Chapter 470: A Royal Decree 15
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
With her still calmly calling him insane, any remnants of Li Ruoxuan’s ego could not take any more from her. “Confessing my feelings to an idiot of a woman like you was the biggest mistake of my life.”
Wearing an insincere smile, Qi Qingyao responded, “Then please don’t make any more mistakes in the future, State Preceptor.”
Li Ruoxuan was so angered by this sentence he promptly walked out.
Hastily opening the door, he walked straight out of the Qi Residence with a grim expression. Zhu Shen hurriedly followed behind him every step of the way, like a young eunuch trailing behind a supreme emperor.
When Jiang Yeqian saw Li Ruoxuan leave so angrily, the big rock in his heart quietly fell. Looking into the side hall from across the door, Jiang Yeqian saw the particularly laid-back smile on that woman’s face and had a sudden realization.
Li Ruoxuan likely had done his best to confess, but she had responded by angering him. If he were to also make a sudden confession anytime soon, he too might be angered by her response—angry enough to make his blood boil and cause him to walk out.
She was outstanding and many people fancied her—figuring out how exactly to win her heart was a really difficult problem.
Especially since she was nothing like ordinary women…
One could not judge her based solely on common sense as this would make it easy for them to fall into her trap…
Jiang Yeqian coughed. He pretended not to care and said that since the State Preceptor had left, he would leave too. Saying that, he took Zhao Xin and left the Qi Residence.
Lu Yan let out a sigh of relief. He turned his head and glanced at Qi Qingyao, almost wanting to say, ‘What I just said about wanting to marry you was merely an expedient measure. Don’t think too much about it.’ However, seeing that this girl seemed not to care at all, Lu Yan was left depressed and filled with mixed emotions. Silently, he glanced toward the white cat. The white cat jumped off the roof and right into his arms. Lu Yan carried it and left in a hurry, pretending to be unconcerned.
Only Steward Zhang was left standing in the courtyard. He glanced at his Master retreating, and then at Qi Qingyao who seemed rather relaxed. He stroked his chin and had a conflicting thought, ‘Does Missus not care about other people’s opinions at all, or does she not believe that the master fancies her?’
As far as Steward Zhang was concerned, among the few men present just now, the Head Grand Secretariat and the State Preceptor both seemed like they were planning to take advantage of Qi Qingyao. Only his master was being sincere, but what a pity… Missus did not notice at all—her loss.
…
Li Ruoxuan, who had left the Qi Residence, sat in the carriage with a sinister look in his eyes and a clouded expression on his face. Zhu Shen, who sat next to him, did not dare even breathe in his direction for fear that his Excellency would flip the carriage in a fit of anger.
After a long period of traveling in the carriage, Li Ruoxuan cursed, “How f*cking annoying.”
“Your Excellency…” Zhu Shen was about to comfort him.
Li Ruoxuan turned to look at Zhu Shen, and once again questioned from the depths of his soul, “Am I really that bad of a person? My repeated confessions to a widow still aren’t being accepted!!”
“…” Zhu Shen did not know how to answer.
The corner of Li Ruoxuan’s lips was held taut. “I’ve never failed so badly in my life!”
Zhu Shen, “…” ‘Your Excellency, haven’t you been failing ever since you met Lady Qi? Especially when you faced Si Jin—you’re now blind in one eye, isn’t that already a failure?’ Zhu Shen felt like Qi Qingyao was Li Ruoxuan’s kryptonite, but he did not dare to say it for fear that he would suffer.
Li Ruoxuan smacked the wall of the carriage forcefully, leaving a deep handprint on the stainless-steel carriage. The coachman who was outside driving was shocked by the movement inside.
Li Ruoxuan asked again, “Zhu Shen, am I really that terrible?”
“This servant does not think you’re bad,” Zhu Shen answered in a small voice.
Li Ruoxuan did not seem to be comforted. He said seriously, “Let’s go to Huayue Pavilion tonight!”
“Your Excellency…” Going to Huayue Building tonight would be a little… Although it was normal for a State Preceptor to frequent a brothel, his Excellency had always abstained. To be precise, he believed that everyone in the world was useless, and he could not care less about those courtesans.
Li Ruoxuan, mortified and fuming, said, “I refuse to believe that all women in the world are like that idiot, having no interest in the State Preceptor at all.”
Zhu Shen said hurriedly, “Your Excellency, the girls in Huayue Building will surely swarm you without rest.”
Li Ruoxuan seemed very content with those words.
They returned to the residence and stayed for a few hours. When the sky turned dark, Li Ruoxuan left the study and entered straight into the carriage. The coachman turned the carriage around and drove in the direction of Huayue Pavilion.
After a while, they arrived at Huayue Pavilion. As soon as the carriage with the name ‘Li’ on the flag arrived at the entrance, the doormen were shocked—there were few people with the surname ‘Li’ in Qingzhou City, and there was only one person in Qingzhou City with the surname Li who was ent.i.tled to a flag.
