The Consequences Of Accidentally Flirting With A Paranoid Empress (Transmigration Into A Book) - Chapter 5

From the height of summer on the gobi to the arrival of autumn, there was not much change in vegetation. In any case, as far as the eye could see, there was only endless sand and earth, all gray and hazy.

The only thing one could feel was that the sunlight was no longer quite so scorching. And He Xiu, who had persisted in mooching meals and brushing up her presence every day, finally received the first task arranged for her by the beautiful older sister!

“Sister, we’re going out for an autumn excursion!”

“Mm. Some time ago, I received an invitation to a banquet. This happens to be a rare good season for admiring scenery in Da Yue. Once winter arrives, it will be very cold. Do you want to come along?”

Although He Xiu did not think that Da Yue, a place full of yellow earth and gravel, could have any beautiful scenery worth admiring, this was the first time the beautiful older sister wanted to take her out.

He Xiu nodded very enthusiastically. “I’ll go. I can lead Sister’s horse and be your bodyguard, and I can serve tea and pour water too. In short, please don’t be polite. Use me however you like!”

After all, this was a life-saving grace. He Xiu had always wanted to repay the beautiful older sister’s kindness.

Zhuo Mingke quietly looked at the young girl’s clear black-and-white eyes, but could not see even the slightest trace of falsehood in them. Her pale fingertips toyed with the bodhi bead bracelet, making soft tapping sounds, and her expression grew even gentler as she said, “There is no need to trouble you to that extent. Just take it as going to see Da Yue’s local customs and scenery.”

How interesting. Zhuo Mingke thought that this young girl might be the first person whose thoughts and plans she could not guess at all.

Outside the window, the autumn wind was cool. In front of the Zhuo residence, tall carriages and horses slowly traveled down the long street, gradually leaving the capital city gate of Da Yue.

Ever since He Xiu had entered the Zhuo residence, she had not gone out in several months, so everything felt fresh to her. Her eyes remained fixed on the scenery passing by outside the carriage. When she faintly saw signs of greenery, she was a little surprised.

“Sister, what trees are those?” He Xiu withdrew her gaze and looked toward the beautiful older sister, who had her eyes closed and was fiddling with her bodhi flowing beads. Today, the earrings by Zhuo Mingke’s ears were made of dark blue glass, shaped like pillars, with tiny beads of jade embedded at the top and bottom. They carried a sacred air within their simplicity, naturally quiet and beautiful.

In this state, she actually resembled the large mural of the Queen Mother of the West that she worshiped, making He Xiu feel a little embarrassed about disturbing her peace.

“Tamarisk. They have needle-like leaves and flowers. Right now is also their flowering season. The clusters of flowers are often pale pink, so this is a good place to admire the scenery,” Zhuo Mingke said unhurriedly, opening her eyes and meeting the young girl’s bright gaze.

He Xiu listened to the beautiful older sister’s warm, gentle voice and only then came back to herself. She turned to look at the distant pink shrubs, hiding her infatuation as she murmured, “Even such barren and difficult terrain can have such pretty flowers. That really is rare.”

Aiya, if she was not careful, she would become lovestruck so easily. How embarrassing.

Zhuo Mingke did not understand the young girl’s thoughts. Seeing that the rims of her ears were slightly red, she only assumed she felt hot.

Before long, the carriage slowly came to a stop. He Xiu jumped down first in high spirits and obediently stood to the side, raising her hand as she said, “Careful.”

Seeing the young girl’s eager gesture, Zhuo Mingke did not refuse. She merely signaled for the maids to step back and wait, then placed her hand on the back of He Xiu’s hand and stepped down from the carriage.

Today’s banquet was being held at the invitation of a noblewoman of Da Yue, so Zhuo Mingke did not need to prepare anything especially.

However, Zhuo Mingke had brought the young girl to this banquet not for the sake of letting her come out and play. Her peripheral vision swept over the movement of a maid at the side, and a faintly amused look slowly appeared in the depths of her eyes.

Creating a crisis always required the right time and place in order to have an effect.

Not to mention, danger often forced out a person’s hidden nature and secrets.

Yet He Xiu knew nothing about any of this. Her whole mind was focused on watching the excitement. Her gaze fell on the noblewomen of Da Yue at the banquet. They were dressed in an extremely extravagant fashion, their heads piled high with gold and silver ornaments, gorgeously adorned like flowers on branches. As they walked, they brought crisp jingling sounds with them, like a flock of glittering golden peacocks holding a grand meeting.

