Chapter 144: Copper Coins

When Xu Zhihu awoke, she looked for her brother. Stepping out of Xieyi Garden, she saw the two of them in the pavilion, red-faced and glaring at each other. Her maid, Qingniao, smiled slightly as she bowed upon seeing the eldest princess, which made Xu Zhihu breathe a sigh of relief. She had thought the two in the pavilion were about to come to blows. The Tangxi Sword Immortal seemed to have lost the argument and left with a cold face, flicking his sleeve. Xu Zhihu saw her brother, looking innocent, and asked curiously, "What was that about? Is Uncle going to discipline you with his Baixiu Sword?"

Xu Fengnian grinned mischievously, not taking it seriously, and said, "No, I was just discussing Hongjia's flight north with Master. We had some disagreements, and it turned into an argument. It won't escalate to swords and blades, at most, it'll be another debate later. If it were any other renowned scholar from Jiangnan, I would have already drawn my sword on them."

Xu Zhihu tapped her brother's forehead with her finger. "Oh, you, you. You never act more humble and respectful in front of your elders."

Xu Fengnian waited for his elder sister to sit beside him, then squinted and asked, "Is that Lu Xuanlang still hiding like a coward?"

Xu Zhihu gave a playful wink and said earnestly, "Manners, where are your manners? Don't be so informal. Remember, don't wear a sour face next time we meet. The Lu family is a truly prominent clan; not everyone is as agreeable as Uncle."

Xu Fengnian neither confirmed nor denied, simply rolling his eyes. Xu Zhihu rubbed her thumb on his forehead, marveling, "I tried rubbing it all night yesterday, but I couldn't get rid of this pretty purple mark; it's probably real. I can do my makeup like this in the future; it looks good. Maybe it'll even become popular in Jiangnan."

A wave of helplessness washed over Xu Fengnian, leaving him speechless. He gently brushed away her teasing hand.

Xu Zhihu asked, "Are you hungry? If you're up to it, I'll take you to Baoguo Temple for a vegetarian meal; it's delicious."

He nodded. For this trip out of Lu, besides the leisurely brother and sister, Yu Youwei did not accompany them. He had instructed Qingniao to rest well. So, only Wei Shuyang, Ning Emei, the Old Sword God, and Jiang Ni were called along. The Phoenix Battalion's light cavalry remained behind. However, Princess Jing'an was still summoned by her maid, Erqiao. Princess Pei had finally gotten a proper bed to sleep on after leaving Xiangfan and wished she could sleep for days. She was quite reluctant to get up and still appeared groggy when she boarded the carriage, clearly not having slept enough. The group split into two carriages, with Ning Emei wielding his halberd and the Old Sword God serving as coachmen. Princess Pei, whom they had originally intended to avoid, was specifically requested to stay by Xu Zhihu. Inside the carriage, besides the siblings, there was only this woman who had fallen from a high position. Xu Zhihu's gaze as she examined her was far from polite. She clicked her tongue and said, "As expected of someone on the Rouge List; even I, a woman, feel tempted just looking at you."

Xu Zhihu reached out to pinch Princess Jing'an's creamy skin, but Pei Nanwei, with an indifferent expression, neither humbly nor arrogantly dodged her hand. She felt no particular malice towards this immoral widow, whom even Qingzhou cursed, but certainly no goodwill either. However, being under someone else's roof, she dared not show it. Seeing her dodge, Xu Zhihu seemed a little bored. She turned to Xu Fengnian with a mischievous grin and asked, "Have you tried her yet?"

Xu Fengnian retorted testily, "No. If you want her, you can have Princess Pei sleep in your room tonight, just don't let her bother me."

Xu Zhihu burst out laughing, almost to the point of tears, her ample bosom shaking. Without any restraint, she leaned on Xu Fengnian's shoulder, panting as she giggled alluringly, "Never mind, I'd still rather sleep with you. While 'rubbing mirrors' with a beauty of such national renown isn't bad, how could it compare to sharing a bed with you?"

Princess Jing'an's eyes widened in shock, looking at the siblings with unconcealed disgust, clearly believing their relationship to be truly immoral and unethical. Xu Fengnian's eyes turned cold, and he slapped her cheek hard with the sheath of his Xiudong saber. Xu Zhihu, fearing nothing more than peace, snuggled completely into the Prince's arms, watching Princess Jing'an with relish. Her posture was anything but that of an older sister; she was like a favored concubine in the inner quarters, flaunting her status to a vanquished rival. Xu Fengnian sighed inwardly, but since it was his sister's mischief, he let her be; as long as she was happy, what did Princess Pei's disgusted thoughts matter to him? Xu Zhihu pushed her luck, wrapping her arms around Xu Fengnian's neck. Unwilling to behave herself, she rubbed her foot against Princess Pei's frozen face and chuckled, "Sister Princess, would you like me to teach you some seductive tricks that will benefit you for life? It's good to be reserved downstairs, but if you're still like that in bed, men will start to dislike it. You're already at this age, Sister; if you don't loosen up, aren't you wasting your 'thirty like a wolf, forty like a tiger' potential?"