The doormen were so shocked they hurried to greet him.
After waiting for the person in the carriage to come down, the doormen instantly recognized him.
Although they had never personally met the State Preceptor, they had at least heard of some things—like that the State Preceptor was blind in one eye due to certain incidents and now wore a black eyepatch on his right eye.
The person standing right before them was undoubtedly that man.
The doormen hastily gestured toward the inside. Someone immediately informed Madame Li, the person in charge of Huayue Pavilion, that the State Preceptor had arrived.
“State—State Preceptor!!”
As soon as Li Ruoxuan stepped into Huayue Pavilion, Madame Li was already welcoming him with a red handkerchief. She shouted delightedly, “Hua Ermei, Hua Mingzhu, Hua Caiyue, you are all the best courtesans of my Huayue Pavilion. Come out at once to entertain the State Preceptor.”
Li Ruoxuan was silent.
When the other guests heard her words, they all looked toward him.
Madame Li was fairly shrewd, so she immediately led Li Ruoxuan and Zhu Shen to a private room upstairs.
After Zhu Shen reached, he stood calmly at the door.
Li Ruoxuan entered the room.
The girls that Madame Li called all rushed to the room as well. After exchanging looks at the door, they hurried in.
The few courtesans called out in their sweet voices, “State Preceptor~~~~~”
Li Ruoxuan immediately frowned. “Are these your top courtesans of Huayue Pavilion?”
“Yes, Your Excellency.” Madame Li had never entertained guests of this status. She said, mildly nervous, “If they don’t meet your expectations, we can call for others.”
Li Ruoxuan felt gooseb.u.mps rise all over his body just from the strong fragrance of cosmetics. He almost told them to get out, but when the words reached the tip of his tongue, they changed.
“Stay with me for a drink.”
The few top courtesans who were headed by Hua Ermei hurriedly greeted and sat around Li Ruoxuan. They wanted to persuade him to drink but did not dare to given that he was the State Preceptor.
They had actually never before entertained a minister as powerful as this.
Each of them sat obediently and remained wary.
They did not possess the usual grandeur of top courtesans one bit.
Li Ruoxuan called for them to pour the wine. Hua Ermei hurriedly poured the wine, like a maid in the imperial palace in front of the emperor. She did not even dare breathe.
Hua Ermei thought about how they wanted to pounce on him, but… the State Preceptor’s face was as black as the bottom of a wok. Who would dare to?
Moreover, all the rumors outside about the State Preceptor were about how he killed people in the blink of an eye. As the saying went, there would be no smoke if there wasn’t a fire. If any one of them did not serve him nicely, would this State Preceptor cut off their heads and use them as stools to sit on?
Li Ruoxuan sat there, looking blankly at his wine gla.s.s. He smelled the faint discernible fragrance, and his face sank. “All of you leave and change your clothes before coming back in!”
Hua Ermei and the rest suddenly froze for a moment before promptly getting up and running out of the room.
Zhu Shen, “???”
Madame Li glanced at Hua Ermei and the others who had run out and asked what the matter was.
Hua Ermei quickly repeated Li Ruoxuan’s words.
Madame Li’s expression changed drastically. She hurried in to explain that she did not mean to sprinkle the aphrodisiac powder on their bodies… It was all… It was all…
Li Ruoxuan waved his hand to indicate that he did not want to hear her explanation.
Madame Li’s back was completely soaked.
After changing out of their clothes, Hua Ermei and the others came back. The unique fragrance they had once worn had now disappeared.
Each of them sat down obediently now, like quails.
Although Hua Ermei and the others changed their clothes, the style of their clothes remained revealing. As the top courtesans of Huayue Pavilion, their abilities to read people were certainly polished.
Hua Ermei wondered if the State Preceptor had seen countless beauties in Capital City. Would he think they were merely average, and not considered extraordinary beauties?
That would be terrible.
She could only silently accompany him for a drink tonight…
Hua Caiyue had a more miserable thought. She had thought she would be able to have her ‘Cinderella’ moment upon escorting the State Preceptor. Who would have thought that the State Preceptor would not even look at them the entire time!
Li Ruoxuan’s attention was on the wine.
He made them pour him another gla.s.s as soon as he finished drinking. He seemed like an utterly emotionless drinking machine.
After an hour of drinks, Li Ruoxuan began feeling a little bored. So, he got up and left Huayue Pavilion.
Zhu Shen paid for the wine and promptly left with Li Ruoxuan.
Madame Li excitedly asked Hua Ermei and the other two courtesans whether they had…
Before she could finish her sentence, Hua Ermei and the other two shook their heads.
“The State Preceptor only drank wine. He did not even look at us!”
Madame Li was stunned upon hearing this.
Although her three best courtesans were not extraordinary beauties, they were still considered pretty charming.
How could they still not have been able to arouse any interest…
Could it be that the aphrodisiac powder from before had disgusted the State Preceptor?
Li Ruoxuan left Huayue Pavilion. Instead of riding in a carriage, he walked along the banks of Qingyang Lake, refres.h.i.+ng himself with the cool air.
