The emperor, having spent so much time teasing Jian Yang earlier that day, was in a good mood and, after a moment's thought, nodded.
Zhou Jing'an glanced at the two holding hands tightly and smiled, "Thank you both for your presence. I am new here and it is great to meet you. My surname is Lan and my given name is Ying. May I ask how you are addressed?"
He chose this name simply because he had just seen a jacaranda tree growing by the roadside and made up a name on the spot.
The emperor replied, "My surname is Huang, and this is my wife, Lady Jian."
Surname Huang...
Zhou Jing'an gave the emperor a meaningful look and smiled, "Young Master Huang, Madam Huang, please."
The three walked along the street for a while before finally stopping in front of a large mansion, where an old servant stood guard at the gate.
Zhou Jing'an said, "We've arrived. Please come in, both of you."
Jian Yang asked in surprise, "This is the house that Young Master Lan is renting?"
Zhou Jing'an smiled and said, "I originally wanted to rent it, but since I plan to live here for a long time, I bought it instead."
Upon hearing this, Jian Yang silently labeled him in her mind: rich.
Although it's just a small town, such a large house with three courtyards and three entrances must have cost a lot of money.
The fact that someone so wealthy still wants to befriend them suggests that he is not a heartless person and is not a bad person at heart.
The two followed Zhou Jing'an into the house and walked all the way to the dining room.
As Zhou Jing'an said, the eight-immortal table in the dining room was already full of fine wine and food, waiting for them to take their seats.
As soon as they were seated, two maids came forward to serve them food and wine.
Jian Yang hadn't experienced being waited on in a long time, and for a moment she felt a little uncomfortable.
"Don't worry about me, I can do it myself." Jian Yang dismissed the maid beside her.
However, the emperor was used to being waited on and did not feel that there was anything wrong with it. Jian Yang did not pay attention to him and ate her food by herself.
Anyway, she figured it was best to leave these kinds of situations to the men; she wasn't interested in chatting with them.
"May I ask why Young Master Lan has come to Hundred Flowers Town?" The Emperor was the first to speak.
"To be honest, I am the son of a wealthy merchant in Sichuan. However, I have many brothers in my family. Before my father passed away, he passed the position of family head to my youngest brother. I was so angry that I ran away from home and came to this Hundred Flowers Town."
The emperor nodded slightly.
If that's the case, it does explain why this person is so wealthy and powerful.
The emperor asked some further questions, and Zhou Jing'an answered them all flawlessly, so the emperor finally lowered his guard.
However, he couldn't drink alcohol, so Zhou Jing'an didn't force him and ordered the maid to replace the wine with tea.
"Young Master Huang, your tea is almost finished. Let me pour you another cup." A maid stood beside the emperor, holding a teapot, to refill his tea.
Just then, the white porcelain teapot in her hand suddenly cracked, and almost all the tea in the pot was poured over the emperor.
The emperor immediately stood up, shaking the tea off his sleeves and robe.
The maid exclaimed in surprise, repeatedly apologizing, and kept wiping the emperor with her handkerchief.
Jian Yang was also startled and grabbed the emperor's arm, checking it over and over: "Are you alright? Did you get burned?"
The emperor shook his head: "The water isn't hot."
It seemed it wasn't hot at all; there weren't any red marks. Jian Yang silently breathed a sigh of relief.
"How could you do this job?!" Zhou Jing'an scolded the maid.
The maid, her eyes red, said, "This servant knows her mistake."
The emperor advised, "Let it go. It was an unintentional mistake. Don't blame her."
Zhou Jing'an quickly apologized to the emperor, then said with a guilty look, "I see that Brother Huang is about the same height as me. Go and change into one of my clean clothes first. I will have the servants wash the one you are wearing and send it to the restaurant for you tomorrow."
Wearing wet clothes was indeed uncomfortable, so the emperor agreed to his suggestion.
So, only Jian Yang and Zhou Jing'an remained in the banquet hall.
"The deep affection between Madam and Brother Huang is truly something I envy," Zhou Jing'an said.
Jian Yang smiled and asked, "Young Master Lan is not yet married?"
To everyone's surprise, Zhou Jing'an said with great sorrow, "Alas, my beloved has married my younger brother. It is truly a heartbreaking thing."
"Ah," Jian Yang said somewhat embarrassedly, "I'm sorry, I touched on something that saddened Young Master Lan."
Having had his property taken away and his woman stolen, no wonder this man wanted to run away from home.
Jian Yang looked at him with considerable sympathy.
Zhou Jing'an smiled and said, "It's alright, it's all in the past."
Zhou Jing'an then asked, "Are both Madam and Brother Huang locals?"
Jian Yang blurted out, "Yeah, a local."
She wasn't familiar with the person in front of her, so there was no need for her to open up to him.
Zhou Jing'an curled the corners of his lips into a smile.
The two chatted for a while longer, and Jian Yang, seeing that the emperor had not returned for a long time, asked in confusion, "It's just changing clothes, why has it taken so long?"
Zhou Jing'an calmly said, "This place is quite a distance from my bedroom, so please don't worry, Madam. I'm sure Brother Huang will be back soon."
Jian Yang could only eat her food in silence for a while longer, but still did not see the emperor return.
A sense of unease flashed through her mind.
Jian Yang then stood up: "Please lead the way, Young Master Lan."
Zhou Jing'an was about to say something more when a servant came running over in a flurry, shouting, "Murder! Murder!"
"What nonsense are you shouting?!" Zhou Jing'an scolded.
The servant, however, exclaimed in terror, "I wasn't shouting! Someone really did kill someone! Jade was killed by her man!"
When he said "her man," he was pointing at Jian Yang.
Jian Yang was shocked and immediately ran in the direction the emperor had left, with Zhou Jing'an chasing after her.
"Madam Huang, please slow down. Perhaps the servants are just playing around."
Jian Yang ran to the backyard and stopped in front of a side room that was surrounded by servants.
Everyone looked terrified, and some of the maids even started to cry.
"Get out of the way!" Zhou Jing'an shouted, and the servants blocking the doorway quickly made way.
Jian Yang ran into the room and saw the emperor, disheveled, standing by the bed, with the little maid who had spilled tea on him lying at his feet.
However, it seems she has already passed away.
“Your Majesty…Prime Minister,” Jian Yang abruptly changed her form of address, quickly walking to the emperor’s side, “What happened here?”
The emperor calmly said, "I was changing my clothes inside when this little maid rushed in and then collapsed to the ground."
"You're talking nonsense!" The maid who had served Jian Yang earlier but was dismissed by her suddenly shouted at the door, "It must have been you, you lecherous scoundrel, who saw that Emerald was beautiful and had improper thoughts about her. Fearing that she would struggle, you slapped her to death!"
Jian Yang gave the maid a cold glance.
If it were any other man, she would most likely have believed his threat to kill if his advances were rejected. But the man beside her was the emperor, whose harem was full of stunning beauties. If he were to flirt with a woman, it would be a miracle.
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