None of the people present had expected that a young girl would express her broad-minded intentions through <Autumn Water> and not only did they marvel at this, but they also felt admiration. They heard a man speak loudly, “I have often heard that the Eldest Miss of the Li Family commands feelings with her zither. When I was young, I admired the nobleness of plum blossoms. One look is worth more than a thousand words. I wonder if the Eldest Miss Li would like to enjoy the flowers together by ourselves?”
Upon hearing this, a look of pleasant surprise appeared on Eldest Mistress’ face and with a trembling voice, she said, “Ah Lei, this, this is the Crown Prince’s request!”
As though Qing Lei was in the middle of a dream, she smiled absentmindedly. Ah Luo and Qing Fei hurriedly shook her awake, “Eldest Sister, answer, it’s the Crown Prince who wants to personally invite you.”
Qing Lei returned to her senses, looked at Qing Luo, tears forming in her eyes, “Ah Luo, I, this song wasn’t…”
Decisively, Ah Luo interrupted her, “Eldest sister, you played the zither, you sang the song, hurry and answer!” After saying this, she and Qing Fei pulled her up.
Princess Hu Guo laughed heartily and said, “Very good, the Crown Prince took the initiative to send an invite. All the youths present should follow the Crown Prince’s example and choose your favourite woman to go with you. As for all the Madams here, would you like to accompany me on a walk?”
The Madams responded, “It would be an honour.”
The princess said playfully, “We are old, we will leave first so we don’t hinder you all.”
The sound of laughter sprung up everywhere and the atmosphere was relaxed.
On the other side of the veil, a young man stood outside the pavilion. When the wind blew, lifting the veil, they saw that he was wearing a red and yellow robe. He had a slender figure, thin arching eyebrows, and a calm temperament. Ah Luo sighed, a handsome guy in ancient times! It turned out that men with a good figure looked more elegant when wearing such robes.
Qing Lei looked meaningfully at Qing Luo, then took a deep breath, lifted her jade-like hand to part the veil and stepped outside.
Curious heads had already been sticking out of the opposite pavilion, wanting to see the girl who had surpassed the noble daughter of the Gu Family and gained the Crown Prince’s favour. Cheers sounded as soon as Qing Lei appeared. They had all seen Gu Tian Lin’s extraordinary temperament, they had not expected Li Qing Lei would also be coldly elegant. The Crown Prince was also somewhat captivated and said softly, “Miss Li has eyes like autumn water and is extraordinarily talented. I have long been a strong admirer.”
Li Qing Lei’s cheeks reddened and she glanced at the Crown Prince’s face. Seeing a pair of bright eyes, she quickly lowered her head and answered with a quavering voice, “Such unworthy skills, wouldn’t dare to gain Your Highness’ admiration.”
Ah Luo and Qing Fei listened from inside the pavilion, covering their mouths and not daring to laugh out loud. They watched the two as they headed into the flower forest, then laughed out loud. This moment was when Qing Luo and her two sisters were on the friendliest terms.
Qing Fei took a peek outside, saw that people had gathered into a circle with many young girls looking on, and pulled Qing Luo to watch the excitement. Ah Luo glanced around but didn’t see the martial artist and felt her nerves settle. She thought, the customs and morals here were rather open-minded. There were just as many people here going on a blind date as she had seen in the parks of the previous world. She took Qing Fei’s hand and walked over.
It turned out to be a match of antithetical couplets. Ah Luo suddenly thought of the folk songs sung by the tribes in the northern and southern mountains as they drank. However, the men here seemed rather gentlemanly and when the girls couldn’t answer or answered incorrectly, they would say in a genteel manner, “If a Young Miss responded aloud, it would be a great blessing.”
The two of them squeezed inside the crowd, but Ah Luo couldn’t see what was going on inside as she was rather short. Qing Fei lowered her voice and told her, “There is a noble son who wrote the first line of a couplet on the scroll and is very complacent. It seems like there won’t be anyone who can match it.”
