"Oh? What is it?" Li She asked.
“Greedy,” said Gongzi Yi.
Li She frowned.
Seeing this, Gongzi Yi said, "You don't believe me?"
Li She smiled, tilted his head back and drank the wine in his cup, remaining noncommittal.
Gongzi Yi let out a burp and said, "I'll show you."
Li She raised an eyebrow and saw that Gongzi Yi had thrown down a tael of silver and gone behind Hua Wuduo's seat.
She was an accident.
Looking at the silver on the ground, Li She asked, "Young Master Yi, what is the meaning of this?"
Gongzi Yi smiled with a hint of malice and said, "I can tell that you have feelings for my sister. If you want to pursue her, this is the most direct and effective way..." He pointed to the one tael of silver on the ground and said, "My sister likes this the most, and Brother Li happens to have the most of this."
Upon hearing this, Li She glanced sideways at Gongzi Yi, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, but a hint of contempt flashed in his eyes.
Gongzi Yi, however, seemed oblivious to Li She's displeasure and continued to smile brightly.
Hua Wuduo returned to the main hall, still thinking about what had just happened, and didn't even notice the silver in front of his seat.
She sat down directly in her seat, looking preoccupied.
Gongzi Yi didn't notice her expression. Looking at the one or two taels of silver lying on the ground, its light dimmed and all his efforts was in vain, he tried to make a last-ditch effort and suddenly said, "Huh? Who dropped this..." Before Gongzi Yi could finish speaking, Hua Wuduo said tremblingly, "Brother Yi, I'm so scared."
Upon hearing this, Gongzi Yi exclaimed in surprise, "Sister, what's wrong?"
Hua Wuduo said, "Just now... my sister went to the outhouse and saw, saw..."
Hua Wuduo's voice was neither too loud nor too soft, and he looked absent-minded and panicked. Even Gongzi Qi, who was next to Gongzi Yi, noticed that something was wrong. Gongzi Qi asked, "What did you see? Don't be afraid, your brothers are here. Just tell us."
Hua Wuduo lowered his head, his voice hesitant and trembling as he said, "I was going to the outhouse, but as soon as I got there I saw... I saw... General Song... he... went into the women's restroom. I heard Princess Jiang Yu scream in fright inside, I..." The hall, which had been noisy, suddenly fell silent, save for Hua Wuduo's trembling, slightly panicked voice, "I heard Princess Jiang Yu shout: General Song, you, you... don't do this..." Everyone in the hall gasped upon hearing this. Some were surprised and disbelieving, while others, after their initial surprise, chuckled inwardly. Hua Wuduo hadn't lied; he had simply added three words, and the meaning immediately changed, truly sparking the imagination. Hua Wuduo continued, "I...I was so scared that I turned and ran away. I was in such a hurry that I stepped on my skirt and fell down. It hurts so much, waah..." At this point, Hua Wuduo suddenly burst into tears. Gongzi Yi hurriedly hugged her and comforted her. Hua Wuduo was sobbing in Gongzi Yi's arms. Judging from the sound, she seemed to be crying very hard. To others, she was probably really frightened.
Gongzi Yi held Hua Wuduo and tried his best to comfort her, but he still couldn't help but twitch his face slightly.
At this moment, Gongzi Qi coughed twice, then calmly raised his cup and stood up, saying, "Your Highness, esteemed gentlemen, my sister has always been a poor drinker, and she is probably drunk right now. She is talking nonsense and her words are not to be taken seriously. Please forgive my sister for being young and ignorant and talking nonsense while drunk. On behalf of my sister, I apologize to Your Highness and esteemed gentlemen. I will punish myself with three cups as an apology. Cheers!"
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Hua Wuduo's words put Prince Jin in an awkward position. Although a hint of joy flashed in Prince Jin's eyes, he still looked embarrassed. Hearing Gongzi Qi's words, he said, "Young man, you must be careful with your words and actions. Even if you say something inappropriate while drunk, it can cause you a lot of trouble."
Gongzi Qi smiled respectfully and said, "Your Highness's teachings are correct."
At this moment, Gongzi Yi, who had been embracing Hua Wuduo who was feigning tears, said, "Your Highness, I will first escort my sister back to her room, and then return to drink with you all."
The Prince of Jin said, "Go."
Gongzi Yi said, "Thank you, Your Highness."
Gongzi Yi walked away with Hua Wuduo in his arms.
Li She watched the two figures disappear, then glanced at the one or two taels of silver still lying on the ground, unwanted. He finished his wine and laughed, "Interesting."
Back in the house, Hua Wuduo and Gongzi Yi burst into laughter and fell onto the bed.
Gongzi Yi said, "I didn't expect you to take your revenge on Song Zixing so quickly. It was really Song Zixing's misfortune to meet you!"
"What are you talking about? If he hadn't provoked me time and time again, I wouldn't have bothered with him. He even made me perform on stage, clearly wanting to see me make a fool of myself!" Hua Wuduo said, dissatisfied.
