Chapter 117 Escape

Situ Feiyun was still frozen in place, his outstretched hand hanging down limply, his face pale and blue, his eyes filled with immense frustration and a belated fear.

She shuddered suddenly, as if she had been scalded, and screamed at her maid: "Prepare the car! Return to the mansion! Quick!"

The maid rolled and crawled out.

Situ Feiyun no longer cared about her manners and staggered out of the private room, her back looking so panicked as if she was running for her life.

Situ Feiyun's departure was like opening the floodgates to release the flood.

"boom--!"

The entire private room was in an uproar!

"Oh my God! She's really been captured? Pei Shaoqing just kidnapped the young lady from Prince Xuan's Mansion?!"

"Did you hear that? An old case! Liu Yueli is carrying an old case on her shoulders! And the Shaoqing of the Dali Temple arrested her personally!"

"Oh my god! I just got him back and he's barely warmed up yet, and already he's in the Dali Temple? Princess Xuan is going crazy!"

"Tsk tsk tsk, I said this pie-in-the-sky thing was evil! Look, it's come true, right? His position is in jeopardy! Pei Shaoqing's words clearly have hidden meanings!"

"Miss Situ Er has lost all face! When Pei Shaoqing showed that token, she didn't dare to say a word! The Duke of Qi's Mansion is really..."

"Look at that sign! It's still on the table! It's black and scary!"

"Go, go, go! We can't stay here anymore! It's unlucky! Let's go!"

The whispers were like boiling water, bubbling non-stop.

The tea party that was just pretentious a moment ago instantly turned into the most explosive gossip gathering place in the capital.

Those ladies no longer cared about their modesty and gathered in groups of three or five.

The dim sum chef in the corner stood at the stairs, holding freshly baked crab cakes, staring blankly at the chaotic scene that looked like it had been swept by a hurricane, unable to move forward or backward.

Luo Zhaohan's eyes swept calmly over the Dali Temple token. The token glowed dimly in the light coming in from the window.

Her gaze finally fell back on the plate of exquisite but unloved osmanthus cake in front of her.

Princess Xuan devoted almost all her efforts and compensation to her daughter who was lost and found again. She held her in her hands for fear of dropping her, and held her in her mouth for fear of melting her.

Now, Pei Ji violently abducted him from the tea party in public on the pretext of being involved in an old case and took him to the Dali Temple!

This was like a knife stabbing Princess Xuan in the heart! And this was done in front of all the prominent ladies and noble ladies in the capital! This wasn't just a matter of arresting one person; it was the very face and dignity of the Xuan Palace being trampled underfoot and crushed into the mud!

With Princess Xuan's strong and protective personality...

Luo Zhaohan could almost foresee what kind of huge waves would be set off in Prince Xuan’s Mansion next!

She will never give up! She will use all her strength, even if it means breaking a wall, to get her daughter out of the Dali Temple!

And Pei Ji...

Luo Zhaohan's fingertips gently tapped the cup's wall. Pei Ji was no reckless man. Since he dared to take Liu Yueli away so forcefully in public, under the dual pressure of Prince Xuan's Mansion and Duke Qi's Mansion, he must have crucial evidence!

Standing behind him is probably not only the Dali Temple, but also the emperor!

This is a storm.

And she, Luo Zhaohan, a bystander who just wanted to quietly buy some crab cakes, seemed to be swept by the edge of the storm.

She stood up slowly.

The private room was still noisy and bustling, everyone was excitedly discussing the sudden change that had just happened, and no one paid attention to the inconspicuous woman in the corner.

Luo Zhaohan didn't look at the cold token again, nor did he pay attention to the noise in the room.

She walked calmly towards the stairs and said to the bewildered pastry chef:

"Master, two servings of crab roe pastry."

The dim sum chef was stunned for a moment, then nodded and bowed quickly: "Hey! Okay! Okay, girl! It's freshly baked and still hot!" He began to pack in a hurry.

Luo Zhaohan paid the money and took the oil-paper bag that exuded an enticing aroma.

The warm touch passed through the paper package to my fingertips.

Carrying snacks, she walked down the bustling second floor of Youkang Tea House step by step steadily.

Luo Zhaohan's figure blended into the crowd on the street and soon disappeared.

She has to go back.

The sky in the capital is about to change.

What she needs to do is to close the doors and windows, prepare food, and wait and see how and where this huge wave will eventually sweep to.

…

The private room on the second floor of Youkang Teahouse is bright and clean.

Liu Yueli likes this place.

