Painting Doctor Jinhua

"You are the tenth lady of the Xiao family. What are you doing here?" Fenghuang asked vigilantly.

Xiao Ruoling came with only one maid, who was holding a long brocade box in her arms. Both of them were petite, standing against the wind. Their frail appearance was really pitiful, and the huge brocade box looked particularly out of place.

"Come in and talk!" Xiao Jinyu raised her hand and gestured.

Xiao Ruoling stared at Xiao Jinyu with her clear eyes for a long while before ordering her maid Youtan to step aside and said to Xiao Jinyu, "Shi Niang wants to talk to this miracle doctor alone."

Xiao Jinyu nodded, invited Xiao Ruoling into the inner hall, and ordered Fenghuang and A Xiu to guard outside the door.

Xiao Ruoling then placed the long brocade box on the table and said straight to the point, "This is the Eighth Young Master of the Xiao family, your uncle Xiao Yun. He asked me to give it to you. He said he was apologizing to the divine doctor on behalf of your mother. This is his sincerity on behalf of the Xiao family."

"Oh."

Xiao Jinyu responded and took out the brocade box, preparing to open it. Unexpectedly, Xiao Ruoling suddenly reached out and grabbed her wrist, shaking her head and said, "Don't open it, I'm afraid there's something bad in it."

Seeing Xiao Jinyu smiling and not seeming surprised or curious, Xiao Ruoling asked again: "You are not afraid at all?"

"Is there anything I should be afraid of?" Xiao Jinyu asked back.

Xiao Ruoling said, "I've heard about your story. You are my aunt's illegitimate daughter, the granddaughter of the Xiao family. It's only natural that you are not included in the Xiao family tree. Why do you have to come back? Isn't it good to live a quiet life outside?"

As she said this, tears gradually welled up in Xiao Ruoling's eyes, and she whispered, "How many lives do you have to survive the Chen family... or Princess Yunyin's scheme?"

"Are you worried that I will fall into their clutches?" Xiao Jinyu understood the meaning of the girl's words and saw the worry hidden in her eyes.

This all-seeing look made Xiao Ruoling's heart tremble. She quickly avoided his sight, quietly wiped away her tears, and continued, "Yes, you are very smart. The first time you saw me, you could tell that my illness had been incurable. It was all my own fault. I deliberately dragged this seriously ill body, but what else could I do? The Xiao family is not the same as before. The number of male descendants is gradually decreasing. Even Uncle Qi can't control his own destiny, let alone a young lady like me who has no parents. As long as Princess Yunyin says a word, even if she gives me to some old pervert as a concubine, I will have no power to resist. If that happens, I will only die!"

"Princess Yunyin, what are your plans recently?" Xiao Jinyu asked.

Xiao Ruoling pondered for a moment and nodded, "Although I don't know what she is planning, she has assassins and seems to have contacts with several ministers in the court. Three months ago, I heard that she seemed to want to marry me to Lu Sheng, the son of Lu Fang, the secretary of the Central Secretariat. I have also heard of Lu Sheng. He is an uneducated playboy with dozens of concubines at home. He also goes out to have fun all day long. Even my eighth uncle is one of his drinking buddies..."

At this point, she looked at Xiao Jinyu and said, "You certainly don't know how lustful my eighth uncle is. He even didn't let go of the young ladies in his own family, let alone you...your niece!"

Speaking of this, it seemed a little difficult to say, and Xiao Ruoling looked embarrassed and depressed.

Xiao Jinyu seemed to understand her intention and said, "I know. You are here to tell me that he is going to attack me, right?"

Xiao Ruoling suddenly looked up at her, and seeing that she seemed to be nonchalant, he asked, "Do you already know?"

"I didn't know it before, but I guessed it from the moment you stopped me from opening the brocade box." Xiao Jinyu said, and then asked, "Did he tell you their plan?"

"Xinghua Yanyu Tower, you must not go there, that's all!"

Xiao Jinyu nodded and thanked him. Xiao Ruoling said goodbye and left without any worries. When she was about to reach the door of the ear room, Xiao Jinyu suddenly asked again, "You said that the Xiao family is not as good as before. What was the Xiao family like before? When did it become what it is now?"

Xiao Ruoling suddenly stopped, looked back at Xiao Jinyu and said, "I heard that during the war, the eldest daughter of the Xiao family, that is, your mother, took the Xiao family to seek refuge in Jingkang, and later settled in Jiankang. The Xiao family was loving and filial, and the family lived in harmony. But since Princess Yunyin married into the Xiao family, everything has changed... Now the Xiao family has their own thoughts, and no one is willing or dares to give their true heart to them.

I come today to repay you for saving me that day!"

……

After Xiao Ruoling left the yard, she didn't walk far before she saw Xiao Jiuniang jumping off the carriage. It was obvious that she had been waiting for her for a long time.

