Chapter 225: A coincidental meeting on the boat

Once Yan Shu left, Ji Yuxian walked towards Su Jiu immediately and held her face in his hands. He was relieved when he noticed no unusual symptoms from her and her gaze was clear as usual.

Su Jiu opened her palm which held a shard of glazed glass. The glazed glass was a pale shade of brown color and there seemed to be nothing weird about it.

“What is this?”

Ji Yuxian would not hit away Yan Shu’s things without any valid reason.

Why had Yan Shu wanted to let her look at the glass persistently?

Ji Yuxian held the shard of glass in between his fingers and said coldly, “This seemed like the Glass of Ten Thousand Eyes.”

“What’s that?” it was the first time Su Jiu heard of this item.

“It was an ancient item that had existed for a long while, it was rumored that the glass would cause one to be illusioned and subsequently obey the other party without any awareness.” Ji Yuxian paused in his words and said meaningfully, “Moreover, it was heard that this item is in the hands of the royal family in Jinli Country.”

“Do you mean that Yan Shu is from Jinli Country’s royal family?” Su Jiu was shocked.

“I’m not sure, but she is definitely not an ordinary commoner!”

“Is she trying to control me?” Su Jiu frowned.

She had never met Yan Shu and Wu Ci, what exactly were they trying to do to her?

“I will let my men focus on investigating the royal family in Jinli Country, and I will kill this woman if we’re unable to find out anything about her background!” Ji Yuxian held Su Jiu in his arms and said coldly.

No matter what, those two people were a hidden threat to Su Jiu and he could not let them stay alive.

“Don’t!” Su Jiu shook her head and squinted her eyes slightly, “I am curious about their intention and will be disappointed to death if you killed them! Let me settle this matter myself, I will be on high alert.”

“Both of them are cunning and scheming, you must be careful, don’t show mercy if you realize that something is wrong!”

“Alright!”

…

On the other hand, Yan Shu had returned to the medical hall and had stomped into the rear court angrily. She locked herself up in her room and did not come out even when the sky turned dark and it was time for dinner.

Wu Ci had just finished examining all his patients when he arrived outside of Yan Shu’s room and said with a smile, “I wonder if my disciple has also been treated coldly by Su Jiu?”

Nobody responded within the room.

Wu Ci’s eyes flickered as he knocked on the door, “Are you dead? It will affect the medical hall’s business should anyone die just within days from its opening.”

Just then, a loud pang was heard from within, it seemed like a teacup had been thrown onto the door and had shattered to pieces.

“I will come again after you have calmed down!” Wu Ci turned around to leave.

“My glass has been broken by Ji Yuxian!” Yan Shu’s infuriated voice was heard from the room all of a sudden.

Wu Ci stood there as he said gloatingly, “Were you discovered when you were showing it to Su Jiu?”

Wu Ci was slightly surprised that Ji Yuxian had known about the Glass of Ten Thousand Eyes.

The room fell silent once again.

“It’s no big deal that it’s been broken, it’s not an auspicious item anyway!” Wu Ci laughed coldly.

“It was originally an evil object and it thrives on its owners’ vital energy, you should have gotten rid of it long ago even though it was slightly useful!”

“You should feel lucky that you could return alive after you were discovered by Ji Yuxian!”

Wu Ci leaned against a pillar along the corridor and said slowly.

“What do you know? That was a birthday gift from my father!” Yan Shu choked back on her tears.

Wu Ci turned around and glanced at her bedroom door as he laughed, “Your father would not have gifted it to you if he had been aware of that item’s history!”

Yan Shu fell silent.

The sky gradually turned dark. The doors opened up after a long while and Yan Shu walked out with red and swollen eyes, “How do we capture Su Jiu without the Glass of Ten Thousand Eyes?”

Wu Ci’s gaze turned chilly under the evening sunlight, “There will inevitably be a moment when she’s careless.”

Imperial Palace

Grand Empress Dowager Xiao had only consumed a tiny bit of ginseng soup after dinner. Empress Dowager Rong had accompanied her for the meal and was walking her back to her bedroom thereafter.

The summer night was filled with the aroma of lotus flowers and droplets of dew sparkled as they rested on the bamboo. Grand Empress Dowager Xiao strolled slowly along the corridor and was not in a hurry to return to her room. Her mood was uplifted as she enjoyed the beautiful scenery at night.

