CH 69

Chapter 69: Mutual Exchange

Li Tianyou stood at the door with his hands behind his back and smiled as he watched them leave, shouted under his breath, “Come and play again next time.” Turning around, he whined towards Xia Sheng who was standing behind him, “That Yaohua girl is getting fiercer and fiercer!”

When Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaohua came out, the Ren Family’s carriage was already waiting outside. After Xia Sheng found Ren Yaohua’s maidservants, several of them followed him, and several others were sent back to call for a carriage.

Although right now it was still not too late, the sky was already dark. Ren Yaoqi looked up at the sky and noticed that there were dark clouds churning in the sky not far away as if there was another heavy rain coming down.

After returning to the Bailong Temple by carriage, the two sisters went to see the Eldest Madam Wang.

Wang didn’t say anything when she saw them coming back. She only asked them politely about their grandparents’ family, to which Ren Yaoqi replied appropriately.

Wang said, “I was just going to send someone to pick you up, but it’s getting late, and it looks like there’s still a heavy rain coming down. The servants I sent out said that a lot of water had accumulated on the lower road in front of us, so it would be bad if there was another downpour on the way…”

As Wang was saying this, everyone heard a sudden muffled thunder outside that seemed to have shaken the ground. Then they heard someone running outside shouting that it was raining.

Wang looked back at Young Madam Zhao helplessly, “Some things are really supposed to stay unspoken.”

Zhao shook her head with a bitter smile. She walked over to the window, pushing it open, and sure enough it was raining heavily again outside, interspersed with lightning and thunder.

“Mother, you were right, I’m afraid we won’t be able to go back today.”

The Eldest Madam nodded, “Have someone go and tell the monks that we will stay in their guest house today.”

The Bailong Temple had some guest houses for women who go up to the mountain, separated from the monks’ residences. The temple could take care of them and there would be no safety concerns. It was so secure that the Eldest Madam did not feel embarrassed about stayed overnight.

After Zhao had made the arrangements, the Eldest Madam asked for Ren Yaoyu, Ren Yijun, Qiu Yun, and the others to come over.

They had come over in the middle of the rain. She saw when Ren Yaoyu came in, she went over to Qiu Yun and Yun Wenfang and whispered something in a familiar way, with Ren Yaoyin behind her.

Yun Wenfang swept his eyes over Ren Yaoqi as soon as he came in, looked somewhat dissatisfied, and said as he approached, “I asked someone to look for you several times this afternoon, but you were nowhere to be found. Originally, I wanted to take you guys for a stroll down the mountain.”

Looking at Ren Yaoyu’s stared eyes from the side, Ren Yaoqi nodded politely, “Third Sister and I met my uncle. So we went over to pay our respects.”

Ren Yaoyu skimmed her lips and laughed, “That uncle of yours, is he the one who is the grandson of a Prince? I heard he sings opera? When will he sing for us?”

Li Tianyou did know how to sing, but only for his own entertainment. Ren Yaoyu’s words were a bit contemptuous.

Ren Yaohua glanced at Ren Yaoyu with a smirk, “Are you worthy of it?”

Ren Yaoyu’s face sank. She was about to retort with sarcasm, when the Eldest Mistress who was sitting at the top of the table, saw this and said, “What are you doing? Not following rules! Whoever messes around will be grounded after going back!”

Ren Yaoyin pulled Ren Yaoyu and said in a small voice, “Eighth Sister shouldn’t talk about Third Sister and Fifth Sister’s elders like that.”

Ren Yaoqi had been a little distracted. She had no mind to pay attention to these bickerings. She was worried about Dongsheng’s affairs, and she didn’t know if he had gone or not.

When the rain had subsided a little, the Eldest Madam took the younger members of the Ren Family and moved to the guest courtyard prepared by the Bailong Temple.

The courtyard in the first entry was somewhat similar to the one Li Tianyou had lived in before, but this one was on a hill and the other was on down the mountain.

Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaohua took the first room in the west wing, while Ren Yaoyu and Ren Yaoyin took the second room in the west wing. Qiu Yun, Yun Wenfang, Ren Yijun, Ren Yijian, and Ren Yihong lived in the east wing. The Eldest Madam and the Eldest Young Lady took the main room.

Xiao Jingxi sat quietly at the bedtable playing chess[1]. The noise of the rain outside did not disturb him in the slightest. His calm, soft face was relaxed and focused.

Suddenly Tong He, the boy who had been keeping watch outside, came in. But he did not speak immediately. He only stood in front of the couch with his head bowed and his hands tied.

“What is it?” Xiao Jingxi did not look up, but was casually playing with a black piece in his hand. The ink jade chess piece flowed with a warm lustre between his slender fingers, a small movement that could attract the full attention of others.

Tong He lowered his head and whispered, “My lord, Li Tianyou’s attendant, Dong Sheng, asks to see you, saying that he has come to visit you on behalf of his master.” Tong He’s voice was very soft, as if he was afraid of disturbing something, but he spoke his words clearly.

