Chapter 131 The fragrance of his body draped his clothes over the young lady.
Yue Yining realized what was happening and immediately lowered her eyes, avoiding his gaze.
Why would Xie Qingyu come to the Sun family's cold banquet?
She remembered that the Sun family and the Xie family had no personal relationship. One had only recently begun to rival the four great families, while the other had always been the head of the capital's aristocratic families. Their connections and backgrounds were worlds apart.
Among the four great families, the Yuan family has the closest relationship with the Sun family. The Yuan family and the Sun family have been related by marriage for generations. She had previously wondered if the eldest son of the Yuan family would come to the Sun family's winter banquet, but she never thought that Xie Qingyu would come.
Sun Qiong is now on the side of the Fourth Prince, Wei Jing, and the Sun family also favors the Fourth Prince. The Xie family is on the side of the Seventh Prince, and it's already considered good that they don't avoid suspicion.
Yue Yining was lost in thought. She lowered her head, pretending to look at the tea set and tea leaves, then touched her sleeves and said a few words to Fu Yao. She smiled and exchanged pleasantries with the officials sitting on either side of her, but in any case, she did not look in Xie Qingyu's direction.
To her surprise, the gaze did not move away but followed her like a shadow. Yue Yining tried her best to ignore it, but the more she tried to ignore it, the more attention it attracted, and her expression gradually became a little unnatural.
In the main hall, officials sat in VIP seats, their voices low and polite, exuding elegance and grace. But beyond two orchid-patterned openwork screens lay the spacious lower hall, where the noise was much louder. Many people were already seated, and maids moved about the banquet hall, guiding guests. Their words and laughter created an exceptionally lively atmosphere.
The high spirits noticeably subsided when a young girl in a bright red military uniform walked into the main hall.
Xie Yunying wasn't a fool; she certainly sensed the stares and whispers from these people, but she paid no attention, focusing only on asking the system, "Wasn't Yuan Nanjie supposed to come? Where is he?"
Xie Qingyu suddenly announced today that he would be attending the Sun family's winter feast and asked Xie Yunying if she wanted to come with him. Xie Yunying was initially not interested, but the system mentioned that the Sun family and the Yuan family had close ties, and that Yuan Nanjie also appeared at this banquet in the original story, so she was asked to go along.
Xie Yunying had no choice but to agree.
Interestingly, just two days after the brother and sister finalized their plans to attend the Sun family's winter feast, news arrived in Xie Yueshuang's courtyard that afternoon. Xie Yunying heard from her maid, Jin Xuan, that Xie Yueshuang had gone to find Xie Qingyu, seemingly wanting to join them, but Xie Qingyu had politely declined.
Upon learning of this, Xie Yunying was completely baffled: "Instead of focusing on preparing for the literary selection two months from now, Xie Yueshuang is enthusiastically trying to attend an insignificant banquet? What is she trying to do?"
System: "Clearly, Xie Yueshuang is challenging you."
"Compete with me? What are you competing with me for?" Xie Yunying's thought process was always peculiar. Thinking of what the maid had said about Xie Qingyu rejecting Xie Yueshuang, she suddenly had a flash of inspiration and exclaimed, "Could it be that she likes Xie Qingyu?!"
system:"……"
Xie Yunying: "What do you mean by sending six dots? Isn't that right? Did I guess wrong?"
System: "...Host, every time I think your intelligence level has become very low, you use your strength to refresh my impression of you again."
"How could Xie Yueshuang possibly like Xie Qingyu? She hates you so much. Xie Qingyu is your brother. It's already quite kind of her not to hate Xie Qingyu as well."
"Now that Xie Zhi is dead, Xie Qingyu is the head of the Xie family. She also plans to enter officialdom. As long as she is still a member of the Xie family, she will never be able to get around Xie Qingyu."
"Being born into a prominent family is not all good for being an official; it also has many disadvantages. For example, Xie Yueshuang cannot maintain a friendly and close relationship with the Xie family while simultaneously becoming a member of the 'commoner faction,' even if her governing philosophy leans towards the commoner faction. People from the commoner faction will not trust her and will ostracize her unless she severs ties with her own family. That would be tantamount to voluntarily giving up all the benefits that being born into a prominent family can bring, which is not a decision that can be made easily."
