"Huh!" Yun'er's eyes widened. The person in the wheelchair was gone, and the young lady was gone too!
No, no, no, when did these two get to her? The young lady is still protected in that man's arms, completely unharmed. That man is truly...beautiful...
The room was silent for a moment, except for the sound of Yun'er drooling.
Yin Wuxiao slowly turned his head:
"Baili Qingyi!" she said, grinding her teeth.
Baili Qingyi gave a gentle, harmless smile: "Xiao'er... I can explain." He had never said he was crippled; he just... just hadn't corrected her misunderstanding.
Yin Wuxiao completely ignored him. "Yun'er!"
"Huh? What?" Yun'er quickly came to her senses.
"Go get a broom."
"Oh, I'll get a broom and sweep it up right away."
"No, I told you to get a broom and throw this man out the door!"
"What?" Yun'er's mouth dropped open. She was supposed to kick this charming, aloof, and otherworldly gentleman out the door? And with a broom?
Baili Qingyi was also stunned by her, and was unusually at a loss for what to do.
"Um... I can explain, actually..."
"Yun'er!" But Yin Wuxiao had no intention of listening to his explanation.
Yun'er asked with difficulty, "But how do we get out of the main gate?"
"Just like you herd chickens and ducks, chase him away!" Miss Yin stormed off, her face full of anger.
"..." Although Yun'er was very embarrassed, she still obediently and loyally picked up the broom. "Young master, I'm sorry." Her young lady was really something, turning her back on her so easily! Truly a remarkable woman!
Thus, the arbitrator of the martial arts world and the protector of the Jianghu, the young master in blue robes from Baili Mansion, was defeated by a broom from a maid in the Yin Mansion and was humiliated and kicked out of the gate.
"Sigh..." Baili Qingyi sighed with a wry smile. He only wanted to take advantage of her sympathy and had no intention of deceiving her. But no matter how substantial and eloquent his reasons were, he always forgot that Miss Yin, who was both talented and rational, was still a woman, and when a woman put her mind to something, there was absolutely no reasoning with her.
Chapter Twenty-Seven: Incense Smokes Leisurely, Phoenixes Flutter (Part One)
I fear the small boat on the Shuangxi River cannot bear the weight of so much sorrow.
Deng Qinghui, dressed in a moon-colored brocade robe and with his hat tied high, sat smilingly in the painted boat on the Gongxi River and waved to Yin Wuxiao by the river.
Yin Wuxiao nodded without changing his expression. More than three years had passed since they last met, and Deng Qinghui was no longer the young scholar with the youthful vigor he once was; his eyes had become much more murky.
The boatman on the painted boat gently pushed off the riverbed with a bamboo pole, and one end of the boat slowly approached the shore.
"Miss Yin, are you not going to board the ship? Do I have to personally disembark and invite you?" Deng Qinghui stepped out of the cabin, swiftly opening a paper fan. He was young and proud, exuding an air of refined elegance.
"Of course I wouldn't dare." Yin Wuxiao curtsied cautiously and frowned, saying, "I originally thought that today I should go to the Prime Minister's residence to discuss poetry and literature with the other officials."
Before she could finish speaking, Deng Qinghui burst into laughter: "Miss Yin, what you said is such a spoilsport! Wouldn't it be even more charming to hold the poetry and literature gathering on this painted boat on Gongxi River?"
"Then, gentlemen..."
"Where did these esteemed gentlemen come from? Can't the young lady and I discuss poetry?" Deng Qinghui interrupted sharply, his displeasure evident in his words.
Yin Wuxiao dared not ask any more questions and could only lower his head and step onto the painted boat.
"Miss..." Yun'er, who was accompanying them, called out softly, somewhat worried.
Yin Wuxiao winked at him: "Yun'er, do as I say. The Prime Minister is an upright man, there's nothing to worry about."
Deng Qinghui clapped his hands and laughed, then personally lifted the boat curtain: "Miss Yin is indeed straightforward, please come in!"
Upon entering the boat, even though Yin Wuxiao was prepared, he couldn't help but be taken aback. The two walls of the boat were covered with portraits, each one exquisite and different in expression, but they all depicted the same person: dressed in brocade robes, with black hair like a spring, and a yellow veil covering his face—it was himself from the poetry contest at Yun Pavilion that day.
He looked at Deng Qinghui in surprise, only to see him look back at him nonchalantly and ask with a smile, "How is it?"
Yin Wuxiao didn't know how to answer. After a moment's thought, he lowered his eyes and smiled, "Prime Minister, your painting skills are profound. Even I myself would find it difficult to capture even a fraction of your spirit."
Deng Qinghui raised an eyebrow: "Miss Yin, it's been three years. How come your personality has changed so much? Have you become like those vulgar people who say one thing but mean another? I've never even seen Miss Yin's true face, so how can I capture her essence?"
