Chapter 41
Blind date
The old lady was ready to go as she arranged the crease in her fine black Hanfu dress made of cotton. She placed a beautiful hairpin in her elaborate coiffure, making her appear ten years younger. Upon seeing her companion, she exclaimed,
"Who destroyed you!?"
"Why? I like it this way."
"Hmm... I get it. A cool peacock look, but what's with the tail? Hanging, thin, and stiff?"
The fine woman wore no accessories or head-dress. Her hair was styled in a brushed-up manner, not too high, not too low. She had wrapped her long brown hair in a gel-like substance, giving it a shiny, stiff appearance, as if it might explode at any moment.
It exposed her long, jade-like neck.
The only thing that blurred the line between beauty and horror was how the hairstyle seemed ready to burst if she encountered a situation she didn't like.
She looked like a peacock, ready to unleash her killer hairstyle.
"Okay, whatever!" said the old lady, not wanting her to take another hour to change her hair.
"I like you today," said the fine woman, flashing a sly smile.
She didn't forget to hide some kind of secret weapon in her hair, a "break in case of emergency" tool.
The old lady rolled her eyes. "Is that necessary? Remember, the rules are clear: no eye contact. Just look cool, and please, please, please..." She paused.
The fine woman, awaiting the next phrase, wrinkled her lips and pouted her pink mouth.
"Do not get bored. Keep that sweet smile."
The fine woman smiled, and the old lady pinched her cheeks.
"This is your last chance. Don't ruin it."
A simple palanquin waited outside their house to take them where the old lady had directed.
After an hour, they arrived. They gracefully exited the palanquin. The fine woman wore an expressionless face, avoiding eye contact. She waited for the other party to approach her.
Two beautiful, enchanting women entered one of the finest cocktail lounges in the state. The state of Liang was known for its bustling streets. Even at night, clubs were packed with wealthy, noble bachelors.
Occasionally, if luck was on your side, you might spot a royal spending extravagantly and requesting the company of a mistress for the evening.
The fine woman whispered to the old lady, "Are you selling me here? Look at the guys around us. This isn't what I imagined in a man."
"Calm down. Here, drink some of this," the old lady replied.
"I never drink," said the fine woman.
"Just try one glass."
The fine woman reluctantly took the glass and drank slowly. Her face turned red.
She looked like she was in crisis, wanting to shout or even kick the old lady. But with a sheepish, voiceless expression, she opened her mouth, using her hands to fan herself.
Some of the eligible bachelors noticed and thought she was a lovely young woman who had had a bit too much to drink.
"What is this?" she asked.
"A spirit wine," the old lady answered.
"What? Did I just drink a spirit?"
The old lady chuckled. "No, it's whiskey."
"Oh, I think I'll order more," the fine woman said, signaling for another round.
The old lady didn't catch her words, too focused on observing the interested parties, though none came forward with their intentions.
Suddenly, the air was filled with a fragrant, flowery scent as a new guest arrived, slipping in unnoticed by the others.
He presented a VIP pass, and two disguised bodyguards entered first, securing the bar. Hidden snipers and spies were stationed around the venue, ready to strike if the location was compromised.
His presence went unannounced, and protocol was discreetly passed to the bar owner.
With a godly face and foxy eyes, he cast a bored look at the dim lighting and ordered the usual drink for the nightclub.
The old lady, now distracted, ordered two more rounds of drinks. Then this happened: holding one glass in her left hand and another in her right, she gulped both consecutively without blinking. No cheers, no chasers to balance the taste.
Done!
Now, she was visibly dizzy.
Some noble bachelors, fascinated by the display, were intrigued by the fine woman. One brave soul approached her.
In a small tavern, an athletic man wearing a brown hooded cloak that obscured his cold eyes and thin lips sat uninvited and unrestrained. He ordered a glass of beer.
He hadn't realized how excellent and addictive it tasted, not since the accident.
On rare days like these, he sought solace in the quiet nights of a simple man. As he drank, memories of his former life crept in.
