Chapter 461 Guess Who

After Su Xiaoqi finished chatting with Shen Mingzhu, Nanny Zhao came to ask for instructions. She said that festival gifts had been sent to familiar households such as the Princess Regent's manor and the Duke of Yu's manor today. She also asked if they needed anything prepared for their outing tomorrow. Su Xiaoqi said she wasn't very familiar with how the Duan Yang festival was celebrated in the capital, so she asked Nanny Zhao to inform her. Nanny Zhao then began listing the customs on her fingers: "The Duan Yang festival has always been a time for worshipping gods, honoring ancestors, praying for blessings, and warding off evil in the capital. In the capital, the main activities include dragon boat races, hanging mugwort, bathing in medicinal water, worshipping gods and ancestors, eating zongzi, flying kites, tying five-colored silk threads, and wearing sachets. There's also eating cherries and mulberries. It is said that eating cherries and mulberries on Duan Yang will prevent one from being bothered by flies all year round." Nanny Zhao's throat was dry, so Su Xiaoqi thoughtfully had Guo'er bring her a cup of tea. Nanny Zhao continued, "The most important thing, of course, is the 'Five Poisons Cake'." Su Xiaoqi was very curious. The Five Poisons referred to five venomous creatures: centipedes, scorpions, snakes, toads, and geckos. But what kind of cake was the Five Poisons Cake? Before she could ask, Guo'er exclaimed without restraint, "Nanny, are these Five Poisons cakes made with Five Poisons? How would we eat them?" Nanny Zhao's face crinkled with laughter. She said, "How could that be? They are just cakes decorated with the pattern of the Five Poisons." Besides this, in the capital, those who did not watch the dragon boat races would gather at Liuyuan in the southern part of the city. They would invite scholars and officials from the city for banquets and poetry recitations. This was known as "Treading Willow," which involved wine, talent, poetry, and music, making it very refined. Su Xiaoqi then asked Nanny Zhao to prepare everything she had just mentioned. Upon being informed that everything was ready, Su Xiaoqi felt Nanny Zhao was very considerate; with her, she could worry much less. The fifth day of the fifth month was Duan Yang. The weather was a bit overcast. Everyone thought it would rain, but by the time Su Xiaoqi arrived at Yuan River by carriage, not a single raindrop had fallen. Even Shen Mingzhu remarked, "Every year the Duan Yang festival would have rain, but this year, the rain just won't come down." Su Xiaoqi sighed softly. The drought this year was already a foregone conclusion. When she was at the estate, she had specifically asked the steward Tie Zuoping to take her to the fields behind. The soil was dry. Fortunately, outside their estate, there was a large artificial lake. Usually, it was a place for leisurely boat rides and enjoying the scenery. During the drought, however, it could be used for irrigation. But in the long run, it might not be enough. Su Xiaoqi looked at Yuan River, where the water level was a bit low, and her mood for watching the dragon boat race faded considerably. This was the place where dragon boat races had been held in the capital for many years. The river channel was wide, the riverbed was clean, and the water was very deep. Nearby was the famous Zhouqiao night market. High sheds covered with oiled cloth were erected in conspicuous places on both banks, displaying the banners of various households. Su Xiaoqi spotted the Princess Regent's manor's banner at a glance. Bao Ge'er had already seen her and waved to her, even sending Nanny Xu to guide her. She called out to Shen Mingzhu and headed straight for the Princess Regent's manor's shed. However, they were stopped by a group of people when they were still some distance away. "Ho, isn't this the wife of the new top scholar?" "And she's brought a country girl." "What are you saying, Miss Shen was originally a beggar." "Oh dear, are the seats at the dragon boat race so easily accessible now? Anyone can get in." The people in front were talking with great gusto. Su Xiaoqi observed that she didn't recognize many of them. She only recognized Liu Nini and Princess Qionghua, and she frowned, not understanding what these two wanted. Did they have an addiction to bullying people? They were on a roll with bullying her. However, if the situation was just about her background, Su Xiaoqi felt nothing. After all, she wasn't from this era and didn't have any strong attachments to the concept of innate inequality. She only cared about her current reality; as long as she was living well, that was enough. She didn't want to argue with these people unnecessarily, so she pulled Shen Mingzhu and tried to skirt around them. But it was clear these people weren't going to let her go easily. Incited by Liu Nini, a young girl in a pink skirt, who looked the youngest, stretched out her leg to trip Shen Mingzhu. Su Xiaoqi's anger flared upon seeing this. Her body reacted quickly, she pulled Shen Mingzhu, and stepped on the girl's leg herself. "Ah... you, you lowly girl, you dare to step on me? Do you know who I am?" The young girl had thick eyebrows and big eyes, and a fiery temper. Su Xiaoqi leaned closer and sneered, "I don't care who you are. You dare to trip someone, this is the consequence." "You, you slut... Someone, come and grab her and slap her mouth!" The girl in pink held her foot with one hand and shouted loudly. Su Xiaoqi saw two burly servants approaching. They were prepared, it seemed, even if she hadn't stepped on her, they had intended to deal with her. A smile touched her lips. Using the hem of her pleated skirt, which reached the ground, she raised her foot and accurately hooked the leg of a servant wearing a dark blue tunic who was walking towards her. The servant had a barrel-like waist, a round face, and yellow teeth. Su Xiaoqi subtly tripped her, causing her to exclaim, "Aiya!" and lose her balance, lunging directly towards the pink-clad girl facing her. "Ah..." Everyone watching screamed in unison. It all happened too quickly, like a whirlwind. Even though they saw it, they didn't have time to react. The pink-clad girl was heavily pinned down by the servant, who weighed over a hundred catties, and cried out in pain. "Ah, Miss Huang, Miss Huang." Someone finally reacted, pushing the fat servant away to help the pink-clad girl. Unfortunately, she was thrown down too hard and landed on the steps, hurting her lumbar spine and twisting her ankle. In such a condition, she should not be moved casually. However, the people pulling her didn't know this and were focused on getting her up. They then heard her cries and screams. "Ah..." Her voice was piercingly sharp, like a fine bamboo sliver scraping one's face, continuous and unending. Hearing this, everyone covered their ears, unwilling to listen any longer. Such grand events organized by the palace usually had imperial physicians on standby. With the commotion, someone soon led an imperial physician over. The imperial physician was skilled and immediately understood the pink-clad girl's condition, quickly stopping the people trying to pull her up. "Lay her flat, lay her flat, gently, gently, yes, yes, don't touch her. This young lady might have injured her bone." Upon hearing that her bone might be injured, everyone was frightened. They stared blankly as the imperial physician examined her and quickly reached a conclusion: "She has sprained her waist, and her ankle has a slight fracture. It takes a hundred days for muscles and bones to recover. For the next three months, she must rest in bed and not go out." "Ah... no, no. It's her, it's her, Aunt. It's all the fault of this lowly servant and that cheap girl." The pink-clad girl was in unbearable pain, but she still remembered to curse. Her delicate fingers, like tender green onions, pointed at the servant she had brought and at Su Xiaoqi, who was standing far away. A sharp gaze shot over. Su Xiaoqi recognized the person's appearance, and her heart sank. She hadn't expected it to be her!