Seeing that she and You Tan were both empty-handed and the long brocade box was gone, Xiao Jiuniang smiled with satisfaction and said, "Have all the things been sent out? She also agreed to keep the appointment at the Xinghua Yanyu Tower, right?"

"Yes!"

Without paying any more attention to her, Xiao Ruoling took You Tan into another carriage that she had driven and left!

……

"I've also inquired about this Xinghua Yanyu Tower. It's the largest, most prosperous and most elegant place in Jiankang City. I heard that the children of the aristocratic families all love to come here to play, reciting poems and composing essays, drinking wine by the flowing stream, or playing the art of tossing pots and shooting, riding horses and playing Cuju, and... beautiful women singing and dancing. Anyway, these are the games that the children of the southern noble families love to play." Fenghuang said.

Xiao Jinyu said, "Then do you want to go play for a while?"

The boy shook his head repeatedly: "Brother Qing, this doesn't sound like a good place. I don't want to go!"

"But you are interested in the art of throwing pots, archery, and riding horses and playing Cuju!" Xiao Jinyu immediately retorted.

When he said these eight words just now, the boy's eyes became noticeably brighter and his expression became more yearning, as if he had once galloped on a horse in the empty parade ground. This was something he was proud of and also his free nature.

"I am interested, but the Xinghua Yanyu Tower is so small that I can't get away on horseback! How about playing tossing pots and kicking balls?"

Fenghuang looked thoughtful, so Xiao Jinyu smiled and said, "Okay, we'll go check it out tomorrow and we'll know!"

"Ah? You really want to go! But that Xiao Balang has bad intentions towards you, Brother Qing!"

"But I can hide once, but I can't hide the second or third time. If I don't go, they will do harm to Xiao Ruoling, and... it's time to avenge me!" Xiao Jinyu said, stroking his chest.

……

The next day, Xiao Jinyu brought Fenghuang and A Xiu to the famous Xinghua Yanyu Tower in Jiankang City. As soon as they entered the tower, their eyes lit up and their vision broadened.

It turns out that although the Xinghua Yanyu Tower is called a tower, it is not just a tower. Looking around, it has pavilions, towers, rockery, strange rocks, pools and waterside pavilions. There are winding corridors inside, leading to all directions. Along the way, whether it is by the waterside pavilions and ponds or by the bluestone corridors, there are apricot trees planted. When the wind blows, the red and white petals fall down. In addition, the water surface is covered with mist in the early morning, and the fallen flowers and the steaming water vapor complement each other. It is indeed a great place to linger!

"No wonder it's called the Xinghua Misty Rain Tower! There are flower petals floating everywhere, and the lingering mist. It's truly a fairyland!" Even Fenghuang couldn't help but sigh.

"Hey, is that a training ground over there where we can ride horses? It seems quite lively!" Phoenix couldn't help but ask when he saw a waiter coming towards him.

"Yes, young man, that's the racecourse!" the waiter replied.

"Or is it a racetrack?" There was even more surprise in Fenghuang's eyes. She pulled Xiao Jinyu's hand and ran towards the so-called racetrack.

Sure enough, after walking through a very long corridor, we came to a training ground. Although the training ground did not look like a hunting ground in the wild, it was enough to run around it a dozen times. After all, it was just a place to play.

But what disappointed Fenghuang was that he did not see any galloping horses with their manes like the wind, but instead saw two slender and frail scholars riding on two skinny horses and walking slowly.

"Is this... horse racing?" Phoenix said in disbelief.

"Yes, these young men from aristocratic families don't like to gallop and sweat profusely, as that would affect their appearance and demeanor, so maintaining this speed is most appropriate. Come and have fun! It's all about having fun!" explained the waiter waiting on the side.

Fenghuang almost spit out a mouthful of tea.

"Elegant? You call this elegant?"

Suddenly I remembered a rumor in the south: Wang Fu, the prefect of Jiankang, was a man of refined character who had never ridden a horse. When he saw a horse neighing, he was shocked and said to people, "It is a tiger, why is it called a horse?" This is the custom.

It means: When Wang Fu, the prefect of Jiankang, heard the neighing of a horse and saw it leaping, he was so frightened that he uttered such ridiculous words as "This is obviously a tiger, why is it named a horse?"

Southerners are weak by nature. Even after experiencing the Hou Jing Rebellion, they have not changed their hedonistic and cowardly nature.

Thinking of this, Fenghuang felt both amused and annoyed. She immediately selected the tallest horse, jumped onto its back, and with a "whoosh" sound, she cracked the whip. The horse neighed loudly to the sky and galloped like crazy on the racecourse. The two slow-moving sons of noble families were so frightened that they quickly rolled off the horses and hid aside in shame.

"Who is this? Are you crazy?" one of the young men from the noble families shouted angrily.

Soon, people from the various small buildings around poked their heads out to watch.

Someone shouted in surprise: "Come and see! Come and see! Something incredible seems to have happened on the parade grounds!"

"Hey! What a handsome young man! I have a few handsome boys at home, but compared to this young man, they are nothing but dirt!"