La lluvia escarlata inunda la ciudad

Capítulo 7

He stopped, without turning around: "What?"

"Young master, aren't you taking me back?" The little girl's voice was already trembling with tears, looking pitiful. "But..."

The young master smiled faintly: "But what is it?"

"But... this servant also wants to see what the third great gift is."

"Get up." Young Master Ye An finally laughed. "I won't blame you anymore."

Chu Xia's knees had gone numb from kneeling for so long. She trotted up behind the young master, only to hear him say, "You are loyal to Lady Wangyun, willing to suffer punishment yourself rather than reveal your master's secrets. That's good. I don't blame you."

Chu Xia nodded silently.

"It's only early summer, who is your master now?"

"Yes...Young Master."

"So, do you understand what you should and shouldn't do from now on?"

"Yes, Chu Xia understands everything. I will never deceive you again, young master." Chu Xia said aggrievedly, "But you shouldn't have threatened me with murder, whipping, or betrothing me to a servant."

"If I don't scare you a little, how will you tell the truth?" The young master still smiled. "Alright, let's mount the horse."

The two mounted their horses, but the young master did not rush. Instead, he changed direction and rode slowly, holding the reins.

"Young Master... when did you find out about this?" Chu Xia finally couldn't help but ask hesitantly.

"I found out that night."

Chu Xia was startled: "Then...then why...why didn't you say anything?" She then muttered, "Is it fun to look at me like an idiot?"

The young master's face showed no smile, but his tone was somewhat indulgent: "You lied to me, and now you think you're right."

"How did you know, young master?"

"Since I know that Lady Wangyun's blood contains Ephemeral Flower, how could I not notice the other drugs in her body? A woman living alone, yet frequently taking sterilization drugs, what else could it be but adultery?"

"Then...how did you know I would come here to get medicine?"

The young master did not answer, but pointed ahead: "Look here."

They stood in the pavilion halfway up the mountain, surrounded by white plum trees in the valley, their fragrance slightly cool to the touch.

Chu Xia exclaimed, "Eh!" "I picked this white plum blossom right here."

"The white plum blossoms I planted with my own hands are proud of snow and frost, their branches and stems stretched out freely, far surpassing ordinary plum blossoms." The young master smiled leisurely. "In early summer, you stole and broke off the plum blossoms in my valley, yet you are still unaware of it?"

“So when you saw that white plum blossom, you knew I had been here, and you must also know about… the clinic.” Chu Xia smiled and said, “I thought you were a brilliant strategist, but it turns out you just stumbled upon it by chance.”

The young master was not angry. He remained silent for a while, then suddenly said, "Drinking wine and appreciating plum blossoms in this pavilion halfway up the mountain is truly a joy in life. What do you think, Young Master Di?"

Chu Xia paused for a moment, looked around, and sure enough, a man in plain robes walked slowly from another path, laughing loudly: "Zixuan, as expected, nothing can escape your eyes."

Zixuan... Junzixuan... That's the young master's courtesy name.

Chu Xia recited it several times in early summer, and then thought of the line "Now that I have seen my lord, how can I not be happy?" It was truly fitting.

Then the man in the plain robe entered the pavilion. His attendant opened the brocade box he was carrying, placed a long-necked silver wine pot with a gold chain on the table, and set up a small stove. He laughed and said, "Zixuan, how can we be without wine in this setting?"

Chu Xia glanced at the young man; his long eyebrows slanted upwards to his temples, and his expression was slightly lazy. Thinking that the young master called him Young Master Di… then he must be Di Yinhai, the young master of the Di family in Luoyang.

"Has Young Master Di not left yet?" Jun Ye'an asked casually as he sat down at the table.

"I was going to leave. But such a grand event has happened in Cangzhou Prefecture recently, so I'll stay and watch the excitement." Di Yinhai also sat down, and the servants hurriedly opened the fruit plate and poured two cups of freshly warmed wine before leaving.

