Chapter 258.2: Hello Chang'an
Chapter 258.2: Tell Her Story Properly
Yet the gazes at this moment were entirely different from before.
Though they were looking at him, it seemed as if their eyes passed through him, fixed upon another person beyond.
This was no illusion.
Wei Miaoqing pressed a cup of tea into his hand, urging eagerly,
“Brother, quickly tell us about Young Miss Chang! Are those rumors true or false?”
Wei Shuyi felt a sense of ‘as expected’ — indeed, this tea was not offered for nothing.
Just as he was about to find an excuse to slip away, footsteps sounded behind him.
It was Duan Shi, arriving with several maids in attendance.
But Duan Shi had not come to break up these young ladies — she had come to join them.
She did not even first greet her son, who had just returned to the capital, with the tenderness of a mother.
Instead, she sat down directly and urged him to “speak of serious matters first.”
A mother’s order could not be defied, so Wei Shuyi resigned himself to his fate and sat down.
Before he could even open his mouth, the young ladies already assumed attentive postures.
One of them, seated properly, had a low table before her on which lay paper and brush, while Yao Xia busied herself grinding ink for her swiftly.
That seated young lady’s surname was Wu.
She was born to a family of scholars, proud by nature, a celebrated talented lady of the capital.
But since the Dragon Boat Festival banquet at Dengtai Tower, she had been utterly won over by Chang Suining, and had faithfully followed her ever since.
By virtue of her lively personality, she held a modest position within this circle of young ladies who all adored and supported Chang Suining.
Previously, when Wei Miaoqing had tried to monopolize Chang Suining, it was this Lady Wu who had taken the lead to correct her.
The effect of that correction was evident.
Now, Wei Miaoqing had come to understand the true meaning of “to like is not to possess, but to share.”
For example, today, she was the first to share news about Young Miss Chang — along with her own brother — with everyone.
Lady Wu held her brush poised, waiting for the Deputy Minister Wei to begin.
Seeing this, Wei Shuyi could not help but laugh inwardly —
so, they even brought along a “court historian”?
Well.
Her deeds were indeed worthy of being recorded and widely told.
Since that was the case, he would play the storyteller today —
to tell her story properly,
to tell properly the story of the one who ought to be seen by the world.
When several dozen young ladies emerged from the Marquis of Zheng’s residence, dusk had already begun to fall.
The group surrounded Lady Wu, chattering noisily, all wanting to borrow the booklet in her hands to copy it down for themselves.
“No rush.” Lady Wu hugged the booklet to her chest calmly and said,
“Let me first check it over for mistakes. Once I’m sure everything is correct, I’ll have servants make several copies, and each of you shall have one.”
As the central figure of this circle, she well knew how to balance all sides.
Lending it to one person first would not be fair — better to distribute it together later.
Everyone agreed with her suggestion readily, and soon their attention shifted back to Yao Xia.
“Second Miss Yao, the letter mentioned us too, didn’t it? Let us have another look!”
Chang Suining had indeed written a letter to Yao Xia.
On the envelope were the words “To Yao Xia personally.”
Yet within, she had sent greetings to many of the young ladies.
Faced with the outstretched claws reaching toward her, Yao Xia knew that once she handed the letter out, it would be devoured like a lamb among wolves.
So she clutched it tightly and ran off in a flash.
“Come find me tomorrow!” she called as she fled. “We can read it together then!”
She thumped, thumped, thumped up into her carriage.
The coachman, understanding at once, cracked the reins and drove off swiftly, leaving no chance for the girls to catch up.
Behind her, the young ladies stamped their feet, crying out in mock complaint.
But Yao Xia cared little.
It was Lady Wu’s job to keep everyone satisfied.
As for herself — she had once been the first person to be close to Sister Chang, practically a founding member of this circle.
Naturally, she had every right to enjoy the privilege of reading Sister Chang’s letter alone!
Although, to be fair, at first her affection for Sister Chang had been born from a certain… admiration for her looks.
The carriage swayed gently.
The girl hugged the letter against her chest, smiling brightly, her eyes shining, feeling proud and elated.
She and Sister Chang were both amazing.
Sister Chang painted brilliantly, struck fiercely, demanded justice superbly — and slew her enemies magnificently.
