Regardless of whether Li Rongjin's wish to see Xie Wangzhi was true or false, he could not see her after all. Since returning home, Xie Wangzhi naturally mixed into the circle of noble ladies. She did not like to join in the fun, but she had to accept the invitations sent. This time, she accepted Zheng Hanyuan's invitation and went to Qujiang during the Shangsi Festival.
Qujiang is located in the southwest of Chang'an City. Qujiang is a good place for an outing on the Shangsi Festival for young men who have passed the imperial examination and men and women who are from aristocratic families.
The Zheng family of Xingyang was very impressive, and Zheng Hanyuan was the legitimate daughter. They set up a banquet in the shade by the Qujiang River. There were more than a hundred servants and maids coming and going. On the table were fine wines from all over the country, camel humps steamed in jade pots, and white fish sashimi on crystal plates. The banquet was very lively. Zheng Hanyuan sat in the main seat, looking at the guests, listening to the constant compliments in her ears, and slightly raised her chin, showing the pride of a noble lady.
The banquet was well organized. The only thing that made her uncomfortable was Xie Wangzhi who was sitting at the table.
Xie Wangzhi was still the same. There was nothing impolite about him attending the banquet, but it was obvious that he was not dressed up and did not bring anyone with him. He just sat alone behind the table.
"What are you looking at?" Wen Qinnan had just finished speaking when she heard no response and couldn't help but poke Zheng Hanyuan with her hand.
Zheng Hanyuan said "Aiya" and glared at Wen Qiniang half-seriously and half-fakely: "I didn't see anything."
"You're lying." Wen Qiniang's eyes turned to Xie Wangzhi, then turned back, moved closer, and whispered, "Don't look at her, she's alone, lonely, not as lively as us. If you insist on looking at her, what if she feels embarrassed?"
"Who looked at her?" Zheng Hanyuan felt comfortable, but he couldn't show it on his face. "Don't say that. Everyone who comes is a guest. I have to treat them with courtesy."
"You say that, but who is the 'guest' in your mind? Do you need my advice?" Wen Qiniang cast a look to the other side, "Don't worry, I've asked around, and no one has ever said that the prince knows her. If he really knew her, he wouldn't have left her alone when he's so free at the banquet. Don't you think so?"
This is true, but on the day Li Qishen returned to Chang'an, the tears that suddenly flowed down Xie Wangzhi's face and the look in Li Qishen's eyes when he looked up, mixed together, still made Zheng Hanyuan terrified, across the long lines of people on Zhuque Street.
But she really didn't want to believe it, nor did she dare to believe it, so she just made a blind guess, thinking that Xie Wangzhi was just trying to get close to someone else, and Li Qishen was just a young and romantic man, so it didn't matter which family the woman was from.
So what if he was born in an aristocratic family, or if he was from the Xie family of Chang'an, he should just ignore her. Thinking of this, she felt a little more sympathy for Xie Wangzhi, and changed the subject: "Okay, let's not talk about this, let's talk about something else."
Wen Qinnan understood and immediately changed the topic, focusing on Zheng Hanyuan's outfit today, praising the embroidery on the hem of his clothes and talking about the silk flowers in his hair. As time went by, a few idle ladies nearby were also attracted and started chatting with laughter.
They were chatting happily over there, and Xie Wangzhi was alone, enjoying her leisure time. She sat upright, with her hands on her knees, but her eyes did not drop slightly as expected, but instead passed through the crowd and fell on her lover who was a little further away.
Li Qishen was wearing a round-necked robe with a lapels folded on his body today, and the leather belt made his waist look thin. He was tall, with an upright and slender figure, which gave him a sense of being unrestrained and carefree. The man and woman in front of him were wearing light armor, and they looked like soldiers. They also stood upright, which was quite pleasing to the eye.
Xie Wangzhi looked at it for a while, and suddenly a voice came from the side: "Madam, are you admiring the peach blossoms?"
Xie Wang was startled. Before she could reply, Sun Yuandao had already sat down. He was not shy at all and sat next to her. If you didn't know them well, you would think they were companions.
"No." Xie Wangzhi felt a little uncomfortable, but he couldn't ask him to leave, so he just quietly moved aside and kept his distance, "Just taking a look."
