Gongzi Yi sighed in disappointment.
At this moment, Gongzi Yu, who was usually very restless, suddenly sighed in a daze, "Heavens, Duoduo is truly radiant today, her beauty is beyond compare!" His gaze seemed to regard Wu Duoduo as a celestial being!
Upon hearing this, Gongzi Ziyang also said, "Indeed, Sister Duoduo is already a beauty of unparalleled grace, and now that she's dressed up, she's even more stunning." Gongzi Ziyang's eyes were already fixed on her. After all, he was a member of the martial arts class, and his literary talent was no match for Gongzi Yu's. He could only repeat the same four words of praise over and over again.
Unexpectedly, at this moment, the young master said, "I didn't hear Duoduo sing last night, and I've been itching to hear her sing for ages."
Upon hearing Gongzi Kuang's words, Gongzi Yi couldn't help but say smugly, "You lot are really lucky to hear my sister sing today."
Upon hearing this, all the young masters nodded in agreement, and unusually, they all agreed that what Gongzi Yi said made sense.
At this moment, Gongzi Xun, who was fanning himself despite not feeling hot, chimed in, "Sister Duoduo looks so beautiful today. Look at how she walks upstairs; her colorful dress is like a butterfly, fluttering in the wind as if about to take flight." Gongzi Xun was also from a martial arts background, but he was much better than Gongzi Ziyang. His literary talent was quite good, at least he could speak eloquently.
Upon hearing this, everyone looked at Wu Duoduo's butterfly-patterned dress and couldn't help but exclaim in admiration, "Indeed, a beauty's every step is like a colorful butterfly!"
Just as everyone was marveling at the moment, suddenly there was a loud bang on the stage, followed by an exclamation of "Ouch!"
Everyone looked on in surprise and saw a person fall on the stage, looking very disheveled.
As Hua Wuduo climbed the stairs, she absentmindedly pondered how to escape, unaware of the comments from the crowd below. Her first thought was to fall on stage and feign unconsciousness. Just as she thought this plan was feasible, she saw the servant leading the way suddenly stumble forward as he stepped over the last step, landing with a loud thud. She instinctively cried out, "Ouch!"
The audience burst into laughter at the sight, but Hua Wuduo, who had wanted to laugh, could no longer manage it.
What is she supposed to do?! Is she supposed to do it again later?
The servant in the lead hurriedly got up, hanging his head and not knowing what to do. Hua Wuduo sighed, "Go down."
The servant seemed to have been exonerated and hurriedly agreed. After Hua Wuduo went up on stage, he rushed off the stage.
Hua Wuduo slowly walked to the center of the platform, and the crowd below gradually quieted down.
Hua Wuduo stood on the stage, her long skirt spreading out on the ground. It must be said that such formal attire was indeed very appropriate for such an occasion, making her look noble, elegant, and dignified.
Hua Wuduo bowed to the audience below the stage, then said loudly, "I am Wu Duoduo, daughter of the Marquis of Xijing. Today, I am honored to be invited by the Prince of Jin to preside over the opening ceremony of the Phoenix Boat Race. I am extremely honored. Today, I would like to present a song called 'Red Fruit' for everyone. I also wish the Phoenix Boat Race a successful run and the selection of the truly number one diva in the world." After speaking, she took a few steps forward with light lotus steps. At the same time, under the cover of her clothes, she suddenly exerted force with her feet. With a crack, the wooden plank under her feet suddenly exploded. The wooden platform actually cracked under her feet. In an instant, to everyone's surprise, she fell straight down from the platform. There was a gasp from the audience. Countless wooden planks were haphazardly nailed to the bottom of the platform for support. Everyone watched as Wu Duoduo crashed into the planks. The sound was extremely terrifying. With the impact, the entire platform almost collapsed. At this moment, even Song Zixing in the painted boat had changed his expression drastically.
In the blink of an eye, someone rushed over without regard for the danger, leaping over the horizontal beams with incredible speed. In a flash, he grabbed Hua Wuduo's clothes, pulled her into his arms, and carried her away from the dangerous place at top speed.
