Chapter 81
It was dawn, the morning mist had not yet dissipated, the bricks and tiles were covered with snow from the night before, and the air was thick with cold smoke; every breath was icy cold.
"This awful weather, how come it's so cold?"
"Are you kidding me? Opening the window so wide!"
Suddenly, a gleaming throwing knife flew from behind him, but he dodged it by turning his head just before it touched his hair. The knife embedded itself deeply into a poplar tree outside the window.
"What are you yelling about? Can't a person get some sleep?!"
Early in the morning, the Marquis Guan's residence was in complete chaos.
"What's all the noise about? Stand still, everyone!"
The Imperial Guard rushed out of the room, his long sword dragging on the ground, his expression fierce.
"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven! You're not allowed to eat breakfast until you've run a hundred laps around the Marquis's mansion!"
The seven people, still half asleep, drooped their heads, let out a collective wail, and then staggered off. As they ran, they started complaining about the culprit.
"Damn it, Dexin, why did you leave the window so wide open? Don't you know how cold it is on winter mornings? You froze away my precious dream!"
“We didn’t get back from the mission until the early hours of the morning yesterday, and we’ve only slept for a few hours. How come you, Dexin, are so energetic? Don’t you have any consideration for us old bones?”
"...Just run, why are you making such a fuss? You're acting like a girl!"
The Imperial Guardian silently ran up from behind, making the others cower in fear.
"Gather in the front hall after breakfast, the young marquis has returned."
"Young Master Marquis? Isn't he at Xihong Garden?"
"Go away, go away! Do you think the young marquis is like you? You're so caught up in the pleasures of love that you don't care about anything else."
"But isn't the young marquis famous for..."
"Shut up, do you even have a brain?! Run another fifty laps, finish it within half an hour, or you won't get any food!"
As soon as they finished yelling, those people took off running like the wind.
Inside the Guanhou Mansion is a glazed pagoda, next to which stands a three-story pavilion with red wood and golden tiles, exuding luxury and wealth.
A young man dressed in bright yellow brocade stood on the white marble steps; even from behind, he was already strikingly handsome.
"Sir, no matter how beautiful your pose is, Miss Fang, who lives across the street, can't see you. Besides, this is a windy spot; aren't you cold?"
After the old man said that, the boy immediately shrank back and shivered from the cold.
"Why didn't you say so earlier? I've been standing in the cold wind all day!"
The old manager bowed down, repeatedly muttering, "Yes, yes, yes..."
"Where is the Imperial Guard?" The boy asked, hugging himself as he crawled into the house.
"Wait for the young master in the front hall."
"Why didn't you say so earlier? You've wasted so much time!"
The old steward lowered his head again, smiling obsequiously, "Yes, yes, yes..."
By the time the two reached the front hall, it was almost 9:00 AM.
"Supervisor, take these two boys and come with me to Lin'an. Get up immediately."
He went in, said one sentence, then patted his butt and left.
Fortunately, everyone was used to this young marquis. The Imperial Guard waved his hand and said, "Little Tiger, Dexin, you're given a chance to show yourselves!"
The two chosen immediately fell silent, thinking to themselves: "Master Du, are you deliberately trying to make things difficult for me?"
...
Jiangnan is beautiful, Jiangnan is wonderful, Jiangnan has many beautiful women.
Having bid farewell to Xihong Garden, we have now arrived at Lvchun Tower. The life of this dignified young marquis is truly colorful and full of fun.
The young marquis of the Guanhou Mansion is named Li Yu. He has a handsome and elegant face and has loved to frequent brothels since he was a child. It is common knowledge in the capital that wherever there is a brothel, there is the young marquis.
"Look, the young master is drooling over that girl again, holding a wine cup." Xiao Hu nudged De Xin, who was stuffing food into her mouth.
Dexin, caught off guard, nearly choked, coughing repeatedly.
"What's wrong? You can't even eat?" The culprit handed over a glass of water with a "you really are something" look on his face.
At this moment, Dexin's frustration was no less than when he found half a worm in the middle of his meal. Was it wrong for him to have insomnia, get up early, and open the window to see the scenery?
In fact, this was just the beginning of Dexin's misfortunes in the days to come.
"Young Master Hou... Young Master Hou?!" Xiao Hu suddenly stood up, quite abruptly. De Xin was caught off guard and choked on a mouthful of rice.
He could only watch helplessly as Xiao Hu darted away from him to chase after the young marquis who was running faster than a rabbit.
"Alas, beauty is a curse." Suddenly, an old man's voice came from behind. He slowly turned around and saw it was Butler Li.
However, he managed to swallow a mouthful of rice out of sheer fright.
"Young Master, what's going on...?"
"Sigh, as expected, there are many beautiful women in Jiangnan. This beauty... tsk tsk tsk, just one glance and all those beauties that the young master used to covet look inferior to her..."
Old Guan squinted and stroked his chin, looking just like a lecherous old man.
Upon hearing this, Dexin couldn't help but be surprised. For an old steward who had seen countless people to say such a thing, what kind of exceptional beauty must she be? And how long could this one keep the young marquis's attention? The longest the last one had seemed to last was three months.
