35 Chapter 35 Big Brother
◎ Yunhe protected her◎
It had been so long since Master Chen entered the room, and no matter what he said before, the reactions of the people at the table were indifferent.
He never expected that the first time he would find the kind of treatment that belonged to the host of the post and be highly praised was because of a night of chicken soup in a restaurant.
So, Master Chen, in a rare display of generosity, waved his hand generously and said to Yu Liu, "If Miss Su really likes this place, after the lease is handed over, you can take a chef from a restaurant back with you."
Originally, Master Chen thought that after he said this, he would once again receive the excited and enthusiastic gazes of the two people opposite him. He couldn't help but raise his chin with a little pride after thinking about it.
But who would have thought that Yun He only listened to half of the sentence when he looked up. When he heard "kitchen waiter", a thin layer of light clouds floated on his black eyes that were as bright as stars, covering up the faint starlight in his eyes and dimming it a little. With a bit of boredom, he moved his gaze from Master Chen to the white and delicate fish on the plate again.
Poor Lord Chen's raised chin had not yet received any applause from the two people, but was instead silently suppressed by Yun He's slightly cold reaction.
Yuliu was quite surprised to hear this, and her eyes suddenly lit up.
She didn't expect that Lord Shen would be so generous.
It just so happened that ever since Yumei was eliminated through the hands of the Fourth Prince's wife, the kitchen in her mansion has been managed by a dedicated person. If I can bring back a kitchen chef with excellent cooking skills from my visit today, then this trip can be considered a double blessing!
However, Yuliu didn't think things were that simple.
She didn't think that the owner of such a complex and intricate building could really be a frivolous and arrogant person who acted on impulse.
After all, Master Chen was able to run all the businesses in Chunfeng Fulan successfully, and he must have heard countless words of praise.
If one really believed that one could take something away just by flattering him, then such a large building would sooner or later be squandered by the owner, and would definitely not be as prosperous as it is today.
"Master Chen, are you serious?" Yu Liu slowly raised her eyes and said with a smile, "Waiters in restaurants and taverns are worth a lot of money. Are you really willing to let me take them away? Could it be that what Master Chen wants to inquire about is too difficult to understand, so he set the bait here beforehand?"
"Oh my... what are you talking about? I just saw that the young lady liked it, so I catered to her and wanted to add a little appetizer!" Master Shen said it very smoothly and flatteringly. As he spoke, he slightly bent his index finger and lightly brushed the tip of his nose, laughing softly twice. "However, if you are serious, what I want to inquire about is not difficult to answer, but everything depends on the young lady's decision."
What Yuliu feared most was owing favors to others. Seeing that Master Chen did have some plans, she let down her guard.
She put down the silver chopsticks in her hand, looked at Master Shen with a faint smile, and looked like she was listening attentively.
The master of Chenlou was quite shrewd. As soon as he saw the change in Yuliu's expression, he understood that she was willing. So, without further suspense, he got straight to the point and asked bluntly, "According to the information I've gathered, Master Li entered the palace last night not to diagnose the Fourth Prince's wife for pregnancy, but to...detoxify her!"
Master Chen always spoke in an elegant and brisk manner, but at this moment, when he said the last word "detoxification", he paused intentionally. On the surface, he was suddenly dragging his tone to create suspense.
But in fact, his pair of phoenix eyes, which had always been smiling casually, were now silently paying attention to Yunhe and Yuliu's reactions.
Yun He raised his head when Lord Shen came in and when he talked about "preferences" before, but his reactions were very flat most of the time. He seemed indifferent to everything except Yu Liu. Even when he heard the word "detoxification", his hands did not stop moving at all. He just picked out the bones from the belly of the sea bass while Lord Shen was talking, then put it on the white porcelain jade dish with a serving chopstick, and gently placed it next to Yu Liu's hand.
It was at this time that Yun He saw that Yu Liu and Master Shen had been chatting for such a long time, but the glass cup that was only half full was still not empty. He glanced at Master Shen with some dissatisfaction.
But there was no trace of malice in his tone when he spoke to Yuliu.
Yun He's voice was still steady and clear. He gently reminded Yu Liu, "Eat while we talk."
When Yuliu heard Yunhe's voice, she subconsciously nodded in response to Yunhe.
But when she stretched out her hand to take the white porcelain jade dish, she just heard Master Chen say the word "detoxification" lightly, and her right eyebrow couldn't help but raise slightly.
She suddenly felt that this Lord Shen was interesting.
Although his words and actions may seem casual and unconventional, if you look closely, you will find that they are full of deep meaning.
If what Lord Chen said about poisoning is true.