Ah Luo asked curiously, “What kind of line did he write?”
Qing Fei whispered, “The new moon resembles a bow, the waning moon resembles a bow, the crescent moon bow, the waning moon bow.”
Ah Luo looked at Qing Fei and said while smiling slyly, “Second Sister can match it, right?”
Qing Fei smiled, pleased, “What’s so difficult about this?”
Ah Luo asked again, “Which family’s noble son gave this question?”
Qing Fei shook her head, “It’s a very young noble son, I don’t know who it is?”
Ah Luo smiled and said, “Is he handsome?”
Qing Fei blushed and nodded slightly, staring at Qing Luo for fear of being heard by others. Ah Luo suddenly shouted, “How hard is it to match a couplet, my family’s Young Miss can match it!”
Her voice was crisp and clear, causing the people in front to turn their heads and look over. Ah Luo instantly shrank behind Qing Fei. Qing Fei was already tall and in this way, she was exposed in the crowd. All the youth’s eyes brightened when they saw a girl with a charming face wearing a crimson robe. The noble son who had given the first line of the couplet extended his hand in greeting, “I am the Ministry of Rites official, Cheng Si Yue. Dare I ask if this Young Miss will match the couplet?”
Qing Fei found herself in a position where she was unable to back down. Smiling faintly, she replied, “The morning sun is like a brocade, the evening sun is like a brocade, Eastern river brocade, West river brocade. I wonder what Young Master thinks?”
Cheng Si Yue was proud of his literary talent, having become the top scorer of the imperial examination at the age of 18. When he heard that Qing Fei had answered correctly, and seeing that she was a talented person, he could not help but feel overjoyed, “Young Miss is absolutely right! I admire you. I have a painting here, would it be possible for Young Miss to give a question?”
Ah Luo giggled. Writing, this was Qing Fei’s unique skill. Even without using all her strength, it was enough to make one faint.
Qing Fei agreed generously and walked to the platform. Seeing an image of mountains in the rain, she thought deeply for a moment then smiled lightly and wrote down an inscription in the blank area.
Cheng Si Yue saw that Qing Fei’s method of using the calligraphy brush was well known in influential families. He carefully examined her characters in the painting and saw that they were elegant and graceful, like the hint of apricot blossoms in the spring rain, harmonising seamlessly with the painting. This time, he bowed to Qing Fei with genuine heartfelt admiration. Then he stood up straight and asked, “I also like calligraphy and chess. I wonder if I can invite Young Miss to a match?”
Everyone snickered. It was Qing Fei’s first time participating in such a banquet and she felt embarrassed. She turned around and walked to the flower forest. Ah Luo followed Qing Fei and turned around after a few steps and saw Cheng Si Yue still standing there, staring. She beckoned him with her hand, signalling him to follow.
Cheng Si Yue was one of the five noble sons of Feng City, yet he didn’t understand subtle feelings. He bowed in respect to those around him then moved towards Qing Fei. Once he was near, Ah Luo winked at him then disappeared off to the side.
Qing Fei was already close to the flower forest, far away from the crowd. She said, “Ah Luo, it’s all your fault, making me stick out. How embarrassing.”
From behind her, Cheng Si Yue’s voice sounded unexpectedly, “Young Miss is so talented, how can you be embarrassed? The one who should be embarrassed is me.”
Qing Fei covered her mouth and almost let out a cry of alarm. When she looked back and saw Cheng Si Yue watching her playfully, her heart started to beat faster.
From afar, Ah Luo watched as the two of them talked happily under a flowering tree, occasionally hearing Qing Fei’s silver bell-like voice. She thought, if this had been modern times, who knew how many women would have fought and fallen over each other if they saw such a good blind date, most of them blushed upon seeing a handsome man! Thinking about it, she had seen two of Feng City’s five noble sons now and wondered what the other three looked like.