“Oh yes, is Princess Zhuo Yan really staying the palace?” Grand Empress Dowager Xiao asked.

Empress Dowager Rong nodded, “Yes, the princess was drunk on the day of the palace banquet and hence she was offered to stay in Cuiwei Palace. She did not mention leaving the palace the next day when she was awake and Lord Ruiyang did not come to fetch her either. The Emperor hence issued a decree for her to go back to the outpost outside of the palace, but the princess turned a deaf ear on the decree and it seemed like she was bent on marrying into Daliang Country without any regard for her reputation.”

Grand Empress Dowager Xiao laughed, “How can such a woman become the Empress of our Daliang Country?”

“That’s right, she can only be granted the position of a concubine should Jinli Country insist to ally through marriage.”

“What does Lie’er think?”

“Lie’er has been occupied by the country’s affairs for the past two days, I’ve heard that he has yet to visit the princess in the palace!”

If Xiao Lie had not been reluctant to carry out the selection of his concubines, Empress Dowager Rong would have spoken up to send Princess Zhuo Yan out of the palace. It was ridiculous for the princess to reside in the palace when their marriage was not even confirmed yet.

Jinli Country’s degrading culture would cause the royal family of Daliang Country to become a laughing stock.

However, Empress Dowager Rong also privately wished that this princess with an unusual behavior would be able to catch Xiao Lie’s attention and allow him to forget about Su Jiu.

As such, she chose to close an eye on the princess’s actions.

“How does the woman look like, is she behaving well in the palace?” Grand Empress Dowager Xiao stood in front of the patch of hibiscus and asked as she caressed and sniffed the flower petals.

“Princess Zhuo Yan had put on a veil over her face ever since she arrived, she has a slender figure and appears to be a ravishing beauty, she has been behaving well in the palace these few days and did not bother the Emperor,” Empress Dowager Rong said without a hurry.

“In that case, let her stay in the palace for a few more days and hang out with Lie’er, maybe they’re fated to be together!”

“Yes, that’s what I thought as well!”

Both of them watched the flowers for a while more before Empress Dowager Rong noticed the exhaustion of Grand Empress Dowager Xiao and helped her back to her bedroom for a rest.

Xiao lie had just finished reading through the memorandums in the Royal Study when he felt stifled by the loud sounds of the crickets. He got up and headed out for a walk.

“Emperor, the flowers in the Royal Garden have blossomed, do you want to take a stroll over there?” Eunuch Fu asked tenderly.

Xiao Lie did not answer, he walked towards the tiny garden in the direction of Fushou Palace and Yuming Palace.

The moonlight was dim and the stars were sparse in the night sky, he could smell a strong aroma from the flowers as he entered the garden.

As Xiao Lie walked on the narrow path, he recalled the numerous times when he had met Su Jiu in this place, she was Young Mistress Ji at that time and he was a prince, and he had wanted to keep a distance away from her due to the differences in their statuses.

After a huge detour, their relationship still went back to square one.

However, he was unsure if he could still forget her this time round.

He was unwilling to accept the fact that he had lost what he once possessed!

Xiao Lie was deep in his thoughts when he suddenly heard a woman’s laughter coming from the garden. He paused in his footsteps and looked up to see someone within.

Eunuch Fu frowned and was about to ask who the person was when Xiao Lie stopped him.

Other than the palace maids, there would be no other young women in the palace except for Princess Zhuo Yan who had come from Jinli Country.

Xiao Lie stood tall and upright behind a tree as he watched the woman in front of him emotionlessly.

Princess Zhuo Yan had her veil on her face and was wearing an imperial costume. She had more than ten golden hairpins in her hair which sparkled under the moonlight.

At that moment, she was holding onto a big bunch of flowers in her hands and was surrounded by four to five palace maids as she ran about among the flower shrubs.

“What flower is this, it has a really lovely fragrance!” Zhuo Yan’s eyes sparkled outside of the veil. She was sniffing on a flower she had just picked.

“Princess, this is a peony flower!” one of the palace maids hurriedly stepped forward and replied.

“Peony? That’s a lovely name!” the woman laughed and ran to another tree before she turned around to ask, “How about this?”

