spoiled brat

Chapter 134 133. Empty Flowers (3)

Persistence?

Xie Xiaoqing considered Zhao Zhao's personality and shook his head in denial: "She's not the type to fall for that."

Besides, it's not like we haven't tried it before.

That night, he escaped the pursuit, looking like a pitiful, wronged soul.

The princess asked Zhaozhao to escort him back, but he ended up chasing after the horse's rear end all the way.

People didn't care about his life or death, and they wouldn't even stop to wait for him. They rode on horseback, looking down at him as if he were a dog.

Xie Xiaoqing couldn't let go of his male pride: "If I really humble myself, she'll probably look down on me even more."

"Try it first before you draw any conclusions."

Pang Xuan said, "I think the girl you're talking about is probably the type to treat men like dogs. It doesn't matter if she's a coward, obedience is the most important thing."

Just then, there was a knock on the door: "Old Pang, someone's looking for you!"

Fat people tend to be popular, and Pang Xuan's personality was as smooth as his face, making him easy to get along with. He got along well with students from both the Jiangning faction and the Wu faction.

With a wide network of connections comes a host of troubles.

Pang Xuan frowned and asked, "What do you want with me?"

Sensing impatience, the person outside the door whispered, "Um... um!"

They were acting furtively, as if they couldn't stand the light of day, or as if they were involved in something of great importance.

"Just come."

Pang Xuan put on his coat and shoes, and glanced at Xie Xiaoqing before leaving: "I'll go take care of things first, and I'll teach you how to coax the girl later."

He had barely left when Ling Shi arrived, there to distribute student uniforms. He shouted as he entered:

"Hurry up and choose, I still have to go to the next room after I finish."

Behind them, several wooden baskets were carried over, filled with messy clothes. Long gowns, scholar's hats, shoes, and socks were all mixed together, clearly having been rummaged through.

"These are all the leftovers that others picked..." the roommate said aggrievedly.

Xie Xiaoqing glanced in the direction where Ling Shi had come from; there, Wu Dang students were clustered together.

Although he came from a poor family, he had been fed and fattened up by associating with rich kids.

"You took money from those people, giving them the best clothes to choose from first, but when it comes to us, they're all mismatched and mismatched. We're all government students, why are you bullying us?"

"Young man, why are you in such a hurry with me?"

Ling Shi laughed: "The world is a place where money is used. You don't have the ability to cultivate relationships, so you can't stop others from using money?"

Several students in the same room were still arguing, but Ling Shi was too lazy to argue and signaled his attendants to carry away the wooden basket:

"If you have a temper, then don't have one. Tomorrow is the opening day of the official school, and if you're not properly dressed, you won't even be allowed to enter."

"Wait a minute." Xie Xiaoqing stepped forward to stop him. "Aren't you afraid I'll report you?"

Ling Shi glanced at his attire and sneered, "If you were related to anyone, would you be dressed so shabbily?"

"I..." Xie Xiaoqing's face was stiff and cold, as if he was about to utter a name that would shake the heavens and the earth.

His roommate thought he would bring up Minister Jiang, but instead he said:
"I have a sworn brotherhood with Miss Yuan, who serves the princess. If you keep trying to fool me like this, I'll report her!"

That's not untrue. Zhao Zhao saved his life; how could they not be considered friends who had shared life and death?

The clerk cursed his bad luck inwardly, then suddenly broke into a smile:

"My apologies, my apologies... Young man, the new residence is opening tomorrow, and Miss Yuan is busy with the princess. Could you please spare me this time and not cause her any trouble?"

Xie Xiaoqing: "..."

Elderly people?
The clerk had been tormented by Zhao Zhao before, and upon hearing that Xie Xiaoqing had a relationship with Zhao Zhao, he treated him like a plague.

He ordered his men to take out a measuring tape and measure the height and girth of Xie Xiaoqing and the others, and to quickly make a few new clothes to cover up the matter.

"Brother Xie, I didn't realize that." A few people in the room took advantage of the situation and whispered sarcastically, "If we had known you'd hooked up with that girl, we wouldn't have put up with this all this time. We'd be walking around with our heads held high."

"Yes, yes, that girl may not be an official, but she's the princess's personal attendant, and even the stewards at the academy are somewhat afraid of her..."

It sounded like a dog abusing its master's power, Xie Xiaoqing interrupted, blushing.

