Десять лет цветущих цветов

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Bi Feixian stared coldly at the two of them, and after a long while, she sheathed her sword.

"I'll give you half an incense stick's time to wash up and come see me."

Half an incense stick later, Dai Kejian and his servant Xiaochi stood neatly dressed in front of Bi Feixian.

Bi Feixian sat behind the table, flipping through the book in her hands, and said without looking up, "Where are my things?"

"Huh?" Dai Kejian was taken aback at first, then immediately understood. He took out a brocade pouch from a small drawer on the bookshelf and placed it respectfully on the table.

Bi Feixian opened the brocade pouch and took out an ivory thumb ring, a small bag of rouge, and a silk handkerchief. She raised her eyebrows to look at Dai Kejian, who hurriedly reached into his robes and rummaged around for a while before pushing the small bag aside and whispering, "Take them out quickly."

"What are you going to take, young master?"

"Golden Leaf".

"Did you spend all your money at Jufeng Tower?"

Dai Kejian looked embarrassed and gave Bi Feixian a few dry laughs, saying, "Well, I'll go find Huai Su later and have him return your fifty taels of gold."

"Fifty taels of gold?" Consort Bi raised her eyebrows inscrutably.

The snack vendor interjected, "It's just three gold leaves, weighing at most five ounces. Young master will give you ten times that amount."

Bi Feixian said nothing, but simply put on the ivory thumb ring, turned it three times to the right, and pulled out a wire thinner than a hair. She picked up a piece of Xuan paper from the table, released it, and the paper floated down, silently splitting in two as it passed the wire.

Dai Kejian and Xiaochi both widened their eyes in surprise.

Bi Feixian twisted the wire back into the ring, then picked up the bag of rouge. Beside the desk was a carved wooden stand with a pot of orchids on it. She dipped her finger in the rouge and flicked it lightly at the orchid, which immediately withered.

Dai Kejian and Xiaochi both gasped.

Bi Feixian picked up a silk handkerchief, tore off a strip, lit it with a flint, and threw it out the window. With a loud "boom," the silk strip exploded in the air, filling the air with a plume of red smoke.

At this point, Dai Kejian and Xiaochi were so shocked that their jaws almost dropped to the ground.

“Everything in this brocade pouch has another purpose, and it can’t be bought even with a thousand taels of gold. And you two just casually used up my gold leaves?”

Dai Kejian quickly tugged at Xiaochi's hand and said, "Quick, quick!"

"What's the rush, young master?"

"Let's hurry to Jufeng Tower and redeem those three gold leaves!"

As the two turned to leave, Bi Feiqian said, "Stop."

The two stood obediently, and Bi Feiqian raised her eyelids slightly and said, "One person is enough."

"Did you hear that? One person is enough. So you can leave the snacks here, I'll go redeem Ye Zi." Dai Kejian very unfaithfully pushed the snacks forward again.

The snack vendor's face turned pale then red, then red again, and then pale again. This young master always pins all the blame on him; he's the one who's taken the fall so pitifully…

Bi Feixian's face was calm, her eyes were like water, and she looked coldly at Dai Kejian. Intimidated by her imposing manner, Dai Kejian could no longer keep up his joking manner. He could only scratch his head and say listlessly, "Alright, Xiaochi, you go redeem Yezi, I'll stay."

"Yes." The snack vendor quickly made his escape.

The study was quiet, with only the two of them remaining.

Dai Kejian looked down at his toes and said lazily, "Heroine, oh no, I should call you Master now, what are your orders?"

Bi Feixian pretended not to notice the sarcasm in his voice and said seriously, "Since you respect me as your teacher, then listen carefully. Starting tomorrow, you will get up at dawn to practice martial arts, handle government affairs at noon, have lunch, take a half-hour nap, ride horses and practice archery at 3 PM, bathe and play chess at 5 PM, eat and listen to music at 5 PM, read and practice calligraphy at 7 PM, meditate and study Buddhism at 9 PM, and go to sleep at midnight. On the first and fifteenth of each month, you will travel with me, and during festivals, you will visit the homes of ordinary people. Do you understand? Do you have any questions?"

Dai Kejian's eyes widened as he exclaimed, "There's a problem! Of course there's a problem! Practicing martial arts and studying is one thing, but what about music, chess, calligraphy, painting, horseback riding, and archery? I'm not going to take the imperial examinations for the highest rank in the civil or military fields! The most outrageous thing is Zen meditation and Buddhism. I don't believe in Buddhism, so why would I want to learn this?"

Bi Feixian glanced at him lightly and said calmly, "Because you are too impetuous, you need to calm your mind. Only a calm person can be a good city lord. Is there any other question?"

