Chapter 114 reveals that he was probably already burning with jealousy. ...
Xie Qingyu smiled at her, her eyes gentle, "I'm sorry to bother you, Lord Yue."
Yue Yining put down the menu. "It's alright, please sit down."
Inside the side room, a screen was embroidered with peach blossoms and white plum blossoms. A round table was placed in the center, where Yue Yining sat in the main seat, facing the door of the side room, while Ye Miheng sat to her right.
Xie Qingyu responded, walked around the screen, and gracefully sat down to Yue Yining's left.
Yue Yining waved her hand, signaling a maid to hand Xie Qingyu a menu as well, and casually asked, "Why did Lord Xie suddenly come out today?"
Xie Qingyu met her seemingly unintentional yet slightly probing gaze, a smile playing on her lips, and said calmly, "The food I've eaten in Qinghuai has never suited my taste. Now that I've finished my business today, I've decided to go out for a simple meal to change my mood."
Yue Yining asked this question with a test in mind, but she was still taken aback by the answer.
...So she's the same as her.
She wanted to say something more, but Ye Miheng, who was to her right, suddenly leaned towards her: "Would you like some soup?"
"The dishes in this restaurant all have very nice names. Shall we try this 'Snowy Cloud Soup'?"
His loud voice immediately drew Yue Yining's attention, and she leaned in slightly: "Is it soup? Sure, you can order one if you want."
Ye Miheng smiled and said, "Alright."
"By the way, the dried persimmons here look pretty good too, take a look."
Yue Yining waved her hand, her smile forced, "I'll pass on the persimmon cakes, I don't like them."
"Oh? Okay then, I'll do as you say."
Xie Qingyu remained unmoved. He had been sitting there for so long, focusing only on Yue Yining, and only now did he glance at Ye Miheng briefly.
With just a glance, casually, her long, thick eyelashes drooped again.
Ye Miheng then pointed to a name on the menu and asked the maid, "This 'Jade Tablet Matsutake Mushroom' sounds good, how is it made?"
"In reply to your question, sir, the matsutake mushrooms were freshly picked from Weiqiang Mountain after the first snowfall, and were paired with the tenderest 'jade tablet' bamboo shoots from Qiantang. The matsutake mushrooms were thinly sliced with a silver knife, while the jade tablet bamboo shoots were prepared in two ways: one was lightly sautéed in vegetable oil until the edges were slightly golden, to bring out its caramelized aroma; the other was boiled in clear chicken broth to preserve its translucent white color. Both of them were then added to a pure white broth along with the matsutake slices. The broth was made by simmering old chicken, ham, and dried scallops for three hours."
"Then bring one dish." Ye Miheng turned his head to instruct the maid beside him, then turned to look at them. "You should all be able to eat bamboo shoots and matsutake mushrooms, right?"
Yue Yining opened her mouth, intending to say, "He can't eat matsutake mushrooms," but then silently closed her mouth again.
Let Xie Qingyu say it herself; it would be too strange if she did. After all, to outsiders, she and Xie Qingyu were just ordinary colleagues, yet she knew everything about her colleague's eating habits, which was quite suspicious.
Yue Yining lowered her eyes, about to turn the page to look at the other dishes, when she heard the man's clear and gentle voice reply: "Okay."
Yue Yining was stunned for a moment, then looked at Xie Qingyu.
In that instant, because she was so confused, her lips moved faster than her brain, and the words that were on her lips blurted out: "Don't you not like to eat matsutake mushrooms?"
As soon as he said this, Yue Yining knew in his heart that something was wrong.
As expected, Ye Miheng frowned and gave her a strange look: "How do you know he can't eat matsutake mushrooms?"
Yue Yining: "......."
This is troublesome. She can't very well say that she bribed the old servant who used to take care of Xie Qingyu in the Xie family, can she? Not to mention dietary habits, she knows exactly what size clothes Xie Qingyu wears, where her birthmarks are, and how old she was when she wet the bed.
She was speechless, trying to find a suitable excuse for her slip of the tongue, when Xie Qingyu quietly took over and replied for her, "I really can't eat matsutake mushrooms. But I've heard that braised matsutake mushrooms with bamboo shoots is a famous dish in Xijin. Although I can only look on with envy, you two can try it for me. I won't touch the food when it's served. Don't let me prevent you from enjoying this rare delicacy."
