The Splendor of the Five Dynasties

Chapter 148 The snipe and the clam fight
After guessing the riddles, Guo Xin was very pleased with herself and clapped her hands, saying, "You all have to drink the penalty wine."

Xiao Yi saw from afar that the door of Guiyue Pavilion in the South Tower was pushed open, revealing a corner of Li Zhaoning's red dress and the embroidered shoes beneath it.

Hearing the commotion, Guo Xin turned her head to look in that direction.

Just then, Wang Chengxun shouted.

"Su Dexiang?"

"Brother Wang?"

Xiao Yi's gaze fell upon Li Zhaoning, who quickly pulled her skirt back and closed the carved wooden door.

To be honest, he wasn't afraid of seeing Guo Xin and Li Zhaoning, but he was relieved that they wouldn't see each other.

Looking west along the corridor, Su Dexiang walked around looking around, then quickly walked up to Wang Chengxun and bowed.

"It really is Brother Wang."

"You're also feasting here tonight, which chamber are you from?"

"There are no more private rooms available, only window seats on the second floor of the west building. Could you please help me get a private room?"

Wang Chengxun smiled and shook his head, saying, "I'll take you to see Commander Zhang, and we'll have a drink together."

"Well... to be honest, Brother Wang, I'm looking for a friend I've lost contact with."

"It won't take long, just a drink."

Xiao Yi listened and understood that Wang Chengxun's apparent promotion of Su Dexiang was actually for the purpose of building connections.

The group returned to the private room.

Seeing that Guo Xin was still looking in the direction of Guiyue Pavilion, he asked, "What's wrong?"

"There seemed to be a beautiful woman there just now."

"Ok?"

"I just love looking at beautiful women."

"got it."

"What do you understand?"

Women are better at appreciating beauty.

"Where is the man?"

"Men are mostly gluttonous..."

"Why did you stop talking?" Guo Xin kicked the threshold and muttered, "Tch, do you think I don't understand? I'm not a child."

Upon entering the private room, the women went around to sit at a table behind the screen.

When Zhang Yongde, Wang Chengxun, Su Dexiang and a few others met, it turned into another pointless gathering.

Xiao Yi buried his head in his food until Su Dexiang leaned close to him and whispered, "Do you know where Miss Li is?"

"I don't know."

"She's in this building, haven't you seen her?"

"not yet."

Xiao Yi spoke nonsense to such persistent people without any remorse.

Unable to get any answers, Su Dexiang gave up in frustration. He and Wang Chengxun refused to leave, while Guo Xin stayed behind the screen and refused to come out.

After a while, Guo Si Niang said, "There are many people tonight, shall we play 'Fu She'?"

"good idea."

Everyone agreed, and Zhang Yongde then said, "Please, Madam, give me the question."

One could vaguely see Guo Si Niang behind the screen taking something, placing it on a tray, covering it with red silk, and ordering her maid to bring it out.

"Please guess, gentlemen."

"Any hints?"

Guo Si Niang said softly, "Round like the moon's soul falling, light as a floating cloud. It holds the taste of spring water and can dispel worldly sorrows."

Zhang Yongde thought for a moment and then smiled and said, "It's a teacup."

Xiao Yi then realized how the cover-up game worked; it involved guessing the covered object.

After a while, Guo Xin also picked out an item and covered it with red silk.

The maid brought out a tray, but the red silk rippled indistinctly, making it impossible to tell what was underneath.

Wang Chengxun frowned for a long time before asking, "Is there any hint?"

"The full moon sets in the middle of the sky, as light as a fish's wing. It holds the flavors of life and can dispel worldly sorrows."

"These... there are only these items here, what else could they be?"

After muttering to himself, Wang Chengxun stood up, bowed, and asked, "May I ask, Fifth Sister, is this a teacup?"

"No."

Xiao Yi didn't think he could guess it, and continued eating, but then he discovered that he had eaten one of the dishes with Guo Xin before.

Li Chongjin said, "I understand, it must be a wine glass."

"No," Guo Xin said. "Xiao Yi, what do you think?"

"Is it a bag?"

"Pfft."

The maid lifted the red silk, and sure enough, it was a Nirvana bag placed inside a cup.

Li Chongjin slapped his forehead and said, "It's so difficult, who could guess it?"

After that, Ma also placed something there.

Just as Li Chongjin was getting serious about his guess, a maid brought out a pot of wine and placed it in front of Xiao Yi, whispering, "Fifth Sister invites you to drink this osmanthus wine, it won't make you drunk."

"Thank you."

