightened and went around Xie Fei, wanting to get the mirror on the small table.
Xie Fei"s brow softened with a smile. His arm wrapped around her waist, one hand rubbing her nose. Laughing, he said, "Tricked you."
Xi Wen"s nose wrinkled. After sitting down, she took the mirror and carefully examined her face. Finally, she pouted. "So mean, why"d you trick me?" she scolded.
Xie Fei chuckled lowly, not responding.
Hearing Xie Fei"s laugh, Xi Wen startled, then also began to smile. Carefully, she used her peripheral vision to look at the person in front of her. A black robe and jade belt. A handsome face with shallow smile. Every movement warmed the heart and pleased the eye. He was even a master of both pen and sword, warm as jade. This kind of person was her fiancé. She still didn"t dare to believe it.
Xi Wen"s little face slightly flushed, her heart beginning to quiver. She covered her chest, heart beating like a drum, clearly understanding that she loved Xie Fei.
But could she really match up to him?Please read at yanyantls dot wordpress dot com
Xi Wen suddenly thought of what Liang Shao had said. Her happiness was immediately doused by a bucket of cold water. Her smile froze, her glimmering eyes darkening. Her shaking hands twisted in her clothes. After hesitating for a long time, in the end she couldn"t resist asking, "Xie Fei, I"m just a medicine bottle. In my lifetime, I"ll always need medicinal soup. I also can"t continue your bloodline. Like this… do you still want to marry me?"
Xie Fei raised his eyes to look at Xi Wen profoundly. He nodded. "Of course."
"But…" Xi Wen opened her mouth to speak, shocked.
"There"s no "but". I want to marry you because you"re you, not to continue my bloodline," Xie Fei refuted staunchly, not allowing for argument.
Xi Wen looked at the resolution in his cool eyes. She pursed her lips and let go of the topic, but in her heart she was inexplicably much more relaxed. She nodded obediently. "Oh…"
Xie Fei looked at her agreeable appearance, smiling wordlessly. "Be obedient, don"t let your imagination run wild." He thought of how she hadn"t eaten much at the banquet earlier, and asked, "Hungry?"
"En." Xi Wen nodded cutely.
Xie Fie rose and got off the carriage, extending a hand to her. "Let"s go."
"Go where?" Xi Wen asked hesitantly, leaving the carriage with his support.
Xie Fei laughed. "It"s hard to come out of the palace. I"ll take you to look at the night view and eat some popular snacks."
Xi Wen lifted her head in excited surprise, eyes sparkling. Her smile was bright and beautiful. "En!"Please read at yanyantls dot wordpress dot com
Xi Wen finally stepped on the carriage to return to the palace when she had been completely satisfied. As the carriage steadily drove on, she eventually closed her eyes tiredly.
When they reached the palace doors and Ting Lan and the maidservants supported her to the bed, she mumbled "Xie Fei" before she fell deep into sleep.
The sun had already risen high in the sky when she woke the second day. Xi Wen opened her eyes, bewildered. Before her eyes was her own boudoir"s flower-engraved bed. She laid on the bed in a daze. Just as she was wondering how she had come back yesterday night, Ting Lan"s beaming face lifted the curtains. "Princess, Princess, this servant has good news I can"t wait to tell you."
Xi Wen turned to look at her. She asked, "What good news?"
"Liang Shao asked for leave from morning court today. I heard that it was because yesterday he was beaten one-sidedly by Young Master Xie until he couldn"t even get off the bed!" Ting Lang laughed, hanging up the curtains. "In the span of a night, this pa.s.sed through the entire city once. It"s come up to the inner palace and down to the main streets and alleyways. Everyone is talking about this!"
Xie Fei beat Liang Shao until he couldn"t get off the bed?
Why would he want to beat him…
Xi Wen faintly began to guess in her heart, but she also was afraid she was imagining that her love was reciprocated, so she snuck a glance at Ting Lan, patiently waiting for her to continue. But Ting Lan just smiled silently.
Her heart itched as if there was a cat scratching it. After enduring for a long time, in the end she still feigned nonchalance. She asked, "Why did Xie Fei beat him?"
Ting Lan had looked after the princess for so many years. How would she not know Xi Wen"s little mind? She had waited for the princess to open her mouth and ask. She immediately smiled like a flower, teased, "I heard Young Master rushed the crown for a beautiful woman1. This beautiful woman is of course you, Princess!"
Xi Wen"s little face turned red. She huffed at Ting Lan, shooing her out. She turned her head, the corners of her mouth quirking in a secret smile, her cheeks slightly revealing two little dimples.
After Xie Fei rushed the crown for a beautiful woman, Xi Wen clearly felt everyone"s manner towards her changed drastically. Before, those madams and young ladies were respectful to her face, but behind her back who knew how they laughed at her? Now, no matter whose family looked at Princess Anping, they all wore eager smiles.
The empress took everything into her eyes. Even she couldn"t help but lament that Xie Fei was really excellent to her daughter.
In the blink of the eye it was Xie Fei and Xi Wen"s wedding day. Since yesterday, the doors of the Xie residence had an unbreaking line of people sending gifts. Carriages came and went. For the most part, these stopping and starting carriages were from those who didn"t have the status to attend the wedding reception. For Princess Anping and Young Master Xie"s big wedding, even if they were unqualified, they would still need to send people to give congratulatory gifts.
The morning of the wedding, Xi Wen wore a fire-red phoenix coronet and an embroidered ta.s.seled cape. Xie Fei, wearing matching fire-red wedding clothes, supported her onto the bridal sedan.Please read at yanyantls dot wordpress dot com
With over a hundred fireworks, the deafening sound of gongs and drums, and the Yulin Army clearing the way, eight people carried the bridal sedan through the city once, then into the Xie residence. Xie Fei lead Xi Wen by the hand, taking her into the main hall. Under the guidance of the wedding matron, the two of them finished the three bows, and Xi Wen was taken by the servants to the bridal chamber.
Xi Wen sat upright on a brocade quilt of mandarin ducks playing in water2 spread on the bed. Her two hands rested on her knees, nervously not knowing what to do, when noise came from the door. Xie Fei, carrying the slight scent of wine, came in.
The author has something to say:
Thanks to little treasure "Mere Worldly Possessions" for watering with 1 nutrient bottle, kiss kiss kiss~
Thanks to all the cuties who are bookmarking and commenting, kiss one bye one (￣３￣)
I only realized today that tomorrow was 5203, wishing everyone a happy Valentine"s day in advance. And me… it fits just perfectly, tomorrow night is the wedding night (～￣▽￣)～
1↩: A literal translation from 衝冠一怒為紅顏. It comes from a poem 圓圓曲 (literally Round Round Song) by Wu Weiye. Wu Sangui, an army general in the Ming Dynasty, had surrendered to the leader of the common army, Li Zicheng, but Li Zicheng captured Wu Sangui"s lover, Chen Yuanyuan, thus Wu Sangui ended up rebelling. In the context of our story, it simply means that Xie Fei attacked Liang Shao for the sake of his lover. ( in Chinese)
2↩: Mandarin ducks represent lovers, while mandarin ducks playing in water means making love.
3↩: 520 (五二零/wu"erling) is internet slang used to say "I love you". In Chinese, it sounds like I love you (我愛你/wo"aini). Chinese Valentine"s Day is also on May 20th.