Chapter 87 - A brazen person

When Yun Fenghuang returned to the banquet in front of Shi Cui Building, Duchess Yi had gone, and only Ms. Han, the wife of Shizi, was chatting with Yun Qingman casually. Seeing Yun Fenghuang coming, they got up and greeted her.

“Qingman, how are you feeling now?” Yun Fenghuang sat down and asked Yun Qingman with concern, “Are you still uncomfortable? I’ve asked Xi Jing and Miao Cai to go back to bring medicines for you, and they will be back soon.”

Yun Qingman froze for a moment, and said, “It would be inconvenient. I’m much better now… Have you found the maids of Her Highness? Would you bother her?”

“Sister, you can rest assured.” Before Yun Fenghuang replied, Ms. Han said smilingly, “Her Highness favors Pin Yun so much and everyone knows that. For her, it’s a piece of cake, isn’t it? What’s more, since Pin Yun always stays with Her Highness, she must know how to behave in front of those people. Am I right, Pin Yun?”

Yun Fenghuang smiled at her and didn’t reply, but said to Yun Qingman, “You are waiting here. I’ve told Xi Jing to meet you here after she and Miao Cai come back. I have to meet Jie Yu Wei. You know…”

As she finished, she stood up and forced a smile at Ms. Han, “I have to leave, and you can continue talking with Qingman.”

After she left, Ms. Han asked Yun Qingman, “She is going to find Jie Yu Wei, the legitimate daughter of Wei’s Family? Are they good friends?”

“It’s said that they become friends after they had a fight.” Yun Qingman said truthfully, “They fought at the side hall of Yan Fu Palace and I was involved in that time, but they gradually become good friends since then…”

Ms. Han smiled, with a subtle expression, “She asked Miao Cai to find your brother just now.”

“She probably did that for helping Jie Yu Wei.” Yun Qingman was silent for a while, and then said, “When my father and my brother came over just now, I saw them behind the screen. I told her that but she didn’t even return her head and just replied casually. Later, when Jie Yu Wei came and winked at her, she took me to find my brother.”

“Really?” Ms. Han thought for a moment, and said to herself, “I figure it out. Jie Yu Wei has an unmarried sister who is at the age of getting married… Did she do that for this? Does Wei’s Family fancies our relatives so they want to inquire from your brother?”

Looking at her, Yun Qingman suddenly became restless. She pursed her lips, “Sister-in-law, I want to find my sister. Will you?”

Ms. Han smilingly said, “Oh? We have chatted for such a short time. You’ve got impatient? It is a pity that I missed you so much at home.”

“Not at all.” Yun Qingman couldn’t leave after Ms. Han said that, so she dodged and said, “I thought you want find my brother, so it would be better for me to leave, for avoiding annoying you.”

“I hardly have such a change to go out. Why should I stay with him?” Ms. Han smilingly played with her fan, and said casually, “I can tell him anything when we return to home tonight.”

Her eyes rolled, and she added, “Well, have you taken the medicine as our mother told you? How do you feel?”

When the two were chatting, Yun Fenghuang found Wei Hengyan at Pine Hill, “Why did you come here? I’ve found you for a while down the hill. Luckily, I happened to meet a eunuch who guided the way for you just now. Otherwise, I would be still messing around like a headless fly.”

“Empress Dowager has just summoned the titled madams and noble girls to Shi Cui Building for chatting.” Wei Hengyan leaned on the railing, overlooked the vast pool, and said lazily, “If I went there, I would be invisible, so I came here… At this time, some beautiful places were occupied by lovers and I shouldn’t go there. Thus, I finally went to this quiet place.”

There were only pine trees on Pine Hill. Because it was covered in lush green, one would feel cool at noon when waking around here, though it was in hot days. Since the branches and leaves covering the sky never fell in the whole year, one would feel dim when walking here in few steps. It was quite different from Shi Cui Building, a bright place with lush flowers and willows.

One would be frightened by snakes, mice and birds which appeared occasionally when strolling here. Therefore, those noble boys and girls hardly went there.

Wei Hengyan was very brave to go there with only two maids.

“Well.” Yun Fenghuang also walked to the railing, the highest point of Pine Hill, which was a platform made of white marble. It was specially designed to give an overview of the scenery of Tai Ye Pool. They all had an illusion that they were immortals when the breeze from the pool made their clothes floating.

She narrowed her eyes for a moment, and then leaned her head to talk to Wei Hengyan about her finds, “… These are what my cousin told me. He shouldn’t lie.”

Wei Hengyan thanked her instantly, saying, “I have also heard of Shizi’s morality. How could I doubt him?”

As her stepmother also went to the Imperial Palace today, Wei Hengyan couldn’t help telling this to her. After saying a few words with Yun Fenghuang, she left in a hurry and planned to discuss it with her stepmother.

Before leaving, she asked Yun Fenghuang, “Will you go down with me?”

“No.” Yun Fenghuang refused, “As you said, we are not the major characters today. It’s the first time that I have come Small Ying Zhou, so I want to stay here longer.”

Wei Hengyan took her maids left.

Since only Yun Fenghuang and Xi Le were here, the platform suddenly fell silent. Xi Le looked at the little dot in the distance with some uneasiness. It was a small boat carrying Xi Jing and Miao Cai, who were asked by Yun Fenghuang to find medicines for Yun Qingman, in the name of the Empress.

“What are you looking at?” Although Xi Le stood behind Yun Fenghuang, Yun Fenghuang seemed to be aware of it. She suddenly turned her head and said calmly, “There is no shelter here from the sun. Let’s go to the forest and take a breath.”

