HomeA Cup of LoveYi Ou Chun - Chapter 9

Yi Ou Chun – Chapter 9

He appeared to be a successful young man, exuding an air of someone unfamiliar with life’s hardships. Qingyuan had rarely seen anyone so vigorous and spirited, as if the shadowy mortal world had shown him exceptional favor. He was the darling of this world, untouched by tribulation, destined to live like a beam of light.

Sometimes, one glance is enough to judge someone. Qingyuan quickly drew her conclusion, then found herself a bit amused—girls truly did tend to judge by appearances. Still, this young man was exceptionally handsome. Even during her time with the Chen family, when she could venture out during festivals like the Flower Festival or Lantern Festival, she had never seen anyone quite like him. Beautiful things were hard to dislike; even his wayward ball striking her seemed forgivable.

He hurried over but maintained his composure when he reached her. With a deep bow, he asked, “Was the young lady injured?”

Handsome and well-mannered—even more commendable. Qingyuan returned his greeting with folded hands, smiling and shaking her head.

Well-bred young ladies didn’t speak unnecessarily; answering more than was asked would seem disrespectful. The young man picked up his ball, finally taking a proper look at her. This glance left him somewhat stunned, and after his surprise faded, a gentle light rose in his eyes, his curved eyes smiling like crescent moons.

“I deeply apologize. My kick went astray and accidentally struck you. Please forgive my carelessness.” He glanced around, “May I ask who accompanied you here? I… haven’t seen you before.”

Of course, only those from notable families could attend the Spring Banquet, but even so, it wasn’t proper for a young lady to freely disclose her family name. Qingyuan kept shaking her head, but since not responding would be impolite, she politely demurred, “I truly wasn’t hurt, Young Master need not worry.”

Current customs didn’t forbid meetings between unfamiliar men and women, but excessive conversation was still inappropriate. Qingyuan tugged at Qinghe’s sleeve, “Elder Sister, shall we go look over there?”

The “over there” wasn’t far, just a dozen or so steps away. Moving elsewhere would end this conversation.

As Qinghe was about to nod farewell to this young master, Li Guanling returned with his servants. In Hengtang’s noble circles, most men knew each other. He called out, “Chunzhi, has another game ended?”

The young master Chunzhi turned his head; in the bright spring sunlight, his side profile revealed thick, dark eyelashes that were even more delicate than a young lady’s.

Seeing the servants carrying two folding stools, he realized Li Guanling knew them. Now that he had a connection, he tossed the ball to the substitute players on the sidelines, letting them continue while he freed himself. Smiling, he said, “Not at all. I accidentally struck this young lady earlier and came specially to apologize. You know them?”

Li Guanling smiled, his expression both proud and slightly embarrassed. He made introductions, gesturing to the Qing sisters, “These are the eldest and fourth young ladies of Military Commissioner Xie’s family.” Then indicating the man beside him, “This is the third young master of the Marquis of Danyang.”

The third young master gave a ceremonial bow, “I am Li Congxin.”

Now that identities were revealed, proper greetings were necessary. Qingyuan was still young and new to this circle, unfamiliar with Shengzhou’s nobility, but Qinghe had heard of the Marquis of Danyang’s reputation. Among the current court’s marquises and dukes, most were titled due to ancestral merit; very few had direct royal lineage, and the Marquis of Danyang was one of them. Such a title had deep roots—every eligible noble lady had a list, and marriage ties with the Danyang household were almost always the top choice.

The Marquis of Danyang had three sons. The eldest and second sons were born to concubines and already married, so they weren’t worth mentioning. The third son, Li Congxin, was the cherished son of the principal wife, of noble status and blessed with good looks. She had often heard of him, and now seeing him in person, he lived up to the rumors.

So this was why some people carried themselves with such natural confidence, Qingyuan marveled at the hidden dragons and crouching tigers at the Spring Banquet. When she raised her eyes again, she met Li Congxin’s smiling gaze.

“Though Lanshan and I aren’t of the same clan, we’re close friends who call each other brothers. In that light, I suppose I’m half-acquainted with you young ladies.” His tone remained dignified even while warmly addressing them as younger sisters, without a hint of impropriety. His gaze flowed quietly over the face of Fourth Young Lady Xie; having heard of her background, he couldn’t help but study her more closely. His world had never included someone like her—sharp beauty, ambiguous origins—all these elements interwoven made the beauty even more intriguing.

Li Guanling naturally played matchmaker, smiling, “It’s a fortunate meeting through misfortune. The young ladies rarely attend banquets, so despite living in Hengtang, we’ve never met. Next year when Fourth Sister comes again, she won’t worry about not knowing anyone—at least there’ll be a familiar face to talk to.”

Qingyuan smiled and agreed verbally, not taking this encounter too seriously.

She had only come out to accompany Qinghe and had little interest in making friends. After exchanging a few polite words, she followed them to watch the ball game. The match on the field was intense, and she became quite engaged. However, after about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, she suddenly noticed Qinghe had disappeared.

She made a surprised sound, somewhat confused, and quickly looked around. Though surrounded by flowers and brocade, she couldn’t find Qinghe.

Seeing her like this, Li Congxin thought to himself that young ladies were indeed inexperienced, and said, “Sister need not search; they’ll return shortly.”

Qingyuan then understood—they needed time alone, so she had been left behind. She let out a delayed “Oh” and withdrew her gaze.

As for Li Congxin, a worldly young noble who had both broken women’s hearts and been slapped by them, he naturally had some fondness for pure, innocent young ladies. The earlier fire in the Xie family’s rear court had sparked his curiosity about this Fourth Young Lady, so he deliberately engaged her in conversation: “Fourth Sister doesn’t like to talk much?”

