Spring of the Blade - Chapter 9

Chapter 9

This was likely a highly successful young man, and one could discern in him a temperament that had never known the hardships of the world. Qingyuan rarely saw someone who appeared so high-spirited, as if the shadow-filled, dusty world treated him with such indulgence. He was a favorite of this world; having never encountered any trials, he seemed destined to live like a ball of light.

Sometimes, one only needs a single glance to evaluate a person. Qingyuan quickly formed her conclusion, though she also felt a bit ridiculous—girls truly were accustomed to judging people by their looks. Yet, this young man’s appearance was truly upright and handsome. Back when she lived with the Chen family, she could go out and stroll during days like the Flower Festival or the Lantern Festival, but she had never seen anyone else like him. It is hard to dislike anything that is beautiful; even the fact that his cuju ball had struck her seemed forgivable.

He approached with hurried steps, but upon reaching her, he did not act inappropriately. He performed a long bow and asked, "I hope I have not injured you, Miss?"

Being both radiant and well-mannered made him even more appealing. Qingyuan returned his gesture with folded hands, smiling and shaking her head.

Young ladies from respectable families usually did not talk too much; answering every question put to them would appear disrespectful. The young man picked up the cuju ball before looking up to examine her. At this sight, he froze, and once he recovered, a soft, seductive light rose in his eyes. His curved eyes smiled like the crescent moon.

"I am terribly sorry. My kick went wide, and I accidentally hurt you. I ask for your forgiveness for my recklessness." He looked left and right, "I wonder, who are you here with, Miss? I... I have never seen you before."

Those who could attend the Spring Banquet were, of course, all from famous and reputable families, but even so, it was not appropriate for a girl to casually report her family background. Qingyuan merely shook her head. Not responding would be rude, so she politely and humbly conceded, "I truly was not hurt. You need not concern yourself, Young Master."

In the current social climate, meeting strangers of the opposite sex was not taboo, but talking too much remained inappropriate. Qingyuan tugged on Qinghe’s sleeve, "Big Sister, shall we go over there and take a look?"

The "over there" she referred to was not far away—barely a dozen steps—but moving would suffice to end this conversation.

Qinghe agreed. Just as she was about to nod and bid the young master farewell, Li Guanshui happened to return with a servant. In Hengtang’s noble circles, most men were well-acquainted with one another. He called out, "Chunzhi, has the match ended?"

The young master called Chunzhi turned his head. In the bright spring sunlight, his eyelashes appeared thick and dark from a side profile, possessing a refined elegance even more delicate than that of a young lady.

Seeing his servant carrying two stools, he realized that Li Guanshui knew them. Now that a bridge had been formed, he threw the ball to the substitute waiting by the field so they could continue, freeing himself up. He laughed, "Hardly. I was careless earlier and accidentally hurt this young lady, so I came specifically to apologize. You know them?"

Li Guanshui smiled, his expression self-restrained yet tinged with three parts bashfulness. He introduced them, gesturing toward Qinghe and her sister, "These two are the eldest and fourth daughters of the Xie family, the Military Governor." He then gestured toward the person beside him, "This is the third young master of the Marquis of Danyang’s household."

The third young master bowed his hands, "This one is Li Congxin."

Since their backgrounds were declared, they had to exchange formal greetings again. Qingyuan was still young and had just entered this circle, so she had no knowledge of the nobility in Shengzhou, but Qinghe had heard of the Marquis of Danyang’s great name. Most of the dukes and marquises ennobled by the current imperial court owed their titles to the merits of their ancestors, and very few were truly of the same lineage as the Imperial family; the Marquis of Danyang was one of them. Such a title was deeply rooted. Every noble young lady who had yet to be betrothed carried a list, and a marriage alliance with the Marquis of Danyang’s house was almost the top choice.

The Marquis of Danyang had three sons; the eldest and second were born to concubines and were already married, so they were not worth mentioning. The third son, Li Congxin, was the cherished son of the legitimate wife. He was of noble status and possessed a handsome appearance. She had often heard others talk about him before, and seeing him today, he truly lived up to the rumors.