“Miss Zhuo, you truly are a busy person. It has been so difficult to invite you out all this time.”

“That’s right. I nearly thought Miss Zhuo looked down on our family backgrounds.”

As soon as He Xiu heard this, she thought, What kind of sour little clique exclusion scene is this?

However, the beautiful older sister remained very calm. The smile on her face did not change as she said lightly, “My apologies. There have been many matters in the residence. Another day, I will have people prepare generous gifts and pay you a visit.”

Seeing that Zhuo Mingke had no other reaction at all, the women immediately found it hard to go too far.

After all, although the Zhuo family were outsiders, even Da Yue’s imperial nobles could not order her around as they pleased.

The woman seated at the head of today’s banquet had originally remained silent. Seeing this, she finally spoke with a smile. “You few should stop being so aggressive. Otherwise, next time, Miss Zhuo will be even less willing to come.”

After she said this, those people softly acknowledged her and said no more.

String music gradually rose, and dancers came onto the stage, easing the atmosphere somewhat. He Xiu leaned forward and quietly called, “Sister, what are their backgrounds?”

It was rare for Zhuo Mingke to see the young girl take the initiative to ask about something, so she explained, “They are noblewomen from Da Yue’s three great aristocratic tribes. Each of their families is prominent, and every clan among them has once produced a Da Yue empress. The woman seated in the main seat is the current empress’s niece.”

It was precisely because they viewed their own status so highly that they found it even harder to accept the Zhuo family’s preferential treatment. The difference between the status of noblewomen and merchant women went without saying.

“No wonder…” He Xiu muttered.

“What?” Zhuo Mingke asked, not having heard clearly.

He Xiu blinked and answered mischievously in a low voice, “They look like frogs puffing up their cheeks. So noisy.”

Zhuo Mingke’s expression paused. Her thin lips lightly pressed together, suppressing the faint smile that wanted to appear. Her gaze fell on those people, and she thought that the young girl’s description was actually quite fitting.

In Da Yue, regardless of sex, sturdy builds were considered beautiful. However, these noblewomen disliked labor and training, so they had only become fat in appearance. Add to that their wide clothes and the jewels and jade covering their entire bodies, even their arms were hung with heavy matching gold rings. Moving, sitting, and lying down all looked rather strenuous. Clearly, they had deliberately dressed this way.

The wind was clean and the air clear. Heaven and earth were vast, with not a cloud across ten thousand li. The green tamarisk branches and leaves swayed, and the scenery was pleasant.

Although the banquet performances were very ordinary, the roasted meat served was very fragrant. He Xiu also discovered that it was paired with roasted wild fruits, making it even more tempting.

While Zhuo Mingke drank and chatted with the noblewomen, she noticed the young girl’s burning gaze behind her, so she ordered a maid to prepare a portion for her to satisfy her cravings.

The young girl was very capable of eating. Zhuo Mingke had witnessed this over the past few days.

He Xiu’s eyes curved in a smile. She felt that the beautiful older sister was truly so kind. Holding a naan stuffed full of roasted meat in both hands, larger than her own face, she took a big satisfied bite.

The naan was charred, fragrant, and crispy, paired with sizzling, oily roasted meat and sweet-and-sour wild fruit. The more she chewed, the more fragrant it became, the taste rich and layered.

However, by the time she finished this one naan, He Xiu truly almost stuffed herself to death.

Clearly, He Xiu did not know that ordinary people usually could not finish an entire naan. This thing was very filling.

The final dance before the banquet ended was performed by a group of muscular men wearing monstrous masks. They leapt and moved with agility. He Xiu watched the naan on the plate on the table tremble and thought that this was truly a heavyweight performance in the most literal sense.

Blades clashed, and a sharp ringing sound startled the air. Cold light flashed past, slightly dazzling He Xiu’s eyes. She thought to herself, That blade is real.

Zhuo Mingke’s brows furrowed faintly. She vaguely sensed that something was wrong. Suddenly, someone screamed.

It turned out that the sharp blade in one of the large men’s hands had struck a guard’s neck. Blood sprayed, and the scene spun out of control.

