At the same time, Lu Shenyun had just arrived at the Zhenfu Division office.
Huang Yu had just brewed a pot of hot tea and was about to drink it when he saw him carrying something in. He stuck his head out and said, "Where did you go yesterday? You only came in this morning and then disappeared. You didn't come back in the afternoon either."
"Nowhere," Lu Shenyun replied casually, and headed towards the back hall.
"Such a secretive guy, probably up to something bad." Huang Yu muttered discontentedly, then noticed what he was carrying, jumped up and blocked his way, "What good stuff is this?"
"nothing."
Taking advantage of his momentary lapse in attention, Huang Yu snatched the item from his hand, saying, "Let me see what good stuff this is."
"Don't move!"
Lu Shenyun instinctively tried to snatch it back, putting a hand on Huang Yu's shoulder, but Huang Yu darted behind the armchair and impatiently tore open the paper package he had snatched, saying, "I'm going to do it anyway."
As he spoke, he quickly tore open the paper package, and accidentally spilled the tea leaves all over the floor.
"Tea leaves?" He stared blankly at Lu Shenyun.
Lu Shenyun's face darkened as he looked at the tea leaves scattered on the ground. He took a few quick steps, squatted down to pick up the tea leaves, and didn't say a word.
Huang Yu knew he was really angry, so she quickly squatted down to help him pick them up, smiling apologetically, "I'm so sorry. I didn't know it was tea leaves in there..."
Lu Shenyun glanced at him, seething with anger, and muttered, "Get lost, you good-for-nothing! It's so dangerous outside, and you're using your skills to steal my tea!"
These tea leaves were specially brought back for him by Qingchen from Yunnan. He brought them home yesterday, intending to leave them at home, but he was worried that the servants might accidentally brew them. He couldn't bear to drink them.
Huang Yu actually spilled it all over the ground!
"I'll make it up to you, I'll make it up to you, it's just some tea leaves!" Huang Yu chuckled. "Let's not bother picking these anymore, they're all dirty and can't be drunk."
As a result, he was once again met with a cold glance from Lu Shenyun.
"You don't know anything."
Huang Yu pouted and said awkwardly, "You're always so mean to me. It's just a little tea. I was going to tell you something you'd regret, but I won't."
Lu Shenyun quickly picked up all the tea leaves, blew on them carefully, and put them into a jar, not intending to engage with Huang Yu.
Seeing that the other party was not going to pay attention to him, Huang Yu was still a little unwilling. "Yesterday, Shen Qingchen came and sat here for a while. He came specifically to see you. Don't you want to know what he said?"
"What did you say?"
Seeing that he was interested, Huang Yu started to keep him in suspense again, "Didn't you say you didn't want to know? Well, I'm not telling you. I'll make you angry!"
Lu Shenyun glanced at him dismissively, then patted the tea canister in his hand. "Do you know who sent this?"
Huang Yu was taken aback. "Who sent it?"
Lu Shenyun didn't say anything, just glared at him, and went to the back hall.
"..." Huang Yu was a little confused, then suddenly realized, "Could it be that Shen... you've already met him?"
Watching Lu Shenyun's retreating figure, he shouted, "Look at how smug you are! It's just a little tea, and Shen Qingchen thinks it's something special? What a jerk!"
On the day of Zhao Qiran's banquet, Qingchen arrived at Zhao's residence on time, neither early nor late, in the mansion's carriage.
After the servants announced the arrival, Zhao Qiran immediately came out of the main gate to greet the guest. Upon seeing Qingchen, he said happily, "You've come! That's great. I was worried that something might happen and you wouldn't be able to come."
He was actually afraid that she might not come again because she had a falling out with Song Yue.
Fortunately, Qingchen was magnanimous and didn't hold a grudge against Song Yue's bad temper, otherwise today's banquet would have been a waste.
Shen Qingchen alighted from the carriage and greeted Zhao Qiran with a smile: "Greetings, Lord Zhao. Since I have already promised you, how could I go back on my word? Of course I had to come."
"I know you're the easiest person to talk to," Zhao Qiran said with a forced smile. "Unlike..."
He stopped mid-sentence, realizing something was amiss, and swallowed his words. “Come, come inside and sit down. Many people from the sect are here, some of whom you haven’t met yet. I’ll take you to meet them.”
While Zhao Qiran was busy talking, his mind was also racing. He thought to himself that Song Yue hadn't said whether he was coming or not yesterday, and now it was already this late and he still hadn't shown up. It was driving him crazy.
Qingchen followed Zhao Qiran into the Zhao residence, where they found that quite a few people had already arrived. Some were standing under the apricot tree in the courtyard, some were sitting in the flower hall, and some were sitting in the main hall. These people were gathered in twos and threes, discussing and laughing about something.
At this moment, the sun shines brightly, the trees sway gently, a cool breeze blows, and phrases from Wang Yangming's "Instructions for Practical Living" occasionally drift into my ears.
This scene reminded her of two years ago. She vaguely remembered that when she first met the disciples of the School of Mind, she went to Tongzhou with Song Yue. In an inn in Tongzhou, they were also gathered in small groups, discussing things like this.