Xu Zhihu heavily emphasized the words "Sister Princess." To Princess Pei, they sounded particularly harsh, especially the mention of "thirty and forty," which would surely distress even the most open-minded woman.

Princess Pei, dressed in plain clothes with a wooden hairpin, kept a straight face. She turned her head away, pressing her lips together without saying a word.

Xu Zhihu said regretfully, "Beautiful, yes, but you lack any allure. No wonder my brother, who's always looking for more, hasn't even bothered to 'pick up his chopsticks' with you, Sister."

Xu Fengnian finally spoke up, "Alright, Sister, stop scaring Princess Jing'an, this chaste and virtuous woman. Keep talking, and she'll swallow her hairpin to commit suicide."

Xu Zhihu feigned surprise, "I didn't realize Sister Princess was so resolute!"

Xu Fengnian chuckled, "Princess, why don't you swallow your hairpin for my sister to see?"

Princess Pei's eyes were filled with sorrow. Gritting her teeth, she turned her back on them, and two streams of clear tears flowed down her cheeks.

Xu Zhihu whispered into the Prince's ear, "Turns out she's a pitiable person too."

Xu Fengnian remained noncommittal.

They arrived early at Baoguo Temple; it had not yet opened. Dozens of groups of pilgrims were resting and chatting outside, mostly acquaintances from Huteng County. When they saw the widow Xu Zhihu step out of her carriage, they immediately fell silent. Compared to their previous spectator mentality, after yesterday's upheaval, while other counties in Huteng were fine, all the well-informed aristocratic families in Yangchun City had been struck speechless by the Prince's methods. After killing a scholar on the street, he had stormed through and dispersed armored soldiers several times their number within the city. It was even rumored that the Lu family's central compound had been dismantled. That very night, he had dragged Mr. Cheng Zhai's corpse into the city and then left it at the city gate. Such actions? How could "utterly horrifying" even begin to describe them? The elders of the city's families had risen that night, chatting by lamplight with their old acquaintances, all heartbroken and lamenting that this was a disgrace unseen in Yongzhou for a hundred years. It was rumored that General Dong Gonghuang, known for his iron-fisted approach to powerful clans within the province, had received orders to bring six hundred elite soldiers from the provincial capital to Yangchun City today. Everyone knew that General Dong, who had beaten Young Master Xu San of Gumu to death with a staff upon taking office, had a deep connection with the Yu family, and was once General Gu Jiantang's trusted and favored subordinate.

The temple gates were tightly shut. After Xu Fengnian got out of the carriage, he saw a small, exquisite square pond nestled against the foot of the mountain in front of the temple. Green trees embraced the spring, and a strangely twisted ancient pine stood nearby. Xu Zhihu intimately linked her arm in his and led him towards it. On one side of the pond were stone-carved dragon heads, from whose mouths spring water dripped drop by drop. The water was clear, and scattered copper coins thrown in by pilgrims were clearly visible at the bottom. Xu Zhihu picked up a dry branch, squatted down to stir the spring water. When she stopped, a fine, silver-thread-like dividing line appeared on the water's surface. She looked up and smiled, "See that? They say it's caused by the different densities of mountain water and spring water mixing together. Interesting, isn't it?"

Xu Fengnian squatted down, wanting to reach into the water to pick up a few copper coins. Xu Zhihu playfully slapped his hand with the branch and chuckled, "Are you that desperate for money?"

Nonetheless, Xu Fengnian picked up one copper coin, pinching it between two fingers. He chuckled smugly, "Saving money where you can, you know."

Standing up, the air outside the temple was fresh, and birds chirped one after another. Looking up, layers of lush greenery rose higher and higher within the temple grounds. His gaze returned to the ancient pine beside them; it indeed grew in an extraordinary manner. Its thick trunk twisted left and right, painstakingly bent into several folds, contorted like a crouching dragon. It was hard to tell if it was divine will or human intervention. The Old Sword God and Jiang Ni stood beneath the tree. The old man in sheepskin sighed, "If this is divine will, it is too tender-hearted; but if it's the result of human effort, then it's too ruthless."

Xu Zhihu pointed at the ancient pine with her branch and explained to Xu Fengnian, "Locals call it the Crouching Dragon Pine. They say if you break a branch, it will bleed, though I've never seen anyone actually do it."

Xu Fengnian chuckled, "Shall I try?"

Xu Zhihu glared, "Don't you dare!"

Xu Fengnian pursed his lips.

Seeing this scene, Erqiao smiled gently. The Prince and Miss indeed love each other dearly. Perhaps catching sight of her secret smile, Xu Fengnian made a grimace at the young maid, which startled her into quickly hiding behind Xu Zhihu. The young girl's heart pounded like a deer; it wasn't fear, but as if something soft had tickled her, leaving her unable to calm down. Xu Zhihu turned to glance at the dazed young maid and smiled knowingly, thinking, "Of course, what woman doesn't adore her own brother?" Yet, on the surface, Xu Zhihu gave Xu Fengnian a flirtatious side-eye for his unintended actions, waving her branch as if warning him not to flirt in such a sacred Buddhist place.