To make the performance realistic, Hua Wuduo truly endured a great deal of hardship this time. She had thought that her internal energy would protect her from serious injury when she fell, but the pain of the impact and the sight of the collapsing wooden platform crashing down on her startled her. Unable to use her lightness skill or any martial arts to dodge the wooden beams below, even with her internal energy protecting her, physical injuries were inevitable. Just as she closed her eyes, intending to endure all the pain, she suddenly felt herself being pulled up and embraced. She smelled a familiar, faint chrysanthemum fragrance, opened her eyes, and saw Gongzi Xiu.
Perhaps it was because of the recent stress in her life, and the fact that she was often bullied and wronged, Hua Wuduo could no longer hold back her tears when she saw Gongzi Xiu's concerned and worried gaze. She nestled on his shoulder and cried softly. A hint of panic appeared in Gongzi Xiu's eyes.
This crying scene would have been quite appropriate, but for a man and a woman, both unmarried, to be embracing and crying in front of everyone... If Master Ji were here, he would surely shout: What kind of behavior is this! But Master Ji was not here, so no one dared to shout.
So I just held him, and kept holding him...
“Xiu…” At this moment, Gongzi Yi boarded the painted boat where Gongzi Xiu was, posing as Wu Duoduo’s brother. As soon as he opened his mouth, he was silenced by Gongzi Xiu’s sharp gaze. Gongzi Yi understood Gongzi Xiu’s gaze, and his eyes flickered slightly as he fell silent.
Ignoring everyone's gaze, Gongzi Xiu, carrying Hua Wuduo, said to Liu Jin behind him, "Send us back and have a doctor wait at the Prince's residence."
Liu Jin hurriedly said, "Okay." He immediately ordered someone to call a light boat to send the two of them away. Watching the light boat's departing figure, Liu Jin muttered to himself, intentionally or unintentionally, "Xiu has never let go of Duoduo's little sister."
Upon hearing this, Gongzi Yi smiled and replied, "He wouldn't even give a second glance to Qi, this future divine doctor."
Gongzi Qi, who had followed along, smiled faintly and remained silent.
Liu Jin glanced at the enigmatic Young Master Yi beside him and simply smiled.
Not long after Gongzi Xiu left, someone hurriedly whispered something to the Crown Prince Liu Jin. Liu Jin's expression changed drastically. Not knowing what major event had occurred, he abandoned the chaotic Phoenix Boat Race and hurriedly left.
Crazy Laughter
After a period of chaos, the Phoenix Boat Race was quickly brought under control by Princess Liu Yu. The Prince of Jin and his heir suddenly left for some reason, so the Phoenix Boat Race was left to Liu Yu and the Prefect of Jiangling.
The Phoenix Boat Race skipped the opening ceremony and was temporarily moved to the Yanshan Pavilion to continue.
Gongzi Yi and Gongzi Qi left one after the other to return to the palace because they were worried about their sister's injuries.
The other young masters originally planned to return to the Prince's Mansion, but went to Yanshan Pavilion because Liu Yu earnestly persuaded them to stay.
Li She had already disappeared, leaving only Song Zixing and his sister to join the other young masters and officials at Yanshan Pavilion.
Just as Tang Feng and Tang Ye were about to leave, Liu Yu personally caught up with them, hoping they could also go to Yanshan Pavilion to watch the Phoenix Boat Race. Faced with Princess Liu Yu's enthusiastic invitation, Tang Feng politely replied, "We have important matters to attend to, so we will take our leave now. Please convey our message to the Prince."
Upon hearing this, Liu Yu's smile froze slightly, then he smiled broadly again and said, "The two young masters only came to the Prince's residence as guests yesterday, how come you're here so soon..."
Tang Feng smiled and replied, "The reason I went to Prince Jin's residence yesterday was simply because I suddenly wanted to return that kite." After saying that, he ignored Liu Yu's barely suppressed smile and said with a smile, "Farewell." He clasped his hands in a fist salute to Liu Yu, then turned and gracefully departed with two beautiful maids.
Tang Ye had already walked far away while Tang Feng and Liu Yu were talking.
The Tang Clan is powerful in Shu, but rarely ventures into the Central Plains. Only in recent years have we heard of Tang Ye traveling in the Central Plains. Yet this young man, who rarely travels the martial world, is extremely famous, almost universally known.