A person’s composure truly does not come for free, Qingyuan thought, marveling at the hidden talents at the Spring Banquet. She raised her eyes to meet Li Congxin’s smiling gaze.

"Although Lanshan and I are not of the same clan, we are close friends and treat each other like brothers. It seems that means I am already half-acquainted with you, young ladies." His tone was reserved when he spoke; even as he gallantly addressed them as 'younger sisters,' there was no hint of lewdness. His gaze flowed quietly over the Xie Fourth Miss’s face. Because he had heard rumors of her background, he could not help but feel a bit more curiosity. No one like her had ever appeared in his world—sharp beauty, ambiguous origins—all these intertwined, making the beauty seem even more intriguing.

Li Guanshui naturally stepped in to play the peacemaker, laughing, "One could say this was an 'encounter through conflict.' These two younger sisters rarely attend banquets, which is why, despite being in Hengtang, you have never met. When Fourth Sister comes again next year, she won't have to worry about not being recognized; at the very least, she will have someone she knows to talk to."

Qingyuan smiled and responded perfunctorily, not taking this chance encounter to heart.

She had only come out this time to accompany Qinghe, and she had no great interest in making friends. After exchanging a few polite words, she followed them to watch the cuju match. The competition on the field was intense and heated, and she began to watch with enthusiasm, but after the time it took to drink a cup of tea, she suddenly realized Qinghe was nowhere to be seen.

She let out a surprised sound, feeling somewhat confused, and hurriedly looked left and right. The area was filled with blossoms and clusters of people, but she could not find Qinghe.

Seeing her like this, Li Congxin thought to himself that young girls truly lacked experience in the world. He said, "Younger sister, you need not look. They will naturally return in a while."

Only then did Qingyuan understand. They needed time to be alone, so they had cast her aside. She let out a slow "Oh" and withdrew her gaze.

As for Li Congxin, he was a well-traveled, noble young master who had broken women’s hearts and endured their slaps. He naturally felt a sense of goodwill toward clean, pure-hearted girls. The internal strife in the Xie family in earlier years only piqued his curiosity about this Fourth Miss, so he made an effort to converse with her: "Does Fourth Sister not like to talk much?"

Qingyuan froze for a moment, saying that was not the case; she was simply unaccustomed to chatting aimlessly with strangers.

"Actually, you need not be restrained. I am a classmate of your brothers; if you were to mention me to them, they would surely know who I am." His speaking pace was not fast, and his words carried an inherent, steady composure. When facing a young girl, he was very orderly; he was sincerely trying to strike up a conversation, without the slightest hint of the eagerness of a lecher.

Mentioning those brothers was, to Qingyuan, no different than talking to the strangers outside. The Xie family had three sons—the eldest, Zhengze; the second, Zhenglun; and the third, Zhengjun. All were scholarly, polite gentlemen, and all were very distant toward her, the sister they had picked up halfway. However, family matters were not meant for outsiders to know. Even if he were to speak of her to her brothers one day, Zhengze and the others would likely feign politeness and put on a show of deep sibling affection.

Qingyuan wanted to save face for her brothers, so she smiled, "Is that so! My brothers are studying in the official school; their workload is quite heavy these days, and we rarely have a chance to speak."

Li Congxin said, "There is a military examination this autumn, which is different from previous years. In the past, they only tested horsemanship, archery, lance-work, and strength, but this year they are adding 'strategies.' Naturally, their studies are more rigorous. However, your third brother has a happy event approaching; I heard he is to be married next month?"

Qingyuan responded with an "Ah," "The house is already preparing for it. Now, Big Sister’s marriage is also drawing near; perhaps they will coincide."

The gentle, composed manner in her words earned her a great deal of favor. Li Congxin did not dare to stare directly at her; after their eyes met, he only glanced at her from the corner of his eye. She sat there, holding her fan to block the sun. In truth, the March sun was not very strong, but a girl’s skin was delicate and could not endure the exposure. The light filtering through the fan was dimmed by more than half, yet it still caused a layer of blush to rise on her cheeks.

