Chapter 281.2: Need to Learn From the Living Enma
“Wan Wan’s meaning is that there’s a need to maintain distance with this husband?” Li Hong Yuan said with a shallow smile.
Jing Wan quivered, “No, no way, definitely not this meaning.” She quickly denied.
“Then, Wan Wan’s meaning…………”
“I’m talking about other people, other people, who is my husband, certainly impossible for this kind of thing to happen.”
“En, very good.” Li Hong Yuan smoothed the hair by her temples, landing a kiss on her forehead.
Jing Wan endlessly shed tears inside. Turning back, she saw two other girls with their heads lowered, their face flushed red. It was obvious, the matter just now, they’d caught sight of. Jing Wan’s face has also been relatively trained, although probably forever unable to reach a certain someone’s level, but this kind of ‘damaging public decency’ matter right now definitely won’t make her blush either. In fact, she even magnanimously nodded towards those two girls, walking past their side.
Towards Jing Wan’s action, the most pleased was none other than Li Hong Yuan. If possible, he didn’t mind letting the entire world all see him being lovey-dovey with Jing Wan.
Starting from the moment they entered the Immortal Gazing Garden, there has been a pair of eyes sneakily watching them the whole time, Jing Wan was happily playing around, so didn’t notice, but the people that noticed weren’t in the minority. Just, no one paid any attention to her, that’s all, nothing more than just a dancing clown.
At last, they were standing below the Immortal Gazing Lookout. Jing Wan carefully studied it, must be at least ten stories tall. Looking at it as a whole, three sides of the walls were vertical, while one side was slanted. The stairs didn’t directly reach the top from the slanted side, but rather wrapped around the edge floor by floor upwards. Merely just climbing up, afraid would all take quite some time.
Jing Wan looked to the stone tablet at the corner. On it narrated the this immortal lookout’s origins. Actually, from this name, one can roughly guess what it was initially used for. Just, the one that did it wasn’t some emperor, but rather a world renowned great scholar at the time. Because at the time, concocting pills to seek immortality, this kind of thing, was just a kind of common practice. From top to bottom, anyone with a bit of status and position all raised a bunch of random people at home. And afterwards, it’s not that this great scholar didn’t get denounced by others, in fact, quite a few of his works all got boycotted. However, because his fame was too great, and he had too many disciples, in the end, things just ended unsettled. And this Immortal Gazing Lookout also got preserved.
(T/N: Based on the clues from the text, I believe this is similar to the ancient stone based astronomical observatories. The one pictured below is the most intact one in existence, located Henan Province, built in 723 AD. So just imagine this but like over 10 stories tall with stairs wrapping all the way around and terraces at each level.)
At the same time, the living survey map was standing to the side and explaining to Jing Wan in even more detail, even telling some thought-provoking anecdotes.
When it was more or less enough, “Why don’t Wan Wan go up first, I’m going go change first.” Li Hong Yuan said.
Jing Wan nodded, and then just lifted her foot and went up step by step. Every step was all a scenery.
Merely turning around and taking a few steps, Li Hong Yuan waved his hand, letting someone have the person following them while tightly covered brought over.
Rather, there was no need for him to say anything. The person kneeling on the ground just voluntarily removed the face cover that had covered everything but the eyes. A pair of tearful eyes stared at Li Hong Yuan, “w.a.n.gye…………” The face that had gotten slapped swollen yesterday, for the most part, didn’t have anymore marks, just don’t know how much effort was put in. For some people, after injuring the face, it all may not necessarily recover after several days.
“This pair of eyes is rather beautiful.” Li Hong Yuan expressionlessly said.
Delight flashed through Su Ting’s face, “w.a.n.gye wrongly praises.” She just knew, how can men………….
“After digging them out, there’s actually some worth in collecting.” Li Hong Yuan indifferently continued.
The cheerful look on Su Ting’s face instantly disappeared without a trace, turning deathly pale, “w.a.n.gye, this subject, this subject just…………”
“Just wants to seduce this prince, I know, but trying to seduce men dressed in this horrid manner, really is having a unique style. Or is it that underneath this hemp sack like rough clothing, you’re actually wearing nothing at all? Dressing like this, when taking off, there’s more of a contrast? Inspector General Su isn’t raising a daughter, but rather a secret prost.i.tute?”
“No, that’s not it, w.a.n.gye, this subject has sorrows, begging you, please give this subject a chance, even if it’s just listening to this subject finish explaining.” Su Ting pleaded.
She also didn’t want to dress like this. On normal days, how was she not dressed beautifully, and the clothes on her also cozy and soft. But, despite her father giving her a chance, that di older sister of hers nevertheless sent people to guard outside the Inspector General Manor. That s.l.u.t was also saying one thing and doing another, saying that she won’t obstruct her, but in reality? Her father too, agreeing to give her a chance, yet won’t help her, just telling her where Jin Qinw.a.n.g was at, and warning her that if outsiders were to find out, her ending will be very miserable. Having been left with no choice, she thus was like this, because everyone all knew that she loved appearing beautiful. Dressed like this, even if standing before someone, no one would be able to recognize her.