"If she wants to stay in the aristocratic faction, she must curry favor with her eldest brother, Xie Qingyu, because Xie Qingyu is currently the most promising young official in the aristocratic faction. With his ability and background, he is just around the corner to become a first-rank official. She is also a daughter of the Xie family, so this is the easiest path for her. She obviously wants to be valued by Xie Qingyu, which is why she has always shown great concern for him after he became the head of the family."
"She might not have been in such a hurry, but you, host—you became a court official before her, and Xie Qingyu seems to value you highly, which makes her very concerned."
"Me?" Xie Yunying pointed to herself in confusion. "Why? I was just a minor official, and I got it through the recommendation system. What's there to care about?"
The reason she asked Xie Qingyu for an official position was because of Yuan Nanjie. Without an official position, it would be difficult for an unmarried young lady from a noble family like her to freely enter and leave the Yuan residence, which is why she asked Xie Qingyu if there was any way.
"Of course, we all know why, but Xie Yueshuang doesn't. From her perspective, it's like you, a guy who has neither cunning nor culture, became an official and even received Xie Qingyu's 'attention and cultivation.' Of course, she can't understand it, and if she can't understand it, she'll get stuck in a rut."
In Xie Yueshuang's world, to be liked and valued, one must be gentle, capable, and adept at social interaction. It was through these qualities that she became the most outstanding young lady in the Xie family in people's eyes.
Although Xie Qingyu would indulge Xie Yunying, he would not let her ruin important matters. He would discipline her when necessary and criticize her when appropriate. When they were young, there were several times when he needed a young lady to entertain guests in the front yard, and he chose her instead of the noisy and rude Xie Yunying.
He was already the most impartial person in the Xie family regarding her and Xie Yunying.
She couldn't accept Xie Qingyu's change; it was as if she were saying that all her efforts had been nothing but a joke.
After explaining the origin of the problem, the system reminded her: "Host, have you noticed? If we look at problems without the influence of sexuality, we can often gain a broader perspective."
Xie Yunying nodded, then scratched her head: "I think I understand."
As the moon rises, a thousand lanterns illuminate the Sun residence.
The banquet has just begun.
In the corridor, maids, carrying gilded trays, flitted about like butterflies among flowers, silently setting out fresh fruits and delicacies, and warm wine from jade pots. Amber-colored crab-stuffed oranges, snow-white shad slices, and agate-red cherry biscuits filled the air with a sweet and rich aroma.
Yin Yi stood behind the desk, silently watching Xie Qingyu's profile.
Yue Yining, who was opposite him, didn't even glance at him once, while Xie Qingyu's gaze followed her intently, almost mesmerized.
Being obsessed with love to this extent is a kind of illness.
Yin Yi stood ramrod straight, his mind racing. A middle-aged man's figure swept past him, smiling and holding a wine glass, breaking the quiet and eerie atmosphere.
"Thank you, Your Excellency." The middle-aged official's face was full of smiles, and he bowed so low that he almost raised his wine cup above his head. "This humble official dares to offer you a toast! Your presence today truly brings honor to the Sun family."
"It's such a pity that I haven't had a chance to talk to you before..."
Xie Qingyu's gaze seemed to be drawn away from Yue Yining inch by inch by sticky honey, and slowly turned towards her.
The faint smile that usually graced her face hadn't faded; the corners of her lips even curved upwards in a perfectly balanced arc. However, beneath the gentle glaze in her eyes, a fleeting, extremely faint shadow crossed her gaze, like a wisp of icy water suddenly rising from the depths of a cold pool, vanishing in an instant.
His smile deepened slightly, his voice still clear and pleasant: "Lord Li is too kind."
His tone was calm and gentle, without the slightest hint of abnormality, as if the brief pause just now was merely an illusion.
On the other end, Yue Yining felt the gaze that had been fixed on her leave, and she breathed a sigh of relief.