The Tang Clan has always had very little contact with the government, and various forces have tried every means to win them over, but all have failed. They fear both the power of the Tang Clan and its poison.
Jiangling is a complex region, bordered by the Yangtze River to the south, the Han River to the north, and controlling Sichuan and Chongqing to the west. Prince Jin has long wanted to win over the Tang Clan as his backer, and this time he even sent someone to deliver an invitation to the Tang Clan under the pretext of the Phoenix Boat Race. However, it is unknown whether anyone from the Tang Clan will come.
But to the Prince of Jin's surprise, the Tang Clan not only sent people this time, but two of them came at once! Among them was even Tang Ye!
But he never dreamed that the reason Tang Ye and Tang Feng went to the Prince's mansion yesterday was to return a bellyband...
Afterwards, when Princess Liu Yu relayed Tang Feng's exact words to Prince Jin and his brother Liu Jin, the Prince's family exchanged bewildered glances, utterly puzzled as to why Tang Ye had returned the undergarment. Not only did they have this question, but Tang Feng himself had the same one that day and couldn't help but ask Tang Ye. Tang Ye had only replied with one sentence: "She knows the art of disguise." And then? Tang Feng stared wide-eyed, hoping to hear more from Tang Ye, but alas, there was nothing more.
The east wing of the Prince's mansion was quiet at this moment. The doctor had just left, leaving only Hua Wuduo lying on the bed and Gongzi Xiu sitting beside her, watching her. Gongzi Xiu held her hand tightly, and Hua Wuduo tried several times to pull it away, but without success. Eventually, Hua Wuduo dared not look at Gongzi Xiu anymore; her palms, held tightly, and her body under the covers were sweating profusely!
She was mostly unharmed, suffering only minor cuts and bruises. The doctor prescribed both topical and oral medications and advised her to rest and recuperate.
Gongzi Xiu knew she possessed martial arts skills, but his worried expression remained unchanged. When the doctor took her pulse, his cold and stern expression made the doctor's hand tremble. Hua Wuduo almost laughed out loud several times, but felt inexplicably warm inside.
After the doctor left, the maid followed him to get the medicine, leaving only the two of them in the room. Young Master Xiu sat silently by the bed, looking at her with his brows furrowed.
She smiled and said, "Don't worry, I'll be fine. A little medicine will do the trick."
The young master asked, "Is he worth doing this for?"
Who? Hua Wuduo was puzzled for a moment, then realized that Gongzi Xiu was referring to Gongzi Yi. Was she doing this for Gongzi Yi? Hua Wuduo herself had never thought about this question, let alone whether it was worth it. Hua Wuduo smiled and said softly, "Doing this will only cause me to suffer a minor injury, it's nothing serious." She tried to pull her hand away, but Gongzi Xiu wouldn't let go.
The two remained silent for a long while. Hua Wuduo felt something scratching at her heart. She tried to pull her hand back, but couldn't. She glanced sideways at Gongzi Xiu, wondering why he kept holding onto her. Then she saw Gongzi Xiu, whose gaze was darting away, mutter to himself, "Wuduo, ever since you left last time, I...I..."
Seeing Gongzi Xiu's strange, hesitant expression, Hua Wuduo suddenly understood. So Gongzi Xiu was holding her so tightly because he was afraid she would run away like last time! She then said, "Xiu, I didn't intend to run away this time."
Hua Wuduo said this aloud, but in his heart he was thinking: I'm not feeling well right now, so I won't run for the time being. I'll run again when I'm feeling better.
At this moment, two people walked in one after the other. The first was Gongzi Yi, and the other was naturally the inseparable Gongzi Qi. As soon as they entered the room, they both noticed Hua Wuduo and Gongzi Xiu's tightly clasped hands.
Gongzi Xiu knew the two of them had seen him, but he still wouldn't let go. Hua Wuduo tried to struggle a few more times, but to no avail, so he emphasized again, "I really didn't mean to run away! Really!"
Gongzi Xiu frowned slightly and said in a low voice, "I know." But instead of letting go, he gripped her hand even tighter.
