After leaving the house, Xue Chenxing wandered around the streets for a while. Once she confirmed no one was following her, she headed straight to Qingfeng Chalou.
A crowd had gathered in front of Qingfeng Chalou. As Xue Chenxing approached, she overheard someone discussing, “I wonder who will win.”
Hanlu immediately understood. “Miss, there’s a tea competition going on.”
“I wonder who’s competing today?”
Xue Chenxing squeezed through the crowd and entered the teahouse.
A waiter standing by the door greeted her with a smile, “Miss Xue.” Xue Chenxing nodded in acknowledgment and made her way familiarly toward the wooden staircase.
Qingfeng Chalou had two floors. The first floor was a spacious main hall, while the second floor housed several private rooms.
On one side of the main hall was a slightly elevated small stage. On ordinary days, musicians performed there to entertain guests. When tea competitions were held, it served as the venue.
Today, two people were competing on that small stage.
Both were young men.
One wore a robe the color of the sky after rain. His skin was as fair as jade, his features refined and gentle, with a faint, almost imperceptible smile lingering at the corners of his mouth. He focused intently on the tea sifting before him, exuding an air of elegant nobility.
Xue Chenxing recognized him. He was Zhou Jingheng, the second son of Guogong Fu, whom Madam Xue wanted Xue Chenyue to marry.
The other wore a narrow-sleeved, sandalwood-colored cross-collared gown. His sword-like eyebrows swept sharply toward his temples, and his eyes were as cold as stars in the midnight sky. His pale pink lips were pressed tightly together. Though handsome, he carried an icy aloofness that made others hesitant to approach.
Xue Chenxing also recognized him—Cui Shishen, the man Madam Xue wanted her to marry.
She couldn’t help but sigh inwardly: What an unfortunate coincidence!
Who would have thought that because of these two men, she had argued with Madam Xue, and now, the moment she stepped out, she ran into them?
Just as Xue Chenxing was lost in thought, she suddenly tensed.
Four tall, burly men stood behind a table, their sharp eyes fixed intently on her as she ascended the wooden staircase.
Xue Chenxing averted her gaze and subtly glanced at the people seated at that table.
She also recognized the two men in splendid, embroidered robes sitting there: Prince Chu, Ming Chong, and Prince Qin, Ming Xian.
Prince Chu, Ming Chong, was highly favored by The Emperor, and rumors had long circulated that he would be named Crown Prince.
Not daring to look toward that table again, Xue Chenxing kept her eyes straight ahead and proceeded to the second floor.
She took a seat at a table near the railing of the staircase. A waiter came over to serve her tea.
The four men watched her for a long time, only retracting their gazes after confirming she showed no unusual behavior.
Xue Chenxing breathed a sigh of relief and joined the other guests leaning over the railing to watch Cui Shishen and Zhou Jingheng compete below.
Some guests whispered among themselves, “Who do you think will win?”
“I heard Young Master Zhou learned Diancha from the palace tea masters. Last year, during a palace tea competition, his whisked tea even earned praise from The Emperor. I bet on Young Master Zhou.”
“I also bet on Young Master Zhou.”
The two competitors had already prepared their tea paste and were now picking up their tea whisks to begin whisking.
The murmurs ceased as everyone focused on the color of the tea in their respective Jian Zhan bowls.
Zhou Jingheng still wore that faint smile, but due to his intense concentration on whisking, it seemed frozen on his face like a mask.
Cui Shishen’s cold demeanor remained unchanged. His aura of keeping others at a distance seemed to isolate him from everything around him. His whisking motions were not as fast as Zhou Jingheng’s, but they were more steady and composed.
Perhaps due to nervousness, Zhou Jingheng glanced over at Cui Shishen’s side.
Xue Chenxing let out a faint, inscrutable smile.
Hanlu asked very quietly, “Miss, who do you think will win?”
Xue Chenxing lifted her chin and gestured subtly toward Cui Shishen.
After the seventh infusion of water, the tea color in Cui Shishen and Zhou Jingheng’s Jian Zhan bowls grew increasingly white. The onlookers held their breath, awaiting the final outcome.
