ARTTEDSBGT Chapter 43

When Li Zhizhi brought Xiao Rulei back to the front hall, Su Family’s younger cousin hurriedly smiled and said, “Here they are, Miss Li and Princess Qi, shall we set off now?” The others echoed in agreement, and the group quickly got ready. Leaving the manor, guided by several servants, they headed towards the rear mountain. Li Zhizhi glanced around and saw that among those accompanying her were Su Family’s elder sister, Su Family’s younger cousin, and Song Lingyun. Su Qingshang, due to health reasons, mentioned that she would join them later and asked them to go ahead.

As for Jiang Ziyu, despite being scolded by Li Zhizhi earlier, she unexpectedly followed along. However, she kept a distance from the crowd, unwilling to approach, clearly harboring some apprehension. Amused by her shamelessness, Li Zhizhi couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow, genuinely admiring her audacity.

Su Tangyu noticed the change in Li Zhizhi’s expression and asked softly, “Zhizhi, is something on your mind?” Li Zhizhi smiled and shook her head. Suddenly remembering something, she said, “Speaking of which, the Second Young Master, he…”

Su Tangyu, concerned, asked, “What happened to my second brother?” The incident earlier, discovered by Su Qingshang, was indeed beyond Li Zhizhi’s expectations. More surprising was Su Qingshang’s att.i.tude—he showed no sign of anger and even thanked Li Zhizhi. It seemed he harbored no goodwill toward Jiang Ziyu. Li Zhizhi thought someone with his personality would be calm and amiable, as indifferent as a chrysanthemum.

Li Zhizhi inquired, “How is the relationship between the Second Young Master and Jiang Ziyu on ordinary days?” Su Tangyu was caught off guard by this question and hesitated for a moment before saying, “It’s not bad. Although my second brother seems cold on the surface, he is warm-hearted inside, very kind. Ziyu, she… even though she doesn’t talk much, she respects my second brother a lot.”

It might not be so, Li Zhizhi thought, recalling the situation. Your second brother isn’t necessarily a kind person, and your cousin Ziyu doesn’t seem to respect him that much—more like she fears him. At that moment, she not only didn’t seek help from Su Qingshang but also ran away swiftly, clearly aware that seeking a.s.sistance would be in vain.

This is getting interesting, Li Zhizhi couldn’t help but feel that Su Qingshang and herself shared some similarities. In certain situations, they both seemed quite adept at pretending.

……

The waterfall is not far away, and the scenery along the way is also very nice. The group walks and stops, pa.s.sing through a small bamboo forest. In the distance, they hear the sound of water. A gentle breeze blows, and the air is filled with moist water vapor.

Xiao Rulei points excitedly ahead and exclaims, “Sister, look! It’s a waterfall!”

Li Zhizhi looks in the direction and sees a cliff that is several zhang high, covered with green moss, various wildflowers, and plants. However, the most eye-catching is the high-hanging waterfall, undulating up and down, like silver threads hanging from the sky, resembling a white rainbow drinking from a stream. It’s as if a jade dragon is descending a mountain, and clear snow is flying over the rapids.

This scene is truly spectacular, and everyone praises it. The closer they get, the more profound and heavy the sound of water becomes, like thunder, rushing and roaring. Mist splashes, carrying a cold wind, invigorating the spirits.

“Hmm?” Su Family’s younger cousin with sharp eyes says, “There are people over there.”

Su Family’s elder sister is a bit surprised and laughs, “Someone arrived before us?”

Next to the waterfall, there is a small octagonal pavilion with an elegant design. Several plane trees are planted nearby. It is now early May, and the flowers are blooming like snow. When the wind blows, the tung flowers fall like a thin layer on the ground.

In the pavilion, several people are sitting. It turns out to be Li Xingzhi and Lin Xuqiu, who skipped school from the National Academy, and a few others. One of them says, “Although the scenery here is good, there’s nothing interesting. Lin brother, why not send someone to get a bow, and we can go hunting in the mountains.”

