Chapter 22: Identity Exposed (1)

  Yuan Dai smiled slightly, not being too aggressive, but rather leaning against the car wall, closing her eyes halfway, and dozing off. Although she hadn't talked to Yuan Zhen too late last night, her mind was still restless, plus she had a habit of insomnia, so she hardly slept in the second half of the night. Not having slept at night, she got up early in the morning, strolled around for the whole morning, and now how could she not feel tired?

  Xiao Chengxian saw her dozing off and also didn't say a word, closing his eyes to take a nap like a distant Dai.

  Ling Yuexuan sat quietly on one side, lost in thought. Although she was young and inexperienced in worldly matters, she was by no means a foolish person. At this moment, she carefully pondered the words of Yuan Dai and Xiao Xian, and her heart vaguely guessed why the two had brought this matter to discuss with her in detail.

  Even if they are emotionally compatible and privately determined for life, under the influence of external forces and power temptation, it is difficult to achieve good results.

  Lu Weijie's figure suddenly appeared in her mind, but it made her feel inexplicably flustered. She stole a glance at Yuandai and the other two, seeing that they were all resting with their eyes closed, seemingly unaware of her abnormality, and only then did she slightly calm down. The next moment, she hurriedly followed the example of the other two, closing her eyes and pretending to sleep, but her heart was still surging with emotions.

  The horse-drawn carriage rented for the trip was not particularly spacious or comfortable, but since the road to Pingjing was a major thoroughfare, the ride was relatively smooth and didn't feel bumpy at all. When they entered Pingjing, everyone got off the carriage and pointed out a teahouse where the two coachmen went in to have some tea while waiting, then slowly made their way into the city.

  After a while, Ling Yuancheng raised his eyes to look at the sky and said: "It's almost noon now, let's find an inn to have lunch!" As he spoke, he turned his head to glance at Xiao Chengye. He said: "I remember that the Zhuangyuan Building in the west of the city is quite good, what do you think?"

  Xiao Chengye nodded as soon as he heard this and said: "The Zhuangyuan Building is indeed a rather suitable place!"

  The two of them agreed, and Yan Dai and the others had no further objections. The crowd walked forward for over a hundred steps before they saw the Shuangyuan Building in the distance. As it happens, the Shuangyuan Building has been around for decades in Pingjing due to its auspicious name. Candidates who come to take the imperial examination, especially those with thick wallets, are willing to spend some silver to seek good luck. Moreover, the food and wine at the Shuangyuan Building are among the best in Pingjing's restaurants. When they arrived, although it was already late, the Shuangyuan Building was still packed with guests, with few empty seats available.

  The smiling shopkeeper invited everyone in, walking and saying: "Several gentlemen have come at the right time. Our third floor VIP room just vacated one room, I don't know if you want to go up and sit?"

  This fellow's eyes are extremely venomous. As soon as he sees the clothes and demeanor of the crowd, he knows that they must be from a wealthy and noble family, which is why he made such a proposal.

  Xiao Chengye went out for a drink. Originally used to being in elegant rooms, upon hearing this, he subconsciously nodded.

  Xiao Chengyan looked on from the side, and couldn't help but cough heavily. Suddenly hearing this cough, Xiao Chengye was startled awake, hastily shaking his head: "No need to go to a quiet room! Just find a slightly quieter spot in this main hall!"

  The fellow didn't seem reluctant at all and immediately led the five of them to sit down at an eight-immortal table by the window.

  Xiao Chengye was used to being a young master. He didn't bother ordering dishes, just instructed the waiter to bring some suitable wine and food, and the waiter responded quickly and went off. Before long, the wine and food were all ready. Xiao Chengye poured a cup of wine for each person, then pointed at the wine and said: "This wine is the signature wine of Zhuangyuan Building, called Zhuangyuan Red!"

  She lowered her head to look at the wine, and saw that its color was like amber, its quality clear and transparent, and its aroma even more fragrant and delicate, indeed a rare good wine.

  She just looked at it, but had no intention of tasting it. On the other side, Xiao Chengyan had already raised her cup and took a sip, savoring the flavor for a moment before laughing: "This wine is quite similar to the eighteen-year-old Chen Nian red wine that Lu Jia's sister gave me when she got married!"

  The Lu Jia Yan mentioned by her was the third young lady of the Lu family in Beijing, who had been married for more than two years.

  The wine used by Lu Yinniang at the time of her marriage, Xiao Chengye and others had also drunk it before. At this moment, he smiled and said: "In my opinion, this Hongyu and Zhuangyuanhong are actually the same kind of wine, just with slightly different names!" Ling Yuancheng on the side also nodded in approval.

  Yan Dai said on the side, "Xiao Gege's words are actually just right! The Zhuangyuan Red and Nü'er Red are actually the same wine. In Jiangnan Shaoxing area, there is a tradition of brewing wine when having children. After brewing, the wine is buried deep underground in a jar. When a girl is born, it is called Nü'er Red. When a boy is born, it is called Zhuangyuan Red. It's called Nü'er Red because this wine is usually dug up and used to entertain guests when the daughter gets married. In fact, only such perfect and auspicious wine is truly Nü'er Red! If a family in Shaoxing area has a daughter who dies prematurely, they call this wine 'Hua Gou', meaning withered flowers."

  Everyone suddenly heard the two words "hua jiao", but no one felt a moment of sadness. After a while, Ling Yuancheng sighed: "I used to drink a lot of huajiao before, but I didn't know that this huajiao actually had another meaning!"

