“I wasn’t this fast when I rode a horse myself before!” Shen Lixue answered softly. Modern riding arenas are very flat, so riding a horse is naturally not this fast. Although the instructors’ riding skills are professional, they can’t compare to those of the ancients who used horses as a means of transportation.
"Who taught you to ride a horse?" Dongfang Heng remembered that Lin Qingzhu was a typical young lady from a prominent family, proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, and prose, but she did not know how to ride a horse.
"I learned it from my master, a master of great skill!" Shen Lixue used this fictitious master to smooth things over: "We're almost at the city gate, you should slow down!"
As soon as Shen Lixue finished speaking, Dongfang Heng immediately reined in his horse and, as if admiring the scenery, the white horse carried the two of them slowly forward.
"Why are you walking so slowly?" Shen Lixue asked, puzzled. They were about to reach the capital and needed to hurry into the city to find Ye Qianlong.
“There are many people and eyes at the city gate. If they see the two of us riding fast horses in a hurry, they will definitely guess that we have urgent business. Those with ulterior motives will definitely send someone to follow us!” Dongfang Heng replied, his eyes deep and unfathomable.
“That’s true!” Shen Lixue nodded and said nothing more, letting the white horse carry the two of them slowly toward the city gate. What should have been a distance that took one cup of tea took three cups of tea’s time.
The city was crowded, and a man and a woman riding horses so intimately attracted attention. In order to avoid being noticed, Shen Lixue jumped off her horse as soon as they entered the south gate. Her soft and delicate body was instantly gone, and her fresh fragrance slowly disappeared. Dongfang Heng felt an emptiness in his arms and a sense of loss rose up inexplicably.
Dismounting and tossing the reins to his guards, Dongfang Heng and Shen Lixue walked side by side, looking like a young couple taking a stroll from a distance.
Shen Lixue strode forward, her eyes fixed straight ahead. Her jet-black hair and light blue dress fluttered in the wind, giving her an ethereal and otherworldly air. Dongfang Heng's dark eyes narrowed slightly, and he was about to speak when Shen Lixue spoke first: "This is it!"
As she spoke, Shen Lixue strode into an inn. A dark glint flashed in her clear, cold eyes. On the day she served porridge, she had arranged for Ye Qianlong to stay at this inn before she left.
"Manager, is the guest in room number ten still the same man in black?" Stepping into the inn, before the waiter could even greet her, Shen Lixue asked the manager her question.
"Number 10, Earth?" The shopkeeper pondered for a moment, then suddenly remembered: "You mean that young man in black? He went out a few days ago and hasn't come back."
That young master was strange; his eyes were clear, yet he seemed possessed, constantly muttering "Li Xue, Li Xue"...
"Does the shopkeeper know where he went?" Shen Lixue pressed again.
The shopkeeper shook his head: "I don't know. The young master didn't leave anything behind when he left!"
"Thank you!" Shen Lixue walked out of the inn and shook her head at Dongfang Heng: "He's gone!"
Dongfang Heng looked around with sharp eyes and said firmly, "He must still be in the capital!"
On the second floor of Ruyi Inn, a man in black stood motionless like a statue in front of the private room window. His clear, spring-like eyes scanned the passing crowds, searching for that beautiful face in his memory. He searched every day, only to be disappointed each day, yet he refused to give up.
Suddenly, a woman in a light blue dress came into view. The man's eyes lit up, a dazzling light shining deep within them, and he called out urgently, "Li Xue!"
Witty Remarks 069: Qianlong Angrily Smashes the Thousand Flower Pavilion
"Li Xue!" Ye Qianlong called out joyfully, leaping from the second-floor window and quickly landing in the direction of the woman in blue.
Shen Lixue was walking down the street when she suddenly stopped. Her cool gaze quickly swept over the nearby teahouses, restaurants, and inns.
"What's wrong with you?" Dongfang Heng asked, puzzled, as he walked beside him.
"I think I heard someone calling me!" Shen Lixue listened intently, but the sounds of cars, footsteps, and noisy voices filled her ears. The faint call was gone.
"Could I have misheard?" Dongfang Heng possessed profound inner strength, and his hearing and perception were superior to Shen Lixue's. He had been walking beside her the whole time and hadn't heard anyone call her.
