Chapter 5 Chapter 5 Serving.
On the second day after returning to the Jiaofangsi, Lin Zhen went to the restaurant on Shangyang Street again.
When he approached the elegant seat by the window on the second floor, Lin Zhen saw the man from last time. He had his head hung down and glanced at the person sitting next to him from time to time.
"Prince..."
Hongye took a deep breath, bit her lip and gently tugged at Lin Zhen's sleeve.
In order to avoid attracting attention, although Lin Zhen felt a little nervous, he did not show it on his face. He walked over calmly, put up his sleeves and sat down.
"Madam, I..."
The man opened his mouth to explain, but was interrupted by Ning Shilu, who was sitting next to him. "Zhen'er, you would rather rely on such a petty person than speak to me?"
Listening to Ning Shilu's questioning, Hongye couldn't help but clench her hands. She only heard Lin Zhen say lightly: "Sir, this is not the place you should come to."
Although this restaurant is located in the prosperous Shangyang Street, it is a place where all kinds of people mix. The Yong'an Marquis Mansion has strict rules. If he hadn't known that Lin Zhen was here, he would never have come.
"I shouldn't have come. Are you just—"
Ning Shilu swallowed his words halfway through. Even though in his heart, his elder sister would always be an inviolable existence, it was obvious that Lin Zhen was no longer the noble eldest lady of the Lin family.
A bitter feeling welled up in his heart, and Ning Shilu changed the subject, no longer pressing the issue: "Zhen'er, Ayue is also my sister."
When Ning Shilu mentioned Lin Yue's name, Lin Zhen's face finally showed emotion. She pursed her lips and did not speak for a long time.
Ning Shilu's words reminded her that with her current abilities, even if she found Lin Yue, she would not be able to place her there.
Even though she didn't want to be involved with Ning Shilu anymore, Lin Zhen had reached the end of his rope. After a moment of silence, she whispered, "...Thank you, Prince."
Seeing that Lin Zhen finally gave in, a smile appeared on Ning Shilu's face. The man curled up beside him finally got a chance to catch his breath. He seemed to have thought of something, his eyes lit up slightly, and he raised his hand and shook out an earring from his sleeve.
"Madam, take a look. Do you recognize these earrings?"
When he and Lin Zhen were confirming Lin Yue's portrait, he had asked about Lin Yue's clothing and accessories. Because the coral earrings were so rare, he remembered them after just hearing about them once. He couldn't confirm that the earrings were the ones Lin Zhen had mentioned, but it was just a coincidence that he got them, so he tried to ask about them.
The man was about to hand it to Lin Zhen, but was stopped by Ning Shilu. He took the earrings from the man and handed them to Lin Zhen carefully, "Is it from Sister Ayue?"
Lin Zhen took the earrings and recognized them immediately. She breathed a sigh of relief, and the corners of her lips unconsciously raised slightly, "It's...it's hers."
Before the incident at the Lin Mansion, Lin Zhen's sisters were returning from Pude Temple after paying homage to their deceased mother. Upon hearing the news, Lin Zhen did not hesitate to cover Lin Yue's escape.
Lin Zhen had watched her mother leave her with her own eyes, so she valued her younger sister even more.
She clutched the coral earring tightly in her hand, concentrating all her attention on it, not noticing that a man in dark brocade clothes was sitting in the compartment opposite not far away.
*
"I've long heard of your bravery and prowess. I'm honored to have you here today."
The person who spoke was Kong Jinghe, the Shaoqing of Dali Temple. After Lin Yunfeng's downfall, the new Dali Temple Shaoqing took office and almost replaced all the important officials of Dali Temple. Kong Jinghe was one of the very few people left.
After Kong Jinghe finished speaking, another middle-aged man sitting below also raised his glass in response, "This humble official is honored by Lord Kong. I toast to the general."
Ji Sui leaned on the mahogany chair in front of the screen, one hand on the armrest, and picked up the wine cup with the other hand. He curled his thin lips slightly, brought the wine cup to his lips, took a sip and put it down.
Seeing his indifferent expression, Kong Jinghe winked at the man opposite him. The latter cleared his throat and raised his voice to shout behind the beaded curtain, "Come in."
After a moment, a petite girl holding a red lacquered wooden tray timidly lifted the curtain and walked in.
The little girl was wearing a light pink skirt. She walked in, stood still, and knelt to salute. She didn't dare to stand up without being told to.
Ji Sui had only been back in Beijing for a short time, and he rarely frequented brothels, so his tastes were unknown to the court. The middle-aged man took a gamble, betting that there was no such thing as a cat that didn't have a taste for fish, and that Ji Sui's tastes were similar to his: a preference for delicate, innocent young girls.
This girl was an unmarried girl he had specially found from the restaurant. He was originally feeling uneasy, but after seeing Ji Rui's gaze falling towards the bead curtain, he knew that he had made the right bet.
"Why don't you go and serve the general well?!" the man shouted harshly, shaking his fat, short and thick hands.
Hearing this, the pink-dressed girl's thin shoulders trembled slightly, and she whispered, "Yes."
The girl, who had never seen such a scene before, was so frightened that she didn't even dare to raise her head to walk. Before she could reach Ji Bai, she was tripped by something unknown.
Just as the tray in her hand was about to fall to the ground, a strong hand held her slender arm firmly.
A few drops of residual wine splashed on the hem of the ink-black dress with silver thread. The girl was even more frightened by the expensive fabric and burst into tears immediately.
"Slave...slave..."
Before he could finish his words, he only heard a faint laugh, "Why, is this general so terrifying?"
The girl in pink looked at the handsome face so close to her, was stunned for a long while, and shook her head with tears in her eyes.
"You must have frightened the beauty, and you won't apologize?"
