She selected several signature dishes, leaving the other two speechless.
Shu Hua pointed to the large amount of fish and meat laid out on the table, and slightly opened her mouth: "This... can we finish eating this?"
Qin Xi smiled and glanced at Chu Wangbei across from her, saying, "After all, we are welcoming guests, so the feast should be more lavish. Consider it a welcome dinner for Young Master Chu, and I hope you won't feel too constrained."
Chu Wangbei shook his head blankly, then nodded: "Miss...you're too kind."
His adorable little face amused Shu Hua, who couldn't help but smile and leaned on Qin Qi's shoulder.
The table was laden with delicious food, but the group couldn't finish it all.
When it came time to pay the bill, Chu Wangbei went ahead and sent a guard. The promised welcome banquet ended up being paid for by him out of his own pocket.
After the meal, it was time to say goodbye.
Shu Hua lowered her head, looking sullen: "After this parting, when will we be able to see you again, young master?"
Chu Wangbei glanced at the purse at her waist and smiled gently: "I am destined to meet you, young lady. We will meet again if fate allows."
Shu Hua looked at her toes, but her hand was fiddling with the spirit deer on her purse: "Where does the young master live?"
"Inn".
Before Shu Hua could ask any more questions, the guard whispered something in his ear. Chu Wangbei's expression changed, and he cupped his hands to the two of them, saying, "I have important business to attend to, so please excuse me. Please wait here, ladies."
He gave a very standard farewell, then turned and left.
He walked away without looking back, and Shu Hua could only stare blankly as he disappeared into the crowd, her mood suddenly sinking: "Oh, I see..."
Qin Xi then stepped forward: "Do you still remember the marriage fortune slip you drew?"
Shu Hua pursed her lips and said softly, "I plant flowers with all my heart, but they don't bloom; I seek people without intention, but they still come to me. Even if he is always in my heart, I can never repay the lingering affection."
She paused, then added in a low voice, "How could I forget? I dream about getting my fortune told."
The word "love" is the most hurtful.
Sighing, Qin Qi hesitated, unsure how to comfort Shu Hua. After all, she herself was deeply entangled in the situation.
The two chatted about the matter as they walked back, then boarded the carriage. They planned to first take Qin Qi back to the Minister's residence, and then return to the Shu residence.
Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned, and an accident happened while he was crossing the street.
The woman screamed in anguish, "Murder! Someone help!"
The carriage wheels came to a sudden stop, and Qin Xi lifted the curtain. Outside were clusters of people, crowded together in a near-circle, obscuring the view inside.
"What's going on?" Shu Hua also poked her head out, frowning as she instructed the driver, "Uncle Zhong, go and take a look."
"Yes." Uncle Zhong got off the carriage and talked to the onlookers.
A moment later, he returned, looking very strange: "Someone was buying meat from Butcher Zheng's stall, but he kept pointing and criticizing the meat. He said it wasn't fresh and that the price was too high. Butcher Zheng, a veteran butcher, had been slaughtering pigs for many years. In a fit of anger, he slashed the man twice, and the man fell to the ground, bleeding profusely."
"Is that so?" Shu Hua's eyes widened, then she came to her senses: "Pah, pah, pah, my mother said we can't get involved with bad luck, let's go around it."
...
The carriage wheels started turning again, leaving no trace on the smooth road, as if the whole thing was flawless.
"What's strange is that these two days happen to be the days when the envoy from the Kingdom of Qing is supposed to arrive in the capital." Qin Xi sat at the table with a frown, slowly turning the teacup in his hand, deep in thought.
Lu Huai opened his folding fan and then closed it again: "You're overthinking it. Murder and arson are very common. Even if that person was just nitpicking, and even if he did nothing wrong, the butcher could still kill him. He should just hand him over to the authorities."
"But..." she still felt something was wrong.
Lu Huai interrupted her with an "Oh dear!": "There's no 'but' about it. That's it, don't think about it anymore. I'll go with you to the Shu residence tomorrow, so you can go see Xu Zi."
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