Chapter 28: A Winter's Day Stroll in the Garden

  Xīnèi Yuàn is a garden located north of the Chang'an Palace City, stretching east and west roughly the same as the Taiji Palace in the palace city. It's a narrow and long shape, with white snow covering the entire area. I followed Li Ke behind him with my head hung low and spiritless, without any energy to appreciate the scenery...

  "Further ahead is the Da'an Palace, which was built by my father when he was the King of Qin. The palace grounds have many scenic views of mountains and villages, and are especially beautiful in spring and autumn. Even in winter, there's something to be seen in the snow scenery..." Li Ke walked ahead of me, pointing out the sights left and right. This imperial garden is off-limits to horses, and there aren't any other vehicles... it really is...

  "Ah, beautiful, a very beautiful garden." He let out a big yawn and was slightly drowsy. Yesterday afternoon, the family of the person I rescued, along with the neighbors, came to my door with drums and cymbals, carrying my fur coat. Not only was the House of Fang's residence stirred up, but also the entire street of high-ranking officials' mansions were alerted. The crowd watching the commotion surrounded us in circle after circle. Why? Originally stupid Second Master Fang of the House of Fang was slapped awake by Old Master Fang and not only that, he even rescued someone from under the ice in the middle of winter, it's too incredible...

  Outside the government office, the old gentleman and the prime minister's kindly face, ordered the old lady to support the young man who came to thank him with a kind gaze. The official's elder brother stopped the other party's thanks in a gentle and elegant manner. The surrounding neighbors who came to watch the excitement couldn't help but praise, even the housekeeper uncle was laughing happily, saying "Second Master is so capable" on one side and "Second Master is so talented" on the other, speaking with flying spittle, laughing non-stop among the neighborhood.

  And I, as the heroic protagonist, the second son of the Fang family, stood at the gate with a wide smile and exposed teeth, looking very majestic and heroic. The various princes and ministers who were neighbors all praised me in unison. The old man gave a speech, hypocritically saying that this was a model of the Fang family's successful education, and received praise from the idle people who came to join in the excitement. Then, the Fang family opened its doors to welcome guests, and the large number of freeloaders made our chef extremely busy until late at night before finally stopping.

  Not used to being praised by relatives for my heroic actions in ancient times, I waited until the idle people had dispersed and returned to the back hall after locking the gate. The ferocious old mother gave me a violent slap on the head, and the old man's face was twisted as he spat at me, feeling that it wasn't enough and wanting to pick up a stick for post-meal exercise, fortunately, the old mother stopped the old man's immoral behavior in time.

  However, the old man wasn't one to give up easily. Not only did he make me bow my head and admit my mistake, but he also threatened that if I dared to go into the water again in winter, he would skin me alive and hang me on the gate of our house to dry until after New Year's. My third brother, who still had a gap-toothed smile, teased me mercilessly. My older brother just couldn't stop sneaking glances at the commotion and even pretended to be concerned about me catching a cold from going into the water in winter. What kind of people are they, anyway?... But deep down, I was actually very happy and warm inside, because after all, someone was worried about my safety. Of course, if something like this happens again next time, I'll still go do it, since it's the duty of an amateur lifeguard. Maybe it's just that I've been a teacher for too long, and the nature of wanting to show off and be the center of attention is acting up inside me.

  "Didn't you sleep well last night, younger brother?" Li Ke asked, seeing me yawning and frowning.

  "Wow, little brother is enchanted by the scenery of this garden, too surprised, so... " Hurriedly pointing to a half-meter-high, finger-thick, snow-hung dry branch on the side of the road, he opened his mouth in surprise, expressing great admiration for the ghostly craftsmanship of nature.

  "....Younger brother... Younger brother, don't make a fuss, we'll meet the elders soon... Don't be like this." Li Ke's eyes rolled back, his mouth twitched, and he swallowed hard.

  "Don't worry, brother, I won't let you lose face in front of De Ge." He hastily nodded and bowed, no choice, this was someone else's home turf, after all. In the wilderness, if Li Ke harbored resentment and gathered a group to ambush him, it would be too late for regrets.

  Through the garden adorned with white snow, a elegant palace was in front of him. Several robust guards with swords at their sides heard the noise and cast their eyes over here. Fortunately, they seemed to be very familiar with Li Ke and paid their respects to him with great courtesy.

  "This is Fang Xiang's beloved son..." Li Ke pointed at me towards those guards.

  He nodded expressionlessly, his eyes scanning me up and down with a hint of suspicion, as if doubting that I was hiding some kind of weapon. Luckily, Li Ke whispered something to the apparent leader of the guards, who reluctantly left, still keeping a watchful eye on the house as they continued their patrol. What kind of people are these? I'm the son of a national duke and also the younger brother of a high-ranking official, yet they're ignoring me? It's infuriating...

  Before I could explode, a person emerged from inside the house, and it was Li Shu's daughter.

  Li Yu's outfit today is somewhat different, a white silk glove with a subtle pattern plays with the whip, a tight-fitting pale red fox fur coat wraps around her body, and her long hair tied up in a man's bun reveals an unusual androgynous beauty.

  "Hey little sister from Hepu, what are you up to?" I revealed a kind smile and warmly greeted Li Yu.

  Li Yu looked at me strangely: "Do you want to know?"

  "Yes, yes..." He nodded hastily.

  Today she was indeed beautifully dressed, with a subtle and charming aura. When she saw me staring at her, this little girl hummed and gave me a sideways glance: "I won't tell you..." and even more proudly raised her chin. Is she teasing me? Is this little rascal thinking of some new mischief again?

  "Third Brother, I need to talk to you, let's go..." He pulled Li Ke rudely and dragged him towards another small path.

  "Hey... what's going on?" Just as I was about to make a move, the two guards suddenly took a few steps this way, murderous aura... Buddha, I'm just an innocent citizen, no intention of harming the princess or the prince.

  "No big deal, don't scare my little brother..." Li Shuai was still considerate, waving away the two murderous guards and patting my shoulder: "Don't worry... I'll be right back, my elder is very kind... Brother Jun doesn't need to worry, just relax." Li Ke smiled somewhat strangely, Li Hu covered her mouth and giggled lightly, a hint of evil intentions flashing in her eyes. In the blink of an eye, Li Ke and that servant girl disappeared from my line of sight.

  "Wait... little brother has unfinished business today, how about another day? Another day little brother will definitely... hey... hey, don't go! Big brother!"

  The four directions were empty, and I was just about to make a run for it. A fully armed, murderous-looking guard with a big beard that almost covered his entire face walked out of the house: "Which one is Fang Jun?" All the guards immediately pointed their fingers at me, who was preparing to hide.

  "Come in quickly, the master of the house has been waiting for you for a long time." The big-bearded guard's eyes widened, his voice thundered like a bell, with the momentum of Zhang Fei drinking at Changban Bridge.

  "Are you going or not?" Looking at the horizontal knife at his waist and the menacing eyes that seemed to gleam with a fierce light, he couldn't help but feel a sense of unease.

  Just as I was about to step inside, the bearded guard suddenly shouted: "Halt!" Scaring me half to death. What's his problem? Is he trying to rob me or rape me?

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  No choice... two cups of beer down the hatch, then I collapsed onto the bed and just got up now...... so sad. Why is my alcohol tolerance so bad?