Вдовствующая императрица Сяосюань - Глава 51
Ru Feng leaned closer to Ru Xue and examined her closely, saying, "Sister's skin is so good, smooth and fair. It seems you've really figured out something."
Ru Xue smiled and pinched Ru Feng's smooth cheek, pretending to be angry, and said: "Well, you're teasing your sister now. You little rascal, you're getting more and more handsome. You say my skin is good, but yours is better. If you weren't a boy, I would really be jealous."
Ru Feng looked around and exclaimed, "Sister, where is your maid? Why are you the only one here?"
Ru Xue sighed, "Oh, how dare you say that? You don't know that ever since you came back, our maids have lost their will to do their work. They all take every opportunity to run to your courtyard. Xiang Ling is the same. As for you, you're a heartless person now, so in order not to delay them, we didn't bring her along."
Ru Feng protested: "Who said I'm heartless?"
“Look, look, you’re almost seventeen and you know nothing about matters between men and women. Although you’re always out having fun, you’re still a child at heart. Getting you to fall in love will be a real struggle. By the way, Rufeng, after you turn twenty, could you take Xiangling as your concubine? I think she’s deeply in love with you, and Xiangling is someone I grew up with and know very well.” Ruxue said, looking at Rufeng expectantly.
Ru Feng pouted in annoyance: "No wonder you had time to come see me today, so you came to play matchmaker for me." But she felt a chill in her heart. Ugh, she didn't expect her own sister to join in the fun. Although her grandfather had stopped talking about carrying on the family line and marriage recently, and hadn't accepted any matchmakers' proposals, he was still actively arranging "matchmaking events" in the hopes that she would settle down with someone first.
"Then tell me your thoughts, are you willing or not?" Ru Xue pressed on.
Ru Feng's eyes darted around, and he whispered, "Sister, don't talk about me. At least I'm a man. With my looks and qualifications, I don't have to worry about finding a wife. But what about you? Do you already have someone you like? Otherwise, why don't you find any of the men in Yuezhou City appealing?" Ru Feng asked this because he remembered the painting he had seen that night.
Ru Xue fell silent, clutching the handkerchief in her hand tightly. She bit her lip, which had been bright red from the rouge she had applied, but now the color had faded, showing how hard she had tried.
Ru Feng felt a pang of reluctance and quickly patted the back of her hand: "Sister, if you don't want to talk about it, then don't. Sigh, it's still the same old saying: just choose a man who suits you. Anyway, even if you don't want to get married in the future, I will take care of you until you're old. From now on, I will be the head of the Yuchi family."
Ru Xue looked at Ru Feng's face and said softly, "It's not that I don't want to say it, but it's obvious that they don't have that kind of feeling for me. How can I just hand it over to them?"
Upon hearing this, Ru Feng thought there was hope and quickly advised, "Sister, how do you know he doesn't like you before you've even said anything?"
Ru Xue smiled bitterly: "I knew it. Never mind, let's not talk about this anymore. I'm tired, I'm going back now." After saying that, she left in a hurry, as if Ru Feng had revealed something to her.
As Ru Feng watched her graceful figure disappear into the distance, she wrinkled her nose. Why did everyone in her family always use being tired as an excuse whenever they encountered something they didn't want to talk about? Fortunately, she managed to get away with the matter of the concubine, and Ru Feng breathed a sigh of relief.
After much deliberation, Ru Feng decided to attend the plum blossom appreciation event. She wanted to see what tricks Bai Shaojun would pull.
The next day, the weather was cold, and it snowed lightly. My hands and feet were freezing as soon as I went outside.
Ru Feng put on a thick cotton coat. Although she could easily do without such thick clothes with her internal strength, Ru Feng had other plans. In winter, if she wore thick enough clothes, she wouldn't need to wear the small garment her master gave her, and she wouldn't need to wear her Adam's apple either, because Ru Feng would tie on a scarf.
Ru Feng immediately felt refreshed and incredibly comfortable all over. If she put on the undergarment again, she was really worried that her chest would become flat in the future. Although her master said it wouldn't affect anything, who knows? It's better not to wear it if possible.
So Ru Feng was in a rather pleasant mood, and rode her Jingfeng horse out of the city alone. Perhaps because of the cold weather, there were relatively few people along the way. Ru Feng occasionally saw some magnificent carriages traveling the same route as her. At first, Ru Feng didn't understand why, but then she heard someone calling her.
"Is this Young Master Rufeng?" Rufeng quickly stopped his horse and turned around. A scholar-looking man leaned out of the carriage window, cupped his hands and smiled, "Young Master Rufeng, I am Xiang Jingbo, the president of the Bolin Poetry Society. Greetings."
Ru Feng nodded and smiled in return, saying, "So it's the famous President Xiang. I, Ru Feng, also extend my greetings."
Xiang Jingbo smiled slightly and invited, "It's cold outside. If you don't mind, Young Master Rufeng, why don't you come in and sit with us? Our society has long admired your name, Young Master Rufeng, and would like to learn from you."
So he wanted to challenge me, Ru Feng thought to himself, but he smiled and said, "President Xiang, I am just a rough man, I can only ride a horse. I dare not ask you for advice. How about I ask you for advice properly when we get to Bai Shaojun's villa?"
Xiang Jingbo thought about it and agreed. After saying a few more words, he turned back away.
Ru Feng smiled slightly, spurred his horse and rode away, not stopping along the way, and pretending not to hear even when someone called him.
