The Phoenix is Back - Chapter 34

Chapter 034 Scrap Man Gift
Xiao Xi looked at the person who came, and a trace of an undercurrent flashed through her eyes. She unconsciously clenched her hands between her sleeves.

When did he come? Just now, how much did he hear?

Chu Xizhi didn’t seem to notice the different expressions of the madams at the banquet. He held the wine jug in one hand and slowly walked over. Finally, he stopped in front of Madam Qi and bowed with a smile, “I remember that slandering others for their innocence is a heavy responsibility according to the Great Yue Laws.” After saying that, he turned his eyes and looked at Xiao Xiwei. He laughed loudly and said, “Second Miss Xiao, am I not mistaken?”

The corner of Xiao Xiwei’s mouth moved slightly, and she unnaturally moved her eyes away from Chu Xizhi, not daring to look at him.

Seeing that Xiao Xiwei did not answer, Chu Xizhi smiled again. “I remember that Imperial Uncle Mu’s youngest son robbed a commoner’s daughter. Later, Imperial Uncle Mu found out and personally kidnapped him and sent him to the Dali Temple for trial. As the saying goes, the Son of Heaven is guilty of the same crime as the commoners. I don’t think … Second Miss Xiao will cover up … Aunt, right?”

The corner of his lips curled into a smile. Xiao Xi blessed her slightly and said, “I dare not.”

“That’s good.” Chu Xizhi smiled and nodded. Seeing that the ladies standing beside the Qi clan had yet to move, he raised his eyebrows and said, “Why are you still stunned?”

The ladies immediately reacted, hurriedly pulled Madam Qi and dragged her outside the door.

“Don’t … let go of me! Let go of me! You all let go of me!” Madam Qi finally reacted. She shouted, punched and kicked all the way, but she was still pulled out by a few old ladies.

Li Lin hurriedly got up and pleaded with Madam Li, hoping that she could plead for her mother again. However, Madam Li unnaturally avoided her gaze. She felt a wave of coldness in her heart and heard Madam Qi’s heart-wrenching shriek. She mournfully called out, “Mother.” He quickly chased after her.

Very quickly, the Qi Clan’s voice gradually became unaudible.

The matriarch’s tightly knitted eyebrows gradually relaxed, but when she thought of the farce at the birthday banquet today, she couldn’t help but feel stupefied.

“Your Highness, why are you here? Lord Xiao is looking for you everywhere.” At this time, Chu Xizhi’s close bodyguards ran in.

Chu Xizhi smiled and said, “It’s fine. I just saw a good show.” After saying that, he raised his leg and walked out of the door. However, just a few steps later, he turned around to look at Old Granny Jun and said, “Old Granny Jun, the ancients had Yun Ning tear down ten temples and didn’t destroy a marriage. Since Third Miss Xiao and Young Master Li are happy with each other, Old Granny Jun can’t help but be beautiful.” With that, he smiled leisurely and walked away.

Xiao Xiwei suddenly heard Chu Xizhi’s words and almost laughed out loud.

Originally, the Qi Clan had been dragged to the Martial Temple. Although there were still doubts about this handkerchief, everyone tacitly exposed it in front of the Old Madam and the Li Clan. However, Chu Xi’s mention confirmed that Xiao Xile and Li Po had feelings for each other. No matter how capable the next Li Clan was, this matter would probably not be exposed.

Just as Chu Xi stepped out of the flower hall door, Xiao Xile grabbed Madam Li’s sleeve and cried bitterly, “Mother, someone must have set me up! You must help me! You must help me!”

Madam Li looked at Xiao Xile, who was crying bitterly. Her heart ached as if she had been cut by a knife. If others had said this, she would have been able to remove it, but the person who said it was the Seventh Prince!

“It’s you! You must have set me up! I’ve already lost that handkerchief. You must have deliberately set me up with that handkerchief!” Xiao Xile suddenly pushed Madam Li away and pointed at the tip of Xiao Xiwei’s nose, her eyes almost spitting out fire.

