Finest Servant

Chapter 406 Year After Year, Planting Peach Blossoms, Blooming at the Time of Heartbreak

The first encounter by Xuanwu Lake, the chance meeting at Miaoyu Pavillion, the earnest conversation in the Xiao family home, the joy atop Dangtu Mountain, scene by scene surged into Lin Wanrong's mind like a movie. Months had passed without a sight, and longing grew like a curse, ever more intense.

"Qingxuan—" Lin Wanrong stood, stupefied, as if he had lost himself, rooted to the spot, muttering like a man bewitched.

"Little brother Lin, Little brother Lin—" Xu Wei's soft words roused him, "What's wrong with you?"

Lin Wanrong came to his senses only to find more than a hundred pairs of eyes in the court all staring at him. It turned out that Li Tai had finished his declaration, and everyone was surprised to see Lin San, who had previously been witty and lively, standing there as if stupefied. He looked behind the curtain, but it was empty. Where was Qingxuan's shadow?

"Qingxuan—" Lin Wanrong cried out, stepping forward to lift the curtain.

"Lord Lin," several eunuchs hurriedly blocked him, "One cannot overstep boundaries in the court, please return to your position at once."

Lin Wanrong heard nothing, his mind filled with images of Qingxuan. The meeting he had anticipated day after day had unexpectedly arrived but then slipped away just as unexpectedly. The taste of being so near yet so far, even for someone as strong as Lin Wanrong, drove him to madness.

"Out of my way!" he shouted, pushing aside the two eunuchs blocking him, striding in. Imperial guards rushed forward, drawing their long swords to block his path. Lin Wanrong paid them no heed, continuing to charge forward.

The court officials, who had been laughing and chatting with Lord Lin moments ago, were all astonished by this sudden madness. They looked at each other, no one daring to speak.

Next door, Xu Zhiqing, peering through a carved window, watched this extraordinary scene unfold. A roar in the Golden Hall meant certain execution; why was Lin San acting so madly, as if he didn't care about his life? Her eyes fell on the slightly quivering curtain, and her heart sank. What kind of woman could make Lin San willingly risk his life for her?

"Your Majesty!" Xu Wei was nearest to Lin Wanrong and realized something terrible was about to happen. Seeing a conflict brewing with the imperial guards, he urgently pleaded, "Your Majesty, this matter is significant, Lord Lin is acting out of desperation. Please allow him to go forward and investigate!"

The Emperor smiled slightly, gesturing with his hand. The imperial guards hastily retreated, and Lin Wanrong darted inside. Behind the curtain was a room adorned with plain and elegant furnishings, a table and a chair, nothing more. The air was filled with a faint fragrance of orchids, refreshing and soothing. On the table lay a thin sheet of paper, depicting a person standing tall among peach blossoms, smiling faintly, an air of leisurely grace emanating from the ink. The ink had not yet dried, and spots were stained as if with a woman's tears. In the upper right corner were lightly penned two lines: "The late dawn of spring, known before all the flowers. Year after year, planting peach blossoms, blooming at the time of heartbreak!"

The familiar elegant handwriting, the unparalleled fragrance of orchids, and an understanding of Lin Wanrong's character – who else but Qingxuan could it be? Lin Wanrong, trembling, picked up the painting, looking at the tear stains yet to dry on the paper, faintly imagining Qingxuan shedding tears as she wrote with swift strokes. His nose tingled, his eyes moistened, and an indescribable warmth and emotion welled up within him.

"Year after year, planting peach blossoms, blooming at the time of heartbreak!" Lin Wanrong murmured with a sigh, carefully rolling up the painting scroll. He pushed aside the curtain and strode out, only to find the grand hall empty, the court assembly having dispersed long ago.

"Qingxuan—!" Lin Wanrong shouted with all his might, the resonating echo filling the grand hall, unanswered for a long time.

Why did Qingxuan refuse to meet him, and leave in such a hurry? What is the reason behind it? Gazing at the dragon throne shimmering with golden light, Lin Wanrong's heart was filled with doubt, wishing he could fly to the old Emperor's side to ask what was going on. He gritted his teeth and was about to step out of the grand hall when he saw someone rushing towards him, bumping into him.

"Ouch!" A feminine voice cried, "You, how do you walk?"

"Miss Xu?" Lin Wanrong was taken aback, "What are you still doing here? Hasn't the court assembly dispersed?"

"What if it has?" Xu Zhiqing's face turned red, feeling the warmth of his body. She quickly pushed him away, biting her lip and saying, "The palace is so vast, can't I walk around it? This palace doesn't belong to your family."

