Chapter 101: Keeping the Appointment

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Xue Fanzhi’s irreconcilable hatred for Xue Yang also stemmed from this.

It would have been one thing if Xue Yang had fawned upon Lady He alone, but almost every time, he managed to drag them into it as well, affecting them in the process.

“What sort of lady is Lady He? Is she your lady?” The thought of Lady He and Xue Yang made Xue Fanzhi furious.

Her voice turned cold. “Remember whose rice you eat. Lady He is no longer a member of the Xue family. If this happens again, every one of you drivers can wait to explain yourselves to Grandmother. Let’s see whether you can still call her so familiarly then!”

When had Eighth Young Lady become so formidable?

Wasn’t she, apart from Fourth Young Lady, the most honest and mild-mannered of the lot? And now she was actually scolding people! Well, she had been bullied far too badly.

When someone who never lost her temper suddenly did so, everyone became frightened. No one could tell what her true temper was like.

The coachman lowered his head fearfully, trembling too much to speak.

Seeing how guileless he looked, Red Lotus felt a little sorry for him and gazed at Xue Fanzhi as though pleading for mercy.

Xue Fanzhi shook her head at the naive maid.

Red Lotus was truly even more innocent than she was.

She had notified the stables last night that she would be going out today. Even if Lady He had made her request earlier, they could not possibly reserve the best carriage for Lady He while refusing to let her use it. Who did Lady He think she was?

But these people were deliberately pretending not to understand. They had taken the good carriage to Lady He simply to curry favor with Xue Yang through her.

In plain terms, they had chosen to bully the easiest target because they thought she was harmless.

Even if this coachman was an honest man who had been pushed aside by others and had therefore ended up taking her out in a broken-down carriage, he could still have informed her sooner. While Lady He and Xue Jiaoyue were still there, she might have thought of a solution. But no—he had dawdled until this very moment, clearly believing that, because she was mild-tempered, she would not hold him accountable.

So he was not wronged in the least by being scolded. The only person wronged was her, because she was in such a hurry to leave that she could not berate him a little longer. Hmph!

Clearly, Red Sash understood this principle. She tugged at Red Lotus’s sleeve and gave her a warning glance. Red Lotus realized that she was about to make another foolish remark and hurriedly pressed her lips together, not daring to speak.

Xue Fanzhi called out to the coachman again. “Why are you still standing there? Bring down the footstool. I’m leaving!”

The coachman came to himself, took the folding stool down from the carriage, and helped Xue Fanzhi aboard. Red Lotus and Red Sash followed.

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Afraid that the coachman would discover her true destination, Xue Fanzhi had him take her to the Laughing Spring Breeze Restaurant, not far from the Qinhuai River.

She knew the restaurant belonged to Xiao Yi, so she boldly asked for a private room. Once inside, she leaned against the window and watched the coachman squat outside, staring idly across the street.

After a while, the coachman seemed to grow concerned that something might happen to the carriage or the horse where they were parked. He said something to the waiter, who pointed toward the back. The coachman then entered the restaurant, though he was heading somewhat off to the side.

Xue Fanzhi understood at once. He must have gone to the rear courtyard, and would likely be there for some time. This was the perfect moment for her to leave.

She beckoned Red Lotus and Red Sash, and the three of them went downstairs, settled the bill, and walked out.

The waiter had an excellent memory. He stopped them and asked, “Young Lady, the coachman is still in the rear courtyard. Shall I call him?”

Xue Fanzhi took two copper coins from her purse and handed them to him. “There’s no need. We’ll be back shortly. Don’t make a point of informing him. When he returns, simply tell him that we went out sightseeing and that he should wait here. I’ll come back for him when we’re finished.”

Two copper coins were not much, but how often did a waiter receive such a tip? He accepted them delightedly and assured Xue Fanzhi several times that he would carry out the task perfectly.

By then, Xue Fanzhi had already gone some distance. At the next intersection, she hired another carriage and gave the destination as the Qinhuai River.

The coachman looked at the three young girls. Their clothes were rich yet understated, and they did not resemble women from a pleasure quarter. Then he understood. They must be daughters of a respectable household who had secretly slipped out to broaden their horizons.

Having made his living beside the Qinhuai River, the coachman had seen all kinds of people. Young girls who were curious about the river often sneaked out with their maids, but none came so openly dressed. They would usually disguise themselves as boys.

He helped the three of them into the carriage, hesitated several times, then said to Xue Fanzhi, “Young Lady, if you wish to visit the Qinhuai River, it would be better to change into men’s clothing. Otherwise, people may take notice of you and harass you.”

After all, this was the Qinhuai River, where rouge stained the waters. From high-ranking officials and nobles to peddlers and laborers, nearly everyone who came here was a man. A young girl traveling alone truly ought to conceal herself somewhat.

Xue Fanzhi knew that the coachman meant well. She smiled and said, “Thank you for the warning. We have family waiting for us. We’ll meet him shortly.”

Oh, so they had a family member accompanying them. Then perhaps there was no need to worry about the way they were dressed.

The coachman said nothing more. He raised his whip and urged the horse onward, quickly making his way toward Xue Fanzhi’s destination.

Red Lotus, however, had paid no attention to any of this. At that moment, she was pondering the coachman’s words.

A family member?

Others might not know whom their young lady was going to meet, but she and Red Sash certainly did. She was going to meet His Ninth Highness.

Heh. Since when had His Ninth Highness become one of their family members?

Their young lady certainly did not like him.

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The carriage traveled swiftly, and after roughly fifteen minutes, the three of them arrived at the banks of the Qinhuai River.

Red Lotus lifted the curtain. A broad expanse of rippling water came into view, and the fragrance of rouge truly seemed to drift straight into their noses.

On the water floated pleasure boats of every shape and style, some alike and some entirely different. Perhaps because night had not yet fallen, the boats were unusually quiet.

“We’re here, Young Lady!” the coachman called out anxiously, afraid that Xue Fanzhi and the others might refuse to get down. He still had to make a living driving his carriage. If he did not work for even one day, his wife and children would go hungry. It was only by virtue of his strength and skill with the reins that he had managed to survive this long. For three years, he had never missed a day of work.

No one was going to ruin that three-year record. No one at all. They could forget about it.

Xue Fanzhi had no idea why the coachman was looking at her that way. Hadn’t he just kindly warned her?

A man’s heart was as deep as the sea. Truly impossible to fathom.

She jumped down from the carriage and called for Red Lotus and Red Sash.

The two maids climbed down and paid the coachman. He immediately broke into another smile, wished Xue Fanzhi that all her hopes would come true, and departed cheerfully.

Xue Fanzhi was speechless.

What had she done? Had everyone gone mad? Was the coachman insane?

This coachman was indeed changeable. A man’s heart was truly like a needle at the bottom of the sea.

The moment the three of them left the carriage, Xue Fanzhi regretted it—not regretting the outing itself, but regretting that she had failed to make arrangements with Xiao Yi. How were they supposed to find him?

Just then, a succession of firecrackers suddenly rang out across the Qinhuai River. Then, people seemed to emerge from nowhere and swarm toward the suspended plank leading to the wharf.

Xue Fanzhi actually loved lively occasions. Yet in her previous life, apart from the spectacles surrounding her own affairs, she had never taken part in any festivities. She had never attended temple fairs or anything of the sort.

Now, at last, no one was there to restrain her.

Like a little tiger breaking free of its cage, Xue Fanzhi burst forward with eager excitement and called out, “Red Lotus, Red Sash, come on! Let’s go see what they’re doing at such a huge boat!”