Yue Yining was stunned for a moment, then looked up at him. Xie Qingyu was gazing at her tenderly: "The reason why Lord Yue knows about this is because we have eaten together a few times in private. Once, I almost accidentally ate matsutake mushrooms, and the servant was anxious and told Lord Yue in front of me that I have this dietary restriction."
His voice was deep and resonant: "Thank you, Lord Yue. It's been so long, yet you still remember my affairs."
Yue Yining paused, lowered her head, and touched her nose: "...It's nothing."
Although Xie Qingyu handled the situation well and even kindly covered for her lie, the way he said it... sounded quite ambiguous.
...No, maybe she's overthinking it? He might have just said it unintentionally.
Yue Yining couldn't help but think that it was all because she knew he liked her that she always veered towards that kind of thing when she looked at him now, which was really not good.
Ye Miheng stared intently at Xie Qingyu, remaining silent for a long while. When he finally spoke, his tone was rather unpleasant: "Lord Xie is truly knowledgeable. A young master from a prominent family who has always lived in the capital, you even know the delicacies of Xijin South like the back of your hand. Impressive!"
Yue Yining could tell that Ye Miheng was being sarcastic, but she still gave him a surprised look—when did this kid learn to be sarcastic? Look at his choice of words and sentence structure, he's completely different from his previous illiterate self!
Xie Qingyu didn't react much to Ye Miheng's subtle jab, maintaining a calm and gentle demeanor. However, when Yue Yining turned to look at Ye Miheng, the look in her eyes subtly darkened.
But in the end he didn't say anything, only saying, "Lord Ye is too kind."
After finally managing to order all the dishes, Yue Yining suddenly had to relieve herself and got up to do so, with Fu Yao following her.
As soon as the door to the side room closed, the temperature plummeted, plunging straight from late autumn into the dead of winter.
Ye Miheng stopped pretending and threw the menu on the table. He put his hands in front of his chest and looked at Xie Qingyu with a deep and unfathomable gaze.
He made large, unrestrained movements, clearly trying to get Xie Qingyu's attention. Xie Qingyu heard him, but ignored him completely, not even lifting her eyelashes. Her long, white fingers rested on the lid of the teacup as she picked it up and took a sip of Tieguanyin tea.
Ye Miheng gritted his teeth. He hadn't originally planned to lash out at this moment, but he was simply too angry to bear it.
He suddenly raised his voice and said, "Thank you, Lord Xie."
Now, not only Xie Qingyu, but even Yin Yi standing behind Xie Qingyu slightly raised his eyes to look at Ye Miheng.
Ye Miheng stared intently at his face, speaking slowly and deliberately: "I know what you did."
"Yue Yining gave me a sachet back then, which I took to the spring hunt, but I lost it in the forest." Ye Miheng didn't miss any of the expressions that flashed across Xie Qingyu's face. "It's because of you. You hired someone to harm me. You did it on purpose."
Ye Miheng was as clumsy as a child when it came to strategy, but he was not really a fool.
He was, after all, a Celestial Master with great talent. Although he couldn't compare to Yue Yining, he was still considered one of the best among the young Celestial Masters of his generation, as they were both disciples of the Venerable One.
He didn't suspect Xie Qingyu at all at first, and he didn't even suspect that he had been framed for losing the sachet. The people Xie Qingyu sent were very discreet, and Ye Miheng really thought that he had accidentally lost the sachet that Yue Yining had given him.
If we were to pinpoint when he began to have doubts, it would have been during the first month of the Qinghuai disaster relief efforts.
He went to send a message to Xie Qingyu, only to find that Xie Qingyu was wearing a sachet on his waist, which was exactly the same as the sachet that Yue Yining had given him.
Ye Miheng was someone who couldn't keep things to himself, so he asked Xie Qingyu about it. Xie Qingyu smiled slightly and replied that it was a gift from Yue Yining, and he had been carrying it with him for many days.
Ye Miheng then realized that Yue Yining had given both him and Xie Qingyu a sachet, and the two sachets were exactly the same.
He was so depressed that he couldn't eat and remained upset for several days.
But after he recovered, many doubts arose when he thought about the events of the spring hunt.