Had it been any other day, Lin Wanrong would have made light of such an intimate encounter, but today he was in no mood for such trivialities. Shaking his head with a smile, he walked past her.

"Where are you going?" Xu Zhiqing asked, her brow slightly furrowed.

Lin Wanrong smiled, "To borrow Miss Xu's words, the palace is so vast, can't I walk around it?"

Xu Zhiqing sighed, "I know even without asking, you are going to see the Emperor, aren't you?"

"You guessed it, but there's no reward," Lin Wanrong said, continuing to walk away.

Xu Zhiqing smiled faintly, "I don't know about a reward, but I do know the answer to your question."

"You know where Qingxuan is?" Lin Wanrong turned around suddenly, his eyes wide, grabbing her small hand with joy.

Miss Xu's face turned pale, and she scolded, "You, you hurt me! Let go of me, you shameless person!"

Hurt her? Lin Wanrong was stunned. He looked down to see that he was holding Miss Xu's tender, white hands and unconsciously caressing them.

"Silly girl, silly girl," Lin Wanrong released her hand, smiling awkwardly, "A habitual movement, Miss Xu, don't mind. Do you really know where Qingxuan is?"

Miss Xu lightly clenched her wrist, noticing that her jade-like, clear white hand had turned red from Lin San's grip. Seeing his excited face, her anger increased, and she snorted, "Idiot and flirt!"

Lin Wanrong chuckled, "Thank you for the compliment, Miss Xu. It's been a long time since I've been a flirt, and today's a nostalgic return; it feels good. Since you know Qingxuan's whereabouts, could you please tell me?"

Xu Zhiqing gave him a cool glance, unperturbed, "Do you really care so much for Miss Xiao? Would you do anything for her?"

"Of course." Lin Wanrong nodded without hesitation, "My feelings for Qingxuan are beyond your imagination. As long as I can find Qingxuan, I'll agree to any condition. Even if it's killing or cheating, I'll accept it without a frown, and if I do frown, you can ride on me for a lifetime."

Xu Zhiqing spat lightly, her face flushed red, and said, "What is this talk of killing and then violating? How can you speak such words? How can you be so shameless? Speak a few words to you, and you take them to the extreme."

Her face was red to her ears, her translucent small earlobes seemed to be tinted pink, her full bosom heaved slightly, coupled with her beautiful face and upright figure, she resembled a blooming pear tree, dazzling to the extreme. Even Lin Wanrong was left stunned by the sight.

"What are you doing?" Caught by his gaze, Miss Xu was thrown into confusion, her pretty face blushing, and her voice diminished, "This is the palace; you must not behave as you did before."

"Behave as before? Miss Xu, have I ever treated you improperly before? I have a poor memory; please give me a hint. Know that I am called the honest young man, a righteous young master, not one who enjoys an undeserved reputation. Just say it, and I will never abandon you." Looking at Miss Xu stamping her foot, Lin Wanrong laughed, his mood brightened considerably after feeling momentarily lost at the sudden sight of Qingxuan.

"You lowly person, I—I will not spare you." Xu Zhiqing's little fists clenched, her eyes reddened, tears swirling in her eyes before they fell.

Oh no, this was a big commotion, and this was the palace, where this woman would create a scene without considering the time or place. Lin Wanrong muttered to himself and quickly reached out to take her hand, "Miss Xu, everything I just said was false. I have never treated you improperly before, it was all serious, please do not mind. How about this? You are called the honest little Miss, the righteous beautiful lady, why not abandon me for once? I won't mind."

"Pfft," hearing his nonsense, Xu Zhiqing, who had been crying, could not help but laugh, her face flushed red. She hurriedly turned her head away, her face covered with tears, beautiful and enchanting like a begonia flower wet with dew.

"I want Qingxuan, I want Qingxuan." Lin Wanrong's eyes widened as he quickly chanted to himself, using Qingxuan to suppress the allure of the beautiful Miss Xu.

Crying in the palace courtyard, Miss Xu felt a bit embarrassed, but she could not bear Lin San's teasing. She quickly wiped her tears, glared at him angrily, and snorted, "Was I indebted to you in a past life? Why must I endure such treatment from you? Why don't you treat Qiaoqiao and Ning'er this way?"

Can that even be compared? Lin Wanrong elongated his reply and chuckled, "I see, so Miss Xu wants me to treat you as I do Qiaoqiao and Ning'er. You should have said so earlier!"

