Chapter 137 - Mid-Autumn Festival (1/2)

It was nighttime, and the Second Mistress repeatedly instructed Yuan’er to check up on news on the outside. However, the servant who came in to deliver meals knew nothing. Instead, she heard that Housekeeper Song had been driven out of the Ji Manor.

The Second Mistress fidgeted more and more upon hearing this. Housekeeper Song was suddenly driven out of the house because Ji Yuxian discovered that he was her internal mole. What else had he found out?

Qiao An had been exposed. The officials who had been mountain bandits themselves would certainly cause an uproar. Why hasn’t there been any movement until now?

Didn’t Ji Ze listen to her instructions and expose Qiao An?

Yuan’er persuaded, “Madam, don’t worry. This matter is highly secretive. Even if the Emperor knows about it, he will certainly investigate it in secret. How can it possibly spread so quickly? Master Ji Ze has always listened to you the most, and never goes against your wishes. We just have to wait patiently!”

The Second Mistress nodded. “Yes, yes, I’m too anxious! Let’s wait for a while!”

“Yes!”

The day before the Mid-Autumn Festival, the atmosphere was lively and animated. Qinxiang did not want Lan Zhihui to be alone in the house, so she took her out to the streets.

There were more people on the streets than usual. Lan Zhihui scanned the crowd and she became more and more upset as if she was all alone in this world. This bustling and lively scene had nothing to do with her in any possible way.

Guishunyuan Dim Sum Store was surrounded by many people wanting to buy mooncakes. Qinxiang said, “Miss, let’s go in and take a look!”

Lan Zhihui bobbed her head. They bypassed the main door that was crowded with people and entered from the side door. As soon as they entered the door, they saw a group of people preparing to pack freshly-made hazelnut crisps in a box.

The hazelnut crisps of that day were more radiant and brighter than usual and also seemed to be more fragrant.

Qinxiang rejoiced, “Miss, you like to eat hazelnut crisps the most! Let’s buy some back!”

With that, she marched to the front and said to the young man, “These hazelnut crisps are done well today. Pack two bags for us!”

“Oh, if it isn’t Miss Qinxiang!” The shop assistant looked up and greeted her with a smile.

Qinxiang often came to the store to buy snacks, so they knew each other well.

“I want two big bags. Make sure to fill them up!” Qinxiang added.

With furrowed brows and a pained expression, the shop assistant answered, “I’m sorry miss. These hazelnut crisps are pre-ordered and are scheduled for delivery. No takeaway from here!”

Qinxiang’s face suddenly cooled considerably. “Don’t you know who our lady is? Even if this snack is pre-ordered, you will have to give it to our lady if she wants it!”

The shop assistant flashed a smirk and continued, “We naturally know who Lady Lan is, but today, we really cannot give her these hazelnut crisps! It is for the Ji Manor, and the servants there specifically ordered it. The Young Mistress of the Ji Manor loves to eat hazelnut crisps, so these were specially made for her alone!”

Lan Zhihui and Qinxiang were both stupefied. Qinxiang also choked on herself and could not utter a word.

They knew that he was implying that the Young Mistress of the Ji Manor was of more importance than them. They were mere servants of the Ji family. How dare they compete for the same item with the Mistress?

Lan Zhihui’s complexion turned ghastly pale, as she turned around and strode away.

Qinxiang glared at the shop assistant and hummed. “What a jerk that only follows the powerful. We will never enter your store again!”

With that, she chased after Lan Zhihui. “Miss! Miss!”

The shop assistant brushed his forehead with a white cloth towel on his shoulder and sneered, “You think of yourself as a noble person! Bah!”

Lan Zhihui’s face was visibly upset. She walked back quickly through the crowd. Qinxiang chased after her and only caught up after a long while. She persuaded, “Miss, don’t be angry. Those guys are mere small fry that curry favors with the noble. Please don’t get angry at people like them!”

Lan Zhihui smiled coldly. “I’m not angry. He’s not wrong. Compared with the Young Mistress of the Ji Manor, naturally, I don’t have the same novelty as her!”

“Miss, don’t say that! Then, should the Eldest Young Master say that he would marry you and if you agreed, where else can she be arrogant about things? Now, whoever that meets you must be respectful!” Qinxiang said indignantly.

