Chapter 33:
Lu Ziyan was no good-for-nothing; no matter how much he doted on Liu Manrou, he wouldn’t let her repeatedly cause trouble right under his nose.
What happened once couldn’t happen twice, let alone this matter which, upon careful thought, seemed somewhat baffling.
Though Lu Ziyan was a red-hot favorite before the throne, his little romantic affairs really weren’t worth spreading throughout the Capital City.
News of a concubine getting pregnant spreading across the Capital City overnight—no one behind the scenes pulling strings? Xie Wanning wouldn’t believe it.
But his political enemies had no reason to blow such a trivial matter out of proportion, so who else could it be besides them?
With just a brief thought, a handsome face suddenly flashed in Xie Wanning’s mind; her eyebrows slightly raised as she thought it over and found it highly plausible.
On Grandmother’s birthday banquet day, she had agreed to come to the teahouse to find him, but these past days, it was either raining or she was invited by boudoir friends to go out playing, so she hadn’t thought to go find him at all.
Thinking of this, Xie Wanning, who originally had no plans to go out today, suddenly felt a bit restless.
She looked up at the sky and ordered, “Prepare the carriage; I want to go out.”
…………
It was mealtime, and the restaurants were packed full; the Yuxuan Teahouse was no exception.
As a famous teahouse in the Capital City, its facade was decorated very elegantly, with a huanghuali wood signboard above, bearing four boldly inscribed large characters that clearly came from a master’s hand.
On the first floor was a square stage, usually the territory of storytellers, occasionally featuring singing girls performing.
As soon as Xie Wanning entered, the old shopkeeper came forward to greet her respectfully: “Young Lady, are you here to find someone?”
Xie Wanning was somewhat surprised: “You recognize me?”
After all, she was here to meet a man outside her family; she had specially chosen a carriage without the Xie Clan emblem when leaving the estate today, and wore a veiled hat when getting off.
The old shopkeeper smiled faintly: “Master specially sent someone to remind us.”
With that, he bowed and led the way: “This way, please.”
It was still that same private room, with two guards standing outside; upon seeing her, they bowed in salute and opened the door.
Xie Wanning stepped through the door and saw him in a moon-white wide-sleeved robe, standing by the window holding a jade cup, his elegant demeanor making her somewhat dazed.
The sound of the door closing came from behind; Xie Wanning came back to her senses, lifted the veiled hat with one hand, and asked: “You saw me as soon as I got out of the carriage?”
From his vantage point, he could take in the entire view of Zhuque Street.
Pei Yuqing gave a soft hum, turned to look at her, and said: “Have you eaten?”
“No, I came here specially to eat with you,” Xie Wanning sat down without ceremony, her fingertip lightly tapping the table as she began ordering: “The honey-glazed roast goose from last time was good; bring that, and a portion of sweet soup too…”
She ordered a whole string of dishes before turning her head to ask: “Have you eaten?”
Pei Yuqing’s lips curved slightly, his gaze falling on her.
The little young lady was dressed today in a goose-yellow light gauze ruqun, with a simply styled jade hairpin in her hair; she was very plainly attired all over, without even a single piece of jewelry on her wrist.
—Very low-key.
He stared in a slight daze; Xie Wanning tapped the table a bit harder with her fingertip, her eyebrow lightly raised: “I asked if you’ve eaten; what are you thinking about?”
Her smile was teasing; Pei Yuqing abruptly looked away and said: “Not yet.”
With that, he called out for someone to come in and ordered the dishes.
In less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the private room door was knocked again; the shopkeeper personally brought people to serve all the dishes, then the group withdrew.
The room was left with just the two of them again.
Xie Wanning propped her chin and smiled at him: “Do you plan to keep standing there to eat?”
It was truly strange; clearly he was the one who asked her to come, and from the looks of it, he waited here every day; now that she finally came, he looked awkward, not knowing where to put his hands and feet.
Compared to her poised ease, he seemed more like a young lady meeting a man alone.
Thinking this way, Xie Wanning’s smile deepened; after watching him sit down, her gaze unreservedly fell on his face as she smilingly asked: “Weren’t you just staring at me without blinking? Why are you shy now?”
Pei Yuqing paused slightly, not knowing what he thought of, then lifted his eyes to look at her and said faintly: “Wanwan, don’t always tease me.”
Xie Wanning obediently straightened up and sat properly, asking him seriously: “Are you here every day?”
Pei Yuqing nodded, poured her a cup of tea, and explained: “It’s quiet here.”
Xie Wanning gave a long “oh,” looking at the passersby and merchants below, and couldn’t help but chuckle in agreement: “Indeed quiet.”
Pei Yuqing lowered his eyes and said nothing.
Seeing him so bashful, Xie Wanning couldn’t bring herself to ask that question, “Are you here waiting for me?”
She picked up her chopsticks and began to eat.
The dishes here were indeed good, very much to her taste for sweets.
This was her first time eating alone with a man other than Lu Ziyan, and unexpectedly, the meal was quite comfortable.
After the leftovers were cleared, a set of jade tea set was brought in.
Pei Yuqing sat cross-legged by the window tea table, washing his hands, burning incense, and brewing tea.
Steam rose from the boiling water; Xie Wanning sat opposite him, looking through the thin mist, feeling that every one of his movements exuded a sense of peaceful tranquility.
That gaze lingered too long; Pei Yuqing stiffly lifted his eyes: “Wanwan.”
Xie Wanning hummed, perking up a bit: “What?”
“Don’t look at me like that.”
Xie Wanning was stunned, then smiled and met his eyes, unable to resist teasing: “I’m waiting to drink your tea.”
“…” Pei Yuqing was silent for a moment, then lifted his hand to pour her a cup: “Be careful, it’s hot.”
Xie Wanning held the jade cup, finding his gentle and clean appearance truly pleasing to the eye.
Clearly of completely different temperaments from Lu Ziyan—one stern like a cold sword, the other mild like a spring breeze.
Yet she found each pleasing at different times.
Thinking this way, she tilted her head with a smile and asked: “Recently, the news of Lu Ziyan taking a concubine has been making waves; did you have a hand in it?”
His hand manipulating the tea set paused; Pei Yuqing was silent for a moment.
Xie Wanning was patient and just waited like that.
After a long while, he nodded lightly: “It was me.”
Xie Wanning thought as expected, her expression unchanged with a smile: “And today’s news of his concubine being pregnant spreading through the Capital City—was that you fanning the flames too?”
Having admitted to one, a second made no difference; this time Pei Yuqing answered even faster.
His straightforward admission instead made Xie Wanning feel something was off.
She gently set down her teacup, her line of sight falling on the nearby incense burner, silent for a long time.
She had come here because of her suspicions.
He had answered directly.
At this moment, his feelings were almost laid bare.
So what now?
What should she do now?
That layer of window paper he had carefully protected had been pierced by her persistence.
At this moment, Xie Wanning was like a playful child who had accidentally made a mistake and felt a bit panicked.
PK2 should start tomorrow, dear ones remember to follow and read, nurture this little seedling, water it and vote every day, love you all~~muah~~
