Chapter Fifty-One

  It will take until October for the maple leaves on Xiangshan to turn completely red. For now, they are only half-red and half-yellow, but the entire mountain is covered in them, exuding a unique charm. In the carriage ahead is Princess Consort of Gong, followed by the carriages of Aro and Wang's mother, who have brought Ruyi and Yuanyan along, so one can always hear the sound of their chatter.

  The autumn air was crisp and refreshing. Guan Piao's heart felt expansive and carefree as she sat in the carriage for half the journey before wanting to get out and walk. The Princess Consort of Prince Gong lifted the curtain and said, "There is still a stretch of road to Xiangshan Temple; wouldn't you rather sit for a while longer before getting down?"

  "No need, I think I'll take a walk."

  Rong Bao insisted, and Consort Kang also came down to accompany her. Later, Roujiao and Wang Yiniang brought Ruyi and Yuanyan down from the carriage together. Wang Yiniang smiled and said, "Why not walk together? If you really can't walk after a while, then say so."

  Kang Qin Wang's consort smiled and said: "I think so too."

  Jiayou's lively face was surrounded by Quan Pei as she spoke: "......In the past, I and my mother in Suzhou also often went out to burn incense, but it's not much different from Beijing. The mountains are beautiful, and the ladies all ride in soft sedan chairs when they go out. Will you come back in October? At that time, the whole mountain will be covered with red maple leaves, it must be especially beautiful!"

  "Also asked: 'What is the material of sister's clothes, why is it shining and looking good? I have never seen it before.'"

  Quan Piao said: "If you like it, I'll give you a piece of cloth to take back and make clothes with."

  Juan Yan readily agreed with a happy and joyful expression, and Wang's aunt smiled and said: "Too ignorant of the rules."

  All the way, it was Yuanyuan's voice, and Yiyi followed beside her without trying to compete with Yuanyuan as she used to. After walking halfway, Yuanyuan couldn't move anymore, complaining of foot pain. The Empress Dowager Kang also panted heavily, looking at Quan Pei who didn't seem out of breath: "Fourth Imperial Concubine has a good physique, but I really can't walk anymore."

  Zhuāng Ruò shì and Wáng Yí mā also didn't move much, Quán Pèi smiled and said: "You all get on the carriage first, I'll follow slowly behind, I'll be up soon."

  After declining several times, a few people got on the horse cart, and Yu Xuan followed behind on foot.

  Juan Yan looked back at Quan Pei's figure from the horse carriage and couldn't help but envy, saying to Ruyi: "Sister's physical strength is really good, we can't compare."

  Ru Yi looked and then lowered her eyes, responding with a bland "uh-huh". Juan Yan looked at Ru Yi in surprise: "Have you not been feeling well these past few days? You seem different from before."

  "Really?" Ruyi looked out of the window and said faintly: "I don't think so."

  Juan's face only pouted, looking out the window again became happy, Yi looked at Juan with a gloomy and unpredictable expression on her face. She couldn't compare to Juan, they were destined to have different lives, different paths. At this moment, she already felt that life was heavy and unbearable, didn't know how to go on...

  Xiangshan Temple is also a hundred-year-old ancient temple. The temple is quiet and simple, because it was known that several prominent ladies would come today, the side house had been cleaned up early, and the 7-8 year old young monks were dressed neatly and spoke fluently, leading them to the main hall to worship Buddha and then to the side house for rest.

  Rong Bao hadn't exercised like this in a long time, and although she had sweated quite a bit, she felt exceptionally comfortable. After entering the chamber and freshening up a bit, she chatted with Princess Consort Kang, Aro and Wang Yiniang for a while.

  Kang Qinwang's wife finally brought up the matter of opening a shop.

  "Always wanted to open a clothing store, the storefront has been selected, just thinking that it's no fun to open alone, want to do it with Si Fu Jin together."

  Quan Pei leaned against the pillow, savoring the tea leaves she had dried herself at Xiangshan Temple. The teacup carved from an ancient tree root added a unique charm to the experience. The clear tea soup was perfectly brewed: "I also want to go with you. Last time I heard you say it's a clothing store. I've been thinking that there must be new styles in the south. My aunt knows someone over there, and it would be great if we could go together."

  The Empress Dowager did not expect to be pointed at, and the Consort of Prince Gong immediately smiled all over her face: "It would be best if Madame A Lao and Madame Wang could get along." The Consort of Prince Gong naturally brought up Madame A Lao, it wouldn't make sense for her to mention Madame Wang without mentioning Madame A Lao, after all Madame A Lao was the birth mother of Guan Pan.

  Jueluo smiled and said: "I don't understand anything, taking me would just add chaos."

  The imperial concubine Kang smiled and said, "How many families like ours are really short of money? It's just the fun of having all the girls together, the more people there are, the merrier!"

  Now that it's been said, neither of them can shirk the responsibility.

  Kang Qinwang's wife had already looked at the addresses of all the shops and said: "...... The four of us will share equally, and the profits will naturally be divided among the four of us. It would be best if each person were in charge of one account house, that is, Xiuma, and each of the four families' households naturally has a good needlework maid, but it doesn't make sense to just call them to work in the store, unless there's urgent work that needs to be shared among several people, of course, it's not for nothing......"

  Kang Qinfu said that the head is right, it can be seen that although the mouth says that everyone is together and happy, but also wants to do well, and it can also be seen that he is a strong and capable person.

  A few people did not have much objection, and it was roughly settled.

