Chapter 131 Affection
Pei Xingju held the book in his hands without raising his head. “Where have you been? It took you so long to come back.”
Zhuang Wan: "The garden of the City Lord's Mansion is so huge that I got lost while walking around. I had to ask a maid to find my way back."
"Miss Ningyan is going back so soon?" she asked.
Pei Xingju raised his eyes and asked, "Why do you always talk about Miss Ningyan in front of me?"
Zhuang Wan blinked. Liu Ningyan was his official partner, and she just wanted to know how their relationship was going.
Pei Xingju pulled out a piece of paper from his sleeve unhappily: "Here you go."
"What is it?" Zhuang Wan took it suspiciously.
When she unfolded it, she found that it was the debt letter she had written before, with her fingerprints clearly on it.
She swallowed, not understanding what Pei Xingju meant: "...What are you doing for me?"
"What you said this morning..." Pei Xingju said, "I've thought about it carefully, and I really shouldn't have bothered with you about these things."
"Huh?" But you didn't think so before.
Zhuang Wan: "Why?"
"No reason, just take it back." Pei Xingju added, "It wasn't my original intention to ask you to write this debt."
Zhuang Wan was confused by him: "If that's not my intention, then what is it?"
"yes......."
Pei Xingju's eyes fell on the book, but his expression was a little unnatural.
What it was, he didn't say.
Zhuang Wan carefully looked him up and down, pondered for a long time, and said with certainty, "You didn't take the wrong medicine. Perhaps the aphrodisiac you took last night still has some aftereffects."
“........”
I was so angry that I died after just two sentences.
"What?" Pei Xingju glanced at her quietly, "You don't want the debt certificate? If you don't want it, just give it back to me."
"Yes!" Zhuang Wan immediately hid it in her arms and laughed awkwardly, "Are you serious? You can't go back on your word, okay?"
This is a debt of five thousand taels. Even if her salary of one thousand taels is deducted, there will still be four thousand taels left.
In the past, these debts weighed on her like a mountain, but now that she is debt-free, the world feels so wonderful!
After thinking for a moment, she leaned forward and asked, "It's rude not to reciprocate. Since you're so generous, how about I make you some dessert?"
She got the advantage and acted cunningly, which made Pei Xingju smile.
.
All the guests were kept, and that night, the City Lord's Mansion was once again filled with singing and dancing.
As Zhuang Wan's cold became more severe and she even had a runny nose in the evening, she did not join in the fun, but hid in the house reading a storybook.
Later I heard that Pei Xingju had gone out, but not to the banquet, but to the pavilion in the back garden to listen to Miss Ningyan playing the piano.
The breeze was gentle, the moon was bright, and the night was quiet. The two of them were quite comfortable.
Zhuang Wan thought.
On this side, Shen Zongji was drinking with the guests at the banquet, and he also learned that Pei Xingju and Liu Ningyan were playing the piano and appreciating the moon in the waterside pavilion.
He looked unhappy, and his hand never left the wine cup, drinking one glass after another.
At this time, a dancer came to his side, twisting her waist and saying, "City Master Shen, would you like me to pour you some wine?"
Shen Zongji smiled at her gently, reached out and pinched her chin and asked, "How many men have you served?"
The dancer said shyly: "I have never served a man before."
"Oh? Really?" His smile suddenly turned malicious, and his fingers slowly moved down to the dancer's exposed chest: "Where are you from?"
"I come from Zuishenglou."
After smiling for a moment, Shen Zongji suddenly pushed her to the ground with a changed expression on his face.
"Zuishenglou?" He sneered, "Zuishenglou is full of whores! Get lost!"
The accident happened suddenly. The dancer was frightened and jumped up and down. She didn't dare to delay for a moment and crawled out of the hall.
The other guests were also startled and stopped by the noise.
Shen Zongji smiled at them and said, "It's Shen's fault. I drank too much today."
He waved his hand: "Just have fun tonight, the women here are all yours."
After saying that, Shen Zongji walked out of the house in his wheelchair.
After leaving the room, he asked in a deep voice, "Where is Liu Ningyan? Where is she?"
