Qingchen and the others entered the house and greeted Song Yue and Lan Tan inside.
Lu Shenyun met Song Yue's gaze and spoke first: "Grand Secretary Song has also arrived."
Song Yue nodded. "Qiran is going to Shandong and invited me to come and discuss some matters, and also to visit Lan Tan... Why is Lord Lu here today as well?"
"Shaoheng was teaching at the Lu family school when we happened to run into him. Knowing he was coming, I helped him bring the wine."
Song Yue nodded to indicate that he understood, and then said nothing more.
Several people sat down on the armchairs, instantly filling the spacious hall.
However, after exchanging greetings and pleasantries, no one spoke again.
Zhao Qiran hadn't expected the scene to turn out this way. After a moment of surprise, he quickly warmed up the atmosphere, saying, "It's truly a rare occasion that so many good friends have come to visit me all at once. It really makes me feel honored. I think we're all officials in the same court and already acquainted, so there's no need to be so formal, is there?"
After he finished speaking, there was silence.
Zhao Qiran: "..."
Lu Shenyun was not one to talk much, especially in such crowded situations. Today, he wasn't the main character; he was merely accompanying Qingchen, so he remained silent, sitting upright. He took the embroidered spring knife he always carried from his side and placed it on the small table next to his chair.
Song Yue remained silent, simply sipping his tea slowly, his gaze fixed straight ahead, his expression indifferent. When Qing Chen and the others first entered the room, they could still hear him talking to Lan Tan; the sudden silence was somewhat awkward.
Lan Tan was a sensitive person. Seeing this situation, he felt puzzled and amused. So he simply kept quiet and scanned the faces to observe the subtle expressions on everyone's faces.
The high-ranking officials remained silent, and Gu Shaoheng, being a commoner without official rank, naturally couldn't say anything first, so he just looked at Qingchen—who seemed somewhat uneasy.
Logically speaking, among the six people sitting in the room, Qingchen should be familiar with the other five and should have something to say to each of them. Especially now that she is a high-ranking official of the third rank, her words and speech are different from before. Her unease today is somewhat inexplicable, and he can't quite understand it.
"This..." Zhao Qiran had barely finished speaking when there was no response, which made him feel somewhat awkward as the host. He glanced at the teacups out of the corner of his eye and then began to speak again, "Oh, by the way, the tea that you are drinking was brought back to me by Qingchen from Yunnan. It has a unique aroma and is particularly refreshing."
When Zhao Qiran first returned, he hosted a welcome dinner for Qingchen, and Qingchen brought him some tea. Zhao Qiran liked the taste of this tea, and these days the tea brewed in the mansion was all the time.
"Lord Song, Lord Lu, what do you think of the taste of this tea?" Zhao Qiran asked with some pride.
Song Yue put down the covered bowl and replied indifferently, "Not bad."
Do you know what this tea is called?
"I don't know," he asked. "What kind of tea is it?"
At this moment, Lu Shenyun picked up the covered bowl he hadn't touched before, took a sip, and said, "This is called Kunming Shili Xiang, produced in Guihua Temple, Shili Pu, Jinma Mountain. The leaves are green and the soup is clear, with a fragrance like orchids. I've been drinking it these days..."
After saying that, he glanced at Song Yue.
"What a coincidence! I didn't expect Lord Lu to enjoy Yunnan tea so much." Finally, everyone was willing to speak, and Zhao Qiran smiled with relief.
"Qingchen gave it to me."
After he finished speaking, the hall fell silent for a moment, and the atmosphere became somewhat awkward.
Qingchen lowered his head slightly, feeling a little regretful for appearing here, for some reason.
Zhao Qiran then belatedly realized that Song Yue, as a Grand Secretary and Qingchen's teacher, had not received the tea she had sent!
On the contrary, Lu Shenyun, who didn't seem to have much interaction with Qingchen in the past, somehow received...
The atmosphere went from awkward to even more awkward, all because of his idiot brain!
Zhao Qiran silently gave Song Yue an apologetic look, but Song Yue looked at him expressionlessly.
It was Lan Tan who came to Zhao Qiran's rescue.
