Ling Hua looked at the three plum blossom deer that Liuli had brought back. Each had an arrow wound on the left leg, and the injuries were in the exact same spot. Even the force of the arrows released simultaneously was perfectly identical, prompting her to click her tongue in amazement.
"Young Marquis's archery skills are unparalleled," Liuli appraised. "Such excellent archery, instead of being used to bring honor to the family, is only employed in eating, drinking, and merrymaking. No wonder the two marquis of Marquis Duanjing Residence were successively angered to death."
Ling Hua nodded, "Indeed."
"I heard that Young Marquis's literary enlightenment was under the current era's Great Confucian Scholar Lu Tiancheng at Qingshan Academy, and his military arts were taught by the late War God General Zhang Ke. Initially, the old marquis of Marquis Duanjing Residence had to swallow his pride and spend a fortune to secure two good masters for him," Liuli shared the gossip she had heard. "But after studying for a few years, he claimed it was boring and caused a fuss to stop learning. No matter whether the old marquis and the marquis enforced family laws or tried to persuade him with earnest advice, nothing worked. He was solely determined to become a ne'er-do-well who wanted to live off others."
Ling Hua raised her eyebrows, "And then? Given his archery skills, it doesn't look like he's neglected them."
Liuli laughed as well, "Because he loves fresh game, he often goes hunting, which is why his archery skills have not only been retained but even improved somewhat. Everything else has been cast aside, especially literary skills. It's said that just hearing people recite poetry or compose essays gives him a headache, and at its worst, it can last for three days."
Ling Hua couldn't help but laugh quietly, "Is that so?"
"Yes, nobody would deny that he is a profligate."
Ling Hua laughed for a while, then suddenly asked, "Does he have an engagement?"
That question seemed to hit a nerve with Liuli, who immediately stared intently at Ling Hua, "Miss, you can't possibly be..."
Taking a fancy to him, right?
Young Marquis is good-looking, and our young miss is not bad either. If it's for that handsome face, isn't looking in the mirror enough? Fancying a profligate to bring home as a husband, wouldn't that just cause her heartache?
Moreover, that Young Marquis didn't look like someone who wanted to start a family. In Marquis Duanjing Residence, he was the one calling the shots, seemingly enjoying himself a lot. Who could force him to marry by pressing his head down? Even an imperial decree couldn't control him, with the Empress Dowager being his grandaunt.
The Empress Dowager is still alive and kicking!
"Why so anxious? I'm someone with an engagement," Ling Hua leisurely tapped her palm with a round fan, "I'm just wondering when Qin Huan will come to seek the annulment of our engagement."
Liuli carefully scrutinized Ling Hua's expression, unable to discern anything from her face, but still felt it was out of the ordinary. She had never heard her mistress ask whether a man was engaged before. If it were not a significant interest, it might at least be a bit of fancy. After all, Young Marquis's face was indeed too good-looking.
After a moment of silence, she still reminded, "If Young Miss has taken a liking to Young Marquis, it would be best to think of a way to get Qin Huan to cancel the engagement soon. Just relying on Qin Huan himself, I'm afraid it won't be possible. After all, the Duke of Anguo's old lady likes you very much, and so does Princess Lanhui."
"Naturally, they like me. After all, with the extensive internal strife in the Duke of Anguo Residence, they are waiting for me to marry in and fill their financial gaps," Ling Hua scoffed. "Such a 'wonderful' marriage my mother arranged for me."
Liuli kept quiet for a moment, then spoke out of fairness, "It's not the lady's fault. At that time, it was a childhood betrothal, and who knew that over a decade, the Duke of Anguo Residence would gradually decline."
When I banged the complaint drum back then, why didn't Duke of Anguo Residence step forward and break off the marriage with me?" Ling Hua said with a face full of regret.
Liuli hesitated a moment, then whispered softly, "It seems that the second prince blocked the old lady of Duke of Anguo's sedan chair."
"Xiao Zhen?" Ling Hua laughed angrily, "I was wondering why the opportunistic family of Duke of Anguo didn't make a move. I even thought they were just bearing it to save face, afraid of being gossiped about, but it turns out the crux of the matter was with him."
She grew increasingly irritated, "Only he could pull such a stunt behind my back!"
Liuli stopped talking; she dared not meddle in matters between her miss and the second prince.
Ling Hua fumed silently for a while before she definitively said, "Where do I owe him any grace? Clearly, we had a feud in past lives, not just our last one but dating back eight generations. We've probably been at odds the whole time."
Liuli dared not speak any further.
The carriage arrived at Qiyun Mountain, and as the mountain gates opened, they were greeted by blossoming Begonia flowers as far as the eye could see.
After Ling Hua disembarked from the carriage, viewing the brightly blooming Begonia flowers lifted her spirits a bit. She instructed Liuli, "Find a doctor for those three Plum Blossom Deer, get their injuries treated, and feed them well."
Liuli asked, "Didn't Miss want to eat venison? Aren't we eating them now?"
"We'll eat them after they fatten up, they're too skinny now."
Liuli turned around, looked at the clearly fat Plum Blossom Deer, and wondered how much fatter they needed to be before eating them. Seeing Ling Hua walk away, she waved her hand and ordered, "Take them to get treated and raise them well. Miss says we'll eat them once they get fatter."
The trusted aide complied and took the three Plum Blossom Deer to the doctor.
Qiyun Mountain boasted not only the Begonia flowers that filled the sky but also hot springs crafted from mountain streams. Ling Hua's favorite activity was to drink Begonia Brew while admiring the Begonia flowers and soaking in the hot springs, truly relishing in comfort.
After staying a night on Qiyun Mountain, on the following day, the trusted aide reported that someone had entered South Mountain with a Jade Token.
Ling Hua, fanning herself, asked, "Is it Marquis Yan?"
The trusted aide shook his head, "It's Young Master Cheng Chu from the Duke of Yongle's residence."
Ling Hua: "?"
"Why him?"
The trusted aide struggled for a moment before saying, "It's said that Marquis Yan, upon seeing Young Master Cheng Chu's long-standing admiration for our place, decided to make a sacrifice for his good brother and gave him the Jade Token."
"How generous of him!"
The trusted aide coughed, "Young Master Cheng didn't take advantage of Marquis Yan either. He paid Marquis Yan one hundred thousand taels of silver."
Ling Hua: "..."
???
Liuli, overhearing this conversation, almost let her teacup fly out of her hand onto the floor. After being stunned for a while, she said to Ling Hua, "Earning one hundred thousand taels of silver in exchange for three days of enjoying plum blossoms—that's not a bad deal at all. As beautiful as our Begonias are, they can't compare to the allure of real gold and silver. No wonder even after the old Marquis from Marquis Duanjing Residence passed away two or three years ago, and the Marquis spent lavishly every day, he could still afford a life of luxury. He's quite the moneymaker."
If they had such talents under their command, they wouldn't have needed to work so hard day and night over these past few years.
Ling Hua nodded, not just unscathed but making a fortune.
She instructed her trusted aide, "Prepare good wine, good food, and a good place for Young Master Cheng. We need to justify the price he paid for those three Plum Blossom Deer, making sure he feels that spending one hundred thousand taels of silver to enjoy the Begonias was worth it, the kind he could boast about for a lifetime."
Liuli: "..."