As she pondered over this, she wandered towards a secluded area. She had been here for more than six years and this was the first time she had come into contact with nature, not to mention such a beautiful place, yet she wouldn’t be able to see it anymore when the sky grew dark. The sounds of people’s voices gradually disappeared. Ah Luo noted down the direction and time, then saw a few peach blossom branches sticking out from behind a large rock. She went around to the back, then looked again at the front to see that it was a natural barrier. She lay down underneath the flowering tree. There was a stream flowing nearby and lush grass beneath her. Looking up from the ground, the pink colour of the peach blossoms intertwined with the blue sky. Ah Luo sighed, “It really is so beautiful!”
“Very beautiful!” A voice cut in.
Ah Luo was startled, yet she made no movement. She closed her eyes and said, “If it weren’t for the cockroach who randomly spoke and disturbed the scenery, it would be even more beautiful!”
The voice laughed, “If someone had become a drenched chicken, not only would the scenery be ruined, it would frighten people!”
Ah Luo knew that the martial artist was coming and she certainly wouldn’t be able to beat him. This was Princess Hu Guo’s villa and those who came were young talents participating in this banquet, so he most likely wouldn’t do anything to her. Gathering her courage, she kept her eyes closed and ignored him.
The martial artist saw that she didn’t speak and asked, “I really can throw you into the stream, are you not afraid?”
Ah Luo folded her hands behind her head and bent one of her knees. With her eyes still closed, she said leisurely, “Stop being so impolite. When seeing a young lady taking a nap here, a respectable person should say no and turn around blushing!”
The martial artist snorted, “Seeing you like this, you wouldn’t be a lady from an illustrious family! I don’t know which family you’re from, but if you were in my residence, you would have long been well-disciplined with the cane.”
Ah Luo thought, this is the only time I have been outside of the residence in six years and I wanted to enjoy the flowers yet I just had to be interrupted, extremely unlucky! Listening to that person’s tone, it seemed like he came from a great family. She couldn’t afford to offend him, so she should just hide.
Ah Luo leapt up and dusted the soil off her clothes. She looked up and down, checking that there was no grass, then walked forward with her back to the martial artist. As she went, she said, “I’ll give this place to you, stingy!”
There was a flash in front of her eyes and the man stood in front of her. Ah Luo retreated a step, thinking that this man’s Qinggong that allowed him to suddenly appear was quite scary. She eyed him up and down and saw that his physique wasn’t bad, almost as tall as the Crown Prince. His face wasn’t bad either, clean-shaven and angular with sharp eyebrows and a heroic expression. She had noticed a few men today, yet why were they all first rate?
The man folded his arms across his chest, “Speak, which family do you come from, girl?”
Ah Luo saw that he was only around 22 or 23-years-old and thought, he really thinks I’m just a little kid? She put her hands on her hips and cocked her head, then asked, “Speak, which family are you from, stinky brat!”
The man glared and a sneer appeared on the corner of his mouth, “There are only so many families who are participating in the Peach Blossom Banquet today, you should just tell me yourself. If I find out, I will make you come to my residence so you can see how I will discipline you! You ill-mannered girl! Forget about repaying a favor, you dared attempt to hurt this young master, I hate people who stab people in the back the most!”
Ah Luo also sneered coldly, “Who told your eyes to wander, I remember there’s a law in the Ning Empire that states looking pervertedly at women from good families leads to eyes being gouged out as punishment. Consider yourself lucky that I didn’t report this to officials. I don’t want to see cruelty happen in such a beautiful place, lecherous thief!”
As soon as she finished speaking, the man stretched his hand out and tried to grab Ah Luo. Ah Luo dodged and kicked out at him with her left foot. The man swung his head to the side and avoided her. His eyebrows raised, “Or just a stray cat with sharp claws. Come again!” With a gust of wind, a fist headed directly towards her face.
Ah Luo groaned inwardly. This person knew the legendary Qinggong. It wasn’t like he was a town fellow who had no martial arts skills, how could she fight him? She shouted, “Good men don’t fight with women, what kind of hero are you to bully a child?!” Relying on her years of karate practice, she quickly dodged a few moves.