Not only was Hua Wuduo stunned as he watched Gongzi Xiu grab his hand, but Gongzi Yi and Gongzi Qi also had very strange and quiet expressions.
For a moment, the four people in the room, three of whom were usually very talkative, were all unusually quiet today. They remained silent for a while, not saying a word. After a long while, Hua Wuduo suddenly said, "I'm hungry!"
Upon hearing this, Young Master Xiu hurriedly got up and went out to call someone to prepare the meal.
Young Master Yi hurriedly turned around and went out to ask someone to prepare a nourishing soup.
Seeing that the two of them had left, Gongzi Qi hesitated for a long time before saying, "I'm going to refine a powerful tonic." Just as he was about to leave, he heard Hua Wuduo say, "No need for that trouble. I just want to eat one thing."
Gongzi Qi immediately turned around and asked, "What?"
"Roasted sweet potatoes."
"I'll go buy it."
"Can't we roast a few in an alchemy furnace?"
"Actually... I don't know how to refine pills..."
"oh……"
"I don't even know how to roast sweet potatoes..."
"Oh... then let's go buy it."
While Hua Wuduo was recuperating, the number of people coming and going every day was so great that it made him dizzy. A pot of tonic soup and medicine was freshly made every hour, and Hua Wuduo couldn't stay in bed anymore by the second day.
After Hua Wuduo fell from the stage, Song Zixing never appeared again. On the second day of the Phoenix Boat Race, Song Zixing returned to Jiangnan with his sister. Hua Wuduo breathed a sigh of relief at Song Zixing's departure.
Young Master Xiu has not appeared since that day, and no one knows what he has been busy with.
Li She had also visited Hua Wuduo several times, but left Jiangling ahead of time because his brother was getting married next month.
Just as the opening ceremony of the Phoenix Boat Race was marred by an unexpected incident, a shocking event also occurred in Jiangling. Taking advantage of a moment of lax security during the race, a large mob stormed into Jiangling, looting the city's two granaries (east and west), killing and wounding over a thousand guards, and plundering several wealthy households. Fear gripped the city. The Prince of Jin swiftly dispatched troops to suppress the mob, and Jiangling was pacified three days later. However, the whereabouts of most of the grain remained unknown.
Upon hearing this, Hua Wuduo asked Gongzi Yi with considerable puzzlement, "How could so much grain suddenly disappear?"
At that moment, Gongzi Yi was lying in a rocking chair under the tree, enjoying himself with his eyes closed. Upon hearing this, he lazily replied, "The long legs ran away on their own."
Hua Wuduo rolled his eyes, "Nobody would believe that."
Upon hearing this, the Prince of Jin was furious and said he would petition the Emperor to send troops to suppress the bandits and thieves near Jiangling. Naturally, everyone agreed.
Upon hearing this, Hua Wuduo couldn't help but ask Gongzi Yi, "Doesn't the Prince of Jin have his own troops? Why doesn't he go and suppress the bandits? Why does he have to travel thousands of miles to ask the Emperor for troops?"
Upon hearing this, Gongzi Yi scoffed, "What bandit-suppressing? He just wants money."
One sentence was very insightful, and it made Hua Wuduo suddenly realize that even the Prince of Jin was short of money!
A few days later, Gongzi Yi, along with his sister Wu Duoduo and a group of other young masters, also left the Jin Prince's residence. The day after they left Jiangling, Hua Wuduo accidentally learned of something and was immediately furious! In a fit of anger, she once again left without saying goodbye. She remembered how Gongzi Yi had repeatedly promised many prizes at the opening ceremony of the Phoenix Boat Race, and she had assumed she wouldn't get any since she hadn't sung. But she later learned that it was all a lie. Hua Wuduo angrily confronted Gongzi Yi, demanding to know why he had lied to her! Unexpectedly, Gongzi Yi simply replied nonchalantly, "Who told you to believe me?" That self-righteous expression, as if saying she deserved to be deceived, still bothered Hua Wuduo whenever she thought of him…
Actually, there's an even more important reason for leaving them.