As Lan Zhihui listened to her words, her footsteps stopped abruptly. Her eyes flashed into a trance as she stood watching the bustling crowd, stunned.

There were more and more people on the street, and a pole almost hit Lan Zhihui. Qinxiang immediately scolded, “Don’t you have eyes? Rampaging around like that… are you courting death?!”

Lan Zhihui took a deep breath and wrapped her cloak tightly, saying, “Qinxiang, let’s go back!”

Qinxiang looked at Lan Zhihui’s face. It was even paler than when she came out. Now, she hated her idea as it only made her Mistress more unhappy.

The two of them went back to Robes Square. Just as they entered, the embroidery maiden came across from the opposite side. She held a piece of embroidered fabric in her hand and smiled. “Proprietress, you finally came back. I’ve been waiting for you for a while now!”

Lan Zhihui asked lightly, “What’s the matter?”

“It’s almost the holidays. Our embroidery maidens are planning to send the Young Mistress a congratulatory gift. In the past, there was no Young Mistress in the Ji Manor, and now there is one. We can’t afford to not know how to act!” The embroidery maiden said.

Lan Zhihui’s face stiffened. “That is right!”

“Proprietress, look at this embroidery pattern. Is it suitable for the Young Mistress?” The embroidery maiden asked the two embroiderers to unfold the material. A translucent embroidered qing yunsha (1), that was two feet long and two feet wide, appeared before their eyes. It was a picture of a beautiful woman with auspicious patterns, such as flowers of the four seasons and rabbits, next to her. The embroidery was exquisite and elegant.

Lan Zhihui was shocked. This picture would not have been possible to be embroidered within a day or two. She didn’t know anything about it at all, and now that it was fully embroidered was it then shown to her.

Lan Zhihui’s eyes were slightly cold, but the corner of her lips curled into a small smile. “Good, frame it, and send it to the Ji Manor!”

“Yes, I will immediately instruct people to do it!” The manager asked the embroidered item to be put away, and then turned and walked away.

Lan Zhihui’s face grew even colder, and she walked out to the back pavilion.

Upon arriving at the back pavilion, Qinxiang rattled off with hate, “Why do we keep on encountering such irritating things today?!”

Lan Zhihui said nothing, maintaining a straight posture.

“Miss, this Housekeeper Li has had some issues with you before. She must have instigated the other embroiderers to sideline you and not pay you any respect. You must teach her a good lesson!” Qinxiang chided.

Lan Zhihui understood that even if some people had opinions on her in the past, they did not dare to disrespect her. Since the incident during the New Year, these people have respected those in high positions and stepped on those below. Seeing that she had lost the affection of Ji Yuxian, they began to blatantly treat her badly and without respect.

Qinxiang still muttered on and scolded those embroidery maidens. Lan Zhihui stopped her and said quietly, “You are right. If I were the Mistress of the Ji Manor, no one would dare to treat me like this!”

“Miss…” Qinxiang was surprised.

Lan Zhihui stopped talking and smiled lightly. Her face returned to its usual shade, and she slowly moved upstairs.

The next day was the Mid-Autumn Festival. Su Jiu agreed to have dinner with Ji Yuxian at night, so she went out to meet with Chang Huan in the morning for a quick gathering.

Hu Dapao also took a day off to return to the city, and with Qiao An resting, the five members of the Dragon Conqueror Gang finally got together again.

Everyone thought that the restaurant would be crowded with people, so this time around they gathered at Hu Dapao’s new General’s Manor.

The General’s Manor bestowed by the Emperor had three entrances. There was a garden between the front yard and the backyard. The house was magnificent, and the air of splendor surrounding the General’s Manor was conspicuous.

Su Jiu knew that Hu Dapao would not know how to take care of a mansion, so she arranged a management team and the servants of the mansion. Everything was prepared for him, one by one.

However, Hu Dapao had not lived in this house for many days.

They heard that Hu Dapao was going to have a feast in the mansion. The servants were busy preparing for a day, lest the new master would be dissatisfied.

Chang Huan asked the people to bring a bottle of plum wine from Yunxi, specially brought for Su Jiu. Su Jiu remembered that she would probably be reprimanded by Ji Yuxian when she goes back, so she didn’t dare to drink too much. However, Ah Shu spotted this behavior and everyone laughed at her for a moment.

Yet, Chang Huan was protecting Su Jiu. After tasting the water in Su Jiu’s glass, he said it was wine. The two of them ended up being punished together.