He asked himself, "How many months do I have left before I finally take over...?" And with that unfinished thought, he took another drink.
The bachelor finished his drink and gracefully approached the fine woman, who was now dizzy and dull-witted as the wine took over her strong spirit.
"May I introduce myself with this?" the noble bachelor said, offering her a small handkerchief. But the fine woman, not allowed to make eye contact, remained silent. The old lady responded instead, "Thank you, your grace. We will give our answer in three days."
The man left, only for another to arrive, also offering a handkerchief. He appeared to be a reserved nobleman with good intentions. Then, unexpectedly, a man with a buff body but a surprisingly feminine voice spoke. Perhaps it would have been better if he hadn't spoken at all.
Suddenly, he threw the handkerchief, causing the old lady to laugh before accepting it. Yet another nobleman arrived to offer his handkerchief. He had hairy hands and a thick mustache. The old lady raised her eyebrows with a mischievous look but eventually took his handkerchief as well.
From a dark corner, two foxy eyes observed the situation. He noticed the men bustling back and forth to the two women as if there were a long line, which definitely caught his attention.
Curious about what was happening, he ordered one of his spies to investigate and report back.
With simple, stealthy movements, the spy went to observe. He saw two beautiful women: one was sleeping, and the other was entertaining the suitors. The spy returned to the VIP guest and reported, "The men are bidding for a blind date with the drooling, sleeping woman."
"What?" the VIP guest exclaimed. "You said drooling... did you double-check?"
"Yes, Lotus Flower."
The VIP's codename was Lotus Flower, a title used by all his spies.
Suddenly, the VIP relaxed in his chair, a sense of friskiness awakening within him. He thought to himself,How can this happen? A woman, sleeping and... drooling, receiving so many high-end proposals?
He squinted his eyes, for he was rarely surprised, until tonight. Curiosity, something that didn't usually register in his mind, was piqued. He decided to find out who this drooling girl was.
Suddenly, a gold handkerchief was tossed into the air.
The spy saw it, his eyes widening like an owl's. He quickly confirmed to the VIP.
"Are you sure, Lotus?"
"Are you questioning me or expressing concern?" The VIP's eyes flashed with anger. He made his intentions clear with a hand signal, pointing toward the two women, pouting his lips slightly, his expression stern, urging the spy to obey.
The spy, anxious at the thought of upsetting the VIP, obeyed.
Like quicksilver, he walked toward the table where the two women sat.
The old lady, now holding twenty handkerchiefs, hadn't been impressed by any of the suitors so far. She paid no mind to her companion beside her, too busy entertaining and accepting the handkerchief proposals. Meanwhile, the fine woman was still drooling and asleep.
The spy, dressed in a good-looking Hanfu as part of his disguise, approached the old lady. When he smiled, revealing a gap where his front teeth should have been, the old lady gave him a rough look and said, "Whatever it is, this is declined."
The spy glanced at the drooling woman beside her, whose snoring was growing louder and louder. He responded, "Even I cannot understand why I must do this..."
He then handed her the gold handkerchief.
The old lady was stunned, speechless.
The spy waited for further instructions and finally heard, "Tell His Majesty this is booked."
That meant all twenty handkerchiefs would be dismissed, and only the gold handkerchief would be accepted.
The old lady left the twenty handkerchiefs on the table. All the noble bachelors saw this and understood what it meant.
Suddenly, eyes from every corner of the bar began searching the room.
They knew a VIP had visited the nightclub, and now the place was compromised.
Amidst all of this, the fine woman continued sleeping soundly. The old lady noticed and quickly woke her up.
"Wake up! We need to go, we'll be escorted back by the royal guards!"
"Hurry!"
"What?"
The fine woman, still dizzy with half her eyes open and no sense of time, whispered, "Royal escort? I didn't order them to fetch me. Why are they here?" Her voice was sleepy and dull.
The old lady replied, "This place is compromised. We need to get out."
Before the bar was placed on high alert, the VIP had already left, riding in a black palanquin with three black horses in front. Soon after, the old lady accepted the gold handkerchief.
