Peace Order
Chapter 181 - 97: Qilin, Take Your Place!

Chapter 181: Chapter 97: Qilin, Take Your Place!

Li Guanyi did not expect that it wasn’t Xue Shuangtao playing the zither. Seeing Xue Shuangtao’s smug expression, he found himself momentarily at a loss for words. After a moment’s thought, he gently clapped his hands and said candidly:

"Very beautiful."

Xue Shuangtao had planned to "startle" Li Guanyi, but his frank and straightforward response left her somewhat embarrassed. She raised her fingers and twirled a lock of hair around her temple, begrudgingly saying, "Well, you do have a way with words."

"But is that all a great talent like yourself can say, just those two words?"

Li Guanyi thought for a moment and replied:

"Those lines of poetry I heard during my travels, they were not composed by me."

"Moreover, lines of verse often involve embellishments and techniques."

"Compared to that, I still feel these two words better express my feelings."

Xue Shuangtao’s cheeks flushed.

Having not seen her for some days, she felt a tinge of embarrassment, especially with her aunt’s knowing smile making her feel uneasy. She quickly walked to her seat and sat down. After three rounds of drinks, Noble Consort Xue raised her tea cup and chuckled: "I am with child and shall not drink wine, but I have heard that our Qilin’er from the Xue Family, your talent is no less than when you were a child."

"At three you could read and write, at five you held a bow, and now a decade has passed."

"Your father and brothers are strict with you, and since I entered the palace, we have seldom met. Today is a rare occasion, no, no, you must write another poem for me."

Noble Consort Xue spoke with a smile about Li Guanyi’s past.

The young man realized there must be the eyes of other concubines, or even the Emperor, among the palace maids here. They aimed to use this scrutiny to further ascertain Li Guanyi’s identity. So, he raised his cup with a smile and said, "Since Aunt has requested it, Guan Yi naturally has to compose one."

Noble Consort Xue was pleased with the young man’s quick wit and laughed, "Good."

"Today is still spring, so Guan Yi, take ’spring’ as your theme and write something, be it a poem or a song, it’s up to you."

"Write well, and I have a gift for you," said Noble Consort Xue with a twinkle in her eye.

Li Guanyi considered for a moment; he had previously used works attributed to Banished Immortal and Liu Sanbian, so this time he couldn’t keep using pieces with such caliber. He remembered a verse, holding his tea cup he stepped forward and after pacing a few steps, he recited:

"Water forms the crosswise ripples of your gaze, mountains gather to shape your brows.

Should someone ask where the traveler is headed?

To where the glances are most tender and profound."

This verse likened the scenery of Jiangnan to a beauty, with light and fluid strokes. Yet, the most ingenious aspect lay in the rest of the verse, the myriad nuances and the essence of spring. As Li Guanyi pondered how to revise the less suitable parts of the following section, his voice hesitated, and that’s when he heard a pleasing laugh.

The laughter was delightful, making even Li Guanyi freeze, momentarily doubting himself, wondering if there was something amiss with the verse. But then he saw Noble Consort Xue smiling radiantly, while Xue Shuangtao said, "Aunt, Li..."

Her voice faltered, considering her aunt’s words and plans, she stammered:

"Is there anything inappropriate in the verse my cousin just recited?"

The girl knew it was all to protect Li Guanyi.

For the outstanding tree in the forest shall be the first to be uprooted by the wind, she was to be protected by the Xue Family.

But when she said the words ’my cousin’, she felt an inexplicable sensation, her flesh crawling with an awkward sense of embarrassment, similar to the feeling of social death in front of a close friend. Her cheeks reddened, not out of shyness, but due to a bizarre kind of shame, while Noble Consort Xue laughed even heartier.

She gestured for the girl to come over and observed her elaborately dressed and beautiful niece with an amused gaze.

Pointing at the girl’s almond-shaped eyes with a smile, she said:

"Water forms the crosswise ripples."

She traced the girl’s well-defined eyebrows: "Mountains gather to shape the brows."

Embracing Xue Shuangtao, she pointed at the young man across from them, her face brimming with laughter:

"Should you ask where the traveler is headed."

Her hand drew a graceful arc, ultimately pointing at Xue Shuangtao’s eyes, chuckling:

"Within the tender glances you’ll find your answer."

"A beautiful verse indeed, truly beautiful."

!!!!

Xue Shuangtao’s face turned a deep red, and she suddenly rose from her seat, pulling away from her aunt’s embrace. With wide-open eyes, she stared at Li Guanyi, stuttering and fuming for a long while. Then, stamping her foot, she returned to her seat amidst Noble Consort Xue’s laughter. Li Guanyi was dumbfounded; he had never imagined the verse could be interpreted in such a way?

Could it really be said like that?

The young man soon came to a realization.

Noble Consort Xue, was she a flirtatious expert?

A former wild girl draped in silks and satins?

He turned his head and saw Xue Daoyong’s mouth twitching; the fierce tiger of the troubled times lost the overbearing aura he once had and almost seemed inclined to hide his face in shame, exuding a sense of family misfortune.

Noble Consort Xue appeared to be blissfully happy, clapping her hands and saying, "Enough, this half-completed verse is already peerless in the world. Aunt will certainly give you a fine gift. Good child, good child, go back and sit down."

Li Guanyi obediently sat down.

Xue Changqing showed the utmost respect to this man who had suddenly become the ’distant cousin who once held you as a child, knew about your bedwetting, and later went off to cultivate in seclusion’.

The banquet was delicious, and Li Guanyi thought it a pity it couldn’t be taken with him.

As spring drew to a close and the temperatures gradually rose, even if sent by fast horse, by the time it reached Guan Yi City, the food would have surely spoiled. Otherwise, he truly wished that Aunt could taste it too.

Suddenly, he felt as though someone was nudging him.

Li Guanyi shifted slightly to the side and saw the girl seated next to him extending a leg.

Annoyed, she lightly nudged him.

Her face was crimson, and her almond eyes glared at him with fury.