Flower Stealing Master

Chapter 1015: The Mandarin Duck Silk Handkerchief

As the sedan chair came to a stop, Cheng Yaojia was caught off guard and, due to inertia, fell directly into Song Qingshu’s embrace. 

The bearers assigned to him were all experienced, and they usually stopped the chair steadily. 

Unfortunately, Cheng Yaojia had been flustered by Song Qingshu’s gaze and hadn’t noticed when the sedan chair halted, which led to her fortuitously falling into his arms once again.

Song Qingshu admired her character and, this time, did not take advantage of the situation. Instead, he gently helped her up, saying, “Madam Lu, be careful.”

“Thank… thank you.” In Cheng Yaojia’s mind, all men were unpleasantly smelly, even her husband, Lu Guanying. Whenever her husband went without bathing for several days, she wouldn’t even let him into her room. However, this man had a pleasant scent about him, unlike any precious incense in the world; it was a natural aroma. If she had to compare it to something, it would be the smell of sunlight.

“I’m afraid I must trouble you a bit, Madam. With so many eyes on us outside, it wouldn’t be appropriate for me to treat you like a guest of honor,” Song Qingshu said. Through the collar of her dress, he could vaguely see her fair and slender neck gradually turning rosy, and he couldn’t help but chuckle inwardly. 

In “The Legend of the Condor Heroes,” she was portrayed as extremely shy, and he was surprised to see that after so many years of marriage, she still retained that bashfulness.

“I understand,” Cheng Yaojia replied softly.

Since he had informed her in advance, Song Qingshu didn’t delay any longer. He planned to find a rope to symbolically tie her hands, at least to give her the appearance of a captive. Unfortunately, there was no rope in the sedan chair. After looking around for a while, he finally set his eyes on the silk ribbon at her waist.

Noticing his gaze on her belt, Cheng Yaojia felt a pang of panic and hurriedly asked, “What are you looking for?”

Song Qingshu explained his intentions, and Cheng Yaojia couldn’t help but curse him inwardly, thinking how ridiculous he was. How could she possibly take off her belt for him?

“I have a handkerchief here; would that work?” Cheng Yaojia timidly pulled out a snow-white square cloth from her bosom and looked at him shyly.

“That would be perfect,” Song Qingshu agreed, feeling that untying a lady’s belt was indeed a bit too scandalous. However, upon seeing the silk handkerchief, which was clearly a precious Su embroidery, with a pair of mandarin ducks embroidered on one corner, he couldn’t help but laugh, “This handkerchief must be a pair, right?”

Cheng Yaojia’s face flushed red, and she replied softly, “This was specially embroidered for my husband, but he found it too heavily scented with powder and didn’t want to carry it, so I kept it for myself.”

“Your husband is quite lacking in romantic sensibility,” Song Qingshu couldn’t resist saying.

Cheng Yaojia hastily retorted, “You mustn’t speak ill of him!”

“I was being rude,” Song Qingshu chuckled, no longer arguing. He casually tied her hands with the handkerchief and then led her out of the sedan chair.

The officials outside had been waiting for a while. Upon seeing him leading Cheng Yaojia out, they all displayed ambiguous expressions, eyeing the two with a hint of amusement.

Song Qingshu could guess the lewd thoughts running through their minds without even trying, but he didn’t take it to heart and casually engaged with them.

The crowd consisted of clever individuals who wouldn’t waste the time of two high-ranking officials. After a short conversation, they gradually took their leave. 

Song Qingshu glanced at Shuang’er with concern and noticed that aside from a hint of disappointment on her face, she seemed to be in good spirits. 

Suo Etu also appeared to have something on his mind; after exchanging a few pleasantries with Song Qingshu, he took Shuang’er back to his own residence.

Song Qingshu then led Cheng Yaojia back to his room, untied the handkerchief from her hands, but did not return it to her. Instead, he casually tucked it into his own embrace, saying, “Madam, I truly admire your embroidery skills. I wonder if you could gift it to me?”

Cheng Yaojia couldn’t help but feel embarrassed, thinking to herself, “This is a handkerchief I embroidered stitch by stitch for my husband. What does this mean for you?” However, the other party had already tucked the handkerchief into his clothing, and it wouldn’t be proper for her to snatch it back. Besides, if she angered him, it would be a loss for her. With these thoughts in mind, she could only pretend to be indifferent and said, “If you like it, then take it.” 

Song Qingshu felt pleased; this girl was just too thin-skinned. If she really asked him to return it, he would feel awkward to keep it. Since she agreed, he would gladly accept the exquisite embroidered handkerchief. “Madam Lu, you rest here for a while. I have something to attend to,” he said. Cheng Yaojia quietly responded with a soft “mm,” and only then did Song Qingshu head outside. After walking a few steps, he turned back, feeling uneasy. “Madam Lu, what do you think of my character?” 

Cheng Yaojia glanced at him and replied softly, “You don’t seem as despicable as those Jin Tatars in the rumors.” 

Song Qingshu immediately laughed, “As long as Madam believes in me, that’s good. I respect your virtue, so I’ve decided to let you go. However, there are countless eyes watching both inside and outside this government office, so I can’t let you leave immediately. You’ll have to wait until the commotion dies down before I can find a chance to let you go. So please, Madam, stay here and don’t attempt to escape. If you do and the guards catch you, it will be even harder for me to let you go.” 

Cheng Yaojia had her doubts about whether he was trying to deceive her, but then she thought that if he truly wanted to plot against her, he wouldn’t need to go through so much trouble. Moreover, his tone was sincere, making him seem far from a villain, so she felt reassured and softly replied, “Don’t worry, I won’t run away.” 

Song Qingshu thought to himself: ‘This w0man is just like a little white rabbit, so easily trusting others. If I really had any ulterior motives, she wouldn’t even know if I sold her out.’ 

After leaving the room, Song Qingshu declined the guards’ offer to follow him and made his way through twists and turns to sneak into the courtyard where Suo Etu was located. To avoid disturbing the two imperial envoys’ rest, the guards at the government office had a policy of keeping a strong presence outside while being relatively lax inside. Therefore, with Song Qingshu’s speed, as long as he was careful, it wasn’t difficult to avoid the guards in the courtyard. 

The reason he rushed over to check was primarily due to his concern for Shuang’er’s safety. Although Suo Etu and Wei Xiaobao were sworn brothers and theoretically he shouldn’t make things difficult for Shuang’er, it wasn’t uncommon for relationships to cool over time. If anything unexpected happened, he would truly regret it. 

He cautiously approached the window of Suo Etu’s room and happened to hear Suo Etu’s voice saying, “Shuang’er, after all, you publicly attempted to assassinate a court official. With so many eyes on us, I can’t let you go. Moreover, the Grand Marshal of the Jin Dynasty is staying in the courtyard next door; if he inquires, I won’t have a good explanation. So, I plan to wait until nightfall when no one is paying attention to secretly let you out.” 

Shuang’er replied, “Thank you, Brother Suo.” 

Suo Etu sighed, “We are not outsiders. Now that Brother Wei is gone, I can’t just watch you being bullied.” After a while without hearing a response from Shuang’er, Suo Etu said, “I almost forgot, Shuang’er, you and Brother Song now…”