And as for her, Yao Xia — she had excellent taste in the people she liked!
When the formidable Second Miss Yao returned home, she was told by a servant that her grandmother, father, mother, elder brother, and even her uncle were waiting for her to dine together.
Yao Xia was startled — it was already dark, and how could she possibly be worthy of such an honor?
Even her uncle and grandmother waiting for her to eat?
That kind of treatment was reserved for the head of the family!
She felt both flattered and overwhelmed.
In the dining hall, all the Yao family members were present — except for the young lady who lived in the small Buddha hall.
At the table, Yao Gui repeatedly picked up dishes for his younger sister and could not help but ask,
“Sister, what news did you hear at the Marquis of Zheng’s residence today?”
If he could learn the latest about Young Miss Chang, then tomorrow at the academy, he could practically walk sideways in pride!
There was nothing strange about that — young men were always most fascinated by the deeds of other youths, even if that youth happened to be a girl.
Especially if that youth was a girl.
Yao Xia had been holding herself back all evening, just waiting for someone to ask.
In the past, when her eldest aunt, Pei Shi, was still alive, there could not be the slightest sound at the dinner table.
If she dropped even a single grain of rice, it would earn her a cold sneer and a sharp look.
But since Pei Shi’s departure, the atmosphere had relaxed; the suffocating rules had gone with her.
Still, Yao Xia did not begin speaking immediately.
She merely said, “Brother, don’t be impatient. Let’s finish eating first.”
It wasn’t that she wanted to keep them in suspense — but the things Sister Chang had done were so astonishing that she feared someone might choke on their food in shock.
That would be her fault!
At her words, Yao Gui promptly bowed his head and began eating faster.
Yao Tingwei, though silent, also began chewing more briskly.
In the end, it was the dignified Old Madam Yao who first set down her chopsticks.
Meeting the gaze of the younger generation, she smiled and said,
“Old age dulls the appetite.”
With that, everyone else followed suit, upholding the “not eating too much in the evening” principle of healthy living.
The dishes were soon cleared away, replaced by steaming tea.
Having spent the whole day handling cases at the Ministry of Justice, and having missed the chance to “run into” Wei Shuyi at court, Yao Tingwei now pricked up his ears attentively.
Yao Xia began with a single line that decided everything:
“…Deputy Minister Wei said that all those rumors are true!”
Yao Tingwei’s eyes widened.
All true?
She really went to the battlefield to find General Chang?
She truly slew General Xu Zhengye’s top commander — and Li Yi?
She actually did it?!
— What on earth was she planning?!
— And how in the world had she managed it?!
Just as Yao Xia was about to continue, a servant came in to report: Yao Ran had come.
Everyone was surprised.
Since Yao Ran had resolved to live a life of quiet devotion and prayer, she had secluded herself in the Buddha hall, leaving only on the first and fifteenth days of each month to greet her grandmother and father.
But today was neither the first nor the fifteenth — those days had long passed.
The young woman wore plain garments, her hair coiled simply with a wooden hairpin, no jewelry of any kind upon her person.
The long scar across her face remained strikingly visible.
Yao Xia rose in delight. “Cousin!”
“Ran’er, come here to Grandmother,” the Old Madam said with a warm smile.
She did not ask why Yao Ran had come — a child’s willingness to come out and move about was a good thing.
This was her home, after all; she could come whenever she wished.
Yao Yi also looked at his daughter with a gentle smile.
After giving her salutations, Yao Ran spoke softly,
“Ah Xia, were you just speaking about Young Miss Chang?”
Yao Xia hesitated slightly and nodded, somewhat uncertain.
Though it had been Pei Shi who had harmed Sister Chang, her cousin had long felt guilty over it.
It was that guilt which had driven her to destroy her own face and retreat into the Buddha hall.
Now that her cousin had suddenly appeared, Yao Xia was unsure what attitude to take.
Yet Yao Ran smiled — a rare, gentle smile — and said,
“May I listen as well?”
End of Chapter
Xiao Wei: Frightened to death by star-chasing fans!
Uncle: Frightened to death by people who keep stirring things up!
A glimpse of the long-missed faces of the capital — good night!
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