Dai Kejian replied irritably, "What other questions could I possibly have?"

Bi Feixian stood up and said, "Very good, it seems we have reached an agreement. Now take me to see Li Youyou."

"ah?"

Surprised as he was, he still had to lead the way. Dai Kejian turned and led the way to the Forget-Worry Pavilion, where he indeed saw seven pink lanterns. The entrance was initially empty, but as soon as Bi Feixian stepped onto the stairs, four figures flashed out from the darkness. Dai Kejian was about to speak when he saw Bi Feixian's figure flash, rushing towards the four like a shooting star. When she returned to his side, all four had been immobilized by pressure points.

"You were right after all. If we don't give them a chance to take out their weapons, we can definitely take them down in one move." Bi Feixian clapped her hands and walked into the building with a smug look on her face.

Dai Kejian walked up to the four unlucky souls, reached out and touched them. Bi Feixian's skills were indeed impressive; her pressure point strikes were quick and accurate, but—

"Should I tell her that the four of you are just ordinary guards, not the Four Great Envoys who can play musical instruments and sing?"

No sooner had she finished speaking than Bi Feixian let out a scream from inside the building, indicating that she had encountered the real Four Envoys.

Dai Kejian rolled his eyes, then simply sat down on the steps, took out a packet of candied fruit from his pocket, and started eating.

The clattering and banging noises inside the building lasted for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, then suddenly stopped. Hmm? It's unclear whether Bi Feixian dealt with the Four Envoys, or the Four Envoys dealt with her. Dai Kejian waited a while longer; the building was eerily quiet. Unable to sit still any longer, he curiously pushed open the door and went inside.

There was no one on the first floor.

She tiptoed up the stairs and was greeted by a beautiful screen. The surroundings were empty; not only were Bi Feixian and the four envoys nowhere to be seen, but even Li Youyou was gone!

This was quite a surprise. He rushed to the window and looked down. Behind the small building was a large lake. If he jumped in, there should have been a sound. Then—he suddenly turned around, staring intently at the orchid on the left side of the screen, and then slowly turned the switch.

The hidden door opened automatically, leading to a passageway that ascended a flight of stairs. Dai Kejian slowly walked along the passageway, until he reached an iron gate.

He stood in front of the door for a long time, then finally mustered the courage to yank it open. But as soon as the door opened, a long-lost sound rushed out—

"What? A one of coins? I want it! Thirteen Days, I won! Wahahaha, pay me, pay me!"

In the lavishly decorated room, the four musicians, with red eyes, were playing mahjong!

"Are you looking for me?" a voice came from the right.

Dai Kejian turned his head and saw Bi Feixian standing quietly by the door, not a single hair out of place, let alone anything else.

“I’m fine, but you seem disappointed.”

Dai Kejian immediately broke into a smile and went over to greet him, saying, "Not at all, not at all! Teacher, you've been inside the building for so long, I was so worried. Now that I see you're safe and sound, I'm so happy! But I wonder... why did you bring them here?"

“Oh, it’s nothing. I think this room is much more comfortable than the Forget-Worry Pavilion, so I brought Miss Li here for a short stay to change things up.” Bi Feixian smiled, her eyes narrowed.

The two, master and apprentice, looked at each other and smiled, as if they were competing to see who could smile more sweetly.

At the other end of the square table, the announcer flipped over a tile with a "smack" and roared, "Self-draw! I've finally turned the tables!"

“Turn over? If this continues, I’ll never be able to turn over in my life! Ahhh, I’m going to die!” On the luxurious and soft bed, Dai Kejian shouted incoherently while eating candied fruit.

There were four servants in the room, including Xiaochi. One was fanning him, one was massaging his back, one was picking out candied fruit and feeding it to him, while Xiaochi was flipping through a book in his hand, head down and silent.

Dai Kejian raised his face and said, "You guys better think of something for me to do about eating, drinking, and having fun!"

Xiao Le, fanning himself, said weakly, "Young Master, those were the old city lord's dying words. Who would dare disobey them? Just bear with it."

"Endure? Twelve hours a day, that woman has filled my schedule to the brim. You try it and see if that's a life for a human being?"

Xiao He fed him a honey-brewed cherry and said, "When did Young Master become so obedient and submissive?"

"What's the meaning?"

"Young master, from childhood to adulthood, you've driven away dozens, if not hundreds, of teachers. You should know better than anyone how to outwardly comply while inwardly defying them, and how to deal with teachers, shouldn't you?"

Dai Kejian said irritably, "That's different!"