Others agree, “Brother Liu makes sense.”

However, Lin Xuqiu shakes his head and says, “It’s fine here, but there are wild beasts in the mountains. It’s dangerous. Every time I come here, my father doesn’t allow me to enter the mountains.”

Several cla.s.smates make teasing sounds, “Lin brother has always been timid, afraid of danger.”

Lin Xuqiu, with a slightly blushing face, explains, “I’m not afraid. We came here today not for leisure but to accompany Brother Li to see his sister, right? It’s not for fun.”

“Oh,” someone teases, “Who doesn’t know you, Lin brother? Tell the truth, do you want to accompany Brother Li to see his sister, or just want to see Brother Li’s sister?”

The crowd burst into laughter, and suddenly someone said, “I remember now. During the last Spring Banquet, I saw Brother Li’s two sisters. At that time, Brother Lin couldn’t take his eyes off them, stared at them for a long time, and even asked Brother Li about it, didn’t he?”

“Yes, yes, Brother Liu, now that you mention it, I recall it too.”

Lin Xuchu was greatly embarra.s.sed and hurriedly said, “Don’t talk nonsense, all of you.”

“Who’s talking nonsense?” the person said with laughter, “Fair and graceful ladies, and a fine gentleman seeking a spouse. If you really like them, just boldly admit it! After all, Brother Li has a good relationship with us, and there’s camaraderie among us. Wouldn’t it be like being the early bird catching the worm for Brother Lin?”

Li Xingzhi finally reacted, staring at Lin Xuchu with a puzzled expression.

Come to think of it, after the Spring Banquet, Lin Xuchu did get closer to him. Was it because he had these intentions? But Zhizhi hadn’t come of age yet.

As Li Xingzhi’s gaze became more and more suspicious, Lin Xuchu became anxious and said, “Brother Li, I…”

Some onlookers, not minding the gravity of the situation, joined in teasing, “Brother Li seems unhappy. Brother Lin, hurry up and explain yourself.”

Li Xingzhi’s brow furrowed deeply, hesitating as he said, “Brother Lin, you wouldn’t really…”

Lin Xuchu blurted out anxiously, “Brother Li, listen to my explanation.”

Li Xingzhi: …

The crowd burst into laughter immediately, and the pavilion was filled with a cheerful atmosphere. Someone shouted, “He admitted it!”

“Okay, Lin Xiandidi, I didn’t expect you to have such a profound background despite your bold eyebrows and big eyes.”

Lin Xuqiu was irritated by their laughter. He slammed the table and angrily threatened, “Shut up! If you keep talking nonsense, you’ll have to walk back on your own today.”

A cla.s.smate pointed at him and said, “Lin Xuqiu…”

“Lin Xuqiu, someone is coming behind you.”

Lin Xuqiu and Li Xingzhi both subconsciously turned their heads, only to see a crowd of people standing outside the pavilion, led by several young ladies of different ages. There was also one who was tilting her head and looking over with curiosity. The girls were dressed in luxurious clothes and surrounded by handsome young servants and beautiful maids. The little girl asked crisply, “Sister, what are they arguing about?”

Li Zhizhi sighed and glanced at Li Xingzhi, answering, “I don’t know. It seems they are discussing something.”

Li Xingzhi felt somewhat awkward, while Lin Xuqiu was even more embarra.s.sed, wishing he could dig a hole and bury himself on the spot. He stood there helplessly, thinking incessantly, when did they arrive? Did they hear what was said earlier?

Fortunately, the noise of the waterfall was too loud, and Li Zhizhi’s group was standing far away, not hearing much. She was just curious about why Li Xingzhi was here. Wasn’t he supposed to be studying at the National Academy?

“Brother Xingzhi?”