Hearing her words, the man stopped and said, “Not bad, able to fight back against me with a few moves at such a young age. Tell me, which family? If you tell me, I’ll let you go.”
Ah Luo lowered her head and said something quietly. The man couldn’t hear clearly and walked closer to listen. Ah Luo suddenly raised her head and looked forward, “Ah! Madam!”
The man froze for a moment and Ah Luo hit the nail on the head. She then struck down at him with both her hands and the man fell to the ground, although he didn’t faint. He forced two words out of his mouth, “You, you!”
Ah Luo shaped her hand into a knife and chopped down onto his neck which made him faint completely. She clapped and said with a smile, “My master said that ordinary men would be struck stupid by my knife hand. I guess I’m still small and not strong enough! Lecherous thief, who told you to disturb my rest?”
Seeing the colour of the sky, it was becoming late and soon she would have to return to looking at the sky bound by the four walls of the residence. She had no idea when she would be able to see beautiful scenery like this again. She felt annoyance rising in her heart again. She took off the man’s robe and tore it into strips then tied him to the peach tree. Staring at him in this shameful state, her anger disappeared.
She took a look at the items that she had taken out of the man’s top. There were several silver notes, a handful of loose silver nuggets, a few gold nuggets, and a jade token. Ah Luo’s eyes widened when she saw the money and thought, let’s just pretend this is robbing the rich to help the poor. This would be her first pot of gold. She hid the silver notes in her top, then carefully looked at the words “An Qing Palace” that were inscribed on the jade token. She jumped in fear, this person was Liu Jue? The son of Emperor An Qing, the nephew of Emperor Ning? No wonder he was so arrogant, seeking revenge for even the smallest grievance! Heavens, why did she have to provoke him?
Ah Luo looked at the jade token, then looked at Liu Jue tied to the tree and inwardly cursed herself for causing trouble and hurriedly untied him. Halfway through, Liu Jue made a sound and her hands weakened in fear. He really was a martial artist, waking up so fast? She dared not fight him again. However, if Liu Jue woke up, she would not have the ability to restrain him anymore. Ah Luo’s heart skipped a beat. Either way, she had pretty much untied him, so she put the jade token back in his top and fled.
Before she could run out of Liu Jue’s sight, Liu Jue woke up and saw the back of the blue-clad figure in the distance. He looked at himself and as soon as he tried to free himself, the strips of cloth fell apart. Liu Jue stood up and touched the back of his neck, “Stinky girl! So young, yet she has such agile moves. What martial arts did she use? Liu Ying!”
Nearby, a strong man appeared from behind the shadow of the flowering tree. He replied respectfully, “It appears to be a Shaolin-style punch, although it’s not exactly identical!”
Liu Jue felt his chest and found that only the jade palace token remained. It seemed like that girl knew his identity. “When did you arrive?” Liu Ying froze for a moment, yet still replied respectfully, “When the little girl was untying Master.”
Liu Jue smiled coldly, “When she untied me she also used Shaolin martial arts?”
Liu Yin knelt down with a thud, “I await Master’s punishment.”
Liu Jue laughed, “Watching your Prince be knocked unconscious by a little girl, must be unfathomable. Thinking that I may not have been serious, you didn’t dare rush over rashly. Afterward, you were afraid that I would punish you for not assisting me, right?”
Liu Ying’s face reddened, “Master is wise.”
Liu Jue’s face suddenly became solemn, “Go find out which family that girl is from. How can she know martial arts at such a young age, and who did she learn it from?!”
Liu Ying quickly gathered the torn robes and took it away. After a while, a palace attendant came and delivered another robe for Liu Jue to wear. Liu Jue slowly walked in the direction of the banquet, recalling when he had lifted Ah Luo from the stream, the moment when the breeze had blown and she was falling into the water, revealing her bright, crystal clear eyes. A smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.
