Chapter 60 (Chapter 60) (The following is a separate, unrelated sentence:) I'm fierce.
Zhao Tuo was not about to let Song Shu leave so easily. He had spent so much money today, not just to treat her to a meal.
But he also knew that after being interrupted so many times today, Jiang Ru and her so-called cousin must be deliberately trying to cause trouble. He might have to wait until these annoying people were gone before he could spend time alone with Song Shu.
He exchanged a glance with Pei Wu, and a smile spread across his face: "Since the Prime Minister is urging us, then I will not keep Miss Song any longer. Please take care, Miss Song."
Upon hearing this, Song Shu politely said goodbye and hurriedly left with Jiang Ru.
Jiang Ru held her hand and whispered to her, the two of them completely unaware of the undercurrents between the other two.
Pei Wu and Zhao Tuo inside the room stared at each other for a moment. It was rare for him to curl the corner of his lips into a contemptuous smile. He would never have such an expression no matter who he met. It was an undisguised mockery.
He naturally knew that this person was a prince of the Southern Kingdom. He had rushed over after learning that the man had entered the restaurant with Jiang Ru and Song Shu. He was so foolish to hear such crazy talk as soon as he arrived.
After all, the Southern Kingdom prince's idea was too bizarre, and he didn't take it seriously at first. Who knew that he would set his sights on Song Shu?
Pei Wu's contemptuous expression lasted only a moment before disappearing. He nodded to Zhao Tuo, then turned and followed Jiang Ru.
Song Pingzhang also heard the news. He was so angry that he wanted to come over himself, but Pei Wu stopped him. It was inappropriate for Song Pingzhang to show up. What if Zhao Tuo was too confident and thought he had won the favor of his "father-in-law"?
It's no exaggeration to say that Zhao Tuo is clueless. Changes in officials are common in the Great Xia Dynasty. Today Song Pingzhang is the prime minister, but he may not be tomorrow. Even if he were to marry the daughter of an official, what would he do if that official were demoted or had his property confiscated?
After all, they're not royalty, so they can't be replaced at will. It's not as secure as a marriage alliance with the royal family. Of course, given Zhao Tuo's current status, he's simply not a good match for her.
So everyone thought he was stupid, ridiculously stupid.
Jiang Ru wondered if he was mentally ill, otherwise how could he come up with such a vicious idea?
Jiang Ru pulled Song Shu closer and said, "The envoy from the Southern Kingdom will stay for at most a month or half a month. During this time, you should go out as little as possible. If you do go out, remember to call me so I can look after you."
After thinking for a moment, Jiang Ru added, "It's best to avoid him if possible. He's really not right in the head. What if he does something immoral? It's better to stay away from him as much as possible. I'll come to see you often, so it won't be boring."
Song Shu nodded in agreement. Zhao Tuo was too crazy; they really needed to avoid him.
The two escorted Song Shu back to the Song residence before heading home themselves.
On the way, Pei Wu remained silent, and Jiang Ru couldn't help but nudge him a couple of times: "Hey, do you know who that man is? The Fourth Prince of the Southern Kingdom, do you think he's crazy...?"
Before she could finish speaking, Pei Wu abruptly stopped, his tone not very pleasant: "I also want to ask, what went wrong with you today that made you go out to eat with him?"
Jiang Ru was stunned by what he said and was dumbfounded: "I had no choice. He kept forcing Song Shu to go, and I really couldn't refuse, so I had no choice but to go along with it."
Seeing that she had no idea she was wrong, Pei Wu took a deep breath and said, "You don't even know what kind of person he is, yet you dare to go there. What if he's not a good person? If you go with him, you'll be walking into a trap."
Jiang Ru thought he was exaggerating: "He's in Daxia now, how could he do something foolish?"
Pei Wu, however, said, "What he's doing now is nothing but a foolish thing."
That's true, but Jiang Ru didn't think it had come to that. Everyone knew they went to the restaurant, so what could Zhao Tuo do?
Before Jiang Ru could speak, Pei Wu continued, "You said he's stupid, but what if he actually does it?"
