YBTS - 7

Upon hearing this, Su Guiyan quickly held his sister’s hand and blew on it to warm her, while also giving his father a resentful look.

Su Hongmeng, now that his mind was at ease, also felt a little guilty toward his eldest daughter. However, a father’s dignity prevented him from lowering his head. He could only clear his throat and say, “How would you know how urgent the situation was? Spies for the rebels broke into the prison in Yinzhou and rescued the rebel leader. This is a matter of military importance, and the entire river will soon be under lockdown. If I didn’t find a way to leave quickly, I would be delayed at the old house. According to the laws of the Great Wei Dynasty, an official who fails to report for duty on time is considered to have voluntarily resigned... That coachman was also lazy. Why didn’t he check the carriage beforehand, causing Luoyun to miss the ship in time!”

After putting the blame on the coachman, Su Hongmeng immediately felt more at ease. If Su Luoyun’s carriage hadn’t broken down, he wouldn’t have left his daughter behind.

Upon hearing her father’s words, Su Luoyun realized that the person on the boat was actually an accomplice of the rebels...

Since the matter was of such great importance, Su Luoyun was even more unwilling to get involved. She decided not to mention a single word of it to anyone else, treating the encounter on the boat as a nightmare that she should quickly forget.

After a long and tiring journey, Su Luoyun finally returned to the Su family residence after a long absence.

She used to have some close friends in the capital. The day after the eldest young lady of the Su family returned, Miss Xu Qiaozhi from the Xu family, a close friend of hers, came to visit her.

Accompanying Miss Xu was Miss Lu Lingxiu from the Lu family.

The families of these girls were all involved in business and were of similar social standing. Of course, the Lu family was more prominent among them; they had two officials in their family and often socialized with noble households, giving them a much wider network of connections.

However, the three of them had always gotten along well and had even formed a poetry club together, visiting each other often.

But after Su Luoyun lost her sight, she was unwilling to see people, so they hadn’t seen each other for a long time.

When the two young ladies were led into the garden by a maid, Su Luoyun had already arranged a tea table and was personally brewing tea for them.

Miss Xu was surprised to find that although Su Luoyun was staring blankly forward, she was able to scald the teacups and rinse the tea leaves without any hindrance, her every movement even more elegant than before she went blind.

Lu Lingxiu was also astonished and asked, “Luoyun, have your eyes recovered?”

Su Luoyun smiled slightly. “I didn’t have much to do in the old house, so I spent my free time delving into the art of tea. The positions of these teacups are all fixed, and I’ve memorized their locations after practicing a few times. How is it? Is there anything out of place?”

Lu Lingxiu had come with a sense of guilt. After all, her brother and Su Luoyun had been fond of each other early on, but now her brother was going to marry Su Luoyun’s sister. It was a situation that made one sigh about the unpredictability of fate.

She was prepared to be mocked by Su Luoyun. After all, she had heard from Su Caijian that after Luoyun went blind, her temper had become violent and she would curse at the slightest provocation.

But now, she saw that the once bright and cheerful girl had gained a maturity and elegance beyond her years, and her face... had become even more beautiful and captivating. If her brother were to see Su Luoyun like this, he would probably be tormented by his lovesickness all over again...

Contrary to what she had imagined, Su Luoyun didn’t seem to have any intention of ending their friendship. She acted as a gracious hostess. After serving the tea, Luoyun took their hands and told them stories of her time in the old house. The atmosphere was very harmonious.

Finding a moment alone, Lu Lingxiu wanted to pass on a message from her brother, to tell her about his difficult situation. But before she could finish, Su Luoyun interrupted, “All of that was from when we were children. No one will take it to heart... Come, smell the new incense I’ve blended. See if you like it.”

Luoyun’s mother, Hu Shi, was an expert perfumer. The Su family was on the verge of bankruptcy, and it was her mother’s formulas that brought them back from the brink.

Luoyun used to dislike blending spices because she felt that her mother’s support had given her father the leisure to engage in romantic affairs, which in turn had made her mother unhappy.

But having watched her mother do it since childhood, she was subtly influenced. Even though she didn’t like it, she understood the craft. After she went blind, in the eternal darkness, the faint fragrance became her limited means of perceiving the beauty of the world.

Luoyun’s skill in blending and her understanding of spices were now subtly surpassing her mother’s.

Lu Lingxiu, whose words were intentionally interrupted by Luoyun, didn’t pursue the topic. She could only take the incense and smell it.

After one sniff, she immediately relaxed her brows. “This scent is like pear blossoms, with a hint of the sweet freshness of peaches. It’s truly wonderful... Is this a new scent from your ‘Shouweizhai’ shop? What’s it called? I must have my maid buy more when I get back.”

Su Luoyun smiled faintly. “I just blended it for fun. Let’s call it ‘Faint Pear Fragrance.’ I’ve already infused it into an ointment, and I’ll give you and Qiaozhi a box each later.”

Miss Lu thanked her with a smile, and as she looked at Luoyun again, she sighed inwardly. How wonderful would it have been if Luoyun hadn’t had the accident and had become her sister-in-law?

Just as she was thinking this, the Su family’s second young lady came uninvited.

Because her sister couldn’t see, Su Caijian didn’t bother with courtesies. She just smiled at Miss Lu and said, “Lingxiu, you came all the way here and didn’t come to see me. You came to my sister’s courtyard first. Aren’t you afraid I’ll find fault with you?”

Lu Lingxiu, seeing her future sister-in-law say this, quickly smiled and replied, “You and I see each other often. I figured if I didn’t see you just once, you wouldn’t find fault with me. I’ll just pay for the next tea party.”