Seeing that he did not refer to himself as the Prime Minister, Yin Wuxiao became even more wary and remained silent.
Seeing that she remained silent, Deng Qinghui did not press her further. After a pause, he suddenly smiled and said, "Miss, I already have the answer to the poem you submitted three years ago."
Yin Wuxiao was taken aback again. This man's words were now unpredictable and illogical. Why was he bringing up the poetry contest from back then again?
"Miss, if Qinghui can match the poems from that year, how would you like to reward him?"
"Prime Minister!" Yin Wuxiao took two steps back, widening the distance between them. "Prime Minister's status is so noble, how can I talk about rewards? I dare not."
"Oh?" Deng Qinghui's gaze swept over her veiled face with a half-smile. "If Qinghui can answer the question in the poem, I won't make things difficult for you, Miss. You can remove your veil and let Qinghui see your true face. How about that?"
Without waiting for her response, Deng Qinghui picked up a wolf-hair brush from the table beside him and quickly composed a four-line quatrain:
The lady angrily urged the beautiful woman to sit on the moonlit flower, while the top scholar built a new ivory bed.
A single fragrant branch, glistening with dew, was unexpectedly taken into the twelve rooms of the West Wing.
Yin Wuxiao was shocked. Regardless of whether the poem was well-matched or not, Deng Qinghui's poem was a blatant harassment of her. Although she had gone through many hardships, she had never been treated so rudely. A surge of anger rose in her heart, and she barely managed to suppress it after several attempts.
“Miss, let me remove your veil for you…” Deng Qinghui spoke in a gentle and refined tone, but her behavior was frivolous and flirtatious. She reached out and touched Yin Wuxiao’s face.
Yin Wuxiao hurriedly dodged.
"Your Excellency, please wait!" she said breathlessly with a smile. "If Your Excellency wishes to see Wu Xiao's appearance, what difficulty would there be? However, Your Excellency's invitation today, ostensibly for discussing poetry, actually conceals a hidden agenda. If Your Excellency does not clarify your true intentions, it is absolutely impossible for you to see Wu Xiao's appearance."
Deng Qinghui was taken aback, but then burst into laughter: "Good, as expected of Miss Yin, you dare to speak, dare to act, and dare to do! I thought that after these three years of recuperation, Miss Yin had become a different person, and her words and expressions had become timid. But after hearing these words, I am certain that the person standing in front of me is the real Miss Yin."
"Prime Minister, there's no need to bring up those youthful and ignorant things again. Please stop beating around the bush."
Deng Qinghui scrutinized her for a long time before sighing, "Does Miss know that ever since the Yunge Poetry Competition, Qinghui has been unable to forget you and has been deeply in love with you?"
Yin Wuxiao's heart sank.
“Miss, three years ago our family suffered a great calamity. I was frantic with worry, but I couldn’t find you anywhere. Now that I know you have returned from your seclusion to recuperate, I dare to express my feelings to you. Miss, the world is cold and heartless these days. You are a lonely and weak woman. Rather than shouldering the burden of the family’s prosperity and showing your face in public, why not let me provide you with shelter? From now on, you can rely on your husband for status and live in harmony with him. What do you say?”
After a long pause, Yin Wuxiao forced a smile and said, "Your Excellency is joking. Your Excellency married the daughter of the Imperial Brother-in-law two years ago. They are a loving couple and follow each other's lead. Why should I, Wuxiao, interfere?"
Deng Qinghui was neither angry nor argued. He reached out and grabbed Yin Wuxiao's sleeve, saying, "Miss is a smart woman, why pretend to be ignorant? As long as Miss nods, she will have a place in the Prime Minister's mansion. This poem..." He took the poem he had just written and folded, and brazenly put the paper into Yin Wuxiao's sleeve pocket, openly stroking her delicate forearm with his hand.
"This poem, consider it a token of our love for Miss, shall we?"
Yin Wuxiao's body stiffened, his anger barely contained. "Prime Minister, please have some self-respect."
"There is no one else on this stream, only this painted boat. If I, the Prime Minister, do not respect myself, what can Miss do?" Deng Qinghui smiled.
Yin Wuxiao remained silent, but upon hearing the faint sounds outside the cabin, he let out a soft breath and sneered, "This pleasure boat belongs to the Prime Minister, but Gongxi is not his Gongxi. How does the Prime Minister know that there is only this one pleasure boat on Gongxi?" Before Deng Qinghui could react, he reached out and lifted the curtain, stepping out of the cabin.
Deng Qinghui was taken aback. He chased after them onto the deck, only to see a small boat suddenly appear on the stream, its bow touching that of his own pleasure boat. Yin Wuxiao had already stepped onto the small boat with his back to him. Besides the boatman, the only other person on board was the little maid who had been left on the shore.