Sun Yuandao said "Oh" but didn't try to move closer. He patiently glanced at the peach blossom forest and said, "If you're not here to admire the peach blossoms, then you can see the Prince of Yanyang. The Prince of Yanyang is quite talented and he knows some outstanding people."
Xie Wangzhi didn't want to answer, but she wasn't stupid. She felt that the second half of the sentence had a hidden meaning. She half-turned her face, fluttered her eyelashes, and glanced at Sun Yuandao: "What do you mean by that, my dear?"
"... Why... You have to listen to me." Sun Yuandao's bones softened at that glance, and he wanted to hug the young lady beside him and rub her for a while. He didn't care about keeping the secret, and said directly, "Those two are the talents of Tiance Mansion."
"Tian Ce Mansion?"
"Yes, Tian Ce Mansion. There was a banquet in Qujiang at that time, and this guard happened to be transferred here. I heard that it was related to the inheritance of the mansion and Prince Ning, so I chatted with the prince." Sun Yuandao opened his folding fan and shook it. "The man is a lieutenant and the girl is a deputy lieutenant. They are both still young. In Tian Ce Mansion, people climb up based on military merit. It's not easy. It's really not easy."
Involving the army, and the Tiance Mansion, Xie Wangzhi had a hunch that Li Qishen was probably talking about something, but she would not discuss this with Sun Yuandao, so she thanked him half-heartedly: "Thank you, Mr. Sun, I understand."
Sun Yuandao was extremely anxious because he said thank you but didn't show any appreciation. However, he couldn't just say something like "Madam, why don't you pour me a glass of wine?" This matter couldn't be rushed. He thought, "It's Madam Zheng who is hosting the banquet this time. I heard that there is wine from the Western Regions. It has a special flavor when soaked in fruits and vegetables. Why don't I send someone to get some so that Madam can enjoy it?"
Xie Wangzhi knew this way of eating. When wine soaks into fruits, they taste sweet and have a special aroma. But if you are not careful, you will get drunk while eating. She thought that she must be sick to eat like this in front of her husband whom she didn't trust, but she would not say it directly. She just smiled at Sun Yuandao, with a shy look.
"After all, it's Madam Zheng who's hosting the banquet, so I can't say too much, nor can I just randomly order the maids around, which would be rude." She said softly, "Why don't you trouble my husband to come over?"
“…Okay, of course.” This trick was crude, and Xie Wangzhi himself was not very good at using it. However, Sun Yuandao was obsessed with getting close to him, and was so confused that his mind was dizzy. He immediately stood up, wishing he could pull a whole car over directly.
As soon as he left, Xie Wangzhi quickly stood up, and before he turned around, she lifted her skirt and mixed in with the crowd. In just a few steps, she was on the opposite side, found a table and sat down, just on the line formed by Li Qishen and Zheng Hanyuan.
However, Zheng Hanyuan didn't pay attention to her. One reason was that she was in a high position, and the other was Li Qishen.
After the conversation, the handsome young man politely said goodbye to the two people in Tiance Mansion, but he did not rush over. Instead, he stepped back a few steps, looked up for a while, and raised his hand to pick a peach blossom. The peach blossom was in full bloom, with distinct petals and a light pink color, which made his skin look particularly white, and it was as transparent as a beautiful jade under the sun.
Zheng Hanyuan was shocked by the beauty and instinctively wanted to avoid it, but his eyes could not help but fixed on Li Qishen.
Wen Qiniang was such a smart person that she knew what she was thinking. She looked at the direction where Li Qishen was coming from, grabbed Zheng Hanyuan's scarf, and said with a smile, "It's over, it's over. The prince is here to see you with peach blossoms. Our young lady Zheng, are you going to accept it or not?"
"Go away, what nonsense are you talking about!" Zheng Hanyuan blushed, and his heart was a little excited, but he wanted to spit at Wen Qiniang, "Who said that these peach blossoms were picked for me? Who can guarantee that the prince just picked them casually because he thought these peach blossoms were beautiful?"
Wen Qiniang was not annoyed: "It's just a casual gift, but if I give it to someone, it will definitely be for you! To be honest, among all the ladies here, who can compare to our Yuan'er's beauty?"
She looked at Li Qishen, then turned her head and deliberately moved closer to Zheng Hanyuan, winking and saying, "Look for yourself, the prince is really walking this way!"
