Chapter 58: The Charming Girl Whose House Was Confiscated and Her Family Was Exterminated 10

The girl seemed unaware of being stared at. It was almost noon, the sun was shining brightly in the sky, and she was wearing a thick cloak. She was a lady from a wealthy family who never left the house. She had been strolling along the way and felt a little tired.

The tiredness on her fair face could not be concealed. Ming He saw a teahouse not far ahead and said softly:

"Miss, you've been walking for a long time. There's a teahouse up ahead. Why don't you go and take a rest?"

Nan Qiao nodded in agreement and followed Ming He to the teahouse.

There was no storyteller in the teahouse at the moment, so there were not many customers in the hall. However, there were still a few who looked up when they saw a girl walking in with her servants.

Ming He used his body to shield the girl behind him and was about to go forward to ask the shopkeeper to book a room, but he never expected that a white-faced man suddenly came down from upstairs.

The white-faced, beardless man walked straight up to the girl, bowed, and said with a smile, "How are you, girl?"

"The master is waiting for you upstairs."

He had a delicate face and a slightly shrill voice. He was the palace eunuch Shuangquan who had given plum blossom cake to the girl at the palace banquet on New Year's Eve.

That day, Shuanghe also followed the girl into the palace, and naturally recognized that this person was the palace servant serving His Majesty.

...His Majesty is upstairs!

Realizing this, Minghe's heart suddenly skipped a beat and he hurriedly looked at the girl beside him.

The girl beside him seemed a little confused, with obvious surprise and confusion in her bright eyes, as if she didn't understand why the high and mighty Majesty was here.

"Miss..." Feudal imperial power was engraved in her bones. After all, she was a palace maid in front of the emperor. Seeing that her own girl was still not in good condition, Ming He called out with some fear.

But she was really worrying too much. The girl in front of him was the apple of his master's eye. Shuangquan didn't dare to act rashly in front of her, so he still bowed his body and waited patiently for the girl's answer.

The girl hesitated, but still glanced at the maid beside her soothingly, then slowly went upstairs.

This restaurant actually has only four private rooms upstairs. Presumably to cater to the literati and scholars who passed by, the restaurant also ingeniously gave the four private rooms nicknames, namely the Four Gentlemen's Houses of Plum, Orchid, Bamboo and Chrysanthemum.

Under the guidance of the eunuch, the girl entered the first room, "Meishe".

As soon as you enter, you can see several pictures of red plum blossoms defying frost and snow, which echo the elegant name of Meijunzishe.

A handsome young man with his black hair tied up and dressed in a dark robe was sitting in front of a round table. A Boshan stove on the table was burning incense, and curls of smoke were wafting out, filling the whole room with a refreshing wood fragrance.

The sound of the private room door opening made the young man look up unconsciously. Seeing the girl he had been thinking about these days walking in, a smile appeared in his eyes.

"Your Majesty... your servant greets you." The girl took a few steps forward, her brows seemed reserved. She was about to pay her respects as she did on New Year's Eve, but unexpectedly, she was immediately helped up by Gu Qiao who strode forward.

"No need to be so polite." Gu Qiao reached out to support the girl, smiling.

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Looking at the big hand holding his wrist, Nan Qiao's eyes flashed with a hint of discomfort.

Taking in the look of the girl in front of him, Gu Qiao frowned slightly, raised the corners of his lips, and looked noble and unrestrained.

The white wrist in his hand was as slender as jade, and the man's five bony fingers completely wrapped around the entire wrist.

As if holding a handful of delicate snow, Gu Qiao carefully restrained his strength, fearing that he would break the delicate wrist in his hand.

The heat from her wrist made the girl's eyes look even more uncomfortable, and she struggled slightly with her hands unnaturally.

Noticing the movement of the hand, Gu Qiao's eyes darkened slightly and he quickly loosened his grip on the wrist.

Logically speaking, he was the emperor, of noble status, and had always been unruly. He didn't need to care so much about the wishes of a minister...

But for some reason... Gu Qiao lowered his eyes slightly and took another close look at the girl with clear features in front of him...

It seemed as if he could never act like an emperor in front of her. The love and pity in his heart made him always unconsciously care about her emotions. He didn't want to see the girl in front of him sad.

"The girl is tired, please sit down first." The faint smile weakened the majesty around the emperor, and the genuine smile in the phoenix eyes also made the girl unconsciously let go of the tension in her heart.

In the private room, near the door, there was a round table with a low stool. On the table was a branch of red plum blossoms in a thin-necked white porcelain vase. The layers of plum petals were covered with frost and snow, which was very elegant.

In addition to plum blossoms, there was also tea and a few plates of snacks on the table.

Nan Qiao was indeed a little tired. After hesitating for a while, he still thanked politely and sat down.

Seeing her sit down, a genuine smile welled up in Gu Qiao's eyes, and his already dazzling and alluring phoenix eyes became even more bewitching.

At this moment, he seemed to have completely let go of his airs as an emperor, and sat down opposite the girl. He glanced at the girl's tightly intertwined fingers as if he had sensed something, and could no longer hold back a chuckle.

A low chuckle sounded in the girl's ears, and she trembled slightly. She tried hard to maintain the demeanor of a lady from a noble family. However, no matter how proper her demeanor was, she could not resist the heat that spread from her face to her ears.

