Chapter 8: Clear Tea for Guests

Although the Huang family was still in the mourning period and it was impossible for them to send people to stir up trouble again, An Qinghe nevertheless reinforced the guards at the gatehouse, once again transferring his personal guards back to stand watch. This was, in truth, somewhat out of protocol.

On the nineteenth day, a time deemed inauspicious for major undertakings, there were no social visits, and the entire day passed peacefully. The bruises on An Yi's wrists had faded slightly.

On the morning of the twentieth, the two servants of the Hu family who had been staking out the Hall of Calligraphy and Ink finally received word that the master of the hall was once again engaging in a chess match. The two split up to report the news to Hu Qingyue and An Yi respectively.

Hu Qingyue and An Yi immediately hurried to the Hall of Calligraphy and Ink, both eager to find out the true identity of the hall master.

An Yi arrived first and said to the shop assistant, "I wish to see the hall master."

"According to the rules of the chess matches, Miss An must successfully pass three barriers before she may see the hall master," the assistant said with a smile.

"I am not here to play chess; I have something to ask the hall master." As for An Yi's chess skills, let alone defeating three chess masters, she couldn't even pass the first barrier.

"Miss An, to see the hall master, one must pass the three barriers. This is a rule set by the hall master." The assistant turned a blind eye to the silver offered by Fangrong and stubbornly refused to let An Yi enter.

An Yi did not want to force her way in and cause a scene. Frowning, she asked, "May I wait here for someone?"

"Of course you may. Please have a seat, Miss An." The assistant invited An Yi to sit down and even had tea and pastries served.

Word that the Hall of Calligraphy and Ink was hosting chess matches had long since spread, and chess experts arrived one after another to participate. The prize this time was the *Nymph of the Luo River Scroll*. Hurrying through the entrance, those who caught sight of the beautiful young woman seated inside inevitably slowed their pace to look at An Yi.

An Yi cradled her hand warmer, her gaze lowered, calmly receiving the attention of the crowd.

A carriage stopped outside the shop, and three young gentlemen in lavish attire stepped down from it. Thinking that Hu Qingyue had arrived, An Yi raised her gaze, only to realize that the two men on either side were strangers, while the one walking in the center was clearly the Fifth Prince, Qin Kun.

The young gentleman on the left caught sight of An Yi, his eyes lighting up as he walked toward her. Fangrong stepped forward two steps, blocking An Yi's path. "What do you want?"

"My lady, I am Liu Yu. Greetings, my lady. Might I ask your esteemed name?" Liu Yu asked, making a deep bow with his hands cupped in front of him.

"Liu Yu, do not be so discourteous," Qin Kun rebuked him in a deep voice.

"Please do not misunderstand, my lady. Liu Yu had no intention of offending you. He excels in painting and is currently working on a *Scroll of a Hundred Beauties*. Catching sight of you, he acted on impulse and committed this unseemly breach of etiquette. I beg your forgiveness," another young gentleman explained on Liu Yu's behalf.

"Yes, yes! I am painting a *Scroll of a Hundred Beauties*. Would you be willing to become a part of my painting, my lady? I promise to capture your likeness to perfection," Liu Yu said eagerly.

"I am sorry, but I am not willing," An Yi declined his request.

Reluctant to give up, Liu Yu said, "My lady, I am not a bad person. I..."

"Liu Yu, that is enough," Qin Kun checked him once more.

Liu Yu sighed with a face full of disappointment, muttering under his breath, "When will this *Scroll of a Hundred Beauties* ever be finished?"

"Assistant, lead the way," the other gentleman said.

"Three young masters, please follow this humble one," the assistant said, bowing and making an inviting gesture.

Qin Kun and the other two followed the assistant inward.

"Junior Sister," Hu Qingyue walked in from outside, "how long have you been here?"

Hearing this voice, Liu Yu turned back to look. "Miss Hu."

Hu Qingyue caught sight of Qin Kun, a flash crossing her eyes. Why was he here?

