Chapter 27: Snatching People

"Meng Xueqiao, are you trying to stare me down?" Meng Xueqiao asked with wide eyes.

Meng Yuxi looked down at him with a cold, piercing gaze. Meng Xueqiao immediately fell silent, his heart fluttering with a touch of panic. *Fourth Brother, that look of yours is enough to bore a hole through someone. How formidable.*

Meng Yuxi tightened his arm around his brother’s shoulder and chuckled. "Don't worry. If she doesn't get to see me take a beating, she won't be able to vent her frustration, will she? Once she’s let off some steam, we’ll have a much smoother time in the Meng household."

Meng Xueqiao gave a thumbs-up. "It’s your perspective that’s truly grand, Fourth Brother."

"Easy for you to say. Next time, I’ll let you take the beating, and then she won't keep coming after you."

"Rest assured, Fourth Brother, I’ll arrange it for you."

Hearing this, Meng Xueqiao slipped out from under Meng Yuxi’s arm and said with a grin, "Fourth Brother, just wait until I’ve offended her one more time, and then you can make the arrangements."

Meng Yuxi let out a soft, dry laugh at the remark.

As they chatted and walked, they exited the government office. They hadn't gone far when they heard someone calling from behind, the voice as melodic and clear as a lark.

"Young Master Meng, might I have a word with you?"

The speaker was Qinglian, a woman who carried herself with the ethereal grace of a celestial being.

"Qinglian?!"

"Qinglian of the Biyun Pavilion? What are you doing here? I thought you never left the Pavilion?" Meng Xueqiao exclaimed.

Meng Yuxi tapped him lightly. "I told you, it’s called 'Heavenly Pavilion' now. Since it’s a 'Heavenly Pavilion,' why should a little change be so surprising?"

Meng Xueqiao nodded sheepishly. He vowed to himself that he must not make that mistake again; as the most renowned playboy in the Su City pleasure district, it would be a disgrace if he couldn't even name the establishment housing the city's most beautiful woman.

Meng Yuxi stepped to a corner with Qinglian.

Qinglian bowed slightly and said, "I am deeply grateful to you, Young Master Meng, for standing up for me."

Meng Yuxi reached out to help her up. "Lady Qinglian, there is no need for such formalities. Since I gave you my word, I was bound to fulfill it. That Wang Lingxin used such vile methods to harm your family, sold you into a brothel, and even intended to use you to curry favor with the Eighth Prince—a man so despicable and shameless deserves his fate."

Thinking of the past, Qinglian’s eyes reddened.

"To be honest, Young Master, I went to the capital with my mind set on death. I thought that if I could find a chance to wound the Eighth Prince, perhaps I could bring that scoundrel Wang Lingxin down with him. Even if I were to be torn to pieces, it would have been worth it."

Meng Yuxi nodded. "No wonder your expression was always so sorrowful back then. You were carrying the weight of a death wish."

"And when you asked me to accompany you to the capital..."

Qinglian suddenly turned away and said softly, "Young Master, though I lived in a pleasure house, I… I have kept my virtue. How could I willingly become a mere gift, a stepping stone for that dog Wang Lingxin? That was why I sought to spend more time with you on the journey—to see if you were worthy of me…" She trailed off, unable to continue.

Meng Yuxi understood the subtext perfectly. He pulled her into his arms. "Have I passed your assessment now, Lady Qinglian?"

Qinglian’s delicate hands rested against his chest. She didn't push him away, simply letting him hold her. A moment later, she turned her head and said, "No. I still need to test your skill with the flute. If you don't listen and refuse to learn, this teacher will have to use the rod." With that, she gently pushed him away.

Only then did Meng Yuxi notice the fresh, thin scars on the inside of her wrists.

"Lady Qinglian, what is this?"

"Don't bring it up. Just now, you nearly faced the tiger-head guillotine. You scared me to death! I didn't want you to die all alone because of my affairs."

Meng Yuxi was deeply moved. Could it really be that someone in this world was willing to die for a confidant? Was it possible that Lady Qinglian had truly fallen for him? He didn't know how to respond to such deep affection.

Qinglian lowered her head.

"Lian'er, wait for me at the Heavenly Pavilion tonight."

"Okay..." she whispered, her heart fluttering like a trapped fawn.

"Also, tell Mother Chang that since the Fragrant Pavilion is mostly destroyed, she should poach their four golden flowers and their best dancers for the Heavenly Pavilion. I want to see results by tonight."

Qinglian looked up, stunned. Was he coming to the Heavenly Pavilion tonight just to check on his business? What was she to him? She muttered an "Understood" and hurried away.

Watching her reaction, Meng Yuxi realized he might have misunderstood—was she simply a 'hopeless romantic'? He reached out to catch her sleeve, hoping to explain, but his hand was seized by someone else.

"Tsk, tsk. Someone offers you their heart, and you just brush it aside like that?"

Meng Yuxi looked at the person who had grabbed him: an elderly gentleman in a black robe with dark gold patterns. The man was stroking his beard with his other thin hand.

"When there are flowers to be plucked, pluck them; do not wait until the branches are bare. You don't even understand such a simple truth? Tsk, tsk. Seems you’re quite dense and hard to teach." The old man chuckled triumphantly.

*Damn it,* Meng Yuxi thought, *I was just about to pluck the flower, and you had to go and stop me.* But seeing the man’s elegant attire and refined speech, he withdrew his hand and asked patiently, "May I ask who you are?"

The man leisurely pulled a letter from his robe. "See for yourself. This is Meng Hongchang's personal correspondence. He specifically begged me to become your tutor."

Meng Yuxi’s eyes widened. "You’re the great Confucian scholar Meng Hongchang mentioned?"

The man laughed. "Ah, right! The lad isn't too slow after all. I am Zhen Shan. I have three thousand students in the capital, and I’ve come to Su City specifically to teach you reading and writing."

"Since you know who I am, why haven't you knelt to pay your respects?"

"You old man, have you no shame? Coming here to steal my disciple? Meng Yuxi is already my student! I taught him all his poetry. You think a letter is enough to snatch him away?"

"And are you deaf? Didn't you hear that young girl say she is already his teacher for the flute? How can a man have three masters?"

Hearing this voice, Meng Yuxi knew his master, Zhang Tiantai, had arrived.

Zhen Shan’s demeanor shifted entirely; his frame seemed to grow taller, and his black-and-gold robe billowed as if caught in a sudden gale. He didn't back down. "Zhang Tiantai, what business is it of yours?"

Suddenly, Meng Yuxi felt everything around him blur, as if the world were receding at high speed.

"Boy, ignore him. Just kneel; I am willing to be your master."

"In your dreams!"

Zhang Tiantai’s voice boomed from above Zhen Shan, carrying the weight of an indomitable will, forcing the old man to hunch under the pressure.