Song Lingyun also saw Li Xingzhi, showing a pleased expression, and quickly stepped forward, saying, “What a coincidence, cousin, how come you’re here?”

Although Li Xingzhi felt awkward, he quickly composed himself and vaguely replied, “A few of us cla.s.smates came out for a leisure trip, finding the scenery here quite pleasant, so we decided to stay.”

Everyone chimed in, “Yes, yes, we came out for sightseeing too.”

“I see,” Song Lingyun said happily, “If cousin doesn’t mind, you can join us. It will be livelier with more people.”

Li Xingzhi was more than willing, saying, “I’ll gladly accept the invitation.”

The other students in the group also agreed, and the awkwardness seemed to have pa.s.sed. Lin Xuqiu breathed a sigh of relief, catching a glimpse of Li Zhizhi chatting with a girl beside her. The girl was smiling, her eyes sparkling like stars. Unable to resist, he stole a few more glances.

In the next moment, Li Xingzhi’s face appeared before him, calmly covering Li Zhizhi. He lowered his voice, a reminder or perhaps a caution, “My sister has not yet come of age.”

Lin Xuqiu felt embarra.s.sed, blushing slightly as he stammered, “I, I know…”

He was just looking, after all. The desire for beauty was universal. Lin Xuqiu thought with some frustration that Li Xiong was being overly sensitive.

So, the two groups gathered together, making the atmosphere more lively. The servants of the Su family meticulously cleaned the pavilion, removing the tung flowers from the table and replacing them with incense burners. They also laid out cushions. With so many people, the few stone stools in the pavilion were not enough, so they added low tables and mats. Against the backdrop of the snowy white tung flowers, it created a refined and elegant scene.

No one understood the arts and elegance better than the students from the National Academy. Li Xingzhi’s cla.s.smates were eloquent, not overly bold in the presence of young ladies but not overly restrained either. They chatted and laughed, entertaining the Su family’s young ladies, making them burst into laughter. The eldest Miss Su was very pleased and ordered some wine to be brought out and shared with everyone.

In no time, Su Qingshang arrived. The mountain wind was strong, and he was dressed much more warmly than others. His complexion, however, remained pale, and his features appeared even more refined and serene, resembling a newly painted ink wash.

Song Lingyun quickly invited him to the seat and personally poured wine for him. Su Qingshang coughed lightly and raised his hand to decline, saying, “Thank you, I have always only drunk tea.”

Song Lingyun couldn’t help but feel a bit awkward, but Su Qingshang paid no attention to him and began conversing with Su Tang. Li Zhizhi held a wine gla.s.s with plum wine, its light and fragrant aroma tempting Xiaoru Le. She eagerly approached and asked, “Sister, is this tasty?”

She practically had the words “I want to drink” written on her face. Li Zhizhi chuckled and said, “Children shouldn’t drink alcohol.”

Upon hearing this, Xiaoru Le looked a bit disappointed and said, “Brother also never lets me drink, saying that I’ll become more foolish if I do.”

Li Zhizhi thought for a moment and said, “He’s right. Adults indeed become foolish if they drink too much.”

“Really?” Xiao Rulei was surprised and exclaimed, “I thought he was just tricking kids again.”

Unable to contain her laughter, Li Zhizhi suddenly remembered the “promissory note” in Xiao Rulei’s purse. It seemed that this Crown Prince had a really questionable reputation, and even A’yang didn’t seem to trust him much.

While she was laughing, she suddenly saw another group of people emerging from the bamboo forest. The one at the front was sitting in a sedan chair, dressed in a deep blue robe, with handsome features that looked familiar. It couldn’t be anyone else but the Crown Prince.

Indeed, where the Crown Prince is mentioned, the Crown Prince arrives. Li Zhizhi had already guessed that he wouldn’t trust her completely with Xiao Rulei. Now, seeing him, she wasn’t surprised at all. The others at the feast were all dumbfounded. What was happening today? Why was everyone heading into the mountains?