YBTS - 20

After hearing Han Linfeng say that, Guo Yan’s playful expression slightly faded, and he looked at Miss Su with suspicion again.

As he looked, he realized! The young lady’s beautiful eyes were indeed stunning, but they didn’t look at people. When she walked back to her seat, she relied on her maid to lead her and felt her way forward.

This was truly a case of heaven being jealous of her beauty! What a pity! What a pity! But for a beauty to be unable to see things and have to feel her way with her slender hands... if they were alone, it would be a different kind of charm...

Guo Yan’s mind was full of thoughts of fun and pleasure. Because of Han Linfeng’s hint, he didn’t dare to be verbally offensive, but he would not go out in the rain to find another place to stay.

The rain was so heavy. Where else could he go to find a place? The other companions behind him also started shouting and jeering.

After a stalemate, Han Linfeng finally moved to the side, allowing the people to file in.

Fortunately, the thatched cottage was big enough. They set up a small table and a bonfire on the other side of the cottage.

The rain outside was even heavier now. When Luoyun saw them come in, she picked up her things, intending to leave.

But after she left the cottage, she only took a couple of steps before the heavy rain forced her back. The low-lying areas outside had become a river, making it very difficult to walk.

Since Young Master Han was not bothering them, they could only temporarily take shelter here.

Guo Yan looked at Su Luoyun on the other side of the bonfire, and his heart was still a little restless. Unfortunately, when the beauty came back into the room, she had her maid put on a veiled hat from the carriage, completely covering her beautiful face.

Unable to satisfy his eyes, he quietly asked Han Linfeng which family Miss Su was from. But Han Linfeng pretended to be foolish and avoided answering.

Guo Yan cursed in his heart, suspecting that this boy had turned bad and was so secretive. It was a waste that he always thought of this boy whenever he went out for a good time!

At this time, the sound of the rain outside continued. After listening for a long time, it became a little drowsy.

Guo Yan had already drunk a lot of wine at the banquet at the lakeside pavilion in the suburbs. Now, he was bored and drowsy from the sound of the rain.

While the water was being boiled for tea, Guo Yan couldn’t hold on any longer. He ordered his people to lay out some animal skins and thick cushions. He then embraced the beautiful woman he had brought with him and fell asleep on the makeshift bed, snoring loudly.

The others also found a place to rest, or they sat in groups of two or three, laughing and talking, each finding their own fun.

Su Luoyun and Xiangcao sat alone in a corner of the thatched cottage, and they had nothing to do with them.

When these wealthy idlers weren’t having fun, they would talk about current events.

The most talked-about topic now was the rebel leader Cao Sheng from the north. It was said that Cao Sheng, holding up the banner of reclaiming lost territories, had been recruiting soldiers and fighting against the cavalry of the Tie Fu Kingdom in the north, and his influence was becoming more and more rampant.

Some time ago, they finally managed to capture him, but a gang of bandits appeared halfway and took him away.

Now that the war in the north had started again, the Khan of the Tie Fu Kingdom was very angry. He had negotiated with the Great Wei Dynasty several times, and his words were so strong that it seemed as if the truce could be torn up.

The peaceful days were being disrupted by a few rebels, and these nobles seemed to have a lot of complaints. The general sentiment was that the north was barren, and it would be a huge loss to go to war over some unproductive land.

Su Luoyun listened to all this silently, but she felt a little emotional.

Her uncle, Hu Xuesong, was actually one of Cao Sheng’s supporters. After all, the loss of the twenty prefectures in the north was a very humiliating event. The older people would always remember the shame of the Qiao Tai siege.

Which of the good men of the Great Wei Dynasty wouldn’t want to reclaim their homeland and unify the country as soon as possible?

Now that the court advocated for peace with the Tie Fu Kingdom, hot-blooded men like Cao Sheng, who went against the court’s wishes and privately formed an army, became rebels.

Although Hu Xuesong yearned to reclaim the lost territories, he didn’t dare to openly support him. He would only lament over a glass of wine with his niece, uttering heroic words like, “Why don’t men take up swords?”

This Cao Sheng was very popular among the common people.