Xiao Xiwei frowned slightly, “Sister, why do you think that? That handkerchief was taken out by Madam Li …”

When the madams present heard this, their hearts instantly became clear. It was clearly because she was in love with the Li family’s young master that she left the handkerchief as a token of affection. However, Madam Qi thought that the owner of the handkerchief was Second Miss Xiao, so she forced the marriage on Matriarch’s birthday. She did not want to, but in the end, she confirmed that the handkerchief belonged to Third Miss Xiao. Seeing the scandal revealed, she even poured this dirty water on her sister’s head.

“It’s you! You set me up …”

“Scoundrel!” Seeing that Xiao Xile’s words were getting more and more unreasonable, the matriarch shouted harshly and slapped Xiao Xile fiercely. “Don’t you think it’s not enough to lose face today? Scram! Get out of here immediately!”

Xiao Xile’s tears gushed out. She glared at Xiao Xiwei hatefully, then covered her face and ran out crying.

“Le’er!” Mrs. Li cried out in pain, and then hurriedly chased after him.

‘”Grandmother, father specially invited the auspicious class of the capital to sing for you. How about Grandmother and the madams move to the backyard to listen to the play?” Xiao Xiwei hurriedly stepped forward to support the old lady and said, “Grandmother, your father specially invited the auspicious class of the capital to sing for you.”

The madams below were all smart people, and when they heard Xiao Xiwei’s words, they all agreed.

The matriarch reluctantly nodded and smiled.

The backyard had already been erected with a stage and an arbor. Several long couches had already been arranged in the arbor. The mahogany tables in front of the couches were filled with various kinds of desserts and fruits. Everyone sat down one by one according to their positions of superiority and inferiority, while the ladies sat down beside the madam, chatting and laughing in a low voice.

With the sound of gongs and drums, the play on the stage began. With the babbling singing, the madams and young misses who had just giggled shifted their attention to the stage.

After singing for a while, Bi Yun suddenly whispered a few words into Xiao Xiwei’s ear. Xiao Xiwei frowned slightly, then smiled and whispered into the old lady’s ear, “Grandmother, I’m going to change my clothes.”

The matriarch nodded.

Only then did Xiao Xiwei follow Bi Yun out. Not long after, she saw a girl anxiously waiting there.

“Young miss, the fourth prince … the fourth prince is gone.” The moment that girl saw Xiao Xiwei, it was as if she saw a savior.

Hearing Chu Yanzhi’s name from that girl’s mouth, Xiao Xiwei’s eyes flashed with displeasure.

“What’s going on?” She forcefully suppressed the strange emotion in her chest and said coldly.

The little girl looked at Xiao Xiwei and was so frightened that she almost cried, “At the banquet in the front hall, the fourth prince accidentally wet his clothes. This servant brought the fourth prince to change his clothes, but the fourth prince disappeared as he walked.”

Xiao Xi frowned slightly. “I see. Take a few people to the garden first. It’s only been a while. He probably hasn’t gone far.”

“Yes.” The little girl hurriedly replied.

Seeing the little girl’s hurried back, Xiao Xiwei’s eyebrows furrowed.

“Second Miss Xiao?” Right at this moment, a deep voice sounded from behind him. A young man walked out from the flower bushes beside him. She wore a crescent-colored robe embroidered with water-ink wind flowers with golden threads. Her pitch-black hair was tied up with a jade crown. Her face was extremely handsome and refined. She was precisely the fourth prince that the little girl had said was missing, Chu Yanzhi.

“Your Highness.” Xiao Xiwei lowered his eyes and bowed slowly. Her slender eyelashes covered the undulations in her eyes.

Chu Yan smiled and raised his hand to rub his forehead. “Perhaps I just drank too much wine, but I feel a little dizzy now.”