“Princess, that’s a camellia tree!”

“Camillia?” the woman asked in shock, “As in camellia tea?”

A palace maid chuckled and hastily lowered her head.

“Princess!” another palace maid immediately yelled in an attempt to mask her chuckle, “This camellia tree is not the same as those that can be made in tea.”

She paused in her words before asking, “Has Princess never seen peony and camellia flowers back in Jinli Country?”

The peony and camellia trees grown in the palace were considered to be rare species, however, they were similar to the other common plants, why did the Princess appear as if she had never seen them?

Zhuo Yan thought that the palace maids were teasing her for being ignorant and immediately stood upright, “Our Jinli Country has plants that cannot be found over here, it’s no big deal!”

“I deserve to die, I did not mean it that way!” several palace maids knelt down in fear.

Zhuo Yan’s interest to enjoy the flowers had subsided after the commotion. She threw the flowers in her hands to the side and walked out of the garden via the narrow path.

Xiao Lie watched the back view of the woman as she stomped off angrily, “Does Jinli Country not have peony and camellia?”

Eunuch Fu thought about it for a moment before answering, “There should be some in their country!”

Xiao Lie’s gaze darkened amidst the dim lights as he was deep in thoughts.

Upon Zhuo Yan’s return to Cuiwei Palace, one of her servants, Jia Yi, ran out immediately, “Princess, where have you been? I’ve been looking for you!”

“I had been bored to tears and hence went out for a spin!” Zhuo Yan’s eyes flickered as she said calmly.

“It’s getting late, let me serve you for your bath and prepare you for bed!” Jia Yi walked to her side and helped her back to the bedroom.

They were, after all, from Jinli Country and were not able to bring along too many servants into the palace, as such, Jia Yi was the only one left behind to serve Princess Zhuo Yan.

Jia Yi dismissed the other palace maids as they entered the room, she turned around immediately upon shutting the doors and said coldly, “It’s the best if Princess does not wander about on your own without my accompaniment!”

The woman sat in front of the dressing table as she removed the veil to reveal a beautiful face and said unhappily, “Can’t I go out for a walk?”

She looked gorgeous with the golden hairpins on her head and her skin was radiant, however, her skin was not fair as what the noble ladies in Shengjing City would have liked, instead, her skin was a pale shade of brown as if she had been under the sun for a long period of time.

“If Princess insists, I will have no choice but to invite Lord Ruiyang to come to speak with Princess!” Jia Yi spoke emotionlessly without a hint of respect in her tone.

The woman frowned, “Forget it, I will not argue with you over this, I will not step out of this place from now on! However, it’s been a few days since I’ve been in this palace, did Lord Ruiyang send me any messages?”

“Not yet, Princess, please wait patiently!”

Jia Yi said and stepped forward to remove her makeup. She frowned as she saw the woman’s hair full of golden hairpins, “Princess, don’t put all the jewelry on your head the next time, it makes you look ignorant. Even though Jinli Country is not as rich as Daliang Country, you are after all a princess and you will be a laughing stock if you behave this way!”

The woman clenched her fists abruptly under her sleeves as she listened to Jia Yi’s mocking words. However, she was speechless and could only turn her head around as she gritted her teeth.

…

The weather was scorching this afternoon, Su Jiu laid down within Ji Yuxian’s embrace as she took a two-hour nap. She was slightly drenched in sweat when she awoke.

She saw the housekeeper entering the study room after she had washed up and headed out of the manor alone as she was feeling bored.

She bumped into Zhang Quandan guarding the door as she reached the entrance of the manor.

Zhang Quandan was surprised as he saw Su Jiu, “When did Young Mistress return to the manor?”

Another guard who was guarding the entrance with him was tempted to give him a slap.

Young Mistress had been back for almost ten days and had been going in and out of the manor, how could Zhang Quandan be so oblivious.

Su Jiu laughed, “It’s a miracle that you are still working in Ji Manor!”

A person as careless as Zhang Quandan would not have passed the expectations of Ji Yuxian, it was indeed a shock that he could stay in Ji Manor for so many years.

Zhang Quandan rubbed his head and grinned, “Eldest Young Master has said that I will probably starve to death if I leave the manor, he would be saving a life if he let me stay here!”

Su Jiu broke into a chuckle, “Eldest Young Master was right!”

