Chapter 100 The Teahouse Was Misunderstood
Lu Xuan hesitated before speaking, "There are some things, but they are not related to the capital." He glanced at his companions and then decided to say, "I wonder... would you mind coming to a teahouse for a chat? My current worries are related to you, and also to that person."
That person, I cannot say directly, must be Anhe.
Zhao Liangxu raised an eyebrow. How come a simple chat with someone after going out turned into such an important conversation?
Because of her good impression of Lu Xuan, and even more so because of his last words, Zhao Liangxu agreed after a short while.
Upon arriving at the teahouse, perhaps because he didn't want others to know about this, Lu Xuan chose a private room.
"Princess Zhao, please sit down."
He sat down opposite Zhao Liangxu. The worry that had been lingering between Zhao Liangxu's brows ever since she saw him did not disappear; on the contrary, it became even more pronounced after the two sat down quietly.
Something that even a spirited young general is worried about?
What is that?
It is also related to peace and tranquility.
“Deputy General Lu, you seem to have something on your mind. The worry you're referring to must be related to Anhe.”
Zhao Liangxu asked.
Lu Xuan was still pondering how to bring it up with Zhao Liangxu when he heard her ask first, then sighed and said, "Yes."
Lu Xuan instinctively gripped the sword beside him, which made him feel safer. He said, "Actually, it's nothing serious. The general knew that I had taught you some skills, and he thought we could talk a lot. There's still some time before October, but the general asked me..."
As if it were a secret he couldn't tell, Lu Xuan said with difficulty, "He said he wanted me to inquire with Princess Zhao about His Highness's preferences so that he could prepare His Highness's...birthday gift in advance."
If this were said to someone else, it would be perfectly normal.
However, having heard that his subordinate knew Anhe and his close associates to some extent, he asked him to use their connections to inquire about Anhe's preferences so that he could send a suitable birthday gift.
But when it happened to Zhou Feng, it was the greatest absurdity.
Zhao Liangxu said with a smile, "Lieutenant Lu, General Zhou has probably forgotten what his birthday gift was last year."
What else could it be?
Zhao Liangxu slowly drank her tea and noticed Lu Xuan's somewhat evasive expression.
Zhao Liangxu said, "It was me. He deliberately gave me, whom he had just met, as a gift to An He in order to humiliate her. Didn't Lieutenant Lu see it with his own eyes?"
Wasn't Zhou Feng at odds with An He? Yet now he's acting like a normal person, inquiring about birthday gifts.
Something just doesn't sound right.
Lu Xuan naturally knew about this, and he quickly said, "I know...no, I, I..."
This is exactly what has been weighing on his mind these past few days.
Zhou Feng was his superior, and also someone he greatly respected.
Every soldier had received favors from Zhou Feng to some extent. Everyone knew that Zhou Feng was a rough man, and so were they, so being a little rough was not a big deal for them.
In the military camp, Zhou Feng treated his soldiers very well.
On the battlefield, they had all seen their own generals wielding spears, riding horses, charging into the enemy ranks, and emerging bloodied and battered.
That was what they, as soldiers, longed for most.
It could be said that Zhou Feng was a casual and unrestrained military man in the imperial court, but in the hearts of his soldiers, they all respected him to varying degrees.
Lu Xuan was no exception.
So when Zhou Feng gave him this task, Lu Xuan hesitated a lot.
Until he met Zhao Liangxu today, he had not made up his mind.
After all, Lu Xuan knew Zhao Liangxu's background and knew that this matter was not suitable to be discussed with Zhao Liangxu.
But Zhao Liangxu's greeting to him was like an invisible hand pushing him forward, inexplicably making him make up his mind.
Perhaps it wouldn't hurt to ask, just to ask.
But when Zhao Liangxu asked Lu Xuan with a subtle smile on her face, he immediately regretted it.
He wasn't used to interacting with people, and he was already feeling guilty at times like this, so he was even more at a loss for words.
The words swirled in his mouth, and Lu Xuan stammered "I," but couldn't get a coherent sentence out.
"So this is what Lieutenant Lu was talking about regarding Anhe, but Zhou Feng sent you to ask me this in order to give Anhe a gift?"
Lu Xuan was posed a question, which gave him an opening. He nodded somewhat hastily to Zhao Liangxu, as if trying to prove something: "Yes."
But he still offered a few words of explanation: "Perhaps the general has truly changed his mind this time and wants to present a proper gift..."
Zhao Liangxu just looked at Lu Xuan, as if to say, "Do you even believe what you're saying?"
"It seems that Lieutenant Lu greatly admires General Zhou."
Zhao Liangxu said this with a somewhat strange tone.
"It's good that Lieutenant Lu admires others, but blindly following his orders isn't a good idea, he..."
To think that Zhou Feng could do something so outrageous, I really don't know what kind of spell he's cast on his men.
Lu Xuan didn't dare to respond, knowing in his heart that this was an unreasonable thing to do.
"Is there anything else?" Zhao Liangxu asked.
Lu Xuan shook his head.
"If there's nothing else, I'll be leaving, but..."
Zhao Liangxu wasn't too angry, but she felt that even someone as upright and generous as Lu Xuan could have some strange flaws.
Some people are bad at judging character.
Anyway, she thought Zhou Feng wasn't a good person at all.