Zheng Hanyuan was near the main seat. Draw a line from the peach blossom forest where Li Qishen had been before. It happened to be the place with the most tables. Many ladies and men were sitting there. Several ladies had blushing faces. On the one hand, they were guessing who the prince would give the peach blossom to, and on the other hand, they secretly hoped that it was for themselves.
However, Li Qishen didn't look at anyone. He held the peach blossom loosely and walked forward silently, as if he really thought the peach blossom was beautiful and he picked one up casually, as if he had set his destination on Zheng Hanyuan.
Zheng Hanyuan was startled, but Wen Qiniang was fanning the flames: "Look, look, the prince is coming, isn't he heading for you?"
"Stop talking nonsense!" Zheng Hanyuan scolded with a tone half angry and half annoyed, but her heart was beating faster and faster. Her eyes were fixed on Li Qishen, and she kept twisting the handkerchief in her hand.
It seems that this peach blossom is indeed meant for her. Among so many ladies present, many of them are eyeing Li Qishen. This really gives him enough face. Of course, she cannot let Li Qishen down and must accept this peach blossom well.
But I can't be too enthusiastic. After all, I'm a noble lady from an aristocratic family, so I have to be reserved, otherwise it seems like I'm asking for favors...
Zheng Hanyuan was thinking about how to accept the peach blossom so as to appear polite and not hurt Li Qishen's feelings. His eyes drifted and couldn't help but fell on Xie Wangzhi.
Xie Wangzhi was still alone, sitting silently behind the table, not talking to anyone, not ordering the maids around, as if she didn't exist at all. She also lowered her head, hiding her beauty, making it even harder to be noticed.
Seeing Li Qishen's footsteps gradually approaching and almost reaching Xie Wangzhi's table, Zheng Hanyuan was startled at first and twisted her handkerchief even tighter, but when she saw that Li Qishen had no intention of stopping, she loosened her hand again. When she looked at Xie Wangzhi, she felt a kind of hearty pleasure, but also some inexplicable pity.
It can be seen that Prince Yanyang is not such a superficial person. It is useless to have a beautiful face or to shed tears upstairs. If he doesn't like her, he doesn't like her. He knows who is the most worthy lady in Chang'an City.
Zheng Hanyuan couldn't help but raise his chin slightly, thinking that maybe he shouldn't accept it so early. He should leave Li Qishen alone to avoid making him feel that it was too easy to get what he wanted.
However, while she was still thinking, Li Qishen had stopped in front of Xie Wangzhi's table. He pushed away Sun Yuandao who was holding a fruit plate, lifted his skirt, and sat down next to Xie Wangzhi.
This scene was really unexpected. Wen Qiniang was stunned: "This..."
"You're talking nonsense!" Zheng Hanyuan gritted his teeth. Seeing that his friend was also unhappy, he was so ashamed and angry that he tore off his handkerchief, turned around and sat back at his table. His face flushed and he wanted to kick the table.
She held it in for a while, then slapped the table, but there was no sound, and instead her palm turned red and hurt all the way to her wrist.
The author has something to say: Regarding the issues of rhythm and emotional lines... I still can't help but say a few words (putting the microphone in my own mouth). It's like this, my intelligence level is at best the average level (in fact, it's probably not even that level...), and I can't write anything grand and vast. I can only write about love to entertain myself and make you laugh.
Love is a very mysterious thing. It is wonderful to get married, have children and show affection, but that is the story of a man and a woman. Ambiguity and temptation belong to boys and girls. The Changsheng in this book is the boy in my imagination. I want to write as much as possible about his youth, rather than his appearance as a man. I don't want to leave any regrets for myself, nor do I want him to suffer a lot. It is difficult to catch up with the youth, and it will become a memory in the future. The world is full of suffering, and this happiness is rare. Let Changsheng and Wangzhi be happy for a while longer.
Of course I understand, I don't want to write a story that will make you anxious to death. One thing to confirm, Changsheng and Wangzhi like each other, and they are even secretly jealous of each other. From my aesthetic point of view, the feeling of being close but not being able to touch is the best (I can't say more later because I'm afraid of being caught) There will be another update at 8 pm today, and I will try to have sweet interactions every day_(:3)∠)_