The VIP asked his spy, "How did it go?"
"Your Highness, the old lady told me, 'Whatever it is, this is declined.'"
The VIP raised his brows. "Oh, that's a first."
The spy continued, "Then she said, 'Tell His Majesty this is booked.'"
A smile crept from the corner of the VIP's eyes. "Oh, that's not so much of a first," he said with a chuckle.
"Hiyah! Hiyah!" The spy urged the horse to run faster, and the VIP returned to his palace safely.
Meanwhile, the fine woman and the old lady were escorted back to their house by the royal guards.
The next day, the old lady opened her store during her usual hours, while the fine woman went to the market to buy fresh ingredients for the day's menu.
The local gangster leader, on his third day of serving penance for his bullying acts, waited at the side of the store. At the same time, a familiar man wearing a rattan hat passed by the old lady's store and suddenly helped her.
Startled, the old lady said, "It's been three days, and I haven't seen you since that small scandal. Where have you been?"
The man, cold and distant, continued helping her set up the store's chairs and tables. "I passed by, but maybe you didn't notice. The boy can tell you."
"Oh, yes, this boy's turned good now. I think he's learned his lesson."
The man, though pleased, maintained an indifferent and stoic expression.
As they finished setting up the tables and chairs, the man dusted off his clothes as if to say the job was done. Just as he was about to leave, the fine woman arrived with baskets full of vegetables.
She gave him a cold glance as she passed, but the man didn't look at her. Instead, he took the basket from her hands and helped her as if he were a regular helper at their Kowloon noodle house. Afterward, he put on his hat and left without a word.
The kitchen chef was intrigued.
The next day, the man came again early and repeated his actions. This time, the fine woman resisted, but he insisted. Rolling up his faded peasant sleeves, he took the basket from her.
His arms, exposed, revealed perfectly sculpted muscles and a small tattoo on his left shoulder. The fine woman noticed this and looked at him, searching his eyes, but found nothing. Afterward, he put on his hat, bid the old lady goodbye, and left.
Secretly, the fine woman watched him from her small kitchen window as he walked away from their store.
She couldn't help but admire his perfect, proportionate height, his toned muscles, and his eyes. She swallowed hard, thinking to herself how familiar those tantalizing eyes were. She had never felt this way about a man's appearance, until now.
She leaned against the wall, wondering if she was going crazy or if she had met him before.
Every time he stood in front of her, those eyes stirred something in her, feelings she couldn't quite describe. Was she falling for him, or was this just a rebound from her broken heart?
One night, the old lady received a mysterious letter from a strange courier. She was surprised because the only person who usually delivered messages to their store was the man who passed by every day.
Curious, she asked the courier, "Where is the man who always passes by here?"
"I'm not sure, but I have an important message for you."
The old lady soon learned that this was no ordinary courier. He was a messenger from the Liang Palace, disguised in rugged peasant clothes.
The old lady suddenly remembered the gold handkerchief and felt her heart race as she opened the fragrant, flowery envelope. She could tell the message was of great importance. In her mind, she envisioned a royal romance beginning to bloom.
She was right. The letter contained a summons for the blind date to commence the next evening. According to the instructions, a royal escort would arrive to collect them from their residence.
The old lady hurried to her closet, where she kept her collection of beautiful dresses. As she touched them, tears welled up in her eyes. These Hanfu and imperial dresses from her youth held sweet, bitter, and happy memories. Giving one of them to the fine woman felt like passing on a piece of her history, with the hope that it might heal her broken heart.
The dresses were made from the finest silks, adorned with genuine gold and jade accessories. The old lady, though weathered by time, was once a renowned figure in the imperial court, a fallen aristocrat, now an outcast.
She went to the fine woman's room and woke her. It was late, and the fine woman was already asleep.
A large shadow appeared in the doorway, startling the fine woman awake. She grabbed a candle and shouted, "A beast! What the...?! I could kill you in an instant!"
