Chapter 160: Gossip Unfolds

Page 1 of 3 Updated: August 19, 2013

“Who is Qing Ruo?” Lianyue indulged her curiosity a little. From Chai Mengqing’s tone, there seemed to be some secret between her and Qiao Zhi that could not be revealed.

Chai Mengqing looked at Lianyue in surprise. “You’ve never heard her name?”

“Should I have heard of her? Is she famous?” Lianyue tilted her head and searched her memory as hard as she could, but still found no information about Qing Ruo. She nodded blankly.

Seeing that Lianyue did not seem to be pretending, Chai Mengqing thought about it and realized that the places Qing Ruo frequented were indeed unsuitable for respectable ladies. She poured herself another cup of wine, raised it toward Lianyue, and said leisurely, “Then have you heard of the Fairy of the Qin?”

“I have. Are you saying that Qing Ruo is the Fairy of the Qin?” Lianyue immediately became interested. In the Nishang Empire, who had not heard of the Fairy of the Qin? Not only was she beautiful, she was also an extraordinary musician. What was more, she played only for those destined to hear her music, which made people pursue her all the more fervently.

Later, rumors spread that the Fairy of the Qin had encountered her soulmate, and from then on, her music was performed for him alone.

When Lianyue first heard that, she had felt terribly sorry for her. Together with Yaoyao, she had cursed that fortunate man more than once. Now, judging from Chai Mengqing’s meaning, that man seemed to be Qiao Zhi.

Lianyue sneered inwardly. Another woman had been bewitched by that man’s appearance. Her parents had given her a beautiful face, yet she had devoted herself to flirting with women everywhere. One day, she would surely pay for it. For the Fairy of the Qin to play only for such a man was a terrible waste.

Lianyue felt that she and Chai Mengqing had struck up an easy rapport. She leaned over and said something to her elder sister, Lianyu, who nodded. Lianyue then quickly moved to Chai Mengqing’s seat, where it would be more convenient for them to talk.

“Does Sister know the Fairy of the Qin? If you have time someday, could you introduce me to her? I would love to hear her marvelous music.”

“Then you have asked the wrong person.” Chai Mengqing filled the wine cup before Lianyue and smiled. “Qing Ruo plays only for the Sixth Prince. If you wish to hear her music, you will have to ask the Sixth Prince to come forward.”

“How did that fool get so lucky with women? There’s no justice in the world.” Lianyue clinked cups with Chai Mengqing and drained her fruit wine. “If you know Miss Qing Ruo, Sister, you ought to persuade her. If Qiao Zhi truly loved her, he would have asked the Retired Emperor to arrange their marriage long ago. She has waited all this time, yet the bride is still not her. It simply isn’t worth it.”

“Matters of the heart cannot be settled by someone else’s persuasion. Aren’t you the same? You already had an arranged marriage, yet you still fell for another man. I would very much like to know what you intend to do next.”

Lianyue had not expected the conversation to turn back to her so quickly. Whenever anyone mentioned An Ming, joy welled up in her heart. “My situation is simple. Since Sister’s eyes are so perceptive, you must be able to tell that Young Master Yuwen has no feelings for me at all. Perhaps he already has someone he likes. Breaking off the engagement should not be difficult.”

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Chai Mengqing quite agreed with that. Her almond-shaped eyes moved between Yuwen Lingxi and An Ming across from them before she said to Lianyue, “Haven’t you noticed that the two of them are very much alike?”

Prompted by Chai Mengqing, Lianyue considered it carefully. They did indeed resemble each other in certain ways.

“First, they are both very cold—but one is genuinely cold, while the other is only pretending.”

“I know that. Although An Ming looks cold on the surface, his smile is actually very warm.” Lianyue clasped her hands beneath her chin and gazed dreamily at An Ming, who stood out completely from the people around him. Little hearts practically sparkled in her eyes.

Her unabashed, utterly undisguised stare naturally escaped no one across from them. An Ming was delighted by Lianyue’s attention and loved having her look at him like that. However, with so many people present, he could hardly respond to her. He could only pretend not to notice, though the corner of his eye remained fixed on her.

“Yue’er, can you be any more lovestruck?”

Just as Lianyue was about to lose herself completely in admiration, the voice in her heart interrupted her. The tenderness in her eyes instantly burst into flames, and she glared angrily at Meng Chuchen, who was raising his cup toward her.

“If you’re going to glare, wipe the drool off first. You’re about to disgrace the entire Yue family.”