Suddenly remembering that Pang Xuan was not there, he said to the clerk, "Could you wait a while before leaving? There is a student in the room who just went out. I'll ask him to come back and make clothes."

The clerk could only say okay, and tell him to go and come back quickly.

Xie Xiaoqing hurriedly went out to inquire about Pang Xuan's whereabouts.

Because Pang Xuan was fat, it wasn't difficult to ask him, and he quickly learned that Pang Xuan had gone to Shensi Hall.

Shensi Hall is a place for students to repent, but because it has not yet been opened to the public, few people come here.

Xie Xiaoqing walked into the deep forest and dense grass, mosquitoes buzzing around his ears. He couldn't understand why Pang Xuan had come here. Just as he was about to call out to him, he heard what sounded like whispering ahead—

One of them said urgently, "Brother Pang, how can you not understand? This isn't asking you to kill or set fires, it's just asking you to help gather information!"

Pang Xuan hesitated, "But she is, after all, someone close to the princess. If I offend her, can I really get away with it?"

...Is this referring to Zhaozhao?
Xie Xiaoqing felt a throbbing in his temple and quickly hid behind a tree.

"What 'close associates'? She's just a whore!"

The man who came to deliver the errand spoke with disdain, rolled up his sleeves to reveal his arm, and pointed to his shoulder, saying:
“Bitches are all branded here. I’ll give you the money, and you can make a lot of friends. Find a few reliable poor students, and when the opportunity arises, rip open her sleeve and see if she has any branding.”

Pang Xuan held the heavy silver bag: "May I ask which young master sent this errand? If you have had a grudge against her, can't you teach her a lesson in other ways?"

He paused, puzzled, and said, "Besides, Miss Yuan is a descendant of a loyal martyr. How could she have a mark of being a prostitute? If she did, why would the princess keep her by her side?"

The man waved his hand and said, "Brother Pang, you're smart. Don't ask questions you shouldn't ask. Just take the money and do the job."

"This is, after all, a slap in the face to the princess."

Pang Xuan was still afraid: "It's not difficult to find a few poor students to work, but if they investigate, expulsion would be the least of their worries... Wouldn't I be harming them?"

The man laughed and patted Pang Xuan on the shoulder, saying, "That's what you're thinking. What, you really consider them classmates? You're all in the same boat, aren't you?"

"After a year of official schooling, the court allocates official positions and clerks based on academic performance. It's a cutthroat competition, with people scrambling and stepping on each other... If I were you, I would bribe those talented but poor students to do dirty work. That kills two birds with one stone. They get out early, and your path will be smoother, won't it?"

Seeing that Pang Xuan finally nodded, Xie Xiaoqing left with trembling steps.

He walked away dejectedly, his mind churning with thoughts, feeling as if he were sinking into a quagmire.

Why did my uncles die?

Who went to the trouble of killing him?
Who wants to scheme against Zhaozhao?

How will I deal with friends who have impure intentions in the future?
Xie Xiaoqing was walking with his head down when he suddenly saw a shadow in front of him. He looked up blankly and saw Li Qingwen standing in front of him with a faint smile.

"Young Master Xie, why are you so absent-minded?"

He was dressed in a green robe and carrying a book in his hands, seemingly on official business.

Xie Xiaoqing cupped his hands in a respectful bow, addressed him as Lord Li, and said slowly, "...This student is homesick."

Li Qingwen glanced in the direction he had come from and at the bits of grass on his clothes, and smiled gently:
"Judging from your accent, you're also from Yongzhou. You probably don't like the food in the capital, do you?"

The two were from the same hometown, and Xie Xiaoqing lowered his guard somewhat, frankly saying:
"Just force yourself to eat; the students aren't used to people from Beijing."

"normal."

Li Qingwen smiled, gesturing to talk as they walked:
"When I first came to Beijing, I wasn't used to the scheming and backstabbing here. We Yongzhou people are very simple-minded and straightforward. When we go to a place where all sorts of people mingle, we are bound to be cheated and suffer some injustices."

Xie Xiaoqing asked somewhat presumptuously, "Did Lord Li live in the capital before he rose to prominence?"

"correct."

As the setting sun cast its last rays, the corridor was half-lit and half-dark.

Li Qingwen walked at the intersection of light and shadow, his smile split in two:

"I served as an advisor to an official for eight years."