Gongzi Yi shook his head and chuckled, saying, "Alright, you rest first. I need to rush back and see Song Zixing's reaction; it'll definitely be interesting."
Young Master Yi went out and left.
Hua Wuduo was alone in the room, extremely bored, and his mind started wandering. Suddenly, he thought, what if he really went on stage to perform...
Just thinking about that scene...
Oh my god... no...
She remembered clearly that when she was four, the first time she sang, she made all the other children her age cry. She remembered that when she was nine, a thirteen-year-old boy, the son of her father's friend, peeked at her swinging on the wall. When she sang, she was enjoying herself, and he immediately fell off the wall, landing hard on his backside. She remembered that when she was eleven, she was practicing swordsmanship on the mountain. During a break, she sang a song in high spirits. Unexpectedly, the herding boys and their cattle and sheep on the nearby mountain all panicked, scattering in an instant. The herding boys shouted as they ran, "Wolf! Bear! Ghost!" They couldn't even tell what was coming. She remembered that when she was twelve, she couldn't resist singing again, and someone who heard her fell into the lotus pond. She remembered…
For this reason, her father's friend, Aunt You Xiao, even wanted to take her as a disciple and teach her her life's secret skill, "Demon Sound Piercing the Brain." However, she firmly refused. Afterwards, her father asked her why she refused, and she replied, "Do I need to learn it? I was born with it." Her father smiled and comforted her, "It's not that your singing is scary, it's that people who listen to your singing always have accidents."
“Yes.” She nodded emphatically, then said, “It also includes birds and beasts.”
Father was at a loss for words.
Therefore, she never touches anything related to music, so she doesn't know how to read sheet music, nor can she play the piano or dance.
Recalling those heart-wrenching memories, it felt like a claw was scratching at her heart; she was incredibly distressed and couldn't sleep. The Phoenix Boat Race was supposed to be a competition of talent, and yet someone like her was being forced to go first. She could only imagine how many of the other competitors would be alive after her song…
Just thinking about that scene... I don't want to live anymore...
She knew she had no choice but to agree tonight due to the circumstances, but judging from Gongzi Yi's tone, it seemed they already had a plan. She insisted on waiting for Gongzi Yi and Gongzi Qi to return so she could get to the bottom of things.
Around midnight, Gongzi Yi and Gongzi Qi were helped back. She hurriedly went out to question them, only to find them completely drunk and unconscious. Disappointed, she had no choice but to return to the house and wait until they were sober the next day to ask them.
Hua Wuduo tossed and turned in the room, unable to fall asleep. He couldn't help but complain to himself: Aren't they usually quite good drinkers? Especially Gongzi Qi, how come he's so useless today, drinking like this.
Hua Wuduo couldn't sleep. In the quiet of the dark night, she, being skilled in martial arts, was much more vigilant than the average person. Suddenly, she heard the sound of a door opening and closing rapidly. Startled, she quickly hid by the window and cautiously looked out. It was a hot summer day, and all the windows were open. Through the window, Hua Wuduo saw a person standing outside Gongzi Yi's room across the street, dressed in black. The person turned around, and the bright moonlight revealed that it was indeed Gongzi Yi. Then, Gongzi Qi's door also opened, and Gongzi Qi, also dressed in black, quickly walked out. The two nodded to each other, put on their face masks, and with a light step, flew onto the roof and instantly disappeared into the night.
Hiding by the window, Hua Wuduo thought to himself: These two are actually pretending to be drunk. What are they up to, dressed like that?
Hua Wu hesitated for a moment, wondering whether to chase after them to see what was going on, but a glance at her current attire dissuaded her from the idea. Now that she was in the Prince of Jin's residence, and Turtle Star was also there, it was best for her not to act rashly.
Last night, Hua Wuduo waited for a long time but Gongzi Yi and Gongzi Qi did not return. Finally, she could not stay awake any longer and fell asleep without realizing it. She slept until the beginning of the next day. When she got up, Gongzi Yi and Gongzi Qi had not yet gotten up.
The maids of the Prince's mansion had been waiting for her outside the gate for a long time. Seeing her awake, they hurried inside to help her wash and dress. After she was ready, the maids asked if she wanted to eat first. Learning that the young master and his companion had not yet risen, and considering the hot and humid weather, she had the maids set out lunch under the osmanthus tree in the courtyard, and began to eat herself. Just then, a smiling maid entered the courtyard carrying a uniquely woven flower basket. Inside were neatly arranged smooth, glistening pears, with a beautiful pink letter tucked among them. The maid bowed to Hua Wuduo and said, "This servant greets Miss Duoduo."
"Get up, what is it?" Hua Wuduo asked, putting down his bowl and chopsticks.
"Miss, this was sent to you by Young Master Li," the maid said.
Upon seeing the basket of pears, Hua Wuduo immediately thought of Li She and said, "Just leave it there."
"Yes." The maid put down the basket and left.
After lunch, the maids came forward to clear away the dishes. Hua Wuduo got up, picked up the letter from the basket, opened it, and saw a few words written on it: "I wonder if my actions have been disrespectful to Miss. I wish to become Miss's confidante. Today at 5 PM, at Wuzi Residence on West Street, I will be waiting for you."
