Chapter 59: Pretty Cool
Zhuang Wan was chased by Pei Xingju all night and was so exhausted that she got up late the next day and collapsed in bed.
Qiu Tan asked: "Miss, are you not going to do the promotion today?"
"Radio gymnastics."
"Yes, young lady has been persisting these days." Qiu Tan saw that she looked tired and asked, "Are you sick? I will go and ask a doctor to come and see you."
Zhuang Wan shook her head, stood up, and went to wash up in her slippers. "Don't worry about me. Isn't the shop still busy? Just go and do your work."
Thinking of something, she said, "There are three rooms behind the shop. I'll clean one up for you to stay in."
Qiu Tan was puzzled: "My servant and the young lady live here, why are you staying in the shop?"
Zhuang Wan was at a loss for explanation and said, "Just keep one room. It doesn't have to be used as a warehouse. It will come in handy sooner or later."
"Okay." Qiu Tan nodded, went to serve breakfast personally, and then said goodbye to Zhuang Wan and left.
Zhuang Wan is not in a hurry to go out now. She wrote a letter to Su Zhiyan yesterday asking her to help find a caravan. Now, she just needs to wait patiently.
She stood on the porch with her hands on her hips, gazing at the rose vines. The tender leaves shone bright green in the morning light. After a long moment, she sighed deeply.
"I can't believe I'm so unlucky!"
She didn't believe that she could be found by Pei Xingju even though she had fled to a small town in the south and hid her identity. She didn't believe that she was so unlucky.
She thought.
In order to make up for it as much as possible before leaving, Zhuang Wan encouraged herself and immediately plunged into the dessert business.
.
Pei Mansion's study.
"I heard that you beat the son of Marquis Cheng'en yesterday?" Pei Xingju asked.
Chen Yi was surprised: "You care about this?"
Pei Xingju smiled slightly but said nothing.
Shen Yi was very surprised to see a hint of gossip on Pei Xingju's face. He had only known him as aloof and boring person before, but now it seemed that wasn't entirely the case.
"Don't worry if you laugh at me," Shen Yi said, "This is my first time fighting with someone, and I feel..."
He savored it for a moment and said, "It's quite refreshing."
Thinking of something, Chen Yi asked sternly, "You said those words to Marquis Cheng'en in the martial arts arena, aren't you afraid of exposing yourself?"
Pei Xingju read the official documents without looking up: "We can't hide it for much longer. If something happens in Hezhou, I will have to stand openly and confront them sooner or later."
"Oh." Chen Yi nodded: "I thought you were crazy about Miss Zhuang."
"But..." he said, "They've been making frequent moves recently. I think they're trying to suppress this matter by taking advantage of the Queen Mother's birthday. If that's the case, all our efforts for so long have been in vain."
Pei Xingju: "Whether this matter can be suppressed or not depends on the emperor."
"How do you say that?"
"The evidence is irrefutable. If the Emperor were to investigate, the Ministry of Revenue would certainly be in jeopardy. But the Emperor hasn't investigated yet. Do you know why?"
Chen Yi casually wrote the word "filial piety" on the paper and said, "Because of this?"
Pei Xingju nodded. "Regarding the Hezhou incident, Duke Xin used the common people's filial piety to justify his actions, while the Empress Dowager used filial piety to manipulate the Emperor, making him afraid to act rashly."
"If you say so, then there's no other way."
“There is no unsolvable problem.”
"Then you tell me."
Pei Xingju put down the official document and said, "The Emperor didn't investigate Hezhou because he was afraid that the people would criticize him for his filial piety. However, what if he lets the people go along with it?"
He continued, "In recent years, the Empress Dowager has been practicing vegetarianism and worshipping Buddha. She has also donated Buddha statues to major temples in the capital, earning her the love of the people. So, why not do something about her birthday celebration and turn this love into public outrage? Then the Emperor won't have to worry."
"You want to tamper with the Queen Mother's birthday?" Shen Yi was shocked.
After thinking for a long time, Chen Yi nodded repeatedly: "Alright! You can't get a tiger cub without learning from the tiger. Remove the fuel from under the cauldron so that they have no other options."
At this time, Guard Lu outside the door said, "Sir, Miss Zhuang has brought cakes."
"Come in."
The next moment, the door opened and Zhuang Wan came in carrying a tray of food. Chen Yi could smell the fragrance from a few steps away.
He smiled and said, "It seems I have to come here more often in the future, otherwise I might miss Miss Zhuang's cooking skills."
"Don't mention it. I've been talking about it ever since I ate the cupcakes Miss Zhuang made last time." He asked without even realizing it, "Master Pei has tried it too, right? Is it delicious?"
Pei Xingju: “…”
Zhuang Wan smiled awkwardly, "Lord Shen likes it. I'll make more next time."
"Hey, hey, hey, how can I be so embarrassed?" He asked, "When is the next time?"
"...How about tomorrow?"
"Not tomorrow. Tomorrow is the Queen Mother's birthday, and I have to go to the palace."
Zhuang Wan nodded: "Then let's wait until the Queen Mother's birthday celebration is over."
"Okay, thank you Miss Zhuang first."
Pei Xingju waited patiently for him to finish his rambling: "If you have nothing else to do, then..."
"Is there something wrong? How come nothing happened?" Shen Yi said, "The Ministry of Justice still has a case to discuss with Lord Pei."
Upon hearing this, Zhuang Wan hurriedly excused herself, "I'm sorry to bother you. Master Shen, please continue your conversation."
She put the food tray on the table, bowed, and went out.
Chen Yi walked over and naturally picked up a piece of cake from the plate to taste it. He also turned his head to look at Zhuang Wan's back following Pei Xingju's gaze.
He teased mischievously, "If you can't bear to see her go, how about I go and call her back?"
Pei Xingju didn't bother to pay attention to him. He looked away and asked, "What case?"
"It's the case of burying a body outside the city..."
He ate the cake while talking, finishing one piece and then taking another.
Pei Xingju's eyes were fixed on the pastry in his hand, as if he was waiting for something.
Seeing that he didn't notice anything after eating two, I secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Chen Yi realized it later: "Why are you looking at me? Do you want to eat?"
"If you want to eat, get it yourself," he said.
“…”
Little did he know that Pei Xingju was watching to see if he had found the note in the food.
Recently, Zhuang Wan likes to hide some small notes inside the cakes she makes. The notes written on them are not secrets, just some simple and witty words.
These words may seem insignificant on their own, but when they are added to the pastries, they become more ambiguous no matter how you look at them.
Pei Xingju saw that he had finished two and wanted to take more, so he quickly snatched the plate away.
Chen Yi: “?”
Pei Xingju said seriously, "When discussing the case, you are not allowed to be distracted."
“…”
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