Su Caijian was actually quite bothered, feeling that her future sister-in-law was biased toward her elder sister, but she didn’t want to show it too obviously. So, half-jokingly, she said, “You and Sister have always been close, so it’s no wonder you only thought of her as soon as she returned. I wonder if your brother is the same...”

Su Luoyun didn’t wait for her sister to say something that would make everyone uncomfortable. She changed the subject again, “I hear Princess Yuyang is having a birthday soon. I wonder if the Lu family is handling her court clothes this year, just like in previous years?”

The Lu family and the Su family were both once merchant families.

The embroidery of the Lu family’s workshop was known for its beautiful patterns and fine craftsmanship. After the Lu family rose to prominence through their embroidery workshop, Master Lu joined the Office of Trade and Exchange, assisting the department in selecting fabrics and embroideries, making him a major player in the embroidery world. Su Hongmeng had also gotten his start by being introduced to the right people by Master Lu.

And if the nobles in the palace were tired of the usual styles, they would often have special orders made at the Lu family’s embroidery workshop.

Madam and Miss Lu, with their excellent design skills, had become frequent guests in the households of many marquises. Princess Yuyang was fond of luxurious clothes and often sought out Madam and Miss Lu to custom-make special garments.

Hearing Su Luoyun’s question, Lu Lingxiu smiled. “You guessed correctly. Our embroidery workshop has always been favored by the princess. This time, Princess Yuyang has chosen our family as well.”

As Su Luoyun applied her blended perfume balm to Lu Lingxiu’s wrist to test the scent, she asked casually, “Then does that mean, as usual, you can accompany your mother to the驸马府 (the Prince Consort’s Residence) to take the princess’s measurements?”

Lu Lingxiu laughed. “You’re a good guesser. My mother and I are going this afternoon after the princess’s nap. The princess has ordered many new patterns this time, and my mother is not comfortable with the seamstresses handling it alone, so she has to go herself to note down the details to avoid mistakes. Since I’m good at making the designs, I’m going with my mother to pay my respects to the princess.”

Since Lu Lingxiu had official business to attend to, everyone dispersed after a few cups of tea.

Su Luoyun went back to her room to change into her traveling clothes and prepared to leave the residence to meet her maternal uncle, who had come to the capital.

Because his sister had died early, Hu Xuesong had gotten into a fight with his brother-in-law, Su Hongmeng, smashing the Su family’s front door and ending their friendly relations.

Su Luoyun didn’t want to make things difficult for her uncle, so she sent him a note, arranging to meet at the post station.

The post station was a place where officials reporting for duty in the capital often stayed. The surrounding area was filled with high-class tea houses and wine shops. There were even many small alleys with pink lanterns hanging, where scantily-clad women stood leaning against the walls.

So, the streets were bustling and very lively.

Su Luoyun, who had been secluded in the countryside for two years, was a little unaccustomed to such prosperity. However, in the pitch-black world she inhabited, hearing all these noisy sounds gave her a sense of being alive and in the world.

Just then, a commotion of laughter and noise suddenly erupted next to the carriage.

Xiangcao poked her head out and quickly turned to inform her, “A group of rowdy drunks, who probably lost a bet, pushed someone out to play a zither and beg on the street, which has attracted a crowd.”

Because there were so many onlookers, the road was blocked. The Su family’s carriage could only move forward after the crowd dispersed.

Amidst the noise, a few strands of melodious zither music entered her ears.

The piece being played was “The Phoenix Seeks His Mate,” by Sima Xiangru. The music was melodious, though it was supposed to convey the infatuation of “There is a beauty; I see her and cannot forget. A day without seeing her, and my thoughts turn to madness.”

But as Su Luoyun listened carefully, she felt that the music was full of strength but lacked tenderness. Instead of a lovesick young man, it sounded more like a rough warrior who had forced a marriage, then turned and returned to his military camp.

So she gave a small laugh. Xiangcao was curious and asked what her young lady was laughing about. Luoyun told her her guess and then asked, “How old is the person playing the zither, and what does he look like?”

Xiangcao, standing on the carriage, could see clearly. After she saw him, she immediately put her hand to her heart and whispered, “My goodness, there is such a handsome young man in this world... I thought Mr. Lu was a rare handsome man, but it seems he’s nothing special...”

Before she could finish, Xiangcao’s thigh was pinched by Tian Mama. Xiangcao cried out in pain, realizing she had spoken out of turn by mentioning Lu Shi in front of her young lady.

The smile on Su Luoyun’s face faded slightly. She just changed the subject. “Oh? I thought he was a middle-aged warrior. It seems I don’t have the skill to judge people by their voice alone!”

Just then, someone in the crowd watching the commotion next to the carriage recognized the handsome young man playing the zither. “Isn’t that Han Linfeng, the heir of the Prince of the North? He’s already drunk at all the taverns on this street. What kind of a spectacle is he making here today?”

Another person said, “I heard he made a bet with the heir of the Prince of Yong’an. The loser has to play the zither and beg for money in the busy market. He can only leave after he’s collected enough for the drinks!”

When the crowd heard this, they looked and saw that there was indeed a delicate bronze basin in front of the kneeling nobleman, apparently serving as a begging bowl.

The basin was quite large, which showed that the banquet they had eaten at was not cheap.

“It’s a pity for the lineage of the late emperor that they have such a descendant now. It’s a good thing that Emperor Xuan took over the legitimate line back then, otherwise, our Great Wei Dynasty would be ruined by such a wastrel!”

These words were immediately met with agreement from the people around them, and their sarcastic taunts were endless.

It seemed that this heir of the Prince of the North, who had only been in the capital for two years, had already completely ruined his reputation.