The servant replied nervously, "Miss Ningyan was playing the piano in the waterside pavilion just now, and now... now she has returned to her room."
"Back to the house? Is she alone?"
“No, there is also Mr. Shen.”
Upon hearing this, Shen Zongji became furious and tried to push his wheelchair forward, but he forgot there were stairs ahead and suddenly fell down.
"Hey! Quick, quick, quick! Help the city lord up!" The servants were in a panic.
.
Here, Pei Xingju entered Liu Ningyan's room, sat opposite her for a while, and suddenly blew out the candle on the table.
Liu Ningyan was stunned for a moment, then she heard him say, "There's no need to light the lamp tonight."
Then, there was a slight sound from the window, and Pei Xingju disappeared.
In the dark night, the wind was howling. Pei Xingju leaped onto the glazed tiles, his figure approaching Hibiscus Garden like a ghost.
When he reached a tall building, he tiptoed up into the air, disappearing behind the columns as light as a swallow.
A moment later, two people carrying lanterns passed by the corridor.
One of them yawned and said, "When will the relief officer arrive? I want to go drink too."
"Hello, hello, these past two days have been very unusual. We can't take the boss's orders lightly."
"Hiss, those guests are all in the front hall drinking and having fun, who would come here?"
"Stop talking nonsense and take another look around ahead."
After the two men left, Pei Xingju jumped and nimbly got into a window.
Liu Ningyan had previously drawn a route map for him. Shen Zongji's Furong Garden had a treasure house, filled with antique calligraphy and paintings he had collected. His study was behind his bedroom and could be reached through the treasure house.
Following the route he remembered, he went straight into the bedroom.
Shen Zongji's bedroom was spacious and magnificent. In the center stood a unicorn-shaped incense burner, burning with the finest agarwood incense. There were no lights on in the room, but Pei Xingju had sharp ears and eyes, and could see clearly even at night.
The heavy curtains were layered like a maze, and suddenly he stopped.
Pei Xingju lowered his head, looking at the floor tile beneath his feet. Then he squatted down and tapped it with his fingers, and indeed, he heard the sound of emptiness.
.
At the gate of Furong Garden, the servants hurriedly carried Shen Zongji in.
"The city lord asked me to be patient. I have sent someone to call a doctor."
Someone ordered, "What are you standing there for? Prepare the bathhouse for water. The city lord wants to bathe!"
"Yes, yes, yes."
"When will the doctor arrive? If you can't walk fast, carry the patient here."
"Yes, yes, yes."
Shen Zongji fell hard and his forehead was bleeding. The servants were all scared and sweating profusely, and served him very carefully.
Shen Zongji seemed to be asleep, with his eyes closed, and his breath was filled with a strong smell of alcohol.
When he reached the bedroom door, he moved his ears as if he heard some sound and sat up suddenly.
"who?"
"Who's in there?"
The guard at the door was horrified and immediately went in with a lantern.
Shen Zongji also hurried in.
However, the room was quiet, with no signs of movement. He looked at the antique display case on the west wall, the two shelves still neatly arranged.
At this moment, there was no trace of drunkenness on his face, only a sinister look in his eyes.
He waved his hand: "All of you get out."
"yes."
The servants put him in a wheelchair, lit the candles, and quickly left.
Shen Zongji slowly walked to the bed, lifted the bed covers, and revealed the secret door inside. He opened the secret door and saw that the antique shelf on the west side slowly moved away, revealing a secret passage on the ground.
He pushed his wheelchair down the special slide.
Not long after, he came out of the secret passage again, looking more suspicious than before.
After pondering for a moment, he ordered: "Come, go and see where Master Shen is."
.
On this side, Zhuang Wan went to bed early because of a cold. However, just as she was falling asleep, she felt something sink beside her and someone lay down.
She opened her eyes blankly and was immediately frightened when she saw Pei Xingju.
"what you do?"
"Shh! Don't talk!" Pei Xingju quickly covered her mouth.
At this moment, there was a knock on the door outside: "Is Miss Ruyi asleep? Is Master Shen here?"
Pei Xingju pulled the quilt and covered the two of them tightly.
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