Ling Xiao met with everyone who came. Song Shuhao had observed once; she was holding a stack of papers, scribbling something in a flamboyant manner. Not only could Song Shuhao not recognize what Ling Xiao had written, but sometimes, even Ling Xiao himself couldn't recognize it when he looked at it later… he had to bite his pen and think for a long time before he could remember it.
This New Year, aside from visiting Zhang Xin once and paying New Year's respects to her female tutor Du Yuqing, Song Shuhao didn't go anywhere else. She didn't live in the same courtyard as Ling Xiao, and she never showed up when Zhang Yu came. Ling Xiao also didn't discuss matters with Zhang Yu, always talking to Prince Ning in the study.
On the fourteenth day of the Lunar New Year, a special guest arrived at Ling Xiao's residence. On this day, Zhang Xin, who was almost six months pregnant, came to play with Song Shuhao and Ling Xiao again. She dragged the two of them along and used Xia Mingzhe to make up the numbers for playing cards, while Zhang Yu and Prince Ning sat in the hall casually drinking tea.
The guests were brought over by their servants just as they finished another game.
Zhang Xin won her fifth round in a row. Ling Xiao clutched her chest and handed over another silver note that Prince Ning had given her as gambling money, saying angrily, "You two are ganging up on me and Ahao, who are fighting alone. We need to ask our families for help too!"
"Lord Ling, don't be a sore loser!" Zhang Xin happily accepted the silver note, first giving Xia Mingzhe an appreciative look, and then cheerfully said to Ling Xiao.
Prince Ning was extremely pleased with Ling Xiao's request for help from her family. He put down his teacup, walked to Ling Xiao's side, put his arm around her shoulder, and lowered his head to ask, "If I help you win everything back, will there be a reward, Lord Ling?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhang Yu's voice rang out leisurely, "My Ah Hao doesn't need any help; she hasn't lost a single game." Neither winning nor losing, just right. Ah Hao smiled without saying a word, yielding her seat to Prince Ning, and walked to Zhang Yu's side.
Nie Zhiyuan's original intention was just to pay New Year's respects to Ling Xiao. He thought that since the New Year was coming to an end, there would be no guests. However, he did not expect that her place would be so lively... His Majesty the Emperor, Empress, Prince Ning, Princess, Lord Xia... For a moment, he thought he had come to the wrong place.
When the subordinates reported that General Nie had arrived, everyone was already surprised. Now that they actually saw him, they were even more puzzled. Everyone knew that Ling Xiao was not familiar with him.
Prince Ning then gave Ling Xiao a deliberately mournful look. Ling Xiao silently looked up at the roof beam, dropped the leaf cards in his hand, stood up and walked to Nie Zhiyuan, smiling as he said, "General Nie, it is an honor to have you here. Please forgive my lack of hospitality. I did not know you would be here today..."
Before she could finish speaking, Nie Zhiyuan snapped out of his surprise and greeted everyone, his face as expressionless as a brick. If he had known so many people were here, and all of such high status, he wouldn't have come. Now he was caught in a dilemma, feeling utterly awkward.
Zhang Yu whispered something to Song Shuhao, then stood up and said he had just remembered something, and took Nie Zhiyuan away to talk. After they left, Prince Ning seized the opportunity to sigh three times in a row, looking quite pitiful.
Zhang Xin smiled and said, "It seems our Lord Ling is quite popular." Ling Xiao rolled his eyes at her and chuckled. Song Shuhao, ever the troublemaker, chimed in, "Last time..."
Even though it was just those three words, Ling Xiao remembered what Song Shuhao had told her on the day the army returned to the city, and immediately begged for mercy. Hearing this, Prince Ning lost his composure and pressed, "What happened last time?"
Song Shuhao smiled and continued, "A general also came to the manor to speak on behalf of his distant cousin." Prince Ning was suspicious, and Ling Xiao chimed in, "General Nie has a relative..." He then realized something was amiss and quickly stopped, saying, "Maybe he came for his cousin! After all, I don't know him at all!"
