Chapter 9 Such Love
Pei Xingju had a smile on his lips, but it didn't reach his eyes.
After a moment of silence, he said softly, "Forget it, eat if you want."
This doting tone gave Zhuang Wanlei goose bumps all over her body. She thought to herself that Pei Xingju was indeed a man who could do great things. He could endure and act, and his acting was very realistic. If someone who didn't know the truth saw this scene, they would think he was deeply affectionate towards her.
But no matter what, Zhuang Wan got a bargain and was in a good mood.
"Yeah." She nodded obediently and picked up the teapot on the stove to refill his tea. "Yuzhi treats me so well."
Pei Xingju smiled faintly.
.
The two of them swam on the lake for a while, and at noon, Pei Xingju took her to a restaurant.
It was unknown whether Pei Xingju did it on purpose or for some other reason, but he chose the restaurant with the best business in the capital. When the carriage arrived at the restaurant, Pei Xingju personally led her out of the carriage.
People passing by on the street and those coming in and out of the restaurant all looked over.
"Could that be the daughter of the former Chief Censor?"
"Who else could it be if not her? Lord Pei travels with a woman, and there is no one else besides her."
"Looking at it this way, Lord Pei really likes it so much that he even brings it with him when he goes out to eat."
"I heard they went boating together this morning."
"Oh my, it's just as the rumors say. Lord Pei is deeply in love with Miss Zhuang."
Zhuang Wan secretly looked at Pei Xingju and saw that his face was calm and he showed no emotion.
"Let's go." He said, and without waiting for Zhuang Wan, he went upstairs first.
Zhuang Wan followed him upstairs suspiciously.
She had also heard from Lixia the other day that Pei Xingju had been repeatedly impeached in court for harboring the daughter of a convicted official. Within a few days, memorials impeaching him had poured in like snowflakes. Fortunately, Pei Xingju had feigned illness and stayed away from court, so the emperor quietly suppressed them.
Of course, the idea of harboring convicted women was purely a fabricated pretext. Seriously, if the wives of convicted officials sent to the Jiaofangsi were eventually bought by high-ranking officials, could that also be considered harboring convicted women? Could they be charged with the same crime? Pei Xingju's fame attracted so many enemies that he was constantly impeached, to the point where even the emperor suggested he keep a low profile.
But Pei Xingju did the opposite. Just a few days later, he openly took Zhuang Wan out for a boat trip on the lake, and even appeared in a crowded place like a restaurant.
I'm afraid only he himself knows the intention behind this.
After the two of them went upstairs, they entered a private room. Pei Xingju stood in front of a screen and whispered instructions to the guards. Seeing Zhuang Wan follow in, he waved and said, "Go, and don't make any mistakes."
"Yes." The guard took the order and left.
Zhuang Wan sat down at the table and attentively made him a cup of tea.
"Yuzhi..." She pretended to be shy and embarrassed: "You brought me here today and were seen by others. Aren't you afraid of rumors?"
Pei Xingju turned around and smiled gently: "What are you afraid of? Outsiders already know about our affairs."
"Yeah." Zhuang Wan lowered her head.
In her heart, she was wondering what Pei Xingju's intentions were. If the boat trip that morning was meant to test her, then bringing her to the restaurant in broad daylight was a little harder to understand.
Besides... Pei Xingju still looked affectionate at this moment, and the half-smile on his lips was very creepy.
It was not known whether it was intentional or the guard forgot to close the door, but it was half open at this time, and people passing by the corridor could clearly see what was going on inside.
Pei Xingju personally handed a piece of cake to Zhuang Wan, and talked and laughed with her in a warm and affectionate manner.
Before long, sounds of conversation could be heard from the private room next door.
"Even when the Zhuang family was in trouble, he still stayed with Miss Zhuang. This shows that Master Pei has noble character."
"Isn't it? I heard there were quite a few impeachment petitions against him, but he showed no fear at all. That's really rare."
"I didn't expect that Master Pei is such a kind and righteous person!"
Zhuang Wan listened with a smile, laughing in her heart.
Now, she finally understood the purpose of Pei Xingju bringing her out today.
She looked at Pei Xingju.
Pei Xingju sat on one side, sipping tea leisurely, with a faint smile on the corner of his lips, as if he was extremely satisfied with the rumors in the private room next door.