They sat together and talked about their history in Yuhu Mountain as usual. Things that they had felt bitter about in the past, seemed fun now as they mentioned it.

An example was what happened in last year’s Mid-Autumn Festival. They exchanged a basket of edamame (2) with farmers at the bottom of the mountain, using whatever money they had left. The boiled and salted edamame and the half-watered down wine were drunk together, and they were very happy doing so.

However, in the middle of the night, everyone could not sleep, as the smell of fart in the house was too pungent. They all went to the yard to sleep in the end.

There, they smelled the commoners’ cooking of braised meat and couldn’t sleep. The five people drooled throughout the night.

Everyone laughed back and forth as they chatted. It was as if they were re-telling someone else’s joke.

“Speaking of which, I want to give a toast to Master An. It was Master An’s single decision that made our Dragon Conqueror Gang finally able to prosper!” Ah Shu, who was half-drunk, took his wine glass to pay respect to Qiao An.

“Thanks! We should also thank our Chief who sacrificed to be Miss Su!” Qiao An directed the conversation to Su Jiu again.

As soon as those words came out, Hu Dapao chortled first. He seemed to be thinking back to the times when Su Jiu was dressed as Miss Su last year.

“Chief, when you were dressed as a lady, I almost didn’t recognize you!”

“I thought; this little lady was so handsome, where did she come from?”

“Even the real Miss Su is not as handsome as our Chief!”

…

Several people ridiculed Su Jiu, one after another.

Su Jiu sneered as she leaned against Chang Huan. “Yes, all of you are now tough. You dare to talk crap about your chief!”

Everyone hurriedly smiled and toasted Su Jiu. Hu Dapao said without hesitation, “We dare not! Even if we become the Emperor, we must still listen to the Chief!”

Qiao An looked around and coughed a little. “No such nonsense!”

Su Jiu also glared at Hu Dapao. “If these words are heard by your subordinates, they will cut your head off in the middle of the night and seek credit from the Emperor!”

Hu Dapao woke up a little, and hastily replied, “I will change it to another person then, and I will change it to the Jade Emperor. Now no one can care about that!”

“The more you speak, the more ridiculous it gets!” Qiao An laughed at him.

“How are you a cannon? Your mouth is a cannon barrel!”

“So the enemies that are bombed by me will have to beg for mercy!”

Everyone laughed again. As the wine-drinking continued till late at night, Su Jiu noticed that it was getting dark, so she stood up and went back.

Hu Dapao and Ah Shu naturally drank too much. Qiao An saw that Chang Huan was fairly awake, and asked him to send Su Jiu back to the Ji Manor.

Su Jiu shouted that she was fine, but her footsteps were rather feeble.

They soon arrived at the Ji Manor. Chang Huan stopped the carriage and shouted for the Chief a few times, but he did not see Su Jiu respond to him. He pushed the door open, only to see Su Jiu deep in slumber, her body in a crooked position.

Seeing her uncomfortable sleeping position, Chang Huan decided to hug her around and raised her hand to loosen her forehead, while placing her hair behind her ears.

Su Jiu’s fair face was flushed red by the alcohol. The peach color of March was faintly visible on her cheeks. They burned and reflected light, spreading toward the depths of the waves.

Chang Huan’s eyes softened uncontrollably. As he reminisced their conversations whilst drinking that day, he was not all that happy.

He preferred to stay in the mountains. They have lived in poverty and hardships there, but they have also lived simply. There was neither Ji Manor nor Ji Yuxian. Su Jiu was wholly their Chief.

Nowadays, he always felt that half of Su Jiu belonged to the Ji Manor.

Or, soon, she would leave them completely and become a part of the Ji Manor.

The drunk Su Jiu frowned and yelled for water. Chang Huan quickly found a water sac in the compartment, tasted the water to see if it was warm, then fed it to her carefully.

Su Jiu was drunk, and she loved to sleep when so. Chang Huan took a silk handkerchief and wiped the water from the corners of her lips. His eyes were affixed on her pink lips, and his breath abruptly quickened.

The girl breathed steadily, emanating a strong scent of wine. In Chang Huan’s semi-drunken conscious state, he instinctively brought his head close to the woman’s flowery lips.

They grew up together since childhood, and have already become a part of each other’s lives. Compared with the others, he should be the one who she considered.

