Chapter 35:
As the piece ended, Pei Yuqing raised his eyes to look at her: “Want to hear more?”
Xie Wanning shook her head and politely declined: “No.”
Good things should not be indulged in excess.
She drained the tea in her cup, stood up and said: “It’s getting late, I should go back.”
Pei Yuqing’s expression was slightly stunned, his fingers lightly stroking the zither strings slowly curling back.
Seeing him like this, Xie Wanning couldn’t help laughing: “Coming here today, I drank tea personally brewed by Young Lord Pei, and had the fortune to witness Young Lord Pei’s zither skills. I’ve already had a very enjoyable time.”
Her eyes revealed a teasing intent. Pei Yuqing uncomfortably lowered his eyes and said: “If you have matters, you can come here to find me anytime.”
Xie Wanning nodded gladly, then smiled and asked: “Does this count as us meeting privately?”
“It doesn’t,” Pei Yuqing composed his expression, raised his eyes and said: “Our feelings arise from emotion but stop at propriety. I won’t do anything the least bit improper toward you.”
Isn’t this just deceiving oneself?
Xie Wanning found it amusing inside, but didn’t refute it. Anyway, she had no intention of getting married, and didn’t care much about so-called maiden reputation.
Even if people found out they had met privately, it wouldn’t be a big deal.
She was about to put on her veiled hat, preparing to return to the manor, when Pei Yuqing stood up, walked in front of her, raised his hand to grasp her wrist, and led her toward the tea table.
Xie Wanning hadn’t expected him to restrain himself with propriety all afternoon, only to start making moves when she was about to leave. She was so shocked that her pupils slightly trembled. Before she could speak, she was led to sit down.
Pei Yuqing sat opposite her, one hand holding hers, the other hand’s three fingers placed on her wrist.
He began to take her pulse.
“…” Xie Wanning was instantly speechless.
The person taking her pulse seemed to detect something off in the pulse, raised his eyes to glance at her: “What are you nervous about?”
Xie Wanning paused, then couldn’t hold back and said: “I thought you couldn’t bear for me to leave and wanted to keep me here.”
The fingertip on her wrist paused slightly. Pei Yuqing silently looked at her for a few breaths, then lowered his eyes to continue taking her pulse steadily.
That gaze…
Xie Wanning pursed her lips and stopped speaking.
After a long while, the person opposite withdrew his hand, frowned and said: “Excessive liver fire, heart filled with anxiety and worry. You’re so young, where do all these troubles come from?”
Clearly, she didn’t look like someone tossing and turning sleeplessly over breaking off the engagement with Lu Ziyan.
How could he know that, exactly opposite to his guess, Xie Wanning was tossing and turning anxiously over the engagement not being broken off, filled with worry.
Xie Wanning pretended to sigh deeply: “This old ailment of mine, I’ll leave it to Doctor Pei you.”
She smiled and leaned her neck forward a bit, pointing at her eyes: “See? These days I haven’t slept well, the area under my eyes has turned dark.”
In the previous days, disturbed by the dream, she indeed had poor sleep. Later confirming the dream was real made her even more uneasy day and night.
Sometimes it was her miserable state in the dream, Lu Ziyan’s cold and heartless indifference,
Sometimes it was Lu Ziyan in reality being shamelessly persistent, refusing to let her have freedom in marriage.
After such a long stretch of time, it would be strange if her pulse were good.
Pei Yuqing glanced at her, stood up and walked to the desk, pulled open a drawer, took out a neat square brocade box and handed it to her.
“The heat for decocting medicine is hard to control, so I’ve made it into pills for you. Remember to take one every evening after dinner.”
Xie Wanning didn’t stand on ceremony with him and directly reached out to take it.
She only felt that this person was truly considerate.
“Then I’ll… be going?”
Pei Yuqing hummed in acknowledgment, took her veiled hat and gave it to her.
After she put it on, he raised his voice: “Pei Er.”
The door was pushed open from outside, Pei Er walked in with his head slightly lowered, not daring to look around at all.
Pei Yuqing lowered his eyes to look at the young lady before him, said gently: “I won’t personally see you off.”
The teahouse had many people and prying eyes. Xie Wanning nodded indifferently.
Bringing Er Qing downstairs, she hurriedly boarded the carriage.
…………
On the carriage back to the manor, Er Qing had a hesitant expression.
“Why this look,” Xie Wanning reached out to tap her forehead, said: “There’s no taboo between you and me. If there’s anything you want to say, just speak up.”
“Young Lady…” Er Qing looked moved. She finally understood why their young lady was determined not to have Young Master Lu, but…
She hesitated for a few breaths, leaned closer and whispered: “Though Young Lord Pei is good-looking, isn’t he a bit too old?”
As for his health, she hadn’t noticed anything wrong.
Just his age was a full generation older than their young lady.
Xie Wanning laughed in exasperation, said: “If you didn’t know his age, would you think he was very old?”
Er Qing shook her head.
“There you go,” Xie Wanning continued: “Also, me wanting to break off the engagement with Lu Ziyan isn’t because of him. Your young lady isn’t someone so fickle.”
Er Qing frowned: “Young Lady doesn’t like Young Lord Pei, so why spend an entire afternoon alone with him?”
“…” Xie Wanning choked, thought for a moment, then said: “Perhaps it’s that love of beauty is universal.”
No one would bear to avoid something beautiful and harmless, right?
Pei Yuqing was just such an existence.
Even alone together, she felt not the least bit uncomfortable, unconsciously let down her guard, even wanted to tease him.
If it was like, it probably wasn’t.
When she liked Lu Ziyan, she thought of him every moment, and as long as he was in the capital city, she wanted to go find him whenever she had time.
Willing to restrain her own little temper for him, learn to be gentle and considerate, learn to be understanding, even though she wasn’t naturally of a gentle temperament.
In front of Pei Yuqing, she hadn’t restrained her temperament at all, was willful and bold, loved to tease people, without any poise of a noble lady.
Thinking this way, Xie Wanning couldn’t help but sigh.
It was all because that person always had such a good-tempered appearance, making her increasingly unrestrained.
…………
Returning to the manor, just alighting from the carriage, about to go to Jinxiu Hall to pay respects to her mother, she saw Mama Li by Madam Zheng’s side coming to greet her.
After curtsying in greeting, Mama Li said lowly: “You hadn’t been out long when Young Master Lu came, saying he agrees to breaking off the engagement, but he has one request.”
Hearing that Lu Ziyan had come again, Xie Wanning’s brows reflexively furrowed. Hearing afterward that he agreed to breaking off the engagement, she felt quite surprised: “Really? What does he want?”
Mama Li said: “Young Master Lu said he has words to speak to you alone. Only after making it clear would he be willing to agree to breaking off the engagement.”
Wanting to speak to her alone again.
Xie Wanning instantly felt resistant. News of his concubine’s pregnancy had spread far and wide, yet he still felt there were things unclear between them?
She took a deep breath: “Where is he?”
“In the front courtyard reception hall. The marquis and young lord are not in the manor, the steward is entertaining him. He’s already waited an afternoon,” Mama Li said: “Madam had this servant wait here for you, to ask your intent. If you don’t want to see him, have the steward send him off.”
Xie Shu and Xie Yanyu, father and son, had both gone on duty. Though Madam Zheng was a woman, as an elder she could have met him personally, but only arranged for the steward to entertain without showing herself.
It showed her annoyance toward Lu Ziyan.
Xie Wanning wanted to end these matters sooner than anyone, so she strode toward the front courtyard: “I’ll go see what exactly he wants to make clear to me.”
The engagement will be broken off soon~~~ Votes please~~~
