Chapter 208: Goodness, My Heart is Racing

Chapter 208: Goodness, My Heart is Racing

Master Tang ultimately led Tang Anle to victory in the pitching pot contest, and then left with Xiao Yiyuan to join a group of familiar young lords. In that moment when Master Tang turned to leave, Xiao Yiyuan swiftly diverted his gaze from Tang Anle and followed Master Tang away.

By this point, even someone as dense as he was aware of his own feelings. But the gap between them was too vast, and he dared not reveal a thing.

Even though the Marquise of Yongning had acknowledged him in public, he never considered himself part of the Marquis's household, at best a relative. And Tang Anle was the legitimate, favored daughter of the Duke's household.

His heart was in turmoil, like wild grass freshly sprung from the earth in early spring – chaotic, stifled, and utterly bewildered.

Meanwhile, Tang Anle, having had her fill of the arrow-throwing game, went to find Xiao Yuzhu. Xiao Yuzhu was playing a game of 'hide the hook' with Xiang Wu and several other ladies and gentlemen in a pavilion. They were all gathered, with expressions ranging from inscrutable to nonchalant, making it impossible to guess who held the hook.

Some tried to deduce from their expressions who held the hook, while others, not participating, watched from the sidelines. Some stood around the perimeter, and others sat on the pavilion's railings.

Xiao Yuzhu and two other ladies were guessing, carefully observing the others' expressions, but their adversaries were too good at hiding, making it difficult to determine who held the hook.

At that moment, Lady Xue, Xue Ying, made a subtle move, and soon after, Xiao Yuzhu pointed at another lady and declared, "It's in Sister Pei's hands."

Upon hearing this, Lady Pei, whose face had been expressionless, let her facade crumble, and upon opening her hand, a small silver hook was revealed, lying in her palm.

"Xiao Yuzhu, you're cheating!" protested a lady from the household of Commander Ruan, standing up and accusing, "It was your cousin, Xue Ying, who tipped you off!"

Xiao Yuzhu looked puzzled, "I guessed it myself. Although Sister Pei kept a straight face, she sat too rigidly, clearly nervous, so I guessed it was her."

"I saw it, Xue Ying made a move, she was hinting at you," insisted Miss Ruan, pointing at Xue Ying.

Miss Ruan's aggressive tone provoked both Xiao Yuzhu and Xue Ying. Standing up, Xue Ying retorted, "I merely moved because I've been sitting too long, is that not allowed? You yourself moved several times just now."

Miss Ruan was competitive but not articulate, and Xue Ying's retort left her speechless. Others began to mediate, reminding that it was just a game, and winning or losing wasn't a big deal.

This only infuriated Miss Ruan further, feeling as though everyone was against her. She strode towards Xiao Yuzhu and Xue Ying, intending to confront them up close. The others, mistaking her intention for aggression, rushed to restrain her. In her struggle to break free, her hand inadvertently struck Master Tong, who had been perched on the railing, enjoying the drama unfold.

Surprised by the sudden motion, Master Tong instinctively dodged, but sitting on the railing, his balance shifted, and he was about to tumble down.

Xiang Wu, upon seeing this, hastily reached out to grab his arm. Being trained in martial arts, she was strong, and with one pull, she rescued Master Tong from falling off the railing. He nearly stumbled, but Xiang Wu steadied him again.

Once he regained his footing, Master Tong, face flushed, bowed to Xiang Wu, "Thank you, Miss Xiang, for your timely aid."

Xiang Wu dismissed it with a wave of her hand, "It's nothing."

Master Tong, still blushing, stole a glance at Xiang Wu, only to notice the round-faced girl with large eyes, not particularly fair-skinned but radiating a healthy vigor. A breeze fluttered her hair, adding a lively charm to her visage.

"Goodness, my heart is racing so fast."

His heart was thumping wildly, and on the other side, Miss Ruan was no longer aggressive. She huffed and turned away. Xiao Yuzhu, Xue Ying, and Tang Anle gathered together, feeling quite dejected. What started as a fun gathering had turned sour.

At that moment, Xiang Wu approached and said, "Come on, let's play cuju."

At her suggestion, several others excitedly chimed in, "Yes, let's all play together."

The group went to play cuju, with Young Master Tong hurriedly following, keeping a respectful distance from Xiang Wu. Xiao Yuzhu saw this and bit her lip to suppress her laughter.

………

Meanwhile, Tang Shuyi was chatting and playing mahjong with a few ladies. Everyone was aware of the purpose of today's gathering, and many had come specifically for the three children of the Marquis of Yongning's household.

"Five dots," Mrs. Zuo from the Imperial Secretariat's family discarded a tile, catching Tang Shuyi's eye. She then knocked down her tiles in front of her, exclaiming, "I win!"

Mrs. Zuo let out a frustrated cry. Another lady sitting across the table rolled her eyes inwardly. Did she think they were fools, not realizing she was deliberately feeding cards to the Marchioness of Yongning? Rumor had it her daughter had been smitten with the heir of the Yongning Marquisate for years.

Tang Shuyi was well aware of these ladies' circuitous tactics. After all, she had a handsome and promising eldest son. She couldn't help but feel a wave of pride internally. However, when any lady probed about her son Xiao Yuchen, she always replied that he was not at home and that his marital matters would be considered after the imperial examinations in spring.

Of course, there were also inquiries about Xiao Yuming and Xiao Yuzhu, which Tang Shuyi tactfully deferred due to their young age.

After several rounds of play, the four lost interest and got up to rest and drink tea. Tang Shuyi was somewhat tired of dealing with these ladies and excused herself to her "office," where she sat by the large window and closed her eyes to rest.

The bright room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop, with only the rustling of leaves outside breaking the silence. But far from disrupting the tranquility, the sound flowed through the air like a gentle musical piece.

Tang Shuyi closed her eyes, savoring this moment of serene beauty.

After a while, Cui Zhu entered softly, approached her, and whispered, "Madam, Mrs. Xie has arrived."

Tang Shuyi opened her eyes and stood up to greet her guest. Mrs. Xie was the head lady of the Xie family, a special presence in the capital; even the royal family treated them with great respect. After all, the Xie family was a great clan with over two hundred years of history, whereas the current royal Li family had only been established for a few decades.

In the eyes of such prominent families, the current royal family was considered nouveau riche. Of course, they always showed full respect to the monarchy in public.

As for Mrs. Xie, she was one of the ladies who had taken the initiative to attend the gathering without an invitation. However, it was unclear why the matriarch of the Xie family sought her out.

PS: This Young Master Tong is not the monk Chang Jing mentioned previously.