However, the rules in the Xiao Palace are very strict, and the Fourth Prince's wife is deeply involved in them. If there is any possibility that she was poisoned during this period of time, it can only be the box of food made by Yumei that she brought into the palace yesterday.
However, when Yuliu handed the food box to the Fourth Prince's wife, she had specifically emphasized and hinted that "there is something wrong with Yumei's diet", and she was also sure that the Fourth Prince's wife understood that she was hinting at something in her words.
Yuliu didn't think that the information that Lord Shen had painstakingly found out was wrong. If the Fourth Prince's wife was really poisoned, it was probably that Su Yunyue took this opportunity to make other plans.
But Yuliu felt that the possibility was very small.
After all, as she had instructed at the time, the Fourth Prince's wife was pregnant and should be cautious with everything she took. If Su Yunyue really used her own health to make plans, Yuliu felt that it was inappropriate and not worth it.
Therefore, Yuliu actually prefers the third possibility.
——The Fourth Prince’s wife was not poisoned, but Lord Chen deliberately concealed the truth in order to indirectly test her reaction.
After all, looking back in time, she was the last person the Fourth Prince's wife had come into contact with.
Words can deceive, but people's subconscious instincts cannot.
Yuliu used the means in the palace to deal with Yumei who came out of the Fourth Prince's womb. Although she and the Fourth Prince's wife conspired in private, to the outside world, she was absolutely "innocent" and had nothing to do with the matter.
——She should have no idea about this.
The strands of hair on her forehead brushed against the corners of her eyes. Yuliu blinked slowly, and in just a split second, she made a decision.
Yuliu narrowed her eyes slightly, and the hand that was about to take the white porcelain jade plate suddenly flicked the embroidered handkerchief, bringing with it a faint fragrance. When she raised her peach eyes and looked at Master Chen, they widened slightly, and she made a look of extreme surprise and concern, even raising the corners of her eyebrows.
"ah……"
Yuliu exclaimed, then asked anxiously: "Who was poisoned? Could it be my sister?"
"How could this happen... Clearly, everything was fine last night when I accompanied my sister to dinner and left the palace. How could something like this happen just one night later?"
Yuliu lowered her head slightly as she spoke, her silver teeth lightly pressing against her vermilion lower lip. At the same time, she raised an embroidered handkerchief with her bare hands and lightly covered her lips. Her eyes were filled with sorrow and worry as she asked, "Is it a very vicious poison? Is it so serious that the Fourth Prince has to rush back to the capital overnight?"
Although Yuliu was acting, her eyebrows furrowed in a frown as her emotions surged. As she spoke, she even pretended to push back the jade dish Yunhe had handed her. Shaking her head, she said with genuine emotion, "If something happens to my sister... how can I even eat this?"
It was rare for Lord Chen to not respond in time, and even his usual casual smile seemed to be focused at this moment.
He stared intently at Yuliu's face, as if trying to ascertain something from her subtle expression. He waited until Yuliu was so worried that she almost wanted to go to the palace to check on the Fourth Prince. Then, he sighed, not knowing whether it was regret or annoyance, and clasped his hands together, bowed from afar, and said, "Look...! I'm so tongue-tied. I didn't explain myself clearly, and ended up making you worry. Sorry, sorry!"
"In fact, Li Shengshou entered the palace not to detoxify the Fourth Prince's wife, but to test for poison."
"Oh...?" Although Yuliu had already guessed this, she didn't show any obvious surprise when she heard this. Instead, her frown relaxed slightly, as if she had been deceived once and didn't dare to believe it the second time. She asked hesitantly, "Are you serious? Is my sister really okay?"
Master Chen nodded when he heard this, but before he could reply, a maid quietly opened the wooden door and briskly brought a jade pot of spring wine with a grain of wheat pattern to Master Chen's right hand. Master Chen did not even turn his head, but skillfully reached out to take a small wine glass that had been filled. At the same time, he casually raised his other hand and waved it a few times before dismissing the maid.
He held a small white jade wine glass in one hand, smiling casually, and glanced around at the three people sitting opposite him. He finally paused for a moment when he looked at Yun He, the only one who might have a chance to chat with him, but who was obviously not interested in the matter at all. Finally, he raised his wine glass to Yu Liu and said respectfully, "The Fourth Prince's wife is blessed by heaven. She is truly safe and sound. Miss Su, there is no need to worry."
"This glass of wine... just consider it my apology. I'll drink it first as a token of my respect!" Master Shen said, and then he generously raised his head and drank the wine in the glass. After wiping his mouth with the golden sleeve of his robe, he turned the glass upside down and gestured to Yuliu, "Miss, please feel free to drink."
In fact, it’s not that Yuliu can’t drink, otherwise she wouldn’t have taken the initiative to ask Master Shen before.
