Chapter 11 Blushing Face "Hiding a beauty in a golden house, which beauty is being hidden?"...
Lou Yanxu suddenly noticed a tall figure outside the screen, and in shock, she lowered her skirt and wiped away a bead of sweat. The floor heating made her face flushed red, and she turned around nervously, covering her mouth, wondering what Xu Congjing had seen.
Xu Congjing realized what was happening and hurriedly placed the clothes tray next to the gauze screen. He then went to the door and bowed to the door, saying, "Because the General's Mansion could not provide any maids, I delivered the clothes inside. I apologize for the intrusion, Madam."
After all, he was her savior, and it wasn't an intentional act. Lou Yanxu glanced at the neatly folded matching dress and thanked him for his thoughtfulness. She comforted herself, thinking it was just like losing a piece of skin, and quickly changed her clothes. "I... I'm changed."
Xu Congjing pushed open the door and entered. Her face was flushed, her eyes darting around, and she secretly took a deep breath. "Thank you, Minister Xu."
"You saved my life, this is just me repaying your kindness."
She turned her head away, looking embarrassed.
He picked up the medicine from the tray, stared at her arm injury, and said, "Let me apply the medicine."
How can this be appropriate?
Lou Yan declined, saying, "How could I trouble you with such a minor injury..."
"There are pebbles hidden inside, I'll do it."
Xu Congjing didn't allow her to refuse and pulled up her wrist. She felt a sharp pain and her lips twitched as she hissed, "Hiss..."
"Did you sprain your hand?"
He politely squeezed her wrist, his gaze fixed on it, and suddenly asked, "Madam Lou, what did you have for dinner last night?"
"Okay, okay." She shook her hand and found that the pain had lessened a lot.
Xu Congjing lowered his head and focused on picking out the pebbles. The room was warm and cozy, and the two of them were mixed together. She felt very uncomfortable, so she moved her upper body away and looked at the safety buckle on his waist. She recognized that it had been blessed by Zhang Shi.
She thought the two safety buckles were gifts from Madam Zhang to Sheng Jin, but to her surprise, he was wearing both of them.
Lost in thought, Xu Congjing had already applied the medicine, and took a step back facing Lou Yanxu. "This place is remote, and ordinary people don't come here. I'll leave first. You can come back in a while. After crossing the arched bridge, go straight to the screen wall, and turn left to see the banquet hall."
After saying that, he turned and left.
Just as he was about to close the door, he peeked out again, a suspicious blush appearing on his temple. "Those clothes will be taken care of by someone."
Lou Yanxu's face flushed; her underpants were still tucked inside the bundle of clothes.
He walked hurriedly and disappeared after crossing the arched bridge.
She thought there was no need to worry about being entangled with her.
Xu Congjing's heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was about to burst out of his chest. He only felt a little better when he reached the Imperial Road Stone. Before he could catch his breath, he saw the eldest son of the Wan family approaching in a wheelchair.
The eldest son, who should have inherited all of General Wan's skills, was born with an illness, causing everyone to lament. Yet, he always smiled, and no one knew what could make him sad.
Wan Qi'an pondered the scene of seeing Sheng Jin in the banquet hall earlier, and now, upon bumping into Xu Congjing, his eyes held a probing look. "You asked me for women's clothing, not for Madam Sheng?"
A smile played on his pale face. "Keeping a mistress in a golden house, which mistress are you hiding?"
Seeing his expression, Xu Congjing knew that he had deliberately sent a maid to deliver clothes, so he lightly kicked him and said, "You're being too nosy."
"Something's not right, something's not right." Wan Qi'an watched the person leave and laughed to his servant behind him before following Xu Congjing to the hall.
Xu Congjing sat quietly on the side of the men's seat, holding a golden goblet and drinking wine. He didn't say a word, and his gaze kept drifting to the hall door until he saw Lou Yanxu's figure before he sat up straight.
