Ma femme escalade le mur

Chapitre 2

Therefore, this time, it can be considered that the three of them snatched someone else's girl. However, what made the three of them even more depressed was how so many talented and extraordinary people had appeared in the martial arts world in just half a night? Last year, before the New Year, in the three months in Liangzhe Road, a small acquaintance made the three young masters feel depressed for the entire first month of the lunar calendar. They couldn't even enjoy their drinks and couldn't have a good New Year.

Spring has just begun, and a legendary, alluring woman in a pink dress has once again made three talented young men lose face. A young prince who has slain countless enemies on the battlefield, a renowned figure throughout the land known only to the martial arts world, and the son of the Minister of Justice, who, while clearly narcissistic, possesses genuine talent—they've all been outmaneuvered four times in a row!

Solving cases, apprehending wanted criminals, and helping the government resolve difficult problems were originally the three men's shared hobbies. Frankly, they were all bored and had nothing better to do than stay at home, so they devised this way to kill time. Who knew that after solving only two cases, their confidence would be severely damaged? Sure enough, the elegantly dressed Young Master Zhou took the five hundred taels of silver his father had given him and headed south for a life of leisure, claiming he wanted to soothe his wounded heart in the gentle embrace of West Lake. But the other two knew that he was still furious and probably going to find that Duan who had stolen his job to challenge him again.

Don't these two want to go? Not necessarily. According to our clear-headed and calm-headed Master Wenyan, this young man might not necessarily be active in Liangzhe Road. He goes wherever there are cases and money, so blindly heading south might not guarantee a chance to run into him.

Dressed in pristine white, Zhan Yun picked up his cup, glanced at Zhao Ting who was silently drinking, and with a slight smile, drained it. He was half-closing his crescent-shaped eyes, seemingly about to say something, when suddenly his smile vanished, and he stared blankly behind Zhao Ting. Even the usually calm and composed Prince Zhao couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. Someone who could elicit such an expression from the usually gentle and refined Zhao Ting was truly someone to be reckoned with.

Author's Note: Chapter 1! Welcome new and old readers alike! Yay!

Just wondering, does everyone like Zhou Xun?

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Chapter Two: The Beauty in White and Three Cups of Wine...

Zhao Ting turned his head and saw a young man dressed in plain white clothes carrying a light blue bundle climbing the steps. A waiter walked ahead of him, warmly greeting him: "Young master, what would you like to eat? We have the Golden Jade Fish, Stir-fried Pork with Black Bean Sauce, and Drunken Chicken Rolls with Shaoxing Wine..."

"Golden Jade Abundance, Crab-Stuffed Orange, Emerald Pond Tofu, Cocklebur Rice, Wild Mushroom Purple Clay Kung Fu Soup." The man sat down near the stairs, interrupting the waiter's introduction, and ordered several dishes. His cool voice, coupled with his clear phoenix eyes, and his upright posture in a white robe, made him seem like a solitary figure sitting in a quiet valley, even though it was a bustling restaurant at midday. The air around him seemed to drop in temperature, exuding an otherworldly aura.

The waiter was taken aback for a moment, then smiled obsequiously and said, "Oh! Sir, it seems you haven't been to Zhuangyuanlou for a long time, has it? The dishes you mentioned, such as crab-stuffed orange and burdock rice, are all unavailable. The chef who made those dishes passed away five or six years ago. Why don't you order a couple of other dishes? Actually, those few dishes are enough for one person, plus two bowls of white rice, and you'll definitely be satisfied! Is that alright?"

Zhao Ting turned around and exchanged a glance with Zhan Yun. Both of them had lived in this city of Dongjing since childhood, and they had come to Zhuangyuanlou with their parents since they were young. The dishes the man mentioned were all signature dishes when Zhuangyuanlou first opened. The crab-stuffed orange was fragrant and fresh, with the freshness of the crab, the sweetness of the orange, the aroma of the chrysanthemum, and the mellowness of the rice wine, all blended together perfectly. It was incredibly delicious! This was also Zhao Ting's favorite dish when he was a child. However, what the waiter said was true; this dish had not been available since 1955 or 1956. Other restaurants and eateries still made it, but the taste was not quite the same.

The man's delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly, and his cool eyes dimmed somewhat. After a moment of silence, he nodded and asked, "What kind of wine do you have?"

“Oh! You’ve come to the right place! The best and most famous wine at Zhuangyuanlou is naturally Zhuangyuan Wine! It’s the wine that even the poet Li Bai drank back then, our…” The man in white shook his head slightly, interrupting the waiter’s long-winded speech, “…the strongest.”