But Su Luoyun didn’t want to listen to this. The bandit who had taken Cao Sheng away was the same person who had taken refuge on her boat. She didn’t want to get involved in these messy things.

The person who was just as uninterested as her was probably Young Master Han. She listened to the nobles’ lively chatter but didn’t hear Han Linfeng say anything. A wastrel like him, who was only interested in food and drink, probably didn’t like these topics of fighting and current affairs.

Su Luoyun was thinking about what Young Master Han had said earlier. Being as intelligent as she was, she naturally understood his protective intention. It seemed that this young master had a good heart.

So, when Han Linfeng’s servant came over and asked them if they wanted hot tea, Su Luoyun didn’t refuse.

But when she took the teacup, she just held it in her hands to warm them up and didn’t drink. She didn’t want to be drugged like Xiangcao and be left helpless.

Han Linfeng also sat on the animal skin on the other side of the bonfire, ignoring his companions’ chatter. He intentionally or unintentionally let his gaze fall on Su Luoyun, who was sitting quietly to the side.

He had run into this young lady again today, which was a huge surprise. The moment he saw her, his heart skipped a beat.

He wasn’t the only one who disliked running into people.

He saw that Miss Su was sitting with her back straight, her back to them. She seemed to be trying her best to endure.

Su Luoyun listened to the rain outside, and she was indeed a little anxious. They had been out for a long time and hadn’t had lunch yet. Besides being anxious, she was also very hungry, and her stomach was rumbling embarrassingly.

She just hoped that the laughter of the nobles on the other side of the room was loud enough that they wouldn’t notice her...

“I have some pastries here. If you don’t mind the coarse texture, Miss, you can have some to fill your stomach.” Just after her stomach grumbled again, a man’s voice suddenly sounded next to her.

Su Luoyun was startled. She considered her hearing to be sensitive, but for some reason, she could never hear this young master’s footsteps.

It turned out that while the others were laughing and not paying attention, Han Linfeng had gotten up and walked over to Su Luoyun. He handed her a pastry box.

When he saw the teacup that Luoyun hadn’t drunk from, he seemed to understand. He opened the pastry box with one hand, picked up a piece of pastry, broke it in half, handed one half to Su Luoyun, and put the other half in his mouth, chewing it heartily.

After he swallowed it, he said, “It’s not bad. This one isn’t damp. I’ve eaten it, so you can eat it without worry, Miss.”

Although he didn’t say it explicitly, Su Luoyun felt that he had noticed her guard up. By tasting it like this, he was showing that he was a gentleman with an honest heart.

She couldn’t refuse anymore. After thanking the young master, she took off her veiled hat and slowly ate the half-piece of pastry, finally easing her hunger a little.

Han Linfeng sat across from Luoyun by the bonfire and asked casually, “Miss Su, why are you taking shelter from the rain here?”

Su Luoyun looked down and said that she had come to look for spices to make a fragrance for Consort Zhao and that the princess wanted it urgently. When she went back today, she still had to visit the princess’s residence in the evening.

Of course, the second half of her words was a lie. There was no way she could just show up at the princess’s residence for no reason.

Her implied meaning was: I am doing a task for Princess Yuyang. If you are wise, Young Master, don’t bother me!

Han Linfeng raised his eyebrows. He thought that this young lady was good at learning on the spot. She had learned his trick of borrowing prestige to intimidate others very well.

He pretended not to understand her hidden meaning and added a piece of wood to the bonfire. “You shouldn’t have taken on this task. The consort has always disliked men wearing fragrances. If you don’t create something he likes, the princess might get angry at you.”

This was exactly what Su Luoyun was worried about. Now, hearing Han Linfeng say this, she couldn’t help but bite her lip and mutter to herself, “Does Consort Zhao not have a favorite scent?”

Han Linfeng saw her gently biting her red lip with her white teeth and slightly narrowed his eyes. He then calmly turned his gaze to the burning fire.

It seemed that Luoyun’s words had also triggered some of his distant memories. After a while, he said softly, “A favorite scent... is probably a memory that you can’t let go of...”

Su Luoyun was stunned for a moment after hearing this. She thought for a while: Yes, if you truly loved something, how could you let it go so easily?