The row of windows facing the street were half-open, and the noise from East Street below came buzzing in, as if through a layer of gauze. It was just the right amount of lively, popular but not disturbing.

On weekdays, she would usually choose a secluded corner, listen to the storyteller downstairs talking, or the acrobatic sounds of the performing troupe beating drums and gongs, drink a pot of fragrant tea alone, flip through a few pages of a book, and steal half a day of leisure from her busy life.

Occasionally, when I feel like it, I will order a small plate of crispy walnut cookies. It is so sweet, but it can suppress the inexplicable irritability in my heart.

Today was no exception. The afternoon light streamed in lazily, casting a small, warm spot on the back of her hand resting on the small square rosewood table.

Her plain, water chestnut-like fingers were holding a small jade teacup, with the rim of the cup against her lips, sipping the Biluochun tea of ​​just the right temperature in small sips.

The tea has a delicate fragrance and the tea soup is so clear that you can see the faint blue and white pattern at the bottom of the cup.

On the stage downstairs, the storyteller's hoarse voice was reaching the climax of "Mu Guiying takes command, the twelve widows march west", clapping the wake-up sticks so hard that they made a crackling sound, interspersed with the buzzing discussions and sporadic applause of the audience.

In this lazy and lively afternoon, Liu Yueli's eyes unconsciously drifted through the window to the street below.

Just a glance.

It was like a basin of ice water poured over her head, freezing every limb of her body!

Across the street downstairs, a few steps in front of the main door of Youkang Teahouse, a few tall horses had just stopped.

The man who dismounted first was very tall, wearing a neat and straight dark blue official uniform. The robe was dark in color and had almost no decorations. He only had a dark leather belt inlaid with jade tied around his waist.

It's an official uniform.

But the most eye-catching thing is not the official uniform, but the face.

His features were cold, hard and straight, and his nose was extremely high, making his whole face look particularly angular. His eye sockets were deeply sunken, and even from a distance, Liu Yueli could feel the light emanating from them, as deep as two bottomless cold pools.

It was the Shaoqing of Dali Temple—Pei Ji!

The small green jade teacup in Liu Yueli's hand made a crisp "clang" sound and hit the smooth table top.

The scalding hot tea splashed out, and a few drops burned her palms, causing a burning pain.

But what's this little pain?

There was only one thought in my mind as I screamed frantically, "Is it him? Why is he here?!"

Liu Yueli only felt that her eyes went dark for a moment, as if someone had hit her hard on the back of the head with a club.

run!

Just this one word exploded in my mind!

She jumped up almost instinctively!

The movement was so big that the sturdy wenge armchair beneath him moved back half an inch, and the chair legs scraped against the wooden floor, making a sharp and piercing "creaking" sound.

Although he stood up, his legs felt like they were filled with boiling lead.

Her calves were spinning uncontrollably, and the solid wooden floor beneath her feet seemed to have turned into a swing board, soft and dizzy, making her dizzy and almost stumble and fall back!

Liu Yueli bit her lower lip tightly and used all her strength to barely stand.

Her eyes scanned the small private room in panic.

Window! Yes! Window! Jump out of the window? Liu Yueli practically threw herself at the window, clinging to the lattice and looking down.

My heart sank suddenly - this was the second floor facing the street!

Below is a hard bluestone road with a gap several stories high in the middle!

Jump down? If not dead, then crippled! Even if I was lucky enough to only break a leg, there would definitely be people surrounding me immediately. Pei Ji would be there in a few steps, and by then...

She closed her eyes in despair, strangling the idea in the cradle.

There was only one way left - go through the main entrance, go down the stairs, pass the teahouse downstairs, then walk out of the teahouse door and blend into the crowd coming and going on East Street outside...

She took a deep breath, as if she had made up her mind, and turned around and rushed towards the thin carved wooden door of the private room.

Just as my fingertips touched the cold door knocker, ready to pull it open—

"Click".

The sound of the door hinges in the lobby downstairs, as well as the deliberately raised voice of the servants welcoming guests, penetrated the thin floor and door panels of the private room on the second floor and reached Liu Yueli's ears with incredible clarity:

"Hey hello! Distinguished guest! Distinguished guest has arrived! I pay my respects to Master Pei! Please go to the private room—upstairs, please!"

The guy's voice was too loud, deliberately a little harsh, as if he was afraid that others couldn't hear it!

As soon as Liu Yueli touched the door knocker, her fingers suddenly retracted as if they were burned by fire!