"I—I didn't mean that—" Xu Zhiqing's face flushed, and in her haste, she didn't know how to defend herself, blushing as she lowered her head, "You'll be the death of me someday!"

Lin Wanrong laughed and said, "If you want to avoid that, it's quite simple. We just need to see each other less. Tomorrow, I'll talk to the Emperor and ask for another mansion so that we can move far away from your home. Is that acceptable?"

Miss Xu thought for a moment and nodded slightly, "That's a good idea, but right now, our Great Hua is in a crisis, and the whole country is contributing money and effort to resist the invaders. We should be saving everywhere. You just got a big mansion, and now you want a second one. Even if the Emperor doesn't say anything, what will the civil and military officials think of you? How will you establish your prestige? Perhaps you shouldn't move, and when I meet with Qiaoqiao and Ning'er, you just hide and don't come out."

‘You actually thought of this 'burying one's head in the sand' scheme?’ Lin Wanrong raised his thumb, praising, "Brilliant, truly a brilliant plan. If you meet more often with Ning'er and the others, I will only have half a wife left. Miss Xu, your vision is far-reaching; I admire you, I truly admire you."

Xu Zhiqing snorted and glanced at him, her charming demeanor faintly surpassing even Luo Ning's foxy allure. Thinking of Ning'er's overwhelming charms, Lin Wanrong stared at Xu Zhiqing, his eyes momentarily mesmerized. Ning'er was already so enchanting, what kind of allure would it be if she were to engage in flirtation with Miss Xu one day? The mere thought made his blood boil.

Seeing Lin San's eyes filled with lust and his mouth curling into a lascivious smile, although not her first time witnessing it, Miss Xu couldn't help but step back in surprise, her face like powdered porcelain, and she exclaimed, "Why are you silent? What wicked thoughts are you harboring?"

"Heaven and earth can bear witness, I have no wicked intentions. I'm merely wishing to delve deeper into the relationship between circles and crosses. If you don't mind, Miss Xu, we can 'circle and cross' together for some academic exchange," Lin Wanrong shamelessly declared.

Although Miss Xu did not know what 'circling and crossing' meant, she had long understood Lin San's cunning. She didn't dare to reply lightly to words she didn't understand, so she merely snorted and said, "I can't be bothered to argue with you; you can 'circle and cross' by yourself."

"Me 'circle and cross' by myself? How ingenious of you to think of that. Oh, let's talk about Qingxuan instead." Lin Wanrong wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, feeling infinite contempt for himself. Although Miss Xu was charming, she surely couldn't surpass Qingxuan. He had thought himself above such base interests, yet found himself no different from any ordinary man. Shameful, indeed shameful.

At his mention, Xu Zhiqing was reminded of the serious matter at hand, her face flushing slightly. Why did idle matters turn serious and serious matters turn idle when with him? It was infuriating! She wanted to laugh but dared not, a strange feeling rising within her heart, sweet and tender yet also sour and bitter, a mix of emotions overwhelming her.

She quickly shook her head to dispel the jumbled thoughts, and said sternly, "Finding out Xiao Qingxuan's whereabouts is not difficult, but don't forget what you have said."

"What have I said?" Lin Wanrong looked surprised, then laughed, "If it's those words like 'endless love' and 'eternal commitment', I advise you to take them lightly; don't hold them against me."

‘Here it comes again, turning serious matters into trivial ones. I won't fall into your trap,’ Miss Xu warned herself, cautiously saying, "Stop talking nonsense. When have you ever spoken such words to me? A man's words are like rootless water, they come fast and leave even faster. I won't believe you."

Lin Wanrong shook his head and gave a bitter smile, "Believe or not, just tell me where Qingxuan is!"

Why did it happen again? Xu Zhiqing was secretly annoyed, and snapped, "Since the day you returned from Shandong, you said that you were staying in the capital and not going to the front line to fight the northern nomads because you had unfinished business. You also promised my father that once you had news of Miss Xiao, you would reconsider leading the troops. Do you remember that or not?"

"I remember a bit." Lin Wanrong nodded, as if understanding, "Miss Xu, did the Emperor himself inform you of this news?"

"It's good that you remember." Xu Zhiqing glanced at him lightly, "Just after the morning court was dismissed, my father pleaded with the Emperor, and His Majesty finally bestowed a silken pouch. Father ordered me to deliver it to you with the utmost haste. Otherwise, who would want to stay in the palace?"

Miss Xu took a golden silk pouch from her bosom, and Lin Wanrong quickly unwrapped it. On the paper, he found a line of vermilion characters: "All manner of troubles lie within the Jade Buddha!"

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