Chapter 128 A Gift for an Old Friend

The dancer wanted to dance gracefully again, but Lu Wensheng did not accept it.

He raised the white jade square cup, and drank it all up, his Adam's apple moving, revealing a natural elegance.

"Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness. I am tired today."

Lu Wensheng still had a gentle smile on his face, but his eyes had turned cold. He looked at Xiao Xun and asked, "What important matter do you want to discuss with me today, Your Highness?"

Xiao Xun couldn't help sneering in his heart.

There were five or six officials sitting in the elegant room, all of whom were his confidants. Each of them had dancers and musicians beside them, but Lu Wensheng was the only one who refused to be included in the group.

Xiao Xun felt humiliated and was resentful, but he did not show it on his face.

"My uncle doesn't like such vulgar women, so forget it, Xiangfu, go away."

He covered his face with wine, but still had a smiling face:

"That day, I accidentally ran into Master Pei Jian and a woman on the street. From what I could see, he cared a lot about that woman. He has repeatedly ruined my plans. I want to take that woman into my house and make her my concubine. What do you think, uncle?"

Xiao Xun had married last year. Princess Jing was a virtuous, gentle and taciturn woman.

Lu Wensheng was instinctively displeased.

But he had just rejected Xiao Xun's kindness in front of outsiders. If he rejected it again at this time, I am afraid that the young Prince Jing would not be able to bear it.

But when men fight in the court, there is no need to involve innocent women. In his opinion, such behavior is very despicable, so Lu Wensheng did not express his opinion and asked again:

"Do you know which family this lady belongs to?"

Xiao Xun put one hand on his pen and the other hand on the beauty beside him, and said nonchalantly, "Zuo is just a girl from a small family, she can't cause any trouble. I am also promoting her and giving her a chance to rise to the top."

He reeked of alcohol, and Lu Wensheng couldn't help but lean back.

Although he looked calm, he sighed inwardly, knowing that this matter could not be undone. His nephew was arrogant and proud, and he had suffered such a big setback at the hands of Pei Jian this time, so he must make up for it somewhere else.

But the revenge of a woman ultimately ended in failure, so one cannot help but remind and admonish, "Pei Jian is a mature man at a young age, with great ambitions. It is unwise to make friends with him."

"I am afraid of him?"

Xiao Xun sneered, and drank a glass of wine brought by the beauty. He smiled happily, but his eyes were extremely vicious. "When I marry that girl, I will ask my uncle to speak well of her for me."

Regardless of whether this Wen Nianxi is the "Wen" that made his uncle look back, based on Pei Jian alone, he has also decided on this woman!

Lu Wensheng was silent for a moment and said nothing more.

…

As the year draws to a close, heavy snow falls one after another.

At the end of the year, the imperial court stipulated that all officials from all over the country should arrive in Beijing on December 25th.

The capital city has been very busy lately.

Officials from other places came to the emperor for an audience and were assessed by the Ministry of Personnel. They were promoted or demoted based on their performance. As a result, the entire East and West Markets, taverns, inns, and theaters were filled with distinguished guests day and night.

Banquets among the rich and powerful also became more frequent.

At the end of the year, there is always something to celebrate, or socializing, and sometimes even two or three families will host a banquet at the same time.

Nianxi went there several times. One day, she caught a cold after drinking and fell ill. A close friend came to visit her at home. She took the opportunity to rest at home. It was snowy and cold, and she was even more reluctant to go out.

She gave Zhou Yanli the book she had brought back from Pei's house that day.

Pei Jian was a very utilitarian and goal-oriented person. He did not have his father's genuine love for reading and writing. Therefore, the books he kept must have contained content that would be of great help in the imperial examinations.

Zhou Yanli took it with a smile, and after turning a few pages, he said casually, "Thank you for caring about me, sister. I don't know how to thank Pei Langjun for such a valuable manuscript."

Nian Xi thought about it, then smiled and said, "I don't know either, maybe pen, ink, paper, inkstone, etc."

Pei Jian’s hobbies are mostly not external things, but those upward pursuits.

Zhou Yanli carefully observed the expression on her face, and felt relieved when he saw that she looked calm when Pei Jian was mentioned.

Since the day they had dinner at Pan Lou, Nian Xi became more polite to him. Even though he tried his best to act obedient and weak and play the role of a good younger brother, they could not return to their previous intimacy.

Zhou Yanli didn't know what she was thinking at the moment.

Nian Xi used to be very simple. As long as she frowned, he would know what she was thinking. But in less than a year, he could no longer guess what she was thinking.

"Sister, why don't you go to the banquet today?"

Nianxi was painting on the table. The bunny on it was chubby, wearing a lilac skirt around its waist, lively and cute, jumping out of the paper.

"The rabbit in this painting is really cute."

Nian Xi held her breath and lit up the rabbit's eyes, then she breathed a sigh of relief. She had been drawing the rabbit for several days, and today's rabbit was finally finished.

"There are so many banquets every day, it's boring."

Zhou Yanli chuckled, her beautiful eyes becoming more attractive, "Since I was a little girl, I have never liked to attend banquets. I would sneak away from the banquet every time."

"Really?" Nian Xi was slightly stunned.

"Of course, and I know that I can always find you fastest by going to the lakeside, pond, or anywhere with water." There was a lingering taste in Zhou Yanli's voice, carrying with it the recollection of the past.

Nian Xi was silent. She thought of Zhou Yanli in her previous life. Their reunion was at a tedious banquet, by a deserted snowy lake.

She felt a little sad, but she was powerless to pull Zhou Yanli out of the past.

"Yanli, the New Year is coming to an end. When will you return to Jinling?"

Zhou Yanli's smile froze, "Maybe it will be a while. Whether you come back or not, it will not make any difference to my family."

Three months after Zhou Yanli's mother passed away, his father remarried and soon had two more sons and a daughter. The stepmother was a hypocrite, and the child she raised did not respect Zhou Yanli very much, so he did not have much affection for the Zhou family.

Nian Xi picked up the pen and asked with a smile, "Yan Li, what kind of small animals do you like?"

Zhou Yanli didn't understand what was going on, but blurted out, "Cat."

In fact, the person who really likes cats is Nian Xi, he himself doesn’t have any special preferences.

But Li was allergic to cat hair and could not keep a cat herself. When she saw a cat, she would just look at it from a distance and never even touch it.

Others might not know, but Zhou Yanli knew her likes and dislikes better than anyone else.

Nian Xi quickly drew a cat stretching on the paper.

Then he unfolded the paper and asked with a smile, "How is it?"

Zhou Yanli was bewildered by that smile, and his heart was also happy, "Okay."

"When I learn how to make lanterns, I will give you a little cat lantern. When the Lantern Festival comes, you will still be in Jinling, and you can hang it up to suit the occasion."

Zhou Yanli stared at her and assured her, "It must be very cute. I will keep it well. Thank you."

"I'm your sister, it's my duty to take care of you." Nian Xi looked up at him, "Yan Li, I just want you to be happy and relaxed."

Zhou Yanli laughed softly and said, "Because, it's my sister."

He shook his head slowly, chuckled, and said in a voice that only he could hear, "I knew there would be no such good thing for me."

When he looked up again, his expression had returned to normal. He pointed to the rabbit on another piece of paper and asked:

“Is this also used to make lanterns?”

Nian Xi also looked over, her expression softened, and she replied, "It's for an old friend far away."