Chapter 82
Because the weather in the north was so cold at this time, I couldn't stay there any longer. And some people, for some reason, had so many things to do that they couldn't get away, so I had to take Xiaoman, Aqing, and Shaoming to Lin'an for the winter... But just before we set off, two more people joined us. One was Qiongying, who practically threw herself at me, vowing to protect me. But everyone knew her ulterior motives; she just wanted to slack off openly! As for the other one, it was the twin An, whom I couldn't shake off no matter what I did. He was like a leech, sticking to me like glue.
Having been away for so long, I was momentarily disoriented after getting off the carriage.
"Anyway, let's go eat first." Madam, I'm hungry.
"You grew up in Lin'an, how could you not know the way home?"
I raised an eyebrow and grabbed the oblivious twins, "See that house with the green glazed tile roof in the distance? That used to be where the Rong family's students lived. You used to walk down this street to the end and then turn the corner to get to the Rong residence. Now it's a wall, and all the shortcuts from the west side are blocked. So there's no way to get there from the west gate; you have to go through the east gate. If you're so capable, show me the way! If I'm starving and don't get there in two hours, I'll immediately call your brother..."
"Ah, why do I suddenly feel so hungry? I'm starving! Time to eat!"
This guy changed his tune quickly, disappearing into the restaurant in the blink of an eye.
I had just taken a step forward when a yellow, unidentified object suddenly jumped out of the restaurant, brushed past Gemini An, and spun him around.
"Beautiful lady, beautiful lady, may I ask your name? How old are you? Are you married? Where do you live, and how many people live with you?"
As he ran and asked questions, just before he was about to touch her with both hands for the third question, Ah Qing managed to stop him.
"...Little beauty, may I ask your name? How old are you? Are you married? Where do you live...?"
Everyone was speechless, watching helplessly as A Qing's face turned red, then white, then red again, finally settling into a bluish-black color. Her hand was already poised in a palm strike, but a voice stopped her.
"Young Master!" The boy who followed behind was ordinary-looking, but he had a refreshing air about him.
"Little Tiger, you've come at the perfect time. Look, the Jiangnan region is truly a nurturing place, its beauty is breathtaking."
The young man named Xiaohu's lips twitched slightly, then he forcefully pried his master's hand off Aqing's.
"Young master, you haven't forgotten why we're here, have you? Besides, if you want to see beautiful women, aren't there plenty in Green Spring Pavilion?"
"Today I saw a beauty that could topple a city. What are the beauties in the Green Spring Pavilion compared to this?" She disgustedly pulled her white hand away and wiped it on her clothes.
Xiao Hu glanced at me and hurriedly looked away, muttering something under his breath as he tried to pull his master away.
"Where did this brat come from? Can't you see where you're going?" The twins finally made a sound and rushed out from inside.
The fair-skinned boy was stunned for a moment, forgetting to pry Xiao Hu's hand away.
"How dare you! Who is this rude person who dares to be disrespectful to me! Little Tiger, tell him who I am."
"Li Yu, the young marquis of the Guanhou Mansion."
Gemini Ann's eyes widened. "Oh, so it's that infamous playboy. Come here, little kid, there's a sugar figurine for sale. Kids should act like kids, don't try to act like big shots."
I frowned imperceptibly. The person from the imperial court was just a minor marquis. What a coincidence!
"Do you still want to eat?" I glared at the twins, not wanting to watch their commotion, and went into the restaurant.
But as soon as I got to the second floor, I felt some strange gazes fixed on me, slightly different from the gazes I usually receive from others.
I looked straight ahead without looking away or pretending not to know. At the corner table by the window sat three people: two men and a woman. The woman, dressed in simple white, already exuded elegance and poise, a gentle smile adorning her pretty face. The man she sat with, holding her hand, was dressed in a striking purple robe, his handsome face expressionless. The man opposite them, dressed in black, had striking features, was tall and strong, and seemed quite agile.
"Madam?" Shao Ming called out.
I turned my gaze away and chose the most conspicuous table to sit down. Gemini An arrived late, waiting for me to order some good food.
There weren't many people in the restaurant at this time, as it was past lunchtime. So, if you looked up, you would inevitably see Li Yu at the next few tables. He was accompanied by two people: an elderly man and a boy about the same age as Xiao Hu, with eyes as sharp as a cat's.
"Eat quickly, and leave early after you finish eating. It will take quite a while to walk from here to the East Gate."
So, the meal was over in less than a quarter of an hour thanks to my urging. Before going downstairs, I glanced at the table by the window again, just as the man in purple looked over. His light brown eyes were deep and unwavering, domineering and giving no one a chance to breathe, his gaze extremely charismatic. I smiled unconsciously; this man was no ordinary person.
As soon as they left the restaurant, they saw Qiongying, who had been delayed by shopping, chasing after them and throwing all the bags and packages into the carriage.
"Have you eaten?" I asked her as we got into the car.
Qiongying nodded, "I also packed some jade dew cakes."