He and Xie Qingyu were not very familiar with each other. The reason they entered the forest together was because Xie Qingyu had been talking to him before the hunt started, and the two of them ended up entering the forest together.
He had clearly checked the horse before setting off; his mount was a purebred, strong steed. Now that he thought about it, the horse's sudden outburst that threw him off seemed more like an attack.
And then, he remembered.
Xie Qingyu also asked him where he got his sachet.
He was probably testing him back then.
With suspicions in mind, Ye Miheng approached the matter from this angle again, using divination techniques to gather more information, and finally figured out the truth behind the loss of the sachet.
It was all made by Xie Qingyu.
It really was him.
Ye Miheng, upon calculating the result, found it utterly unbelievable. He had neither a relationship nor a grudge with Xie Qingyu. At first, he was bewildered, but after a moment's thought, he understood completely—Xie Qingyu did all this because of Yue Yining.
Just as his mood plummeted when he learned that Yue Yining had also given Xie Qingyu that sachet, Xie Qingyu's rationality would probably snap the moment she saw the sachet at his waist during the spring hunt.
When Xie Qingyu approached him later, even though he appeared calm on the surface, he was probably burning with jealousy inside.
The handsome young man with a fair complexion sat by the window. When the truth was exposed, he merely raised an eyebrow slightly, his expression remaining completely unchanged.
He said, "I don't understand what Lord Ye is saying."
Seeing that he still wouldn't admit it, Ye Miheng sneered: "A real man dares to admit what he's done! What, are you afraid to admit it? Or is it that, as a young master from a noble family and a high-ranking official in the court, you're unwilling to admit that you've done such a shameful and despicable thing?"
He deliberately spoke in a sarcastic and bitter tone, but Xie Qingyu was not provoked.
He smiled and said, "It's not that I'm unwilling to admit it, but I genuinely don't understand what Lord Ye is saying."
"When you lost your sachet, I was by your side. Does that make me a suspect? So much time has passed. I don't understand why you're suddenly bringing this up again." Xie Qingyu said slowly, "Lord Ye, praise is easy to utter, but slander requires careful consideration. If you intend to use this matter to attack me, please provide reasonable evidence and justification."
Ye Miheng scoffed and said, "Evidence? The evidence is the result of my divination, clearly written in black and white. What other excuses do you want to come up with?"
Xie Qingyu looked up and asked in a low voice, "Is your divination necessarily reliable?"
"Since matters of gods and ghosts can be used as evidence in court, then so be it. I will also swear an oath to the heavens to prove my innocence." Xie Qingyu calmly swore a solemn oath, her clear and melodious voice still pleasant and gentle as she spoke, "If I have lied, may my biological father, Prime Minister Xie, not find peace even in the underworld, and suffer endless torment, how about that?"
Ye Miheng was taken aback that he dared to swear on the oath of his deceased loved ones, and his expression changed drastically.
His jaw tightened, but he didn't speak for a moment.
When Yue Yining returned to the room after relieving herself, she found the atmosphere even more bizarre than before she left. The two men were separated by only a chair, yet they didn't exchange a single glance. One was looking out the window, while the other was looking down at the menu.
Despite the bright sunshine outside, a chilly and gloomy atmosphere permeated the room.
Yue Yining touched the goosebumps on her arm; it seemed winter was really approaching.
The three people behind her sat around a table eating. Yue Yining's goosebumps on her arms still wouldn't go away for a long time, and she didn't know why.
After enjoying a delicious meal amidst the impending storm, Yue Yining, having eaten her fill of tasty food, returned home satisfied.
The three of them arrived in their own carriages and said goodbye at the entrance of the restaurant.
Just as Yue Yining boarded the carriage, the curtain behind her was lifted again, and a figure darted in with a "whoosh," as nimble as an eel; she almost didn't have time to react.
"Ye Miheng, what do you want to do?" Yue Yining said helplessly. "Don't you have your own carriage? What are you doing on my carriage? Go back to your own carriage."
The young man sitting on the other side of the carriage was dressed in a royal blue robe, with thick eyebrows and bright eyes, but his complexion was not very good.
Ye Miheng suddenly spoke up: "Yue Yining, I have something to say to you."
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Author's Note: Ah Yu's disguise will fall off in these few chapters! [rainbow fart]
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