“What’s the difference? Aren’t they all teachers? Young master, don’t treat her like a woman. Just treat her like one of those old men from the past. Do what you’re supposed to do. There’s no need to be gentle with her.”

Xiao Wan chuckled, "Is a young master who doesn't cherish women still a young master?"

“It’s because she’s a woman that I can’t do anything about it…” Dai Kejian rested his chin on his hand, looking extremely troubled. He glanced at Xiaochi and asked curiously, “Xiaochi, what are you looking at? Why haven’t you said anything for so long?”

Xiaochi looked up from the booklet and said very seriously, "Didn't the young master ask me to help him figure out how to deal with Miss Bi? I'm looking for inspiration from ancient books."

Dai Kejian glanced at the book cover with great suspicion, only to see three large characters written on it—"Tao Te Ching." His eyes twitched. "Are you sure you can find inspiration in this?"

"Yes, young master, and I have already found it."

Dai Kejian immediately became interested and sat up in bed in a flash. "Tell me quickly!"

“Young master, I think it’s wrong to tease the teacher, and it’s even more wrong to tease the female teacher. So we should find a solution through proper and reasonable means. In other words, if we want her to leave, we just need to… get her married.”

Dai Kejian had almost fallen asleep by the end, but his eyes lit up when he heard the last four words: "Get married?"

"Yes, Miss Bi and the chief steward made a three-point agreement, the last condition of which was that this appointment would last until she got married. In other words, as soon as she got married, her master-disciple relationship with the city lord would end."

Dai Kejian exclaimed in surprise, "Little Snack, Little Snack! I never thought that someone who usually seems a bit slow-witted could actually come in handy at a crucial moment!"

The snack vendor lowered his head shyly and said modestly, "Not at all, it's all thanks to the young master's excellent teaching."

"You've really done me a huge favor. Whatever reward you want, young master will give it to you."

The snack vendor looked up with expectant eyes, "Really, I can have anything I want?"

"Yes, go ahead and say it," Dai Kejian agreed, patting his chest.

"Okay, young master, I want to change my name!" Xiaochi said with infinite grievance, "I don't want to be called Xiaochi, everyone laughs at me behind my back."

"I see..." Dai Kejian thought about it seriously for a while, and finally patted him on the shoulder and said, "Since you don't want to be called Xiaochi, then don't be. You and Xiaohe will switch names. From today onwards, you will be called Xiaohe."

"Ah? No! Young master! I, I, I'll just order snacks instead."

"You said it yourself, you're not going to go back on your word?"

Xiaochi nodded hastily. How could he dare to refuse? If he continued, who knew what even more outrageous name this quirky young master would give him? Oh well, he should just accept his fate. After all, "Eat" was still the boss among "eating, drinking, and having fun."

Xiao Wan blinked and said, "But young master, there's another problem. Who should this woman marry?"

Xiao Le said lazily, "Miss Bi is beautiful, skilled in martial arts, and comes from a prestigious family. She has no shortage of men who want to marry her."

Xiao Wan said, "The problem is whether she's willing to marry him. With such good conditions, her standards are naturally high; she won't agree to marry just any dog or cat coming to propose."

Dai Kejian stroked his chin, paced around the room a few times, and then snapped his fingers, saying, "This is too easy! Pass down my order: all men of marriageable age in Hantian City who are handsome, from wealthy families, and unmarried must submit their portraits and information within three days, so that I can choose them one by one."

He raised an eyebrow, curled his lips, and said with a wicked smile, "Bi Feixian, you're lucky."

Chapter Three

The next day, while it was still dark, Bi Feixian knocked on Dai Kejian's door on time. Xiaochi came out wearing a coat, and when he saw it was her, his sleepiness vanished instantly.

"Go and wake your young master up."

Xiaochi rubbed his eyes and said, "Well... Miss Bi, it's not that I don't want to wake him up, it's just that once my young master falls asleep, he won't wake up even if there's thunder outside. I can't wake him up at all."

Bi Feixian stared at him for a few moments, then went into the room. The air still smelled of alcohol, but unlike the study, his bedroom was not scented.

Inside the brocade curtains embroidered with eight treasures, a person lay wrapped in a quilt, fast asleep.

Bi Feixian called his name several times through the curtain, but to no avail. Without a word, she picked up the teapot on the table, lifted the curtain, and poured it all over Dai Kejian's head. Dai Kejian immediately woke up, jumped up, wiped his face, and cried out, "What is this... water... you!"

"Are you awake? If you are, change your clothes and come with me to the training ground." Bi Feixian finished speaking and turned away without even glancing at him.

The snack vendor looked at the disheveled young master with great sympathy; he probably had never been treated like this since birth. This woman was indeed ruthless.