"Hey, Shen Qingchen." Lan Tan leaned back in his chair, playing with the wolf fang on his wrist, and suddenly said, "I heard you went to Yunnan. Did anything interesting happen there? I heard that the smiling wolf Meng Gexing, who is cunning, treacherous, and ruthless, was completely subdued by you and even started farming. Is that true? I'm really curious. How did you do it? Tell us about it. Huh?"
Two years ago, Qingchen devised a strategy for the Crown Prince's horse race, which resulted in a victory against the Chagatai Khanate. Lan Tan, as the rider, was also rewarded and promoted to commander of a thousand men. During his two years in Kaiping Guard, he again distinguished himself and was promoted to a fourth-rank commander, receiving the title "General Mingwei".
Qingchen nodded, saying that sharing his experiences in Yunnan was better than just staring at each other blankly.
"I just made a deal with him that would benefit both of us, and he agreed."
"How did you negotiate?" Lan Tan pressed.
Everyone else was curious, and their gazes all fell on Qingchen. Only Song Yue seemed to have already understood, and remained silent.
Qingchen recounted his negotiations with Meng Gexing, concluding with the statement, "He is a person who values interests."
Just then, after finishing their conversation, it was time to eat, so Zhao Qiran invited everyone to join them for a meal.
Song Yue was usually busy and rarely dined at Zhao Qiran's house, but today he showed no sign of leaving.
Upon arriving at the dining hall, the six people took their seats.
Under Zhao Qiran's arrangement, Song Yue and Lu Shenyun sat on either side of Qingchen, which made her feel increasingly awkward and uncomfortable.
After Zhao Qiran gave his opening remarks, he suggested that everyone drink together. As is customary, the first three drinks were to be shared, but after two drinks, Qingchen's glass was taken away by Lu Shenyun.
"Gentlemen, Lady Shen is not feeling well today. I will drink the rest of the wine on her behalf."
On the way, Lu Shenyun asked Qingchen if she would drink if they were to drink today. Qingchen only said that she didn't have a high alcohol tolerance and probably wouldn't drink much, which he kept in mind.
Also, Song Yue was present today, and he didn't want her to get drunk. Because when people are drunk, they are often more prone to sadness.
“Lu Shenyun…” Qingchen looked at him, hesitating whether to refuse, but he had already poured her wine into his own glass and finished drinking it.
She pursed her lips, thanked him, and then glanced at Song Yue out of the corner of her eye. She saw him silently drink his wine and gently put the glass down with his slender fingers.
Today's gathering at the Zhao residence was hosted by Zhao Qiran, but Qingchen and Gu Shaoheng came to express their gratitude. So, not long after the meal began, Gu Shaoheng raised his glass to toast everyone present.
Speaking of favors, the relationships among the six people present are quite interesting, as almost everyone is involved with each other. If a relationship diagram were drawn, it would be a very, very complex picture.
Starting with Gu Shaoheng, Song Yue, Lan Tan, Qing Chen, Lu Shenyun... all of them have been kind to him.
Then there's Lan Tan. His move from the garrison to the Eastern Palace was due to Song Yue's decisive action, and his return to the garrison from the Eastern Palace was due to Qing Chen's victory in the power struggle. Lan Tan is Zhao Qiran's nephew; any favor done to Lan Tan is a favor done to Zhao Qiran.
Next is Lu Shenyun. Two years ago, he first met Qingchen at Cheng Yi's clinic, and already owed Qingchen a debt of gratitude for saving his life. Later, he got drunk and collapsed unconscious in the snow in the middle of the night, and it was Song Yue who found him and helped him up.
When she was still a junior scholar in Qingchen, Gu Shaoheng took great care of her, and he was the one who took her to the clinic after she fell down the stairs. She owed Song Yue even more; his kindness in teaching her goes without saying, and later, Song Yue also helped her resolve the issues of Mingxiang and breaking into the city gate.
If you trace it back to the very top, it seems that everyone owes Song Yue a debt of gratitude, but he has never repaid them for it.
Unbeknownst to him, he had done so much for those around him, yet he had never received anything in return.
