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墨書 Inktalez
Is this Garden more important than him, a living person? I must set this place on fire and burn it clean.
Feeling annoyed, he nudged her with his arm. To his surprise, she pretended not to recognize him, which infuriated him even more.
At that moment, he had completely forgotten what Great-Uncle he was pretending to be, and gripping Niece's neck was highly inappropriate. He felt an urge to bite into the neck of this heartless Girl and drain her blood until she died.
San Chun felt the coldness of his fingers and the intense heat radiating from them. She shivered and shifted to the side, suddenly afraid that he might actually bite her.
With a dry laugh, she intended to ask if he had anything else to do, but realizing that would be inappropriate, she said, “Since Great-Uncle has no business, I will take my leave.”
She hurriedly bowed and turned to run, but her collar was grabbed by him.
Zhong Xue smiled darkly, “Where do you think you're going? Ju Rong is looking for you; why not go home with Great-Uncle?”
Fine, if she wants to play, then he would play along. Some things he had only thought about doing when teaching someone a lesson.
San Chun shivered. She always believed that dying early or late was still dying, but if she could delay death, she definitely did not want to die early. With a smile on her face, she said, “I still have things to do; why doesn’t Great-Uncle go home first?”
He coldly replied, “No.”
San Chun sighed. She couldn't fight him off or escape; what should she do?
Suddenly remembering the annoying Second Shop at the tavern, she decided to imitate them and shouted at the top of her lungs, “Help! Help! There’s a thief!”
Her loud voice carried far into the howling northern wind, and soon footsteps could be heard approaching.
Zhong Xue gritted his teeth silently; he did not wish to cause trouble in this place. After all, he had crossed the boundary without the consent of the Yan Kingdom, and if it came to light, it would be troublesome. He could only let her go and shot her a fierce glare. The warning in his eyes was unmistakable.
San Chun chuckled. Having engaged in a battle of wits with Azure Wind in Niushan Village, she had learned one thing: even when facing certain death, one must still smile.
Zhong Xue hurried away, and just as he disappeared, the guards from the other courtyard arrived. The leader bowed to her and asked, "Sister, where is the thief?"
San Chun replied, "I just saw someone run over to grab me, but when I shouted, he ran away."
"Where did he go?"
She pointed in the opposite direction. "He went that way."
After all, they wouldn't be able to catch him anyway, so there was no need to bother.
After a while, Qi rushed over, perhaps having heard the call about the thief. Upon seeing her, he asked, "What happened?"
San Chun smiled lightly. "Nothing much."
"You just shouted about a thief..."
She knew that Qi was not as easily deceived as those guards; if there really was a thief, he might turn Daliang upside down looking for him. So she said, "It was just a cat that jumped out and startled me."
"Then you are the thief."
She pursed her lips and chuckled lightly, "If you call me like that, I fear you wouldn't see me until now."
Qi smiled knowingly and gently brushed her nose, "You're still as mischievous as before."
In her childhood, Yan Dan was the most unruly. In front of others, she was composed and dignified, quite the prince's demeanor, but behind closed doors, she was extremely playful. It was she who taught him to climb trees to steal bird eggs for the first time. Once, when he climbed a tree and couldn't come down, he was so anxious he almost cried; it was she who encouraged him to jump down.
The height he was at wasn't very high from the ground. Perhaps he wasn't afraid to jump; he just wanted her to catch him, wanting to leap into her arms. At that time, her face was so sincere that one couldn't help but trust her at first glance. Then he jumped down, and just as he was about to land, she suddenly withdrew her hand and stepped aside.
He fell hard to the ground, landing painfully on his backside. He looked at her with a pout of complaint, while she laughed heartily with her hands on her hips, doubling over in laughter. Her joyful expression made it hard for him to stay angry.
That was the first time he was tricked by her, and later he was teased by her several more times. Sometimes even when he clearly knew she was going to play a trick on him, he pretended not to know just to see her laugh; her laughter was truly beautiful, brightening his heart and making him feel elated.
San Chun blinked and felt embarrassed by his nose brush; it felt as if he treated her like a child, which made her uncomfortable. Deep down, she always felt that he should be like a younger brother.
She smiled and asked him, "Where did you go just now?"
"I went to watch the Dance Troupe rehearse; it was quite interesting."
San Chun became very interested and insisted on watching it again.
Qi agreed with a smile. Although today was the day for an audience with the envoy from Zhao Kingdom, as long as she liked it, even if the King himself came, he wouldn't care.
In fact, San Chun had served as a guard for the Dance Troupe for several months and had seen their rehearsals many times. However, she didn't want to go home; she knew Zhong Xue was waiting to settle accounts with her. She could have returned early but chose to delay facing her fate. That was her home; after all, she couldn't avoid going back forever.
Whenever I think of Zhong Xue, I feel a headache coming on. I really don't know how to deal with him. If possible, I would like to run far away right now and never come back.
