The crisp sound still lingered in her ears, and in the dim light, she could almost see Lan Wuxie's face turned to the side, with red and swollen marks quickly appearing on her face.
Her palms and fingers burned, as if they were throbbing with pain. She took a deep breath, rubbed her left palm hard on the bedding, jumped up, rushed to the table, grabbed the teapot, and gulped down a cup of cold tea.
Just as I put down my teacup, I heard a faint sound outside the door.
Hua Chongyang was startled, let go of her hand, took a step back, and looked out into the corridor.
There were no lights in the room, but every now and then, slender lanterns hung under the eaves of the outside corridor, casting a quiet figure onto the gray window paper.
The figure was tall and slender, with an elegant and jade-like appearance. At first glance, he looked extremely familiar. When Hua Chongyang looked up, his heart ached, and his breath almost stopped.
But the next moment, she instinctively knew that it wasn't Lan Wuxie.
Lan Wuxie's image was almost etched in her mind; his silence was so desolate and forlorn.
And who is that?
The figure looked calm and composed, not like someone who had just barged in. Although the brothel was crowded and chaotic at night, this building belonged to Ye Qinghua, who never entertained outsiders. If there were any outsiders, why would they come here directly? Just as he was hesitating, the figure took another step closer and stood right in front of the door. He paused, then took a step back and turned around.
Hua Chongyang hesitated for a moment before stepping forward to open the door. Hearing the door open, the person who was about to leave stopped and turned back.
Hua Chongyang was taken aback:
"...Ah, Prince Situ?"
Situ Qingliu stood under the lantern by the railing, his blue and white robes illuminated by the dim light. He was initially surprised to see Hua Chongyang emerge, then stepped forward and smiled.
"Miss Chongyang."
"You…" Hua Chongyang looked at him, then glanced at the pavilions and towers in the brothel courtyard outside, "How did you get here?"
"Me—and Pinlan. We'll be staying in the pear blossom courtyard behind the house tonight."
Some of his answers were irrelevant, but Hua Chongyang suddenly understood and immediately smiled, offering him a way out:
"To outsiders, brothels aren't exactly respectable places. If word gets out that the young master is here at night, who knows what people will say? It's best to be careful."
She thought she had said enough and was about to close the door and go back to her room when Situ Qingliu stepped forward and grabbed the doorframe:
"I just ordered some congee and side dishes from the kitchen. Have you had dinner yet, young lady?"
"……ah."
"Why don't we have some food together? It just so happens," Situ Qingliu said with a smile, his expression earnest, "I have something to say to you, young lady."
The gentle smile in his eyes made it impossible for Hua Chongyang to refuse; after a long pause, he nodded.
"good."
The exquisite little courtyard, about three zhang square, has a simple wooden painted door and a blue brick path. A pear tree at the entrance is in full bloom, with a light red lantern hanging on its branches. The night breeze carries snow-white petals, which flutter and dance in the light of the pale red lantern.
The stone table and benches under the tree were just big enough for two people. Situ Qingliu sat down first, smiling as he looked up at Hua Chongyang:
"sit."
The porridge and dishes had been laid out on the table long ago, and looked especially delicious under the warm light. As soon as Hua Chongyang saw them, he felt hungry. After making a few concessions, he picked up his bowl and chopsticks and could no longer be polite. He swallowed three bowls of porridge in one gulp.
Situ Qingliu smiled, lowered his eyes, and slowly drank his porridge without saying a word, only occasionally glancing up at her.
Hua Chongyang, however, was quite decisive. He put down his chopsticks, picked up a handkerchief from the table, wiped his mouth, and looked at Situ Qingliu openly and frankly:
"Your Highness."
Situ Qingliu took a spoonful of porridge, slowly put down his chopsticks, and smiled as he looked up:
"how."
"I was completely drunk this afternoon and had to be rescued by the Prince; I'm truly ashamed." He paused, "The Prince just said he had something to say, so please forgive my rudeness. Regarding the Prince's orders, everything else is negotiable, except—except for the matter of Lan Ying Palace, please forgive me for not interfering."
"What does the young lady mean?"
"I don't want to talk about what happened inside Lan Ying Palace; I won't see anyone from Lan Ying Palace."
Why?
Hua Chongyang smiled, his eyes slightly lowered.
"It's simply that I can't forget my old flame."
The incident at Lake Moon Manor was still vivid in Hua Chongyang's mind. Although she didn't understand the reasons, she could see clearly that Situ Qingliu was on the side of the Martial Alliance—or rather, the Martial Alliance was on the side of Situ Qingliu, and their target was Lan Ying Palace. It was true that she had broken off her relationship with Lan Wuxie, and it was also true that she was eating at the same table as Situ Qingliu at the moment, but asking her to immediately stand opposite him was something she couldn't do.