Hua Wuduo raised an eyebrow. The letter paper was stiff, but in her hand it was like ordinary paper, easily crumpled into a ball with a gentle squeeze. She intended to discard it casually, but then smiled, tossed the ball into the air, and kicked it, sending it flying onto the roof and disappearing from sight. Just then, Gongzi Yi came out, stretching, and saw Hua Wuduo kick a ball of paper onto the roof. He asked, "What are you doing?"
Hua Wuduo said, "You're finally up. I have something to ask you."
Hua Wuduo glanced at the maids standing under the tree and said, "You may all step back."
"Yes." The maids all withdrew.
"What is it?" Gongzi Yi walked up to her.
Just as Hua Wuduo was about to ask a question, he suddenly heard a woman outside the wall softly exclaim, "Oh dear."
Another woman asked, "Miss, what's wrong?"
The young woman said, "Something hit me."
A moment later, the maid said, "Miss, it's a crumpled piece of paper."
"oh?"
The maid said, "Miss, look, there are words on it."
Hua Wuduo paled upon hearing this, her expression changing repeatedly. Ignoring the bewildered look in Gongzi Yi's eyes, she hurriedly ran to the door and peeked out. Gongzi Yi followed her to the door and peeked out as well. The two saw Song Ziyin standing outside the door, holding the unfolded paper ball in her hand, her cheeks flushed.
Hua Wuduo thought to herself: If she had known that her sister from Turtle Star was outside, she should have changed the name on the letter to Qi...
×××××××××××××
Hua Wuduo was secretly regretting his actions when he heard two people above him ask, "What are you looking at?"
What was written on that piece of paper?
Hua Wuduo looked up and realized that Gongzi Yi and Gongzi Qi were also peering outside, just like her. She didn't know when Gongzi Qi had come out of the room.
Hua Wuduo waved his hand, and the three of them retreated into the courtyard.
After sitting down at the table in the courtyard, Gongzi Yi quickly asked, "What was written on that piece of paper?"
Hua Wuduo recalled the contents of the paper and felt a little embarrassed. He couldn't help but chuckle awkwardly, "It's past noon now, you must be hungry. Let's eat something first and talk while we eat."
The two nodded.
The maidservant set out the food and then left. Only the three of them remained in the courtyard.
Although Hua Wuduo had just eaten, seeing how much they enjoyed their meal, he couldn't resist having some more. The three of them ate and talked at the same time.
Hua Wuduo first asked Gongzi Qi why he had agreed to let her perform at the Phoenix Boat Race last night. This question had been bothering her all night, and she was eager to know the reason.
Gongzi Yi said first, "You probably don't know this, but the person who sings at the opening of the Phoenix Boat Race will receive a lot of prizes. These prizes are all given by the scions of noble families who come to watch the race. Every single one of these gifts is priceless. Especially since Li She, the third young master of the Li family in Luoyang, is also here this time. He is the son of the richest man in the world, so he will definitely be very generous. The gifts he gives must be extraordinary. Just think, as long as you are willing to go up and sing a song, all these gifts will be yours. Of course, we will agree to this for you."
Hua Wuduo's eyes lit up with joy upon hearing this, but when he thought about his actual situation, his excitement dimmed again.
Seeing that Hua Wuduo didn't react as expected, Gongzi Qi couldn't help but feel puzzled and asked with concern, "What's wrong?"
Gongzi Yi also noticed Hua Wuduo's unusual behavior and looked at her with suspicion.
Hua Wuduo sighed, "I'm not going."
Gongzi Qi and Gongzi Yi were slightly surprised that Hua Wuduo was unmoved by money!
Gongzi Yi asked with concern, "Why? It's just going up to sing a song, that shouldn't be difficult for you."
Hua Wuduo had something difficult to say, but he was too embarrassed to tell them the truth, so he asked in return, "Then why didn't Liu Yu go? She's clearly not sick."
Gongzi Qi said, "I think Liu Yu is probably too embarrassed to perform on stage. Otherwise, why would she give up such a glorious opportunity to someone else?" After saying this, she and Gongzi Yi exchanged a smile.
Hua Wuduo looked at Gongzi Yi: "Didn't you say she's very talented? Why would she be shy?"
Gongzi Yi smiled innocently and said, "But I didn't say she sings well."
So Liu Yu sings terribly too? Hua Wuduo said dejectedly, "Then how do you know I sing well?"
Upon hearing this, Gongzi Yi and Gongzi Qi immediately understood the crux of the problem.
Gongzi Qi tapped the plate in front of him with his chopsticks and laughed, "So that's what you're worried about. What's so difficult about that?"
"Do you have a solution?" Hua Wuduo asked.
Gongzi Qi's gaze shifted, and he said softly, "Lip-syncing."
Hua Wuduo and Gongzi Yi were both very clever, so they understood immediately. Hua Wuduo said, "I've thought of this method too, but I'm afraid it won't be so easy to do."