At the main entrance, Li Meng, who was waiting to be called in, saw the familiar face and voice, smiled slightly, and entered the magnificent General Qin's mansion.
When Li Meng arrived at Qingyin's courtyard, Qingyin was already feeling slightly sleepy. She was glancing at the fruit in the maid's hand, taking small bites and swallowing.
What was clearly a normal action took on a different meaning in the man's eyes. His initial joy vanished, and he stormed up to Qingyin, giving the serving maid a glare that was both inscrutable and chilling. The maid trembled at his gaze, dropping the longan she was holding to the ground.
This gave those with ulterior motives a perfect excuse. Li Meng eagerly stepped forward, pulled aside the maid, squatted down in her place, looked at the lazy young master in front of him, and coaxed him in a teasing tone that was both amusing and dagger-like: "Young master, this woman is clumsy. Let me serve you instead."
"You," Qingyin slightly raised her chin toward where Li Meng was standing. Her voice softened with sleepiness, making her already charming voice even softer. But the spoiled and arrogant young master was not one to be easily fooled. He said critically, "You, a young master who is served, how could you know anything about serving others?"
"Yes, I will, as long as it's you." Li Meng leaned closer and said, his affectionate peach blossom eyes fixed on the handsome young master in front of him, almost mesmerized by his stunning face.
This forced him to completely abandon the facade he had previously maintained in front of the young master. Occasionally, Li Meng, feeling somewhat distant, couldn't help but think that he no longer felt like he was seeing a beautiful flower on the road, wanting to casually pick it or take a sniff because it was pretty.
It was more like a dog beside the young master, staring intently at him, trying to get some bones or scraps that the master had carelessly discarded from his hands.
No, how could someone like him be just a lowly dog? Li Meng thought darkly, but then he caught sight of that fair and slender neck so close to his face. He couldn't help but swallow hard, and his heart started to itch again.
Forget it, being a dog for the young master is something others can only dream of.
Realizing what nonsense he was thinking, Li Meng paused and lowered his head again.
Qingyin didn't care what that lustful young master was thinking. Since the fruit had ended up in the hands of such a disgusting person, he was too lazy to eat it. He could just give it to the people in the courtyard later without wasting it.
Seeing that Qingyin didn't speak, Li Meng thought that the proud young master was annoyed with him, so he couldn't help but approach the young master in a flattering manner and said, "Young master, why haven't you been going out to play lately? Aren't you bored staying at the manor all the time? Recently, Hua Man Lou has selected a number one courtesan. Don't you want to go and see her?"
Qingyin's gaze paused slightly, realizing that the person in front of him was probing why he hadn't come out these past few days. He glared angrily at the man: "Hmph, if you hadn't called me to the Flower Pavilion, would I have been seen by my mother when I went back at night, and would I have gotten a scolding from her!"
Guo Liu, who was watching from the sidelines, raised his head in confusion and met the gaze of the young master lying on the chair. Did he see the madam when he came back last time? Hearing the young master's firm words, Guo Liu was confused. Perhaps, maybe.
The young master, soft on the outside and soft on the inside, will only make people think of him as a beautiful raccoon no matter how angry he gets. No matter how fierce he is, he will only give people a cute feeling.
Li Meng had this feeling. Afraid that the young master would discover that the man was not frightened but rather adorable, he hurriedly lowered his head to hide the smile in his eyes. So the young master had been scolded by Madam Dong these past few days. He said apologetically, "Ah, I see. It's my fault. When Luo Cheng and the others mentioned it, I thought it was interesting and came to invite the young master."
Li Meng, as if shifting the blame onto Luo Cheng and the others, gently coaxed Qing Yin.
They dared not mention Hua Manlou again.
But the young master was still angry because of the brothel mentioned earlier. Li Meng's brain was working at lightning speed, thinking of a reason to coax the young master. Suddenly, he remembered what his personal servant had said casually at the mansion—the number one teahouse in the east of the city was holding a poetry competition again. Why not join in the fun and coax the young master to play for a while?
Thinking it over, Li Meng smiled and said, "Today, the No. 1 teahouse in the east of the city is holding a poetry discussion. Why don't you go and have a look, young master? I heard it's quite a lively event. The teahouse's organizers have even hired a band to play instruments and such..."
"A poetry gathering?" Qingyin's eyes widened, her narrow fox-like eyes widening slightly, losing some of their allure and gaining a hint of innocence.
The boy was innocent, and his emotions could be seen from his facial expressions. Li Meng was charmed by his cuteness. He knew that the young master was not very literate and could not write poetry, but he liked lively atmospheres. He was somewhat interested and explained with a smile: "The poetry gathering is not just about writing poems. The teahouse will also prepare some other small activities, such as riddles and pitch-pot."
Upon hearing the man's explanation, the boy, who had initially only been tempted, immediately became determined. He proudly declared, "Alright, let's go then."
"good."
Li Meng, in high spirits after receiving the boy's consent, nodded and prepared to help the boy up. Qingyin glanced at him, who was being too eager, slapped him away, and got up herself.
Li Meng, who was slapped away, was not annoyed. He sat quietly in the courtyard and watched as Qingyin was tidied up and her appearance was restored. Only then did he stand up with a smile.
The two walked out of the courtyard one after the other.
On the way, after the two stepped out of the gate, the dark figure, hidden by the wall, stared displeasedly at the two who appeared quite intimate from his angle, and asked the steward behind him, who was keeping his head bowed tightly, "Who is that person?"
"Master, that's Li Meng, the young master's good friend. He's the fourth son of the Left Prime Minister, born to a concubine." The steward looked up in surprise, catching sight of the figure in the distance. The head steward, who was often at the mansion, recognized the familiar figure and said.
"Ha, they really have no taste."
It was unclear who to refer to, but the steward, who had never heard such harsh words from the master before, once again lowered his head tightly. Unlike the naive and innocent madam, the steward, who had been with the Qin family since he was a teenager, clearly knew the general in charge quite well.
For example, the master is not as kind as he appears.
— — — — — — — — — — — — —
Once Qingyin left the Qin residence, she felt as free as a fish swimming in the sea, and she no longer found Li Meng so annoying.
The Qin residence was some distance from the No. 1 Tea House in the east of the capital, so as soon as she stepped out of the gate, Qingyin sat in the carriage arranged by Guo Liu.
The carriage was Qin Miao's personal carriage, incredibly luxurious. The interior was covered with thick cushions, probably to keep the only young general from getting too hot. On top of that was a layer of cool-looking gold silk quilt of some unknown material, which was obviously very expensive.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