Strange. He suddenly felt the sky was clear and blue, the wind had quieted, and he felt somewhat warm. He opened his folding fan and, without saying anything, shook it slowly. A breeze flowed from the bottom of the fan, brushing the strands of hair at her temples, though she remained completely unaware. He smiled slightly, "Does Fourth Sister go out of the manor often?"

Qingyuan replied, "The household has strict discipline; I only go out with Grandmother when there is a special occasion."

"And when there is nothing?" For the first time, he developed an interest in the life of a girl behind closed doors.

Qingyuan smiled with childlike charm, "Free and easy emotions on a free and easy day; without worries, one is a little immortal."

After hearing this, he nearly laughed out loud. He had initially thought she was a stiff, rigid girl, but it turned out he had misjudged her. She also possessed the vivacity of her age, carrying a bit of childishness, yet she was unhurried. The only pity was that she had been born into that mother’s womb. If she were to have her future delayed because of that one flaw, it would be a colossal regret.

Of course, Qingyuan did not care much about what he was thinking, because she saw Qinghe returning. A girl in the bloom of youth cannot hide the happiness on her face; the moment she met Qingyuan’s eyes, she wore an expression of being unable to express all she felt.

Because of Li Congxin’s earlier hint, Qingyuan did not foolishly ask, "Where did you go, Big Sister?" She simply stood up and offered a subtle, implicit smile, "Let’s return to Grandmother’s side." This spared Qinghe a great deal of embarrassment.

Qinghe agreed, shyly smiling at Li Congxin, and the two sisters walked hand-in-hand toward the great tent. After walking a distance, Qinghe looked back, "What did you talk about with the Marquis of Danyang’s young master?"

Qingyuan understood that while the Xie sisters appeared harmonious in public, things might not be the same behind their backs. She played the fool, "He is a fellow student of the three older brothers and told me quite a lot about the military examinations." She then teased Qinghe, "Has the eldest son of the Earl of Founding spoken yet? When will he come to propose marriage to Big Sister?"

Qinghe’s face turned red, and she whispered, "Do not speak nonsense. What if someone hears and laughs at us?"

"Why laugh?" Qingyuan laughed, "It is already a certainty. Big Sister is not speaking—is that to consider the Second Sister’s feelings?"

Having interacted with Qingyuan once, Qinghe discovered this younger sister was incredibly sharp. She had assumed that because Qingyuan was young, she knew nothing of the world, but in fact, she understood everything about human relationships. Now, it seemed she had truly treated her poorly before. Qinghe felt a bit ashamed, though she was too embarrassed to apologize, so she patted her hand, "You must at least cover for me. After all, we are sisters in the same family; it is not good to offend people, yes?"

Qingyuan hummed, "Big Sister, rest assured. Grandmother is handling what comes next. I see Grandmother is very satisfied with the Earl’s son. As long as the adults have settled it, whether others are happy or not is irrelevant."

At any rate, this trip had not been in vain. During their absence, the Old Madam and the Countess of Founding had chatted quite congenially. Now, it only waited for the Prefect’s wife to formally act as the matchmaker to arrive at their door; the matter was already more than half-completed.

On the way back, the Old Madam still intended to probe, asking about the character and conversation of the Earl’s eldest son, "According to your observation, is there anything frivolous or reckless about him?"

Qingyuan never spoke without leaving herself some room. She weighed her words before saying, "My insight is limited, and I did not speak many words with the Eldest Young Master. From what I saw alone, his character is very steady and grounded; I discovered nothing reckless about him."

The Old Madam nodded. She was silent for a moment before suddenly asking, "Did you make friends with the Marquis of Danyang’s young master today?"

It was clear that nothing could be hidden in this bright, open world. The Marquis of Danyang’s young master was already someone who attracted attention. Since she was among the noble ladies and her background was so terrible, any interaction between the two would be major news. There was no need for her to confess; in the blink of an eye, the Old Madam already knew.

Qingyuan had originally thought that a snobbish family like the Xie would surely be unwilling to give up such a great opportunity to curry favor. To her surprise, the Old Madam’s next words took her completely by surprise. The Old Madam lowered her eyes and said, "The Marquis of Danyang’s house is too illustrious; they are not of the same path as us. Remember my words: it would be best to avoid provoking them in the future.”