Chapter 115 Xie Yan
The candlelight and lantern light downstairs intertwined, illuminating the man's profile from below.
The brow bones are slightly high, the nose bridge is straight, and the jaw line is clean and neat.
The most eye-catching thing is her eyes, with slightly upturned corners. At this moment, she is smiling and looking down with interest at the girl downstairs who is holding her head high like a little fighting cock.
The smile was shallow, but like a stone thrown into a deep pool, it created ripples in his eyes.
It was Xie Yan, the only son of Mr. Xie, the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate.
He is a famous handsome young man in the capital, renowned for his talent and picky taste.
Luo Zhaohan was stunned by his sudden voice and gaze, and subconsciously raised his head to meet those smiling eyes.
She still held the note in her hand, and her fingertips tightened subconsciously.
Her cheeks were still burning with alcohol, but the way this man looked at her...why was it so strange?
Like he was looking at something interesting and strange? The anger in her heart, which had just been suppressed, suddenly surfaced again.
Xie Yan seemed not to notice the little fire in her eyes. He took a sip of the wine in the glass slowly, his Adam's apple moving slightly.
When he put down the wine glass, the bottom of the glass hit the railing, making a slight "tapping" sound.
"It's just... the lamp you tore was under me."
What?
The expression on Luo Zhaohan's face froze instantly.
She suddenly lowered her head, looked at the torn note in her hand, then looked at the exquisite palace lantern at her feet, and finally raised her head again, looking at the guy on the second floor who was smiling innocently.
A burst of heat rushed from the soles of her feet to her forehead, burning even the roots of her ears!
What she just tore was Xie Yanwang's lamp?
The dead silent air around suddenly began to boil!
"Oh my god...she tore up Master Xie's lantern?"
"Now we're going to have a good show..."
"Tsk, Mr. Xie, that lantern! I heard the riddles were specially created by an old scholar from the Imperial College. It's so precious!"
"Serves her right! Let her be reckless! Let's see how she ends up!"
Luo Zhaohan felt his cheeks burning hot, and his fingers holding the note were so tight that their knuckles turned white.
She stared at the figure on the second floor, her beautiful almond-shaped eyes almost spitting fire.
Shopkeeper Liu finally recovered from his stupor. He rubbed his hands, a wry smile plastered on his fat face as he bowed repeatedly towards the second floor: "Oh! Thank you, Master! This, this, this... is a misunderstanding! A huge misunderstanding! Miss Luo didn't mean it! She..."
He was so anxious that he was incoherent and couldn't think of any words to excuse this little ancestor.
"Oh? Misunderstanding?" Xie Yan's ending tone was slightly raised, with a lazy nasal tone.
He leaned forward slightly, resting his elbows on the railing and supporting his chin. The smile on his face became deeper and more unpredictable.
Those smiling eyes rested heavily on Luo Zhaohan's face, flushed with shame and anger, and he spoke slowly, "Miss Luo's brilliant remarks just now were so uniquely dismantled. It was truly refreshing. I suppose it would be quite interesting to see the lantern torn apart and the mystery revealed."
He paused, his eyes glancing at her tightly clenched hands. "But, Miss Luo, you're holding the answer so tightly, are you afraid it might fly away?"
This sounded like a compliment, but the tone and the look in his eyes were clearly full of joking and ridicule!
From childhood to adulthood, who has Luo Zhaohan ever been afraid of?
In the general's mansion, she is the little bully who has the final say.
In the Beijing playboy circle, she is a little devil star that everyone fears!
Today, this seemingly gentle Xie Yan was teasing me like a kitten or a puppy in front of a room full of people?
If she swallows this anger, she will no longer be named Luo!
"Xie Yan!" She suddenly shouted, completely drowning out all the buzzing discussions.
She took a step forward, almost rushing to the stairs, her head raised, like a little lion whose tail had been stepped on and its fur stood on end. "Stop being so sarcastic! I just tore up a broken lantern, didn't I? I'll compensate you! How much silver do you want? Just name it! I'll frown and write my name upside down!"
As she yelled, she habitually reached for her waist, trying to take out her purse.
This time, he touched it, but found nothing! His waist was empty, not even a purse, not even a jade pendant to hold the hem of his skirt!
Oh no!
I was in such a hurry to go out that I didn't even wear the jewelry I usually wear to show off, let alone my wallet!
She had run so hard just now that her hairpins and rings were all crooked, and now they were even more... She froze in place, her hand reaching for her waist stopped there awkwardly, not knowing whether to move forward or backward.
The feeling of embarrassment was like a tide, instantly drowning her, and even the tips of her ears turned red as if dripping with blood.
