spoiled brat

Chapter 129, Section 128: The Sharp Arrow (Part 8)

A sudden downpour at night washed the bluestone road in front of the Jingzhao Prefecture clean.

From the other end of the street, carriages arrived one after another, stopping briefly in front of the mansion gate. Attendants would open their umbrellas and run to the eaves to greet their young masters.

Before long, all the rich kids had left, leaving only the poor students huddled under the eaves to shelter from the rain.

They were far from home, without parents or a family. After causing a scene, they were too ashamed to return to the grand inn they had left. Their only hope was that someone from the Prince Ning's residence would come out quickly and lead them to a place to stay.

After waiting for a long time without seeing anyone, everyone looked into the enclosure and muttered, "Why hasn't she come out yet?" Some were also worried, "Could it be that the young lady is too forgetful and has forgotten that she promised to take care of us?"

Immediately someone shouted, "What's your rush? Just settle in, find a place to stay. Wherever you go, whenever you go, it's just an empty bed. It's not like you'll get another pretty woman!"

Someone else laughed and said, "That's right, don't rush. Brother Xie went to thank the girl, and the two of them are probably talking right now."

The crowd immediately calmed down and waited patiently under the eaves. A short while later, the clatter of horses' hooves echoed through the empty street.

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw a man braving the rain under the dim moonlight. He stopped his horse under the eaves, took off his raincoat and straw hat, revealing a green official robe.

The robe was adorned with egret patches, indicating he was a sixth-rank official. Although his rank was not high, the man had a handsome face and appeared to be in his early twenties, not much older than the students.

Everyone was taken aback, then bowed and said, "Greetings, Your Excellency."

Li Qingwen returned the greeting with a cupped hand, quickly ascended the steps, and explained his identity and purpose:

“You have all been treated harshly since you arrived in the capital. It is truly unfair. Minister Jiang originally wanted to come in person, but the young master brought three thousand soldiers to the capital and needs to choose a place to encamp outside the city. He is currently accompanying him and cannot leave, so he sent me instead.”

Everyone could tell that this was just polite talk. How could a high-ranking official like himself come to comfort them, these small fry?
But sending a son-in-law who is not yet married into the family is already quite an honor.

Li Qingwen glanced inside the threshold: "The people from the Prince of Ning's residence haven't come out yet?"

"It's probably coming soon. Sir, please don't go in. It's too dark and too big inside. If you go in and out too far apart, it won't be good." As they spoke, the group shrank further under the eaves, gesturing for them to come in and take shelter from the rain.

Li Qingwen smiled and squeezed into the crowd.

The students, seeing that he was approachable and friendly, chatted amongst themselves, discussing the rumors about Li Qingwen—

After failing the imperial examinations for ten years, he suddenly soared to the top in this year's results and caught the eye of Minister Jiang, who is about to marry the Prime Minister's daughter.

Along the way, he endured both the hardships of scholars from humble backgrounds and the glory that scholars from humble backgrounds longed for.

The students all looked on with admiration, but Li Qingwen remained nonchalant, a faint smile playing on his lips.

He thought these people were too noisy.

One phrase after another, "Lord Li is truly a literary star descended to earth," and the next, "All scholars in the world take you as their role model"—it's all just unoriginal flattery.

He was already tired of hearing it, so he replied perfunctorily, "You flatter me. I am but a humble scholar, and I am unworthy of such praise."

Everyone thought he was being genuinely modest, and said, "You come from a humble background, and you failed the exams for ten years without changing your mind. Doesn't this perseverance deserve a few words of praise?"

Li Qingwen didn't take it seriously. He pretended to belittle himself a few times, glanced at everyone, and asked casually:

"I heard that one of you brothers was once appreciated by my teacher. May I ask who it is?"

"Lord Li, are you talking about Xie Xiaoqing?" Several hands shot up from the crowd, vying to answer, "Minister Jiang admires his poetry and once invited him to the capital to serve as an official!"

