In March, the day was getting warmer and warmer, while the rain lessened.
The dilong in Anyin Hall was carefully stewed for two days, and finally
dispersed the moisture inside clean.
However, a prolonged chill pervaded the room ceaselessly.
All the servants in the room said it felt so deserted perhaps because of His
Highness's absence and the absence of one person in the room.
Only Meng Qianshan knew that the reason the room was suffused with
coldness was indeed because of the absence of His Highness. However, it
wasn't only because His Highness was missing, but also because he was
lodged elsewhere and left a person behind.
Although the daily diet and daily life of the person left behind remained as
usual, he was exuding a do-not-come-any-closer air from head to toe
against any approaching stranger.
Because of this, Meng Qianshan was walking on eggshells for several days,
fearing that this ancestor would vent his anger on anyone who performed
poor service.
This lasted until the day Huo Wujiu had to leave the manor.
Today was the day Chen Ti's wife invited Huo Wujiu to enjoy the flowers.
Jiang Suizhou had already returned the first invitation, but it was resent
because of an imperial decree issued during the emperor's birthday banquet
some time ago.
Meng Qianshan didn't dare to forget. Early in the morning, he waited upon
Huo Wujiu to wash and change his clothes.
Huo Wujiu naturally refused his service. Meng Qianshan could only leave
the robes and accessories together and waited in the side for Huo Wujiu to
wear them properly.
When the time came, a carriage left King Jing's residence and traveled all
the way to Chen Ti's residence.
The wives of colleagues in the court, especially officials in the same
ministry, would often host some banquets in the rear courtyards, inviting
each other as an expedient way to socialize.
This practice was very common in all dynasties. However, the banquet at
Chen Ti's Residence today was definitely different from the past.
After all, who among the influential officials in the capital didn't know
about King Jing's penchant for that kind of food? The Jing Dynasty was
also particular about the distance between men and women. The ladies were
gathering for tea and snacks, so they couldn't just invite a man to mingle,
right?
Ordinary officials wouldn't do such a thing. Only the wily old fox, Chen Ti,
who was used to flattering Pang Shao, knew that if he wanted to please his
master, he had to give up his face.
His wife, of course, would advance and retreat with him.
Chen Li stood in front of the house early in the morning, on pins and
needles deep inside.
Her husband had already instructed her a few days ago. The purpose of
inviting King Jing's male concubine in their residence as a guest was not to
befriend him, but to get him into trouble and have him make a fool out of
himself. It was best to cause a stir that would reach His Majesty's ears.
As a lady from an eminent family, Chen Li was raised in the rear courtyard
since she was young. Before she married, she had barely even met a few
stranger men. Now that she was suddenly asked to invite a man to the house
and also to manipulate said man into making a fool of himself in her house,
Chen Li momentarily panicked and didn't know what to do.
After all was said and done, how else could a man make a spectacle of
himself in the rear courtyard? The guests who would come to appreciate the
flowers were all wives of officials. Damaging anyone's reputation because
of it was something Chen Li didn't dare to do.
Consequently, Chen Ti felt exasperated at her failure to meet his
expectations. He chastised her in a fit of anger and asked Qin Liu, his
concubine, to step forward with her to host the banquet.
This meant entrusting the affairs of King Jing's concubine to Qin Liu.
Chen Li was somewhat relieved and led Qin Liu to wait at the door for the
guests' arrival.
When the day dawned, the ladies of each family arrived in their carriages
one after another. Qin Liu welcomed each of them, while Chen Li directed
her maids to wait in front of the door.
After a long time, a carriage came around the corner and stopped in front of
Chen Ti's house.
The carriage's design was unique to the royal family.
Chen Li held her breath, and with a smile on her face, she stepped forward
to welcome Huo Wujiu.
The young eunuch sitting outside the carriage jumped down from the
carriage, commanded the coachman and the servant to open the curtain, and
lifted a wheelchair from the carriage.
There was a tall man sitting in the wheelchair.
Chen Li's gaze only drifted cautiously towards him, with a hasty sweep.
She found that although the man's eyes were downcast and he exuded an
indifferent demeanor, he had a very handsome appearance. His sharp and
bold eyebrows, angular face, and the sharp edge-like scar across his
eyebrow were as incisive as a sharpened sword, making people too scared
to take a closer look.