“Puff…”
I don't know where it came from, but I couldn't help but let out a short laugh, and then I held it back.
Xie Yan took in the dramatic scene downstairs.
The smile in his eyes could no longer be suppressed.
He even chuckled softly.
The laughter was clear and pleasant, like the sound of jade colliding, echoing in the quiet teahouse.
"Silver? Miss Luo, you're joking. I hang lanterns in this Youkang Teahouse for a refined pleasure. Talking about silver would be like burning the piano and cooking the crane, ruining the atmosphere."
He lowered his hand from supporting his chin and gently stroked the edge of the white jade wine glass with his fingertips.
"However, since the riddle has been 'solved' by Miss Luo in such a unique way, the answer naturally belongs to Miss Luo. However, I would like to ask, do you like the answer you got this way?"
Luo Zhaohan felt uncomfortable when he looked at her. She felt that the hand holding the note was like holding a red-hot iron, which made her feel uneasy.
She subconsciously wanted to throw away the troublesome paper ball in her hand, like throwing away a hot potato!
But in public, especially with the teasing gaze from the second floor still fixed on her, if she really threw it away, wouldn't it seem that she was guilty and afraid of him?
no!
Don't be a coward!
She stiffened her neck and pulled her hand back. Instead of throwing it away, she gripped the crumpled piece of paper even tighter, her nails almost digging into her palm.
He forced himself to remain calm, even deliberately puffing out his chest, meeting Xie Yan's gaze and squeezing out a few words from between his teeth: "I like it! Of course I like it! Master Xie's 'mystery' is truly impressive!"
The smile in Xie Yan's eyes deepened. He nodded slightly, as if accepting this heartfelt compliment: "As long as Miss Luo likes it, it's good. In this way, this lantern is not in vain. Tonight's fun is over, it seems that this lantern riddle party should also be disbanded."
As soon as these words were spoken, it was like an amnesty.
Shopkeeper Liu was as if he had been granted amnesty. He quickly wiped the sweat from his forehead and shouted, "Yes, yes, yes! Master Xie is right! It's late, and everyone has worked hard! Today's lantern riddle party ends here! Thank you all for coming! Thank you very much for coming!"
The guests woke up as if from a dream and stood up one after another.
No one looked at the mess on the floor, and no one mentioned the farce that had just happened. But before everyone left, they couldn't help but glance at Luo Zhaohan, and then quickly glanced in the direction of the private room on the second floor with a knowing smile.
The crowd rushed towards the door like a receding tide, and the lobby, which was crowded and bustling just now, became deserted in an instant.
Only a few young men were left, and with bitter faces they began to clean up quickly.
Luo Zhaohan remained frozen in place. The surroundings were in chaos, but she felt as if she were isolated in a shroud.
She didn't need to look up to feel the gaze from the second floor, still faintly falling on her.
She took a deep breath, and the stuffy air in her chest almost exploded.
Unable to stay there any longer, she stomped her feet, not caring about the direction, and just wanted to escape from this place that made her lose face immediately!
She was like a headless fly, turning around and rushing to a place with fewer people.
"Miss Luo, please stay." The clear and gentle voice sounded again.
Luo Zhaohan paused, as if nailed to the spot. She turned around with great reluctance, her neck stiffly raised again.
Xie Yan was still standing behind the railing. He had put down his wine glass without knowing when, and put his hands behind his back.
The lights downstairs were dim, and most of the candles had been extinguished by the waiters. Only a few lanterns near the stairs were still lit. The dim light from bottom to top outlined a clear contour of his tall figure.
His face was hidden in the relatively dim light on the second floor, and his specific expression could not be seen clearly. Only his eyes still looked unusually bright in the dimness.
"The riddle has been solved and the answer has been found. Miss Luo, please keep it well." The tone of the last few words seemed to be slightly heavier for a moment, with some deep meaning.
After saying that, he no longer looked at her, as if his previous attempt to keep her was just a casual remark.
He turned around calmly, the corner of his rain-soaked sky-blue robe drew an arc in the dim light, and his figure disappeared behind the pearl curtain hanging from the private seat.
The bead curtain swayed, making crisp clash sounds that echoed in the empty teahouse, again and again.
Luo Zhaohan stood there, holding the note tightly in his hand.
What does he mean? A monkey show?
She lowered her head, glaring fiercely at the humiliating scrap of paper in her hand, a rage she couldn't vent anywhere. In the dim light of a nearby lantern, still burning, she roughly unfolded the crumpled paper with her fingers.
The slip of paper was small, made of ordinary rice paper, and on it was written in neat, tiny calligraphy a single word: "Pen." This was exactly the answer to the riddle she had just shouted out in public.
