Chapter 26

"Ah——"

In the elegant chamber 'Cui Xiao Xuan' on the third floor of the Water Pavilion, the young lady Su sat by the bed, her arm resting on the window, half-leaning to gaze at the clear Dujiang Canal outside.

After a long while, she sighed deeply.

It had to be admitted that the servant had not exaggerated; the young lady Su, even from the side, was a beauty that could be described as a rare gem among mortals.

Her black hair cascaded to the ground, her skin whiter than snow, and her face, smooth as jade, had slightly furrowed eyebrows. Her bright eyes, like clear water, were captivating, and her features were truly picturesque and dazzling.

"Creak——"

The door opened, and the young servant girl, Xing Xing, entered the room with enthusiasm, lifting the thin curtain and walking into the inner chamber. She placed the answer sheets from the guests in the hall on the table, then turned to look at the young lady Su, who was lost in thought, gazing out the window.

"Miss?"

The young lady Su turned her head, and her beauty, combined with her slightly lazy demeanor, made even the young servant girl feel a flutter in her heart.

"Miss, indeed, you are the most beautiful in the Water Pavilion."

The young servant girl sincerely praised.

The young lady Su smiled faintly and murmured in a voice as still as dead water, "Beauty... Lü'er, do you know, 'beauty' is composed of 'sheep' and 'big,' originally referring to a fat lamb... In ancient times, people would raise lambs in pens, and when a noble guest came to visit, the host would slaughter the fattest lamb in the pen to cook a delicious dish... And I, am not much different from those lambs waiting to be slaughtered."

"Miss, this is just one of your bad points..." the young servant girl Lü'er scolded in a mature tone, "You lock yourself in this room all day, how can you have the chance to meet the wealthy and powerful in the capital? Look at the 'Yuzhu Xuan' on the second floor, that Miss Wang is not even half as beautiful as you, yet she has managed to attract a wealthy patron. According to my investigation, that patron has already spent thousands of taels of silver on her, and he even plans to buy her freedom and take her home as a concubine."

"Life as a concubine in a wealthy family may not be easy," the young lady Su said with a faint smile. "From belonging to the Water Pavilion to belonging to another person, what has changed?"

"At least there's a goal to strive for. Miss, you can't stay here forever. If you can attract a powerful patron from the capital, you could turn your life around."

The young lady Su glanced at the young servant girl Lü'er, shook her head, and said softly, "Even if I were to become a concubine, I would still be a plaything. At least here, I still have the option to refuse..."

Lü'er pouted unhappily, picked up the stack of papers on the table, and handed them to the young lady Su, earnestly advising, "Anyway, I think it's better than here. Miss, while you're still a virgin, you should find a suitable home as soon as possible. Once you lose your virginity, it will be too late to regret. Besides, I've heard that the manager of the pavilion is already dissatisfied with you not seeing anyone for the past six months, and some of the women on the second and third floors are saying bad things about you behind your back."

"A suitable home?" the young lady Su said with a self-mocking tone. "In this life, finding someone who understands your heart is not easy. Moreover, in a place like this... would a virtuous and upright person come here?"

"Regardless, Miss, you should still take a look. Who knows, you might meet someone who understands your heart today?" As she spoke, Lü'er pulled out a sheet of paper, her eyes brightening. "Miss, I think this person wrote quite well. 'The crane, a spiritual creature of heaven and earth, stands out among all. It stretches its neck to call, flaps its wings to dance...'"

"Can he explain why the crane stands on one leg?" the young lady Su asked faintly.

"Uh... he doesn't seem to have explained that," Lü'er said after carefully reading it a few times. It turned out to be an essay praising the crane, and the reason why the crane stands on one leg was something the young master could not answer.

"Then don't choose him. Put it aside."

"..." Lü'er hesitated, looking at the young lady Su and cautiously asked, "Miss, are you deliberately asking a question no one can answer?"

"Why would you think that?"

"Because... Miss, you haven't seen anyone in the past six months."

"That's just because their answers didn't meet my heart's desire," the young lady Su said faintly.

Lü'er looked unconvinced and asked, "What would be an answer that meets your heart's desire? If you were Miss, how would you answer?"

The young lady Su fell silent for a moment, then raised her head and gazed out the window, murmuring, "I would say... the crane stands on one leg because it doesn't want the other leg to sink into the mud."

"Miss, what do you mean by that? I don't understand," Lü'er asked, puzzled.

"It's better not to understand. If you ever understand this one day... it might not be a good thing."

Lü'er nodded, half-understanding, and began to look through the answers from the guests in the hall. Unfortunately, after looking at more than a dozen sheets, no one had given an answer that matched the young lady Su's thoughts.

The young lady Su was not surprised by this and continued to gaze out the window.

Suddenly, Lü'er saw something and burst out laughing.

