Ren Yaoqi's words were somewhat unclear to Xiao Jinglin, but she still grasped the key point: "You mean you deliberately wanted to delay your performance time?"
Hearing this, Ren Yaoqi smiled and grabbed Xiao Jinglin's hand, pulling her outside as she said, "I need to change my clothes quickly, or there really won't be enough time. Let's talk while we walk."
"Go this way. There's a small courtyard here. If you go back to the Moon Embracing Pavilion to change, it'll be noon by the time you finish. Tell your maid to let Hongying know where your clothes are stored so she can fetch them. She walks fast." Xiao Jinglin took Ren Yaoqi's hand and led her in another direction.
Pingguo quickly told Hongying which trunk held Ren Yaoqi's clothes. Just as Hongying was about to leave, Ren Yaoqi stopped her and asked Xiao Jinglin, "What about that Snow Garment Sword you gave me? Did you bring it?"
Xiao Jinglin had originally planned to take advantage of the two or three days they would be staying together to teach Ren Yaoqi swordplay, so she had indeed brought the Snow Garment Sword.
"I had Hongying keep it. Why do you need the sword?"
Ren Yaoqi quickly said to Hongying, "Then bring the Snow Garment Sword along when you come back."
Hongying looked at Xiao Jinglin, who nodded, and Hongying immediately left.
Hongying, having practiced martial arts, was indeed much faster than ordinary people.
Only then did Ren Yaoqi explain to the puzzled Xiao Jinglin, "Later, you'll perform a sword dance."
Xiao Jinglin was taken aback, then hesitated. "But my mother doesn't like me fighting and killing. Besides, as you can see, those noble young ladies may look like they can wear ten or twenty jin of headdresses without batting an eye, but if I really wield a sword in front of them, they'd faint on the spot."
Ren Yaoqi found Xiao Jinglin's description quite amusing, but she said seriously, "Who said anything about wielding swords? We're performing a sword dance! A dance, not combat!" Sword dances were also performed in palace performances and were very popular in the capital.
Xiao Jinglin looked conflicted. "I don't know how..."
As they spoke, they had already arrived at the small courtyard Xiao Jinglin mentioned. The courtyard was deep within the peach grove, with only four rooms in total. It looked quite refined from the outside, like a place for brewing wine or tasting tea. The surroundings were quiet, with no one around.
Ren Yaoqi stopped and smiled at Xiao Jinglin. "Who says you don't know? The sword routine you demonstrated last time when you said you'd teach me is perfect. Perform that one today."
Xiao Jinglin struggled inwardly. "That won't do..."
Ren Yaoqi looked at her patiently. "Why not?"
Xiao Jinglin frowned deeply. "If my master finds out, he'll say I've disgraced our school..."
Ren Yaoqi asked with a smile, "Where is your master?"
Xiao Jinglin instinctively replied, "Jiajing Pass..."
Ren Yaoqi's smile widened, but she shook her head with some regret. "So far away? What a pity... Then let's just not let him know."
Xiao Jinglin: "..."
Seeing Xiao Jinglin fall silent, Ren Yaoqi took her hand and said, "You can't just go through the motions, because I'll be playing the zither alongside you."
Xiao Jinglin was startled. "You'll perform with me?"
Ren Yaoqi blinked. "This is something I've been looking forward to for a long time."
Xiao Jinglin frowned. "It's better not to. What if I embarrass myself and drag you down with me?"Ren Yaoqi's smile held a touch of confidence and certainty: "In swordsmanship, no one here can surpass you; in qin skills, I am confident that few here can surpass me either. I don't believe we will embarrass ourselves."
Ren Yaoqi had always been gentle and low-key in temperament, and this was the first time Xiao Jinglin had seen her like this. There was an indescribable charm about Ren Yaoqi in this state, and Xiao Jinglin found herself momentarily stunned.
After a moment of contemplation, Ren Yaoqi looked at Xiao Jinglin and said with a smile, "At the very least, I play 'Moon Over the Mountain Pass' better than others."
Xiao Jinglin snapped back to reality: "You're going to play 'Moon Over the Mountain Pass' too?"
After a moment's thought, Xiao Jinglin immediately understood that Ren Yaoqi wanted to win back a round for her against Wu Yiyu. She shook her head: "Choose a different piece. I know Wu Yiyu's temperament well—if you go up against her, you’ll surely suffer. I don’t want you to endure hardship on my account in the future."
The incident yesterday, where Wu Yiyu had placed poisonous spiders in their teacups, had already infuriated her. Today, Wu Yiyu was openly provoking her by playing her piece. Xiao Jinglin had reached her limit with Wu Yiyu.
She would remember those grievances and settle them slowly in the future, but she didn’t want to drag Ren Yaoqi into the feud between her and Wu Yiyu.
Upon hearing this, Ren Yaoqi didn’t insist and nodded: "Then let’s choose a different piece. I recently acquired a new qin score, and there’s a piece in it that would suit your sword dance perfectly."
Just as Xiao Jinglin was about to say something, the door to the central room in the small courtyard opened, and Xiao Jingxi stepped out, looking at them with surprise.
Ren Yaoqi wondered why Xiao Jingxi was here, but when she saw the book in his hand, she understood. The environment here was quiet and secluded, so he must have been reading earlier. Ren Yaoqi couldn’t help but glance down at the water stains on her skirt, her face flushing slightly as she realized how impolite she had been.
