Chapter 37 Cousin, please speak like a human being.
Under Song Pingzhang's gaze, Pei Wu raised his hand and poured tea for Song Pingzhang.
His movements were elegant and unhurried. Tea was poured from the small pot into the cup, the sound of water being the only noise in the space. After the tea was poured, Pei Wu said, "Prime Minister Song, please."
Song Pingzhang raised his cup, almost to his lips, but only lightly touched it before asking, "What does Compiler Pei think of the solution to this situation?"
Pei Wu took a chess piece from Song Pingzhang's chess box and placed it on the chessboard. Then, he said in a deep voice, "It's not that there's no chance of a turnaround, it's just that we haven't found a real breakthrough."
This move bought Black two liberties, instantly clarifying the situation. Song Pingzhang suddenly understood and asked, "What's next?"
Pei Wu, however, said, "Next, Prime Minister Song might as well think about how to win this game on his own."
His words made it sound like he didn't want to take on the job, and Song Pingzhang frowned.
Pei Wu, however, said, "The squabbles and infighting cannot be accomplished overnight."
Song Pingzhang's cloudy eyes instantly lit up as if they had been dotted with clear water, and he beamed with joy: "Then we'll wait for Compiler Pei's good news."
The two settled the matter. Song Pingzhang originally wanted to send Pei Wu back, but Pei Wu wanted to stay and wait for Jiang Ru, so Song Pingzhang didn't bother him and just told Pei Wu to do as he pleased, leaving the territory to Pei Wu.
In the distance, the artificial rockery steps pierce the clouds, and sunlight pours down from the corners of the apricot trees, penetrating the pond and creating shimmering ripples in the water. The water and rocks are clear and beautiful. Pei Wu sits quietly in the courtyard, accompanied by the mist and clouds, waiting for the sun to set.
A flower-viewing banquet is not just about appreciating flowers; it's more about using the occasion to connect with others or for some other purpose. The actual time for flower appreciation is only a short while after the banquet begins.
Of course, no one can just admire flowers all day long. In order to prolong the time, they have to find something else to do, such as composing poems, having tea and snacks, so that they can pass the day.
Jiang Ru always felt that Song Shu wanted to harm her, so she planned her escape route. She had previously observed that there were many trees in the Song residence and the walls were low, so they were not an obstacle for her at all. Even the wooden windows were not very sturdy, and she should be able to kick them down.
As long as she isn't drugged and rendered unconscious, escaping the Song mansion is a piece of cake.
Jiang Ru was confident and didn't think Song Shu was in any danger, since Song Shu was thinner and weaker than her, and she was sure she could beat her.
To her surprise, the day passed peacefully, without the intrigue or lurking danger she had imagined. She simply enjoyed tea and entertainment, and the time flew by.
The young women all treated Jiang Ru as a good friend, and Jiang Ru gradually lowered her guard, spending the whole day playing with them.
By the afternoon, the young ladies were all tired and took their leave. Seeing this, Jiang Ru also decided to leave.
Before leaving, Song Shu took her hand and smiled sweetly: "Sister Jiang, I haven't asked you where you live yet. If I send you an invitation in the future, I'll know where to find you."
Jiang Ru: "..." She had never seen anyone pretend to be stupid like this before. They clearly understood everything, yet they still had to ask!
Jiang Ru twitched her lips, wanting to complain, but she held back. Since Song Shu already knew, she might as well tell Song Shu.
Song Shu was surprised: "This place..." She pretended to be confused, "Why are you living here? You and Scholar Pei are..."
She only said half of what she meant, stopping short of saying more, and waited for Jiang Ru's reply.
Jiang Ru thought for a moment and said, "I am his older sister."
Song Shu subconsciously said, "You're not..." She knew Jiang Ru was lying to her, but Song Shu just forced a smile and didn't expose her. However, she still said stubbornly, "You can't tell from this. Jiang Ru doesn't look like her older sister."