The young lady Su was startled and looked at Lü'er in confusion, who was covering her mouth and laughing uncontrollably. "Miss, Miss, this person's answer is so funny. He said... 'The crane stands on one leg and curls the other because if it curled both legs, it would be kneeling.'"

"Ha!"

Even the young lady Su, who had been full of worries, couldn't help but feel amused by this.

Lü'er noticed the young lady Su's expression and tentatively asked, "Miss, would you like to meet this person?"

"This..." The young lady Su was unusually hesitant.

To agree would mean that this person had not truly understood her heart, and thus could not be considered someone who "understood her." But to refuse would mean missing out on a truly interesting answer.

"Meet him, meet him, maybe he's a wealthy young master with both money and good looks!" Lü'er, seeing her mistress's hesitation, urged her.

'Just because he made me smile...'

The young lady Su, who hadn't smiled in a long time, made up her mind.

"Then... let's meet him. What's this young master's name?"

"Jiang Run!"

Lü'er left the room, running down to the second floor and shouting, "Who is Young Master Jiang Run? Miss Su from Cui Xiao Xuan invites you."

"Wow!"

The hall erupted in surprise, and everyone looked shocked.

Who didn't know that Miss Su from Cui Xiao Xuan had never seen anyone privately since she joined the Water Pavilion six months ago? No one expected her to make an exception today.

"Who's the lucky one?"

A rich young master, dressed in bright colors, said with envy, his eyes full of jealousy.

"Jiang Run?... Isn't that our prince?"

At first, Shen Yu, Mu Qing, and Lu Mu were angry that Miss Su had not chosen their prince, but then they realized that Jiang Run was the alias their prince had just adopted.

While they were surprised, Zhao Hongrun slowly stood up, waved his sleeves, and walked toward the stairs leading to the second floor with a noble air. "That's me!"

"..."

Seeing this young man, who looked only fourteen or fifteen, receive such an honor, everyone in the hall was stunned.

Lü'er was even more stunned, staring at Zhao Hongrun in disbelief.

She had hoped that Miss Su would attract a wealthy and powerful patron from the capital, so she had been urging her. But the young master with the interesting answer was not only poorly dressed but also younger than her.

Lü'er wished she could scold the Water Pavilion: This brat, who should be at home, what is he doing here?

"Are... are you Jiang Run?" Lü'er confirmed again, still finding it hard to accept.

"Yes."

Hearing Zhao Hongrun confirm his identity again, Lü'er sighed helplessly and said, "Follow me, Miss wants to see you."

Seeing that Zhao Hongrun did not seem to be a wealthy young master, Lü'er did not bother to be enthusiastic.

However, when she led Zhao Hongrun to the third floor of Cui Xiao Xuan, she realized that three other people had followed.

"Y... you, what are you doing here?"

Shen Yu frowned and said, "We are responsible for protecting the young master. Wherever the young master goes, we go."

'Young master? Who dresses like that? Even if he is a young master, he's not a wealthy one.'

Lü'er tilted her head and sized up Zhao Hongrun for a long time before saying bluntly, "No, Miss Su only wants to see him."

Seeing this, Zhao Hongrun turned to Shen Yu, "Shen Yu, why don't you wait in the hall?"

"No." Shen Yu shook his head and said seriously, "No matter what, one of us must stay with the young master."

How could they leave their prince? Their duty as bodyguards was to protect him.

"Why don't we do this, Mu Qing, you go in with the young master, and I and Lu Mu will wait outside."

The three bodyguards decided among themselves.

After all, this was a matter of the safety of the prince of the Great Wei. On such a principle, the bodyguards would not compromise. One of them must always be with Zhao Hongrun, keeping him in sight, and the others would not be far away, as this was their duty.

"Alright." Mu Qing nodded and, ignoring Lü'er's protests, pushed open the door of Cui Xiao Xuan, "Young master, please."

"You... you..." Lü'er, angry and frustrated, tried to stop them, but at that moment, Miss Su's soft voice came from inside the room, "Lü'er, don't stop them. Since they are Young Master Jiang's bodyguards, it's fine for them to come in. Please come in."

"..." Lü'er pouted unhappily and said, "Since Miss has spoken, you can come in."

Shen Yu, Mu Qing, and Lu Mu followed Zhao Hongrun into the room without a word, sitting in a cross-legged position by the window, behind the door, and in the corner, forming a subtle encirclement of the room.

Zhao Hongrun, on the other hand, was surprised by the paintings hanging on the walls.

Cranes, all cranes!

'PS: Last week's recommendation votes, sigh, I'll add another chapter. Also, this book has been A-signed, and it's the first release. I hope the readers of this book can take a minute to vote for it on Qidian. I would be very grateful.'

Page flip AD starts

Page flip AD ends