Fortune favors fools!

Su Jiu patted on his shoulder, “Work hard and don’t disappoint Eldest Young Master!”

“Noted!” Zhang Quandan stood upright agitatedly.

It was the twentieth day of the sixth month on this day, it was time for Su Jiu to check on the ledgers in the restaurant. As such, she called for Er Mao to drive the horse carriage to Qingxin Tavern. Unexpectedly, Qiao An was present as well.

Qiao An put down the ledgers upon seeing Su Jiu’s arrival and smiled, “It’s a holiday today and as such I’m here to check on the ledgers, Chief, you can stay indoors these two days if you find the weather too warm!”

“I’m fine!” Su Jiu said and sat down with Qiao An as they checked on the ledgers together.

Li Tai got his staff to serve them some ice-chilled green bean soup and Su Jiu took two sips of it. The thirst-quenching soup was filled with the sweetness of the green beans and tasted refreshing.

Qiao An was dressed in a light blue robe as he sat across her, and his hair was held on top of his head with a jade crown. He still appeared elegant and gentle even though he was considered an official with a significant posting in the imperial court. He did not possess any hint of arrogance and had remained modest as he usually was.

Hu Dapao and Ah Shu had set up their own families and Qiao An was the only single person left. He led an ascetic life every day.

Qiao An was in fact only thirty-two years old and could not be considered to be old, how could he remain single forever?

Qiao An looked up and smiled, “What’s the matter?”

Su Jiu turned around and looked out of the window, the weather was fine and many women who had dressed up were strolling along the streets.

Su Jiu put down the ledger and said, “Let’s not look at these anymore and head out for a walk!”

“Where are we going?” Qiao An asked.

Su Jiu thought about it for a moment, “Let’s go for a cruise!”

There would be many young women on the cruise ship and who knows, Qiao An might be able to meet his fated one onboard.

Even though the probability was minute, it would be a higher chance as compared to staying at home all day.

“It’s such a warm day, it’s better to stay indoors!” Qiao An said as he flipped through the ledger.

“We can have wine with the women on the cruise ship, I’ll bring you to have a party today!” Su Jiu said and dragged Qiao An by his arm out of the restaurant.

Qiao An shook his head and laughed as he followed behind Su Jiu upon seeing her excitement.

Er Mao drove them towards the riverbank of Huanhua Creek.

Huanhua Creek was the busiest during summer as numerous boats of various sizes filled the river. On the boats, the fragrance of the women’s makeup was stronger than the blooming flowers, and their laughter was louder and clearer than the touting voices of the vendors onshore.

Su Jiu and Qiao An casually got onto one of the cruise ships. Many people stood on the ship deck as they enjoyed the scenery of willow trees lined up on both sides of the river and the breeze blowing gently across the water.

As it was getting too crowded on the deck, Su Jiu and Qiao An shifted themselves into the cabin.

It was unusually quiet in the cabin perhaps due to most of the people being on the boat deck instead.

A manservant came over as he smiled, “Please head to the second floor, it’s more cooling over there and you can enjoy a better view of the scenery.”

“Sure!” Su Jiu nodded and tipped the manservant with some broken silver pieces.

The manservant broke into a huge smile immediately and served them more enthusiastically than before as he led them towards the second floor.

The wind was stronger on the second floor and it was indeed more cooling. Several private rooms were located and were separated from one another with bamboo curtains. Each private room contained a large window which enabled the guests to enjoy the scenery outside of the cruise ship.

The manservant found a room with the best view for Su Jiu and served them tea and fruits before asking, “What else will you like to order?”

“Serve us your recommended dishes and two jars of wine!”

“Sure! Please have a seat, we’ll serve your food and wine as soon as possible!” the manservant laughed and parted the curtains as he stepped out of the room.

The two of them sat down for a moment before a woman got onto the second floor as well. A maidservant followed behind her as the woman was led to the room beside Su Jiu.

“Young Lady, you have been unhappy recently, it will be good to come out often for a walk!” the maidservant seemed to be comforting her Young Lady.

“Unhappy? Don’t talk nonsense!” the woman raised her brows as she chided her maidservant.

“I think that you are lovesick!” the maidservant teased.

“Little girl, I’m going to get someone to throw you into the river if you continue to talk nonsense!” the Young Lady felt angry and ashamed.