Qingyuan was startled, saying no, she just wasn’t used to chatting aimlessly with strangers.

“Sister needn’t be so reserved. I’m classmates with your brothers—if you mention me to them, they’ll certainly know who I am.” He spoke unhurriedly, his words naturally carrying a steady dignity. He was very methodical when dealing with young ladies, sincere in his conversation without the desperate eagerness of a man starved for female attention.

For Qingyuan, mentioning those brothers was no different from mentioning strangers. The Xie family had three sons: the eldest Zhengze, the second Zhenglun, and the third Zhengjun. All were educated gentlemen who remained quite distant from their halfway adopted sister. However, family matters weren’t for outsiders to know. Even if he mentioned her to her brothers someday, Zhengze and the others would play along well, maintaining the appearance of close siblings.

Wanting to save face for her brothers, Qingyuan smiled and said, “Is that so? My brothers are very busy with their studies at the Imperial Academy, we rarely have time to talk.”

Li Congxin said, “There’s a military examination this autumn, different from previous years. Before they only tested horsemanship, spear work, and weight-bearing, but this year they’ve added strategy, so naturally their studies are more demanding. But your third brother has good fortune ahead—I hear he’s getting married next month?”

Qingyuan responded with an “Ah,” saying, “The family has started preparations. Now that Elder Sister’s marriage is also approaching, perhaps we’ll have double happiness.”

The soft composure in her words easily won favor. Li Congxin couldn’t stare at her directly, so after their gazes crossed, he only watched her with his peripheral vision. She sat there, holding up a round fan to block the sun. Though March sunlight wasn’t particularly strong, young ladies’ delicate skin couldn’t bear much sun. Even though the fan’s surface, the weakened light still brought a flush to her cheeks.

Strange—suddenly the sky seemed clear and cloudless, the wind had died down, and it felt somewhat hot. He opened his folding fan and, without saying anything, waved it slowly. The breeze flowing from beneath the fan stirred the hair at her temples, though she remained completely unaware. He smiled slightly, “Does Fourth Sister often leave the mansion?”

Qingyuan replied, “The family’s rules are strict; I only go out with Grandmother when there’s business.”

“And when there isn’t?” For the first time, he found himself interested in a young lady’s cloistered life.

Qingyuan smiled childishly, “Leisurely mood, leisurely days—when there’s nothing to do, I’m a little immortal.”

Hearing this, he nearly laughed out loud. At first, he thought she was a rigid young lady, but it seemed he had misjudged her. She had the vibrancy typical of her age, with a touch of innocence, yet remained composed. The only pity was that she was born to such a mother. If this small flaw were to hinder her prospects, it would truly be heaven’s great regret.

Of course, Qingyuan didn’t much care what he was thinking, because she saw Qinghe returning. A maiden in love could hardly hide her happiness; one look at her face showed an expression of wanting to speak but holding back.

Thanks to Li Congxin’s earlier hint, Qingyuan didn’t foolishly ask “Where did Elder Sister go?” She simply stood up with a subtle smile and said, “Shall we return to Grandmother?” This saved Qinghe much embarrassment.

Qinghe agreed, shyly smiled at Li Congxin, and the sisters walked arm in arm toward the main tent. After walking some distance, Qinghe looked back, “What did you talk about with the Young Master of Danyang?”

Qingyuan understood that while the Xie sisters appeared harmonious in public, it wasn’t necessarily so in private. She played dumb, making a noncommittal sound, and said, “He’s classmates with our three brothers, and told me quite a bit about the military examinations.” Then she teased Qinghe, “Did the First Young Master of the Founding Count’s family say when he would come to propose to Elder Sister?”

Qinghe blushed, saying softly, “Don’t talk nonsense, what if someone hears and laughs?”

“What’s there to laugh about?” Qingyuan smiled, “It’s already set in stone. Elder Sister doesn’t speak of it only out of consideration for Second Sister, right?”

After interacting with Qingyuan, Qinghe discovered this sister was extremely clever. She had thought her too young to understand such matters, but she comprehended all the intricacies of human relationships. Now she felt somewhat guilty for having underestimated her before. Too embarrassed to admit her mistake directly, she patted Qingyuan’s hand and said, “At least help me keep it quiet. We’re all sisters after all, it wouldn’t be good to offend anyone, right?”

Qingyuan agreed with an “Mm,” “Elder Sister needn’t worry, Grandmother will handle what comes next. I see Grandmother is quite pleased with the Founding Count’s young master. Once the elders have agreed, others’ happiness or unhappiness doesn’t matter.”

All in all, the trip wasn’t wasted. While they were away, the Old Madam and the Founding Count’s wife had gotten along very well. Now they only waited for the Magistrate’s wife to officially act as matchmaker, and the matter would be largely settled.

On the way back, the Old Madam deliberately probed, asking about the character and manner of the Founding Count’s eldest son, “In your view, was there any frivolity or impropriety?”

Qingyuan always spoke with reservation. After some consideration, she said, “My experience is limited, and I barely exchanged words with the First Young Master, but from what I observed, his character seems very proper, with no sign of rashness.”

The Old Madam nodded, remained silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, “You made acquaintance with the Young Master of the Marquis of Danyang today?”

Nothing could be hidden under the bright sun. The Young Master of the Marquis of Danyang naturally drew attention, and she, among the young ladies, had such a terrible background—any interaction between them would be big news. There was no need for her to explain; in the blink of an eye, the Old Madam already knew.

Qingyuan had thought that the status-conscious Xie family would surely not want to miss an opportunity to curry favor, but the Old Madam’s words surprised her. The Old Madam lowered her eyes and said, “The Marquis of Danyang’s family is far too illustrious, not of our circle. Remember my words—it’s best to avoid entanglement in the future.”

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