He Zhong rushed hurriedly into the courtyard just as Gao Yang had finished pruning a potted plant. Looking up, he caught sight of He Zhong standing outside the courtyard, winking and beckoning at him with exaggerated gestures.
He hesitated, glancing at the man sitting under the tree reading. Seeing that he seemed oblivious to the commotion outside, Gao Yang set down his pruning shears and walked toward the entrance. The moment he stepped outside, He Zhong grabbed his sleeve like someone who’d found their savior: “That young ancestor of yours has returned and just happened to run into Lan Niang at the entrance hall—Mei Que is there too. They’re about to come to blows! You’d better go take a look quickly.”
Gao Yang frowned. “Where’s Zhao Rong? Didn’t he try to stop them?”
“Even if he tried, could he hold them back? Who exactly is he supposed to restrain?”
Gao Yang felt a headache coming on. He waved his hand and was about to follow along when he suddenly remembered: “There are so many people at the entrance hall—where’s Daoist Qiu?”
“Of all times, you’re still thinking about that Daoist?” He Zhong’s features scrunched together as he said anxiously, “If you delay any longer, I think they might actually kill each other!”
“Who’s going to kill each other?” A voice suddenly sounded from behind. He Zhong froze on the spot, not daring to turn around for a long moment.
Xia Xiuyan had emerged from the moon gate at some unknown time. He still held a scroll in his hand and stood with his hands behind his back behind the two men. Gao Yang quickly turned around and pulled at He Zhong’s hem—both immediately dropped to one knee. He Zhong didn’t know why he suddenly felt intensely guilty. Xia Xiuyan glanced at him once before turning his gaze to Gao Yang.
Gao Yang said: “Gao Yue has returned and encountered Lan Niang at the entrance hall, who brought Mei Que to the official residence.”
“Where’s Zhao Rong?”
“He’s outside too.”
Xia Xiuyan gave a light scoff: “One of him isn’t enough—you need to go help clean up the mess?” Having said this, he lost interest in the matter outside and turned to return to the courtyard.
Seeing his reaction, He Zhong breathed a sigh of relief and whispered urgently to Gao Yang: “Let’s go, let’s go. You’re thinking about that Daoist too.” His words weren’t loud, but the man who had just turned away suddenly stopped in his tracks, turned back and asked: “What Daoist?”
He Zhong froze. Seeing his brow furrow slightly, he knew he’d misspoken and suddenly felt guilty again. He could only look helplessly at Gao Yang standing beside him. The latter sighed inwardly, kept his head lowered and reported to Xia Xiuyan: “Daoist Qiu has arrived and is currently at the entrance hall.”
“When did he arrive?”
Gao Yang remained silent, and He Zhong dared not say a single word. Xia Xiuyan said nothing, his expression darkening. The surrounding air seemed to freeze for a moment. Cold sweat broke out on He Zhong’s back. From the corner of his eye, he glimpsed the black boot tips turning toward the entrance hall. Only then did he nervously raise his head, seeing that Gao Yang also wore an expression that said “you’re on your own.” He couldn’t help but look dejected. But there was no time for regrets now. The two quickly followed the person ahead, hurrying toward the entrance hall.
The moment the three stepped into the entrance hall, they heard the whooshing sound of a long whip cutting through the air, striking the ground with a sharp “crack.”
Had they really started fighting?
Gao Yang was alarmed. Before He Zhong could react, he quickened his pace and rushed to the front. Hurrying around the screen, he saw the red-clothed woman swing her whip with her right hand toward two people in the southeast corner.
Mei Que had been arguing with her moments ago and hadn’t expected her to suddenly attack. Fortunately, Zhao Rong was right there. When Gao Yue’s whip came down, he pulled Lan Hui back two steps in time, stepped forward to shield the two people behind him, and finally rebuked: “How long are you going to continue this nonsense?”
Gao Yue had nearly struck him with that whip and was startled herself. But hearing him speak with obvious favoritism toward the people behind him, she couldn’t help feeling aggrieved: “Did you hear what she just said?” Gao Yue gripped the whip and pointed at the woman behind him with one hand. “Everyone outside is saying that Marquis Dingbei became infatuated with women the moment he returned to the capital—all because of this woman!”
“Don’t be unreasonable.”
“I’m being unreasonable? Why is it that as soon as we returned to Chang’an, you all changed like this?” Gao Yue’s eyes reddened as she shouted, “I think you’re just like the Marquis—this woman has bewitched you both!” The moment her words fell, her right hand trembled again, and the sound of the long whip cutting through air rang out as it whipped toward the people behind Zhao Rong.