She spoke with righteous indignation, yet didn't forget to force a reassuring smile for Prince Ning. Just then, the steward stood outside the hall and asked Ling Xiao, "General Nie brought a cartload of New Year's gifts; what should we do with them?"
The illusion that she had just spoken was immediately shattered, leaving Ling Xiao speechless. Could it be that she really did have something going on with Nie Zhiyuan?!
She hesitated for a moment, then quickly straightened her face, her brows furrowed, and said impartially, "What should we do? Of course, we should return it! Why should we accept such a heavy gift for no reason? We won't accept anything from anyone except His Highness Prince Ning!"
He paused, then added weakly, "Except for His Majesty's rewards."
After thinking for a moment, he added, "Except for the little princess's as well."
Prince Ning: "..." He didn't think he was that important to Lord Ling.
Author's Note: I know the plot involving Old Madam Nie was a bit reckless, but it was an unavoidable issue, so I still wrote it. =.=
I accept all reasonable and well-founded rebuttals, but I do not accept ginseng or roosters, and all of this is based on the premise of being in the harem, not on applying modern marital relationships.
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I've been coding until after 8 a.m. Good morning. TT
Chapter 97 Seeking Medical Treatment
Zhang Xin was heavily pregnant, and no one dared to let her go out during the Lantern Festival, a time destined to be crowded. She didn't make a fuss, and after finishing her meal, she smiled and saw Zhang Yu, Ahao, Prince Ning, and Ling Xiao off to play, while she returned to the Little Princess's residence by carriage.
Ling Xiao's residence was only a quarter of an hour's walk from the main street. The four of them strolled there leisurely. Once there, Zhang Yu led A Hao away from Prince Ning and Ling Xiao, no longer traveling with them. The guards remained hidden in the shadows, none of them coming out to disturb them.
Perhaps due to the victory this year, the Lantern Festival in Lin'an seemed even more lively than usual. Above, the full moon cast its silvery light over the heavens and earth, while below, the city's streets and alleys were adorned with lanterns and decorations, bustling with activity. At this time, people of all ages went out to enjoy themselves, and the long streets were crowded with people, their bustling activity highlighting the city's prosperity.
Song Shuhao remembered that on this day two years ago, Xu Shi was still alive, and Zhang Yu gave her a surprise; on this day last year, Xu Shi had passed away, and they were about to leave Lin'an City, so the two of them spent the festival alone, without joining any of the festivities. Year after year, things seemed to change very little without anyone noticing.
A child holding a rabbit lantern was led by an adult past Zhang Yu and Ahao, their face beaming with innocent and carefree smiles. Ahao then recalled the rabbit lantern Zhang Yu had given her, and couldn't understand why he would give her that during the Lantern Festival... She wasn't a child; he should at least have given her a flower lantern.
However, Ah Hao knew that Zhang Yu wasn't very good at comforting people most of the time. She still remembered the first time she embarrassed herself by crying in front of Zhang Yu, when he glared at her and scolded her for crying so ugly. At the time, she was too flustered and scared to do it, but now she found it funny.
Lanterns hung on both sides of the long street, and in the flickering candlelight, many of the girls passing by cast inquiring glances at Zhang Yu. Last year, during the Ghost Festival, when Zhang Yu led her through the long street, A-Hao had experienced his attention-grabbing behavior firsthand, and today she could truly appreciate it even more deeply.
Along the way to the lantern market, following the flow of people, there were girls trying to throw handkerchiefs, purses, and fruits at Zhang Yu to attract his attention. He only needed to raise his head slightly or purse his lips to elicit a chorus of gasps, making it hard to ignore.
Upon reaching the entrance to the lantern market, Ahao leaned slightly closer to Zhang Yu. Zhang Yu lowered his head slightly, listening intently to what she had to say, still holding her hand tightly. Ahao smiled and whispered in his ear, "Your Majesty, you're attracting attention again..."