But at this time, the Jade Pot of Spring Wine was placed next to Master Shen, which was very far away from her. Moreover, the food handed to her by Yunhe was placed next to Yuliu, so there was absolutely no need for her to go far away.
So, Yuliu really became "casual" as Master Chen said.
The white porcelain jade dish had a wide, shallow rim and was filled with a few slices of evenly distributed, boneless, white and smooth sea bass. Her slender fingertips rested lightly on the jade dish filled with boneless fish meat. With a slight hook of her jade fingers, she moved the white porcelain jade dish to the wide and deep glass cup in front of her. When the jade and porcelain touched each other, a crisp and subtle tinkling sound was heard. Amid the gentle sound of a spring stream in spring, Yuliu quietly turned her head and smiled at Yunhe. Then, as she picked up the silver chopsticks again, she sighed as if she had let down her guard.
Yuliu said slowly, as if relieved from a heavy burden: "Master Chen is really a joker. It was just a sentence, but it really scared me just now!"
Elliu's tone was soft and gentle, but Master Chen inexplicably heard a hint of pressure in it. However, he knew he was in the wrong and it was difficult to explain too much, so he just smiled awkwardly and picked up another small glass of wine. He continued, "Hey... I didn't mean to test the young lady's position. It's just that the poison incident was quite strange. If it frightened the young lady, it is indeed my fault."
Master Chen said this, tilting his head back to take another sip of his wine, and then he said, "However, I can tell you something here. Although Li Shengshou was brought into the palace by the Fourth Prince, after the flood in Yangzhu County, I merged Tongjitang into Chunfeng Fulan. Li Shengshou is actually my man now..."
There seemed to be a momentary pause in the movement of Yuliu's hands, but she reacted quickly. With the small detail of her knuckles moving slightly, she turned the silver chopsticks in a different direction, silently resolving the momentary pause.
She felt strange in her heart.
Although Li Shengshou was given money by the Fourth Prince to leave the palace, he was not expelled for any reason. In fact, the Fourth Prince took the opportunity of leaving the palace to take Li Shengshou as his private aide to Yangzhu County to control the plague that broke out after the flood.
Li Shengshou must have planned and done a lot of things for the Fourth Prince in private, and how could the person who was so highly valued by the Fourth Prince be Master Chen's man?
Yuliu ate slowly and gracefully, but she didn't realize that her heart was stirred by Master Chen's words. She looked at Master Chen with a slightly stern look in her eyes.
"...Therefore, everything I say next is absolutely true. Rest assured, young lady." Master Chen smiled casually, changing his earlier boisterous drinking style. After a sip, he continued, "According to Li Shengshou, after the poisoning incident was exposed, not many people were implicated. The only person imprisoned was a maid who had left the palace long ago. And I believe that little maid is quite familiar to Miss Su, right?"
Yuliu had been quietly listening and eating until her name was mentioned. She stopped what she was doing and slowly looked towards Master Chen across from her. She blinked slowly, her eyes misty, pretending to be pure and innocent. Her tone was even more puzzled than Master Chen's: "Are you asking me this, Master Chen?"
"To be honest, if my sister hadn't invited me yesterday, I'm afraid I would never have been able to set foot in the palace. I'm actually not very familiar with the affairs of the palace. If Master Chen hadn't told me about the poisoning, I wouldn't have known about it."
Yuliu's eyes were filled with apology and shame. She lowered her eyelids slightly and whispered a "confession". But she suddenly changed the subject and said, "However, if what Master Shen said is true, there was indeed a maid named Yumei in my Yuqing Courtyard who did not return home last night, and she was also not seen this morning. This happened so suddenly that no one lit the stove in my courtyard. That's why I brought everyone in the mansion to your place to set the table. I wonder... is this the same person Master Shen mentioned?"
"That's the person." Master Chen nodded and suddenly said, "But, from what the young lady said, who is the only chef in Yuqing Courtyard?"
"That's right." Yuliu smiled lightly and responded truthfully.
"No wonder, Li Shengshou said the poison came from the food box the girl brought into the palace. If Xiao Si had used his usual methods, he would have arrested everyone in Yuqing Courtyard and sealed it off to conduct a thorough investigation."
Master Chen stroked his chin, carefully composing his thoughts. However, as he spoke, he suddenly lifted his eyelids and looked at Yu Liu intently, a hint of envy in his eyes. He said, "Originally, the poison was only attached to the surface. It's hard to say whether it was added by someone intentionally, or whether the maid had ill intentions from the beginning. But, I really envy the Su family's deep sisterly love. It's said that it was the Fourth Prince's wife who protected the girl, so Xiao Si only had the maid imprisoned in the end."