As Qingchen thought about it, she inexplicably felt a tightness in her chest.
Later, everyone chatted and drank together, but Qingchen stopped drinking. He wouldn't drink with Lu Shenyun, nor with Song Yue.
Sitting between the two people, her attention was not on the table full of fine wine and delicacies at all. She was already distracted and somewhat regretted coming here today.
Song Yue didn't say much, just quietly ate and drank. Qingchen could tell that he didn't eat much, but he drank quite a lot of wine.
Lan Tan sat beside Lu Shenyun, and since both were military officers, they found themselves quite compatible. Lan Tan had practiced martial arts since childhood and was also skilled in leading troops. Facing Lu Shenyun, the foremost military officer of the Ming Dynasty and commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, he seemed to have endless questions. When things got lively, he insisted on drinking with Lu Shenyun, drinking until he was completely satisfied. Because Lan Tan was Qingchen's friend, Lu Shenyun did not refuse and drank all of it.
Later, both Lan Tan and Lu Shenyun drank a bit too much.
Song Yue and Qing Chen didn't talk much, so Gu Shaoheng naturally paired up with Zhao Qiran. Neither of them could hold their liquor, and they soon turned red in the face and felt dizzy and drowsy.
Later, when Lu Shenyun realized he could no longer drink and wanted to refuse Lan Tan, it was too late to stop.
He and Lan Tan had both slumped onto the table. Before they did, Qingchen noticed that his face and neck were already red. She wanted to advise him, but seeing how close he and Lan Tan were, she felt she had no right to do so and remained silent.
Furthermore, she focused most of her attention on Song Yue.
Although we didn't say a word to each other, just sitting like this felt like a unique kind of interaction.
In the end, Gu Shaoheng and Zhao Qiran were both so drunk they were staggering, and no one spoke anymore. The only sober people left at the table were Song Yue and Qingchen.
"Are you alright?"
Just as the two were in silence, he suddenly spoke up: "Are you drunk?"
Qingchen shook his head. "I'm not drunk. I didn't drink much today... Where's the teacher?"
"No. I'm the kind of person who's most prone to wasting alcohol. After one glass after another, my lips and tongue are numb, and I can't taste anything anymore, but I just can't get drunk. Today I've wasted the wine that you and Shaoheng brought again."
After saying that, he picked up the teapot and poured hot tea into the small celadon cup in front of her. "Have some tea."
Qingchen picked up the cup, took a small sip, and put it back. "I thought being able to drink a thousand cups without getting drunk was a skill that everyone envied."
"You think so too?" He smiled faintly, looking at her. "But if someone can't even get drunk on alcohol, what's there to envy?"
I don't know if it was because of the alcohol, but his tone was especially gentle today.
The moment Qingchen met his eyes, she felt a tremor in her heart. Those eyes were warm and dreamy, as deep as the starry sky and the ocean, seemingly still, yet as if hiding turbulent undercurrents.
The dam she built in her heart little by little each day was breached in an instant.
"Lord Zhao has had too much to drink, the banquet should be over by now... I..." Qingchen dared not be alone with him any longer.
"Do you still hold a grudge against me for what happened that day?" he suddenly asked, his voice deep and magnetic.
The things he had deliberately buried were brought up again today, and Qingchen felt a slight pain in her heart. She forced herself to remain calm and said, "I don't hate anymore. It's all in the past, so I don't hate anymore. That kind of thing wasn't something I wanted to do all along."
"I was too harsh with my words that day," Song Yue said, adding more tea to her cup. "I apologize to you today."
Qingchen's heart clenched.
Was I being too harsh?
Was it just that I said it too harshly?
Qingchen looked at the cup of tea, finally picked it up, and took a sip. "If Teacher feels guilty and insists on apologizing to me, then I will accept it."
Song Yue looked at her, her eyelashes fluttering slightly. "Since you've chosen to forgive, then don't remember it. Forget about it."
He did that back then to make a lasting impression on her, to make her completely give up on him and distance herself from him. But today, after drinking so much, although he wasn't drunk, he couldn't quite control his emotions.
