My wife has a secret

Chapter 7 Peeping
As soon as Xu Qing finished his heroic words, he was stopped outside the door by the servants who were checking the invitations.
"Young Master Xu, the rules of the poetry meeting held by my master are that only scholars with invitations are allowed to enter."

"Be flexible, be flexible. Aren't the rules made by people? Why do we have to stick to them?"

The servant wearing a square hat looked at Xu Qing with disdain.

Young Master Xu's bad reputation spread far and wide. People in the city knew that he was illiterate and often frequented brothels.

Does he understand poetry?

The servant thought of this and suppressed his anger and said, "Young Master Xu, if you don't have an invitation, please go back home quickly and don't delay us servants from doing our work."

……

"Who is causing trouble at the East Gate?"

At a corner in Pu Garden, a handsome man in a green robe frowned slightly, looking somewhat displeased.

The noise coming from the east gate was so deafening that it ruined his mood of entertaining his guests.

"Puyuan is a prosperous place for scholars and literati in the south of the Yangtze River. How could such a ridiculous and disgraceful scene appear?"

The servant beside the man nodded and bowed, then hurried to the east gate to ask questions.

When he came back, there was something strange on his face.

"My Lord, I have found out that the troublemaker outside the door is Xu family's eldest son, Shao Qing. He does not have an invitation to the poetry gathering, and he wants to bring his female relatives with him to enter."

"Xu Qing? Didn't he fall into the water in his own house and lose his memory the day before yesterday?"

Marquis Jingdong's sword-like eyebrows moved slightly, and his voice paused.

"Why did you come to my Puyuan Poetry Meeting and act wild and crazy before you even recovered from your illness?"

The more Marquis Jingdong thought about it, the more suspicious he felt. This uneducated and uncultured young man was most likely here to cause trouble at the poetry gathering.

"My Lord, do you want me to call some more people to chase him out?"

"Blast them out."

The servant turned around in response, but had only taken two steps when he was stopped by Marquis Jingdong.

"and many more!"

Among the pile of gifts, Marquis Jingdong saw a beautifully written business card.

He has hosted poetry gatherings in Suzhou for many years, but has never seen such neat and beautiful handwriting.

"Lu Wanhe..."

The size of the characters on the name card confirmed Marquis Jingdong's guess, and it took him a long time to calm down.

"Miss Lu is here too?"

"My Lord, the third wife of the Xu family is here too..."

Marquis Jingdong's face darkened, and he interrupted and corrected her, "Don't call her the Third Madam of the Xu family, call her Miss Lu."

"Yes, Lord Marquis."

The servant immediately changed his words, "Miss Lu is at the west gate preparing to board the ship. I have arranged a seat with the best view for her."

"Not bad, you have some insight... No, who are the women following Xu Qing? Is she his favorite fourth wife?"

Marquis Jingdong smelled something unusual.

I heard that the eldest lady of the Xu family was summoned to the capital by the Empress Dowager, and now only the third wife, Lu, and the fourth wife, Qin, are left in the backyard.

Qin came from a place of entertainment and liked to make friends with princes and dignitaries, which was contrary to Xu Qing's personality, so she probably would not go out with him to attend poetry gatherings.

"It's a stranger. The servants who have dealt with the Xu family said that she seemed to be a maid who did odd jobs in their house. Because she called for help to save the eldest son of the Xu family, she was brought to his side."

Marquis Jingdong's brows relaxed and he sneered, "Bringing a maid out to make a fool of himself is really like Young Master Xu. It seems that it makes no difference to him whether he has lost his memory or not."

Marquis Jingdong's thoughts moved slightly.

If Lu Wanhe watched the poetry reading on the boat, wouldn't she be able to see the gap between herself and Xu Qing in front of everyone?
Thinking of this, he waved his hand and said, "Let him come if he wants. I am not a stingy person. If he can't write a poem at the poetry meeting, it will only bring shame to his Xu family."

"Yes."

……

Xu Qing rolled up his sleeves and was about to give the gatekeeper some human rights education when he suddenly caught a glimpse of another servant running out from the inner courtyard and whispering something to the gatekeeper.

After listening to him, the guard nodded and made way for Xu Qing to pass.

"Boss, you are awesome!"

Zhu Yuande said with admiration: "Marquis Jingdong has a bad temper and rarely gives face to others. It seems that he is afraid of my eldest brother from the bottom of his heart."

When Xu Qing saw the sneering expression on the servant in front of him, he knew that Marquis Jingdong had bad intentions.

But for now, it’s enough to take Xiaohuan to the poetry reading, nothing else matters.

When the three of them stepped through the east gate, the scene before them suddenly changed.