It was as if the general she had read from a book in her boudoir had come to
life.
Chen Li hastily retracted her gaze. She didn't dare to look any further and
only cautiously averted her eyes. "You're here, Madam Huo. All the ladies
have arrived, so please follow me into the house as well, Madam Huo."
The man in the wheelchair didn't lift his eyes, let alone respond to her.
Instead, the eunuch following him diligently responded with a smile, "Sorry
for bothering you, Mrs. Chen."
Chen Li nodded, and with her maid's support, she led the way.
——
The Chen Residence's garden was not too big. It had a pond inside, but it
wasn't the lotus blooming season yet. The lively garden was set up with
flowering trees and bonsai that were common in Lin'an City everywhere.
At this time, a lot of people had gathered in the yard. From a distance, they
were dressed in beautiful clothes and hairdos. The crowd of women
chattering together pleasantly was even more eye-catching than the flowers
and plants.
The ladies in the capital knew each other quite well, so when they arrived,
they chatted animatedly.
Just then, a subtle sound of a wheelchair rang out from the courtyard
entrance.
For a moment, the crowd stopped, and a brief silence fell over the garden.
Several gazes fell on Huo Wujiu, and then moved away instantly as if they
hadn't seen him.
The ladies in the courtyard also had a score in their hearts.
Lord Chen was trying to secure a personal gain. In order to please His
Majesty at his birthday banquet, he asked His Majesty to bestow a decree to
get the man in the rear courtyard of King Jing's residence to attend the
flower viewing. The man who arrived wasn't just any man, but a captive
from Northern Liang; the same man who fought on battlefields and killed
people like one killed flies.
Men and women were seated separately at banquets, so none of the ladies
had ever seen Huo Wujiu. But just from his reputation they heard in
previous years, he probably resembled Qin Shubao1
, the door-god they
stuck on doors.
But never did they imagine…
Some of the close noble ladies exchanged looks with each order while
maintaining their composure.
General Huo…How could he be so handsome?
Footnote:
1 Qin Shubao – a general from China's Tang Dynasty that was later deified
in Chinese mythology. As legend goes, the emperor asked them to stand
guard over his sleep to ward off a ghost that had been troubling him in the
night.
Nevertheless, nobody in the crowd around dared to stare a second longer.
Lord Chen most likely didn't have any good intentions when he requested
this man's presence here. They must hide far away and not get involved,
lest they'd be contaminated with filth.
With this in mind, everybody averted their eyes and treated Huo Wujiu like
air.
Unexpectedly, a young lady tugged on the sleeve of her close friend and
whispered, "The heavens is really jealous of a heroic genius2
like him. It's
God's will to torture him like this…"
Her close friend promptly grabbed her and stopped her from talking
nonsense.
On the other side, Qin Liu saw that everyone invited had arrived, so she
asked all the ladies to take their seats in the garden.
She had been in Chen Ti's rear courtyard for almost three years. Although
she got into this mess because of the main wife's cowardice, she still had to
find a chance to make an entrance. Today's event was the opportunity that
Lord Chen provided Qin Liu, so wasn't this her lucky chance? She had to
win everybody's favor at today's banquet and carry out what Lord Chen
wanted her to do well, so that everyone could see who the wise helper of
her husband was.
Chen Li was faint-hearted and wasn't as clever as her. Shortly after, Qin Liu
shuttled between the ladies, ushering them in various positions and asking
them to sit down. She then asked the maids to step forward to serve tea and
snacks.
After all these were arranged, Qin Liu walked enchantingly in front of Huo
Wujiu.
"Good day, Madam Huo." She smiled and bowed to Huo Wujiu.
As early as just now, Qin Liu had secretly sized up the man in the
wheelchair. He had an outstanding appearance, a noble temperament, and
was heard to be a deadly warrior. Unfortunately, he was now just a prisoner
of war subjected to indignities, and a cripple.
Since she wanted to use today's opportunity to rise in status, then she had
no choice but to offend him, and also trample on him.
