A’Le was startled and almost simultaneously hugged Chu Zhao’s legs.

The shop attendant delivering the wine was also so frightened he nearly knelt down.

“Miss, don’t do anything rash! It’s just some food and wine money, isn’t it?”

He had long felt something wasn’t right. That Lord Deng was an official and so much older, yet he had let a young girl pay the bill.

Chu Zhao waved her hand at them: “I’m fine. I’m just looking at that person, Young Master Xie.”

Hearing these three words, though A’Le still didn’t quite understand, the shop attendant breathed a sigh of relief and stood up straight.

Looking at Young Master Xie? Which young lady in the capital didn’t want to look at Young Master Xie?

More than half the people at Yaqu Pavilion today had come for Young Master Xie.

“Miss Chu, you’re looking too late,” the shop attendant said, setting down the wine pot while looking at the girl leaning on the railing. “Young Master Xie has already left.”

“Not late, not late,” Chu Zhao murmured, staring at the gentleman surrounded by people in the hall downstairs. “This is the Xie family of Dongyang, the Crown Princess’s younger brother, Third Young Master Xie, right?”

The shop attendant smiled and confirmed: “That’s him. Just came from Dongyang. Other than the day the Crown Princess and Crown Prince married, this is his second time entering the capital. Miss Chu knows, right? Young Master Xie is good-looking, talented and learned, of fine character—in every way, there’s nothing about him that isn’t good—”

The shop attendant chattered on and on, clearly also very fond of Young Master Xie. Who could see such an elegant noble gentleman and not like him?

Chu Zhao gripped the railing tightly. Good? Of course good. Besides what everyone knew now, Young Master Xie had even more good qualities.

He was good at warfare, good at military strategy, good at ruthlessness, good at heartlessness—a fine rebel leader who had split Great Xia in two and left the people displaced and wandering.

However, in that lifetime, she had never seen this rebel leader with her own eyes.

The rebel leader Xie San, the Crown Princess’s cousin, had a great reputation from childhood, so he could rally followers with one call and instantly stand in opposition to Xiao Xun.

Of course it wasn’t truly instant. Xiao Xun had furiously cursed: “That damned Xie bandit! They’ve long harbored treasonous intentions. Everyone says the Yang and Zhao maternal relatives are arrogant, but actually the most arrogant are the Xie family. The Crown Princess isn’t even Empress yet, and they’re already secretly traveling everywhere, forming factions for private gain.”

But cursing was useless. The Xie family had abundant wealth, many sons and nephews, and extensive social connections—formed factions widely. They had reputation, wealth, and followers, and also a banner.

The Xie family raised the banner of punishing wickedness and eliminating evil.

And the evil to be punished and eliminated was her.

Chu Zhao’s hand gripped the railing tightly as she said word by word: “Yan. Lang.”

The shop attendant had already left. A’Le heard this and scratched her head. Earlier when walking around here, she had heard everyone saying that Third Young Master Xie’s name seemed to have the character Yan in it.

“Is Third Young Master Xie called Yan Lang?” she asked curiously. Or was this a term of endearment?

Chu Zhao laughed. Third Young Master Xie’s name contained the character Yan. Perhaps at first everyone affectionately called him Yan Lang, but because this person was extremely fierce and ruthless, the name later became Yan Lang—the wolf Yan.

A ferocious wild beast, the Xie family’s Yan Lang.

Chu Zhao looked down from her high position. The hall was like a lake surface, that noble gentleman like a blooming lotus flower, with lotus leaves and fish all surrounding him.

Several young men swam through the crowd toward Third Young Master Xie as nimbly as fish. One fish at the very back seemed rather unwilling, swaying and wobbling, looking in all directions. When he looked up and saw above, the next moment he jumped backward as if startled, splashing ripples.

“Yanlai, what are you doing?” The young men noticed someone missing behind them and hurriedly asked. “Why aren’t you following?”

Looking back, they got an even bigger shock.

“What are you doing?”

It turned out the phoenix-eyed youth who had jumped backward had reached out to pull a tablecloth over his head and face.