"A grand event? Are you referring to the fact that the Wuren Escort Agency came to deliver gifts?" Young Master Ye An smiled faintly, seemingly unconcerned. "Haven't you seen enough of this beautiful fur coat, Young Master Di?"

"That being said, twelve beauties in fox fur coats are indeed a rare sight."

Jun Ye'an held the silver cup between his fingertips, but changed the subject and said with a smile, "It's almost the end of the year. Didn't Young Master Di say that he was tied up with accounts? It's really not worth delaying in Cangzhou for such a trivial matter."

"Indeed! I carry several large boxes of account books with me at all times, and I need to check them frequently... How can I be as carefree as Young Master Jun?"

Jun Ye'an said "Oh," her phoenix eyes slightly raised, but she looked at Chu Xia beside her.

Chu Xia avoided the young master's gaze, a vague sense of unease creeping into her heart.

Di Yinhai finished his cup of plum and osmanthus wine and sighed, "I wonder what kind of gift this is today. I also wonder which old friend of yours is so generous."

"This mysterious person certainly sent a generous gift. But whether their intentions were benevolent is unknown." The young master also downed his drink in one gulp and laughed, "Truly fine wine."

Di Yinhai was taken aback: "What do you mean, Young Master Jun? If it were your enemy, who would send such a generous gift?"

Jun Ye'an narrowed his eyes slightly: "Young Master Di, how about we make a bet?"

"What are we betting on?"

He leaned closer and whispered something in Di Yinhai's ear.

Di Yinhai's expression changed slightly. He frowned and pondered for a long time before saying, "Alright! Let's make a bet! May I ask what stakes Young Master Jun is placing?"

Jun Ye'an glanced at Chu Xia again and smiled, "This girl."

"This?" Di Yinhai then noticed Chu Xia, looked her up and down, and commented, "Zixuan, forgive my bluntness. This girl... is only considered pretty, not a stunning beauty..."

"This girl isn't particularly beautiful, but she's quick-witted. She also has a photographic memory. If you win her over, will you still need to carry so many account books when you travel?" Jun Ye'an smiled slightly. "From then on, Young Master Di will have a wide-open world to explore. Isn't this a big gamble?"

Di Yinhai looked at Chu Xia carefully for a few more moments, a glint of light flashing in his eyes: "Really?"

"Is it true?" the young master said slowly, his smile undiminished.

“Very well! If what happened today is indeed as you say, then the thousand acres of osmanthus forest that my Di family just acquired outside Cangzhou City will belong to your Jun family.”

Chu Xia silently cursed the young master a thousand times over, but dared not show it on her face. She stepped forward and filled a cup of wine for Di Yinhai. She glanced at her young master's empty cup, but pretended not to see it and stepped back.

Di Yinhai chuckled as he accepted the gift, praising, "She really is a clever girl."

Jun Ye'an's smile faded slightly, and his eyes darkened.

After that, the two young masters talked and chatted in the pavilion halfway up the mountain. Chu Xia served Di Yinhai very attentively, as if she had already regarded him as her new master.

As they left and rode back to the city, Young Master Ye An said indifferently, "In the past, you served me with less care than you served Young Master Di."

Chu Xia's expression was quite innocent: "Since you've used me as a bet, young master, you might lose. If I serve a new master in the future, won't I have to be extra careful?"

Young Master Ye An couldn't help but laugh: "You don't even know what I'm betting on, yet you're convinced I'll lose?"

Chu Xia felt a little annoyed: "This servant didn't know, but I was just preparing for the future. You're allowed to use me as a gamble, but you won't allow me to plan for my own future?"

Seeing her composed and dignified demeanor, Young Master Ye An felt a slight itch in his heart: if he smiled, he feared this girl would become even more eccentric in the future; if he scolded her… he couldn't bear to. In the end, he sighed softly, "Silly girl, I used you as a bet, but I've set my sights on that osmanthus grove, how could I really lose you?"

