Chapter 159 His habit of drinking black tea was something he developed from Shen Wantang.
In the front courtyard flower hall of the Ning Prince's Mansion, which was used for receiving guests, Shen Wantang had a maid serve Gu Qianhan hot tea.
In his previous life, Shen Wantang and he were somewhat acquainted, but now they are not.
So, Shen Wantang exchanged pleasantries with him for a few moments in a polite tone, and then asked him, "Is Young Master Gu here to see the Heir Apparent? I have already sent someone to inform him. Please wait a moment, and he will probably be here soon."
Gu Qianhan neither denied nor admitted it. While sipping the finest Longjing tea, he said, "I took Miss Chu away earlier. I'm afraid the young master doesn't treat me very well now. Waiting a little longer won't hurt. I wonder how Miss Chu is doing? Is her illness any better? Has her wish been fulfilled?"
He appeared very concerned about Chu Yanluo, as if he really liked her.
If Shen Wantang hadn't known him in her previous life, she might have been fooled by him now. Unfortunately, she knew him in her previous life, and because of his extraordinary ability to solve cases, she was amazed by him and had conducted an in-depth investigation and understanding of him.
A person's preferences may change slightly between two lifetimes, but their fundamental nature is very difficult to change.
Gu Qianhan is exceptionally intelligent. From childhood, he has had few rivals. His literary and martial talents are almost unmatched. This amazing talent has also shaped his arrogant and aloof personality.
If he wants something, there's nothing he can't get.
What he doesn't want, no one else would ever force into his hands.
When he took Chu Yanluo away, Shen Wantang still believed that he had truly fallen in love with her. However, after Chu Yanluo returned, Shen Wantang began to doubt his intentions.
If he truly loved Chu Yanluo, Xiao Qingyuan, with his abilities, would have no chance of taking her back from him.
Shen Wantang felt that Gu Qianhan's visit this time seemed to be just to watch the show. She smiled faintly at him and said, "Chu Shi has already been taken as a concubine by the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince treats her well, and the Princess Consort has also invited the Imperial Physician to examine her and prescribe medicine. Presumably, her illness will be fully cured soon."
"So she's already the prince's concubine? What a pity."
Gu Qianhan didn't say what the pity was, but he took another sip of tea and exclaimed, "The tea in your residence is truly excellent."
The tea served to guests at the Prince Ning's residence was naturally of very high quality. However, Gu Qianhan did not like green tea; he preferred black tea.
His habit of drinking black tea was something he developed by following Shen Wantang.
In her previous life, Shen Wantang disguised herself as a man and entered and exited the Dali Temple as Liao Youhe's advisor. She even had her own desk and room at the Dali Temple.
On her desk, there was always some black tea.
Every time Gu Qianhan went to the Dali Temple, Shen Wantang would almost always serve him her own tea. Firstly, she wanted to discuss some cases with him, and secondly, the tea shared by the Dali Temple was really hard to swallow. After drinking it once, he refused to drink it again. Sometimes, even if Shen Wantang was not there, he would still take her tea and drink it without any hesitation.
In his previous life, he was unaware that he had developed a fondness for drinking black tea. It was only after being reborn and having his servant brew him green tea that he suddenly realized that green tea no longer suited his taste.
So, despite his praise, he only took two sips before putting the tea down.
He looked at Shen Wantang, a hint of hesitation in his heart.
Didn't she get reborn? If she did, she should have served him black tea.
When Shen Wantang saw him put the tea down, she realized that the tea was not to his liking.
However, she didn't know that Gu Qianhan's habit of drinking black tea was because of her. After she met Gu Qianhan, he always drank black tea and never drank the green tea used by the Dali Temple officials.
Therefore, she assumed that Gu Qianhan only drank black tea.
However, she shouldn't know any of his habits or preferences right now, so she pretended not to have noticed anything and asked the maid to refill his tea once more.
After a while, he asked someone to bring him freshly baked pastries.
Shen Wantang really didn't know what kind of snacks Gu Qianhan liked, so she just brought him a few random ones.
Gu Qianhan didn't actually like snacks at all, but since Shen Wantang had them brought to him, he ate one of each kind, chatting casually with Shen Wantang about the weather as he ate.
"This rain has been falling for several days now, and I don't know when it will end. When do you think it will stop, Your Highness?"
Shen Wantang shook her head, answering perfectly: "This rain has indeed been going on for too long. I don't know when it will stop. I just hope it stops soon. It's been raining for too long, and people can't take it anymore."
Gu Qianhan nodded: "That's true."
His test failed; based solely on her answer, it was impossible to determine whether she had been reborn.
However, he knew in his heart that with Shen Wantang's cautious and thoughtful personality, even if she was reborn, she would not be like her elder sister, shouting everywhere and wanting everyone to know that she had been reborn.
Outside the flower hall, dark clouds loomed and a torrential downpour raged. Inside, the aroma of tea filled the air, and candlelight shone brightly all around, creating a serene and beautiful contrast.
For the first time, Gu Qianhan indulged himself in this false sense of beauty, because he didn't have many opportunities to get close to Shen Wantang these days, and he cherished every single one of them.
She managed the Prince Ning's mansion very well. All her maids were very well-behaved and none of them looked around carelessly. Her nanny was also very mature and composed. Because he was an outsider, her nanny stood not far away with her hands at her sides and refused to leave for even a moment.
A quarter of an hour later, Gu Qianhan broke free from his beautiful illusion. He stood up, put his cloak back on, and left the flower hall with his servant, heading towards Xiao Qingyuan's courtyard.
Shen Wantang watched his figure disappear into the downpour and instructed Qin Xin, "Young Master Gu must have gone to find the young master. Go and keep an eye on things, and make sure they don't start fighting again."
Qin Xin loved watching the excitement. When she heard that Shen Wantang had given her such a good job, she didn't care that it was pouring rain outside. She put on a raincoat and ran to Xinghe Courtyard.
Granny Chai couldn't help but call out to her, "Slow down! Mind your manners and etiquette!"
Seeing her impatient look, Shen Wantang couldn't help but laugh: "She's afraid of running too slowly and missing out on the excitement over there. With that kind of personality, she seems to live a pretty happy life. Oh well, let's not worry about her. Granny, let's go back to our courtyard. In a little while, we'll all be able to hear the vivid gossip from Qin Xin."
Knowing her forgiving nature, Granny Chai smiled and draped a thick cloak over Shen Wantang to protect her from the wind and rain. Then she held up a large umbrella for her and escorted her towards Wutong Garden.
On the way, Granny Chai thought it over and over again, and finally spoke up to remind her: "Princess Consort, next time a man from outside comes, you only need to see him briefly, and then ask the Prince to entertain him, so as not to leave any reason for gossip."
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