CH 6.1

justforfuntrans9-11 minutes

3

Chapter 6             Taizi (1/2)

Yunfu Teahouse in the West Market.

“Do you think the first eldest daughter of Prime Minister Qin, Qin Yan, is really that ugly?”

“Shizi Xie avoid her like a plague and even denied the marriage contract he has made since he was a child. Then Qin Yan must be outrageously ugly!”

“Shen Shiying had the title of the most beautiful woman in the capital back then. How ugly can her daughter be? Could it be a rumor?”

“It’s more likely Shizi Xie break the marriage contract for the little beauty he kept in his mansion. I heard that he has been keeping her by his side for many years.”

“But I heard that Shizi Xie is actually a homosexual. Maybe he’s bringing the little girl around to fool people.”

“Maybe he likes both men and women, who know what special hobbies those children of noble families have.”

“…”

“Brother, wise opinion! I admire! I admire!”

——

Qin Yan and Princess of Jingyi, Feng Yuyao, listened to these gossips on their way up the stairs through the hall and entered the private room upstairs. The two looked at each other and laughed out loud at the same time.

The two were the same age. Because their mothers were good friends from a longtime family friend, they were close playmates since they were children. Qin Yan was also the Princess of Jingyi’s study companion. Twelve years ago, Qin Yan left the capital and had since cut off contact. Seeing each other again after many years, the difference in circumstances did not bring them any estrangement.

After the laughter subsided, the two took their seats, but their posture was a little too casual.

Princess of Jingyi leaned lazily on the soft couch, while Qin Yan on the other side of the tea table played with the teacup with one hand and raised her feet to the edge of the couch.

The Princess’ entourage was waiting downstairs. Apart from the two, there was only Shen Ying in this private room. Shen Ying seemed to be used to seeing this and stood quietly near the door of the private room. She muttered in her heart, if others to see these, they would definitely be shocked by the actions of these two!

After taking a sip of the green tea, Qin Yan said leisurely, “Princess, why are we meeting here?”

“It’s better for you to call me Yuyao, Xiao Yanyan…” Feng Yuyao answered evasively.

“…” Qin Yan suddenly recalled the wicked Feng Yuyao when she was a child. At that time, Feng Yuyao was always misbehaving, which brought her into a lot of trouble. Every time she was caught, she pushed her cousin, Shen Ci, out for punishment… Anyway, the past was over.

Feng Yuyao looked at Qin Yan, who was beautiful with fair skin and a graceful figure, but she was happy. She covered her stomach, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

“Outrageously ugly? Hahaha!”

“But Xiao Yanyan, Shizi Xie has raised a woman of unknown origin in the mansion in recent years and often takes her out to parade around. This is completely disregarding your face.”

Feng Yuyao picked up the teacup on the table and took a sip.

“At this point in time, he still stepping on you and not admitting this marriage contract. He did not take this matter sincerely and it’s not a good match.”

Putting down the teacup, Feng Yuyao lifted the private room bamboo curtain facing the atrium stage in the private room and looked out.

“Look.”

Qin Yan followed Feng Yuyao’s line of sight and saw a man and a woman going upstairs.

As if feeling the inquiring gaze, Xie Changyuan, who was about to step up, raised his head abruptly and saw Princess of Jingyi, Feng Yuyao behind the open curtain of the private room on the second floor. Xie Changyuan nodded to her.

Xie Changyuan inadvertently moved his gaze to the person opposite Feng Yuyao but was shocked by a pair of breathtaking eyes. She was an extremely beautiful woman. The woman’s eyes were refreshing, and her eyes fell on him only a moment, then looked away, and soon after, the curtain was lowered.

Behind the curtain on the second floor, Feng Yuyao looked at Qin Yan teasingly, “How, is your fiancé handsome, with a striking appearance?”

Qin Yan’ raised her eyes slightly, but she didn’t say a word, just drank the green tea in her hands.

Was that the current Xie Changyuan? The boy in her childhood memory was fuzzy, but that face looked a little familiar.

“Yunfu Teahouse is most famous for its play from all over the world. Every time there is a new play, the girl A Yan next to Shizi Xie will come here without hesitation. You can find out these things after a little inquiry.” Feng Yuyao told the gossip she had heard with great excitement.