Xiao Xiwei’s eyes were still lowered, and her voice was cold, unable to hear any joy or anger. “Then this servant girl asked her maidservant to send you back?” After saying that, she glanced sideways at the girl beside her and said, “Bi Yun …”

“Second young miss seems to hate me very much?” Chu Yanzhi looked at Xiao Xiwei.

Xiao Xiwei slowly raised her eyes to meet Chu Yanzhi’s gaze. There was not the slightest bit of emotion on her beautiful face. “Did Your Highness misunderstand something? Your Highness and Your Highness are just vague, how can we talk about disgust?”

Xiao Xiwei’s pair of pupils that were like autumn water were completely indifferent. This kind of Xiao Xiwei caused Chu Yanzhi’s eyebrows to gradually knit together.

He could not see through the contents of those eyes.

He couldn’t see through her!

This unfathomable feeling made him very uncomfortable!

“Your Highness, if you don’t have any other instructions, I’ll excuse you.” Xiao Xiwei withdrew his gaze and blessed his body faintly. Then, he prepared to leave.

“Second Miss Xiao.” Chu Yanzhi hurriedly called Xiao Xiwei.

Xiao Xiwei stopped and looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

Chu Yanzhi took out half a jade pendant from his sleeve and handed it to Xiao Xiwei. “This jade pendant originally belonged to my mother. She said that if I find someone who is willing to stay with it for the rest of my life, I will give half a jade pendant to that woman …” After saying that, he raised his eyes and stared at Xiao Xiwei with a gentle and doting smile on the corners of his lips.

The sharp fingernails pierced through his skin, causing a burst of heart-wrenching pain.

Stay together for a lifetime …

He actually dared to say those words to her.

It was as if she was once again exposed to the burning flames, and the flames devoured her skin inch by inch, causing the pain and despair of tearing to sweep towards her once again. How many times had she struggled painfully in the sea of fire in the middle of the night? When she tried her best to climb out of the sea of fire, her cold and heartless eyes were always staring fixedly at her …

But now, in her eyes, this man who had destroyed all her hopes and dreams like an Asura Devil and pushed her into the Abyss of Dark Despair actually told her …

Stay together for a lifetime?

This was the funniest joke she had ever heard!

Xiao Xiwei took a deep breath and suppressed the rolling hatred in her chest. She raised her eyebrows and said, “Fourth Highness, do you know what you’re talking about?”

The corner of Chu Yanzhi’s mouth curved into a faint smile. “Naturally, I know what I’m doing. Meeting Qing Chu is like returning an old friend.”

The corner of Xiao Xi’s lips curled into a smile, but his voice was unusually cold. “Does Your Highness know if I’m willing to listen to these words?”

The smile at the corner of Chu Yanzhi’s lips instantly disappeared. He stared at Xiao Xiwei’s cold and unwavering pupils, and the space between his eyebrows gradually knitted.

Seeing that Chu Yanzhi had restrained his smile and his eyebrows seemed to be filled with displeasure, Bi Yun’s heart suddenly jumped and he looked at Xiao Xi worriedly. Unexpectedly, Xiao Xiwei had a calm expression on her face.

“It’s getting late. It’s time for grandmother to look for me. I’ll take my leave first.” Xiao Xiwei faintly blessed Chu Yanzhi’s body. After saying that, he passed Chu Yanzhi without looking back.

“Are you sure you won’t regret it?” Behind him, Chu Yanzhi’s voice sounded again, faintly mixed with a trace of enduring anger.

Xiao Xiwei didn’t even pause for a moment before disappearing into the path beside the rockery in the blink of an eye.

Behind him, Chu Yanzhi’s normally warm and elegant face instantly darkened.

She actually rejected him! Moreover, there was not the slightest hesitation!

Xiao Xiwei!

He silently shouted these three words from the bottom of his heart. Then, he flicked his long sleeve and quickly disappeared into the garden.

Right after Chu Yanzhi left, a tall figure flashed out from behind the rockery. That person casually picked a rose and placed it on the tip of his nose to smell it. The corner of his lips curled into a dazzling smile.