Xiao Jinglin, still in a bad mood, forgot that she was the one who had intruded later and said bluntly, "Why do I run into you everywhere?"
Xiao Jingxi gave her a helpless look: "The hot spring villa is too small."
At that moment, Hongying returned carrying a bundle. Xiao Jingxi’s gaze happened to fall on Ren Yaoqi’s skirt, and seeing her embarrassed expression, he immediately understood they were looking for a place to change clothes.
Xiao Jingxi pointed to the adjoining room of the one he had just left: "You can go in there. I was just about to leave."
Xiao Jinglin pulled Ren Yaoqi toward the room Xiao Jingxi had indicated, and Ren Yaoqi hurriedly thanked him.
Xiao Jingxi smiled slightly, nodded, and then turned to leave the courtyard.
Ren Yaoqi changed into a ginger-yellow jacket and skirt with blue piping, embroidered with a pattern of butterflies fluttering among flowers. None of the young ladies of the Ren Family liked this set of clothes—it was what remained after they had made their selections. Ren Yaoqi didn’t mind, as she still had two sets of clothes gifted to her by the Yun Family.
However, Ren Yaoqi had fair skin and delicate features, and after changing into this outfit, she looked quite lovely.
After Ren Yaoqi changed and came out, Xiao Jinglin examined her for a moment and nodded sincerely: "You look very beautiful."
Ren Yaoqi smiled and stepped forward, pulling Xiao Jinglin along as they walked out: "It’s getting late. Let’s hurry back."
Xiao Jinglin nodded and left the courtyard with Ren Yaoqi.In truth, they had not been gone for very long. The courtyard where Xiao Jinglin took Ren Yaoqi to change clothes was not far, and Hongying’s trip to fetch the items was also brief.
Thus, when they returned, Ren Yaoyin and Ren Yaoyu had already finished their performances and left the stage, while Ren Yaoying was kneeling before a low table in the center of the venue, holding a brush and concentrating on painting something. On the table stood a brush holder and pigments for painting.
Ren Yaoqi raised an eyebrow slightly. So Ren Yaoying intended to paint?
Over the years, in her efforts to compete with Ren Yaoqi and win their father’s attention, Ren Yaoying had put considerable effort into learning painting. Though she lacked some of Ren Yaoqi’s natural talent, her painting skills were still respectable among girls her age.
However, when Ren Yaoqi returned to her seat after parting ways with Xiao Jinglin, she sensed something amiss in the atmosphere.
Ren Yaohua was glaring coldly at Ren Yaoying, while Xiangqin kept her head down, not daring to make a sound.
Ren Yaoyin was the first to notice Ren Yaoqi and remarked with surprise, “Fifth Sister, you’ve changed clothes so quickly?”
Ren Yaoqi smiled and nodded.
Hearing this, Ren Yaohua finally shifted her gaze away from Ren Yaoying and glanced at Ren Yaoqi, who had just taken a seat beside her. Suppressing her anger, she whispered, “Didn’t I tell you to be careful of others? How could you still let someone spill wine on your clothes? Could you be any more foolish?”
Ren Yaoqi quietly reassured her, “Don’t be angry, Third Sister. It didn’t delay things much. I’ll take the stage as soon as Ninth Miss returns.”
Instead of calming down, Ren Yaohua’s expression grew even colder. “You fool! Do you think she went to such lengths to perform before you for no reason?”
Ren Yaoqi wasn’t upset by the scolding. She glanced toward Ren Yaoying, who seemed nearly finished with her painting and was now carefully adding the final touches. “Is she afraid I’ll paint better than her?” Ren Yaoqi asked with a smile.
In her previous life, Ren Yaoying had never been able to surpass her, and now it would be even harder for her to outdo Ren Yaoqi in painting. However, Ren Yaoqi had no intention of painting today, so Ren Yaoying’s scheming was in vain.
Ren Yaohua sneered, “She’s painting a ‘Snowscape.’”
The name sounded familiar to Ren Yaoqi.
Ren Yaohua looked at her. “Do you remember last year when she also painted a ‘Snowscape’? Unfortunately, Father said her technique had improved, but the composition lacked spirit. Later, when you were in Father’s study, you helped her revise that painting.”
Ren Yaoqi recalled. Yes, that had indeed happened.
“Are you saying she painted an identical copy of the one I helped her revise today?”
Ren Yaohua shot her a glare, her expression clearly conveying, “Finally, you understand.”
Ren Yaoqi tried to catch a glimpse of Ren Yaoying’s table, but she couldn’t see anything and couldn’t help but wonder, “How did you know, Third Sister?” From where they sat, it was impossible to see.
Xiangqin, who had been keeping her head low, whispered from the side, “This servant saw it when I went to deliver vermilion to Ninth Miss earlier.”
“Why were you the one delivering things to her? Where’s Chuner?” Ren Yaoqi looked around and realized Ren Yaoying’s personal maid, Chuner, was nowhere to be seen.
Ren Yaohua glanced at her and said calmly, “If she dares to do something, she must dare to face the consequences. Did you plan to wait until she ran away before seeking justice from others?”Begging for pink... pink... pink... T_T
There's still one more update, but it'll be after midnight—you know how slow this author is!
This is a desperate plea for votes!
〒_〒.
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