“In the play a few days ago, the poor scholar and the young lady of the Prime Minister Mansion secretly agreed to live their whole lives together, which was not tolerated by the world, and both of them sacrificed themselves for love. In today’s play, listen to it, tsk, tsk, a noble son fell in love with a beautiful maid, broke his marriage contract, and eloped with the maid. It’s really a good play.”

Seeing Qin Yan’s indifferent expression, Feng Yuyao also lost her interest in teasing.

“There is news that the girl A Yan is very simple, but I don’t think so.”

“So, you brought me to see the pair of wild mandarin ducks*?” Qin Yan finally responded.

(wild mandarin ducks* – a pair of illicit lovers)

“Hey, Xiao Yanyan, I felt he was not worthy of you. After all, when you were young, you and Xie Shizi were also…”

“Didn’t you say that you saw the carriage of His Highness Taizi at the door?” Qin Yan smiled playfully.

Feng Yuyao immediately had a shiver. This imperial brother taizi who she was most afraid of was might be in a certain private room of this teahouse at this moment.

“Hey, don’t change the subject!” After Feng Yuyao came to her senses.

——

As soon as Xie Changyuan entered the tea house, the chatter of the crowd stopped abruptly, and he also didn’t think much about it.

When dealing with Xie Zhao a few days ago, he thought it would be easy for the Shence Army to have a person, but the Ministry of War said that the soldiers who had returned from the Pingxi Army had other arrangements.

Xie Changyuan was not in a good mood. He originally planned to go to the Western Suburbs Horse Farm to relieve his pent-up frustration. After arriving there, he was told that the fine horse he liked had only been brought back from the Northwest, and the word “Northwest” provoked him and made him uneasy again.

When he returned to the city and heard He Xiao mention the word “fiancée”, Xie Changyuan suddenly became angry. He didn’t think that a casual remark would smear Qin Yan’s already not-so-good reputation.

Although Xie Changyuan was a little guilty when he learned of this, he didn’t bother to explain it as this marriage was inherently dispensable. The arrangement was made by his mother before her death and at that time, he agreed just to follow her wishes.

Today, A Yan was pestering him to accompany her to listen to the play. Xie Changyuan couldn’t bear the little girl’s disappointment and sadness, so he brought her to the tea house.

As soon as they entered the private room and sat down, A Yan happily ate the preserved fruit while listening to the play.

Xie Changyuan originally had no interest in the play, so he raised his eyes and swept around, and his eyes unconsciously stopped in Princess of Jingyi’s private room.

Princess of Jingyi, Feng Yuyao had always kept a low profile and lived in a secluded place. Normally, she even withdrew from the palace banquet in advance, which was very different from the publicity of Feng Yunchao, the Empress’s first princess. Today, she went out of the palace for the first time, and also made an appointment with someone at this tea house, which made Xie Changyuan a little curious, about who was the noble sitting opposite Feng Yuyao.

A hand waved up and down in front of Xie Changyuan, “Brother Changyuan, Brother Changyuan, what are you thinking so intently?”

Only then did A Yan, who was just listening intently to the play, notice Xie Changyuan’s reverie. The play was talking about a noble son who rejected the fiancée arranged by his family and resolutely left with his beloved woman. Seeing this, A Yan couldn’t wait to see Xie Changyuan’s reaction.

“Brother Changyuan, do you think Young Master Liang and Xiao Die will be happy in the future?”

Young Master Liang was the noble son who abandon his fiancée, and Xiao Die was the maid that Young Master Liang loved dearly. A Yan just asked casually, but she was anxiously looking forward to Xie Changyuan’s answer.

“Hmm,” Xie Changyuan said casually, without listening to what A Yan was saying.

At this moment, Xie Changyuan was still astonished by the look of the strange woman just now and was fascinated. The moment he saw that face, even Xie Changyuan who used to see beautiful women over the years, had to marvel at the exquisiteness of the other person’s appearance.

A Yan got a satisfactory answer, and then looked in the direction that Xie Changyuan was looking at just now. The curtains were drawn in the private rooms over there, and nothing could be seen. Perhaps she thought too much, but she was a little uneasy about Xie Changyuan’s attitude and shouted that she was tired and wanted to leave.

When Xie Changyuan went downstairs, he raised his eyes again to look at the private room where the woman was just now, but unfortunately, the curtain was never lifted again until he left the teahouse.