"The... the strongest?" The waiter was taken aback again, looking the young man up and down. Judging from his appearance, he didn't seem like someone who would drown his sorrows in alcohol! But these days, there are all kinds of people. Whatever he wants, the restaurant will provide it! The waiter looked around and pointed to the table where Zhao Ting and Zhan Yun were: "Hey, sir, do you see that? Those two gentlemen are drinking Gao Lei wine. That wine is really strong! Apart from those two regulars, almost no one orders it!"

The man in white glanced at Zhao Ting and Zhan Yun's table, stared thoughtfully at the jar of wine for a long time, and then nodded: "Give me a jar."

"One jar?" The waiter slipped and nearly fell to the ground, stammering as he repeated, "One...one jar?" Good heavens! This young man looks so refined, could he be a drunkard? He'd tasted that wine himself once; after three cups, his tongue went numb and his stomach burned. He slept soundly until noon the next day, unconscious, earning a severe scolding from the owner. The memory was too painful to recall. The waiter shuddered, seeing the man still staring at him coldly, seemingly impatient, and quickly agreed and went downstairs.

For the second time in a day, Zhao Ting raised an eyebrow, a hint of interest flashing in his dark eyes. He got up and sat down next to Zhan Yun, taking a sip of wine while observing the man in white.

Zhan Yun smiled slightly and shook the jade-bone fan he was folding: "Zhao Ting, this is the young master Duan you've been talking about for almost half a year."

This time, Zhao Ting didn't even raise an eyebrow. He choked on a mouthful of wine. This was the first time in his twenty-five years of life that the young prince Zhao Ting, who had fought countless battles and was even favored by the current emperor, had choked on his wine!

Zhao Ting and Zhan Yun stared intently at the man, their eyes gleaming. Meanwhile, a young man dressed in plain white sat upright, his gaze fixed straight ahead. The food and wine in front of him were almost all served. He ordered three bowls of white rice, three pairs of chopsticks, three wine cups, and three small bowls for soup, all placed in front of him. One set was placed in front of him, while the other two were placed on the opposite table.

The clean, efficient movements left Zhao Ting and Zhan Yun stunned. Had they discovered their presence and were inviting them to dinner? Zhan Yun narrowed his crescent-shaped eyes slightly, while Zhao Ting's grip on his wine glass tightened involuntarily. The two handsome young men, one as cold as ice and the other as gentle as jade, both stared at the refined gentleman in white not far away, holding their breath in excitement…

The man had arranged everything, and besides Zhao Ting and Zhan Yun, many other guests cast curious glances at the table. The man was handsome, with strikingly beautiful, cool features. His pink lips were tightly pursed, but the slightly upturned corners of his mouth, his pointed chin, and his delicate, small earlobes all attracted the attention of the men and women around him. Several unmarried young women blushed, and a few men nearby seemed to be getting restless. While the capital city of Dongjing was prosperous and its people lived comfortably, and although its social customs weren't as open as in the Tang Dynasty, the preference for male homosexuality wasn't uncommon; it existed at all times.

The man picked up a glass of wine. His slender, pale fingers appeared slightly translucent in the afternoon sunlight, the tips of his fingers a delicate pink, his neatly manicured pink nails gleaming. Several men nearby couldn't help but swallow hard. Zhao Ting and Zhan Yun had already noticed something amiss, but neither of them moved. If this legendary Xiao Duan couldn't even handle a few thugs, then their losses in those three games at the end of last year were truly unjust!

The man didn't eat any food, only drank wine, downing a cup in one gulp, pausing only slightly after three cups. A blush crept onto his pale cheeks, and his pink lips flushed a faint red. A slight commotion arose nearby. This guy was incredibly alluring! The man then poured another cup of wine, raising it to the empty seat opposite him, pausing it in mid-air, as if offering a toast. A hint of tears welled up in his clear, cold phoenix eyes, making his bright, black and white pupils shine with an astonishing light. Zhao Ting and Zhan Yun were completely stunned. Just then, the man suddenly smiled faintly, a smile like spring water breaking through ice, warming straight to the heart. A collective gasp rose and fell.

Zhao Ting shifted his gaze to the table next to him, its air as cold as a biting wind in the dead of winter, startling the two scholars at that table who quickly lowered their heads to eat. Zhao Ting then looked at the next table, where Zhan Yun smiled slightly. This kid, he himself had just been staring at him with wide eyes!

