*
Sensing Nan Qing's change in mood, Pei Linmo knew that he had angered her.
Can.....
He moved his lips, but ultimately did not offer any explanation.
Just then, Su Jing and Nan Qing's personal attendants brought over some glutinous rice balls. Sensing that the atmosphere between their master and the crown princess was a bit off, they became anxious.
He grew up with his master since childhood and knew how much he had experienced and endured.
He understood that the girl his master liked was no ordinary young lady, but the crown prince of Wei, the future queen of Wei.
Even though his master is now the regent of Liang, he can never surpass the Crown Princess.
If one truly seeks a result, it must be that one's own master relinquishes everything in Liang to become the consort of the King of Wei, and there is absolutely no possibility that the Crown Princess would give up her position as heir apparent to become their regent's wife.
But he also understood that the burden on his master's shoulders was not just his own; it included the future of the surviving soldiers of the Pei family army, the legacy of the fallen Pei family heroes, and... the Liang Kingdom's mountains and rivers that the Pei family had protected for generations. These were all burdens weighing on his master's shoulders.
He and his master were escorted out of the mansion by the old steward at great risk. They witnessed dozens of members of the Pei family being beheaded on the execution ground.
From then on, he and his master lived like stray dogs in the shadows, sleeping in mass graves and eating spoiled food to evade capture. They plotted and schemed for over a decade, exposing their identities countless times and facing death on numerous occasions...
Now that his family's grudge had been avenged, he had no interest in discussing any grand principles. In his view, what did the state of the world or the state of Liang have to do with his lone master?
Perhaps, the arrival of the Crown Princess is Heaven's compensation for the master's hardship?
So, as he stepped forward to hand over the dumplings, he forced himself to say:
"Would the Crown Princess like to try the braised sweet potatoes from the stall next door? Our Prince specifically instructed his subordinates that the Crown Princess likes to eat sweet potatoes with fermented rice balls."
As Su Jing spoke, he also stole a glance at his master, and sure enough, the tense face visibly relaxed a little.
Actually, Nan Qing wasn't angry or anything. She knew him all too well. She just felt that Pei Linmo in this world wasn't that fun or amusing.
But on second thought, his current personality is quite normal. He is a spirited only son of a military family, but at the age of eleven, he experienced the tragedy of his family being falsely accused of treason and executed. He then struggled alone in the mud for more than ten years before the injustice was brought to light. It would be strange if his personality were not so repressed.
Just as Su Jing left, she was about to say something when she was interrupted by a sound coming from afar.
"Zhaoyang, you really are here."
Three men approached together. Upon getting closer, they first gave her a slight bow. The man in blue on the right, without any hesitation, sat down next to Nan Qing and said in a familiar manner, "I knew you would be here when I saw Lin Shan over there."
Lin Shan, her personal attendant.
Nan Qing nodded first, "What brings the three of you together today?" Then she turned to the two men who were still standing properly and said:
"Please sit down as well."
Lu Ye, who had just loudly ordered three bowls of sweet fermented rice balls, replied, "I had nothing to do today and was planning to go to Zuijiangyue, but I saw Lin Shan buying food there and knew you must be here."
Nan Qing responded with an "Mm," and then introduced Pei Linmo, who was standing to the side:
“This is Lu Ye, that is Lin Wenqian, and that is Zhou Mingyuan.”
Then he said to the three men, "This is the regent of the Liang Kingdom."
Pei Linmo nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over the three people. He remembered all three of their names.
Upon hearing this, the three of them bowed to Pei Linmo.
Lu Ye smiled familiarly and said, "Your Majesty, please don't take offense. The three of us grew up with the Crown Princess since childhood, so we don't usually have many rules."
Pei Linmo glanced at Nan Qing without showing any emotion, and replied expressionlessly, "Mm."
Seeing that he had fallen silent again, Nan Qing turned to Lu Ye and asked, "Did you have any interesting experiences at Zui Jiang Yue?"
Upon hearing this, Lu Ye nodded, moved closer to Nan Qing, and spoke in a clear and bright voice.
"Today, Zuijiangyue is holding a literary contest, and the prize is Liu Zongyuan's 'Fishing for the Moon on a Cold River' painting. So we're planning to go and take a look. Shall we go together?"
Nan Qing thought for a moment, then looked at Pei Linmo: "Pei Linmo, shall we go together?"
Pei Linmo looked up, meeting her questioning gaze, and replied briefly, "Of course."
When Su Jing returned, he saw his master silently eating dumplings, and three more handsome and elegant men on the table, all of whom seemed to be quite familiar with the Crown Princess.
But his own master was so slow to utter a single word, and when the Crown Princess tried to talk to him, she was also very sparing with her words.
He watched anxiously from the sidelines. What exactly did the prince mean? He liked her, but wasn't making a good impression. Could it be that he was having second thoughts?
The group changed their route and went to Zuijiangyue, a three-story vermilion pavilion. Before they even got close, they could hear faint music coming from inside.
Lu Ye and his two companions led the way, occasionally turning back to chat and laugh with Nan Qing, who was walking behind Pei Linmo.
The group went straight up the carved staircase to the private room on the third floor. They opened the window and had a clear view of the literary duel arena set up on the first floor.
Lu Ye pointed to the old man who had just come up on stage, "We've arrived at just the right time."
Nan Qing sat down by the window, casually patted the spot beside her, and looked up to call out:
"Pei Linmo".
Lu Ye, who was about to move closer, paused. Although they had grown up with the Crown Princess, they still knew the proper boundaries, so he turned around and sat on the other side.
Seeing her movements, Pei Linmo's furrowed brows relaxed, and he walked to her side and sat down calmly.
At this moment, bursts of applause and discussion began to rise from downstairs.
The literary contest began.
A scholar in a blue robe stepped onto the stage and wrote a seven-character quatrain with a flourish of his brush. His writing was elegant and skillful, drawing cheers from the audience.
Immediately afterwards, another man in plain clothes went on stage and recited a long poem in a calm and unhurried manner. His words were elegant and his artistic conception was profound, which drew cheers from the crowd.
Entertainment was scarce in the ancient world, so Nanqing found the arena battles quite enjoyable and would occasionally offer his comments to Lin Wenqian and the others.
Seeing the admiration she showed towards those men, and the pleasure in her eyes, Pei Linmo's heart sank.
Does she like this kind of frail, weak man?
Then why did she... flirt with him and ask him if he would be her royal consort?
Was that just a joke she made?
Pei Linmo lowered his eyes and stopped looking at her, but a strange restlessness still arose in his heart.
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