After a moment, he said, "What are you looking at?"
Zhuang Wan snapped back to her senses. Unexpectedly, Pei Xingju was so perceptive that he could detect her stealthy glance without even looking up.
"Yuzhi..." she asked, "Is what they said true?"
"What?"
Zhuang Wan looked worried: "Someone in the court is impeaching you?"
Pei Xingju stared at her and suddenly smiled: "It's okay, I'll take care of it."
Zhuang Wan curled her lips inwardly. She knew that he would handle it, and he even pulled her out to use her for this purpose.
This scheming boy!
.
Pei Xingju never did anything without a purpose; once his goal was achieved, he would stop worrying about it. After sitting with Zhuang Wan for a while in the restaurant, he suddenly stood up as the food arrived. "I have something else to do, so I'll leave you for now."
Zhuang Wan stared at the huge table of food, dumbfounded: "You ordered so much and you're not going to eat it?"
Pei Xingju smiled faintly and turned to leave.
“…”
After a moment of silence, Zhuang Wan picked up the chopsticks and said, "It's just right if you don't eat it. It's all mine."
The table was filled with the restaurant's signature dishes, including chestnut roast chicken, three-fresh duck, Buddha jumps over the wall, plum blossom tofu, etc. They looked delicious, but... Zhuang Wan took a few bites and understood why Pei Xingju was not interested in the food.
These dishes are really not tasty, it’s a waste of such good ingredients.
Zhuang Wan ate some of the meal without much interest, and it was already past noon when she finished her lunch.
Guard Lu came in and said, "Miss Zhuang, the master said that he would send you back after you finish your meal."
"Let's go." Zhuang Wan nodded.
But before getting on the carriage, she thought for a moment and asked, "Can I go for a walk?"
Guard Lu hesitated: "What does Miss Zhuang want to buy?"
Zhuang Wan was stunned. That’s right. She had no money on her. Wouldn’t it be asking for trouble if she went shopping without money?
"Forget it," she said, "let's go back."
When she turned around, she accidentally caught a glimpse of a figure and suddenly stopped.
Not far away, at the entrance of a theater, stood a man in gorgeous clothes, about twenty years old. He wore white clothes and a jade crown, held a folding fan in his hand, and looked at her silently.
There was clearly no expression on his face, but it inexplicably made Zhuang Wan feel a pang of heartache.
Zhuang Wan did not recognize this person.
She knew very well that the sense of familiarity and connection in her heart came up subconsciously. Perhaps the owner of this body knew that person?
While she was stunned, Guard Lu asked, "What is Miss Zhuang looking at?"
"Do you know who that person is?"
Guard Lu followed her gaze and only managed to catch a glimpse of the carriage parked at the door, while the person had already entered.
"Miss Zhuang, that is the carriage of the Liang family, the uncle's mansion of the King of Dazhao Kingdom," he said.
.
When Pei Xingju returned home, Chen Yi was already waiting for him in the study.
"What's the hurry?" he asked as he stepped into the threshold.
"Your assassin has been caught."
"Whose people are they?"
"We don't know who he belongs to yet. He's very stubborn. When we caught him, he almost committed suicide by swallowing pills. It was Xue Gang who saved his life by knocking his jaw off." Shen Yi asked, "Do you want to go and take a look?"
"No need. First, lock him up and let him starve for a few days, then let Xue Gang treat him well. With Xue Gang's methods, even the strongest man would find it difficult to survive more than three days."
"Okay." Shen Yi nodded: "I'll send him a message later."
After saying this, his expression turned mischievous again: "I heard that you took Miss Zhuang out for a boat trip on the lake today?"
Pei Xingju nodded nonchalantly and walked to the bookshelf to get something.
"Did you go to the restaurant?"
"Are you so curious?" Pei Xingju took a book and opened it.
"I'm not the only one curious." Chen Yi laughed. "You don't know, your action shocked many people, even those in the court looked at you sideways. Tell me, what are your intentions?"
Pei Xingju took the book and sat back at the table. "First, it's a test. Second...someone in the court is trying to get me to leave. Rather than being constrained at every turn, it's better to take her out openly."
"I understand..." Shen Yi nodded. "Since things have come to this, I might as well find another way and gain a reputation as a man of integrity and righteousness."