That seemed to make some sense, but Jiang Ru felt something was off. She muttered, "I'm fine, aren't I?"
She still felt she had done nothing wrong. Pei Wu closed his eyes briefly: "What if he holds a grudge and takes revenge on you later?"
Jiang Ru hadn't really thought that far ahead. After all, a prince from the Southern Kingdom shouldn't be so stingy, right?
Even though she didn't say anything, Pei Wu guessed what she was thinking and said coldly, "You know how much you ordered. It's so much money. Even he would feel the pinch. How could he not hate you?"
Jiang Ru acted rashly, confident that Zhao Tuo, who was paying tribute to the Southern Kingdom, would not dare to make a move. That's why she dared to do it. Now, after Pei Wu's explanation, she does have some merit. However, she was too angry at the time to think things through.
She quickly replied, "I was too angry at the time, I'll be more careful next time."
Pei Wu, however, remained unmoved by her explanations and quickened his pace, seemingly unwilling to wait for her any longer.
Jiang Ru jogged to catch up, promising half-heartedly, "I won't do it again next time. I'll stay far away from him, I promise."
Pei Wu's face was cold, and he took very long strides, moving with incredible speed.
Jiang Ru had a hard time catching up with him and could only jog along. When she couldn't catch up anymore, she grabbed Pei Wu's sleeve and said, "Pei Wu, slow down!"
Pei Wu slowed his pace slightly only after his sleeve was grabbed. He paused, his gaze falling on Jiang Ru's hand.
After a long silence, he sighed and asked Jiang Ru, "How much did you eat?"
Jiang Ru knew the matter was over, breathed a sigh of relief, and gestured with her fingers towards Pei Wu: "About four."
Crabs are considered "cold" in traditional Chinese medicine, and everyone knows that you shouldn't eat too many. At most, you can only eat two, especially since Jiang Ru is a girl, so she shouldn't eat too many.
Upon hearing Jiang Ru's answer, Pei Wu's face, which had just softened, turned cold again, as if confirming: "Four."
Jiang Ru nodded: "Three crabs, a bowl of crab oranges, that's about four."
Pei Wu felt a wave of dizziness: "You ate so much?"
Jiang Ru didn't think it was too much at all. They ordered thirty, and she still hadn't had enough. But she definitely couldn't say that at this moment, so she just said something like, "I ate too much without realizing it."
Pei Wu remained silent for a long time before saying softly, "If you want to eat, I can take you there. You don't need to go with anyone else."
It was a complete stranger, and this person even had ill intentions.
Jiang Ru didn't really want to eat it; she just wanted to trick Zhao Tuo, and since the crab was the most expensive in the restaurant, she thought she should order as much as possible.
She whispered, "I didn't really want to eat it, I just wanted to tease him."
Pei Wu knew this, of course, but the problem was that by playing a trick on him, he was indirectly creating a hidden danger for himself.
Looking into Jiang Ru's clear, watery eyes, Pei Wu could only sigh softly, "Cousin, you must think things through carefully in the future and leave yourself a backup plan."
Jiang Ru looked up: "Isn't it you who's here?"
The implication is that her backup plan is Pei Wu.
Pei Wu didn't want to consider the possibility of his absence, nor did he want to say that he was unreliable. Just as Jiang Ru said, if he were there, he would never let Jiang Ru be bullied.
He still couldn't bring himself to be angry with Jiang Ru, and could only say, "Go back and drink a bowl of ginger soup before you go to sleep."
Otherwise, eating too much crab might cause a stomachache.
This time it was completely over. Jiang Ru nodded repeatedly, "Okay, I will definitely drink it."
Pei Wu's attitude softened completely, and she was able to let the matter drop. He caught up with Pei Wu and asked, "Why did you suddenly come here today?"
Actually, it wasn't sudden. Ever since the people from the South entered the capital, the court had already sent people to monitor their every move. They already knew about it from the moment Zhao Tuo stepped into the drink shop.