After saying this, Ah Hao let go of Zhang Yu's hand and stepped into the lantern market. She glanced back at Zhang Yu, smiled, and continued forward. Compared to the long street illuminated by lanterns, the lantern market was much more bustling with people. Firstly, there were just as many people gathered here, and secondly, riddle guessing, lantern displays, and even dragon dances were all held here.
The lanterns illuminated the scene like daytime, and shadowy figures moved about. The warm yellow light fell on Song Shuhao, as if she were surrounded by a faint halo. Zhang Yu looked at Song Shuhao, and saw her glancing back and forth, her mischievous eyes and smiling face making even the lanterns seem a little dimmer. Nothing could be more dazzling than that.
Out of the corner of her eye, Zhang Yu noticed a vendor selling masks ahead. She pursed her lips, stepped forward, casually picked out a pair, put down her money, and strode off to catch up with Song Shuhao. She didn't go far, perhaps worried that the crowd would separate the two of them. She simply stopped in front of a hexagonal rosewood lantern with a glass revolving lantern and examined it carefully.
The six sides of this revolving lantern are intricately painted with flowers, birds, and fish, and the corners are carved with unique little swimming fish, with tassels of red agate beads hanging from their mouths.
The candlelight inside the lamp causes the axle to rotate, carrying the paper cutouts, and the silhouette of a majestic general sitting on horseback moves continuously on the glass screen, which is quite interesting.
Zhang Yu glanced at the lamp and then looked away; he had never been interested in such things. When A-Hao saw Zhang Yu walk to her side, she reached out to take his arm, wanting to speak to him, but first noticed the mask he was holding.
Realizing what Zhang Yu was thinking, A-Hao looked up at him and smiled brightly. Zhang Yu curved the corners of his mouth, raised an eyebrow, first held one of the masks up to A-Hao's face, then put on the remaining one himself, to block the prying eyes that might come from others.
Ah Hao took the mask, put it on herself, and continued what she hadn't finished. She reached out and took Zhang Yu's arm, asking him, "Is this lantern pretty? The little princess can't go out to admire the lanterns, so we can bring her a couple to celebrate. Or if you have any other lanterns you like, we can buy them and look at them ourselves."
The mask was a bit too big, perhaps because Song Shuhao was too thin and her face too small, so it wasn't stable enough. Zhang Yu looked at her with affection and helped her adjust the mask slightly to make it more comfortable. He nodded and said, "It's fine as long as you've chosen one." Ahao didn't stand on ceremony and let the shopkeeper show it to her. After seeing that there were no problems, Zhang Yu paid for it.
Later, the two bought several other lanterns, including a particularly exquisite lotus lantern. It was a large, blooming pink lotus flower encased in a square glass box, with layers of petals surrounding a tender yellow lotus seedpod, upon which a candle was lit. The lantern rested on a lotus leaf-shaped base, with two koi fish coiled at the bottom, making it very pleasing to the eye.
Zhang Yu and A Hao weren't particularly interested in guessing lantern riddles, so they didn't join in the fun. This meant they avoided Ling Xiao and Prince Ning. They left the lantern market after fireworks suddenly burst into the sky, and followed the crowd to the stone arch bridge.
A full moon, like a white jade plate, was visible overhead. Dozens of fireworks burst forth together against the dark sky, their shattering sounds like thunder, as if tearing a corner of the desolate night to reveal the appearance of daylight. Scattered sparks fell into the silent, flowing Milky Way beneath the bridge, rippling the water.
Zhang Yu, holding Song Shuhao close, found it too noisy and covered her ears with his hands. Ahao turned and smiled at him, her attention still focused on the beautiful scene before her. Behind them, passersby chatted and laughed, occasionally playing and chasing each other, thoroughly enjoying themselves.
Two years ago, Zhang Yu secretly went to Jingyun Nunnery at night to see Song Shuhao. He deliberately stayed, making Song Shuhao unable to get away. When he held her, he said sorry to her in an extremely solemn tone, and then said to her... "I love you".