Unexpectedly, she had a backup plan before boarding the ship. Deng Qing felt somewhat frustrated, yet secretly admired her.
Although he harbored ill intentions, he was very concerned about his manners and did not press the matter further. He simply smiled and said, "Miss promised Qing that she would remove her veil, but she has not yet fulfilled that promise."
Yin Wuxiao turned around, gave him a cold look, and without any hesitation, casually waved her hand, causing her veil to fall off.
"Is Your Excellency satisfied?"
Seeing the slight disappointment on Deng Qinghui's face, she thought to herself with a sneer, "Does Deng Qinghui really think she's a stunning beauty?"
Deng Qinghui was also thinking to himself: Although Yin Wuxiao's appearance was not as good as he had expected, it did not diminish her talent and romantic demeanor. If he could not get this woman, he would be unable to suppress his desire.
"Miss Yin!" Just as the small boat was about to leave, he called out loudly, "The other day when I went to visit the Second Prince's residence, I met a maidservant by the Prince's side. She was an acquaintance. Do you know who she is, Miss?"
Yin Wuxiao's expression changed drastically.
The paper in my sleeve, though light, felt as heavy as a stone at this moment.
Deng Qinghui knew he had achieved his goal and laughed, "Miss Yin, please consider my suggestion more carefully. I await your good news." He turned and went back to his cabin, confident.
With a "crash," another piece of porcelain in the Yin family's study was ruined.
That damn Deng Qing actually dared to threaten her! And he even used Shi Mansi to threaten her! Does he think she's a quail just because he hasn't shown her true colors yet?
Yun'er heard this and was anxious, but dared not approach. Her mistress had instructed her not to disturb her, and so she did not. Her mistress had said that obedience was a sign of wisdom, and she kept that in mind.
After turning through several corridors, just as she was thinking of going to the kitchen to prepare some calming and cooling things for the young lady to vent her anger and replenish her strength, she bumped into the handsome young man who she had personally chased out of the house with a broom a few days ago.
"Huh?" Yun'er blinked. "Where did you come from?"
Baili Qingyi smiled at her: "It flew in." Seeing her eyes widen, she added: "I am your young lady's friend, I will not harm her, don't worry."
Yun'er thought for a moment. This wasn't the first time her mistress's friend had flown in and out like this. Even if he really had bad intentions, it wasn't something a weak woman like her could stop. Besides, this young master was incredibly handsome...
"What's wrong with your young lady?" Another sound of porcelain shattering rang out, and Baili Qingyi asked with a frown.
"Miss went to see the Prime Minister today, and when she came back..." Wait, that's not right. How could she tell outsiders about Miss's affairs so casually? Yun'er quickly shut her mouth.
Baili Qingyi chuckled. This maid was probably carefully trained by Yin Wuxiao; her every word and action was cautious and prudent, perfectly suited to Yin Wuxiao's temperament. He didn't ask any more questions and walked towards the study.
As soon as the door was opened, a vase flew over, which Baili Qingyi caught steadily.
"What happened?" The room was a mess, and his calm mood was disturbed.
Upon seeing him, Yin Wuxiao turned and sat down on the chaise lounge. "This is none of your business." She paused, then, remembering he was now someone she refused to associate with, abruptly stood up: "Who gave you permission to come in? Get out!"
Baili Qingyi laughed: "Xiao'er, I want to come in; your walls can't stop me."
Little did she know that these words struck a nerve with Yin Wuxiao. She raised her hand and threw another vase at her: "My walls are for gentlemen, and they can't stop a despicable thief like you!"
Baili Qingyi hurriedly answered again, somewhat bewildered. After a long while, she finally said, "Xiao'er, who offended you?"
"I..." Yin Wuxiao wanted to vent her anger, but felt it was inappropriate to tell him about it, so she simply kept quiet and sulked. A surge of grievance welled up in her heart. Was being a woman a matter of having to dedicate one's life to one man or be caught in a web of different men? She just wanted a few days of peace and tranquility, but she was being held back at every turn.
"I don't want to see you right now." She turned her back to him, trying not to make her tone too harsh.
Seeing the seriousness in her tone, Baili Qingyi sensed something was amiss. She stepped forward and said, "Xiao'er, if you've suffered any injustice or have anything troubling you, feel free to tell me..."
Yin Wuxiao sneered, "Are you going to provide me with shelter too?" She simply walked past him and headed towards the door.
Baili Qingyi frowned, reaching for her sleeve to stop her from leaving. Unexpectedly, he pulled something from her sleeve, which floated lightly to the ground.
Yin Wuxiao's expression suddenly changed. He stared blankly as the paper fell to the ground, and then saw Baili Qingyi pick it up and unfold it. He forgot to stop her.
Chapter Twenty-Seven: Incense Smokes Leisurely, Phoenixes Flutter (Part Two)