"Maybe I misheard!" Shen Lixue nodded. The call was very soft and faint, carried by the wind. She couldn't tell if it was a hallucination or if someone had really called her.
"Watch out!" Dongfang Heng's expression changed slightly. He grabbed Shen Lixue and quickly slipped into a shop. Two unidentified objects fell from beside them, crashing heavily to the ground and shattering into pieces. This startled passersby and caused some chaos.
"Who's so inconsiderate as to throw a wine jar in broad daylight..."
"Exactly, there are so many pedestrians on the street, what if someone gets hit?"
After a moment of shock, everyone came to their senses and gathered at the shop entrance, pointing and whispering about the window on the second floor where the wine jar had fallen.
"I do what I want, what's it to you?" A drunkard leaned out, his eyes glazed over, and cursed at the crowd before slamming the window shut with a loud bang.
The crowd was taken aback at first, then resumed their accusations and discussions.
Looking at the shards of the wine jar on the ground, Shen Lixue frowned. If Dongfang Heng hadn't been quick enough to pull her away, she would definitely have been injured. First, she was attacked at Xiangguo Temple, and now she was almost hit by a broken wine jar. Her luck was really bad today...
"Waiter, are there any private rooms available?" Dongfang Heng stood tall and elegant, his voice calm, a sharp glint flashing in his deep eyes.
"Yes, yes, yes, please come this way, gentlemen!" The waiter readily agreed and led Dongfang Heng and Shen Lixue upstairs.
A fake Xiliang secret guard appeared at Xiangguo Temple. Shen Lixue and Dongfang Heng were in a hurry to return to find Ye Qianlong. They hadn't had lunch yet and were already starving. The restaurant was blocked, and it would take a lot of effort to get out. They might as well have lunch first and then deal with other matters slowly.
The moment Dongfang Heng and Shen Lixue entered the private room, Ye Qianlong, dressed in black, entered the crowd, brushing past one young woman after another, searching for the face in his memory. This one isn't her, this one isn't her either, where is Lixue?
Before the wine jar fell, he clearly saw her standing here. When the wine jar fell, it blocked his view for a moment. When he looked again, Li Xue was gone. Where did she go?
There was no further movement from the second-floor window. After the crowd finished their accusations, they dispersed. The waiter quickly swept up the debris, and the area in front of the restaurant returned to normal.
Ye Qianlong stood silently like a statue, his handsome face flawless, his long eyelashes tinged with golden light, exuding a noble and aloof air, a natural arrogance, a childlike innocence tinged with a touch of purity and coldness. His gaze carefully scrutinized each young woman passing by, muttering to himself, "Where is Li Xue? Where is Li Xue?"
Around the corner, a lean man who had been observing for a long time slowly walked over. His face was lewd, and he looked Ye Qianlong up and down. A glint of shrewdness flashed in his small, beady eyes as he struck up a conversation: "Young master, are you looking for someone?"
"Yes, I'm looking for Li Xue. Have you seen her?" Ye Qianlong asked urgently, his eyes clear as a spring, untouched by worldly dust.
"Li Xue!" The lewd man feigned profundity, a sinister smile gleaming in his beady eyes. "She's right up ahead. I just greeted her..."
"Really?" Ye Qianlong's eyes lit up. "Then take me to see her quickly!"
"Follow me!" The lewd man turned around and strode forward, a wicked smile of triumph gleaming in his beady eyes. This fool, he was like a child, completely without a trace of guile, easily deceived with just a few words...
Ye Qianlong was completely unaware of the lewd man's ill intentions. He followed him closely, a happy smile on his handsome face. Great! He was finally going to see Li Xue!
In a private room of the restaurant, Shen Lixue sat at the table having her meal. Her gaze inadvertently drifted through the window and she saw a man in black among the crowds coming and going on the street. Shen Lixue recognized his youthful and adorable aura very well and was suddenly startled: That was... Ye Qianlong!
"But the food doesn't suit your taste?" Dongfang Heng asked softly from across the table.
“No!” Shen Lixue shook her head. Although the food at this restaurant was not as good as that at Zuixianlou, it was still quite unique.