Who else could you love besides me

Chapter 6

Just as the man carrying the birdcage maliciously mocked Xi Ri, suggesting she might be a courtesan from some brothel, Tian Yong suddenly revealed a gleaming throwing knife. With a flick of his wrist, the knife pierced precisely through the gap in the birdcage and struck the blue-clad man in the groin. Instantly, the man collapsed to the ground, terrified out of his wits. His trousers were soaked in sweat, and he screamed in agony. The knife had only stuck in his trousers and hadn't actually injured him, but any more force and he would have been crippled.

Everyone was still shaken by the sight. When they saw Tian Yong's angry eyes and furrowed brows, they all fell silent. For a moment, the street was quiet except for the man lying on the ground, still howling in agony.

At this moment, an official sedan chair stopped at the edge of the crowd.

A man dressed as a guard quickly walked to the sedan chair and whispered, "Your Highness, the road ahead is blocked by a crowd. Shall we take a detour back to the manor?"

"What happened? Go and ask." A voice came from inside the sedan chair.

"yes."

A moment later, the guard returned to the sedan chair and respectfully whispered, "Your Highness, the crowd blocking the road is because Young Master Long has booked the Wanxi Restaurant to host a banquet for a young lady."

There was a moment of silence inside the sedan chair. Suddenly, the curtain was lifted, and a young man in brocade robes stepped out.

The young man in brocade robes was none other than Suo Ge.

He frowned, looked up at the crowd, and wondered, "What trouble is he going to cause this time?" His voice was deep and authoritative, giving people a sense of oppression. He ordered, "Go and see."

The sedan chair stopped outside the crowd, and the two men approached the outer edge of the tightly packed human wall. The man in the tight-fitting clothes pushed through the crowd, shouting for someone to make way for Suoge.

The common people who were making way were initially unwilling, but when they saw that the man in the tight-fitting clothes was dressed as a government guard with a large knife at his waist, and that the man behind him was obviously an official, they gradually made way for him.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, the two were about to enter Wanxi Restaurant, but at the entrance, four burly men suddenly appeared and stopped them.

"Are there any posts?" one of them asked.

"How dare you block the Imperial Envoy from entering!" the man in tight-fitting clothes shouted angrily.

"Today, Wanxi Restaurant has been booked out by Young Master Long. Even Your Excellency cannot enter without an invitation," the man replied neither humbly nor arrogantly.

The man in the tight-fitting clothes was about to say something when Suoge stopped him.

Just now, Suoge looked up and saw a mark on the lower right corner of the Wanxilou signboard—a wolf's head. He suddenly remembered something, stopped the guard Duo Agu, took a few steps back, and shouted upstairs, "Long Ming! Come down!"

A moment later, Long Ming leaped down the stairs and saw Suo Ge being stopped at the door. He greeted him with a smile: "Cousin, what brings you here? Have you finished your business?"

Soge ignored his smile and pointed to the dark mass of people on the street, "What's going on here?"

As soon as he finished speaking, he saw a person coming down the stairs behind Long Ming. Although the person's face was covered, he recognized her at first glance.

Long Ming smiled. "Cousin, I didn't do anything. Didn't you ask me to apologize to Miss Tian? I booked the entire Wanxi Restaurant to host a banquet for her to apologize to her. Isn't that sincere enough?"

Suoge looked at Xiri, but Xiri remained expressionless.

Suoge looked away, turned to Long Ming who was grinning, and said, "Let's go back to the manor!"

That day, if it weren't for the burly Tian Yong, Xi Ri would have had a hard time getting home.

That night, Xi Ri tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.

The morning in Suzhou was just like any other day. From the quiet, sparse figures moving about to the bustling crowds in the streets and alleys after the sun had risen high, it was still prosperous and lively, nothing different or unusual.

Until a woman appeared on the street with a man and a woman.

Almost immediately, people in the crowd began to spread the word, and everyone's eyes turned in the same direction. They were looking at the three people who had appeared on the street.

The woman in the lead was dressed in a lake-green floral dress, with a graceful figure and elegant demeanor; she must have been a beauty.

People started pointing and whispering as the woman walked along the road. Wherever she went, the crowd would automatically make way for her, but they would immediately surround the exit of the road again.

