Along the way, he subtly inquired about how many people were in Cui Shenghe's family and whether he was engaged.
Cui Shenghe answered each question in turn.
Shen Hanshan gradually discerned a different meaning.
He quickened his pace, squeezed between the two, and interjected, "Lord Zhao, my marriage to Zhizhi is an imperial decree—"
Zhao Zhizheng, supporting Zhang Wan's arm, followed behind the three. Hearing Shen Hanshan say this, he retorted, "Prince Rui, have you forgotten how you came to our Zhao residence in such a grand manner to annul the engagement a while ago?"
Li Huai'an listened from the side and couldn't help but want to laugh.
Zhao Zhi's personality is still the same as before; she'll argue with anyone she can get her hands on.
Sensing Zhao Zhi's displeasure, Cui Shenghe added fuel to the fire, saying, "I'm new to Lingyang and didn't know that we have a custom of pursuing a divorced couple!"
Zhao Zhi burst out laughing at Cui Shenghe's words and gave him a thumbs up.
Seeing the affectionate interaction between the two, Zhao Shouzhen proudly said to Cui Shenghe, "Young Master Cui, isn't my Zhizhi quite nice?"
“In my eyes, no woman can compare to Zhizhi.” Cui Shenghe said, then glanced tenderly at Zhao Zhi.
Seeing this, Shen Hanshan moved aside, blocking their view.
Cui Shenghe noticed his subtle movements and slightly curved the corners of his mouth.
Watching the undercurrents between the three, Li Huai'an felt a mix of emotions.
As soon as the group sat down in the front hall, Zhao Yun gracefully walked out from the side, carrying two plates of freshly chilled grapes on either side of her small table.
Baozhu noticed that Zhao Yun was now wearing a lotus-root-colored, high-waisted ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), which was not the one she had worn when she went to invite her earlier. Even her hair looked like it had been restyled, and her makeup had been changed.
She lowered her eyes, thinking to herself, "I wonder who the young lady has taken a fancy to this time." She sighed. "Apart from Prince Li, everyone who came today is someone important. I hope the young lady won't cause any trouble."
When Cui Shenghe saw the grapes, he thought that Zhao Zhi would like to eat these sweet and sour things, so he went to the pool next to him to wash his hands, asked Baozhu for a clean plate, peeled off the purple skins from the round grapes, put them one by one on the plate, and pushed them toward Zhao Zhi.
Seeing this, Baozhu quickly handed Zhao Zhi a wet handkerchief. Zhao Zhi wiped his face haphazardly and then grabbed a grape and stuffed it into his mouth.
"Brother, thank you! It's so refreshing and delicious." Zhao Zhi's mouth was stuffed full, and she spoke like a croaking frog.
Zhao Yun was about to sit in the empty seat next to Cui Shenghe when Zhang Wan called out to her, "Yun'er, come with your mother to get some snacks."
She responded with an "okay" and reluctantly left with her mother.
In the kitchen, the servants were preparing the meal in an orderly manner.
In the front hall, Baozhu called several quiet but meticulous maids to prepare tea for Cui Shenghe and the others.
Zhao Zhi ate a plate of iced grapes and wanted to eat more, but Cui Shenghe gently tapped her hand with his fan.
Zhao Zhi rolled her eyes at him and told Baozhu to take the grapes away, otherwise she would just look at them and not be able to eat them, which made her craving them!
Shen Hanshan took the grapes from Baozhu's hand and, imitating Cui Shenghe's earlier actions, wanted to peel the grapes for Zhao Zhi to eat. However, he heard Baozhu whisper a reminder from the side, "Your Highness, my young lady's health is not suitable for eating too many grapes."
Baozhu stopped short of making a suggestion, and without waiting for his agreement, she picked up the grapes and placed them next to Zhao Shouzhen.
"Master, the second young lady said that these iced grapes taste very good, and asked Baozhu to bring them over for you to try."
Zhao Zhi had witnessed Baozhu's reminder to Shen Hanshan, and now, hearing her words to her father, she couldn't help but praise Baozhu in her heart. "She knows how to talk! No wonder she's the cleverest girl my mother values most!"
The atmosphere in the front hall gradually became lively. Zhao Shouzhen listened attentively as Cui Shenghe recounted the interesting stories that happened to him while he was doing business outside, and Zhao Zhi listened with great interest as well.
The father and daughter worked together to avoid the problem, and both ignored the annoying Shen Hanshan.
After a while, Zhao Zhi whispered in Zhao Shouzhen's ear, "Father, if we treat him like this, will he argue with you again in court tomorrow?"
Zhao Shouzhen snorted coldly, "We argue every day."
Shen Hanshan sat there silently drinking tea, while Li Huai'an sat beside him, feeling quite reserved.
"Your Highness, how about we play a game of chess?"
"What's so great about playing chess? I prefer to hear interesting stories." After saying that, Shen Hanshan put down his teacup and pulled his stool closer to Zhao Shouzhen.
He had barely sat down when Cui Shenghe said, "Actually, there are many more interesting stories like this, Lord Zhao. Let's talk about it another day. I wonder if you enjoy playing chess? How about we play a game?"
"Great! I've been itching to get started for ages!"
Before Zhao Shouzhen could give any instructions, Baozhu had already sent someone to fetch the chessboard, chess pieces, and all the necessary equipment.
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