“I’m not talking nonsense, I have seen Young Lady staring blankly at the umbrella for the past few nights, isn’t that a symptom of being lovesick? That Young Master is to blame as well, he had said that he will meet Young Lady soon but why did he not appear after such a long time?”

“Stop talking!” the woman’s ears reddened as she scanned around the environment and noticed that there seemed to be people in the private room next to theirs. She grew embarrassed as she chided, “I will tear your mouth apart if you continue to talk!”

“Noted! I won’t talk about it anymore!” the maidservant said mischievously.

In the private room beside theirs, Su Jiu had heard every single word within their conversation. She only thought that the lady must have taken fancy for someone and was about to turn around to speak to Qiao An when she saw him in a daze as he stared at the teacup in front of him. She waved her hand in front of his face as she asked, “What are you thinking about?”

Qiao An looked up abruptly and curled his lips into a smile as his gentle eyes sparkled faintly.

Sounds of tea trickling into the teacup could be heard from the room beside theirs, the maidservant had changed a topic and was speaking with a changed tone, “Second Young Lady was behaving so smugly when we saw her today, it was as if she was not afraid to let other people know about her snatching Young Lady’s husband!”

The woman remained silent.

The maidservant continued, “She had bullied Young Lady because Young Lady was too kind, the servants at home could not take it anymore either, it was supposed to be Young Lady’s marriage but it was disrupted by her, she’s being too much.”

The woman said flatly, “It’s up to her, I’m actually grateful to her!”

If she had married a man like Zhang Yun, her life would be ruined. Fang Yuan could have him if she wished to!

“I think I saw Second Young Lady and Young Master Zhang heading out when we came out today!” the maidservant said.

“Stop staring at people that often, their affair is none of our business,” the woman said without being affected.

Su Jiu had understood the entire incident upon listening to their conversation. It turned out that this woman’s fiance had been snatched away by her own sister and her maidservant was feeling aggrieved on her behalf.

Qiao An held his tea as he remained silent and deep in thoughts.

As it was getting more crowded on the cruise ship, it started to embark and sailed towards the center of the river.

The cruise ship was filled with good looking young masters and ladies. Music from the string and bamboo instruments filled the ship and the ship was bustling with activities.

The waiter served their food and wine at that moment, “Please enjoy your food and wine, there’s a bell on the curtains, you may pull on this string to ring it if you need our service and we will serve you immediately!”

The waiter retreated out of the room as Su Jiu poured Qiao An some wine, “Let’s have a toast as the scenery is so beautiful!”

Qiao An laughed softly, “Can you still drink? You’ll get lectured by Eldest Young Master when you get back!”

Su Jiu raised her brows, “He won’t dare to lecture me!”

Qiao An laughed dryly as he thought about who was the one that was apologizing profusely when she was caught being drunk previously.

He reached out for Su Jiu’s wine and poured half of it away, “Have half a cup instead!”

Su Jiu laughed, “Fine, I can drink half a cup followed by another half!”

Qiao An smiled silently.

The cruise ship sailed towards the center of the river and was surrounded by numerous pleasure boats operated by the brothels. Soft and mellow voices accompanied by orchestra music could be heard from the boats and it was a romantic scene.

Su Jiu turned around to watch the ripples on the river as she heard faint footsteps that had seemed to come onto the second floor.

She heard the maidservant in the next room stepping out to refill their tea and had seemed to realize who the guest was. She said with much reluctance, “Greetings to Second Young Lady!”

Qiao An turned around in the next instant and looked out of the curtains to see that a man and woman had arrived on the second floor.

The guests were indeed the Second Young Lady from Fang family and her fiance, Zhang Yun.

Fang Yuan was slightly startled to see Liu’er the maidservant as she raised her brows and asked sharply, “Why are you here?”

Liu’er replied, “I’ve come onto this cruise ship with Young Lady.”

Zhang Yun laughed, “It’s such a coincidence to meet Young Lady here as well!”

Fang Yuan turned around to look at Zhang Yun the moment she heard his words. Her gaze turned cold as she realized his intention to come onboard the cruise ship. It turned out that he had followed Fang Zhen over here.

“Is your Young Lady inside the room?” Zhang Yun peeked into the private room.