"Hmph!" Luo Zhaohan snorted heavily, not even bothering to look at the word. It was this lousy word that made her look so embarrassed!
She used her fingers to crumple up the torn piece of paper again and throw it away!
Just as her fingertips tightened and were about to ravage the poor piece of paper again, her movements suddenly stopped.
wrong!
The touch of your fingertips, the thickness of this paper, seems a little off?
Suspicious, she paused, brought the note closer to her eyes, and examined it carefully in the dim candlelight. The ink on the side with the word "pen" was clear. She subconsciously turned the note over.
There are words on the back!
The handwriting was completely different from the tiny regular script on the front. It was so powerful that it could be seen through the back of the paper, with an indescribable sense of haste and mystery?
"On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, at midnight, old debts are repaid."
Luo Zhaohan's heart skipped a beat without warning.
July 15th...the day when the gates of hell open.
Midnight...the hour when yin energy is the heaviest.
What does "old debts paid anew" mean? Who owes the debt? To whom should it be paid?
An inexplicable chill suddenly ran up her spine.
She suddenly raised her head, her eyes as sharp as arrows, shooting straight towards the private room on the second floor.
The beaded curtain hung quietly, motionless, and behind it was darkness, and no one was there.
Xie Yan left.
Left silently.
But this note was in his lantern. Did he leave it there on purpose?
Or... is there something else that sneaked in?
The temperature in the teahouse seemed to drop suddenly.
…
Pei Ji's shout of "Liu Yueli!" was like a thunderclap that instantly shattered the harmonious atmosphere in the private room on the second floor of Youkang Teahouse.
The scene that was full of laughter and conversation just now suddenly froze.
A few sour scholars were reciting poems with their heads shaking, their mouths still open, the second half of the words stuck in their throats, like geese with their necks strangled.
The businessmen who were holding their wine glasses and flattering each other had their smiles frozen on their faces, neither going up nor down, feeling extremely embarrassed.
The ladies who were dressed up and ready to watch the show and listen to the music all frowned and turned their heads in dissatisfaction, wanting to see which blind guy dared to shout in such a place.
Seeing this, everyone's heart skipped a beat.
The man standing at the door was very tall. He was wearing a dark blue official uniform embroidered with Xiezhi patterns and had a knife on his waist. He was none other than Pei Ji, the Shaoqing of the Dali Temple!
There was no expression on his face, and he was as cold as a piece of iron just taken out of an ice cellar. His eyes were dark and frighteningly sharp. At this moment, he was staring at the window seat, as if he wanted to pierce through someone!
And the person sitting in the position he was staring at was none other than Liu Yueli, who was surrounded by several noble ladies!
"hiss--"
Someone gasped first, breaking the dead silence.
What followed was an uncontrollable discussion. Everyone's eyes darted back and forth between Pei Ji at the door and Liu Yueli, whose face turned pale instantly, at the window, filled with surprise and suspicion.
Situ Feiyun's brows were tightly knitted.
She was the hostess today and invited Liu Yueli to come for tea and music. She wanted to use this relationship to test the opinion of the real daughter who had just been adopted into Prince Xuan's Mansion, and at the same time show off her closeness to the Duke of Qi's Mansion in front of everyone.
Who would have thought that Pei Ji would suddenly show up! And he had such an ill intention!
She quickly pondered why Pei Ji, the evil spirit, had suddenly come after Liu Yueli. Could it be that the newly adopted daughter of Prince Xuan's mansion... had some lawsuit involving the Dali Temple?
This thought made her heart tighten. No, she must not let Pei Ji take people away here!
Otherwise, where would the Duke of Qi's Mansion stand? The tea party she had carefully prepared would become a joke!
Situ Feiyun took a deep breath, suppressed the uneasiness and anger in his heart, and stood up suddenly.
As the head of the household and the second daughter of the Duke of Qi's mansion, she cannot show any weakness given her status.
"Master Pei? What a rare visitor! I wonder why Master Pei suddenly came to Youkang Teahouse and called Sister Yueli so eagerly. What's the matter?"
She emphasized the word "eager" a little, reminding Pei Ji to pay attention to the occasion and identity.
Everyone's attention instantly focused on Pei Ji.
Pei Ji seemed to have not heard Situ Feiyun's words at all. His bottomless eyes never left Liu Yueli's face from beginning to end.
He lifted his foot and took a step. His movements were not fast, but every step seemed to step on people's hearts.
Approaching Liu Yueli's position step by step.
As he approached, a sense of oppression swept over him.
The noble ladies who were originally sitting next to Liu Yueli and trying to force themselves to say a few polite words suddenly turned pale and subconsciously shrank to the side.
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