The fine woman, her hair a mess and goosebumps on her arms, grabbed a dagger, thinking there was a monster at her door. But it was just the old lady, struggling to carry a mountain of imperial dresses, headdresses, and other accessories.
With no choice, the fine woman helped the old lady bring the pile into her room. She exclaimed, "Did you go to the night market and spend all your savings? What is all this?"
The old lady smiled. "What does it matter if I spend every dime? Here, try some of these. I know we were the same size when I was younger, maybe they'll fit."
The old lady excitedly watched as the fine woman tried on each dress, turning the night into an impromptu fashion show.
Once a fashion critic and icon, the old lady raised her eyebrows, laughed, cried, giggled, screamed, and smiled. She pouted and threw sarcastic looks until the fine woman stepped out in a flowing yellow-gold Hanfu dress, cut like a princess gown.
The old woman gave her a thumbs-up, and they decided on the dress.
After the show, the fine woman, puzzled, asked, "Why are we doing this again?"
"It's for a blind date," the old lady replied.
"Oh, for heaven's sake, I don't want to go back to that nightclub. The men looked like ugly frogs."
"They looked ugly because you got drunk and ordered more drinks than you could remember," the old lady said, looking at her with disgust.
"I want to call off the blind date," the fine woman began, but the old lady cut her off, leaving her hanging in silence.
"There are only two reasons I can think of for calling it off. Is it the courier man who stops by our Kowloon house, or is it your broken heart?"
"Neither," the fine woman said, but deep inside, she knew her heart had already chosen someone, someone she thought she had met before, perhaps nearby.
Not wanting to see her cry, the old lady remarked, "Better to die than to harbor a broken heart."
"So tomorrow night, if you refuse, you're as good as dead meat."
The fine woman squinted her eyes. "Why would I want to die tomorrow night?"
"Did I not tell you? The winner of the bid that night became ineligible when the gold handkerchief was passed. That means no one from the noble ranks has a claim, except for the royal who won the bid."
The fine woman's ears perked up, and the old lady continued, "Since that night, the royal family owns the rights to this blind date. Ignoring these rules or attempting to refuse the royal's interest is considered treason."
"I didn't know about these rules. You just told me to do my hair, dress up, and sit next to you without making eye contact."
"There are always rules and protocols. Since we expressed interest in the blind date, we can't refuse, especially not to royalty. You understand?"
The fine woman's frustration grew as she heard about the rules, protocols, and rights.
Suddenly, she felt a surge of determination. She would meet this royal and try to change these customs. It felt like a violation of her freedom to choose or decline.
"Alright, set me up. I'll teach him a lesson, even if it kills me."
The fine woman grabbed the old lady's beautiful dress and said, "Let's sleep. We've got a lot to do tomorrow."
Excited, the old lady responded, "Just pray that the royal won't ask for a second meeting after tomorrow."
The fine woman, as she collapsed onto her bed, asked, "What happens if there's a second summon?"
"It could mean an engagement."
"Go away. That won't happen," the fine woman said, hugging her pillow and closing her eyes.
The old lady let out an evil laugh. "You bet!"
The next day, the store was closed, and the old lady went to a nearby beauty salon to book an appointment, using the royal seal that had come with the letter.
The fine woman stayed at the Kowloon house, waiting as if expecting someone to appear. At the same time, a tall, athletic man with cold eyes stood outside the store and saw that the Kowloon house was closed.
The fine woman watched him longingly, noticing his gloomy eyes. The man asked their neighbor why the store was closed, then slowly walked away.
She felt as if she were losing her breath with every step he took, further away from where she stood.
By this time, the fine woman realized these feelings were not so simple.
But she couldn't let him see her today. She couldn't look into those eyes again.
She also wondered if she had met him before, but wasn't sure when or where.
She hid her emotions deep within her heart.
Time seemed to slow as her eyes followed the man until he disappeared from view.
Suddenly, the old lady tapped her on the shoulder.
Connect to Chapter 43: Dinner Engagement
Look back to Chapter 39: Breach of Chasm
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