The falling leaves of the ginkgo trees dyed the ground golden.

Streams, springs, strange rocks, pavilions and waterside terraces are scattered throughout the courtyard, creating a new scene every step and a new color every ten steps.

The combination of the two makes autumn more intense.

"My dear, I have heard that the scenery in Pu Garden is unique. Now that I can see it, it is really worth the trip."

Zhu Yuande looked left and right, and couldn't let go of the picturesque scenery before him.

In comparison, Xu Qing and Xiao Huan's expressions were a little dull.

The scale of Xu Mansion is several times that of Pu Garden. It takes two hours just to walk around the expanded backyard.

Although Pu Garden has the beauty of all four seasons, it is still far from the exquisiteness of Xu Mansion.

Of course, Puyuan, located on the banks of the Fu River, also has its own characteristics.

For example, outside the courtyard on the north side is a viewing platform with a panoramic view of the entire river. Marquis Jingdong named it Qiantai using the eight trigrams and numbers.

There is a small pier below it for cruise ships to dock.

……

Poetry readings usually last a long time, often taking up a whole day.

Therefore, on various tables, there will be snacks and food prepared by the host.

Xu Qinghe didn't recognize any of the people in green robes and Confucian shirts in the yard. After taking a quick look at the garden scenery, he found a pavilion to sit down and started eating some cakes.

“This mung bean cake is good.”

Zhu Yuande swallowed his saliva, with a hint of hesitation on his face.

"Boss, the people who attend the Puyuan Poetry Festival are all famous scholars in Jiangnan. Isn't it a bit inappropriate for us to eat like this? It will affect our image."

"Image?"

Xu Qing chewed his lips, raised his head and glanced at Zhu Yuande with surprise.

He suddenly remembered that this guy was here for a blind date.

"Don't worry. There's no telescope on the ship. They can't see how much you eat. And...what's the point of caring about these literati? You're not dating them."

"Telescope? Object?"

Zhu Yuande was puzzled by the new words that came out of Xu Qing's mouth.

Only after being reminded by Xu Qing did he roughly understand the meaning of these two words.

It is difficult for the ladies from noble families on the cruise ship to see what is happening here clearly, so why is he still being so reserved?

……

The cruise ship on the Fu River is an extremely wide pleasure boat. It is made up of two boats put together and is more than twice as large as an ordinary flower boat.

In addition to the decorative red and green curtains and light gauze Roman curtains, the barge also has private rooms and pavilions for special use.

At this moment, there is such a woman with a very special identity, standing in front of the window of the upstairs elegant pavilion, looking at the shore.

She held a slender copper tube in her delicate white hands and turned the mechanism on the head.

Miss Liu, who was traveling with her, saw her best friend's strange appearance and couldn't help laughing and said, "Jin'er, what is that thing you are using? It looks weird, just like the one-eyed dragon in ghost stories."

"Oh, you don't understand. This is a treasure I bought from Dayue Country at a great price. Its scientific name is Kuizhu, and it has the effect of seeing a hundred miles away at a glance."

The figure by the window tilted her head slightly, revealing her beautiful eyebrows, eyes, jade-like cheeks and cherry lips.

Upon closer inspection, I discovered that this was a beautiful and lively girl with a graceful and beautiful appearance.

Miss Liu was a little unconvinced when she heard this, "Is it really that powerful?"

"It's your turn to take a look. Put this thing close to your left eye and turn the knob... How about it? Can you see the things in the garden clearly now?"

Unexpectedly, under the girl's instruction, Miss Liu actually learned how to use the spying net.

"I can really see it clearly! This Puyuan Poetry Festival is so lively. Hey, why are there a few familiar faces in the palace... Is the man standing on the stage the Marquis of Jingdong? He has a good appearance and temperament. He looks good."

"Why? Miss Liu likes this kind of person?"

Miss Liu put down the telescope and stamped her feet with a hint of anger.

"My Lord Princess, can you please stop joking with me? Don't you know what kind of person I like? Oh, by the way, I asked someone and found out that the Marquis of Jingdong already has someone in his heart. If you really count, that person is somewhat related to you. She also came to the ship today."

The sweet-looking girl grabbed a handful of melon seeds on the table and responded nonchalantly, "I'm not interested. There is no good man in this world... Ahem, stop glaring at me. Your Qilang is the best."

While the two girls were chatting, Miss Liu, who was holding a telescope, suddenly saw a scene that had nothing to do with the poetry reading.

The two men in brocade robes did not go to the center of the garden to chat with the crowd, but instead found a secluded corner to eat.

The way he ate with such relish made her feel a little hungry.

"Which family in Suzhou City are these two young men from?"

