The consequence of his anger is——
He wanted to overturn the table at the blind date party on the spot.
He is not so great as to sacrifice himself just to watch others form pairs and love each other.
Perhaps it was because the resentment in Xie Yunqi's eyes was too strong, Chu Qingluan seemed to realize that she was somewhat in the wrong and slightly shifted her gaze.
After a while, she picked up the teapot herself, poured a cup for Xie Yunqi first, and then took her turn.
She held the cup in both hands, stood up, and solemnly saluted Xie Yunqi as a student.
"Master, this cup of tea is my apology."
Her voice was still cold, but with a rare sincerity: "This time it is my fault for not thinking things through. The Xie family has a good reputation for a hundred years, and the Grand Tutor went against the ancestral teachings to help, but I failed to do everything I could. It is my fault."
The mist of tea reflected her calm eyes.
Xie Yunqi did not take it immediately, but stared at her with a serious look.
This was the first time he saw Chu Qingluan maintaining the posture of offering tea.
He recalled that when she was little, she had the same attitude when she humbly asked for advice.
Dignified and respectful, yet with a clear distance.
His dark eyes looked a little heavy.
"I know that Prime Minister Xie has no shortage of power and status." She raised her eyes and looked directly at him, with a rare softness flashing in her eyes, "So this apology is a favor I owe you."
After saying this, she pushed the teacup half a step forward, "If the Grand Master needs anything in the future, as long as it does not violate morality and does not harm the country, I will definitely report it!"
Xie Yunqi's burning eyes fell on her bright red lips that opened and closed, and his throat felt a little dry.
He finally took the teacup and stroked the rim of the cup with his fingertips, "Your Highness knows that what I want is never these."
"I know." Chu Qingluan withdrew her hand and regained her composure: "But Master, you should also understand that some things cannot be forced!"
Xie Yunqi stared at her, with dark currents surging in his eyes.
Can't you force it?
What if he insists?
Finally, he suddenly chuckled, raised his head and drank the tea: "You can't force it!"
"Then I will wait and see how Your Highness will repay this favor."
Xie Yunqi sneered in his heart.
When he needed someone, he called him Prime Minister Xie all the time; when he found out he was in the wrong, he called him Grand Tutor all the time.
Oh!
The nameless anger in his chest began to rise again.
…
Little did they know that the scene of the two drinking tea in the waterside pavilion soon fell into a pair of sinister and dangerous eyes.
Among the crowd, there was a young man with ordinary looks and plain clothes. He was staring at the direction of the water pavilion without blinking. The moment he saw Chu Qingluan personally holding a cup of tea to show him respect, he crushed the teacup in his hand.
"Yun Yan? Yun Yan?"
Seeing that he was distracted, his companions hurriedly reminded him: "This is the princess's party, you must be careful and don't make any mistakes."
Yun Yan - no, it should be said that it was Qi Che who was in disguise, slowly loosened his clenched fist and let the porcelain piece slide from his palm.
“It’s okay.” He whispered, his voice returning to the timid tone that a bastard of the Yun family should have: “It’s just… I accidentally dropped it.”
This time he came to the banquet in place of the eldest son of the Yun family. Logically speaking, he had no qualifications to attend the piano competition.
But on the eve of the departure of the eldest son of the Yun family, he suddenly had a stomachache. So his family thought that since he was going to be the princess's concubine, and Yun Yan, the illegitimate son, was not bad-looking, if he could win the princess's favor, it would be a benefit to the family in the future.
So, after some consideration, the Yun family sent Yun Yan to the carriage to replace the Yun family's eldest son to attend the banquet.
The companion beside him did not suspect anything and took the initiative to hand over the handkerchief: "You have to be careful. Although the Yun family is now in decline, it is still a noble family. If you can get the favor of a noble lady today, you will have a bright future."
The companion is also an inconspicuous bastard from a family. His biggest wish is to be chosen by a rich lady and thereby gain a powerful helper.
Qi Che lowered his eyes to hide the anger surging in his eyes.
He had carefully chosen the identity of the Yun family's bastard. His family had fallen into poverty and no one cared about him, but he was barely qualified to attend such occasions.
He even carved a birthmark on the inside of his arm that was exactly the same as Yun Yan's, and even imitated his voice perfectly.
"Yes, if I can gain your favor..."
He repeated to himself, but his eyes drifted to the waterside pavilion, where Chu Qingluan and Xie Yunqi were whispering something. The two of them seemed to be in their own world, and no one could interfere.
This scene made Qi Che feel as if he had been hit hard, and his hands under his sleeves clenched into fists.
In order to shine at the piano concert today, he practiced hard for three whole nights, and his nails were bleeding.
But now, Chu Qingluan announced that she would not choose a husband, but would just organize a party for everyone to see.
How can this be possible?
Wouldn't all his careful preparations be wasted?
"Sir, would you like to try the Feihua Order over there?" At this time, a maid came forward to ask.
Qi Che's eyes flashed with a dark light, and then he showed a humble smile: "I am not very knowledgeable, I am afraid that this Feihua Order--"
Before he could finish his words, he heard a sudden burst of cheers from not far away.
On the Feihualing stage, Zhao Baiyu, the son of the Minister of Revenue, was waving his fan and pretending to be elegant, "The spring breeze is blowing and the horse's hooves are galloping - what should the word 'fast' mean? Does anyone here have any opinions?"
Qi Che's eyes fixed.
This Zhao Baiyu is none other than the prince's cronies and this year's newly-minted Jinshi. He usually bullies poor students like them. This time he deliberately showed off at the piano concert, presumably to attract the princess's attention.
Sure enough, when Qi Che looked back, he saw that Chu Qingluan had left the water pavilion and headed for the high stands.
Qi Che lowered his eyes, his pupils dimmed.
When he looked up again, he straightened his clothes and suddenly said in a loud voice, "Mr. Zhao, this is a very interesting question. But I heard that Mr. Zhao rode his horse and injured someone in Zuixianlou last month. He really knows the true meaning of the word 'sickness'."
After these words were spoken, the whole audience fell silent.
Zhao Baiyu's expression suddenly changed: "Who are you? How dare you shout at me in public!"
"Yun Yan of the Yun family, a newly-appointed Jinshi." Qi Che said neither humbly nor arrogantly, and then turned to the direction of the main seat, "Your Highness, please understand that the word '疾' in Shuowen has two meanings: 'rapid' and 'illness'. I'm afraid that what Mr. Zhao just chanted was the wrong allusion."
Chu Qingluan was indeed attracted by this sudden rebuttal, "Oh? What do you mean?"
Qi Che was delighted, and quickly suppressed the infatuation in his eyes, and bowed slightly: "Your Highness, this sentence was originally 'The spring breeze is blowing, the horse's hooves are galloping, and I can see all the flowers in Chang'an in one day', which describes the joy after passing the imperial examination.
If it is used in situations where a horse is hurting someone, it would be disrespectful.”
After he finished speaking, a few chuckles suddenly rang out at the table. Zhao Baiyu was so angry that his face turned blue. He pointed at Qi Che with his fan and said, "You..."
"Mr. Yun is indeed a studious man." Chu Qingluan said calmly, "In that case, how about writing a new poem with the word '疾' as the title?"
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