“Doesn’t it look like it?” Jiang Ru said sincerely. “I’m actually over thirty years old. You should call me Sister Jiang, not Little Sister.”
Even with Song Shu's strong mental fortitude, seeing Jiang Ru pretending to be old with a youthful face made her want to scold her, but she could only smile, gently pat Jiang Ru, and say reproachfully, "Little sister Jiang, you're really joking."
Jiang Ru was not joking, but unfortunately no one believed her.
Jiang Ru sighed, spoke a few more words with Song Shu, and seeing that the young ladies were almost all gone, she was also eager to leave, so she ended the conversation.
However, before she could even leave the Song residence, a servant stepped forward and said to Jiang Ru, "Young lady, please come with me."
Jiang Ru glanced at Xia Xia and Xiao Zhu, and they exchanged a look. Sure enough, what was bound to happen had happened; the legendary kidnapping had finally occurred.
Jiang Ru followed the servant to the next courtyard with a blank expression. She had already memorized the layout; barring any unforeseen circumstances, she would shake him off around the corner, and then…
As Jiang Ru reached the corner, before she could even begin her plan, she suddenly caught sight of a crimson corner of clothing in the background.
Jiang Ru suddenly stopped and looked into the pavilion. Surprisingly, Pei Wu was sitting in the pavilion and was also looking at her.
Jiang Ru silently withdrew her foot, which had been trying to run away.
She looked up at the sky, then looked down at the ground beneath her feet. Yes, she was indeed in the Prime Minister's residence.
But why is Pei Wu here?
Jiang Ru walked over without any clue, but she had to admit that seeing Pei Wu there instantly put her mind at ease.
Pei Wu watched her approach, his gaze following her from afar until he finally looked up at Jiang Ru, who was looking down at him.
Jiang Ru asked blankly, "What are you doing here?"
Pei Wu: "I have something to discuss with the Prime Minister, so we arranged to meet here."
Jiang Ru glanced at the courtyard wall. This wall shouldn't be able to block anything, which means that Pei Wu listened to the whole thing here.
Jiang Ru looked at Pei Wu with a complicated expression. The Song residence was so big, yet the Prime Minister was so stingy, insisting on having their conversation here. Couldn't he have found a better place to talk?
However, she then thought of another possibility.
Jiang Ru tapped the table lightly: "Is there anything else we need to discuss? If you're done, come with me."
Pei Wu stood up and said, "It's all settled."
It wasn't convenient to talk at the Song residence, but after leaving, Jiang Ru asked, "What brought you to the Song residence today?"
Before Pei Wu could answer, Jiang Ru had already prepared the answer for him: "You're not worried about me getting into trouble, are you?"
As the saying goes, you can't judge others by common sense; how can you know if they aren't unruly and despicable people?
If Song Pingzhang were a normal person, he wouldn't have targeted Jiang Ru. But what if he wasn't? Pei Wu had to make other plans.
Pei Wu wasn't surprised that Jiang Ru could guess his purpose, so he nodded.
Then, he watched helplessly as Jiang Ru punched him hard.
She hit Pei Wu's arm with her fist, but Pei Wu didn't feel much pain. On the contrary, Jiang Ru's palm hit Pei Wu's elbow bone, which was like throwing an egg against a rock. She immediately grimaced in pain and breathed on her sore palm.
Pei Wu: "...Why did you hit me for no reason?" He paused for a moment, then said, "Even if you were going to hit me, you couldn't have picked a better place to do it."
Jiang Ru recovered her composure, gritted her teeth, and said with exasperation, "Brother, you should have said so earlier! If you had come earlier, I wouldn't have been afraid. Do you know that if you had appeared even a step later, I would have run away!"
Pei Wu was uncharacteristically taken aback for a moment, then frowned: "Didn't I tell you not to worry?"
That's what he said, but Jiang Ru wasn't sure. After all, she had never met these people before, and who knew if they were bad people?
Jiang Ru sighed: "Could you please let me know in the future? Otherwise, I feel very uneasy."
