Chapter 125 Appreciating the extraordinary beauty
Peng Jian curled his lips and said, “Come on! Could a childe who likes drinking juice take a sword?”
Peng Shi also chatted with Meng Xuan, “Master Xuan, which academy are you in?”
“Yinghui Academy at the capital. What about you two?” Meng Xuan answered while looked at He Danggui who was on the opposite side of the passage. That little girl tilted her head and showed a thoughtful look. Meng Xuan wondered what she was thinking about.
“Well.” Peng Jian smiled, “We were schoolmates. My brother and I attended at Yinghui Academy before, but now we’ve transferred at Chengxu Academy.”
“The learning atmosphere of Chengxu Academy is not as good as Yinghui Academy. I can tell by your accents. You come from the capital. But why did you leave to study at Chengxu Academy in Yangzhou City?” Meng Xuan looked at that little girl again and found that she smiled as if she figured out something. It seemed that opening a casket which held a legendary luminous pearl, and that smile lighted her charming appearance, making Meng Xuan become very fascinated. Then she felt someone on the opposite was looking at her, so she looked up to see and found he was staring at her. She didn’t feel panic and looked at him too. She was so calm like the lake water on an autumn evening. Under the light, her yellowish skin seemed to appear a soft halo.
“Huh, who said Chengxu Academy is not as good as Yinghui Academy?” Peng Jian was unconvinced and said, “You’re so ignorant, Meng Xuan. Now the students from southern all know that the famous Taoist Sage, Bai Yangbai will teach at Chengxu Academy for a year. He will teach Astrology and the Eight-diagrams tactics. While we just learn six classical arts (propriety, music, archery, riding, writing, arithmetic) at Yinghui Academy. How boring it is!”
“Bai Yangbai? Just an imposter.” Meng Xuan said and shook his head. But he was still looking at that little girl. She was definitely a beauty in appearance, but she was young and not yet tall. Besides, her complexion was yellow, showing the weakness. It was a fly in the ointment. However, when she looked at Meng Xuan, he had a subtle feeling, like a furry paw touching his heart. Although Meng Xuan didn’t know her whether in the previous life or this life, he always felt that it wasn’t the first time they’d met…
Peng Jian was angry when he heard Meng Xuan slandered Taoist Sage. Then he found Meng Xuan was still looking at the Third Sister opposite them, so he became angrier. When Peng Jian noticed the Third Sister was also looking at Meng Xuan, he became furious immediately. When he was about to jump and teach Meng Xuan a lesson, his brother, Peng Shi patted him suddenly and said in a low voice, “Look over there!” While saying, Peng Shi turned to look outside the hall.
Peng Jian was unpleasant and turned to look. Then he said in surprise, “Ah? Is that…Master Duan? What is he doing here? I thought he had no connection with Luo’s Family!”
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Although He Danggui felt uncomfortable and couldn’t eat when Luo Baiqiong sat opposite her, then she thought that she shouldn’t embarrass her belly. A full of table of dishes in front of He Danggui were superior and delicious. The fried shrimps, the fired chicken with bean sprouts, exquisite salad, snow fungus soup and braised superior shark’s fins. All of them should be eaten on scene and not to be packed out to give her two maids. The more she ate, the better the bargain was, so He Danggui kept eating.
Suddenly, she heard the sound of toads from a distance. When she looked over there, she found the manservant whose name was Feng Yan or Feng Yu was hiding on the crown of an old locust tree and still making some weird gestures towards the hall. He Danggui turned back again and looked at Ning Yuan and the fake Feng Yang who were at another table. She saw Ning Yuan rolled his eyes and stood up to leave with the fake Feng Yang as an excuse of going to the restroom. It reminded He Danggui of a conversation between her and that manservant and all kinds of information which that manservant revealed. She couldn’t help guessing why Ning Yuan and the fake Feng Yang acted so mysteriously. Who were they? And what secrets they were hiding? Then she turned up and coincidentally looked at Meng Xuan.
He Danggui sniggered in her heart that it was better to convert gains ahead without being aware of danger behind. She was curious about Ning Yuan’s secret while others had the same thought to her. However, that boy was also a mystery… There was no one in the world could make He Danggui feel nervous in playing Go except Bai Yangbai. And Ning Yuan was 20 years younger than him… Then He Danggui heard Peng Jian say, “Who said Chengxu Academy is not as good as Yinghui Academy? The famous Taoist Sage, Bai Yangbai, will teach at Chengxu Academy for a year…” What? He Danggui felt surprised. The old mystical conman would go to teach? Was he short of money recently?
