After leaving Song Baopu's courtyard, Zhu Jiayu took Lüzheng back to the Zhu residence.
The next day, Wei Qinglou's people finally found out Song Baopu's whereabouts.
Upon hearing the knock on the door, the young boy greeted the visitor with a smile and asked, "Young master, are you from Yujing, and your name is Wei Qinglou?"
Wei Qinglou knew that Song Baopu was avoiding him, but since he had come this time, he had naturally made thorough preparations. Therefore, he did not deny his identity, but nodded and smiled, "That's right."
He smiled, but one hand was behind his back, raised. As soon as the boy said something like his master was not in the mansion, that hand would be lowered, and the person hiding in the shadows would step forward with a knife and break down the door.
To his surprise, the boy didn't make any excuses. Instead, he stepped aside to make way for him and said politely, "My master has been waiting for Lord Wei for a long time. Please, sir—"
Wei Qinglou smiled slightly, withdrew his hand, and entered the courtyard. The boy peeked out and looked around, making sure no one was outside, before tiptoeing and locking the door.
Song Baopu is still brewing tea today. In his own words, "Of all the things in the world, only when brewing tea can I find a moment of peace."
Wei Qinglou walked to the stone table, sat down, and said with a smile, "I thought you wouldn't see me, sir."
Song Baopu glanced at him: "I didn't intend to meet him, but Lord Wei invited a good persuader, and even I couldn't help but be tempted."
A lobbyist?
Wei Qinglou suppressed his doubts and asked him calmly, "What do you mean by that, sir?"
Song Baopu poured him some tea: "Further words are useless. I only want to ask Lord Wei, is it the Emperor's will or Lord Wei's that you invited me back? If I'm not mistaken, Lord Wei is now a newly appointed Vice Minister in the court, and he is in a situation where he can't support the army alone."
Song Baopu disliked forming cliques, and he always acted solely on his own will. This would not change even though he had once been far from the center of power in Yujing City and was now returning. If he had to be a tool in someone else's hands, he would rather live such a poor life now.
Wei Qinglou understood what he meant.
He didn't know who the persuader Song Baopu was talking about was, but he could imagine that if it weren't for that persuader, Song Baopu probably wouldn't have even asked that question. And that question was already a glimmer of hope that Song Baopu had given him.
He took a sip of tea and said, "It's not the Emperor's will, nor is it my will; it's the will of the people. You have done so much for the people, and although no one has said it, everyone has seen it. Now that the storm has passed, you should go back."
"As you said, I am young and may make many mistakes in my actions. It is difficult for others to trust me, and it is inevitable that I cannot stand alone. But my family background is outstanding, so there is no need for me to trouble you to come out of retirement and stand on my side."
Wei Qinglou did indeed intend to use Song Baopu, but he didn't want Song Baopu to do things for him. He simply wanted to be the one who profited. He needed to make this clear.
“Very well, since Lord Wei is so open-minded, then it's not unreasonable for me to accompany him on this journey.” Song Baopu nodded and stood up. “How about we meet at the gate of Heling City tomorrow at this time?”
"As you say, sir. I will send someone to deliver the transfer documents to Xingchuan Prefecture later, so you don't need to worry about that." After saying this, Wei Qinglou left the courtyard.
When the people waiting outside the courtyard saw him come out, they hurriedly went to greet him. Before they could speak, Wei Qinglou said, "Go and find out who else came to see Song Baopu before we arrived."
...
The Qiu residence.
After everyone had eaten breakfast in their respective courtyards, Old Madam Qiu had someone invite them to Songhexuan and introduced them to her grand-nephew from her maternal family—Qi Xiuyuan.
After leading Qi Xiuyuan to meet all the girls from the Qiu family, it was Zhu Jiayu's turn.
Madam Qiu smiled and said to Qi Xiuyuan, "This is my granddaughter, surnamed Zhu. You can call her Cousin Ayu. She is gentle, kind and quiet. I'll have to trouble you to take good care of her in the future."
Qi Xiuyuan nodded slightly: "It's what I should do."
After meeting everyone, Old Madam Qiu summoned her personal maid and asked her to arrange accommodations for Qi Xiuyuan. She also privately told Zhu Jiayu, "Xiuyuan comes from a good family and is well-educated. It would be good if you could spend more time with him whenever you had free time."
Zhu Jiayu looked at her inquisitively, but did not go against her wishes, and nodded in agreement.
Since she didn't mention the matter of the Marquis of Kaiping's residence, Zhu Jiayu was too lazy to bring it up either, and simply pretended that some things had never happened.
Back at Chunshan Residence, Lüzheng asked curiously, "Miss, why did the old lady only tell you to visit your cousin more? Since your cousin is as good as she says, why didn't she let the Qiu family's young ladies interact with him more?"
"I'm afraid this young master's identity is quite extraordinary," Zhu Jiayu said with a smile.
After all, not long ago the old lady wanted her to marry into the Kaiping Marquis's family to bring good luck to Fan Yongsi. Now she wants her to interact more with her new cousin. It's hard not to have some doubts.
Either this cousin has some connection with the Marquis of Kaiping's family, or he is another son-in-law that the old lady chose for her besides Fan Yongsi.
Thinking about the various scenes in Songhexuan, Zhu Jiayu found it somewhat amusing. The old lady actually used the eight words "gentle, compliant, and virtuous" to describe her. Did she really not feel guilty at all?
"Have someone go to Yujing to investigate whether the Marquis of Kaiping's residence has any connection with the Qi family," Zhu Jiayu instructed.
Green Kite agreed and quickly lowered her head. After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, she returned to find Zhu Jiayu and said, "Miss, someone outside the mansion is requesting an audience. It is said that his surname is Wei."
His surname is Wei.
Zhu Jiayu could only think of one person.
She nodded: "I understand, I'll be right there. You can go do your thing."
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