Along the way, Ru Feng took a detour to "Luo Mei Bie Yuan" to see the scenery, just to admire the thin layer of snow on the green mountains and pick some wild fruits to taste. So when she arrived at Luo Mei Academy, it was almost time, and Ru Feng was almost the last to arrive.
As soon as Ru Feng dismounted, he saw a large group of people standing at the entrance of the villa. Standing in the middle was Bai Shaojun, who was wearing a furry cloak. As Ru Feng went to greet him, he looked at the cloak. It was a red fox fur cloak with a pure color and incredibly smooth texture. He had heard that the entire cloak was made from a small piece of fur from under the fox's armpit. He wondered how many foxes would have to die to make such a cloak.
"Tsk tsk," Ru Feng sighed inwardly. "Wouldn't this be illegal in modern times? Bai Shaojun is really rich. This garment was sold by the best clothing store in the country. There are only five of them in the whole country. Ru Feng didn't know this until Han Shan came back and told him. He even described the cloak and said that Bai Shaojun from Yuezhou City bought it for one thousand taels of silver."
Looking at the other people's clothes, they were all rich and noble, wearing fine fur coats. Only Ru Feng was wearing an ordinary cotton coat, which was a military overcoat that Ru Feng had made in imitation of modern times.
Just as she was thinking this, she saw Bai Shaojun come up to her with a smile and say, "Ru Feng, you're here. We were just missing you." He then punched Ru Feng.
Ru Feng smiled bitterly to himself, enduring the pain in his left shoulder. It seemed the show was about to begin. How could you not be suspicious when someone who was usually at odds with you suddenly greeted you with a smile?
"I shouldn't be late, haha, I took a detour a bit, so I was a little late," Ru Feng quickly explained, nodding and smiling at the others as he did so.
"It's alright, it's alright, I'm not late anyway," Bai Shaojun hurriedly said, his face still full of smiles. Ru Feng looked at the malicious smiles in the eyes of the others and sighed inwardly, it seems this really is a trap.
Sure enough, after introductions, Ru Feng smiled wryly. These were all people who had presented him with their calling cards. He had only met a few of them initially, and those were people who had good relationships with his grandfather and father. He had declined all the others. It seemed his actions had offended them, so now they were banding together to give him a hard time.
A group of about thirty or forty people walked in, bustling about. Ru Feng originally wanted to look at the scenery and decorations, because she had heard that the scenery here was very nice, but there were too many people chatting with her, so Ru Feng didn't have time to look around much.
The group went to the hall first, where it was warm and cozy. It was clear that Bai Shaojun wanted everyone to relax and rest for a while before going to admire the plum blossoms.
Ru Feng glanced around and saw that the hall was simply furnished, with seats on both sides at low tables where one had to sit cross-legged. Two people shared a table. Ru Feng looked around and saw that no one was sitting next to him yet.
As soon as Ru Feng sat down, someone called out, "Young Master Wuyou has arrived." Ru Feng saw that everyone's eyes were turned towards the door, their faces showing anticipation and nervousness.
Ru Feng's curiosity was piqued, and he also looked outside.
Soon, a servant brought in a man. This man wore a scholar's robe and a thin red dress, and was as elegant as a jade tree in the wind. As he drew closer, it was as if a gentle spring breeze was slowly approaching. Only then did Ru Feng realize that there really was such a beautiful man in this world, as beautiful as a figure in a painting. He had a face as beautiful as a peach blossom, with long, narrow eyes that were alluring. As his eyes swept over her, the crowd fell even quieter, and no one made a sound.
At first, Ru Feng thought it was a beautiful woman in disguise, but upon closer inspection, he realized it was a man. Putting aside his Adam's apple, Ru Feng knew from his walking posture and height that he was a man.
As if admiring a moving painting of a lady, Ru Feng's movements revealed glimpses of her fair skin on her chest, the red dress accentuating her delicate features and making her appear even more captivating and breathtakingly beautiful.
As Ru Feng watched him slowly approach, she thought to herself, "There are still such men in the world, and they are even more handsome than Yun Tianze!"
This kind of beauty is the same type as Yun Tianze's, a delicate and exquisite beauty. However, Yun Tianze also possesses the noble air of a young master from a prominent family, which is enough to make him someone to admire from afar but not to be trifled with. But the man before her, while beautiful, also carries a bewitching aura. Having been to brothels a few times, Ru Feng knows that he has a worldly air about him. Recalling his name, she knows that the man before her is the peerless and carefree "Worry-Free" young master of the Pear Garden.
The carefree young master has been a whirlwind in Yuezhou City in recent days. Rumor has it that he has amazing singing skills, outstanding acting skills, and most importantly, he is incredibly talented and has an exceptionally beautiful appearance. He is a famous actor from the capital and is said to be renowned for his beauty throughout the world.
Although Ru Feng had been staying at home practicing swordsmanship, Han Shan and the steward still came back to tell him what he needed to know. A few days ago, Ru Feng learned about the Wuyou Young Master. It is said that many wealthy families in Yuezhou City now consider it an honor to invite the opera troupe that Wuyou belongs to to perform at their homes, and some people even compare their own appearance to Wuyou's.
When Hanshan spoke, Rufeng didn't pay much attention. He was just a man; why should she, a woman, bother arguing with him? However, Rufeng hadn't expected to encounter Wuyou here.
Thinking of this, Ru Feng looked at Bai Shaojun and saw a hint of smugness flash in his eyes and a smile on his lips.
As if struck by a chill, it seemed that this "Worry-Free" was directed at him.