Lianyue hurriedly lifted a hand to wipe the corner of her mouth, only to find nothing there. That was when she realized she had been tricked. “You’re awful!”

“Yes, yes, yes. But listen, little sister—girls ought to be a little more reserved. No matter how strong a man’s composure is, he cannot withstand a gaze like yours, especially not in front of so many people. Just look around you. Who knows how many pairs of eyes are watching you?”

Lianyue was slightly taken aback. She glanced to the side and indeed saw several pairs of eyes turned her way. Then she thought about it: ever since she had begun staring at An Ming, he truly had not looked toward her even once.

Chai Mengqing watched the exchange between Meng Chuchen and Lianyue with interest while studying Yuwen Lingxi and An Ming. The relationship between those two was truly peculiar. That peculiarity powerfully aroused both her curiosity and her desire to understand them. For the first time, she felt that becoming friends with such a group of people might not be a bad choice after all.

She especially wanted to see the day when the pretending-to-be-cold Yuwen Lingxi finally melted like snow.

Lianyue battled with Meng Chuchen in her heart for quite some time. Only after his reminder did she remember her new friend. She stuck her tongue out at Chai Mengqing apologetically.

“You seem to have a rather good relationship with the Sect Master of the Hidden Sect.” Chai Mengqing had already found it somewhat strange during the afternoon council meeting—the relationship between the Yue family and the Hidden Sect.

Lianyue’s heart gave a little jump. She had nearly forgotten about that. She could only evade the question, saying, “The Hidden Sect is in Phoenix Ridge, very close to Lingyang City. After meeting so often, it was only natural that we became familiar with each other.”

Chai Mengqing smiled faintly. She knew there had to be another reason, but it was clearly something Lianyue could not disclose, so she did not press her. After all, to Lianyue she was still only a stranger. No matter how immediately comfortable they felt with each other, Lianyue would not bare her heart so quickly.

Seeing Lianyue’s embarrassment, Chai Mengqing tactfully changed the subject. “Did you notice the Chancellor’s expression just now when the Retired Emperor bestowed a marriage upon the Sixth Prince? I mean the man seated first among the officials.”

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Following Chai Mengqing’s indication, Lianyue looked over. The man was dressed in red official robes and was drinking with an official in a general’s uniform whose brows were drawn together angrily. The moment Lianyue’s gaze swept over them, both men noticed and looked back at her.

Lianyue awkwardly withdrew her gaze. It seemed there were quite a few skilled people in the imperial court. She had merely glanced at them, yet both had sensed it.

“Is that man’s daughter the one whose marriage to Qiao Zhi was arranged by the Emperor three years ago, only for Qiao Zhi to evade it?” Lianyue seemed to have remembered something.

“So you have heard about that too? Is there anything you don’t know?” Chai Mengqing looked like a celestial beauty, but inside she was just as fond of gossip as anyone else. Besides, most of the Misty Rain Pavilion’s businesses were in pleasure districts, where rumors and bits of unofficial news spread especially quickly.

For the past several years, Chai Mengqing had been stationed at the Myriad Image Pavilion in Western Capital, so she knew all the gossip circulating there. And among women, sharing gossip was one of the fastest ways to establish a bond.

“There is more to the story.”

Lianyue’s attention was immediately captured. Yaoyao, who had never been able to sit still for long, had also been watching the two of them whisper together. Taking advantage of Lan Shui’s inattention, she quietly slipped over. The palace maids were quick-witted and promptly added an embroidered stool beside the table. Yaoyao eagerly squeezed in.

Chai Mengqing did not immediately tell them what had happened afterward. Instead, she looked at Lianyue with amusement in her eyes.

“I heard that in the imperial gardens today, the Emperor’s Eleventh Princess was thoroughly taught a lesson by your protector. She is still lying in bed and could not even attend the evening banquet.”

Lianyue felt not the slightest embarrassment at that. Qiao Yu had been the one to cause trouble and bring the disaster upon herself. Lianyue pursed her lips. “It was all because of Qiao Zhi—”

Then a thought flashed through her mind. Narrowing her eyes, she asked, “Could this continuation also have something to do with the Eleventh Princess?”

Chai Mengqing nodded emphatically. “It has everything to do with her! Do you know why, when the Retired Emperor bestowed the marriage today, the Chancellor’s expression changed, yet he did not speak up to object?”

Lianyue and Yaoyao shook their heads in unison.

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