“This prince isn’t interested.” Li Hong Yuan had her struck down into the abyss without the slightest hesitation.
“w.a.n.gye…………” Her tears tumbled down, incomparably sorrowful, “Begging you, please…………..” Her voice was just like dripping blood.
“Tsk, seeing that you’re this pitiful, go look for w.a.n.gfei then. If she agrees, this prince will have you left behind. After all, w.a.n.gfei abides by the rules, and towards dubious and improper matters, she has always bitterly detest. If you really were to sleep with this prince like this, believe this prince, later she can have you tied up, letting you parade through the streets, then have you thrown back to the Su family. However, you best move quickly. When this prince returns, if you’re still bothering w.a.n.gfei, this prince doesn’t mind having you thrown to the military prost.i.tute camp at the borders. This face of yours, presumably will be very popular.”
With that said, Li Hong Yuan left hand slid across his right cuff and slowly walked away.
Su Ting’s gaze was somewhat lifeless. She didn’t know whether or not she will really have to do this. Jin Qinw.a.n.g clearly wasn’t the benevolent type. Should she hope that Jin w.a.n.gfei really is kind? But what can she do? The place she was originally full of confidence in, she ran into a wall. She originally thought that without Jin w.a.n.gfei around, she can easily take down Jin Qinw.a.n.g. Yet in the end, this simply wasn’t the case.
She looked to the Immortal Gazing Lookout and stood up from the ground. Even if possibly getting humiliated, she still needed to go. No matter how terrible, can it be even worse than getting sent to that person?
Su Ting quickly went up the Immortal Gazing Lookout. Reasonably speaking, admiring the scenery while scaling the building, the speed shouldn’t be that quick. Just, after Jing Wan climbed up onto the first floor, she suddenly had an idea, wanting to admire the scenery along the way by looking down from the top. Thus, Su Ting just fell into a tragedy, exerting all her strength to climb up, yet all unable to see Jing Wan’s figure.
Su Ting was panting for breath, her whole face flushed red, drenched in fragrant sweat, and her feet were just like poured with lead. If not for being certain that Jing Wan had gone up, and that the entire Immortal Gazing Lookout only had one path, not having rooms and such, she would have thought that she had missed her. How can a delicately raised qin-w.a.n.gfei walk this quickly?
Jing Wan was just different from ordinary young ladies to begin with, and the people by her side, having received her influence, all weren’t lacking in stamina, let alone the bodyguards. And the living survey map, that was further someone that had walked all over the country. Even if he’d returned to the capital, he’d already developed a habit of walking, so how was it possible to not have good stamina. As for Su Ting, the most exercise she’s done was probably just when she was dancing, but because she possessed natural born advantages, she simply didn’t need to practice that hard, so it’d be strange for her to have good stamina.
But, the time limit Jin Qinw.a.n.g gave wasn’t much, so she could only go all out in climbing up. In the end, she more or less really can be considered to have crawled[1] up. When she finally saw Jing Wan, Jing Wan was currently calmly standing at the top floor enjoying the wind, while she was panting like a dead dog. Facing Jing Wan’s astonished look, she was ashamed to death.
Even so, she still wanted to maintain her bearing at all cost, slowly bowing.
But, in reality, Su Ting right now really was very much in a sorry state. A perfectly fine beauty, the clothes unbearable to look at, the hair in a mess, and even because drenched in sweat, stuck to the face, such an appearance, in men’s eyes, or perhaps if Jing Wan l.u.s.ted after beautiful women, perhaps it was still a bit enticing, but for Jing Wan who only l.u.s.ted after men, this appearance, even if an immortal fairy, still wouldn’t be beautiful.
Seeing that she worked this hard, Jing Wan couldn’t help but soften a little. Thus, even if knowing her intentions, she still reluctantly gave her a chance, listening to what she wants to say.
Jing Wan waved her hands. The people blocking Su Ting let her pa.s.s. “Alright, what do you want to say?”
Su Ting knelt down before Jing Wan, “w.a.n.gfei is merciful, please save this subject.”
“Don’t give me a tall hat to wear, it’s not like I’m a bodhisattva, so what mercy is there to speak of. Cut short on the useless talk, if you just want to say something like you’re unable continue living, begging me to take you in, as a slave or as a servant, all doable, and as long as I give you food to eat, you’ll be willing to work hard like a horse and cow to repay me, then it’s best if you save it. If I truly were to momentarily soften and take you in, even if just letting you take on the status of a slave servant in name, afraid you would all hate me to death, and can immediately just stab me in the back. If you want to say, you’ve fallen for w.a.n.gye, and as long as you can stay by his side, you can neither fight nor compete, and even wholeheartedly serve me, let me just tell you, that is even more impossible.” Jing Wan was a hundred percent certain that a certain someone has already met this Su Ting.
As for why she would appear before her, Jing Wan all didn’t need to think to know the answer. Exactly how bored was he, to be doing this kind of thing?
[1] In chinese the word for climb and crawl are the same word, so it’s sorta used like a pun here.