Perhaps it was because Wei Qinglou's expression was too sincere that Zhu Jiayu couldn't help but turn her head and ask, "Oh?"
However, when Song Jiangmei learned of her relationship with Wei Qinglou in Heling, she said something completely different.
"He... sigh, never mind. It's better for you to be close to him than to be close to others. After all, Wei Qinglou's reputation isn't very good. Even if something happens between you and him, it won't arouse the jealousy of the noble ladies in the capital, and they won't do anything to harm you."
“However… just to be on the safe side, you should avoid associating with him. When I was in Yujing, I heard that some people were attracted to him because of his looks.” At this point, she remembered Song Jiangmei sighing and shaking her head helplessly. “This world is really hard to understand. A good-for-nothing young master can actually win the heart of a young girl just because of his face.”
"But I later met him by chance and had to believe the rumor." Song Jiangmei's expression was complicated, her brows furrowed, but her face did not show any hatred or disgust.
Logically speaking, Song Jiangmei, who also relied on her beautiful face to navigate among the young masters of the noble families in Heling, should have disliked those with similar striking looks. Moreover, Song Jiangmei possessed more than just beauty; she was also exceptionally talented and virtuous. In contrast, Wei Qinglou, who shared her alluring appearance, was nothing more than a纨绔 (a spoiled, dissolute young man) and utterly useless.
However, when talking about this person, Song Jiangmei's eyes showed a look of nostalgia mixed with amazement.
"But this guy is really a scoundrel. He actually took her directly to Lanyue Residence the next day. That place is different from a brothel. Although it does the same business, it is more refined than a regular brothel. The girls there are all exceptionally beautiful and each has their own strengths. Whether you like poetry, songs, calligraphy, painting, music, or chess, you can find a kindred spirit there."
"Then he said to the young lady, 'When you have something that surpasses them, then come and express your feelings to me.' From then on, many women in the capital kept their distance from him, avoiding him like the plague."
Recalling this incident, Zhu Jiayu looked at Wei Qinglou again with a scrutinizing gaze.
But Wei Qinglou's expression was so sincere, especially his eyes, which were fixed on Zhu Jiayu, shimmering and deep, as if the people coming and going in the Sheng'an Marquis's mansion, with their elegant clothes and graceful figures, were merely an accompaniment to the person in front of him.
Aside from Zhu Jiayu in front of him, he was indifferent to everything else.
She began to wonder if there were any errors or omissions in the previous rumors.
Wei Qinglou lowered his eyes: "You don't believe me?"
Although his expression remained unchanged, his tone lowered. Not to mention Zhu Jiayu, even Shu Jian felt sorry for his young master.
Although the method was somewhat flawed, his young master is indeed completely innocent! He can vouch for this for his young master!
He thought for a moment and said, "Miss Zhu, the young master is indeed very virtuous! In the past, when other young ladies came to talk to him or confide in him, he always refused!"
How exactly will you refuse?
Yan Feng, who had somehow gotten close again, grinned and said, "I know that very well!"
He was determined to let Zhu Jiayu see Wei Qinglou's true colors, so he spoke without any pretense, "There was once a young lady from the Zhang family who specially wrote a collection of poems, which recorded her longing for our Lord Wei. As a result, when she took the collection of poems to Lord Wei, before she could even open her mouth, her sweetheart mistook her for someone who had come to ask for advice on poetry."
"Lord Wei was so sincere at the time. He said, 'Miss, do you think my time is so cheap that I can waste it on such things?' The expression on Miss Zhang's face at that time was simply indescribable."
"How cruel! How utterly cruel!" Yan Feng exclaimed indignantly.
Wei Qinglou sneered: "Yes, perhaps it was because Young Master Yan is gentle and kind that she gave the poetry collection to him again the next day? I think Young Master Yan was very happy to receive it. It's one thing that he didn't thank me for helping him back then, but now he's criticizing me for being mean?"
Yan Feng was surprised that he knew about this. Although he accepted the gift back then, it wasn't because he was interested in that Miss Zhang, okay? He just felt sorry for her and didn't want her to be rejected a second time!
But it doesn't matter! Wei Qinglou has more than just this one past incident!
After thinking for a long time, he finally pulled out a memory from the depths of his mind and said to Zhu Jiayu, "There was another time when, at Cibei Temple, the young lady from the Honglu Temple knew that he was staying at the temple and rarely came down the mountain, so she specially went to the temple to deliver a lot of vegetarian food. She cooked it herself, but she didn't make a big fuss about it. She just asked the young monks in the temple to put it in his guest room."
"As a result, our upright and honest Lord Wei placed the food outside the door and told the young novice that he should not send anything of unknown origin into his room in the future, for fear that someone might take the opportunity to poison him."
"Irony, it's so ironic!" Yan Feng exclaimed in anguish.
A pampered young lady who never lifts a finger cooks a meal herself. Even if she doesn't accept the kindness, there's no need to treat her like this, right?
"Given Lord Wei's character, Miss Zhu, I advise you not to get too close to him. You may have a good relationship now, but who can guarantee he won't treat you harshly in the future? After all, he's just that kind of person—unpredictable and pretentious!"
Zhu Jiayu let out a soft "Ah," and said, "But this doesn't seem to be a problem?"
Moreover, she felt that Wei Qinglou's vigilance and precautions were very reasonable and necessary. After all, considering that he had been assassinated twice in a short period of time in Suiping, if he hadn't been careful, he might not have survived until now.
“However,” she turned to look at Wei Qinglou, then at Yan Feng, and asked suspiciously, “why do you know so much about Lord Wei’s affairs…” She thought of a word, “…so much?”
"Young Master Yan, do you have some...unspeakable feelings for Lord Wei?" Zhu Jiayu sighed slightly. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. Although worldly views may not be able to accept such forbidden feelings, I believe that true love can move the heavens. If Young Master Yan's heart is as firm as gold, he and Lord Wei will surely have a good ending."
Yan Feng was disgusted by her words and rubbed the goosebumps off his body: "I... how could I have any ulterior motives towards him!"
Wei Qinglou, however, added fuel to the fire. He looked at Yan Feng with suspicion, then said sincerely to Yan Feng, "Is that so? But I already have someone I love. Although I appreciate your feelings, Young Master Yan, I must regret that I cannot accept your offer."
He winked at Shujian.
Shu Jian quickly added fuel to the fire: "Miss Zhu! Look how gentle our young master is even when rejecting Young Master Yan! It's clear that what Young Master Yan said before was all nonsense! Our young master is always polite to everyone, and heaven and earth can bear witness to that!"
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