Xiao Yi poured himself a cup. The red candlelight reflected the spring wine in the cup, causing it to ripple slightly. He drank it and found it to be warm.

A line of poetry by Li Shangyin involuntarily came to mind.

Then, he felt the gazes of Wang Chengxun and Su Dexiang fixed upon him, as if they wanted to nail him to Fanlou.

"Oh dear!" Li Chongjin suddenly said, "It's 7:45 PM, time to take Fifth Sister back."

"I'm not going back, sister. Can I go back to stay tonight?"

"No, if you want to come out again next time, you'd better go back early tonight..."

Xiao Yi thought to himself, "Just as I thought."

Everything went according to Guo Xin's wishes tonight, and no trouble was caused. Tomorrow, Zhang Wan can be brought out of the palace.

Apart from Li Chongjin, no one cared what the Ma family had asked them to guess. Everyone got up, left the private room, and went downstairs.

"Sister, can I stroll along the Imperial Street a little longer?"

"Alright, alright, whatever you say."

Upon reaching the second floor, between the east and south buildings, Xiao Yi deliberately lagged behind to avoid being seen by Li Zhaoning from above.

Ahead, Guo Xin turned around, raised the paper umbrella in her hand, and waved it at him.

A figure approached from behind the curtain at the corner.

Almost simultaneously, Xiao Yi heard someone calling his name.

"Xiao Yi, let's stroll around Imperial Street for a while longer."

"Has Xiao Lang finished his official business? Are you going to Zhouqiao?"

Such a coincidence exists in the world.

Xiao Yi's gaze swept over them. Guo Xin was wearing the white cotton dress, and Li Zhaoning was wearing the red cotton dress.

He also noticed that everyone was looking at him.

Nothing had happened, but the scene was inexplicably awkward.

It's unclear how much time passed—perhaps just a moment, perhaps a long time—but no one spoke, as if the onlookers in the hall had all stopped making noise.

In the distance, people were whispering and talking amongst themselves, while others peeked out from the private room. Finally, Zhang Yongde spoke first.

"Ayi, is this lady your friend?"

"Yes, Li Gong's daughter has been very kind to me, and we have a friendship that has been built through thick and thin."

Li Zhaoning stepped forward, walked to Xiao Yi's side, and curtsied, saying, "Greetings to the two military leaders."

"You are very polite. You are indeed worthy of being the daughter of a high-ranking official."

Su Dexiang quickly stepped forward, bowed politely, and said, "Miss Li, I have reserved a seat."

Li Zhaoning did not answer.

Xiao Yi followed her gaze and landed on the umbrella in Guo Xin's hand.

Guo Xin turned around and said, "The Li family's wife is so beautiful."

Su Dexiang quickly introduced her, saying, "This is Miss Guo Wu."

"This humble woman greets Fifth Sister."

Li Zhaoning performed a very proper curtsy.

The awkward atmosphere seemed to have lessened.

But then, Wang Chengxun suddenly spoke up.

"The two ladies are truly destined for each other; even the material of their clothes is the same."

Li Chongjin said, "It seems that Xiao Lang is right. This cotton cloth is a thank-you gift, and both families have it."

The two of them kept talking back and forth, which finally annoyed Guo Xin, who glared at him.

Li Zhaoning also lowered her head, unable to hide her disappointment.

Su Dexiang immediately became anxious and said, "Miss Li, let's go. Xiao Yi is not a good person. He lied to you, saying he had official business, didn't he? Just now, he was clearly... clearly playing guessing games with someone else. Why would you waste your trust on such a fickle person?!"

These are the truths, and it's rare that Su Dexiang dares to say them without fear of offending people.

Xiao Yi immediately sensed that the way everyone was looking at him had become complicated.

The whispering passersby began pointing and whispering about Li Zhaoning and Guo Xin.

He frowned, turned around, and, feigning exasperation, shouted at the crowd, "What are you looking at? I haven't done anything yet!"

The crowd dispersed, and someone in the upstairs private room opened the window and cursed, but did not appear.

"Bah, you bastard."

When it really came to this, Xiao Yi actually relaxed. The others looked on coldly and gloated, but they all got the thing wrong.

The truth is that Guo Xin and Li Zhaoning were pursuing him. He had already subtly expressed his rejection, but because they stopped pressuring him to make promises—one saying he wanted to be loyal, and the other trying to tame him—he continued to contact them.

Of course, it was also because they were beautiful and lovely that he sometimes couldn't help himself. But ultimately, he was the one being pursued.

Without ambition, one is naturally calm and composed, remaining unfazed even when Mount Tai collapses before one's eyes.