The two of them walked along the long gravel path until they reached an open area where the Dance Troupe was rehearsing. At that moment, a few people were gathered together, some were practicing alone, and others were dancing gracefully in groups of ten or so. Quail Orchid was among them, discussing dance poses with two young women.
San Chun had asked Qi how she got here so quickly. It turned out that Quail Orchid had found him and told him where to look for her; otherwise, it wouldn't have been easy to find someone in such a large Garden.
San Chun speculated that Quail Orchid must have been retained here by the Shang Family.
The two young women were indeed beautiful, comparable to Quail Orchid, but younger, which made it no wonder she was worried about her position.
Further ahead in the center of the open space, a man and a woman were dancing in sync with the rhythm. They occasionally paused to discuss something before continuing their dance. One of them was from the Shang Family, while the other, judging by his attire, seemed to be Middle Noble Pang Gui.
At a distance from them, they stopped. Qi was probably afraid of being discovered by this king neglecting state affairs for leisure here. He pulled her behind a tree so they could admire the exquisite dance from afar.
The dance of the Shang Family was truly exceptional. Watching her graceful arms swirl and her garments flutter in the wind as she danced like a blue lotus, her bare feet lightly touching the ground, her enchanting movements seemed capable of piercing through one's soul. Pang Gui was no less impressive; his body moved with both softness and strength at times. Twirling, leaping, soaring, and descending, he displayed an elegance that reached its peak.
As they danced faster and began to respond to each other more dynamically, it was as if two lotus flowers were blooming gracefully in the gentle breeze.
San Chun watched in amazement. The Shang Family was one thing, but it was surprising that Pang Gui, as a man, could possess such skill; it was hard not to admire him.
Upon closer inspection, he appeared to be in his thirties with fair skin and delicate features that carried a touch of handsomeness. His charm exuded a complex aura, as if it were a blend of various qualities. Amidst the gentleness and handsomeness lay his unique ethereal grace and elegance. Perhaps only someone with such an ethereal presence could perform such an ethereal dance.
Curious in her heart, she asked Qi how he ended up from the State of Chu to the State of Yan. Moreover, being a Middle Noble certainly did not qualify him as a high official; how could he possess such an expansive garden?
Qi smiled and said, "This matter is quite lengthy. Before Prince Yan Dan became a hostage in the State of Chu, he was already in the State of Yan. It seems that his father, Pang Tong, offended some powerful figures in Chu and was forced to move the whole family to Yan. The Chief Minister of Yan, Pang Xun, is his distant cousin. His father, Pang Tong, is very good at business and made a lot of money in just a few years; he is now almost the richest person in Daliang."
As she mentioned Yan Dan, his eyes noticeably brightened, as if everything about the Pang family's rise to wealth became secondary. San Chun sighed softly; what kind of person is this Yan Dan that he has such a deep infatuation?
After watching for a while longer, with the sun setting, it was no longer appropriate to linger, so she decided to head home.
Qi smiled and said, "That's fine; perhaps the Zhao Envoy has not yet left the palace."
She was surprised. "What envoy?"
He laughed and recounted the meeting with the Zhao Envoy that day. San Chun found it both amusing and exasperating that such an important matter could be set aside; it would be strange if he wasn't called a foolish king.
For some reason, an impulse suddenly arose within her to teach him a lesson, to slap him on the face and loudly tell him, "You are the King of Yan; you should prioritize state affairs."
She wanted to tell him how a great king should behave, but thinking about the possible consequences of such actions made her hesitate. In the end, she only urged him to hurry back.
Qi responded with a smile; he enjoyed seeing her anxious expression, which made him feel invigorated.
The garden was too large; it took half an hour to walk out, and by the time they got back to the residence in a carriage, it was already dark.
At this time, Ju Rong had already returned home, so San Chun went to the hall to pay her respects. Since it was the King of Yan who personally escorted her back, Ju Rong did not say much but reminded her not to return too late in the future.
After sending Qi off, they returned to talk in the hall. San Chun felt it necessary to discuss Zhong Xue's matter with her father but wasn't sure how to describe it at first. She believed he probably did not know that Chengyang Jun was already in their residence; if she inadvertently scared him into doing something rash, it would be troublesome.
After thinking for a moment, she asked, "Father, do you know if Uncle Lord has come to the residence?"
Ju Rong nodded, "Your mother already knows."
"Have you seen him?"
"No."
"Then father, if you have time, you should meet him. Great-Uncle is a guest from afar; perhaps seeing him might remind you of someone."
She was reminding him to take a look first, to avoid being startled later when he didn't know. The reason she didn't state it outright was that harboring Chengyang Jun was not a crime; once it became known, even if Qi had a good relationship with her, she would still be questioned.
She stood up to take her leave when Ju Rong suddenly called out, "Wait."
"What else does father have to say?"
Ju Rong hesitated for a moment, unsure of how to proceed. He sighed and said earnestly, "Daughter, as a minister, one must know their limits."
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