"I hope Lieutenant Lu will think carefully about why General Zhou asked you to ask about this matter. After all, if it were me, I wouldn't let my subordinate ask about something that might touch on someone's sensitive feelings."
Zhao Liangxu left.
A short while later, Lu Xuan also left the teahouse.
Originally, this was just a minor incident, and Zhao Liangxu didn't take it to heart.
There was another person in the teahouse.
Anhe's undercover agent, sent to investigate Lu Ming's whereabouts, was sitting in the teahouse, disguised as an ordinary citizen, observing the movements within the teahouse.
He happened to see two people walk in through the door.
One of them was someone he knew very well, Princess Zhao, who served the Ninth Prince.
Princess Zhao's fondness for leaving the palace was a common understanding among them, and Eunuch An never tried to stop her. In fact, Chun and Xia were both sent out to protect Princess Zhao's safety.
They were the ones who knew best about Eunuch An's attitude towards Princess Zhao.
But... why is there another person beside Princess Zhao today?!
The undercover officer recognized the man; he was Zhou Feng's adjutant.
The eunuch swallowed hard and silently watched the two enter the private room on the second floor.
Not long after, Zhao Liangxu came out.
The hidden eunuch watched Zhao Liangxu leave from the corner.
Lu Xuan then left the private room.
The eunuch watched a brief performance and pondered.
Should we tell the Ninth Prince about this?
The two seemed to have no connection, but Lu Xuan was, after all, a man, and Zhao Liangxu didn't have any other maids around her...
Xia Yichun had quietly appeared behind the hidden monitor.
As a minor leader under Anhe, Anjian was quite capable. He noticed Chunyi and Xiayi approaching, but without turning his head, he said, "Do you think I should tell Qiansui?"
His tone was tinged with sorrow.
The two women exchanged a glance and patted the eunuch on the shoulder.
"We support you."
That evening, Zhao Liangxu met An He.
Anhe was busy dealing with matters related to Zhao Chengxin today, and was rubbing his forehead in his study.
After Zhao Liangxu entered the study, An Heben was busy, but his hands paused for a moment.
He recalled what he had heard during the day and casually asked, "Did you have fun outside today?"
Zhao Liangxu, puzzled, asked, "Is it alright?"
She sat down next to Anhe to see what he was looking at.
Anhe did not stop him; Zhao Liangxu could see all of these things.
As Zhao Liangxu flipped through the pages, she said, "By the way, Eunuch An, I went to the Persian caravan's guesthouse today and learned that they will be leaving next month. I plan to go out of the city to see Azhar and the others off, and I may have to stay at the inn outside the city for one night."
Anhe frowned and said, "You're that close to them?"
An He was truly surprised by Zhao Liangxu. Zhao Liangxu didn't seem like a very outgoing person, yet she always seemed to know some people and be familiar with them.
Zhao Liangxu looked up and felt that An He's usual sarcastic words today seemed to carry a somewhat inexplicable meaning.
She asked, "Is it not allowed? We feel like we've known each other for ages. Won't Eunuch An allow me to leave the city?"
Anhe looked at Zhao Liangxu, neither refusing nor agreeing to her request, but instead brought up other matters.
"Who did you see during the day?" he asked.
Similar to the question from before, Anhe asked it twice, which made Zhao Liangxu understand much more clearly at once.
Zhao Liangxu asked, "Didn't Eunuch An say that Chunyi and Xiayi were only here to protect me, not to monitor me? Why are you still informing Eunuch An of every little detail?"
Actually, she could tell Anhe; she didn't think it mattered.
Just watching her from the shadows, without understanding or explaining what exactly happened, as an observer, I only witnessed a scene that could easily lead to misunderstandings. Then, by simply saying a few words to Anhe, I could arouse suspicion.
This is truly a great injustice.
Zhao Liangxu initially guessed that Chun and Xia had witnessed her meeting with Lu Xuan and had misunderstood something.
But Anhe said, "It wasn't them. Our family hasn't asked them to report your every move."
Anhe didn't want Zhao Liangxu to feel that she was being monitored all the time.
Now it was Zhao Liangxu's turn to be puzzled: "How did Eunuch An know?"
An He's eyes twitched at Zhao Liangxu's tone, and his previously composed tone changed: "What do I know? You just admit it like that? Do you know who you are in our family, Zhao Liangxu?" He gritted his teeth.
When Ann found out about it, he was somewhat suffocated, but he still felt that it was just a simple meeting.
What can you do in such a short time in a private room at a teahouse?
This is what he thought when he heard the report from the eunuch during the day.
Now he is uncertain.
What can you do in a private room?
He had always known that Zhao Liangxu and Lu Xuan knew each other, and that they hadn't seen each other for a long time.
Zhao Liangxu...
An He began to have wild thoughts after Zhao Liangxu's seemingly acknowledgment-like rhetorical question.
Zhao Liangxu interrupted him promptly: "What are you thinking, Eunuch An? Are you misunderstanding me?"
An He stared at Zhao Liangxu, not missing even the slightest change in her expression: "Then tell me, what did you talk about with Lu Xuan during the day?"
Looking into An He's eyes, which were tense yet revealed displeasure, Zhao Liangxu knew what answer he wanted.
"Eunuch An is so petty."
She said.
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Author's Note: Chapter 100! A little celebration!
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