"Yes, it's him." Li Qingwen nodded with a smile, but the smile didn't reach his eyes. "Isn't he here?"

He had specifically taken on this task to identify the nephew of the wronged ghost's former master, hoping to nip the problem in the bud and prevent any unforeseen complications. Unaware of his wicked intentions, everyone was about to recount how Xie Xiaoqing had stepped forward and been saved by Zhao Zhao when they suddenly heard footsteps from inside the enclosure. Someone exclaimed joyfully, "Hey, Brother Xie is here!"

Li Qingwen turned his head upon hearing the sound and saw a group of guards carrying lanterns come out, followed by a young man stepping out of the threshold.

He was tall and thin, with delicate features and a spirited demeanor. His facial features bore a resemblance to those of his former master, Xie Cheng.

A short man followed behind him, dressed like an attendant but holding an umbrella like one, his face hidden in the shadows.

"Brother Xie, Lord Li wishes to see you!"

Xie Xiaoqing was still immersed in Zhao Zhao's cryptic words when he heard this and wondered: When did I ever know any Lord Li?
Looking in the direction everyone was pointing, there was indeed an official in a green robe standing under the eaves. He stepped forward and spoke in a very friendly tone: "This is Xie..."

For some reason, Li Qingwen suddenly stopped speaking, his face turned pale, and he froze as if he had been struck by lightning.

Seeing him staring at him strangely, as if he had seen a ghost, Xie Xiaoqing rubbed his face, thinking to himself that he wasn't ugly, and curiously took two steps forward to greet him: "Sir, what's wrong?"

Where is Xie Xiaoqing that Li Qingwen was looking for?
Behind him, the short man tilted his umbrella slightly, revealing a face that still looked childish, with a half-smile and eyes as unfathomable as unsheathed blades, radiating a faint chill.

There will never be another face so similar in the world.

Li Qingwen stumbled back a few steps, then fell down the steps, his left foot plunging into a puddle. A chilling sensation seeped from his feet into his heart.

A hand reached out in front of me; it was rough, calloused, with a slightly bent middle finger—not a prostitute's hand.

A voice sounded from above: "Lord Li, I've kept you waiting."

The accent is Northern Mandarin, not Yunzhou Mandarin, and it doesn't have the deliberately upturned, seductive tone of a prostitute.

Li Qingwen tried to calm himself down and reached out to help him up. The hand that came up to him was so cold, like holding a block of ice.

Stepping up the stairs and looking up again, the girl in front of me was completely different from when I first saw her. Her expression was calm and still, which was unsettling. Her eyes were empty and cold, and she didn't seem like the type to smile.

She said calmly, "I was delayed at the Prefect's place for a while, sorry to have kept you waiting." She glanced at the students and asked, "Did Minister Jiang say how to settle them?"

The tone was very calm; someone who isn't used to handling things wouldn't develop this kind of businesslike demeanor.

Li Qingwen composed himself and named a few shops, all of which were clean and inexpensive inns.

Zhao Zhao chose the one that was closest to her and led the students there.

Li Qingwen naturally followed along.

On the way, he easily struck up a conversation with Xie Xiaoqing, chatting casually about poetry and lyrics. He quickly concluded that Xie was a bookworm and that getting rid of him would be a piece of cake.

The difficult one is the first one.

He stared at Zhao Zhao's thin back, the fear he felt upon first meeting her had dissipated.

What's there to be afraid of in a mere teenager?

There is nothing in the world that cannot be accomplished, and no one that cannot be killed.

Li Qingwen quickly walked to Zhao Zhao's side and asked with a smile, "Miss, you look unfamiliar. I have visited the Prince of Ning's residence several times but have never seen you before."

Zhao Zhao steadied her hand on her waist knife, her eyes, which were as deep as an icy pool, as she glanced at him: "I have indeed met Lord Li before."