Sheng Yan was enjoying drinks with her friends and hadn't noticed Lou Yan's recent situation. She quietly slipped into the crowd and sat down in the women's section before the banquet started. When she looked up, she was met with Xu Congjing's affectionate gaze. Feeling really embarrassed, she could only lower her head and listen attentively.
The banquet began, the konghou (a type of Chinese harp) started playing, and dancers holding umbrellas formed a circle and danced gracefully. The dancer in the center frequently leaped up, drawing applause and cheers from the guests. Afterward, the umbrellas were closed, the dancer's veil fell off, and the song ended.
The guests raised their glasses to congratulate Madam Wan on her birthday. She sat at the head of the table, her head covered in silver, her cheekbones prominent, and her kind eyes beaming with smiles.
"I heard that Minister Xu loves the spring scenery of Suzhou the most, so I prepared this especially for him. What do you think?"
Lou Yanxu tightened her grip, and slightly lifted her eyelids to look. She still remembered that her brother Zizheng also had a taste for spring colors.
Was it a coincidence or was it intentional? As she pondered this, Xu Congjing nodded, "Very good, Madam is very thoughtful."
"The spring scenery is beautiful, but it's not strong enough." The Minister of the Imperial Stud, sitting in the first row, glanced sideways. "Master Xu is from the north, how come he likes Suzhou wine?"
"Could it be that Minister Xu once resided temporarily in Suzhou?"
Lou Yanxu's brow twitched, and she looked up sharply, meeting Xu Congjing's gaze. He held up a golden goblet and drank it all in one gulp, his eyes focused and affectionate. She heard him reply, "Yes."
She wanted to see through the mask and figure out what kind of face was behind it. A sense of familiarity surged from all directions, and her heart pounded. But then she heard a voice say, "Back then, I traveled with Your Highness to Jiangnan and stayed for a while."
Everyone in Chang'an knew that Xu Congjing was appointed to an official position because he saved the crown prince from danger. When the old story was brought up again, everyone had different expressions.
Pang Liu, standing beside him, sneered sarcastically, "Fortunately, thanks to Lord Xu's courage and wisdom, Your Highness was able to reach Chang'an safely."
Pang Liu is the current Grand Secretary. His position is one rank higher than Xu Congjing's, but because the Grand Secretary position is nominal and the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel actually holds great power, he is superior to Pang Liu. Not to mention that Xu Congjing is also appointed Minister of Works, so Pang Liu is always resentful.
Xu Congjing was already used to such underhanded tactics, and now he smiled faintly and said, "It is His Highness the Crown Prince who is blessed with good fortune and the country will surely have an heir."
The crowd hesitated, not daring to say much about the Crown Prince. They then changed the subject, saying, "Lord Xu, there's no need for such modesty. With famine currently raging in Jiangnan, your request to provide disaster relief in Suzhou is truly a noble act for the country and its people."
Lou Yanxu felt a pang of anxiety. Her grandmother hadn't mentioned the famine in Jiangnan in her last letter, so she didn't know how it was going. Right now, she was anxious and had no appetite, and she couldn't even hear what the people around her were saying.
Afterwards, the young men and women went to the garden to play, while the high-ranking officials gathered inside to discuss matters. Lou Yanxu was worried and went to a quiet place to the side, clutching her handkerchief.
A figure swayed beside her, and she glanced to the side, seeing Lu Hengzhi with a gentle smile.
She greeted him and heard him ask softly, "I've heard that the Lou family made their fortune through brewing wine. May I ask if you know the recipe for the 'Nine-Day Intoxication' wine?"
The Nine Days Intoxication wine is not famous, but many who have been fortunate enough to taste it never forget it. Lou Yanxu's lips did not open, "I know a little about it, but my family sold the recipe a long time ago, so I'm afraid it's inconvenient to tell the young master."
"That's just bad timing. My father likes this wine and wanted to serve it to you personally, so I'm sorry to have bothered you, madam."