Chu Xia noticed that the young master's tone was somewhat different from usual, and couldn't help but ask, "Young master... what exactly did you gamble on?"

Young Master Ye An glanced at the sky, his expression resolute: "I'm betting on today's third great gift."

Chapter Seven

When Chu Xia rushed back to the Jun Mansion, she was truly startled by the massive crowd.

The crowd of onlookers blocked a main road, and now it's impossible to even squeeze through the side gate.

"Oh dear, what should we do?" Chu Xia was pacing anxiously. "The time is almost up."

Young Master Ye An dismounted and hid in the crowd, laughing, "What's your hurry?"

Before the words were finished, the men from the Wuren Escort Agency arrived, parting a path in a grand procession and heading straight for the entrance of the Jun residence.

The crowd immediately stirred.

Then the gates of the Jun residence slowly opened, and a group of guards stood still, led by a young man with a thin face and a tall, slender figure.

"Young master, young master, the head steward has come out, let's hurry." Chu Xia hurriedly tugged at Young Master Ye An's sleeve.

But then the young master tilted his head slightly, casually surveyed the surroundings, and nodded.

"Is Young Master Jun here? No one from the escort agency has come to deliver the third shipment."

Cang Qianlang remained expressionless, only cupping his hands in a respectful gesture: "Young Master is not here."

Wu Renqing's expression changed slightly, and he asked with difficulty, "This... what should we do?"

The crowd waited from morning till night, but the young master was nowhere to be seen. Seeing that this good show was going to be ruined, they all sighed with regret.

Amidst the noise, a girl's clear voice rang out from the crowd: "The young master is here, everyone in front, make way!"

But then a young nobleman stood calmly in the crowd.

"Young master...it really is young master..."

"Oh dear, now we can see what it is..."

However, the young master did not wait patiently as he had the previous two times. Instead, he walked straight to the carriage and casually lifted the curtain.

There were only two small children sitting in the carriage. When someone lifted the curtain, they started singing loudly.

"Song of Mountains and Rivers, Mountains and Rivers are far away, Mountains are high and waters are wide, one can roam freely."

"Song of Mountains and Rivers, Mountains and Rivers are far away, Mountains are high and waters are wide, one can roam freely."

...

The children's voices were clear and melodious, like heavenly music, like a clear spring dripping down, cleansing the heart and lungs. Listening to this repeatedly brought a sense of peace and joy.

After a dozen or so repetitions, the childish singing stopped, and one of the children climbed out of the carriage, holding a wooden box in both hands. He presented it to the young master and said in a clear voice, "A painting of 'Landscape Ballad,' I hope you will accept it."

Since Chu Xia met the young master, she has rarely seen a look of surprise on his face.

However, at this moment, she truly saw... that the young master was actually—slightly moved.

The young master's surprise was fleeting. He took the wooden box from the boy and turned to return to his residence. His steps were not hurried, but his posture naturally carried an air of profound composure, and the onlookers spontaneously made way for him.

As the young master walked past Wu Renqing, carrying the wooden box, he paused briefly and said, "Renqing, I should have invited you to a gathering in Cangzhou, but the year is drawing to a close and I am busy with many things, so we can only do it next time."

Wu Renqing quickly waved his hand and said with a smile, "This trip has been a complete success. I'll be taking charge now. Zixuan, there's no need to be so polite."

As soon as the gates of the Jun residence closed, a commotion arose among the crowd, with everyone asking each other what exactly "The Ballad of Mountains and Rivers" was.

Inside the Jun residence, Young Master Ye An summoned the head steward, Cang Qianlang, in his study and uttered only three words: "Summon the Leopard Guards."

Startled, Cang Qianlang took a moment to react before asking, "Young Master... have you summoned all four Leopard Guards?"

"Summon them all."

"Young master, may I ask what is the matter?" Cang Qianlang hesitated and said in a low voice, "The old master said that unless the situation is extremely urgent, all four guards should not be summoned."