He deliberately waited at the beverage shop, and Jiang Ru happened to run into him. They even went into the restaurant together. Although he didn't suffer any loss, Pei Wu was both annoyed and amused to hear Jiang Ru trying to fool the prince of the Southern Kingdom.
Jiang Ru's personality makes her prone to making enemies and offending people, but seeing how capable she is and how she hasn't suffered any losses, Pei Wu thinks that this might be a good thing. It's precisely this kind of personality that prevents people from bullying her.
However, this matter cannot be stated directly, otherwise Jiang Ru will become increasingly audacious after hearing his words.
The long street was lined with ancient houses, with blue tiles and gray stones. The buildings stretched as far as the eye could see, one after another. The afterglow of the setting sun spread across the mottled cobblestone road, casting shimmering shadows. Jiang Ru's eyes were slightly distorted by the light. The sunlight was dazzling, and she was only looking at Pei Wu.
Pei Wu lowered his eyes and said in a low voice, "Let's go home."
Xia and Zhu behind them exchanged a glance, both seeing the other's confusion. Sometimes, it seemed as if there was a barrier between Pei Wu and Jiang Ru, and they would always say strange things that no one could understand.
The two shook their heads and quickly followed the two.
Despite eating so much, Jiang Ru was fine. She went back and drank a bowl of ginger soup, and was still lively and energetic. Pei Wu was finally relieved.
The next day, the Great Xia received the envoys from the Southern Kingdom in the Daqing Hall. All the officials stood in the hall in their court robes. Before long, the envoys from the Southern Kingdom entered the hall to present their tribute. This time, they brought items such as frankincense, jade, and rice from the Southern Kingdom, which were not much different from those they had presented before.
Frankincense, the most useful ingredient in the South, also had a wide influence in the Great Xia Dynasty. All the frankincense used in medical clinics came from the South.
The reason why the Southern Kingdom insisted on paying tribute to Bianjing so late was not because they truly respected the Great Xia. The biggest reason was that the Great Xia still needed to reciprocate.
The Great Xia was, after all, a great power, and the gifts it returned would inevitably be of higher value than the tributes offered by the Southern Kingdom. When the people of the Southern Kingdom came to Bianjing, they not only took away more valuable treasures, but they could also do business here and make a fortune in one trip.
Zhao Tuo also complained that Jiang Ru had made him spend too much money, but in reality, compared to the money they earned, this was nothing.
As a vassal state, the envoy of Daxia performed the rites of a subject. Zhao Tuo, being a prince, only knelt on one knee. Afterward, the emperor made some symbolic remarks of sympathy, and the first day of tribute was basically completed.
In the past, there were at least ten vassal states and brother states participating in the grand event, but this time there was only one, and the process proceeded very quickly.
The next day, the envoys would go to Wanxiang Temple to offer incense, and the emperor would also attend.
The emperor left first, followed by the envoys exiting the hall. Only then did Zhao Tuo finally look up and survey the scene. The people at the very front of the hall were all dressed in uniform purple robes with wide sleeves, their attire somewhat similar to Zhao Tuo's purple robe.
The East and West Offices stood on either side, with Song Pingzhang at the very front. He also held the title of Grand Tutor, making him a true first-rank official, while those behind him were all second-rank officials and below.
Those who have reached this position have all gone through great hardships; with the exception of one Shetland Sheepdog, most of the others are over fifty years old.
As the camera panned to the middle, another young face appeared, and coincidentally, it was the same person Zhao Tuo had met the day before.
Pei Wu, dressed in a purple robe and wearing a turban, had a cold expression and stared straight ahead. When he noticed the gaze, he glanced at Zhao Tuo.
Despite wearing similar clothes, Pei Wu seemed to stand out from the others. He was tall and handsome, like a crane among chickens. Although his official position was not very high, he always carried an air of arrogance.
Even that sidelong glance was as cold and aloof as snow; it wasn't disrespect, but it still made Zhao Tuo uncomfortable.
Even though he had no expression, Zhao Tuo felt as if he were looking at a dead object, and his face instantly turned cold.
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Author's Note: Making up for yesterday's second update.
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