Therefore, I temporarily hope that she can forget the cruel and heartless things I did to her and never think about them again.
"I forgot..." Qingchen murmured, raising her eyes to look directly at him, and asked in return, "Does teacher know that the more you try to forget something, the harder it is to forget? Is the way you're reminding me today because you really want me to forget?"
He looked at her, his gaze softening. "I'm sorry, teacher."
Qingchen's heart clenched again.
Disliking something is never a mistake, so why apologize?
“Since it’s all in the past, Qingchen won’t hold it against you. Teacher, you don’t need to feel guilty anymore. We’re both officials in the same court, and we’ll run into each other all the time. Let’s just let it all go and not bring it up again.” She smiled slightly, turned to look at Lu Shenyun, and concealed the ugly bitterness that followed when her smile disappeared.
Lu Shenyun mumbled something indistinctly and shifted his body, but did not wake up.
Qingchen turned around and said, "I'll go and fetch a servant to help them to the retreat to rest. Please enjoy your meal, Master."
Having said that, she got up and went out to call a servant, who helped Lu Shenyun to the retreat. Along the way, Lu Shenyun remained unconscious, completely drunk.
Although it is autumn now and the weather is not hot, because they drank so quickly, fine beads of sweat have appeared on his forehead.
Upon reaching the door, Qingchen instructed a servant to fetch some water. As soon as the servant left, she chased after him, adding, "Please bring warm water, and a dry cloth..."
Before he could finish speaking, Song Yue walked up the corridor.
The autumn wind blew by, ruffling his robes. He still looked refined and elegant, with a graceful and unparalleled appearance.
He stopped in front of her. "How is Lord Lu?"
Qingchen glanced into the room. "Still drunk, not awake."
"We need water..."
“He was sweating a lot, and I wanted to wipe him off.” Qingchen paused for a moment, then added, “It’s cool in autumn, and I’m afraid the wind might chill him to the bone.”
He gave a soft "hmm" and then said, "This kind of thing can be done by the servant; why do you have to do it yourself?"
"It's alright, I'm fine right now. Besides, Lord Lu has been very kind to me."
Song Yue blinked slightly. "Oh."
Qingchen looked at him and said, "Teacher, you've drunk quite a bit today. Aren't you going to rest for a while?"
"I'm not going to rest... I can't sleep anyway."
For some reason, she suddenly blurted out, "Is the teacher unable to sleep because he misses someone, or because he's afraid of this relationship being made public?"
After a moment of silence, Song Yue finally spoke: "It's not what you think..."
"What is it?!" She was a little excited, and her eyes welled up with tears.
"...I can't tell you."
She chuckled awkwardly and nodded. "I understand."
Having an affair with the emperor's concubine was something he couldn't tell outsiders.
"Then please go ahead, teacher. I'll go see Lord Lu first."
"etc."
On the corridor, Qingchen remained silent for a moment before turning around. "Is there anything else you need, teacher?"
That's not what you think... My relationship with Consort Zheng is completely innocent; there was no affair between us.
Qingchen, you are the only woman I cherish in this life. How I wish to be with you every day, to love you, to protect you, to stay with you forever, and to spend the rest of my life with you.
"Forget about me," he said.
A thousand words gathered in my heart, but in the end, they turned into completely opposite statements.
Upon hearing this, Qingchen was terrified, and the dam in his heart completely collapsed.
"Don't worry!" A voice rang out from behind.
Qingchen turned around abruptly and saw Lu Shenyun leaning against the door, looking at them. "Don't worry, Grand Secretary Song."
"You're awake..." She rushed over to help him up.
He nodded. "Just woke up. I slept so soundly that I had a dream. I dreamt that you were crying."
She was crying in her dream, which startled him awake. He was covered in cold sweat and walked to the door, just in time to hear Song Yue's words.
"Your Excellency," Lu Shenyun leaned against the door, looking at Song Yue, and put an arm around Qingchen's shoulder, "From now on, Qingchen will no longer require Your Excellency's concern."
...
A faint smile slowly spread across Song Yue's lips. "Okay."
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