Chapter 36 Ripples (XIV) Feeling Dissatisfied with Her Favoritism...
Zhi Rou walked in from the crowd, without needing a waiter to lead her, and went straight to Song Qizhang's desk, lifting her robe and sitting down, her figure blocking half of the sunset's light: "Second Brother, why are you drinking tea alone?"
She smiled and held the green cup in her hand, indicating that she wanted him to pour her a cup.
Song Qizhang noticed her pause slightly and asked, "You didn't go to Qiyun Garden today?"
"Isn't Second Brother here too?" She hadn't lowered her hand yet, staring straight at him with clear, bright eyes, but didn't say anything.
Song Qizhang poured her a cup of tea, his voice frank and open: "I'm going to support Miss Xiaoyu at the Chang Le Lou's competition."
Aren't you afraid your uncle will arrest you?
As soon as she finished speaking, she saw a somewhat indifferent expression on his face. Zhi Rou then said, "What about Grandmother? Grandmother hasn't been feeling well lately, so don't upset her."
Upon hearing the name of his grandmother, Song Qizhang's expression became slightly more serious, and he curled his fingers.
He really didn't know how to tell his family about Lan Wen's matter. But what bothered him even more wasn't Lan Wen, but the woman who had suddenly disappeared. These days, he often regretted whether he should have gone to find her. They were complete strangers, yet he had hoped to use her to ruin his second sister's marriage.
He felt uneasy and somewhat guilty, but compared to the Song family and his second sister, he believed he hadn't done anything wrong. Even if he could do it all over again, he would still do the same.
Zhi Rou couldn't understand this contradictory emotion. She secretly felt that her second brother wanted to handle the marriage agreement between the Duke of Wei's mansion and the Song family on his own.
Zhi Rou tried to understand Song Qizhang by considering her own feelings, and it seemed she could. If any difficulties were to befall her, she would trust herself more than others.
"Second brother, let's go back together after we finish our tea," Zhi Rou said slowly.
Song Qizhang remained silent for a moment, still leaning his back against the chair: "Fourth sister, please don't try to persuade me anymore. Go home early. If tonight's trip is fruitless, I will not go to Chang Le Lou again."
This time he didn't cover it up; he explained it very clearly.
Seeing that she couldn't persuade him, Zhi Rou simply smiled and said, "Then I'll go with Second Brother." Her upturned lips resembled a crescent moon, gently shining into one's heart. "I can protect you."
Upon hearing this, Song Qizhang's hand holding the teacup stiffened for a moment, tightening slightly. His gaze fell on Zhi Rou, and he smiled indulgently again, taking another sip of tea.
"It's just a Dou Kui competition, what danger could there be? Even if there is, it'll be your brother who will shield you."
Inside Qiyun Garden.
After hearing Lan Ye's reply, Wei Yuanzhan stopped walking.
He knew about Chang Le Lou.
Last New Year's Eve, he had agreed to exchange New Year's gifts with Song Zhirou. As soon as he finished his New Year's Eve dinner, he went out, intending to meet her in Qufei Lane. At that time, Wei Mingying was also getting into her car at the door. He casually asked where she was going, and those were the three words she said.
I happened to see it on the road the next day, and out of curiosity, I asked Sheng Xingyun about it. It turned out to be Jiang Renyu's business.
Wei Yuanzhan raised an eyebrow, remembering that Song Zhirou had just said she was going there to listen to music. He couldn't help but wonder if she was going to see that Miss Jiang.
Wei Yuanzhan paced slowly, then suddenly remembered something and turned to ask Lan Ye, "Is Jiang Renyu's wife surnamed Shen?"
Lan Ye thought his grandfather was amazing and agreed. After a while, he suddenly slapped his forehead, remembering "Chen Garden." He had been there with his grandfather, about five or six years ago; wasn't that winter banquet hosted by the Jiang family?
"Master, why don't we find the Fourth Miss and ask her? Perhaps the Fourth Miss and that Young Master Jiang are old acquaintances."
As expected, he and Song Zhirou were not yet at the point of being very close.