He was gentle and courteous, unlike the other young men. She hesitated for a while before telling him the news, "If the young master wants to buy the wine recipe, he can go to the Liu family, a wealthy merchant in Suzhou."
"I'll remember." Lu Hengzhi's voice was gentle. "I am deeply grateful for your help that day, so my elder sister wishes to invite you to the baby's full moon celebration."
Lou Yanxu hesitated for a long time, her eyes flickering slightly, "I am very grateful for Madam Liang's invitation, but as a wife of a marquis, I should inform my parents-in-law and husband about this matter."
This was merely an excuse; in reality, she was not keen on associating with powerful and influential people, but she couldn't afford to offend them, and she didn't know whether to accept or refuse.
"That's natural."
The two remained silent, but Lu Hengzhi showed no intention of leaving. Feeling somewhat awkward, she noticed Xu Congjing leading the officials out, and the playful young men who had been joking around fell silent. She then spoke up, "Minister Xu is clearly about the same age as all the young men, yet it seems that everyone avoids him."
Lu Hengzhi looked in the direction of the voice, his eyes unreadable. "Most of them are sons of noble families who are about to inherit their titles, but Minister Xu was someone who protected the Crown Prince all the way to Chang'an, and later rose through the ranks in the court. They are different in some ways."
"In what year did the Minister of Works take office?"
"In the twentieth year of Xiande," he turned his head, his eyes fixed on her, "when the Crown Prince returned to the capital and assumed his rightful place, he specially promoted Xu Jun to the position of Crown Prince's Assistant."
The twentieth year of Xiande was exactly three years ago.
"No wonder..."
In just three years, she rose through several ranks. Beneath her refined appearance, the ruthlessness of her methods is beyond description. No wonder those who get close to her are all sycophants.
"Did he look like this three years ago?" she murmured to herself, a slight doubt in her heart. Unexpectedly, Lu Hengzhi overheard her and laughed, "He has looked like this ever since I first saw him."
"Is Lady Lou very interested in Minister Xu?" he asked.
Surrounded by guests, Lou Yanxu's eyes reflected Xu Congjing's figure, and a faint look of surprise appeared on her face. "I'm just amazed by his young talent."
She didn't dare look at Lu Hengzhi's expression, unsure whether he believed her or not. Fortunately, Weng Chuchu and her group approached, so he couldn't speak again.
Weng Chuchu leaned closer, fidgeting, and asked, "What are Sister Yanxu and the Duke of Yingguo talking about?"
Lu Hengzhi said coolly, "I was just asking Lady Lou for some advice."
"The prince asked me about the art of brewing wine."
For those self-important nobles, the art of brewing wine was nothing to be proud of, Lou Yanxu answered frankly, attracting frequent glances from the crowd.
Weng Chuchu pinched her voice as if belittling herself, "Sister is truly knowledgeable and worldly-wise, unlike me, who is so dull-witted and has only ever learned the four arts since childhood."
This wasn't self-deprecation; it was merely an opportunity to satirize Lou Yanxu. She could tell, but she didn't refute it and simply ignored it.
To everyone's surprise, Xu Congjing, who had been chatting with the Minister of the Imperial Stud, suddenly flicked his sleeves and said indifferently, "I have studied since childhood and been taught by a specialist. I only received a third-class grade in the coming-of-age ceremony. I know I am dull-witted, but I am not that clumsy."
The sound was neither too loud nor too soft, but because many people were focused on him, it reached their ears and soon caused a great commotion among the crowd.
Weng Chuchu chuckled dryly, her body ramrod straight.
Some whispered among themselves, "Why would Minister Xu stand up for the wife of the Marquis of Chenghua's heir?"
Even Lou Yanxu was stunned for quite a while.
Previously, Xu Congjing helped her in private, but now he's standing up for her in front of everyone. What's the meaning of this?
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