Wang Chengxun and Su Dexiang wouldn't understand these things, nor could they explain them clearly. They only felt that he was despicable and had messed things up.

The next moment, Guo Xin spoke.

"Sister Li is so beautiful! I've heard so much about you before, and I'm so glad to finally meet you today. Will you accompany me for a stroll along the Imperial Street?"

"I have long admired Lady Guo's deeds and am deeply honored to meet her on the Lantern Festival."

"Then let's go."

Guo Xin took Li Zhaoning's hand and walked away, but pointed at Xiao Yi and said with displeasure, "Don't follow me."

Wang Chengxun and Su Dexiang were about to follow.

"You all shouldn't follow either."

"Yes."

Soon, two graceful figures, one in red and one in white, disappeared at the top of the stairs.

Su Dexiang was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan.

"Xiao Yi, what should we do if Madam Guo tries to harm her?"

"will not."

Xiao Yi understood Guo Xin's character and knew that her reaction just now was to protect Li Zhaoning.

Su Dexiang looked like he wanted to pounce on him and strangle him. Finally, he gritted his teeth and said, "You let her suffer such humiliation, yet you still have to put on a brave face in front of others. You're not a man!"

"A fight?"

"Humph!"

Su Dexiang turned and left.

Wang Chengxun smiled, bowed, and said, "My dear Xiao, rivals in love are like a battlefield; there's no reason for us to give way. Please forgive me."

"It's alright."

Xiao Yi returned the greeting and watched Wang Chengxun leave.

He was suddenly patted on the left shoulder. He caught a glimpse of the figure out of the corner of his eye and looked straight to the right. Sure enough, it was An Yuanzhen.

She seemed slightly tipsy, her cheeks flushed, making her look even more charming.

"Everyone's watching you, why don't you go back to the private room and sit for a while?"

"it is good."

Xiao Yi knew that Guo Xin would definitely send someone to bring Li Zhaoning back soon, and then watch them return home.

As they climbed the stairs, An Yuanzhen said, "Compared to these two men, I now understand why they both like you."

"Why?"

"One is a thief who covets Guo Wuniang's power and is attracted to her status, yet he acts all tender and affectionate; the other is a robber who insists on making Youniang give her her heart, forcing a woman's will upon her, yet he pretends to be refined and cultured... It's disgusting."

"Am I no good either?"

“You’re a bad person. In other people’s eyes, Guo Wuniang’s most important identity is the one you want the least. You’re such a fool. You’re too arrogant. You associate with her because you’re lusting after her. Li Youniang is also arrogant. The more you prevent her from having it, the more she wants it. You’re afraid of hurting her and want to leave, but you’re still lusting after her.”

Xiao Yi realized that An Yuanzhen wasn't stupid, but rather that she was wasting her energy on these useless things.

Seeing her swaying unsteadily, he helped her up and pushed open the door to enter.

Her soft body leaned against his arm.

An Yuanzhen said, "I haven't finished yet, you know? What they like most about you is this: they feel like they might lose you at any moment, but they can always sense a little heartache from you, and they can't help but wonder what you're really thinking."

Xiao Yi scoffed, saying, "How do you know?"

"Because... I'm the same way."

Xiao Yi helped her to sit down on the low couch, but upon hearing this, his movements paused slightly.

What is it?

"He said he liked me, but then he left me at Taiping Palace. I... I can guess what he meant..."

An Yuanzhen felt quite aggrieved. She lifted her foot and gently stepped on his boots. The embroidered shoes were small and delicate, with pearls sewn into the cloud pattern, and the silk stockings were slightly curved.

She was originally expressing her indignation, but after being stared at by Xiao Yi for a while, her movements gradually became three parts drunk, but her expression was five parts dignified and two parts charming.

"Greedy cat, give me a foot massage."

Xiao Yi stared intently into her eyes, trying to discern whether she had any other intentions.

An Yuanzhen, who was already fair-skinned, blushed even more under his gaze, her face turning as red as peach blossoms blooming on a sweet osmanthus cake.

When their eyes met, she first lowered her gaze to avoid it, then sat up, bit her lip, and softly uttered a drunken remark.

"You don't even dare to massage my feet? I don't want you to marry me anyway."

Towards the end, the last word was almost inaudible.

Xiao Yi slowly leaned forward a little, and An Yuanzhen closed her eyes and moved closer.

First, I tasted a hint of alcohol.

Afterwards, Xiao Yi seemed to taste the sweetness of the peach blossom cake...

(End of this chapter)