A muffled voice came from beneath: “Because as soon as I see Third Young Master Xie, I feel so ashamed of my inferiority that I can’t show my face.”

……

……

Third Young Master Xie looked in this direction.

The person beside him also looked over, frowning and saying in a low voice: “That scoundrel is out drinking again. He hasn’t been home for several days.”

Another young man also sneered: “Everyone in the whole wine house knows Third Brother is here. He’s not blind or deaf, yet he doesn’t come to pay his respects. I’ll drag him over.”

He was about to step forward when Third Young Master Xie stopped him: “It’s fine to see one’s own brother at home. Let him play.”

Having said this, he paid no more attention and thanked the several people behind him: “Thank you for your hospitality.”

Those people smiled and returned the courtesy: “It is our honor.”

Both parties walked together toward the door. The girls who had followed down looked regretful. Leaving already? They hadn’t seen enough yet.

Qi Leyun was especially regretful. She hadn’t even gotten a clear look at him. After staring at the corridor pillar for so long, she couldn’t help calling out: “Third Young Master Xie!”

Third Young Master Xie didn’t ignore her and turned to look.

He really looked over! Qi Leyun was both nervous and delighted. Gripping the stair railing, she stammered: “You, you’ll attend the Wangchun Garden literary gathering, right?”

Third Young Master Xie smiled at her but said nothing and turned to leave.

The other girls were somewhat annoyed.

“Qi Leyun, what kind of question was that!”

“If you can’t speak properly, say less!”

“Don’t you know who Third Young Master Xie is?”

Qi Leyun regretted it as soon as she spoke. Of course she knew who Third Young Master Xie was—the Xie family of Dongyang, the Crown Prince’s brother-in-law. The Crown Prince and the Third Prince were extremely at odds with each other.

Leaving aside whether the Third Prince would invite him, and whether Third Young Master Xie would go if invited, this was a difficult problem for both the Third Prince and Third Young Master Xie.

Yet you, Qi Leyun, had the nerve to press him publicly!

“I didn’t mean to—I didn’t mean to pressure him,” Qi Leyun said with a distressed expression. “I just think Third Young Master Xie’s talent and learning are outstanding. It would be a shame for Wangchun Garden’s literary gathering to lack him.”

“What’s there to regret?” another girl said dismissively. “Even if Third Young Master Xie went, we couldn’t get in and wouldn’t see his distinguished performance.”

“What?” Qi Leyun was surprised and hurriedly asked. “Didn’t they say it was a grand gathering that anyone could attend?”

The other girls were also very surprised. Although they didn’t believe the Wangchun Garden literary gathering was truly open to everyone, surely the powerful noble families could attend.

Literary gatherings were supposed to be lively, weren’t they? Many people were needed to spread one’s fame.

Everyone looked at the girl who had spoken.

“Not at all.” That girl shook her head. “Anyone can attend, but ‘anyone’ doesn’t include women. I originally wanted my brother to take me. My brother said the Third Prince doesn’t allow women to go and told me not to think about it.”

The girls immediately erupted in clamor. “That can’t be true, can it?” “Impossible!” “Your brother just finds you annoying, doesn’t he?”

Everyone talked over each other, but couldn’t reach any conclusion.

“Stop arguing. I’ll go see the two princesses and ask if they’re going,” said one girl. Her family had imperial connections and could speak with the princesses. “If the princesses go, we’ll naturally accompany them.”

She then made a shushing gesture to the others.

“In public like this, it’s better not to discuss the Third Prince’s affairs.”

The girls naturally knew who could be provoked and who couldn’t, and obediently changed the subject.

“Speaking of Third Young Master Xie, have you heard?” a girl said in a low voice. “Liang Qin—the one discussing a marriage match is him—”

This shocked the girls even more than the Third Prince’s literary gathering. Immediately there was another uproar, and before the girl could finish speaking, her voice was drowned out.

“Impossible!” Qi Leyun’s voice was the loudest. “How could Liang Qin be worthy of Third Young Master Xie!”

This commotion drew looks from people all around. Chu Zhao, who was still gripping the railing and looking down, also heard the character for Liang. Liang Qiang, sitting on Chu Ke’s side, raised his head even more alertly.