"Miss Hu, it is wonderful to see you here! You know this young lady, do you not? Could you do me a favor and persuade her to agree to let me paint her portrait?" Liu Yu hurried over to Hu Qingyue and pleaded.

Hu Qingyue looked toward An Yi.

An Yi shook her head. Had Liu Yu not been in the company of Qin Kun, she might have agreed, but to avoid becoming entangled with Qin Kun, she had to refuse firmly to the end.

"Liu Yu, no," Hu Qingyue said with a smile.

Faced with a second rejection, Liu Yu's blow was doubled.

Qin Kun walked over. "Miss Hu is already one of the 'hundred beauties.' Why not persuade Miss An to agree as well? For martial sisters to be featured in the painting together would also make a fine tale."

An Yi's gaze flickered slightly. This Qin Kun was no simple character; he had determined her identity so quickly.

Hu Qingyue sneered. "To force someone against their will—how could that ever be a fine tale?"

"Miss An, why are you unwilling?" Qin Kun bypassed Hu Qingyue and asked An Yi directly.

"For a gentleman to pursue the matter so relentlessly is hardly the behavior of a gentleman," Hu Qingyue said in a deep voice.

"Since Miss Hu is taking such matters upon herself, is there no need to ask for Miss An's own wishes?" the other gentleman asked.

"My senior sister's wish is my wish." An Yi stepped forward, coming to Hu Qingyue's side and standing shoulder to shoulder with her. "Senior Sister, let's go inside. If the person ahead wins the chess match, our trip will have been for nothing."

"Alright, let's go in!" Hu Qingyue nodded.

The two sisters walked past the three young gentlemen, and another assistant led the way for them.

In the first barrier, Hu Qingyue won narrowly by three stones.
In the second barrier, Hu Qingyue won narrowly by one stone.
In the third barrier, Hu Qingyue suffered a crushing defeat.

The group was escorted out of the match room; those who lost were not permitted to enter the inner courtyard to see the hall master. True to the rules, Hu Qingyue had no chance for a rematch. "Junior Sister, why don't you give it a try?"

"I wouldn't win a single game." An Yi had self-awareness and saw no reason to waste those three taels of silver.

"My lady, let's just force our way in," Fangrong suggested.

The two sisters exchanged a glance: should they force their way in, or not?

Before the two could make a decision, Qin Kun and his companions had won the third barrier and emerged from the opposing match room.

"Miss Hu, you won as well!" Liu Yu said.

"No, we lost the third barrier," Hu Qingyue stated truthfully.

A flash crossed Qin Kun's eyes as he said, "If the two young ladies do not mind, you may accompany us to the inner courtyard to challenge the hall master."

"Thank you for the kind offer, Young Master, but we accept our loss graciously." An Yi had no wish to owe Qin Kun a favor. Since her and Hu Qingyue's chess skills were not enough to pass the three barriers, she could bring An Kang along next time, and they would surely be able to see the hall master smoothly. "Senior Sister, let's go."

The two turned to leave, but after taking only a few steps, they heard someone call out from behind, "Miss An, please stay a moment."

An Yi turned back to look and saw a maid in blue. A look of doubt crossed her eyes—what business could she have that required her to stay?

The maid walked up to An Yi, curtsied, and said, "Miss An, the hall master would like to invite you inside for a cup of tea."

An Yi had already recognized this maid as the one she had seen last time, named Yinping. Her gaze shifted slightly, and she nodded. "Very well."

"Miss An, the hall master has asked you to enter alone," Yinping said, blocking Hu Qingyue and the others.

Although Hu Qingyue and Fangrong were uneasy about letting An Yi go in by herself, An Yi was unwilling to give up this opportunity and insisted on seeing the hall master. The two could only compromise and go wait for her in the front area.

Yinping led An Yi through the gate of the inner courtyard, bypassed a pavilion, and stopped outside a suite of rooms, smiling slightly. "Please go in, my lady. Someone is waiting for you inside."