“Gao Yue!” A stern shout came from behind the screen. Gao Yang flashed forward to block Mei Que. Seeing her brother descend from the heavens, Gao Yue’s hand trembled as she hastily tried to pull back the long whip. But how could that be easy? The whip had already whipped out diagonally in the air. Unable to stop its momentum, it swung backward toward someone behind her.
Qiu Xinran was holding a steamed bun with one last bite remaining. She had thought she’d retreated far enough away, but now watched helplessly as the whip came flying at her. Truly, even in dreams she couldn’t have imagined such a calamity falling from the sky. Not being a martial artist, she naturally couldn’t dodge it in such a short time and could only instinctively raise her arm to shield her face—
In that split second, a figure flashed before her eyes. The expected pain didn’t strike her body; the sound of the whip stopped abruptly in mid-air. Qiu Xinran cautiously opened one eye. The first thing that came into view was a man’s back. She was slightly stunned, slowly lowering her hand. Unable to process what was happening, she blinked for a long moment, not daring to confirm who exactly was standing in front of her.
The room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Gao Yue looked at the man before her—the one gripping the long whip with one hand, his expression stern and cold—as if a basin of cold water had been poured over her from head to toe, finally shocking her mind clear.
Xia Xiuyan’s face was as cold as frost. The whip that had just swung over was coiled around his hand. He lowered his eyes to glance at the whip in his grasp—it was made of ox sinew and would certainly leave bloody marks if it struck flesh. With a light pull of his hooked finger, the red-clothed woman opposite stumbled, and the whip slipped from her hand, falling to the ground with a soft sound.
Gao Yue’s face flushed red then turned white. Finally coming to her senses, she knelt on the ground to beg forgiveness: “Marquis, forgive me, I… I didn’t mean to…”
“Bullying the weak, abusing your power—is this what you learned the moment you arrived in Chang’an?” His voice wasn’t raised, his tone wasn’t harsh, but hearing it made Gao Yue’s face alternate between green and white. She bit her lower lip, not daring to speak.
Gao Yang stepped forward: “Gao Yue acted recklessly. This subordinate will severely punish her upon returning. I beg the Marquis’s forgiveness.”
“You should indeed punish her,” Xia Xiuyan shifted his gaze to Gao Yang, still in that ice-cold tone. “Otherwise, one day someone else will have to help discipline her for you.” He rarely reprimanded Gao Yang. He Zhong and Zhao Rong standing nearby could both hear that this time he was truly angry.
He Zhong hunched his shoulders and also knelt down: “This subordinate also bears fault. I beg the Marquis’s forgiveness.”
Xia Xiuyan glanced at him: “What fault do you bear?”
He Zhong was stuck. He thought about it and truly couldn’t think of what he’d done wrong, so he looked up uncertainly. Xia Xiuyan was amused by his confusion. He flung the whip in his hand, throwing it to the ground, his voice like ice shards: “Go to the back and receive your punishment yourself. Think about what exactly you did wrong this time.”
Qiu Xinran standing in the back couldn’t help but let out a “pfft” of laughter. The people in front turned to give her a sharp look. She quickly composed her expression, lowering her head a bit more and making an effort to press down the corners of her mouth. Xia Xiuyan looked at the person behind him, who instantly assumed a well-behaved and ingratiating expression, then looked at all these people kneeling throughout the entrance hall, and felt thoroughly vexed.
Lan Hui and Mei Que had both been frightened earlier. Zhao Rong led them away to be settled elsewhere. Before leaving, he raised his head to glance at the female Daoist behind Xia Xiuyan, but unfortunately the man opposite was tall and imposing, blocking the person behind him almost completely. The masked man lowered his eyes and then left the room.
In no time, the entrance hall that had been packed full of people had scattered like birds and beasts. Even the doorkeeper had disappeared somewhere. When Qiu Xinran came back to her senses, only she and Xia Xiuyan remained in the place. The other person slowly turned around, his gaze sweeping over her from top to bottom, saying nothing for a moment.
Qiu Xinran quickly and perceptively cupped her hands toward him: “Many thanks to the Marquis just now.”
Xia Xiuyan didn’t speak, only stared at her until she felt uncomfortable all over. Only then did she hear him say: “Come with me.” After saying this, he turned and walked deeper into the residence. Qiu Xinran fell back a step and could only steel herself and follow.
This imperially-bestowed official residence was a temporary dwelling and couldn’t be considered a proper marquis’s mansion, so it wasn’t very large. Xia Xiuyan led her to the study where he usually received guests. After entering, he sat down on the cushioned couch and tapped the spot in front of him: “Sit.”