With this in mind, Qin Liu smilingly remarked, neither light nor heavy but
genuinely meant to offend, "I had only heard that you, Madam Huo, are a
man of striking appearance. I've never expected that seeing you in person
once is a hundred times better than hearing it from the mouth of others.
Today, you've visited our residence. Although we are also considered
sisters, there are still differences between men and women regardless. So, I
arranged a distant seat for you. Please don't take offense."
Of course, Huo Wujiu ignored her.
Meng Qianshan behind him smiled and said, "Thank you, Concubine."
Qin Liu covered her lips and smiled, saying that it was no big deal. She
guided them to a table by the pond and asked Huo Wujiu to take a seat
there.
Just then, the maid in charge of pouring tea greeted them.
Qin Liu's mind turned a hundred times and already came up with a trick.
She naturally reached out and took the teapot from the maid's hand, then
smiled and walked over to Huo Wujiu's side and quite naturally poured him
tea.
She didn't see, however, that Huo Wujiu, who had his eyes downcast,
frowned indistinctly.
The next moment, Qin Liu deftly exclaimed and knocked over the tea. The
ladies were attracted by this alarming cry and saw that Qin Liu seemed to
be embraced by someone. She looked as if she'd been molested and fell
straight towards Huo Wujiu.
Everyone turned pale.
But Huo Wujiu, who was sitting there, frowned tightly. His hand pressed his
wheelchair to the side and turned, cleverly avoiding her.
Hence, Qin Liu's initial attempt to pose as a victim of the man's forced
embrace instead turned into deliberate leaning toward him, and was
unreservedly exposed to the crowd.
Immediately after, she leaned into empty air. In her failure to stand firm, she
plunged straight down, head first into the pond.
——
Shrieks ensued from the crowd of women.
The maids jumped into the pond to save Qin Liu, and chaos reigned
everywhere. Only Huo Wujiu silently pressed his wheelchair and moved a
few steps forward to give the pond an icy glare.
That trifling trick was so obvious. He sensed that something was wrong as
early as when she leaned towards him.
Meng Qianshan beside him was scared silly.
Qin Liu was rescued in no time and wrapped up tightly in a robe and
blanket. Chen Li rushed forward to have her sent down to rest. However,
Qin Liu, who was rescued, struggled and was unwilling to let go.
Qin Liu knew that since she started it, she must carry it out to the end. She
had just failed her trick and paid the price, so now, she absolutely couldn't
neglect any bit of advantage.
The eyes of the crowd fell on her.
She cried, "How could Madam Huo do such a thing? Not only did he
despise me, but he also pushed me down the pond!"
Everyone around was well aware that she was framing Huo Wujiu.
However, they kept their thoughts to themselves, and no one dared to stand
up and expose her.
Qin Liu knew that this method had worked, so she performed more and
more vigorously.
"I have lost my chastity. My Lord, I have no dignity to see you anymore!
You guys let go of me. Let me knock my head to death here, then I'll be
clean!"
Chen Li stood by with trepidation.
She knew exactly what Qin Liu was thinking. If she made a scene like this
today, word would immediately get out, and tomorrow, her husband could
use this as an excuse to face His Majesty.
She wanted to stop it, but as a married woman, she had to obey her
husband's orders.
She cautiously glanced at Huo Wujiu.
He was sitting upright, expressionless and cold, quietly watching the farce
Qin Liu was performing.
Like a steel gun that no one could bend.
Chen Li had never seen a military officer fighting in a war, but at this time,
she somehow felt that an indomitable general should resemble him.
It was a pity that the Heavens were jealous of him and left him chin-deep in
danger. Under such circumstances, no one naturally could help him…
But at this stage, a concierge came running anxiously.
"Madam…Madam!" The concierge shouted.
Chen Li looked behind her and saw the concierge stopping at the garden
door, looking frightened and discomfited.
"What's wrong?" Chen Li asked.
The concierge immediately replied, "King Jing is in the mansion hall!"
—
The author has something to say:
Jiang Suizhou: I think I am very handsome, I fell from the sky, a hero to
save the beauty. At this time, I need a little BGM.
Huo Wujiu: How dare you come? [grieved]
Footnote:
2 The heaven is jealous of heroic genius – those whom God love die young