The two were so close that he could almost smell the light and elegant fragrance on the woman’s body. Chang Huan gulped and slowly closed his eyes. His lips were about to touch her lips, and he felt his heart beating like thunder as if his flesh and blood were about to jump out.

“Slam!”

Suddenly, there was a loud sound. The carriage door was then forcibly pushed open, and Chang Huan raised his head. His eyes saw the corner of a red robe, accompanied by the strange red piercing and icy glare of a man’s silhouette.

Ji Yuxian exuded a compelling chill. His narrow and long phoenix eyes were quiet and cold. He was staring at the young man with squinted eyes.

“Chang Huan, how dare you?!”

Chang Huan raised his eyebrows, but he didn’t seem to be panicking. He was even calmer than ever and smiled lightly. “I’m not your servant. Whatever I choose to do, you, Mr. Ji, cannot speak a single word!”

Ji Yuxian’s eyebrows were raised, glaring coldly at him. One could feel his palpable, murderous intent. Taking a step forward, his long and slim body bent slightly into the carriage, and he reached out to hug Su Jiu.

Chang Huan escaped subconsciously. Looking at Ji Yuxian, who forcefully entered the carriage, he could sense a strong sense of hostility.

“Give her to me!” The man’s voice was deep, seeming to suppress some kind of emotion that was about to erupt.

Chang Huan’s gloomy eyes didn’t show any fear. Whatever he had just said, the woman in Ji Yuxian’s arms woke up, having heard his words. She thought she heard Ji Yuxian’s name. She closed her eyes and called out his name.

“Ji Yuxian… Ji Yuxian…”

“I seemed to have drunk too much…”

“No, please don’t be angry…”

The girl’s voice was soft and sweet, with a touch of coquetry. Chang Huan froze.

It seems that he had never seen Su Jiu like this, and her usual public and cold self had disappeared. Instead, she was now like a young charming girl, swaying gracefully in the autumn winds. She was soft and alluring.

Ji Yuxian raised his eyebrows and once again, reached out to hug Su Jiu.

This time, Chang Huan’s arms were released, and the girl was allowed to be taken by the man. With his arms empty, he felt empty in his heart as well.

Ignoring Chang Huan, Ji Yuxian wrapped Su Jiu in his arms and strode off the carriage.

The man’s indifference made Chang Huan more frightened compared to the murderous hostility from before. That is a kind of arrogance without fear as if knowing that he is not qualified to even become an enemy of his.

When did Su Jiu’s feelings for that person start?

If time was the motivating factor, had they been together for longer…

What is the difference between him and Ji Yuxian? Is it because Ji Yuxian was the first noble master in the world, and he is just a mountain bandit living in Yuhu Mountain?

Chang Huan closed his eyes in pain, his body’s strength sapped away from him. The woman’s fragrance was still lingering in the carriage They were like countless needles poking on him, creating so many holes on him that they destroyed him.

He followed her throughout their childhood. They ate together, slept together, went out to rob together, and spent countless days together, inseparable. His life was saved by her. It seems that everything in his life was closely related to her. If she was gone one day, what meaning would he have to live?

When Su Jiu woke up again, the sky was already dark. There were no lights in the room. Only the shadow of the light outside the window came in, albeit a dim one.

There was a feeling of warmth around her. Su Jiu didn’t open her eyes. She merely leaned against the man and muttered, “Ji Yuxian, why don’t you light up the lights when it’s dark?”

It was the Mid-Autumn Festival. At night, the faint laughter from the outside seeped through the walls.

The man didn’t speak. Su Jiu opened her eyes, buried herself into his arms, and mumbled, “I didn’t want to get drunk.”

That sentence was an explanation.

A low sigh spread through the dark, and the man touched her cheek with a long finger. He said in a deep voice, “If you drink outside like this in the future, I will…”

Su Jiu raised her eyebrows. “…What will you do?”

“I will kill those who drank with you!” The man’s voice was low and faint, but his intent to kill was deafening.

Especially Chang Huan. He looked at Su Jiu very differently; it was abominable!

Su Jiu gasped out loud, seeming to disbelieve him.

Ji Yuxian dragged the woman’s waist towards him and hugged her. Under the dim light, a pair of phoenix eyes looked at her quietly and whispered, “It seems that your husband has spoiled you too much!”