……

"Damn, it's delicious! Boss, you don't know...After my old man ordered me to find a partner, he began to strictly restrict my diet."

After hanging out with Xu Qing for a short time, Zhu Yuande was able to use the word "object" flexibly.

"I couldn't eat a chicken drumstick this big in three whole days!"

Zhu Yuande's face was full of happiness.

"Boss, tell me how you feel after losing your memory."

Xu Qing rolled his eyes helplessly. As a time traveler, how could he understand the feeling of amnesia?

This kid is full of energy and even a chicken leg can't stop him from eating. We have to find a way to make him calm down.

Xu Qing glanced at the chicken bones on the table and thought of the problems in Sun Tzu's Mathematical Classic.

"Yuan De, there are a number of chickens and rabbits in a cage. Counting from the top, there are 88 heads, and counting from the bottom, there are 244 feet. How many chickens and rabbits are there in the cage?"

Xu Qing originally wanted to find something for Zhu Yuande to do, but he didn't expect that this guy would think about it for a while and then come over again.

"Boss, I figured it out."

Zhu Yuande said with a grin, "If the rabbits and chickens lift half of their legs at the same time, we can get the total number of rabbits and chickens. Then we can use the number of rabbits and the total number to get the number of chickens."

"So, there are 34 rabbits and 54 chickens."

Xu Qing was slightly stunned.

I really didn't expect Zhu Yuande could figure out the answer so quickly.

This guy is very suitable for accounting!

Just as Xu Qing was wondering if there was any good business to do in this era, a servant came forward and bowed.

"Master Xu, the poetry conference is being held at Qiantai. Do you need me to lead the way for you?"

Xu Qing clapped his hands and wiped Zhu Yuande's clothes.

"Are you full?"

"Boss, I'm full."

"Let's go and see what's going on."

Xu Qing was very curious about Marquis Jingdong, not to mention that this poetry reading was also a blind date.

I don’t know what kind of treatment a young man with outstanding words will receive?
Is it popular among thousands of people? Or is it world-renowned?

"Boss, Boss! Wait a minute!"

Zhu Yuande sent away the servant who was leading the way, raised his eyebrows at Xu Qing, and laughed slyly.

"How can we go into battle empty-handed? As the saying goes, if you want to do something well, you must first sharpen your tools. Fortunately, I have come prepared for this trip."

After saying this, he took off his dark blue boots and pulled out a crumpled paper ball from them.

"Look, Boss! This is a poem I bought from a down-and-out scholar. Each of them is a masterpiece, one of a kind... It will definitely make you and me stand out."

Xu Qing didn't even see what poem was written on the note because the smell was so strong that he almost vomited out the snack he had just eaten.

Xiaohuan outside the pavilion pinched her upturned nose and quietly took two steps forward.

"Put it away quickly. I really want to thank your ancestors for eighteen generations..."

Xu Qing turned his head and retched twice, keeping a safe distance from Zhu Yuande.

Although he really wanted to beat this kid up, considering that Zhu Yuande was a kind person and was doing this for his own good, he accepted his kindness.

Zhu Yuande's fat face was full of grievance. After putting on his boots, he chased out of the pavilion.

"Boss, without these poems, it would be very dangerous to attend the poetry meeting later..."

"Just worry about yourself."

When it comes to poetry, Xu Qing has never been afraid.

The three of them arrived at the Qiantai, only to find that the stage and the audience were already full of people.

All of these people were wearing blue Confucian robes, except for the young man on the stage who was wearing a hair crown and had handsome eyes and eyebrows, and was quite outstanding.

"Brother Xu."

As Xu Qing sat down, he saw the man stand up and raise his glass to invite him.

"you are?"

The handsome man's expression was a little stiff, but he immediately relaxed and said with a smile: "I'm sorry, I forgot that Brother Xu lost his memory the day before yesterday... I am Feng Tuo, Marquis of Jingdong."

"Oh, Brother Feng, right? I've heard a lot about you! Your poetry reading was very good."

Xu Qing cupped his hands, smiling, and looked very familiar.

The scholars sitting in the seats all had a bad impression of Xu Qing.

Who would greet someone with "I've admired you so much" after losing their memory? And calling a hereditary marquis "brother"...

hypocritical.

Feng Tuo didn't expect that Xu Qing would become so arrogant.

If it were the Xu Qing of the past, he would definitely get stage fright in front of everyone and then hold a grudge against himself in his heart.

"As long as it suits Brother Xu's wishes... But Brother Xu has never participated in a poetry gathering before. Why did you suddenly come to my garden today? Are you inspired to write poetry or have some great inspiration?"

(End of this chapter)