Chapter 179: The Distance Between Books and Reality
A Wu jumped off his horse at the entrance of the tea house. The shop assistant rushed out and said with a smile, “Master Wu is back. Someone from the villa was looking for you and has been waiting for a while.”
A Wu’s eyes lit up, and he rushed into the tea house, “Where is he? Where? Who is it?”
“It’s me, not looking for you, looking for Miss Li.” Wan Jing, dressed as a servant from an ordinary family, stood in the tea house. Startled by A Wu’s sudden rush, she took two steps back.
A Wu let out a disappointed “Oh,” his shoulders slumping.
Wang Yuting jumped off the cart and hurried a few steps, grabbing A Wu and pulling him aside, “Quickly pull the cart in, don’t block the way.”
Li Xiaonan did not get off the cart. A Wu pulled her and the cart into the backyard of the tea house, where she switched to Wan Jing’s paulownia wood cart.
Watching Wan Jing get into the cart, Li Xiaonan bowed forward and reached out to lift Wan Jing’s clothes, examining them. “Why are you dressed like this? What happened?”
“How would I know! I came over this morning, but you weren’t home, so I went back. Around mid-afternoon, Shi Gun told me to change into these clothes and said to find A Wu, that I absolutely had to find you and ask you to come over. I ran all the way from your house to Hejia Village.” Wan Jing looked down at herself again.
It was the first time she had dressed like this, and she thought it looked quite good.
“Why were you looking for me this morning?” Li Xiaonan was surprised.
This must be a big deal!
“This morning, our cousin girl asked me to invite you, but it was also our Young Lord’s words. Shi Gun told me to pass on the message. Do you know why our cousin girl asked you to come?” Wan Jing had a gossipy smile on her face.
“An arranged meeting?” Li Xiaonan reacted extremely quickly.
“That’s exactly it!” Wan Jing clapped her hands. “It was Miss Yin Xing, who is by our cousin girl’s side, who came to find me. At the time, I just asked a few more questions. Yin Xing was very straightforward and said that Fifth Master Yang would be coming with the Crown Prince this afternoon. She said that their young lady had told you to help with the arranged meeting.”
“You can do arranged meetings?” Wan Jing sized up Li Xiaonan.
“I can’t do arranged meetings. She asked me to help her with it, and I didn’t agree, but I didn’t say no either. I just wanted to see the excitement.” Li Xiaonan smiled. “So, is this trip still about that? Why are you in such a hurry?”
“I don’t think so. When Shi Gun came to deliver the message, I saw sweat on his forehead. It’s this weather, and he’s sweating profusely. He must have been in a great hurry. For something like our cousin girl’s arranged meeting, Shi Gun definitely wouldn’t be rushing like that.” Wan Jing gestured in a circle with her finger. “Look, we didn’t even prepare pastries or tea before coming out. Rushing like this, it’s definitely not about an arranged meeting.”
“Then what is it?” Li Xiaonan asked, puzzled.
“If I knew, wouldn’t I tell you?” Wan Jing gave Li Xiaonan a look.
“I’m asking myself. Did our Young Lord return safely? Is everything alright?” Li Xiaonan pinched her chin with two fingers.
“What are you saying! What could happen to our Young Lord? And the Crown Prince too! I’m telling you, speaking like that is treasonous, do you know that!” Wan Jing solemnly warned Li Xiaonan.
“I know, I know. Then what about that Miss Shi? Is she alright?”
“She’s doing very well. She even strolled in the garden for half an hour today. I hid behind the rockery while pretending to trim flower branches and watched her. Her mood and complexion have improved a lot. You really are good at persuading people!” Wan Jing emphasized the words “persuading people.”
“Then what else could it be?” Li Xiaonan, still pinching her chin, couldn’t figure it out.
“Don’t think about it anymore. You’ll know when we get there.” Wan Jing patted Li Xiaonan, turned around, took a hexagonal stacked box from a corner of the cart, and opened it, placing it in front of Li Xiaonan.
“While waiting for you at the tea house earlier, I thought I might as well do something. So I asked the shopkeeper to prepare some pastries. These two are freshly made. And this too.” Wan Jing then brought out a stew pot. “Red bean paste, lotus seeds, candied dates, and small glutinous rice balls. I looked around, and this is the only thing that doesn’t have a strong flavor.”
“This is delicious, it has flavor, it’s not bland.” Li Xiaonan’s eyes lit up with joy.
“Look at you, always thinking about food. I meant it doesn’t leave a strong flavor on your body or in your mouth. They also have crab roe steamed eggs, spotted liver soup, and skirt soup, all of which have strong flavors. I didn’t dare to get them.”
Wan Jing also took a bowl, and the two looked at each other, ate the red bean soup, and then ate the pastries from the stacked box.
Li Xiaonan got off the cart at the second gate of the villa and followed the servant waiting inside the second gate into the depths of the villa.
It was the same courtyard as last time, the same flower hall.
Li Xiaonan lowered her head slightly, trying not to move her neck, and deliberately turned her eyeballs to look around.
At the entrance of the flower hall, Shi Gun stood with his hands clasped by the steps. Near the flower hall door stood a servant dressed similarly to Shi Gun. He met Li Xiaonan’s cautiously glancing eyes with a smile and a bow.
Li Xiaonan quickly curtsied.
Although she didn’t know who this person was, he could stand closer than Shi Gun, so he must be someone of higher status than Shi Gun.
In any case, politeness is never wrong.
“Miss Li has arrived,” the servant at the door announced.
“Please come in,” it was the Crown Prince’s voice.
The servant lifted the curtain and let Li Xiaonan in.
The room was very bright. Li Xiaonan, facing the Crown Prince seated at the head of the table, hesitated whether to kneel and kowtow. It was the first time she had met him last time, and Wan Jing had instructed her. What about this time? What were their rules here? Kowtow every time she met him?
Probably not. Kowtowing every time would be too troublesome, and she didn’t want to kowtow.
“What are you thinking about?” Gu Yan, sitting beside her, looked at Li Xiaonan, who was frowning and swaying her upper body back and forth, and felt like hitting her on the head.
“Do I still need to kowtow?” Li Xiaonan slanted her head towards Gu Yan and asked cautiously.
The Crown Prince chuckled and waved his hand, “No need. Please sit.”
Gu Yan was utterly speechless and wanted to cover his face.
Li Xiaonan breathed a sigh of relief. Just as she lifted her foot to sit at the lowest seat, she realized something was wrong. Not kowtowing didn’t mean there were no courtesies at all. She quickly stopped and performed a proper curtsy.
The Crown Prince chuckled and pointed at Li Xiaonan, laughing, “Is she always like this with you?”
“She has never performed any courtesies with me,” Gu Yan sighed.
“The first time he met me, he asked me to be his teacher. I am the teacher!” Li Xiaonan thought for a moment, glanced at the Crown Prince, and carefully clarified.
“Then he should be the one to pay his respects to you,” the Crown Prince said with a serious expression.
Li Xiaonan forced a dry smile and dared not reply.
This statement felt wrong. It was better to remain silent for safety.
Alas, she had read many books about etiquette, but all those rules and rituals were just superficial things. There was nothing practical, like what to do when meeting a Prince Rui’s Heir like Gu Yan, or what to do when meeting the Crown Prince.
“Wan Jing said there was an urgent matter?” Li Xiaonan felt uncomfortable and constrained. Alas, she should get down to business quickly and leave as soon as it was done!