Wei Yuanzhan thought for a moment, then suddenly said, "Let's go to Chang Le Tower."
Lan Ye was surprised that he wanted to leave now, and hurriedly asked, "Aren't you going to see Fourth Miss?"
Wei Yuanzhan did not speak again.
Chang Huai had excellent hearing. He had overheard the conversation between the Fourth Miss and the Master in the pavilion, as they hadn't closed the door. He glanced at Lan Ye and subtly shook his head. "That fool," he thought, "the Fourth Miss was right there."
The decoration of Chang Le Lou tonight is quite different from usual. The eaves are still the same, but now that the brocade curtains have been drawn back, it looks rather solemn.
As before, Song Qizhang went to the third floor.
Inside the side room, the windows were wide open, offering a clear view of the temporary dance pavilion erected downstairs. Shaped like a full moon, it had a low wall with a signboard facing due north, with seats set up on the other sides, leaving a passageway on the west side connected to a long staircase for the musicians to prepare for their performances.
Zhi Rou was not a first-timer here; she had seen the famous courtesan Xiao Yu before.
Right now, Xiaoyu is standing by the long staircase, coldly and silently twirling her fingers. When a charming and elegant man tries to strike up a conversation with her, she only glances back and doesn't say a word.
Zhi Rou straightened her robes and sat down by the window. Her gaze lingered on Song Qizhang for a moment, and she noticed that he did not glance at Xiao Yu.
"Who is Second Brother looking for?"
Upon hearing this, Song Qizhang's gaze faltered slightly, unsure of what he was looking for. Perhaps he was wondering if the woman would appear, or perhaps he was keeping an eye on Lan Wen's shadow.
He turned his chin back, his tone confused: "Fourth sister, do you think I shouldn't interfere in second sister's affairs?"
Zhi Rou guessed that he was somewhat regretful, but his second sister was his own elder sister, and even if she acted impulsively, it was only human nature. If someone were to harm their mother, she would also find it difficult to plan before acting, and might even be more hasty than him.
There's nothing to regret about what's already done. It's never too late.
There's still time to remedy the situation or extricate yourself.
After comforting him, Zhi Rou's gaze was drawn to the brightly lit lanterns downstairs. She still had a childlike heart, always showing a keen interest in all beautiful things, her eyes glued to them.
Immediately afterwards, a robe that I had only seen earlier appeared under the railing and entered the building, revealing its true form inch by inch.
Zhi Rou almost thought she was seeing things, but that face, which was slightly younger than the men around her, and that arrogant look on his face, could only be Wei Yuanzhan.
Zhi Rou looked surprised. What was he doing here?
Seeing her solemn expression, Song Qizhang also looked down and saw Wei Yuanzhan looking up as if he had sensed something.
He was surprised for a moment, then politely nodded downwards.
Zhi Rou finally met Wei Yuanzhan's gaze, quickly sat back down, and her sleeves swished past the window so that she could no longer see him at all.
"Why did Cousin Wei come?" Song Qizhang asked the same question. Not long after, the corners of his lips, which had not been raised since he entered the room, suddenly turned up slightly, as if he were chuckling.
"I thought my cousin Wei was only good at martial arts, but he was also a man of refined tastes. Fourth sister, did you know that?"
"Know what?"
“What a person Cousin Wei is,” Song Qizhang said, glancing at her. “Aren’t you two close? He even taught He Tingzhou a lesson for you.”
For some reason, encountering Wei Yuanzhan here stirred a strange feeling within Zhi Rou, and she felt no joy. Was he following her?
His emotions were written all over his face, and his tone turned somewhat cold: "You two aren't familiar with each other?"
This rhetorical question implies, "Don't ask me."
Song Qizhang was speechless, feeling a strange sense of déjà vu about this scene, yet unable to recall where he had seen it before. Was his fourth sister's tone suggesting she was unwilling to comment on Wei Yuanzhan?
Shortly after, someone knocked on the door. Song Qizhang raised an eyebrow and glanced at the door: "Who is it?"
Then Lan Ye's voice rang out from outside: "Fourth Miss."