Xiao Jingxi’s hand paused, and then it slowly landed on the chessboard. His face was unchanged as he said in a light voice: “No, I don’t want to see him.”

Without surprise or hesitation, Tong He bowed his head and answered yes, then turned and went out.

After Tong He left, Xiao Jingxi looked at the chessboard with a somewhat thoughtful gaze.

The rain was still falling rapidly outside, and a flash of lightning exploded in the sky, making it as bright as day for a moment. Reflected by this light, Xiao Jingxi’s complexion was as peaceful and comfortable as ever, as motionless as a mountain.

After a long time, Tong He gently pushed the door again and walked in.

“My lord.”

Xiao Jingxi raised his eyes: “What is it?”

Tong He replied, “I’ve already told him that you don’t want to see guests, but the man didn’t say anything. He just stood in front of our courtyard and didn’t move. I asked someone to persuade him several times, but he did not say anything and did not leave. Some people who passed by our courtyard pointed at him. There were even people who recognized him as Li Tianyou’s subordinate. I’m afraid ……”

He was afraid that although Li Tianyou was the abolished Prince Xian’s grandson, his surname was still Li after all. If someone insisted on labeling their young master as defying the Royal Family, it would be suffocating.

Xiao Jingxi did not say anything when he heard the words. He was still bowing his head to play his chess game as if he had not heard it. Tong He stood there a little uneasy, he didn’t dare to leave until his master asked him to go out.

After an unknown period of time, Xiao Jingxi put the chess pieces in his hand into the chess jar and said in a faint voice, “Let him in.”

Tong He let out a sigh of relief and bowed and retreated.

Dongsheng was brought up fully wet. When he stood in front of Xiao Jingxi, he kept dripping water on the ground, soaking the moss-covered floor in the middle of the room and causing Tong He to glance at his feet several times.

Dong Sheng bowed to Xiao Jingxi without saying a word, his manners were so considerate and meticulous that no one could fault him.

Xiao Jingxi calmly and comfortably let him salute, smiled, and nodded: “Say hello to your master for me too.”

With that, he picked up the teacup with blue flower pattern and gestured to Tong He to send the guest away.

Tong He looked at Dong Sheng, waiting for him to leave.

However, Dong Sheng took a letter out of his lapel and placed it on Xiao Jingxi’s bed table.

Xiao Jingxi was a little surprised. He looked at the letter in front of him, which had been hidden in his clothes and did not get wet, the smile on his face faded.

For some reason, Dongsheng felt that the room was suffocated for a moment, and even his breathing became a little difficult.

“What does your master mean by this?” Xiao Jingxi suddenly chuckled and asked leisurely.

Dong Sheng licked his somewhat dry and cracked lips, “I have come to ask for Second Young Master Xiao’s help.”

Xiao Jingxi stopped looking at the letterhead and stared at Dong Sheng with a smile on his face, but his smile was very indifferent, and he said slowly in a soft tone, “Is this your attitude towards asking for help? Don’t you care whether others are willing or not?”

Dong Sheng don’t understand, his mind was blank but decided to still bite the bullet and said stiffly, “My master said, sometimes he obviously doesn’t want to help, but people have to come forward themselves so those who are thin-skinned will help out. He said it might even make good karma, let the person you helped know the favor, and save your life at a critical moment.”

Xiao Jingxi was stunned. Not knowing what had occurred to him, but suddenly he smiled, shook his head, and said in a warm voice: “Who is your master? Is it Li or Ren?”

Seeing that he guessed right, Dongsheng was a little surprised, ashamed, but also relieved that Xiao Jingxi was willing to talk to him: “There are people surnamed Li and there are people surnamed Ren.”

Xiao Jingxi smiled, “Did your master say what would happen if that person didn’t know how to repay you for your kindness?”

Dong Sheng could not control the hand that wanted to wipe the sweat from the corner of his forehead and shook his head honestly against the pressure: “My master did not say, he only said, ‘Do not do to others what you do not want them to do to you’. You can’t just allow the state officials to set fire and not allow common people to light the lamp.”

Xiao Jingxi was silent for a moment and reached out to take the open letter in his hands, “What does this letter say?”

Dong Sheng swallowed for a moment and lowered his head to recite the contents of the letter without any hesitation.

Xiao Jingxi glanced at him, threw the letter back on the kang table and said in a faint voice, “You go back first.”

Xiao Jingxi’s words did not give any promise to Dong Sheng, making him somewhat unsure of himself, and he could not help but say, “Second Prince Xiao, this matter has nothing to do with my master, he does not know the contents of this letter, he knows nothing. If there is something wrong, this young one is willing to bear it all.”

Xiao Jingxi inclined his head, said gently and indifferently, “Oh? How will you do that?”

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[1] I translated it as chess, but it is more like Chinese Go, here is the picture for imaginery purposes