Just as Li Yao bent down to pick it up, Chu Qingluan slowly shook her head at him through her veil, signaling him not to say anything.
Li Yao understood, his fingers trembling with nervousness, but he pretended to be calm and tucked the earrings into his sleeves.
When Qi Che came back with the tea, Chu Qingluan was sipping it elegantly.
On the second floor, Li Yao had already paid the bill and left in a hurry.
…
On this side, as soon as Li Yao returned home, he couldn't wait to take out the pearl earring and examine it carefully.
"Master, this pearl is of excellent quality, it's probably worth a fortune!"
The old butler in the mansion squinted his eyes and looked carefully, and finally came to a conclusion.
"Look at this luster and roundness. It is rare even in Longxi."
This city belongs to Longxi, and Li Yao happens to be the second son of the Longxi Li family. He has been unruly and cynical since childhood, and is a well-known playboy in Longxi city.
Li Yao also has a shortcoming, which is that he loves to flirt with women, but he just walks through a sea of flowers without getting a single leaf on him.
He is already 23 years old and still unmarried. Li's parents are so anxious about his marriage that their hair has turned a lot grayer.
But there was no way out. Li Yao was born with a rebellious nature, and he didn't like any of the marriages his family arranged for him. He even criticized the woman in public when the matchmaker from the woman's side was holding a portrait to propose marriage.
This face is too big, that eye is too small, and that, oh, the skin is too dark...
In short, he picked all the women in Longxi City, but none of them satisfied him.
Except for today, that stunning glimpse of Chu Qingluan.
Noble, beautiful, cold, dignified, all kinds of temperaments are combined in one person. This is the first time that Li Yao has seen such a beauty in his life.
He felt like his heart skipped a beat at that moment.
Although the other person only showed a small part of his face, it still couldn't stop Li Yao from falling in love at first sight.
That’s right, Li Yao felt that his spring was coming.
Hearing the old housekeeper say this, Li Yao's eyes lit up: "So, that girl must be from a noble family?"
He was stroking his chin, thinking about how to "accidentally meet" the beauty, when he suddenly heard a loud shout from outside the door:
"Rebellious son! Which girl did you mess with outside again?!"
Father Li rushed in angrily, holding a family baguette in his hand.
"Father! This time is different!"
Li Yao dodged behind the old housekeeper while hurriedly explaining, "That young lady was very impressive and had guards with her. She asked me for help with this earring..."
"Bullshit!" Father Li was so angry that his beard was shaking. "Last month, you flirted with Wang Yuanwai's daughter and made me pay three hundred taels of silver. What kind of pearls are you flirting with this time? Give them to me!"
As Father Li spoke, he spread out his hands and asked for the earrings in Li Yao's hand.
Li Yao hurriedly held the earring tightly: "Father, this was really thrown to me by that lady..."
"You dare to quibble!" Father Li raised his stick and was about to hit him. "Who in the whole Longxi City doesn't know you, this devil? And a woman gave you something in the street. She must be blind and didn't see clearly."
"That's not the case, father. Please listen to my explanation..."
Just as the chaos was going on, a servant came running in in a panic, announcing, "Master! Thank you... Thank you, the Prime Minister is here!"
The stick in Li's father's hand shook and almost fell on Li Yao.
"What!?"
Thank you, Prime Minister?
Xie Yunqi?
Are you in Longxi?
Father Li's brows were tightly furrowed, and the stick in his hand fell to the ground with a clang.
The news that Xie Yunqi advocated new policies, suppressed the gentry, and even broke with his family spread widely, and Li's father, who was far away in Longxi, also heard about it.
He had suddenly come here. Could it be that the imperial court had issued another decree to wipe out all the noble families?
But that doesn't make sense. There are many aristocratic families in the nearby states and counties, but I've never heard of Xie Yunqi issuing any decrees on behalf of the emperor.
At this moment, Father Li saw out of the corner of his eye that Li Yao was still looking at an earring as if it were a treasure, and he instantly became furious.
He grabbed Li Yao's ear and said in a low voice, "You little bastard, look at how much trouble you have caused. This time, even Prime Minister Xie was alarmed."
Li Yao was also panicked, and explained in a trembling voice: "Father, please understand, I really just..."
"Shut up!" Father Li slapped him on the head, turned around and ordered the housekeeper, "Quick! Open the middle door to welcome the guests, and let this rebellious son kneel in the ancestral hall first."
The butler quickly took the order and left, only to hear a burst of orderly footsteps coming from outside.
Xie Yunqi was still wearing a dark brocade robe, and he came straight to the inner courtyard with twelve black-armored guards. Wherever he passed, the servants of the Li Mansion all saluted.
"Master Li!" Xie Yunqi's voice was very calm, and no emotion could be heard. "I hope you can forgive me for coming to visit you without permission."
Upon hearing this, Father Li said humbly, "Thank you for your words, Prime Minister. I am sorry that you have come to my humble home and have failed to welcome me..."
At this time, Xie Yunqi's eyes passed Li's father and saw Li Yao behind him.
"Is this your son?"
Li Yao was stabbed by Xie Yunqi's gaze, and subconsciously tightened the earrings in his sleeves, then stepped forward and bowed.
"My name is Li Yao, nice to meet Prime Minister Xie."
Xie Yunqi nodded slightly, his eyes passed lightly from Li Yao to Li's father.
"Sir Li, I came here to look for a noble man."
Father Li's heart skipped a beat. "I wonder who the Prime Minister is looking for..."
"Princess Zhaoyang!" Xie Yunqi lowered his voice very low, "His Majesty has issued a secret decree that the princess disappeared during the autumn hunt and may have been held hostage by criminals."
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