"That's a good idea. No matter how those people in the court accuse you, Pei Xingju, of being a man of loyalty and righteousness in the eyes of the people. If the rumors reach the emperor's ears, the two will work together to offset each other, and the matter will be resolved."
"In that case, have you found out?" he asked again.
Speaking of this, Pei Xingju stopped.
He slightly lowered his eyelashes, his eyes fixed. "Her behavior is not that of an ordinary girl, her temperament is also peculiar, and...she knows a lot about me, maybe even more."
"If someone instructed this, then the person behind the scenes must be very familiar with me."
"You're not talking about me, are you?" Shen Yi jumped up.
Pei Xingju glanced at him speechlessly: "It's possible that there is a traitor among us, or it's possible..."
"Can you finish it all at once?"
After a moment of silence, Pei Xingju said reluctantly, "I did know her in the past."
Chen Yi laughed: "I think it's the second one. If there really is a traitor among us, things wouldn't develop like this."
"You are having an affair with this Miss Zhuang."
He said with certainty.
These words seemed to confirm Pei Xingju's thoughts, and his face turned slightly grim. After all, this was so strange that only the second explanation could explain it.
He was a little annoyed and didn't want to continue the topic.
"What are your plans for building the Taimiao?"
Chen Yi asked in return, "What is the emperor's attitude towards this matter?"
"The Emperor naturally doesn't want to."
"What did he say?"
"I guessed."
Chen Yi nodded. "That's easy. Although it was the Ministry of Rites who came up with the idea of building the Imperial Temple for the Empress Dowager, everyone knows that the Ministry of Rites is under Lord Liang's control, and Lord Liang is the Empress Dowager's brother. We should find some evidence against the Liang family and try to impeach them. Even if we can't stop them, at least we can delay it until the tax collection is completed. We can't let them take advantage of this critical moment."
"There's no need for our people to step forward," Pei Xingju said. "Just throw the evidence to Gao Jing of the Censorate. Gao Jing prides himself on being honest and upright, and he's a man of integrity. With him around, I'm sure Lord Liang will be in for a real fight."
.
Zhuang Wan returned home absentmindedly. After entering the osmanthus courtyard, she saw Lixia standing at the door of the main house waiting for her.
Thinking of something, she walked over slowly with her hands behind her back.
Standing in front of Lixia.
Lixia was puzzled: "Why is Miss Zhuang looking at me like that?"
Zhuang Wan raised her hand to stroke the hair on her forehead and winked at her charmingly: "I'm in a good mood today. I want to eat sea cucumber, abalone and bird's nest."
Lixia tried to hold back, but couldn't help saying, "Miss Zhuang, when you wanted to eat these last time, Aunt Xu told you that the master is honest and honest, and there are no such things in the mansion."
"Oh, really? But..." She laughed infuriatingly, "Yuzhi said that all the delicacies from land and sea, all the delicious food, will satisfy me."
“…”
"Stir-fry sea cucumber with green onions, steam abalone with garlic, and stew bird's nest. Go ahead."
Lixia stood at the door for a while, then left with suspicion.
Zhuang Wan entered the house and went straight to the inner room to change clothes. It was almost May now, and the slightest movement would make her sweat easily.
Fortunately, it was worth it today.
She begged for food in front of Pei Xingju, not really for the food, but for the right to speak in the Pei Mansion.
As long as Pei Xingju refused to acknowledge her, the maids Jingzhe and Lixia would treat her like a prisoner, and she would be restricted in what she did in the mansion. Only in this way could she feel more at ease in the future.
Sure enough, after Lixia's trip, she returned with a different expression, looking at Zhuang Wan with a strange look. There was a hint of confusion in the strangeness, and a hint of respect mixed in with the confusion.
She had previously asked Aunt Xu, but the answer she got was that Pei Xingju agreed to Zhuang Wan's request and told them that from now on Miss Zhuang could eat whatever she wanted.
If it were just ordinary food, it would be fine. But sea cucumbers and abalone are rare treasures, and you might not be able to buy them even if you spend a fortune. But this Miss Zhuang ate it right away, and her tone was very normal.
Thinking of this, Lixia felt distressed and secretly despised her master for being a prodigal son who doted on a girl so much.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