No matter how foolish He Xiu was, she could tell something was wrong, because the long blade in one person’s hand was already aimed straight at the beautiful older sister!

“Careful!” Amid flashing blades and clashing swords, the table was split apart, and pieces of naan flew everywhere, chopped into crumbs.

He Xiu grabbed the beautiful older sister and hurriedly pulled her away from the seats, thinking that wasting food was truly a sin.

The Zhuo residence’s attendants fought back against the assassins one after another. Blades flashed, swords crossed, arrows flew wildly, and the scene fell into chaos. He Xiu could not worry about anything else. She only wanted to hurry and take the beautiful older sister away.

Zhuo Mingke looked back at the chaotic scene and knew that these were not the people she had arranged. Someone was deliberately carrying out an assassination, and their purpose was clearly impure.

Among the tamarisk trees, paths crossed in all directions, and blades flashed in the air. The leader looked around everywhere and said darkly, “We absolutely cannot let that woman surnamed Zhuo run away. She must be killed!”

“Yes!” The group of accomplices answered and immediately scattered through the tamarisk forest.

At this moment, in the brush only a few steps away from them, He Xiu did not dare make even the slightest sound. Her heart was beating wildly.

The wind blew, and the leaves in the thicket rustled. The faint scent of sandalwood curled around the tip of her nose. He Xiu regained a little calm, lifted her eyes to look at the beautiful older sister before her, and comforted her. “Sister, don’t be afraid. It’ll be fine.”

The beautiful older sister was always protected thoroughly by plenty of people. One glance was enough to tell that she had never encountered this kind of dangerous situation before.

Zhuo Mingke looked at the blue sky and was just thinking about when the people she had deliberately sent away would return. Then she raised her eyes and met that concerned gaze, pausing for a moment before saying, “Mm. But this place will be discovered by them very soon. We should move somewhere else.”

Afraid?

In truth, Zhuo Mingke only found it interesting.

“Wait, my legs are a little weak,” He Xiu said, looking embarrassed.

“Weren’t you running very fast just now?” Zhuo Mingke asked in confusion.

He Xiu blinked and said, rather embarrassed, “It was too dangerous just now, so my brain didn’t have time to be scared. Now my brain knows it’s scared, so my legs went weak.”

Zhuo Mingke quietly looked at the young girl. She could even hear her chaotic heartbeat. She laughed softly. “You are honest.”

As she spoke, Zhuo Mingke raised a hand and pushed aside the brush to check the situation. She knew that these people were most likely here because of a grudge against her, but she still had not figured out the other party’s background.

“If we run together later, they’ll discover us. How about we split up, and I’ll go draw their attention?” He Xiu said in a lowered voice.

“Are you sure?” Zhuo Mingke had actually been thinking the same thing. She simply had not expected the timid young girl to take the initiative to suggest it.

He Xiu nodded and answered seriously, “I said I would repay Sister’s life-saving grace.”

At once, He Xiu propped herself up and was about to move, but the beautiful older sister suddenly pressed down on her arm. He Xiu was a little confused and wanted to ask.

Unexpectedly, the beautiful older sister raised her hand and pulled He Xiu lower. In the next instant, an arrow brushed past the side of her ear and shot through the thicket with a whistling sound, making her scalp tingle!

Damn it. They had actually been discovered so quickly. These assassins were really not following the plot properly.

The wind blew. He Xiu pulled the beautiful older sister through the brush, arrows flying all around them. It was terrifying.

Very quickly, He Xiu clearly felt that the beautiful older sister’s strength was failing. She slowed down, turned her head, and saw an arrow flying toward them. Her heart went cold!

Zhuo Mingke was pushed by the young girl and fell into the brush. Warm blood splashed onto her cheek. Her gaze landed on the unconscious young girl, and only then did she realize that it was He Xiu’s blood.

An eagle circled overhead in the sky, crying out. All around came the pounding of horse hooves. Zhuo Mingke knew that her people had arrived, yet she could not move, because the position of the arrow in the young girl’s body was far too dangerous. It had struck the junction between her shoulder and neck. With the slightest carelessness, she might die on the spot.

At this moment, He Xiu no longer remembered what it felt like to be struck by an arrow. In short, before everything went black, she vaguely saw the pink clusters of tamarisk flowers.

Pretty was pretty, but she really never wanted to admire flowers again.

It was too dangerous!