The temple gates slowly opened, and two young monks bowed with hands pressed together. However, after Xu Zhihu and her group were seated in the wing where vegetarian meals were offered to pilgrims, no one else dared to enter. At Xu Fengnian's table, Xu Zhihu sat, along with the Nine-Measure Rice Daoist Wei Shuyang, and there was still an empty bench. The maid Erqiao and the general Ning Emei both stood. Princess Jing'an, aware of her situation and having been terribly bullied on the way there, certainly would not sit. Xu Zhihu, being someone who enjoyed lively company, called for Jiang Ni, who was seated at the next table. Jiang Ni hesitated for a moment but didn't refuse. When she approached, Xu Zhihu pulled her onto the long bench beside her, smiling, "Jiang Ni, you're growing prettier and prettier! You were a beautiful lass even as a child, the only one who could compare to Fengnian back then. I was initially worried that you might not be as pretty when you grew up, but it seems I worried for nothing. Come, tell your sister if Fengnian bullied you."

Jiang Ni, who was quite spirited in front of the Prince and the Old Sword God, now blushed and remained silent.

Xu Fengnian teased, laughing, "You're blushing! How rare, how rare."

Jiang Ni didn't glare back angrily, but under the table, she raised her foot and stomped on his.

The Prince lifted both feet, chuckling smugly, "I'm dodging, dodging, dodging! You still think you can spar with me, the Prince?"

With Xu Zhihu present, Jiang Ni didn't retort much.

Xu Zhihu smiled softly, "It seems you're definitely bullied often. Don't worry, I'll take care of him for you later."

Jiang Ni lowered her head and remained silent.

Xu Fengnian muttered, "Is she my sister or hers?"

Xu Zhihu raised her hand as if to hit him, and the Prince shifted his body. She lovingly stroked Jiang Ni's slender shoulder. "Jiang Ni, I heard you've been reading to this scoundrel since you left Beiliang? That's good. For now, come and read 'First Snowfall' by Wang Dongxiang to your sister. I'll double the price, and he'll have to pay it all from his own pocket; he wouldn't dare refuse."

Jiang Ni looked up and gave a firm 'mm-hmm,' a rare smile breaking across her face, the first this month.

Xu Fengnian, spoiling the moment, teased, "Dimples! Two little dimples! Haha, I saw them! Alright, double the price it is, it's worth it."

Jiang Ni immediately straightened her face, but a smile still lingered in her eyes. It was, of course, entirely because of Xu Zhihu, and not at all related to that scoundrel.

Xu Zhihu laughed, "Our little Jiang Ni looks the prettiest when she smiles; no woman in the world can compare. So, smile more often; it keeps you young."

The old man in sheepskin, sitting at the next table with his legs crossed, chuckled, "Young Xu, your sister certainly didn't get that figure for nothing; her heart is much kinder than yours."

Xu Zhihu, embracing Jiang Ni, turned her head and gave an alluring smile. "For that remark, Sword God Li, you'll get ten jars of fine wine later."

The Old Sword God gave a thumbs up, praising, "Bold! I'll certainly drink that wine. If anyone dares to cross you in Jiangnan these days, I'll be the first to deal with them."

Xu Fengnian said with annoyance, "Why do I feel like I'm the only bad one here?"

Jiang Ni, in Xu Zhihu's embrace, chuckled, "Only now did you realize that?"

Xu Fengnian exclaimed, delighted, "Look, dimples again!"

Jiang Ni turned her head, just about to straighten her face, but Xu Zhihu gently poked the little dimples that could enchant all men. She teased, looking down, "You adorable lass, your sister would be reluctant to let you go, even if it meant letting that fellow leave Jiangnan."

Xu Fengnian stretched out his hand and slapped it on the table in front of Jiang Ni. When he withdrew it, there was the copper coin he had fished from the spring. He said shamelessly, "It's for you! Am I generous or not?"

Jiang Ni hesitated for a moment, then, probably for Xu Zhihu's sake, reached out, picked up the coin, and held it in her palm.

After the vegetarian meal was served, Xu Zhihu ate her wontons and said, "There's a debate on the 'Kingly Way versus the Hegemon's Way' at Baoguo Temple today. Do you want to listen?"

Xu Fengnian said indifferently, "Whatever you like."

Xu Zhihu emphasized, "You can listen, but no fighting or killing."

Xu Fengnian, burying his head in a vegetarian bun, said, "Don't worry, Mr. Tangxi will definitely be keeping an eye on me."

After breakfast, Xu Zhihu took him to see the peonies in Baoguo Temple. Jiang Ni and Li Chungang were at the back. When no one was looking, Jiang Ni opened her palm, secretly glanced at the sweaty copper coin, and then quickly clenched it tight, as if she were a thief.

The Old Sword God, seemingly looking around, sighed inwardly, "Oh, my dear silly girl, you'll be completely smitten for life. So, a tiny copper coin is more valuable than my lifelong mastery of the sword?"