The courage I had just built up to escape was instantly drained away by this voice! The blood in my body seemed to freeze again, and my hands and feet were cold.

The door…isn’t open! It can’t be opened! Once the door to this private room is opened, it faces the narrow staircase to the second floor!

Pei Ji...he's already come upstairs! As long as she opens this door, she will definitely bump into him! At the narrow staircase, their eyes meet...

Just thinking about that scene, Liu Yueli felt a chill rushing from her tailbone to the top of her head, making her scalp explode!

Run? Where to run?

The glimmer of hope that had just ignited in her was completely extinguished in an instant.

The whole person seemed to be nailed to the spot and could not move even a step.

His body swayed twice and he subconsciously stepped back.

step.

Another step.

Her back hit the wooden wall of the private room with a "bang", which made her stop.

There is no way to retreat.

Liu Yueli bit her lower lip so hard that it seemed as if she wanted to bite through it.

His ears were pointed sharper than a rabbit's, trying hard to catch every slight sound outside the door.

Footsteps. Heavy, steady.

It's Pei Ji! He's coming upstairs! He's coming up the stairs!

Liu Yueli's heartbeat had soared to an indescribable frequency.

what to do?

Outside the door, the scene at the stairs was clearly visible.

Pei Ji's figure was stepping up the last few steps. He was very tall, and in his dark blue official uniform, he was very eye-catching even in the dimly lit corner of the stairs.

As he moved, the jade token on his waist, representing his identity, swayed slightly. His steps up the stairs were not fast, but unusually steady and powerful.

Liu Yueli looked down over Pei Ji's shoulder.

It’s terrible!

The lobby downstairs was even noisier than before, and now it was packed. The storyteller seemed to be telling a loud joke, which drew laughter and cheers from the whole room.

Want to pass through this boiling crowd and then walk out the door safely? Liu Yueli's scalp tingled just by imagining that scene.

By then, she would probably be blocked at the stairs!

Liu Yueli suddenly retracted her head, pressing her back against the wall. No... I can't force my way in!

Then...what should I do?

Her eyes swept over the small table she had just used. The teapot, teacups, and snack plates were all too ordinary. She then eagerly glanced at the half-worn bamboo tea cabinet in the corner of the private room, and the pot of wilted orchids by the window...

There was nothing to provide shelter! A screen? No! Anything to hide my face? Not even that!

Her only hope was to bet that Pei Ji had other business in the teahouse and would not notice her, an unknown person sitting alone in the corner drinking tea!

I hope so...

Liu Yueli almost used up her last bit of strength, stumbled back to her armchair, and sat down.

She lowered her head as if she wanted to crawl under the table.

“Tick…tick…tick…”

The steady footsteps stepped onto the second floor and paused clearly.

Liu Yueli felt that her breathing had stopped and every nerve in her body was stretched to the limit.

Then, the footsteps seemed to be heading in the opposite direction of her private room?

At the end there is a larger rosewood door, which is said to be the best private room in the teahouse used for distinguished guests to hold meetings.

Liu Yueli almost held her breath.

The footsteps sounded steadily on the floor, one after another, getting closer and closer.

Not coming towards me! Don't come over here! Go next door, to the biggest private room at the end...

Liu Yueli prayed madly in her heart.

The footsteps sounded incredibly clearly as they stopped in front of the half-open door of her private room!

Liu Yueli's hair instantly stood up! Her scalp felt numb as if it had been electrocuted!

It’s over…

However, the footsteps did not stop in front of the door, but continued to move forward?

call……

Liu Yueli was just about to exhale the foul air that had been stuck in her chest.

“Squeak—”

Liu Yueli only felt a chill rushing from the soles of her feet to the top of her head!

She had just rushed back to her seat in panic, and in her confusion she had bumped into her armchair.

The chair legs didn't move. It was because the lake blue jacquard silk skirt she was wearing was too long, and the hem of the skirt that dragged on the ground was resting on the chair legs. She had just rushed back with such a big movement that the hem of the skirt moved slightly subconsciously!

Outside the door.

The footsteps that should have gone straight forward, actually stopped without any pause three feet away from her thin door!

The floating tea stem in the cup swayed slightly in the rippling water.

A shadow fell in the corridor outside.

The shadow owner's figure was stretched very long.

Liu Yueli's pupils suddenly constricted.

It’s coming!

She gritted her teeth and used her last bit of strength to hold her nerves that were about to break, waiting for the door to be pushed open, waiting for the haunting face to appear before her eyes.