The next moment, she heard him say, “Is that…Master Duan? What is he doing here? I thought he had no connection with Luo’s Family!” Master Duan? Which Master Duan? He Danggui turned to find out. The first one coming into the hall was a woman who disguised herself as a man and wore a red long gown; the second one was First Master of Guan’s Family, Guan Bai, who wore a dark blue robe; the third one wore a dark green suit with the wide collar. Based on that facial feature and expression, he was definitely Duan Xiaolou.
Madam Luo felt delighted when she saw three young childes chatting with each other and the banquet was permeated with fun; when she saw Guan Bai, Guan Yun and Duan Xiaolou come, she felt more delighted and immediately walked down from her seat and said with a smile, “Finally! I’ve expecting you for so long. Are you Earl Ruting’s Shizi (the eldest legitimate son and heir of a Lord)?” She looked at that strange childe who smiled and said, “I’m Duan Xiaolou. Salute you, Madam Luo. It’s rude of us to keep you waiting.” Turning back and seeing Meng Shan was here too, he showed an amazing expression and smiled again, “Salute Uncle Meng. I haven’t seen you for several years. How are you?”
This reminded He Danggui of the scene of Ning Yuan and the fake Feng Yang hiding out hurriedly. Maybe they received the emergency signal of that manservant who was on the crown. That manservant must know Duan Xiaolou and Lu Jiangbei. Knowing Ning Yuan disguised Lu Jiangbei, so he signed to those fake people and let them leave. He Danggui guessed those two would not show up until the end of the banquet. Well, anyhow, Meng Xuan was the one who definitely should hide out because of once being chased by Duan Xiaolou. Why he was still here…and taking his eyes of her?
“Hey, what are you looking at?” Peng Jian remembered and found Meng Xuan still looking at the Third Sister of East Yard. He was immediately angry and said, “Don’t stare at her!”
Seeing this noisy little boy next to him, Meng Xuan said slowly, “It’s none of your business.”
Peng Jian was so angry and shouted, “You not only slandered the famous Taoist Sage, but also saw something you shouldn’t see. I’ll teach you a lesson! You just asked for Fuliu Sword, I guess you’re a master too. Come on, show me what you got!”
He Danggui was thinking the reason why Meng Xuan didn’t hide from Duan Xiaolou and Duan Xiaolou seemed not to know Meng Xuan. Suddenly hearing Peng Jian yell and noticing he was pointing her as “a wrong thing to be looked at”, she was speechless. Until now, Duan Xiaolou didn’t turn back and see the direction she was sitting, so he didn’t know she was here. If he recognized her later, would he say in surprise that, “I once met her!”? He Danggui thought if that happened, she just explained to Madam Luo that “Master Duan went to Shui Shang Temple to pray and had met her only once.
Peng Jian and Meng Xuan were competing. From Madam Luo’s direction, she didn’t see who Meng Xuan was looking at, otherwise she must be delighted. She might think they quarreled because of playing games, so she had an idea to divert their attention. Seeing her granddaughter felt blue, Madam Luo guessed that she must take the matter of fruit tea to heart. Madam felt regretful and thought for a while and said, “We rarely listen to instrumental music. And now, there is not even a musician who plays the instrument at the banquet. It’s hard to avoid losing the interest. Come and bring a Guqin (Chinese seven-stringed zither) from Side Palace!” She smiled to Earl Baoding, “My granddaughter Qiong is quite good at music theory. Let her play it to entertain us!” Luo Baiqiong’s eyes brightened when she heard what Madam Luo said.
Then Madam Luo turned to introduce to everybody, “He is Shizi Duan of Earl Ruting. Here are the First Master, Guan Bai, and the Third Miss, Guan Yun, of Guan’s Family. This little girl likes dressing up as a boy, but that’s not the point.”
At this moment, He Danggui also looked at that woman who disguised herself as a man. She was about 17 or 18 years old. Her behavior was free like a man, and her appearance was impressive which was totally different from Luo Baiqiong’s stagy behavior. She was also a rare beauty, but He Danggui felt uncomfortable because a woman she hated so much had similar eyes to this woman. So, she lowered her head and comforted herself that there were so many people having similar appearance. Even they just had similar eyes, and they also could not decide their looks…
“Third sister,” Peng Jian came and said, “Come on and eat with us!”