Soon, the crowd in front stopped making way, and the three were surrounded. More and more people gathered around them, and they all began to comment and make noise.

Looking at the diverse group of men and women before her, she saw the scrutinizing gazes directed at her as if she were some strange and unusual creature. She listened to their pointing and whispering, hearing their sarcastic comments in fluent Suzhou dialect. She couldn't help but chuckle inwardly. The thing she'd been waiting for had finally arrived. "Long Ming, you really couldn't hold back, could you? It turns out I really have the honor of being the one to break Young Master Long's rules this year. How lucky!"

The voices grew louder and louder, and the crowd became increasingly excited, gradually shrinking the circle surrounding them.

Xi Ri was shielded by Tian Shuang and Tian Yong, holding a silk fan to cover her eyes and below. She scrutinized the Suzhou people around her.

Finally, someone in the crowd couldn't hold back any longer and shouted, "Girl, are you so ugly that you can't be seen by anyone? Ha, take off your fan and face mask and let everyone judge whether you deserve to rise to the top! Haha..." After saying that, Nari laughed disdainfully.

"Yes! Hiding and showing off, we want to see just how beautiful you are that you dare to bewitch our Young Master Long!" a woman said sarcastically.

"Since the young lady has publicly declared that she wants to have Young Master Long all to herself, then the people of Suzhou need to agree first!"

“Yes! At least, she’s prettier than the Red Cherry Girl from the Water Red Pavilion! Haha…” One person compared the prostitute to Xi Ri.

"Go away," a plump woman shoved the man who had just spoken and laughed, "That Hongying is the most notorious ugliest and most slutty whore in all of Suzhou. Anyone can surpass her. Unless they're a sow!" Everyone burst into laughter at her words. Just then, a sharp shout rang out from nowhere.

"Don't talk nonsense. Judging from the girl's figure and temperament, she must be from a wealthy family. However, if she wants to marry Young Master Long, she'll at least have to get past me!" As soon as the words were spoken, three people stepped out from the crowd. The crowd consciously made way. The woman in the lead, dressed in red with a red sash and red shoes, was all in bright red, yet not gaudy; instead, she seemed to radiate a fiery energy. She held a long whip, which she swung through the air, leaving a deep welt on the ground. She was the one who had just spoken. To her left was a slender woman in white with black hair, a pink ribbon casually tied behind her head, giving her an indescribable elegance. To her right was a petite and adorable woman with bright, blinking eyes, curiously watching Xiri.

Xi Ri still concealed her face, and Tian Shuang and Tian Yong remained wary.

Xi Ri carefully observed the three women before her, finding them increasingly captivating. People say Jiangnan is full of beautiful women, but for days she had mostly seen modest, pretty girls. Only today, three stunningly beautiful women had suddenly appeared. It was truly overwhelming.

Gradually, her gaze shifted from curiosity to fascination...

The woman in red was also carefully observing Xiri. She was slender with a delicate waist, and her long, black hair was tied back with a wooden hairpin, giving her an antique and elegant appearance. A fine silk fan clung to her fair, rounded wrist. Two skilled martial arts attendants accompanied her, all indicating her extraordinary status. However, her face was obscured, only her beautiful eyes visible. But those eyes… those eyes… why were they lecherous? That gaze made Xiri feel offended! A surge of anger rose within her! She shouted, “Miss, could you please remove your silk fan and let everyone see your face? Stop hiding and let us fight face to face!”

Xi Ri was secretly alarmed. She said it was a face-to-face contest! Could she be an admirer of Long Ming? She smiled and said, "Why should you be angry, young lady? If you want to see my face, I will not disappoint you. But, alas... alas... alas..." Xi Ri sighed three times, finally causing the red-clad woman in front of her to furrow her brows.

The petite and lovely woman to her right chimed in, "What are you sighing about?"

Xi Ri lowered her head and sighed softly, "I only meant well. My stunning face shouldn't be shown to outsiders. My family repeatedly told me before I left home, so it's not that I deliberately didn't show my true face, but that I really have something I can't say."

"A stunningly beautiful face!" Everyone exclaimed in surprise and began to whisper among themselves.

The woman in red was also taken aback, but after a moment, she seemed even more disbelieving and insisted on seeing clearly.