Hua Wuduo had originally planned to visit Tang Ye in Sichuan, but after meeting him, she realized he was not someone to be trifled with and decided against it. Having wasted so much time in Jiangling, and with her sister Fang Ruowei's wedding to Li Kang, the eldest son of the Li family in Luoyang, next month was fast approaching. Although she was currently considered an unfilial daughter expelled from her family, she absolutely had to attend her sister's wedding!
After leaving Jiangling, the journey was filled with countless starving people and unbearable suffering. Bandits and thieves were causing chaos everywhere, and the people were living in misery. Hua Wuduo endured a lot of hardship along the way. He hurriedly crossed the Huai River and entered the Luoyang area before he could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Luoyang is located in the Central Plains, with mountains and rivers, and is famous for its peonies. However, the peonies bloom in spring. Now that autumn has arrived and the leaves are falling, there is a bit of desolation. But the red and yellow hues of the mountains and forests have a unique charm.
As the sun sets, a golden hue blankets the earth, and autumn leaves flutter down in all directions, occasionally punctuated by splashes of red and green, creating a dazzling spectacle. Hua Wuduo followed a stream into the mountains and found a waterfall several meters high. Perhaps due to the recent lack of rain, the water flowed gently down its slopes.
Here, deep in the mountains, apart from the babbling of the stream, all was silent. Hua Wuduo removed the mask she had worn for days, quickly washed herself with some water, and then lay down to rest on a large rock in the water. In this remote and rugged place, fallen leaves had accumulated on this rock over the past few days, making it quite comfortable to lie on now. The soft glow of the setting sun shone on her, and the fallen leaves floating on the stream swayed gently. The warm sunlight made her drowsy. The journey had been quite arduous, and the road had become increasingly difficult these past few days. Sometimes they would find villages with beds to sleep in, and sometimes they would have to camp out in the open. Because it was autumn, the weather was slightly cool, and Hua Wuduo always carried two gourds of wine to keep warm. Now, dressed as a man and reclining on the rock, from behind, she looked like a young man.
Perhaps it was too warm and comfortable, or perhaps it was because he was tired, but Hua Wuduo unconsciously fell asleep. Having been away from home for many days, Hua Wuduo had already developed a habit of being very alert even when he was asleep. As darkness fell over the sky and the moon replaced the sun as it slowly rose, Hua Wuduo suddenly woke up.
I opened my eyes and listened intently, but all I could hear were falling leaves and birdsong, along with the rumbling of my own stomach. I realized that I had woken up because I was hungry.
Food was plentiful in the mountains, and Hua Wuduo soon caught a rabbit and brought it back. She roasted the rabbit meat by the water, with a bright moon overhead. This scene suddenly reminded her of that night at Daming Lake. The strong liquor went down her throat, and she couldn't help but feel a little lonely. How she wished she could always follow Gongzi Yi, with food, drink, and fun, and be lively wherever she went, unlike her current solitary state. But things in life are often not as one wishes. From beginning to end, she had appeared as Wu Duoduo, so how could she openly go back to the capital with him? Even if she returned to the capital, she could not continue studying at the academy. Gongzi Qiyuan had also suggested that she change her appearance again and re-enter the academy, but she refused because she thought that her sister would be getting married soon and she would have to go to Luoyang.
Hua Wuduo lay sprawled on the leaf-strewn ground, her head resting on her bundle. She tossed her empty wine gourd aside carelessly. She was already somewhat drunk. Gazing at the moonlight, she sighed softly and recited in a low voice: "Fallen leaves carpet the ground, soft as a bed; fine wine flows down my throat, recalling the past. I wonder when we'll meet again; gazing at the moon, my thoughts are in vain..." After reciting, Hua Wuduo was startled, then suddenly sat up, muttering to herself, "I'm actually missing them..." Realizing this, she felt a jolt of disbelief, and suddenly pounded the ground in anger, roaring, "How hateful! I'm actually missing him!"
Just then, someone in the woods behind them suddenly shouted, "Who's there!"
Hua Wuduo was startled. Judging from the voices, there were two people who were quite skilled in light footwork, and they arrived behind him in a moment.
Hua Wuduo was already standing by the stream, but he did not turn around when he heard the two arrive.