The banquet was already halfway through. The guests were all coming and going, and Yue Yining politely and appropriately responded by offering tea instead of wine.
Yue Yining had been keeping a close eye on Sun Qiong's movements. Sun Qiong was exchanging pleasantries with the old lord of the Sun family at the banquet. As people were passing by, she seemed to sense Yue Yining's gaze and looked in her direction as if by telepathy.
Noticing Yue Yining looking at her, Sun Qiong slowly raised her hand and slightly raised her glass towards her. The flamboyant and dazzling beauty's smile was even more intoxicating than the golden goblet of wine.
Yue Yining understood immediately, lowered her eyebrows and eyes, and pretended to drink tea.
Before she arrived, she had written to Sun Qiong, explaining that she wanted to talk to her about some things.
She spoke cryptically, but Sun Qiong, being a clever woman, understood her meaning and replied directly. On the day of the banquet, Yue Yining, having received her signal, came to the inner courtyard to find her.
Sun Qiong said that she would arrange for her personal maid to guard the only way from the inner courtyard to the outer courtyard, and when she saw Yue Yining, her maid would bring Yue Yining to her courtyard.
Seeing that Sun Qiong had already left, Yue Yining knew it was almost time to leave, but she suddenly hesitated.
Wearing a fox fur coat would be too conspicuous, almost blatantly telling others that she wasn't just strolling along the nearby veranda, but was heading somewhere else; but if she went outside in just this jacket and skirt without the cloak, she would definitely be cold.
Yue Yining didn't hesitate for long and quickly made up her mind.
Anyway, the path to the inner courtyard gate was short, only requiring her to pass through a white plum garden. Rather than enduring the cold, it was more important to remain unnoticed. After Yue Yining and Fu Yao nodded, they left their seats without having a servant fetch a fur coat.
The moonlight fell on the ground, making it look as if it had just snowed. Yue Yining walked in the garden wearing only a padded jacket and a blue skirt. A cold wind occasionally blew by, but she casually put her hands in her sleeves and continued walking forward.
Walking along this path will take you to the inner courtyard gate.
"Miss."
A soft call, almost inaudible, caused Yue Yining to abruptly stop in her tracks.
His light, steady footsteps approached her, crunching the nearly withered leaves beneath his feet.
Yue Yining clenched her fist in her sleeve and slowly turned around to look at him.
Xie Qingyu, who emerged from the white plum blossom grove, was like a banished immortal who had fallen to earth, with exquisitely beautiful features.
Xie Qingyu approached her without a word, and just as she raised her hand, Yue Yining forcefully slapped it away. "What are you doing?"
"Lord Xie, don't you have anything else to do? Leaving a room full of people around, you've come out to follow me?" Yue Yining said coldly. "What are you planning now?"
Faced with her barrage of questions, Xie Qingyu remained silent, only slowly withdrawing his hand. Yue Yining's gaze involuntarily fell on the back of his fair and slender hand; she had used considerable force, and it was already red.
The anger that had risen within me upon seeing him was suddenly soothed.
Yue Yining's chest rose and fell slightly, her heart softening a little, but she forced herself to remain cold and hard.
Unsure of Xie Qingyu's intentions, she glanced at him and saw him raise his hand to remove his cloak.
He reached out and brushed the white plum blossoms from the hem of his coat, catching Yue Yining off guard as he draped his fur coat over her shoulders.
Before she could react, her slightly chilly body was enveloped in a warm, fragrant sensation.
Yue Yining was stunned for a moment. She was about to move, but the heavy fox fur blocked her movement. She couldn't stretch out. Her breathing became rapid, and she inhaled a familiar orchid fragrance, warm and fresh, which made her pause.
Xie Qingyu tightened his grip in front of her eyes, drawing her even closer. His black hair, glistening with moonlight, cascaded over his shoulders, and even his breath touched the tip of her nose.
"I noticed that Miss wasn't wearing a cloak when she left her seat, so I chased after her."
Xie Qingyu's voice was very soft, and the quiet, shimmering light in her eyes was indistinct in the night.
He said, "The night is cold and the dew is heavy; Miss should take better care of her health."
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