Chapter 448: Chapter 291: Special Habits_2
“Indeed! The mont I laid eyes on Wife’s extraordinary beauty, I imdiately had the dowager arrange our match. I’ve really done Li Lady a great favor,” said Xiao Song, his face carrying a smile that was neither warm nor distant, “No matter how beautiful she may be, she will soon be part of the Xiao Family, and she will belong only to . She won’t steal the title of Chang’an’s beauty from you.”
The sarcasm in his words was apparent to anyone, yet the Princess of Baling, unconcerned, gave a light laugh, “Then I truly must co to thank you, otherwise wouldn’t I be lacking in manners?”
As she spoke, her delicate fingers lightly brushed across Ran Yan’s face, followed by a sigh of admiration, “Exquisite.” Her eyes lingered on Ran Yan’s face, as if trying to see sothing more through her, “It’s just a pity about those eyes, they really lack spirit.”
Ran Yan’s heart skipped a beat, suddenly realizing whom she was trying to see through her. Ran Yunsheng’s every frown and smile were like scenery, and if it ca to handso looks, he might not be the handsost, but his mood seed contagious, sothing Ran Yan’s stoic face could not compare to.
It seed the Princess of Baling hadn’t given up on Ran Yunsheng.
“Since we’ve encountered each other twice today, why not go for a drink together?” the Princess of Baling suggested, looking at Xiao Song.
“Lady Li is in high spirits. Could it be you’re aware that I’m attending the Emperor’s banquet tomorrow and you can’t bear to part with the treasured Five Clouds Wine from the palace?” Xiao Song joked, and without waiting for a response from anyone else, he took Ran Yan’s hand, nodded slightly to the Princess of Baling in acknowledgent, and left with a flourish.
By now, the atmosphere on the streets had lost its earlier warmth; many had gone ho to wash up and prepare for the New Year’s vigil. Passersby were few and far between as Xiao Song and Ran Yan walked toward the East Market as if they were out for a leisurely stroll.
They had only walked halfway when a carriage approached them.
“You were so rude to the Princess of Baling. Might she bear a grudge?” Ran Yan asked as she settled down in the carriage.
With a languid tone, Xiao Song said, “That grudge was ford long ago when the one who brought her private affairs to the attention of the Imperial Censorate was none other than myself.”
“Why?” Ran Yan’s brows furrowed slightly.
“She shouldn’t have tried to extend her reach to . Ah, she probably thought I was without a woman, lonely and desperate, hence easier to seduce,” Xiao Song said, pouring himself a cup of tea and laughing, “She did understand where to draw the line, otherwise how could I settle with such a slight punishnt?”
This was a special quirk of the Princess of Baling: she didn’t particularly enjoy dalliances with n, but rather took pleasure in watching handso n and beauties engage in live intimate acts. Xiao Song’s looks and poise were indeed rare, and she naturally had quite the interest in seeing what Xiao Song was like in bed.
Ran Yan analyzed the Princess’s psychology, which wasn’t actually all that unusual; many people harbor desires to pry into others’ privacy, only hers was particularly evident.
After a long silence, Ran Yan suddenly blurted out coldly, “If she wishes to see, why doesn’t she marry and watch to her heart’s content.”
The cup Xiao Song brought to his lips paused as he studied her for a while. Seeing that she turned her face away, he set down the cup and reached out to turn her face back toward him, “Ran Shiqi, are you jealous?”
“If I say I’m not jealous, would you think I don’t care about you?” Ran Yan asked, looking at him.
“No,” Xiao Song answered truthfully, “but I’d be happier if you were.”
“What do you think then?”
“…” Xiao Song furrowed his brows and looked at her, then after a while burst out laughing, “A strong scent of vinegar.”
Ran Yan watched him laugh with an expressionless face. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to play along; she simply had very little experience with intimate relationships.
Xiao Song didn’t mind. He took a sip of water and said, “Two years ago, Lady Lu refused the Emperor’s offer to grant Fang Xuanling a beautiful concubine. The Emperor summoned her into the palace and presented her with vinegar as poison, which Lady Lu drank in one gulp, impressing the Emperor. But I heard that after returning ho, Xuanling only comnted, ‘A strong scent of vinegar,’ and as a result, he ended up sleeping in the study for an entire month.”
The fact that Fang Xuanling was henpecked was no secret, even recorded in history books, but this was the first ti Ran Yan heard this particular story, which made her grin, “Are you saying that you’re envious?”
“I am envious. Look, there’s no difference for between sleeping in the bedroom or in the study,” Xiao Song said with a look of mock resentnt.
Ran Yan burst into laughter, wondering, what is this if not a classic masochist?
Nevertheless, despite her composure, she felt a bit uncomfortable getting ahead of herself discussing married life with him. Thinking of the fireworks just now, she changed the subject, “How did you manage to create fireworks? Did you just follow the recipe given by Liu Qingsong?”
Xiao Song was irritated just thinking about that, “Since I was thirteen years old, Liu Qingsong has been tinkering with his firecrackers and fireworks. I’m twenty-seven now; for fourteen years, he’s blown up more than a dozen of our family’s houses, and after he was sent to the Taoist temple, he flattened half a mountain. I’ve been an onlooker from start to finish, and I’d morized that recipe by heart ten years ago.”
So the unreliable things Liu Qingsong made ended up inadvertently teaching Xiao Song.
Xiao Song had previously stayed away from it because he held a deep grudge against Liu Qingsong, as well as because his energies were focused elsewhere and he simply couldn’t be bothered with him. Now, it was all just to make Ran Yan smile.
Upon hearing that Liu Qingsong once blew up half a mountain, Ran Yan felt a sense of relief akin to having survived a disaster. Compared to that, the firecrackers that injured Ran Yan were rather successful, for if they had been as potent as Liu Qingsong’s usual output, Ran Yan would have been maid long ago.
Xiao Song was always calm and composed, but now he sighed deeply. Liu Qingsong was to Xiao Song both teacher and friend, much like a brother. Over the years, he had suffered much due to him, yet he had also learned a lot from him. Xiao Song resented yet respected Liu Qingsong, a complex mix of feelings.(
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