Xi Le quickly set her mind and whispered, “Your Lady, I am just worried that Xi Jing is loyal to Her Highness…”

Yun Fenghuang chuckled, saying, “Anything wrong? You are also from Yan Fu Palace, aren’t you?”

“… I am just worried that Her Highness would be incredulous.” Xi Le whispered, “After all, Zhao Yuan Ji…”

Yun Fenghuang interrupted her, “Have I ever said that this matter is relevant to Zhao Yuan Ji?”

Xi Le was stunned for a while, and subconsciously said, “But just now, you told Xi Jing privately…”

“I just let Xi Jing take care of Miao Cai.” Yun Fenghuang said indifferently, “After all, Miao Cai has served Qingman since childhood and everyone knows that Qingman and I are close friends, right? We are nearly biological sisters. How could I treat her maid disrespectfully?”

Xi Le dared not speak.

After following Yun Fenghuang into the forest for a while, she whispered, “Shizi sent news before that he wants to meet you again…”

Before she finished, Yun Fenghuang’s expression suddenly changed. She called in a low voice, “Who is there?”

Xi Le was startled and followed her line of vision, finding that a piece of light red robe was revealed among the branches swaying in the wind!

“Since we meet here, why don’t you show up?” Yun Fenghuang waved her hand at Xi Le for letting her keep quiet, and stepped forward, sneering, “Or you don’t dare to show your true face because of ulterior motive?”

The man on the tree kept silent for a while, and then said coldly, “We meet here by chance. How about we ignore it?”

If Xi Le didn’t said that Gongxiang Xiao would see her just now, Yun Fenghuang would not want to get entangled. After all, as a concubine of the Emperor, she was not suitable for meeting with a man in private.

But since Xi Le mentioned “meet you again”, it meant that she had already met with Gongxiang Xiao before.

Yun Fenghuang would certainly not agree with the man at the moment.

With a sneer, she pulled the hairpin from her haircut directly, dropped it on the ground, pulled her skirt, and looked at Xi Le, “Run!”

Xi Le was stunned and puzzled.

Yun Fenghuang frowned, “When strolling on Pine Hill, I met an impolite hooligan. But as a weak girl, you couldn’t protect me, so you went down the hill to ask for help. Got it?”

“Ah… oh… but… I will go now!” Xi Le suddenly reacted, but wanted to remind her that the move was self-ruined because concubines who were bullied would have bad endings, even though the rapist would be punished severely… But as Yun Fenghuang gave her a cold glance, she suddenly dared not object.

Then as she ran for a few steps, the man hiding in the pine branches had to jump down and stopped her, “Wait!”

When seeing him, both Yun Fenghuang and Xi Le were a little stunned. They probably didn’t expect that the man was a handsome youth.

He was about 16 years old, a little younger than Qi Jiulu. He had good looks and his skin was as bright as jade. If he didn’t have a distinct Adam’s apple and a tall figure, he would be more like a woman who dressed as a man.

“… What do you want to do?” The teenager was wearing a light red robe, with a jade belt around his waist, and his long, dark hair was neatly bundled in a red patterned hat embroidered with gold. He dressed as other boys presenting at today’s banquet, but he was unhappy. He showed indifference in his beautiful eyes which should reveal more emotions.

At the moment, he looked up at Yun Fenghuang with disgust and boredom in his eyes, “I never said bad words in private of others. If you are worried that what you said just now would… I promise not to tell anyone.”

Yun Fenghuang snorted, saying, “If the promises are useful, wouldn’t all the betrayers in the world die? I never believe these!”

The young man in red robe frowned, “What do you want?”

“Why are you here?” Yun Fenghuang didn’t answer his question but asked, “Why don’t you bring any servant?”

His face darkened. He said, “None of your business!”

Yun Fenghuang sneered at Xi Le who had come back to her side, “Stupid! I asked you to go down to call people. Are you stupid?! Why are you still here?”

Then she looked at the teenager provocatively, as if she was saying that “If you don’t tell me now, you will explain it later when others come.”

“… You will also get hurt by doing so.” The young man took a deep breath and said indifferently, “Say directly what you want, and don’t do such things.”

He paused and then said, “Besides, I didn’t do anything impolite to you. I’m not afraid of being investigated! Even if it relates to the Imperial Harem, the elders in my family are not weak to be bullied.”

“Did he want to use his elders to threaten me?”

Yun Fenghuang dismissively said, “Thank you for your reminder!”

She beckoned Xi Le back to her side.

Seeing her action, both the young man and Xi Le thought that she would give up the idea and negotiate with him well, so they felt relieved at the same time.

At the next moment, Yun Fenghuang disarranged Xi Le’s robe and haircut until Xi Le covered her chest subconsciously to avoid being seen. As she was confused, Yun Fenghuang picked up the harpin on the ground and inserted it back to her haircut. She tided her clothes, smiling at the man and Xi Le who were startled, “Nian Xuan is stupid, but Xi Le is smart. I almost forget that. Why should I do it personally?”

If she said that the young man teased her, as a concubine, she would certainly get troubles.

But if her maid was bullied, the affair was still that the evildoer coveted the Emperor’s woman. But she would be innocent and the evildoer would still be punished, right?

Seeing that she treated her maid in this way without any hesitation, the young man knew that she would care nothing about Xi Le if the thing spread out.

The young man closed his eyes after taking a deep breath, trying hard to hold back his curse due to his anger.

He had never seen such a brazen person!!!