The man put down the wine, then picked up his chopsticks, took a bite of fish, and savored it, his smile never fading. Next, he scooped up a spoonful of tender tofu, topped with a bright green pea, and slowly put it in his mouth, chewing it with refined elegance. Finally, he picked up a small bowl, took the spoon, and began to drink the soup, spoonful by spoonful. When the bowl was empty, he put it down, poured the rice from a nearby bowl into the empty bowl, then picked up the wine jar and poured the wine directly into it.

Zhao Ting stared in disbelief. This man, who used soup to eat and acted like a young master from a wealthy family, suddenly switched to drinking from a bowl? How could he have become as unrestrained as those rough men in the military camp in the blink of an eye!

The man seemed oblivious to his surroundings, completely absorbed in his own world. He filled his glass, picked it up, and downed it in one gulp. Drops of wine trickled down his fair chin, soaking his pristine white robes. The usually refined and gentle young master Xingzhi's hand trembled, his white jade fan falling to the table. His long eyelashes fluttered. This man was completely different; how could he drink so crudely, even more so than the cold-blooded prince Zhao Ting, a man with a military background?

The table that had been subtly stirring nearby seemed to have reached its limit. A young man in an orange-red brocade robe stood up, waving a paper fan in his hand. He was followed by two lackeys. He walked to the table of the man in white, and before he could say anything, he sat down at the opposite table. His paper fan whirred loudly as he raised his eyebrows and reached out to touch the man's hand, which was resting on the edge of the table.

The man swiftly withdrew his hand, taking the bowl with his other hand and continuing to pour wine. The small jar was now more than half empty; he had weighed it when he lifted it earlier and estimated it could hold about three more bowls. He sighed inwardly; the remaining wine would likely go to waste. The man in orange continued to laugh, leaning closer to the woman: "What kind of wine is yours, beautiful lady? May I have a taste?"

The man leaned back slightly, finished his bowl of wine, and then reached forward, placing the rim of the bowl directly into the man's half-open mouth. While the man was still stunned, the man took out a loose piece of silver from his pocket, placed it on the table, picked up the light blue bundle placed to the side, slid his foot forward, touched the ground with his toes, and jumped directly out of the wide-open window.

A gasp went up in surprise. Zhao Ting and Zhan Yun sat up straight, watching from the window as the man in pure white landed steadily. With a few light, nimble steps, he quickly disappeared into the bustling crowd. The whole process took only a blink of an eye. By the time the man in orange reacted, the bowl he was holding in his mouth clattered to the ground. A waiter nearby rushed over at the sound: "Hey! Sir, this white porcelain bowl costs twenty coins. You'll have to pay for it!"

Zhao Ting and Zhan Yun exchanged glances, the former frowning and the latter smiling, then both looked in the direction where the man had disappeared.

Author's Note: Well, that's all for today. This story will be updated daily at 8 PM.

If there are any additional chapters, you will be notified in advance.

The first few chapters mainly recount some events and the past connections between several people.

Hmm... It really does have a long history!

I hope you all like it. Little Xue Luo is looking at you pitifully. If you think I'm good enough, please take me in!

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Chapter Three: Prince Zhao is very unhappy...

The sky remained overcast.

A woman in her forties stood before the gray-white tombstone, gently placing a neatly tied bunch of white magnolias before the freshly swept tombstone. A young maidservant, kneeling beside her, took two dishes from a basket, each containing several plump red apples and golden oranges. She then took out a wine pot and two small wine cups, deftly filling them with wine. Finally, she took out several sticks of incense, lit them with a tinderbox, rose, and handed the incense to the woman with delicate features.

The woman had a fair complexion, gentle eyes and rosy lips that curved slightly, making her look at least ten years younger than her actual age. She bowed several times with incense sticks in her hands, then bent down to place the incense sticks properly. Next, she picked up two wine cups and gently sprinkled the wine onto the ground in front of the grave.

Far off, a young man stood. His face was pale, almost white, with cool, aloof features and a slight curve to his pink lips. He slowly loosened his clenched fist, then clenched it again, repeating this several times before finally gritting his teeth, turning around, and walking down the mountain.

As they slowly made their way to the foot of the mountain, a light drizzle began to fall. The man's delicate brows furrowed slightly. Hadn't the master and servant been carrying umbrellas? Hesitating for a moment, the man walked up to an umbrella stall: "Two umbrellas."

"Alright, two umbrellas, fifty copper coins!" The short, middle-aged man smiled, his eyes narrowed. The man stared coldly at the person before him, raising the price on the spot. These umbrellas usually cost no more than fifteen copper coins each, but now, with it raining, he was selling them for twenty-five? The man's lips tightened even more, and in the end, he said nothing. He took out the money from his waist, handed it to the stall owner, picked out two umbrellas from the stall, walked to the stone steps, and looked up at them.