Pei Wu seemed to realize his mistake only then. He stared at Jiang Ru's red hand and gave a soft "hmm".
Jiang Ru decided to let it go for the time being.
Back home, Jiang Ru called Pei Wu to her study. Pei Wu's visit to the Prime Minister's residence today was unlikely to be for eavesdropping; perhaps he had reached some kind of agreement with the Prime Minister, or made some concessions.
Jiang Ru questioned him: "What did you talk about with the Prime Minister today?"
Pei Wu answered honestly, "Playing chess and drinking tea."
Jiang Ru: "Anything else?"
Pei Wu had no choice but to tell the whole story. Perhaps their cryptic conversation had been too vague, because after listening, Jiang Ru pondered for a long time, stroking her chin, before finally saying, "Speak plainly, what exactly do you want to test?"
Pei Wu: "..."
He had no choice but to explain: "Prime Minister Song wanted me to help him eliminate his political opponents, and I said I could only try."
"That makes a lot of sense now," Jiang Ru nodded in agreement. "That's more like it."
But there was something else very important. Jiang Ru frowned: "That's not right. He can't even do what a prime minister would do. Why would he call you here? Isn't that sending you to your death?"
Pei Wu sighed, "Even an ant can shake a tree. More people mean more strength, which is why I say the road is long and arduous."
Jiang Ru asked in bewilderment, "Why did you agree to him? This is a thankless task, and there's even the possibility of personal danger."
Pei Wu didn't answer; he just looked at Jiang Ru with his clear eyes, and Jiang Ru understood everything.
Jiang Ru had to swallow her words again. She had forgotten that Pei Wu had never become an official in order to live a good life.
As for why he didn't agree to the prime minister's proposal at first, he was just playing hard to get. The prime minister was testing him, and he was testing the prime minister. He just didn't expect Jiang Ru to be involved. So Pei Wu brought his plan forward. Perhaps he was indeed afraid that the prime minister would play dirty tricks.
So he came to the Song residence early and waited for her at the other courtyard; it was all planned.
Jiang Ru was amazed and applauded Pei Wu: "Brilliant, truly brilliant."
It's just that she's been overthinking all day, so Jiang Ru casually suggested, "Can you just say it directly next time? Otherwise, I'll always be worried."
Only then did Pei Wu show a hint of apology on his face. He lowered his gaze and said, "I'm sorry, it was my fault."
Actually, he hadn't forgotten; he just thought Jiang Ru wouldn't think of that. Since it was a flower-viewing trip, he wanted her to enjoy the experience instead of being on edge while worrying about Pei Wu.
Pei Wu's attempt to outsmart his opponent backfired, and it's not surprising that his meticulous cousin would notice.
Fortunately, Jiang Ru generously forgave Pei Wu, and she smiled and said, "I won't blame you, just tell me next time."
Pei Wu said seriously, "Okay, I'll definitely tell my cousin in advance next time."
He was too formal, which made Jiang Ru feel embarrassed, so she casually changed the subject: "You went to the Prime Minister's residence today, but you didn't go to the Hanlin Academy. Does that count as skipping work?"
Pei Wu shook his head: "That doesn't count."
Before Jiang Ru could ask anything more, Pei Wu spoke first, asking Jiang Ru, "Did you enjoy admiring the flowers today?"
But as soon as he asked the question, Pei Wu thought of something else. Jiang Ru said she had been worried, so she probably wouldn't be in the mood to look at the flowers.
Realizing he had misspoke, Pei Wu quickly stopped talking and tried to apologize.
However, Jiang Ru interrupted him first.
Her eyes shone brightly: "Of course it's beautiful! Do you know? The Black Peony that was all the rage in the capital before is right here in the Prime Minister's residence!"
Before Pei Wu could speak, Jiang Ru had already dragged him to listen to her daily flower-viewing routine. As Pei Wu listened, he completely forgot about the apology he was supposed to give.
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