Fang Zhen had heard the commotion outside the room at that moment and a sense of disgust flashed across her eyes. She pretended not to hear Zhang Yun’s words and turned around to look out of the window instead.

Liu’er said reluctantly, “Yes!”

“In that case, how about we have a drink together while we enjoy the scenery, it will be a pleasure!” Zhang Yun said and parted the curtains to enter the room without waiting for Fang Yuan’s response.

Fang Yuan had no choice but to follow behind him.

Liu’er’s brows knitted together tightly as she saw their uninvited entry into the room. She could not care less about the tea and hurried into the room as well.

“Greetings to Miss Fang!” Zhang Yun bowed towards Fang Zhen politely as if he was an elegant and refined scholar.

“Greetings to Sister!” Fang Yuan smiled hypocritically.

Fang Zhen nodded slightly, “Have a seat!”

Zhang Yun sat across Fang Zhen as he stared at her intently and laughed, “We should have come together if we have known that Miss Fang is coming onboard the cruise ship, it’s heartbreaking to see Young Lady being alone!”

The woman was dressed in a jade-green brocade long dress, she had a slender figure and ravishing looks, her eyes were clear like the spring water and reflected the image of the sparkling river as she sat before the window. She was gentle, beautiful, and delicate, Zhang Yun was lost in her beauty and inevitably made flippant remarks.

Fang Yuan’s facial expression changed instantly as she glared at Zhang Yun.

Fang Zhen remained aloof as she said emotionlessly, “I like to be alone and I find it too noisy with other people around me!”

Fang Yuan held onto Zhang Yun’s arm immediately as she said with jealousy, “Sister must mean that we are a bother, I think we should leave!”

Zhang Yun, however, seemed to be unaware of Fang Zhen’s disgust as he swiped away Fang Yuan’s hands and smiled, “Miss Fang did not have that intention, she was just finding the people outside a bother.”

Fang Zhen remained silent and sipped on her tea as she realized how thick-skinned the man could be.

Fang Yuan noticed Zhang Yun’s unchanging gaze on the woman across him and felt extremely hateful and jealous. Her eyes rolled around as she held up the teapot and said, “The waiter over here is too slow, they did not even refill the pot when the tea has ran out, I’ll go get more water!”

Liu’er said hastily, “Let me do it!”

“There is no need!” Fang Yuan stopped Liu’er and said, “I’ll go and come back in a jiffy, you take good care of Sister!”

Fang Yuan got out of the room upon speaking.

Zhang Yun was fearless the moment Fang Yuan left the room. He leaned forward and laughed, “Does Miss Fang like to go on cruise ships often? I enjoy the scenery from the ship as well, how about we come together the next time?”

Fang Zhen’s expression remained cold as she replied, “Fang Yuan will misunderstand Young Master Zhang’s words again if she hears you.”

Zhang Yun grinned, “What is there to be afraid of? You and I were originally engaged, it must be Fang Yuan’s mother who had played tricks to separate the both of us, we should reveal their evil scheme instead.”

Liu’er had preferred Young Master Zhang in the past, but now that she had seen him behaving intimately with Fang Yuan for one moment and teasing their Young Lady in the next instant, she thought that he was a frivolous man and said mockingly, “Young Master Zhang, if you really like our Young Lady, please let Madame Sun cancel your marriage as such a greedy behavior is not expected from a noble and respectful young master!”

Fang Zhen could no longer sit together with such a hypocrite and she got up the next instant, “Liu’er, let’s go!”

Zhang Yun stood up immediately and stopped Fang Zhen from leaving, “How can Miss Fang leave when you have yet to finish your tea? Let’s discuss together properly, it’s hard to find such a good looking husband like me with a proper family background nowadays, how about this, I’ll talk to Madame Sun and let both you and Fang Yuan get married to me on the same day, both of you will be equals as the mistresses of the household and I will treat both of you impartially.”

Fang Zhen’s face flushed deeply as she spat at the man and raised her arm to slap his face.

Zhang Yun grabbed onto her hand and grinned, “My wife, don’t be angry, the three of us can discuss this in detail.”

The bamboo curtains were parted the moment he finished speaking as Fang Yuan appeared, “What are you doing? My Sister is so fine trying to seduce my husband the moment I left!”