Prince Qin Ming Xian, who had been silently observing, suddenly picked up his teacup and took a sip. As he set it down, he used a bit too much force, causing the cup to knock against the table with a light clink.
Cui Shishen’s hand paused for a moment.
Xue Chenxing frowned slightly, gazing thoughtfully at Cui Shishen and Ming Xian.
Cui Shishen continued whisking. Moments later, he and Zhou Jingheng simultaneously set down their tea whisks.
Everyone focused on the color of their tea—both were pure white as snow.
Those by the railings whispered among themselves, “Who would have thought Young Master Cui’s Diancha skills were this impressive?”
Ming Chong and Ming Xian laughed, “Fifth Brother, did you secretly hire a tea master to teach Shi Shen? If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn’t have believed Shi Shen was this skilled at Diancha.”
Zhou Jingheng stared intently at Cui Shishen’s Jian Zhan bowl. After Ming Chong’s remark, his gaze flickered slightly. He raised his eyes and bowed to Cui Shishen with a smile, “Shi Shen, you truly hide your talents well. I am genuinely impressed! Next time His Majesty holds a tea competition, you must participate.”
Cui Shishen replied calmly, “The result is not yet decided, Jingheng. There’s no need to rush.”
Hanlu smiled, “Miss, you guessed right.”
“No, Young Master Cui has lost,” Xue Chenxing said.
Her voice was soft, and the nearby guests paid no attention, but Cui Shishen lifted his head and looked toward her. His sharp gaze fixed on her, as if scrutinizing her very soul.
Xue Chenxing felt a chill run down her spine and quickly lowered her head, pretending to drink from her teacup.
“Young Master Cui’s water marks have appeared!” someone exclaimed.
In Cui Shishen’s Jian Zhan bowl, the tea foam, once pure white as snow, had begun to fade. At the edges, the foam dissipated, revealing the greenish tea broth beneath.
A guest leaning over the railing laughed, “I knew it! It had to be Young Master Zhou who would win.”
Cui Shishen, composed as ever, bowed to Zhou Jingheng, “Congratulations, Jingheng.”
Ming Xian and Ming Chong chuckled, “Third Brother, you see? I never secretly hired a tea master for Shi Shen. What he knows is merely superficial—hardly comparable to Jingheng.”
The surrounding guests also offered their congratulations to Zhou Jingheng.
Zhou Jingheng’s faint, mask-like smile returned to his face as he modestly returned the courtesy, “This is Shi Shen being gracious. Shi Shen is also quite skilled.”
Someone remarked, “Young Master Zhou is too humble. We all witnessed this competition firsthand. Young Master Cui is impressive, but his water marks appeared earlier, so he falls just short of Young Master Zhou.”
Xue Chenxing couldn’t help but glance at Cui Shishen again. Amidst the noisy crowd, the remarks about him being inferior to Zhou Jingheng didn’t cause the slightest ripple in his expression.
A waiter approached to refill the tea and whispered, “The manager asks, which tea leaves should be sent?”
“Guzhu Purple Bamboo Shoot and Rizhu Snow Bud,” Xue Chenxing replied.
The waiter went downstairs to relay the message to the manager.
Xue Chenxing stood up and walked toward the corridor leading to the private rooms. However, she didn’t enter any of them. Instead, she continued straight ahead, turned into a narrow passageway, and pushed open the door to the innermost room.
On the small raised platform, Cui Shishen, holding the tea leaves gifted by the manager, looked up once more toward where Xue Chenxing had been sitting, but she was no longer there.
He paused briefly, then glanced toward the wooden staircase, but she was nowhere to be seen either.
Zhou Jingheng followed his gaze and asked curiously, “Shi Shen, are you looking for someone?”
“No,” Cui Shishen replied, withdrawing his gaze.
Ming Chong laughed, “I’m in high spirits today, so I took the opportunity to invite Fifth Brother and Shi Shen. On Qiqiao Jie, we must have a proper drink together.”
“I’ve heard that Jing Heng and Shi Shen are both engaged. Once they get married, it won’t be easy to invite them for drinks often.”