At this table, only Yuliu and Lord Shen were chatting from beginning to end. Fangyue had filled her stomach with all the delicacies on the table and was about to express her gratitude to her daughter. However, she looked up and heard Lord Shen's words. She raised her eyebrows in dissatisfaction.
"Master Chen, you've been testing my daughter in every possible way before, which is fine. My daughter has a good temper and a soft personality, and she's never willing to argue with others. But what do you mean by 'someone with ulterior motives added in the middle'?"
Perhaps her temper had become hot after eating spicy food. Fang Yue wiped the sesame oil from her mouth with a handkerchief and said angrily, counting on her fingers, "But I have to tell you, the snacks in that food box were prepared by Yumei in advance. They are exactly as they were originally. I just put them on a plate and sent them over unopened. What you said just now, are you suspecting that the girl would poison her own sister? Then I would be worried that the poison was Yumei's way of harming the girl!"
Yuliu hadn't expected Fangyue to snap. Even though she was telling the truth, she lowered her voice and reminded him, "This isn't Yuqing Courtyard, Fangyue. How could you be so rude to Master Shen in Spring Breeze? Why don't you apologize to him quickly?"
On the surface, Yuliu was reprimanding Fangyue for being impulsive and reckless, but in fact, she was taking this opportunity to retreat and advance, and indirectly told Master Chen that the "poison" in the food box had nothing to do with her.
Fang Yue looked at the sarcastic and insincere smile on the face of Lord Chen, and her heart felt like it was on fire. She wished she could kick this man out.
But because of Yuliu's words, Fangyue was forced to sit obediently on the wooden chair. Her almond-shaped eyes were as bright as the sun, staring at Master Chen with a scorching gaze. She hummed and said perfunctorily, "I'm sorry. I was anxious just now and accidentally said a few more truths. I hope Master Chen will be magnanimous and don't mind."
"I don't mean anything else. Don't get excited. This food was made by that maid. If it's poisonous, she will definitely be responsible." Master Chen lazily took another sip of his wine and said in a long tone, "Miss Su has the protection of her elder sister in front and others who sincerely protect her in the back. She is really surrounded by noble people and auspicious people. I envy her so much that how could I mind?"
Yuliu lowered her eyebrows and smiled, and was about to say something else, but Yunhe, who had been silent from beginning to end, suddenly spoke before her.
"That's true, but Master Shen, please forgive me for being blunt. You should know better than anyone what to say and what not to say, right?" Yun He said calmly, his voice slightly cold. "But Miss Yu answered every question you asked, but your attitude towards this matter... doesn't seem to deserve her treatment."
Yuliu opened her lips slightly as if to speak, but suddenly pursed them.
It wasn't too surprising that Fangyue would speak out to protect her master Yu Yuliu. After all, Fangyue had no idea that she was using the palace's tactics to get rid of the evil-minded Yumei.
But Yunhe is different.
Yuliu had vaguely felt that Yunhe had actually noticed her intention, but she thought that Yunhe was always used to being cautious and polite when he was outside, and would not interfere or say much about such matters.
Unexpectedly, Yun He not only stood up to defend her at this moment, but even directly pointed out Meng Lang's teasing attitude towards Master Shen.
Yuliu's fingertips unconsciously exerted force, and her knuckles suddenly tensed up, and the slight friction and collision from the tips of the silver chopsticks made a slight crackling sound.
Although the sound was subtle, when it reached Yuliu's ears, it was like a piece of stone thrown into the lake. In an instant, ripples appeared in circles and waves spread out, silently diluting the words that Yuliu had just wanted to say.
Yuliu didn't say anything for a moment.
When Master Chen heard Yun He's rebuke, his whole casual and elegant temperament suddenly changed. He was like a student who was criticized by the teacher in the school. When the teacher's words of admonition came down with a ruler, no matter how bad the student's attitude was, he would immediately put away the giggling smile on his face, straighten his back and become much more upright.
Yuliu's eyebrows moved slightly, and she saw the abnormal posture of Master Chen Lou, and felt a little strange in her heart.
Yun He's words were actually just a direct pointing out of Master Chen's words and deeds. It could be said to be a reminder, but he did not mean to blame him too much.
It shouldn't be serious enough to make a smooth-talking fox overcome its instinct and behave itself, right?
However, Yuliu soon found out the reason behind Lord Shen's actions.
Master Chen, who had never been serious since he pushed open the wooden door of the hall, suddenly changed his previously lazy attitude after Yun He spoke to him for the first time. He put down the wine glass he was holding with his fingertips, sat up straight with his chest and head held high, and a smile on his face was much more charming than the maids who had served the dishes earlier. He called out to Yun He respectfully:
"Big Brother."
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