#133: Li Xuanba

After walking a few steps, Jiang Caiping began counting on her fingers with a mischievous grin. “The eldest brother is always gloomy, the third brother spends his days practicing martial arts, I haven’t met the fourth brother, and the fifth brother is still young. All things considered, the most outstanding one is undoubtedly Second Young Master. It’s such a pity that he’s already betrothed; otherwise, matchmakers would have worn out the threshold of our mansion.”

A voice suddenly whispered in Jiang Caiping’s ear, “When you said the third brother only knows martial arts, were you implying he’s brave but lacks wisdom?”

Without hesitation, Jiang Caiping replied, “Exactly! The third brother is skilled in martial arts but not in literature—brave but lacking strategy. Compared to Second Young Master, he falls far short.”

Yunyi had been tugging at Jiang Caiping’s sleeve, but the latter hadn’t noticed. Finally, Yunyi herself bent her knees and greeted respectfully, “Greetings, Third Young Master!”

Hearing this, Jiang Caiping was startled and looked up. Under the moonlight now hanging over the treetops, she indeed saw Li Xuanba and his sly smile—it was him who had just questioned her.

Oh no! She had criticized him to his face, saying he was all brawn and no brains. Wasn’t that asking for trouble? What should she do? Would Li Xuanba scold her, or even kick her out of the mansion? Unfortunately, Second Young Master wasn’t here; otherwise, he might have spoken up for her.

Summoning her courage, she stammered, “Greetings, Third Young Master. Wishing you well.”

Li Xuanba circled her slowly, his tone icy. “What’s your name?”

Jiang Caiping trembled as she replied, “J-Jiang Caiping.”

Yunyi interjected, “Third Young Master, Caiping didn’t mean what she said earlier. Please forgive her.”

Li Xuanba sneered, “She seems bold enough to me—a mere dancer daring to comment on us brothers. Shall I call Fourth Brother back from Zhongnan Mountain so you can critique him too?”

Jiang Caiping dared not raise her head and whispered, “I… I won’t dare next time. Please forgive me, Third Young Master!”

Li Xuanba coldly retorted, “Next time? There will be a next time?”

Realizing her mistake, Jiang Caiping hastily waved her hands and pleaded, “No, no next time! I’ll never dare again.” Inwardly, she lamented. Why did she have to mention Third Young Master while praising Second Young Master? Now she didn’t know how to get out of this mess.

Li Xuanba stared at her for a long moment before speaking, “I heard that today, there was a dancer surnamed Jiang who first fled Yuxiu Pavilion and then barged into Jingji Pavilion. That must be you. It seems your courage truly knows no bounds.”

“At the time… I was trying to save someone, which is why I acted that way. It wasn’t intentional,” she explained hurriedly. Then, raising her head, she added, “As it turned out, Elder Sister Wu was falsely accused. Thankfully, Second Young Master cleared her name.”

“So you think you’re justified?” Li Xuanba asked pointedly. Jiang Caiping quickly lowered her head again. After a moment, she tried to flatter him, “Everything I said earlier was nonsense. In truth, Third Young Master, you are unparalleled in martial arts and handsome in appearance—just as outstanding as Second Young Master.”

Li Xuanba glanced at her skeptically. “Since you’re so good at critiquing others, why don’t you critique yourself? Are you better than me?”

“Me?” Jiang Caiping pointed at herself in surprise. When Li Xuanba nodded, she began listing her flaws. “My handwriting is terrible—Mother says it looks like it could blow away in the wind. My dancing isn’t as good as others’, and my eyes are uneven. In short… I’m no good anywhere. How could I compare to Third Young Master?”

A faint smile flickered across Li Xuanba’s face. Clearing his throat, he said sternly, “If you’re really as bad as you say, then there seems to be no reason to let you stay in the mansion.”

Startled by his words, Jiang Caiping pleaded, “Please, Third Young Master, don’t send me away! I’ll practice dance and music diligently. Oh, I can play the pipa—my mother taught me. Let me play for you right now! Please don’t send me away—I beg of you!”

Li Xuanba pondered for a moment. “Fine. Considering you’re somewhat useful, I’ll let you stay—for now. But don’t gossip recklessly in the future.”

Jiang Caiping eagerly agreed. After Li Xuanba left, she sighed in relief, clutching her chest. “Thank goodness he didn’t kick me out. That would’ve been disastrous.”

Yunyi chuckled. “Silly girl, Third Young Master was just teasing you.”

Jiang Caiping’s almond-shaped eyes widened in astonishment. “Teasing? But he looked so serious…”

“You were too worried to notice the smile on his face. At first, he seemed a bit angry, but later, he was clearly joking with you. He’s not as petty as we imagined.”

Upon hearing this, Jiang Caiping pouted indignantly. “And here I was worrying so much! Turns out he was doing it on purpose. He’s such an adult, yet he still teases people like this. How infuriating!”

“All right, stop talking about it,” Yunyi warned. “Be careful, or Third Young Master might come back, and then you’ll cry.”

At Yunyi’s words, Jiang Caiping quickly covered her mouth and darted her eyes around nervously, fearing that Li Xuanba might suddenly reappear.

From a distance, Li Xuanba’s smile widened. That dancer was quite amusing—claiming her eyes were uneven. Ironically, her eyes weren’t uneven at all; they were lively and beautiful.

Speaking of which, since everyone was back and Second Brother had returned to the mansion, he should hurry over to Songtao Pavilion.

________________________________________

Meanwhile, Li Shimin had already arrived. Upon entering, he saw Lady Wan conversing with Li Yuan. Bowing respectfully, he greeted, “Father, Second Mother.”

Li Yuan looked at him and asked, “How did the case with Wu Meixue turn out?”

Li Shimin lowered his gaze and replied, “Father, the matter has been resolved. Feng Chunxiu died accidentally—it had nothing to do with Wu Meixue. Magistrate Qin has already released her in court.”

Lady Wan twirled the jade ring on her finger and remarked, “I heard that today, Second Young Master caused quite a commotion—sealing streets and setting off firecrackers. Presumably, you personally unraveled the entire case, correct?” Seeing Li Shimin remain silent, she turned to Li Yuan and continued, “Lord Taishou, although Second Young Master is exceptionally talented, he holds no official position. It’s highly inappropriate for him to intervene directly in county affairs. Even if he suspected something amiss with the case, he should have reported it to you for handling rather than taking matters into his own hands. Fortunately, Wang Wei and the others have left town. Otherwise, if they reported this to the Emperor, it would have caused significant trouble.” Given Li Shimin’s current status, he could assist Li Yuan in handling documents and cases within the mansion but couldn’t act publicly without an official title.

Li Yuan nodded and addressed Li Shimin, “You’ve heard your second mother’s words. Do not act so rashly in the future.”

Li Shimin didn’t argue and simply acknowledged, “Understood, Father. I’ll be more cautious moving forward.”

Lady Wan shot him a glance and said, “Lord Taishou, though Wu Meixue didn’t kill anyone, both she and Jiang Caiping lied repeatedly. They deserve punishment. On such a cold night, how could she possibly stay in the garden until the fourth watch? Clearly, it was a lie.”