Chapter 269 Memories of the Hairpin

By the time of Chenshi (7-9 AM) the day after Benjamin left, Xiao Yanzi and Yongqi had learned everything about Xu Jie and Wen Jiamin.

After seeing that someone had rescued Xu Jie, Wen Jiamin wanted to continue the pursuit, but was dissuaded by her former fiancé.

It turns out that it was her fiancé's family who were unwilling to continue the marriage agreement, not her fiancé himself.

Her fiancé was probably love-struck; when he learned that his family wanted to break off the engagement, he immediately ran away from home.

After leaving home, he and Wen Jiamin left Hangzhou and went into hiding under assumed names.

Xu Jie: So I'm just a huge victim?

But even though Wen Jiamin is gone, the person who framed Xu Jie is still in the Xu family.

Xiao Yanzi and Yongqi naturally disapproved of this situation and stepped in to help.

To clear Xu Jie's name and help him reform the Xu family.

Three days later, everything settled down.

Yongyan, Kangwei, and Xiaoqing, each with their child, went to the Xiao family's ancestral graves.

"Father, Mother, your son is back."

"We haven't come back to see you for so long, Mother won't blame us, will she?"

"This time, your son not only brought your daughter-in-law, but also your grandson..."

"Grandson Xiao Yucheng greets his grandparents."

"Grandpa and Grandma, don't worry, your grandson will take good care of you and your sister..."

The two little ones, Mianhua and Mianyao, also knelt before the graves of Xiao Zhihang and Du Xueyin.

"Father, Mother, Yongqi and I have come back to see you."

After paying their respects to Xiao Zhihang and Du Xueyin, they returned to the Xiao family home.

Children played in the yard, while adults sat in the pavilion drinking tea and chatting.

Little Swallow sighed, "These children have such carefree childhoods; I'm envious of them."

Little Swallow's words also reflect everyone's inner thoughts.

Of course, except for Fu Erkang.

Fu Erkang had both parents, was the darling of his family, and was highly regarded by Emperor Qianlong. Even if he didn't marry Qianlong's daughter, he was destined for great success.

Although Yongqi's parents were still alive, there were people at that time who did not want to see him alive.

Xiao Yanzi lost both her parents and lived a miserable life in Baiyun Temple before meeting Yongqi, where some people would bully her.

Xia Ziwei grew up without a father by her side, listening to gossip all the time. After Xia Yuhe passed away, if it weren't for Xiao Yanzi's help, she wouldn't know when she would be able to successfully recognize her father.

Although Xiao Jian had become an apprentice, he was not entirely without worries. There were people in his sect who were jealous of him and plotted against him, but in the end, they were all resolved.

After lunch, this group of young people accompanied Emperor Qianlong on a stroll through Hangzhou.

“Little Swallow, look, there are hairpins over there…” Qing’er pulled Little Swallow and Xia Ziwei to the jewelry stall to take a look. “Speaking of hairpins, I remember once when Yongqi had his birthday, Little Swallow gave him a hairpin.”

Hearing Qing'er's words, Xiao Yanzi couldn't help but want to cover her face, "Sister-in-law Qing'er, please don't say anymore."

Qing'er continued with a smile, "Although I didn't see Yongqi actually put that hairpin on his head, I did see that he always carried it with him..."

Xia Ziwei added, "But speaking of which, I really want to see what the effect would be if this hairpin actually appeared on his head?"

"..." Little Swallow remained silent.

She couldn't help but recall why she had given Yongqi the hairpin in the past.

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On the fifteenth day of the first month of the twenty-second year of Qianlong's reign, Xiao Yanzi sat in the courtyard in a daze.

What are you thinking about?

"Senior Sister Jingyi, Yongqi's birthday is coming up, and I'm thinking about what gift to give him."

The woman named Jingyi sat opposite Xiaoyanzi and laughed, "So, you're troubled by love..."

Xiao Yanzi felt a little embarrassed when she saw Jingyi looking at her with a sly expression. "Senior Sister Jingyi, please stop teasing me..."

Jingyi smiled and said, "How about I give you an idea?"

Little Swallow looked up at her, "What idea?"

Jingyi said, "Give him a hairpin."

Upon hearing this answer, Little Swallow couldn't help but wonder if she had misheard.

"A hairpin?" Little Swallow was dumbfounded. "But aren't hairpins only for women?"

At least that was the case in the Qing Dynasty; men all wore queues, so they couldn't wear them at all.

Jingyi said meaningfully, "That's not necessarily true."

Little Swallow asked in confusion, "Why? Is there some kind of mechanism in here?"

Jingyi said, "Giving him this hairpin serves several purposes. First, it can remind him to remain chaste for you. Second, you can install a mechanism on it so he can protect himself in case of any unexpected events. Third... who knows, maybe one day he'll need to dress as a woman..."

"?" Little Swallow was dumbfounded. "A man dressed as a woman?"

"Yes, if he's dressed as a woman, this hairpin can really come in handy."

At the time, she wasn't sure if Yongqi would ever need to dress as a woman.

Until that day...

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It was the first day of the sixth month of the twenty-eighth year of Qianlong's reign. She noticed a brothel that only welcomed women; men were not allowed to enter.

Driven by playfulness and curiosity, she naturally wanted to go inside and see what lay within.

Yongqi would never agree, but Xiaoyanzi used her charm to persuade him to give in.

Yongqi insisted on going in with Xiaoyanzi, ostensibly to protect her.

Little Swallow said to him with a grin, "If you want to come in with me, you'll have to pretend to be a woman for a bit..."

Afterwards, Xiao Yanzi made Yongqi put on makeup, combed his hair, and dressed him in women's clothes.

"Let's go." After putting the hairpin on Yongqi's head, Xiaoyanzi took his hand and led him towards the brothel.

As soon as the two entered, they saw that all the performers in the brothel were men.

Yongqi's eyes nearly popped out of his head in fright, and he couldn't help but try to cover Xiaoyanzi's eyes.

Little Swallow muttered, "Since we're already here, let me broaden my horizons."

"Besides, I'm just taking a look; I don't intend to do anything here."

Finally, Yongqi reluctantly agreed and stayed in the room with Xiaoyanzi, watching the two men play music.

"This beautiful young lady, do you still enjoy my zither playing?" The thin man in green on the left put his zither aside, stepped forward, and poured tea for Xiao Yanzi.

"Sounds pretty good..."

As soon as Xiao Yanzi praised him, the man tried to fall into her arms, saying, "Then tonight, will you, my lady, cherish me?"

However, Yongqi reached out and pushed him away, saying, "No need, we're just here to listen to the music..."

"Why does this girl's voice sound like a man's?"

Yongqi forced a smile and explained, "It's natural, is there a problem?"

"Of course, no problem. But young lady, you don't know this, but the girls who come to our brothel are here to have fun. If you just want to listen to music, it's really not appropriate for you to come here..."

Yongqi couldn't help but ask, "What, if we don't pamper the girls who come here, are they going to be beaten to death?"

A slightly stronger man in red stepped forward and said, "Of course not. It won't be you girls who get killed, it will be the men here. Our master will think we're not attractive enough, which is why we can't let you come here..."

Little Swallow asked curiously, "Are only girls the ones who come here?"

"Of course not. There are also some married women who can't stand their husbands being out with other women all the time, so they come to brothels to play..."