At that time, she was a novice scholar, and with her teacher not around, she was a little nervous, clutching her little bundle and peeking here and there to listen. Everyone was discussing very enthusiastically, and no one paid attention to her, except for the eccentric and cunning Lan Tan, who drew her a big turtle.
Now, two years later, she has become a third-rank official, the Vice Minister of Revenue. At Zhao Qiran's call, everyone turned their attention to her and bowed in her direction.
At the welcoming banquet, Qingchen knew she would attract attention, but she hadn't expected to be this much, a stark contrast to her previous visit to Tongzhou. Now, within the Xin Xue sect, she held the highest official position besides Song Yue.
No wonder everyone wants to climb to the pinnacle of power. The feeling of rising to prominence and being the center of attention can fill one with a sense of accomplishment and make one feel somewhat ethereal.
Even though she was a woman and didn't belong to this era, that feeling was still strong.
Qingchen returned the greetings with a cupped hand and greeted everyone with a smile, "Hello everyone, it's been a long time."
Many people wanted to approach her and talk to her, especially those who had been to the Tongzhou Inn before, who remembered her remarks about "the philosophy of mind and the art of power."
But Zhao Qiran stopped them all, saying, "Gentlemen, gentlemen, let Lord Shen come inside and sit for a while. We'll talk about it later during the meal. He just returned from Yunnan and is tired from his journey."
Qingchen was about to say that she had rested enough when Zhao Qiran led her into the house.
There were only a few people sitting in the room, all of whom were officials of the fourth rank or above. After meeting Qingchen, they exchanged greetings.
Zhao Qiran had someone serve Qingchen a cup of tea, then sat down in the armchair himself, picked up the teacup and took a sip. "Everyone's almost here, except for Lao Song. You tell me, is he coming or not? He hasn't said anything, and it's already this late. Sigh, should I wait for him, or not?"
Qingchen remained silent, sipping her tea and admiring the lush apricot trees in the courtyard. Two birds chased and fluttered among the branches and leaves.
A person standing nearby said, "Let's wait a little longer. The Grand Secretary is always busy with official duties, and he might be drafting proposals right now."
"That's right. We rarely get together, and today is Lord Shen's welcome banquet. The Grand Secretary won't miss it. Let's wait a little longer."
Zhao Qiran put down his cup and sighed, "Very well, then let's wait and see. Hopefully, it's as you two say. Lord Shen, what do you think?"
Having been called out by name, Qingchen had no choice but to turn around and say, "Lord Zhao is the master, so I will follow Lord Zhao's arrangements."
Time passed slowly, and after they had only been sitting in the room for about half an hour, the impatient Zhao Qiran could no longer contain himself and stood up, saying, "We can't wait any longer. It's already this late, and those who are supposed to come have already arrived. I'm afraid Lord Song is truly a busy man and cannot make it. Let's take our seats."
Qingchen didn't speak, but the others hesitated and said, "Why don't we wait a little longer?"
"I'm not waiting anymore, I'm not waiting anymore. If he was going to come, he would have come long ago. If he doesn't come now, it's obvious he's not coming. But we can't make so many people wait for him." Zhao Qiran was a little unhappy and went forward to invite Qingchen, "Lord Shen, let's move to the banquet hall and have a meal."
"good."
The word "good" had barely left his lips when the steward rushed in to report, "My lord, Grand Secretary Song has arrived!"
Qingchen's heart skipped a beat, and he straightened his robe with his hands, which had been hanging by his sides.
Zhao Qiran breathed a sigh of relief, but still said petulantly, "You only came because you knew we were going to eat. What do you want to say..."
Despite his complaints, he still quickly went out to greet Song Yue.
In the banquet hall, Qingchen and Song Yue met again.
Because of his tall stature and outstanding appearance, he was very eye-catching in the crowd, making it difficult for anyone to miss him. Today, he was wearing a blue straight-cut robe, looking as refined and handsome as a noble young man in his early twenties. Only his restrained and indifferent temperament, and the seemingly unchanging tranquility in his eyes, made people realize that he was a Grand Secretary standing at the pinnacle of power in the Ming Dynasty.
In such a crowded setting, the two main characters are bound to have a direct confrontation.
When Song Yue walked up to her, Qingchen greeted him first, "Student greets teacher."
Song Yue nodded, then, to her surprise, a faint smile appeared on her lips. "You're back."
For a moment, Qingchen was lost in thought when he looked into those familiar, deep black eyes, but he quickly looked away.
This was their first conversation after more than a year apart.
In total, it's less than ten words.
Yet it seemed to stir a ripple in this otherwise serene and peaceful day.
Zhao Qiran smiled and quickly said, "Let's take a seat first, everyone's hungry. We can catch up later when we're drinking."
As the distinguished guest of the day, Qingchen was seated next to Song Yue.
As she sat down, her sleeve brushed against his, so he slightly pulled his arm back.
Seeing this, Qingchen gently bit her lower lip and simply went up and grabbed his arm tightly, "Teacher, let me help you to a seat."
Song Yue seemed taken aback for a moment. "Thank you."
"You're welcome," Qingchen said with a forced smile. "It's only right to show respect to one's teacher."
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