  Yan Dai smiled and said, "Sixth Brother is overthinking! What I meant was just an old story. Nowadays, the wine in the market is all made for profit. Although the wine may not be bad, if it's called 'Niang Er Hong', I always feel that there's something off about it!"

  Everyone who heard this was lost in thought, as if they were thinking of something. After a while, Xiao Xian smiled and said: "You're drinking the champion red wine now, but you've dragged out the daughter red wine for no reason, and once you've dragged it out, you've dragged out such a big piece!"

  Yan Dai heard this and smiled, then pointed to the wine in front of her and said: "Speaking of which, the founding years of the Great Zhou Dynasty are indeed not few. I wonder if there has ever been a Shaoxing-born zhuangyuan (top scorer in the imperial examination)? And when this zhuangyuan was born, I wonder if his parents had brewed wine or not?"

  Xiao Chengye heard this and couldn't help but laugh, but he didn't respond. Instead, he turned his head to glance at Ling Yuancheng beside him.

  With a smile, Ling Yuancheng said: "Speaking of which, Zhao Zihui, the champion of the Xinmao year, is actually from Shaoxing. If I see him another day, I'll ask if his family has brewed the champion red wine?" His tone was casual yet warm, obviously having a good relationship with this Zhao Zihui.

  Yan Dai casually asked, but really didn't expect that there was actually such a person. After being stunned for a moment, she couldn't help but laugh and say: "Sixth brother, if you get that champion red wine, remember to save some for me. To think of it, I've never had the real deal champion red wine before!"

  Ling Yuanchen was taken aback and laughed after a while: "The ninth brother's taste is indeed too high!"

  Everyone who heard this, except for Ling Yuexuan, couldn't help but burst out laughing. After they finished laughing, Xiao Chengxian looked at Yuan Dai and sincerely sighed: "Sometimes I just can't figure it out, is there anything in this world that Ninth Brother doesn't know?"

  Yuan Dai heard this and also smiled, saying: "Of course there are, and absolutely not a few! However, you often talk about eating or drinking in front of me, so I actually know all about it!" There was a hint of self-mockery in her tone.

  Xiao Chengxian was taken aback, and after thinking for a moment, she surprisingly found that what Yuandai said was actually true. She couldn't help but laugh and shake her head, then turned to Ling Yuanye and said: "Tenth brother, look at your ninth brother, isn't he being self-righteous?"

  Since getting off the car, she had been absent-minded and silently dazed. Ling Yuexuan didn't expect the conversation to suddenly turn to herself, and after a moment of stunned silence, she almost blurted out: "What?"

  Xiao Chengye and Ling Yuqing had already sensed her abnormality, but Xiao Chengye was not familiar with her, so he didn't dare to ask. As for Ling Yuqing, his relationship with her was only ordinary, and thinking that it's better to mind one's own business, he also didn't speak up.

  Ling Yuexuan suddenly understood the implication, her small face instantly turning red to the roots of her ears. Wanting to explain something, yet not knowing where to start, after a long while she could only stutter: "I... I suddenly feel a bit dizzy!"

  As for the reason why she fainted, both Yuandai and Xiaochengyan knew in their hearts, but they didn't say it out loud. As soon as Xiaochengyan heard this, she didn't think much about it and quickly smiled: "In that case, let's have dinner quickly and return to the Wenxuan Hall early!"

  After several changes, this time the selection of son-in-law was only for Xiao Chengyan. She had said so, and everyone would not object. They hastily finished their meal and returned to the Wenxuan Hall in a hurry. On the way back, Ling Yuansen pretended to be ill and became even more silent, not saying a word along the way. Seeing her like this, Yuan Dai and Xiao Chengyan also didn't dare say much, and could only continue to pretend to sleep with their eyes closed.

  Everyone on this trip to Pingjing can be said to have left with excitement and returned in disappointment. By the time they arrived at the gate of Wensheng Pavilion, it was only three quarters past noon. After entering Wensheng Pavilion, everyone walked along the path and soon arrived at Cui Zhu Garden. Among them, Ling Yuqing and Xiao Chengyan were habitually walking in the front, but as soon as they stepped into Cui Zhu Garden, both of their footsteps suddenly stopped.

  Yuandai and the other two were not far apart, but when they suddenly stopped in their tracks, Yuandai and Xiao Xian managed to stop just in time. However, Ling Yuexuan was distracted and didn't notice, and before she knew it, she had bumped into Ling Yaqing's back.

  She couldn't help but let out a soft sigh, and with a puzzled expression, she gently rubbed her forehead, then looked up in a daze, only to freeze in place.

  In the middle of the green brick path in the courtyard of Cuizhu Garden, there was a person with an angry face standing there, staring at everyone who passed by, as if trying to identify something. And this person was precisely Lu Weijie.

  Everyone was stunned for a long time, and Ling Yuqing finally coughed lightly without embarrassment: "Wei Jie, how did you come?" With Lu Weijie's temperament, if he didn't have 100% confidence, he would never show up with this accusing attitude. And since Lu Weijie already knew about the matter, there was no need for him to pretend ignorance and struggle like a trapped beast.

  Lu Weijie glared at him: "Ling Yuqing, you..." He was originally a scholar and had a gentle temperament, but at this moment, although he was extremely angry, he still couldn't help but stutter when trying to utter harsh words.

  Ling Yuancheng stood there, really feeling uncomfortable all over. He wanted to explain, but since this matter was started by Xiao Chengxian and dominated by Yuan Daili, with Ling Yuancheng following along, as the older brother, how could he bear to expose the three of them? In the end, he could only stand stiffly and smile bitterly.