An Yi furrowed her brows slightly, looking at Yinping. "The person who wishes to see me is not the hall master? Then who is it?"

"Rest assured, my lady, the person inside harbors no ill intentions toward you," Yinping said, taking two steps back with a smile.

Having already reached the doorway, An Yi would not allow herself to retreat. She clenched her hands into fists, stepped up the threshold, and pushed open the half-ajar door. The room was warm as spring, permeated by a faint fragrance of narcissus, and behind a folding screen, a figure was vaguely visible.

An Yi narrowed her eyes slightly and asked warily, "Who are you? Why do you want to see me?"

"Xier, come in and speak."

This voice!
So familiar!
It was...

An Yi looked back. Yinping had already departed, pulling the door shut behind her. An Yi hurried inside, walked around the folding screen, and saw Young Master Gong sitting by the tea table. To his right stood a small red-clay brazier, upon which the water in a bronze kettle was simmering and bubbling.

"You know the master of the Hall of Calligraphy and Ink?" An Yi was thoroughly surprised to see Young Master Gong here.

"I know this hall master, and you know them too."

"I know them as well?" An Yi frowned suspiciously. There were very few women whom both she and Young Master Gong knew. "Who is it?"

"In time, you will know." Young Master Gong curled his lips into a smile. "It's cold. Sit down and have a cup of hot tea."

Seeing him deliberately acting mysterious, An Yi, despite her belly full of questions, did not press further and sat down on a chair.

The water in the bronze kettle had already boiled. Young Master Gong lifted the kettle, poured boiling water into a teacup, replaced the lid, picked up a cup, placed it before An Yi, and asked, "Did Qingxi know that you once saved me?"

An Yi thought for a moment and replied, "I cannot be certain whether he knows about this or not."

"He is a dangerous person. Stay away from him and don't give him the chance to harm you. I will get rid of him as soon as possible." A deep intent to kill flashed through Young Master Gong's eyes. The moment he saw Qingxi raise his hand to strike An Yi, he had already placed Qingxi at the top of his target list for elimination.

An Yi's gaze flickered. "You already know who sent people to assassinate you?"

"It was the Empress Dowager. Knowing that the Emperor was searching for me, she had Qingke and the others find ways to eliminate me. But my life was tenacious; I didn't die, and instead ran into people from the Prince Dun's Manor. After recovering from my injuries, I entered the palace," Young Master Gong said with a cold laugh.

"Entering the palace does not mean you can rest easy," An Yi calmly reminded him.

"Previously, I was in the light while they were in the dark, so I naturally suffered setbacks everywhere. Now that everything is out in the open, we are both in the light; let us see whose methods are more brilliant." The sharp light in Young Master Gong's eyes grew cold, but the smile on his lips deepened. An Yi's reminder also showed that she cared about his safety. He propped one hand on the table and reached his other hand toward An Yi's ear.

Startled, An Yi jerked backward, glaring at the man before her and asking defensively, "What are you doing?"

Seeing the wariness on her face, Young Master Gong paused slightly, withdrew his hand, and smiled, "Your hair was caught in your earring."

An Yi touched her earring, pulled her hair free from it, stood up, and said, "My senior sister is waiting for me outside. I must be going."

"I am temporarily residing at Prince Dun's Manor. If you have anything you need to reach me for, leave a message here at the Hall of Calligraphy and Ink, and I will come out to see you," Young Master Gong said with a smile.

"Understood." An Yi turned away too hastily; her wide sleeve knocked over the teacup on the table, tilting the cup and spilling the water.

"My apologies!" An Yi took a handkerchief from her bosom to wipe it up.

Young Master Gong beat her to it, grasping her wrist as he smiled, "I'll clean it up."

An Yi pressed her lips together, pulled her hand free, turned once more without looking back, rounded the folding screen, and strode away.

This book was first published by Xiaoxiang Shuyuan; please do not plagiarize or reproduce!