Mr. Tan, you might as well take off the veil.
"If you're tired, let the servants do it. Be careful. Although we're not real husband and wife, we can't treat you like a servant. Besides, our father and children are watching us."
Qi Jinqian was considerate and gentle. He couldn't bear to see Su Qingli suffer in the Qi Mansion, so he asked people from the Qi Mansion to lobby for her.
Su Qingli knew in her heart that Qi Jinqian treated her impeccably. "I also know that you, Jinqian, never treat me as a slave, even though we are just doing business."
"Ah Li, you deserve my careful attention. Our Qi family was never a wealthy family, but just an ordinary one. You were born into a family of wealth and honor. It was only because of the persecution of the Prime Minister that you ended up living among the common people, your pearl covered in dust."
Qi Jinqian was eloquent and his words were as sweet as honey, and he spoke directly to Su Qingli's heart.
But when Su Qingli thought about what the Marquis' Mansion had done to Fu Xuechen in the past, the few traces of resentment in her heart had long since disappeared. "Time has passed, so it's better not to mention it. I can still live with dignity even if I don't become the eldest daughter of the Marquis' Mansion."
Recalling her recent friend Tan Xi, her desire to do business was rekindled.
Although high-ranking officials are like people at the top of the world, they live a luxurious and extravagant life. Although ordinary people cannot compare with them, they can also live a colorful life as businessmen and live a well-fed and well-clothed life with their hard-working hands.
"Ah Li, I'm so sorry for bringing up your sad story. I won't mention Fu Xuechen, that heartless man, anymore."
Qi Jinqian slapped his lips twice as a punishment for himself.
"You didn't do it on purpose. You were just trying to stand up for our mansion." Su Qingli smiled sweetly, with two dimples on her lips.
"Ari, go take a bath and change into clean clothes. I'll have the servants make you some cool food to fill your stomach."
After saying that, Qi Jinqian turned the wheel with both hands and left Su Qingli's small room.
Su Qingli's heart finally settled down. She chewed over the conversation between Qi Jinqian and Minister Qi over and over again, only picking up the words about Fu Xuechen planning a rebellion, and missing a key figure.
Qi Jinqian said he was going to look for Concubine Xie. What was his connection with Concubine Xie? Concubine Xie was the emperor's woman.
Could it be that Concubine Xie is the woman Qi Jinqian likes?
Her mind was in a mess. If this were the case, would she be trapped in the Qi Mansion for the rest of her life? Unless the emperor died.
Su Qingli was unable to sleep or eat for a while, and spent her days in anxiety. She slept uneasily at night and even had a nightmare. She was so frightened that she sat up in bed in the middle of the night, sweating profusely.
For three consecutive days, she was haunted by nightmares every night.
Another three days passed, and Su Qingli slipped out of the mansion and got on a luxurious and spacious carriage that had been waiting for her near the Qi mansion for a long time. She came to the teahouse which still had no signboard, and entered the private room on the second floor.
"Miss Su, what's wrong with you?" As the melody reached its end, Fu Xuechen's nervous voice came from across the dimly visible screen.
"Mr. Tan, I'm very sorry. I broke the strings of your precious guqin." Su Qingli stood up embarrassedly and started to apologize.
Fu Xuechen put on his veil, walked out from behind the screen, and stood beside the zither table. There was no blame in his words. "I'll find someone to repair it. This isn't your fault. A zither is like a person; it can get sick. Perhaps I've played this zither for too long, and it's worn out."
"Mr. Tan is so magnanimous. I have made my share of faults. I will not accept your reward today. You will also have to pay to repair the piano."
Su Qingli felt guilty for breaking someone else's precious guqin.
"Miss Su, we each have half the responsibility. This is half of the compensation. Don't refuse. This is the money you deserve." Fu Xuechen stuffed a few ingots of silver into Su Qingli's hands.
Looking at the silver in her hand, Su Qingli's expression was solemn. She slowly put it into a gold-rimmed coin pouch hanging around her waist. "Goodbye, Mr. Tan. See you next time."
"Wait a minute, I see Miss Su has been worried since she came in. Could you tell me what difficulties she has encountered?"
During the time they were together, Fu Xuechen had never seen Su Qingli so absent-minded, as if she had been greatly frightened. He believed that Su Qingli's abnormal behavior must be related to the Qi Mansion.
Su Qingli shook her head slightly, not wanting to say more. "I'm fine."
Fu Xuechen made a random guess: "Could it be that the Sixth Young Master Qi treats you badly?"
Su Qingli kept the secret, unable to tell anyone. Her face was expressionless, and her lips moved as she uttered a string of words that seemed to repel anyone. "He's been very good to me. Thank you, Mr. Tan, for your concern. I should leave now."
"Miss Su, I'd like to invite you to a drink. Would you mind? I'm also worried about business matters. How about you just entertain me and let me know? I'll treat you. What do you think?"
Fu Xuechen gently tugged at Su Qingli's sleeve, stopped her from leaving, and found an excuse to keep her.
Su Qingli hesitated for a moment and said, "I can accompany you for a while, but I don't drink."
"Thank you, Miss Su. I have a heart disease and cannot drink much. I can only drink a few sips of wine. I just want to ask Miss Su to chat with me for a while."
Fu Xuechen took Su Qingli to a restaurant next door and chose a private room facing the street. Outside the window, there were green trees and patches of green leaves blocking the window. Golden sunlight shone through the gaps between the leaves and cast a few rays of light.
The shopkeeper personally presented the menu and warmly invited the two to order.
Soon, the waiter brought a few delicious signature dishes and a pot of wine and then left.
"Miss Su, the food in this restaurant is delicious. The breakfast you had a few times ago was bought from here by me."
Fu Xuechen added more food to Su Qingli's bowl, fulfilling his duty as a host.
"Mr. Tan, why don't you take off your veil? It's inconvenient for you to eat like this. I promise I won't despise you. Outer beauty or ugliness cannot affect inner beauty or ugliness. Why not show it to me? I don't just care about superficial appearances..."
Fu Xuechen quickly interrupted Su Qingli, waving his hands and repeatedly refusing: "Miss Su, appearance is appearance, and the heart is the heart. I have a ferocious and terrifying face. If you see it, you will probably have a nightmare. I know my own limitations, so I won't scare you!"
"I've had nightmares more horrifying than your burned face several times. Mr. Tan is underestimating my courage."
Speaking of nightmares, Su Qingli recalled the series of nightmares over the past three days. The thrilling bloody scenes must have been more terrifying than a burned face.
In her dream, she was in the midst of a bloodbath. Fu Xuechen and Qi Jinqian stood facing each other in the towering imperial city. Several archers fought back and forth, with countless casualties. The horns of battle sounded on the city wall.
The palace was littered with corpses. Fu Xuechen's face was covered in blood, Qi Jinqian had a broken arm, and her brother Su Zhaoming had died protecting her, pierced by thousands of arrows...
Fu Xuechen saw her frightened expression and guessed that this dream might be related to her recent experiences. As the saying goes, "What you think about during the day, you dream about at night." "Miss Su, what nightmare did you have? Can you tell me?"
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