Just like her, the scent she liked most now was the jasmine scent her mother loved when she was alive. Every time she smelled it, it was as if she was transported back to her childhood, where her mother was at her dressing table, applying jasmine hair oil while turning her head to smile at her...

As she thought about it, Luoyun suddenly had an epiphany.

Couldn’t let go? Consort Zhao had resisted the pressure and refused to divorce his wife. He then remained a widower for three years.

If the emperor hadn’t been so insistent on his beloved daughter’s behalf, Consort Zhao might have remained single for the rest of his life. So, what the consort couldn’t let go of was the scent of his late wife, wasn’t it?

She just didn’t know what kind of fragrance Consort Zhao’s late wife liked.

So, she tentatively asked Han Linfeng what kind of person the consort’s late wife was.

Han Linfeng was stunned for a moment. He seemed to have understood Luoyun’s intention. He thought for a moment and replied, “Although I have only been in the capital for two years, my servants are very familiar with the servants at the consort’s residence. When I go back, I will have someone find out where the late wife’s maid is. If you ask her, you will naturally know.”

Su Luoyun hadn’t expected that Young Master Han would be so willing to help her. In her gratitude, she also had to be a little wary. She just politely thanked the young master and said that she had only asked out of curiosity and that he didn’t need to go to so much trouble.

Han Linfeng’s lips curled into a slight smile. “It seems that you don’t like to owe favors. I am the same. Helping you is also a way for me to repay a favor.”

Luoyun didn’t quite understand. When had he ever owed her a favor?

Of course, Han Linfeng would not mention the time when a knife was held to Su Luoyun’s neck on the boat. He just said calmly, “My carriage once hit you, Miss. No matter how I repay that debt, it would not be too much. And the princess doesn’t like people mentioning the consort’s late wife. It’s better for you not to get involved, Miss Su, to avoid any trouble...”

Just as he was speaking, the rain outside gradually stopped. Han Linfeng stood up and looked outside. He then looked at Guo Yan and the others who were sleeping sprawled all over the place.

He had been with them for a long time and knew what kind of person Guo Yan was. If this guy woke up from his drunken stupor, he would probably cause trouble again.

He turned to Su Luoyun and said, “Since you have to go to the princess’s residence, you should leave quickly while the rain has stopped. Your carriage wheels look too narrow and not suitable for muddy roads. I still have to wait here for my companions to sober up. You can use the young master’s carriage, Miss.”

Although Su Luoyun tried to decline, the young master, who seemed gentle, was actually very bossy and not one to be negotiated with.

After he gave his orders, the young master’s servants quickly moved Su Luoyun’s luggage and boxes to the young master’s carriage.

Su Luoyun couldn’t refuse, so she could only thank him and get into the young master’s carriage first.

When she sat in the spacious carriage, the lingering scent of powder still filled the air.

When Su Luoyun reached out and felt around, she found a side table with a tea tray and a magnetic clasp. The purple clay teapot felt smooth and warm, as if it had been used for a long time and was very much loved by its owner.

Luoyun’s fingertips were sensitive. As she felt it, she found that there seemed to be a line of small characters on the bottom of the pot. After careful deciphering, she realized that it was a line from the “Tao Te Ching”: “I am alone, and nothing has yet manifested.”

This kind of phrase for self-cultivation often appeared on various expensive purple clay teapots, for the owner to play with and reflect upon themselves.

It would have been more fitting for Han Linfeng to have a phrase like “Today we have wine, so today we get drunk,” which encouraged people to enjoy life.

But a detached phrase like “I am alone, and nothing has yet manifested,” which was for a person who was sober and indifferent while others were laughing and having fun, was very inconsistent with her understanding of Han Linfeng.

However, the items around a noble person were often chosen by their servants or given as gifts by friends. So, it was not unusual for the motto to be inconsistent with the person.

Su Luoyun let out a soft sigh and carefully put the teapot down. She thought about how the owner of the carriage had just helped her clear the fog and solve a big problem with just a few words.

For the first time, she felt a sense of curiosity: what kind of person was this Han Linfeng in private?