The girl's fair face was lightly flushed, her long eyelashes trembled slightly, her earlobes were slightly red, and she looked delicate and timid.

The emperor, with some thoughts in mind, glanced with a slight satisfaction at the girl's translucent earlobe, which was stained pink by the sunset glow. He knew the principle of stopping while he was ahead, so he finally put away the smile in his eyes and said in a slow voice:

"Don't be shy. The girl has been walking around for a long time. Relax with some tea and snacks." As he said this, he personally poured a cup of tea and pushed it in front of the girl.

The white porcelain is flawless, the green tea soup is rippling with the movement, and the heat slowly rises with the smoke.

The girl said thank you softly, and her fair fingers lightly grasped the cup, and the lustrous white porcelain seemed to become a little dimmer.

The girl took a sip of tea and raised her eyes slightly. The emperor opposite her seemed to have restrained his majesty. His tall figure was set off by his dark brocade robe. His eyebrows were lazy and frivolous, and his phoenix eyes were smiling. He looked like a free and easy young man from a noble family.

The girl couldn't help but ask softly, "What are you feeling uncomfortable about?"

"I don't know...I don't know why Your Majesty asked me to come up, but what's the important matter?"

Gu Qiao's eyes lingered on the girl's red lips, which had become even more moist due to the tea. His Adam's apple moved slightly, and he quickly looked away. After hearing the words, he came back to his senses and said:

"Nothing serious."

"Just wondering if you're free on the Lantern Festival?"

"If so, I wonder if I can have the honor of inviting the girl to go to the lantern festival with me?"

In front of her, he always seemed unwilling to act like an emperor.

On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the Lantern Festival, a grand lantern festival will be held in the city of Bianjing. The ten-mile-long street will be brightly lit, crowded with people, and very lively.

Thinking of the information presented by the secret guards, Gu Qiao thought to himself that the girl would probably like such a grand event.

Lantern Festival?

The girl's eyes lit up when she heard that, and she was indeed moved.

She had been to the Lantern Festival in Bianjing City when she was young, but many years had passed and her memory was vague, so she couldn't remember the scene clearly.

Later, my father was exiled from Bianjing, and as I grew older, my mother became more and more worried about me going out...

I'm sure Mother would approve of me attending the Lantern Festival with His Majesty...

The girl thought uncertainly.

The movement in her bright eyes was obvious, and Gu Qiao's smile deepened:

"I will send someone to speak to the Minister's wife then."

The girl's eyes were clear, and the intention in them became more and more obvious.

The memories of the Lantern Festival were already hazy. She could no longer recall what kind of lanterns her brother and she held. She only remembered the joy and happiness that filled her heart that day...

With a smile on her lips, the girl looked at the man in front of her and agreed.

…

Even though they were aware of His Majesty's feelings for their daughter, the Nan couple were still somewhat shocked after receiving His Majesty's message.

"Madam, what should we do..." After the palace eunuch left, Lord Nan tidied his beard, with a bitter look on his face.

"How can I know what to do..."

Madam Nan glanced at him unhappily and said impatiently.

Although she had always comforted herself that only His Majesty could protect her daughter well, thinking about it was one thing, and seeing it with her own eyes was another.

Serving the king is like serving a tiger. She has raised her daughter like a treasure for more than ten years, but now she is going to send her to the king's side. How can she feel at ease?

But now everything is irreversible. Madam Nan clasped her fingers together and prayed to God, asking His Majesty to treat her daughter well.

In winter, the days are short and the nights are long, and time passes particularly quickly. In the blink of an eye, most of the New Year has passed, and the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first lunar month is here.

The girl got up early in the morning. As it was the Lantern Festival, she had a bowl of sweet and warm glutinous rice dumplings in osmanthus wine for breakfast.

The dumplings were soft and glutinous, sweet with the fragrance of osmanthus, and had a faint smell of alcohol. The greedy girl ate them with great satisfaction, her little face flushed, which made Mrs. Nan look at her with pity.

"Mom, I want another bowl of rice dumplings with fermented rice wine."

There were not many rice dumplings in the small celadon bowl, and the girl finished them quickly. She held the bowl, looked at her mother eagerly, and begged for more.

"Then have another bowl." Madam Nan asked the people around her to serve it. "But you can only have one bowl. No more."

These dumplings are made of glutinous rice flour, which is difficult to digest. Eating too much of them can easily cause indigestion. The girl is weak, so Mrs. Nan never allows her to eat too much.

"The owner of Huanrongfang just sent over a few sets of fresh clothes. Mother has asked them to come to your room to try them on and see if they fit you. After that, take a short nap."

Madam Nan wiped the little bit of fermented rice wine from the corner of the girl's lips with a silk handkerchief, and said lovingly with a smile on her face.

She was the daughter of a general, and the family had no taboos about women doing business. The shopkeeper Duan had a bright face, seemed to have good character, and was lively, so it was good for his daughter to have more friends.

The girl always obeyed her mother's care. She held the osmanthus dumplings in her hand and nodded obediently.

A sixteen-year-old girl is still ignorant and doesn't know what love is. Mrs. Nan looked at her daughter's childish face and couldn't stop worrying.