Qiu Xinran hesitated for a moment. In the end, she didn’t choose the seat directly across from him but sat down on the wooden chair to his lower side. Xia Xiuyan’s gaze flickered slightly but he said nothing. The room was utterly quiet. After seven years apart, this was the first time the two of them sat facing each other in calm conversation.
Qiu Xinran sat perfectly upright, but her eyes couldn’t help sneaking glances at the young man on the couch—both strange and familiar. Xia Xiuyan hadn’t changed much. The desert winds and sands hadn’t ground him into a rough, coarse warrior. On the contrary, he even seemed more refined than before. The perpetual gloom and willfulness of his youth had been gradually washed clean by the frontier winds and sands, revealing his gentle, jade-like nature beneath.
“Did you come because His Majesty asked you to help me survey residences?”
Qiu Xinran snapped back to attention and nodded: “That’s correct. I’ve inquired about several good properties these past few days.”
“Tell me about them.”
Speaking of business, Qiu Xinran immediately perked up: “The best one is naturally an old estate left behind by the former Prince Zhennan. That residence…” She had just begun when she heard the person sitting at the head shake his head and reject it outright: “Not good.”
Qiu Xinran looked bewildered: “Why not?”
Xia Xiuyan said indifferently: “Prince Zhennan had illustrious military achievements throughout his life. In the fifth year of Xuande, he built the Prince Zhennan’s mansion in the capital. In the eighth year, he led troops on campaign and suffered a great defeat. How can this residence be considered auspicious ground?”
This reasoning actually sounded quite logical, but never mind that Prince Zhennan was already nearly sixty at that time when the old general went to war. Qiu Xinran blinked and said with an awkward smile: “How do I remember that the Marquis didn’t really believe in these things before?”
Hearing this, Xia Xiuyan looked up at her, his gaze quite meaningful: “Seven years ago, the Daoist’s divination was uncannily accurate. It’s hard not to believe in these things.”
Somehow, these words seemed to carry undertones. Qiu Xinran couldn’t fathom the meaning behind his words, but hearing him suddenly bring up events from seven years ago made her heart skip. She reflexively picked up the teacup from the table’s edge, lowered her head and took a sip to cover her expression. When the tea entered her mouth, she realized it was overnight cold tea.
Xia Xiuyan leaned against the chair back, discreetly observing the female Daoist across from him drinking tea. In his memory, the naive and brash young Daoist had shed her childishness. When drinking tea, she did indeed possess a certain semblance of composed dignity. But overnight tea had an astringent taste upon entering the mouth, causing her to purse her lips with an expression of difficulty swallowing. She quickly drooped her brows, forced herself to remain calm as she set down the cup, and pushed the teacup farther away.
An imperceptible smile appeared at the corners of Xia Xiuyan’s lips. This surface pretense with constant small movements underneath reminded him of that familiar impression from the past. So he mercifully abandoned his teasing thoughts and proactively changed the subject: “Actually, it needn’t be so troublesome. I already have a residence in mind.”
Qiu Xinran was taken aback: “Which one has the Marquis chosen?”
“There’s a fine residence right now in Estimators’ Alley in Pingkang Ward—it’s the residence of the former Minister of Finance, Minister Fang.”
Qiu Xinran found this strange: “If that’s the case, why doesn’t the Marquis directly report it to His Majesty?”
“No, that residence must be submitted by you.”
“Why?”
Xia Xiuyan smiled faintly: “Because the current owner of that residence is Wu Peng.”
“…” So that gentle, jade-like demeanor was indeed all an illusion. Qiu Xinran looked at him, at a loss for words. Without needing to ask, she could guess there was something fishy underneath this.
Someone knocked outside. Gao Yang entered carrying a tray with gauze and medicinal ointment on it. Only then did Qiu Xinran remember that he had caught Gao Yue’s whip with his bare hand earlier—his hand must be injured. She instinctively looked at his hand hidden beneath his sleeve. Xia Xiuyan glanced at her, placed his right hand on the small wooden table beside him, extended his left hand to Gao Yang and said: “I’ll do it myself.”
Gao Yang hesitated: “Marquis, applying medicine with your left hand isn’t very convenient.”
“It’s fine,” Xia Xiuyan insisted indifferently. “You go to the back and watch over He Zhong.”
Gao Yang had no choice. Holding the medicine ointment with both hands, he pressed his brow and suddenly turned to Qiu Xinran: “Could the Daoist help the Marquis apply the medicine?”
Qiu Xinran was startled and instinctively turned to look at the person on the couch. Xia Xiuyan pressed his lips together, seemingly displeased with Gao Yang’s presumptuous decision, but didn’t speak to prevent it. She stood up awkwardly, took the medicine ointment with both hands, and said hesitantly: “Ah… it should be so.”