Ji Sui raised his eyebrows slightly and spoke in a light tone, but the man below him had already knelt on the ground and kept saying, "Your subordinate knows his fault! Your subordinate knows his fault!"
"Are you still afraid?" Ji Bai glanced at the man expressionlessly, then turned around and asked.
A low, gentle voice, a face that makes one's heart flutter, how many women can withstand it? Soon, a faint blush appeared on the pink-dressed girl's cheeks. She bit her lower lip shyly and said, "I'm not afraid anymore."
After that, the girl sat beside Ji Bai's legs and served him carefully.
Ji Rui has always been such a person. With his face and pleasing words, he can easily win the favor of any woman, except Lin Zhen.
She never even smiled at him.
A servant walked hurriedly past the private room, knocking against the bead curtain, causing it to make a crisp sound. As the jade beads swayed, the face of the woman facing the window opposite became clearer.
At this moment, she was smiling at a man.
The girl sitting on the footrest noticed that the wine cup in front of Ji Rui was empty. She was just about to put her sleeves together to pour wine when her chin was suddenly grabbed by a large hand. She opened her sparkling eyes, raised her head and asked in confusion, "General...?"
His rough fingertips stroked her jaw, and the man asked with a faint smile, "Can you laugh?"
He curled his thin lips, but there was a frost in his eyes.
Ji Bai has a pair of peach blossom eyes, and his handsome face is even more handsome when he smiles. The little girl has been inadvertently confused by him, and she purses her red lips slightly, revealing a shy smile.
"laugh."
The man seemed dissatisfied, clasped his fingers together, and spoke again in a deep voice.
Thinking that her smile was too shy, in order to please Ji Bai, the girl in pink boldly looked directly at Ji Bai with a bright smile on her lips.
"Laugh." The man's voice became colder. His hands, used to holding weapons, forced the girl's tears out without any force. She was immediately in tears and at a loss: "General... General..."
The middle-aged man at the table didn't know what had happened. He just thought that the girl he brought had annoyed Ji Bai, so he hurriedly got up and knelt down, glancing angrily at Kong Jinghe who was sitting opposite him.
Kong Jinghe looked back at him with a frown, then raised his hand and bowed to apologize.
"idiot!"
Ji Sui waved his long sleeves, and the girl in pink was carried by the force and fell down beside the armchair. The extreme change in the man's attitude made her heart, which had just calmed down, lose its defense.
"I...I want to go back...I want to go back!"
After all, the girl was young, and she suddenly broke down and cried. Kong Jinghe felt a headache and quickly signaled the man to drag the girl away.
"I have done my duty poorly and disturbed the general. I hope you will forgive me."
After Kong Jinghe bowed and apologized, he wisely followed them out.
After the man who was traveling with him handed the pink-dressed girl over to the restaurant, he listened to Kong Jinghe's accusations along the way. When he was about to go down the stairs, Kong Jinghe suddenly stopped talking.
When the middle-aged man looked up, he saw Kong Jinghe looking at a corner of the window and stopped.
"Master Kong...?"
Kong Jinghe was brought back to his senses by this call. After a pause, he continued, "Next time, you don't need to act on your own."
The man responded repeatedly and walked down the wooden steps first. Kong Jinghe also withdrew his gaze from Lin Zhen, but glanced into the private room where they were just now.
*
After Kong Jinghe and the other two left, Shi Zhu came out from behind the screen, knelt down at the steps and said, "General, do we need to investigate this Kong Jinghe?"
“No need.”
Ji Sui responded indifferently. If he was so paranoid, he would not have come back to the capital in the first place.
"Yes," Shi Zhu agreed, then took out a piece of brocade letter from his bosom and presented it to him, saying, "General, this is the invitation that Lord Meng sent yesterday."
After he finished speaking, there was no response for a long time. Shizhu looked up and saw Ji Sui looking outside the bead curtain. He didn't know why, so he frowned and looked away.
Even from a distance, Shizhu could tell at a glance that the person in the elegant seat in the distance was Lin Zhen. Squinting his eyes, he noticed that Ning Shilu, the son of the Marquis of Yong'an, was also present.
Shi Zhu couldn't help but lower his head and asked, "Do you need me to send someone to give Prince Ning a warning?"
Ji Sui's eyelashes drooped slightly, and he withdrew his gaze, glancing at Shi Zhu who was kneeling on the ground. "Do you think that loser has the ability to rescue Lin Zhen from the Jiaofangsi?"
In Ji Sui's eyes, Ning Shilu was just an insignificant fly, not worth his effort.
After saying that, he took the brocade book from Shizhu's hand.
"Lord Meng invites the general to gather at his house tonight." Shizhu replied.
Ji Sui unfolded the post and glanced at it, then he put his hand on the table in front of him and stood up and said, "Tonight,"
"Go to the Jiaofangsi."
Three years ago, Ji Sui, who was picked up by the Lin family, was abandoned again. He was seriously injured at the foot of Lanruo Temple and was rescued by someone.
Shi Zhu didn't know who had stabbed his master in the chest, but she knew it was the current Prime Minister Meng Liangyu who had saved him. His master's smooth promotion to the rank of general at the border was also due to Meng Liangyu's secret support.
There is no such thing as a free lunch in the world. Shizhu naturally knew that Meng Liangyu would not support his master for no reason. This person was definitely not a good person.
But in just three years, the master's foundation is now unstable. This is the first time Meng Liangyu has met with the master privately since returning to Beijing, but he was rejected by the master. He even wants to go to the Jiaofangsi.
Shi Zhu thought Ji Sui's behavior was inappropriate, but she also knew his personality and didn't dare to question it. She just replied in a low voice, "Yes, General."
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