After following Wei Yuanzhan into the building, Lan Ye's first glance fell upon the central dance pavilion, and his second glance followed his master's upward gaze, fixing on Zhi Rou. He had been wondering why his master suddenly wanted to go to the art hall, but it turned out he had foreseen this.
After offering only a polite greeting, Song Qizhang glanced back at Zhi Rou and, seeing her nonchalant expression, lazily replied, "Come in."
No sooner had he finished speaking than the door was pushed open from the outside. Wei Yuanzhan stopped at the doorway, glancing at the two people inside for a moment, but did not go in.
So Song Zhirou wasn't going to see Miss Jiang tonight. Wei Yuanzhan curled his lips slightly, as if he were scoffing.
After a while without hearing any movement, Song Qizhang looked towards the door again with suspicion, and then saw Wei Yuanzhan stride over. He stood up and greeted him, "Cousin Wei."
Wei Yuanzhan nodded, glanced at Zhi Rou's face, and without thinking much, sat down next to Song Qizhang: "Is this your room?"
The wooden signs outside the doors were engraved with words; along the way, only a few had such signs, the rest were empty.
Song Qizhang's patronage of Miss Xiaoyu was quite extravagant, and this private room was reserved for him by the owner of Chang Le Lou.
"Yes," Song Qizhang said. "Is this your first time here, Cousin Wei?"
The Marquis's residence and the second branch of the Song family were actually related, so Song Qizhang always addressed him by his surname.
Wei Yuanzhan nodded, then glanced at Zhi Rou again, wondering, "Why didn't you call me?"
Zhi Rou, at a loss for words, finally frowned and asked after a long pause, "Why did you come here? You weren't following me, were you?"
Wei Yuanzhan found it amusing: "Why should I follow you?"
"How would I know?" Zhi Rou ignored him, resting her elbows on the window frame. Her interest was quickly diverted by the musicians on the other side of the long staircase.
Wei Yuanzhan was speechless for a moment. Song Qizhang had also come with his own worries. He hadn't even seen the person he was looking for when he was greeted by an uninvited guest, so he couldn't help but spare some thought for how to send him away.
"How much silver does Cousin Wei have?" Song Qizhang asked with a smile as he looked at Wei Yuanzhan.
He seemed not to have heard clearly: "What?"
Song Qizhang said, "At the Dou Kui Gathering, what guest doesn't pay?"
Wei Yuanzhan understood, glanced at Chang Huai, and strolled over. He took out some silver notes from his pocket, seemingly feeling sorry for his master, and asked hesitantly with a pout, "Master, how many do you need..."
Wei Yuanzhan looked back at Song Qi Zhang again.
It should have been expected that the heir of the Marquis's mansion would never lack money. Even if he didn't have any on him, his servants would carry it for him. Song Qizhang awkwardly pursed his lips, casually took two bills, stood up and stepped out: "Excuse me."
His actions were a blatant betrayal to Zhi Rou. Although her eyes were downcast, her ears perked up. Hearing Song Qizhang say "excuse me," Zhi Rou immediately stopped and stared at her second brother's retreating figure with slight surprise.
He then became dissatisfied and pushed the table aside to get up.
"Don't go." Wei Yuanzhan sat up, his tall figure completely covering Zhi Rou, his gaze naturally fixed on her, "I have something to ask you."
Zhi Rou looked up, but before she could speak, she heard a familiar voice downstairs. She turned her head slightly, a smile playing on her lips. Then she sat down again, her eyes still fixed on the ground: "What did you say?"
Wei Yuanzhan pondered for a moment, then abruptly asked, "What kind of person is Jiang Yun?"
This name was never mentioned between the two of them, making it a very unfamiliar topic of conversation.
Zhi Rou seemed oblivious, pointing downwards with her finger: "He's here. Would you like to get to know him?"
His tone was very relaxed, and the corners of his mouth were turned up, indicating that he was very happy.
His appearance was completely different from when he first met Wei Yuanzhan.
Wei Yuanzhan's brows furrowed, displeased with her favoritism. His gaze followed her down, lingering on the man's face for a moment before he paused slightly in surprise.
How could it be him...?
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