“Uh?” He Danggui’s thought was muddled. She saw it was the annoying Peng Jian again, so she said in displeasure, “Why do I have to eat with you?”
“It’s Madam’s order,” Peng Jian felt strange and said, “Didn’t you hear that? Look, your dishes are all removed!”
He Danggui noticed that because there was an extra one who was Third Miss of Guan’s Family coming, so He Danggui who was Third Miss of Luo’s Family occupied one superior seat—Ning Yuan and the fake Feng Yang who sat on the right one weren’t here because they just changed their dresses and would come back later. The right two was vacant, but Guan Bai and Duan Xiaolou had sat now. He Danggui was once on the third right seat, but now the dishes in front of her were removed by maids and sent out from the side door. And a mammy took a dry towel and a wet towel to wipe the table and rearranged the tableware. Of course, it was for Third Miss of Guan’s Family.
Although He Danggui tranced and didn’t hear what Madam Luo’s order was. “Men and women do not sit together” was the basic rule of a banquet. Even she would share a table, and she should sit with Luo Baiqiong. How did Madam Luo ask her to sit with Peng Jian and other men? So, He Danggui turned to look at Madam Luo and found the second rare guest, Ruting Mansion’s Shizi (the eldest legitimate son and heir of a Lord). Therefore, Madam was hospitably greeting him and ignored her.
“Well?” Peng Jian asked happily, “Come on and eat with us, okay? I can tell you about Taoist Sage!”
He Danggui looked at the opposite seats. Meng Xuan had lowered his head and yawned; Peng Shi was coldly looking at her direction. He slightly raised his chin like keeping others away; while Luo Baiqiong immediately noticed He Danggui’s embarrassing situation, as if she thought this was more embarrassing than her tea art performance before, so she smiled with the silk handkerchief covering her mouth.
He Danggui also smiled in her heart. Such little thing could make Luo Baiqiong be happy. Why she would be fooled by this silly woman in the previous life? Suddenly, she smelled the aroma of the plum and guessed that Third Miss of Guan’s Family might be impatient, so she stood up to offer her seat. When she stood up, that mammy who took a dry and a wet towel immediately wiped He Danggui’s stool. He Danggui slightly raised her eyebrow and thought in her heart, “Was this necessary to do so obviously? There are more than 10 stools at one table. If you think Third Miss of Guan’s Family can’t sit the same seat, just change another. Why do you do like this?”
Seeing Luo Baiqiong be pleased, He Danggui guessed Luo Baiqiong sent this labor-loving mammy. So, she said nothing. She just turned around and walked to the gate of the hall.
Peng Jian hurriedly stopped her and shouted, “Third sister, where are you going?!” His loud and anxious voice immediately interrupted the conversation of Madam Luo, Duan Xiaolou and Guan Bai. They all looked forward there. Madam Luo thought it was also a quarrel of games again. But seeing Jian was attentive to Yi, she felt delighted in her heart and hurriedly beckoned He Danggui to come when she found Duan Xiaolou also looked over there. She said, “Yi, come here and salute guests!”
Hearing Madam Luo’s call, He Danggui bypassed the barrier, Peng Jian. She walked there and saluted to guests, “Salute Shizi Duan; salute Master Guan. Best wishes for Shizi Duan; best wishes for Master Guan.”
Madam Luo pointed at He Danggui and introduced her to Duan Xiaolou with a smile, “This is my granddaughter, Yi. She is 10 years old and will go to study at Chengxu Academy next month. She knows few words and didn’t study before. I hope you can take care of her at Chengxu Academy!”
He Danggui surprisingly looked at Duan Xiaolou. “Take care?” Would Duan Xiaolou at his twenties go to Chengxu Academy? It was impossible. The imperial guards were busy working, and he was not like Luo Baiqian… Was that because the imperial guards’ secret task? Yeah, Bai Yangbai went to Chengxu Academy to teach, and the Emperor wanted to recruit Bai Yangbai, so Duan Xiaolou was sent to Chengxu Academy. Reasoning with heart, touching by truth. Emperor bewitched Bai Yangbai to serve imperial court, and if Bai Yangbai refused, Duan Xiaolou could also arrest him secretly and send him to the Emperor.
Duan Xiaolou smiled like the last time when they parted, but he looked at her as a stranger. He just sized her up politely and turned to look at Madam Luo with a smile. He said, “I teach the courses of riding, archery and music theory. They are all elective for women. I don’t know whether Yi wants to choose them or not.”
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