  They came here just to see the osmanthus trees in bloom behind the hill. After chatting for a while, they all got up and left. The young monk led the way in front, out of the house and through a garden. As soon as they looked around, they saw that everything was full of tall and short osmanthus trees, crowded with bright yellow flowers. The fragrance was so intoxicating that it almost made people dizzy. They also heard that there were tourists inside, but because Xuanzang's group was here, other visitors could only walk along the edge of the osmanthus forest on the other side, and were not allowed to go deeper.

  Several people walked in, laughing and chatting, the osmanthus flowers almost filling their entire bodies with fragrance. A young girl followed behind them, carrying a clean basket to pick some good osmanthus flowers, which were perfect for making pastries and other desserts.

  After walking for a while, they saw stone tables and stools, and were about to stop and rest. Quan Pei looked excited and smiled: "I'll go in and take a look."

  The deeper you go, the more intoxicating it becomes. The chirping of insects and birds, the fragrance of flowers, all seem to be a complex pattern that weaves people into its fabric. The sky is high and the clouds are light, amidst the profusion of flowers, one seems to have lost oneself.

  A red figure smiled and gazed at a woman in a golden dress, with distant mountain-like eyebrows and eyes that were clear, shallow, and lazy, carrying an aura that no other woman he had seen possessed. She walked slowly, as if she had traversed thousands of years of time and accumulated glory. Fu Erjin emerged from behind the trees, smiling at Quan Pei: "I don't know which family's young lady you are, but you're so beautiful and unique."

  The man in front of him was delicate and looked like a girl, but the smile with a few points of bloodthirstiness at the corner of his mouth would make people inexplicably feel a few points of fear.

  All around, no human voice was heard. It seemed that there was temporarily no one. Quan Pei stopped and looked at Fuerqin for a few moments. Xiao Yue, who was beside her, involuntarily took a step forward: "You are which ignorant madman, seeing the Fourth Lady still not paying respects?!"

  Furong approached Quan Pei with a faint smile: "Oh? Fourth Miss? Young lady, it's better for you to speak softly, if you attract outsiders and they see a lone man and woman together, that wouldn't be good."

  What a shameless yet elegant person.

  There was a withered tree trunk that could just sit, Quan Pei spread the handkerchief on it and sat down slowly; "I don't know if my guess is right or not, you're probably Fuerqun."

  Furong raised an eyebrow and sized up the Fourth Madame, who didn't seem flustered in the slightest. His eyes sparkled with increasing interest: "Good eyesight."

  He stood beside Guan Yu, and with a stretch of his hand he could have touched him. A strange light gleamed in his eyes as he gazed at the rounded lobes of Guan Yu's ears and the clear complexion of his profile.

  Also heard was an arbitrary voice: "Hit."

  Before Fuer Gun could react, Xiaoyue pounced on him, kicking him to the ground with one foot. She bent down and covered his mouth with a handkerchief, punching and kicking his face: "You're not even a decent thing, daring to be arrogant in front of our master! If I don't beat you until you're disfigured today, you'll think everyone is easy to bully!"

  Fú ěr gǔn wasn't without any skills, but he never expected that in front of Quán Pèi there would be such a fierce little servant girl. And Quán Pèi was not afraid at all, opening his mouth to order him beaten. He almost had no power to fight back and was beaten by Xiǎo Yuè until he rolled on the ground.

  The osmanthus blown by the wind fell, and everything was golden. In the osmanthus forest like a fairyland, the woman sitting alone seemed to be an immortal who didn't touch the dust, so beautiful that it was hard to look away. She gently wiped the sweat from her forehead, stood up slowly: "Let's go."

  Xiao Yue stopped her hand, but still not very satisfied, and kicked Fu'erqun hard again, pulling off the handkerchief from his mouth, coldly humming: "Next time don't offend Miss's hands."

  Fú ěr gǔn was beaten until he saw stars, his nose was blue and swollen, his face was completely disfigured, he lay on the ground still twitching in pain, only catching a glimpse of the red skirt disappearing into the golden light...

  Kang's wife and several others who were still resting outside saw Quan Pei come out and smiled, saying: "Are you satisfied?"

  "Excellent, excellent."

  Xiao Yue walked behind him, adjusting his clothes as he went. Although he disliked the handkerchief in his hand, it wasn't a good time to throw it away immediately.

  At noon, they had a vegetarian meal together at Xiangshan Temple and also tasted the famous Osmanthus cake. It was really enjoyable. Jueluo Shi looked at Quan Pei's expression and smiled: "It's indeed better to go out for a walk."

  "What Mother said is true."

  Waiting for a few people to return, just saw a soft sedan chair passing by, and the sedan carriers looked flustered, as if something had happened. Yuanyu muttered: "I don't know whose family's daughter it is, why didn't she come down to greet us when she saw us?"

  Quan Pei took a glance and was afraid that the person inside wasn't a woman, but rather Fuerqin, who had just been found by the servants. It could be seen that Xiaoyue's methods were indeed not gentle.

  The pure and kind princess saw her son being carried back, his face completely disfigured from the beating, and she cried out in distress: "What happened? Who did this? I'll have them killed!" She couldn't help but grit her teeth in anger.

  Fuheng closed his eyes tightly, no matter how Dong E asked him, he didn't make a sound. He was now in pain all over his body and felt ashamed, really not wanting to speak. He had underestimated a woman, resulting in such an outcome. This grudge would be avenged sooner or later!

  Author's note: I suddenly received four tickets yesterday, thank you so much to all the sisters! If I can accumulate a few chapters in these two days, I'll immediately release a double update, o(n_n)o haha~