Watching his unsteady figure, Zhu Shen was very concerned. He was afraid that his Excellency would fall right into the lake.
“Your Excellency, aren’t you able to flush the alcohol out? Why…” ‘Did you not flush it out? Letting the alcohol rush to your head, making you unable to walk steadily now.’ Zhu Shen did not quite understand.
Li Ruoxuan cast a sidelong glance at Zhu Shen, who was holding his arm, and puffed out the strong scent of alcohol. He said with blurry eyes, “Because I don’t want to be sober! Am I not allowed?”
“You are…” ‘You are definitely allowed. As long as you’re happy, anything is fine.’
Zhu Shen felt rather helpless.
Then again, Zhu Shen rarely saw the State Preceptor in such a drunken state.
He even deliberately allowed himself to get drunk…
It was silly, and a little childish.
Many pedestrians on the road could not help but shake their heads when they saw the drunkard under the moonlight and the lanterns hanging by the roadside.
Li Ruoxuan did not know how he had walked before he sat down on a long wooden bench by a willow tree. Knowing that he would not fall into the lake, Zhu Shen let go of his arm.
Li Ruoxuan stared blankly at the lake in the middle of the night.
The cool wind was blowing.
The moonlight was s.h.i.+ning silver.
The moonlight fell from the sky and refracted on the surface of the lake. It was foggy as it was still early spring. There was a mist that gradually spread over the entire lake, creating a faint glow. It was extremely beautiful.
Li Ruoxuan was silent for a long time, his gaze gradually becoming dreamier. Suddenly, he picked up a small stone on the ground and tossed it into the lake, cursing.
“I really don’t understand. What part of me is not worthy of this little widow? Isn’t she just a woman who hasn’t even found the biological father of her children after their affair? What is she so proud of?
“She even dared to refuse my repeated confessions. She must really have a death wish.”=
“She’s just an ordinary little widow!!
“I hate this kind of woman, those who don’t even know what’s best for themselves. If it wasn’t for Si Jin being present, I would’ve f*cking killed this woman and her entire family.”
His Excellency’s cussing tone sounded like a child throwing a tantrum over a lost toy. Listening to it, Zhu Shen did not know whether he should laugh or cry. He suddenly said, “Your Excellency…”
“Hm?” Li Ruoxuan replied.
Zhu Shen could not comprehend. “Is there really nothing you can do to get back at Qi Qingyao?” ‘There should be something, right?’
“With Si Jin alive, what can I do?” Li Ruoxuan could not help but get angry when he thought about Si Jin. Although he was not here now, his deterrence against him remained.
Li Ruoxuan might not have been very handsome, but he was the State Preceptor.
How could seducing her with his charm not work at all?
He wondered whether it would work if the Head Grand Secretariat did the same.
Li Ruoxuan suddenly asked, “Zhu Shen, am I disliked by women?”
Zhu Shen explained and said, “All the girls from Huayue Pavilion just now fancied you, your Excellency.”
Li Ruoxuan seemed very upset when he heard the words ‘the girls from Huayue Pavilion’. He frowned and began cursing at the lake again.
“She’s just a little widow, how dare she have that kind of att.i.tude toward the dignified State Preceptor?”
“It’s probably because of Si Jin,” Zhu Shen muttered.
“But Si Jin isn’t here now,” Li Ruoxuan replied exasperatedly.
He tossed another small stone into the lake.
After tossing it, he still seemed angry.
Suddenly, he noticed a store selling fried sugar cakes from the corner of his eye. He snapped out of his dreamy gaze and paused.
“Zhu Shen, go buy two fried sugar cakes.”
Zhu Shen was a little worried for his Excellency’s safety—but when he thought about those secret guards that had to be guarding his Excellency from the shadows, he hurried over to buy the fried sugar cakes.
He returned with them.
He pa.s.sed the hot cakes into Li Ruoxuan’s hands.
The fried sugar cakes were wrapped in oil paper and smelled scrumptious in the night air.
Unfortunately, the sky suddenly began to rain.
The street vendors quickly packed up their things and left.
Zhu Shen called for the carriage to hurry over as he opened his umbrella.
The rain grew heavier. In the heavy rain, the small umbrella was barely able to keep them dry. The heavy rain dampened the fried sugar cakes in Li Ruoxuan’s hands.
The carriage arrived.
Zhu Shen asked his Excellency to quickly board the carriage.
Li Ruoxuan shook his head.
Under the murky moonlight, he gazed faintly at the fried sugar cakes wrapped in oil paper that he held in his hands.
Li Ruoxuan suddenly lowered his head. He opened his mouth and took a bite of the fried sugar cake that was soaked by the heavy rain. Despite being mixed with the taste of rainwater, it was very sweet! It was very fragrant and was still delicious.
He finished eating one of the sugar cakes, one bite at a time.
Li Ruoxuan then looked at the remaining one, but all he could think about was the woman named Qi Qingyao.