Situ Qingliu lowered his eyes and remained silent for a moment, then raised them again, a smile still in his eyes:
"You're overthinking it, young lady. I have no interest in inquiring about Lan Ying Palace."
"What are your orders, Your Highness?"
Situ Qingliu chuckled and shook his head, shifting his gaze away:
"Since we're talking about being open and honest, huh? Staying at a brothel, having meals with you, saying I have things to say—it's all just excuses."
"……"
As he continued, a hint of bitterness crept into Situ Qingliu's faint smile:
"The Double Ninth Festival maiden may not forget her old love, and the clear stream cannot extinguish the longing in her heart. Having not seen each other for so long, I simply wanted to see you a few more times."
Hua Chongyang was stunned.
Situ Qingliu shook his head, lowered his eyes, and smiled bitterly:
"I was being too talkative. It was just a casual remark; you needn't take it to heart, young lady."
Against a backdrop of azure sky, crimson lamplight, and snow-white pear blossoms, the spring night was breathtakingly beautiful. Hua Chongyang opened her mouth and then closed it again, unsure of what to say; for a moment, she couldn't help but wonder, why wasn't it Situ Qingliu whom she had fallen for?
At least for this moment, she was certain that he genuinely liked her.
Pear blossoms fell from above, and the two remained silent for a long time. Situ Qingliu composed himself, looked up with a smile, and changed the subject:
"Oh, right."
"ah?"
Situ Qingliu poured tea and handed it to Hua Chongyang:
"At the last Heroes' Banquet hosted by Master Ye, I saw a young lady in front of his gate."
"……ah."
Hua Chongyang lowered his eyes speechlessly. Wasn't it her? She had impersonated Ren Ruhua and fooled him with her fake voice.
"Do you know that Miss Ren Ruhua, Chongyang?"
"……ah."
After making a few "uh-huh" sounds, Hua Chongyang felt that if this continued, Situ Qingliu would probably misunderstand her as shy, so he steeled himself and looked up:
"...Your Highness, please do not reveal this matter."
"Um?"
"Ren Ruhua... Ren Ruhua was actually me in disguise."
Situ Qingliu paused in his tea-serving gesture, then looked up.
"I was short of money at the time—so I went to Qinghua to discuss it. Qinghua said, 'I'm not bad-looking, so I should pretend to be a stunning beauty and perform on stage to swindle some money—'"
Hua Chongyang was so embarrassed that he couldn't continue speaking.
Even if she didn't have deep feelings for Situ Qingliu, it was still quite difficult for her to admit that she was a liar in front of someone who liked her.
But after pondering for a moment, Situ Qingliu suddenly asked:
"If that's true—then where did you get the purple-gold phoenix hairpin you wore back then?"
"It was Qinghua who gave it to me."
"Then where did Master Ye get that information from?"
Hua Chongyang was taken aback:
"this--"
Situ Qingliu stared at her with a hint of expectation in his eyes.
Hua Chongyang hesitated for a long time before saying:
"Well, Your Highness, I think you should ask Qinghua; she should know more than I do."
If she remembered correctly, those two purple-gold hairpins were clearly related to Lan Wuxie.
Situ Qingliu remained silent for a long time before standing up.
"In that case, Chongyang, would it be convenient for you to take me to see Master Ye immediately?"
Hua Chongyang nodded, then stood up:
"good."
The two of them toured the entire brothel.
Pavilions and terraces, springtime scenery of lakes and mountains, everywhere the fragrance of clothes and the swaying of hair. Candles flickered. Yet, not a single person in the brothel, young or old, could tell them the whereabouts of Ye Qinghua; finally, the two waited in Ye Qinghua's room for almost half an hour without seeing her. Seeing that it was getting too late, Hua Chongyang had no choice but to send him home first. Situ Qingliu's first request for her help had been fruitless, leaving Hua Chongyang somewhat frustrated; but Situ Qingliu didn't seem to mind, gently comforting her:
"I was too hasty. I'll come see Master Ye again tomorrow."
"Your Highness, rest assured, if I see her tonight, I will definitely tell Qinghua about this."
"Thank you very much, Chongyang."
After saying goodbye, Hua Chongyang went upstairs by himself.
The leaves and flowers were still there at dusk, but why were there no people around at night?
Hua Chongyang was absentmindedly climbing the stairs when his mind turned to this place, and his steps suddenly faltered.
Could it be... that Lan Wuxie is making another move?
She suddenly turned around.
Just as she was about to run downstairs, she heard someone calling her from upstairs behind her:
"Where are you going? Following men around like that in the middle of the night."
It was Ye Qinghua's voice.
Hua Chongyang felt relieved, turned around and patted his chest:
"You scared me to death! I looked for you for an hour and couldn't find you anywhere. How did you suddenly reappear? Where did you go, Qinghua?"