Chapter 24 Stubborn
Chapter Summary: He cared!
Xu Luchuan shook off Lian Xing and stepped into Xiaoting Mountain. The proprietress greeted him familiarly, "Young Master Xu, why are you so late? The ladies at Qiuming Pavilion have been waiting for you for quite some time."
"Official business delayed me."
The proprietress was very welcoming, but Xu Luchuan walked up the steps with an indifferent expression. His attitude made the proprietress click her tongue in disapproval. She hadn't expected such a handsome young man to be so tactless.
When the servant upstairs saw that the person had arrived, he quickly reached out to open the door of Qiuming Pavilion for him.
The door to the private room opened, revealing a scene of revelry with music and dancing, where seven or eight elegantly dressed young men were engaged in lively conversation, thoroughly enjoying themselves.
"Hey, Right Supervisor, what took you so long? That brat Zheng Luo rarely gets a chance to go out, and you're really showing him no respect! Everyone, tell me, should he be punished or not?"
"You deserve to be punished. I finally managed to go out, and you dared to be late."
The first to speak was Xia Xubin, the fourth son of the General Who Pacifies the South, followed by Zheng Luo, the only son of the Prefect of the Capital. Both were Xu Luchuan's best friends from his time in Jinling. This was the first time the three of them had met together since Xu Luchuan returned to the capital.
"Shouldn't you also be punished for breaking your promise several times?" Xu Luchuan asked jokingly as he entered the room.
Zheng Luo didn't respond, but Xia Xubin chimed in first: "Look at what you're saying. It's understandable that Zheng Guan is taking such good care of his pregnant wife. But why is our Right Supervisor all bachelor? Oh dear, I wonder when the Right Supervisor will be able to hold a wedding and let the brothers have some fun?"
Xia Xubin's change of topic caused the crowd to join in the commotion.
"Yes, Brother Lu Chuan. I've heard that your third brother is already married. Isn't the Grand Master of Ceremonies in a hurry?"
...
"Oh? Speaking of which, my second sister is getting married and is currently choosing a husband. Why don't we introduce her to Brother Luchuan?"
...
"Your second sister? You really dare to mention her. With her fiery temper, she'd probably drive Brother Lu Chuan half to death. No, no, my third sister is also looking for a husband, Brother Lu Chuan, why don't you consider her?"
Xu Luchuan didn't respond, but just smiled and sat down at the round table.
Inside, the noise continued unabated, and music began again. The night in Jinling thus settled into the lights and taverns.
...
As the hour of Xu (7-9 PM) drew to a close, they had already drunk three rounds of wine, exchanging toasts and clinking glasses. But they were still not satisfied, and judging by their manner, they needed to drink another three hundred jars.
Xu Luchuan, who didn't touch a drop of alcohol from beginning to end, sat in the middle of the group without ever appearing out of place. No one ever pretended to exclude him because he didn't drink or because they hadn't seen each other for many years.
Leaning against the table, Xu Luchuan gazed at the warm, smoky atmosphere in the room. He felt a sense of peace. But it was this feeling of déjà vu that inexplicably reminded him of someone.
Looking back at the half-open window, Xu Luchuan got up.
When he looked out the window, he was surprised to find that Lian Xing was still standing at the entrance of the alley across the street, and had not left.
Why is he still here? What does Liu Shiyu want that he insists on meeting today? Rogue... I'll see what you can do to me.
For some reason, Xu Luchuan became angrier the more he thought about it, and suddenly raised his hand and slammed the window shut.
Hearing the commotion behind him, Xia Xubin, carrying a wine jug, swayed forward and grabbed him, saying, "What are you looking at, Xu Luchuan?"
After saying that, Xia Xubin looked towards the closed window. Xu Luchuan gently pushed away the arm that was around him and replied as if possessed, "I just remembered that there are still some matters to be dealt with at the Court of Justice. This meal is on me, so please excuse me."
"Huh? Your Court of Justice won't function without you?" Xia Xubin asked in surprise.
Xu Luchuan, however, had other thoughts in mind and left in haste.
Zheng Luo seemed to have noticed something, and tugged at Xia Xubin's arm, whispering with a smile, "Don't look anymore, there's someone more important than us. He said he'd treat us to this meal, so just let him go."
Xia Xubin, being a blockhead, didn't understand at all, but just then someone came to toast him from behind. He immediately forgot about Xu Luchuan and went to drink with the others.
...
At the counter, the proprietress was fiddling with an abacus, checking the accounts.
Seeing Xu Luchuan arrive, the proprietress quickly closed the ledger and smiled with narrowed eyes, "Young Master Xu, why are you leaving so early today?"
"Excuse me, please pay the bill." Xu Luchuan didn't reply.
Knowing she was being rude, the proprietress quickly finished calculating the bill and handed it over. Xu Luchuan glanced at the calculated bill, then without a word, took out his money pouch, placed the silver on the counter, and turned to leave. Just as the proprietress reached out to collect the silver, he turned back.
"Young Master Xu, is there anything else you need?" The proprietress looked at Xu Luchuan nervously upon seeing his expression, but Xu Luchuan glanced at the kitchen and asked, "Are there any more salted ducks?"
"Yes." The proprietress nodded.
Xu Luchuan took out his money pouch again and said, "Excuse me, one, please pack it up."
Hearing this, the proprietress finally breathed a sigh of relief. She then pocketed all the money on the counter and called out loudly, "Daquan, one roast duck to go!"
Alright!
Not long after, the man named Daquan came out of the kitchen carrying a roast duck wrapped in oil paper.
He glanced at the proprietress, who in turn glanced at Xu Luchuan. Daquan immediately understood and deftly handed over the roast duck: "Young master, here's your roast duck. Take it."
Xu Luchuan accepted the salted duck, thanked him, and left.
Outside Xiaoting Mountain.
The night was long and the crowds were bustling.
Xu Luchuan strolled leisurely into the crowd, carrying a salted duck. As he walked past Lian Xing, he said in a deep voice, "Let's go back."
"Where are you going?" Lian Xing reacted quickly and hurried after him.
Xu Luchuan smiled slightly, "South of the city, Shanghe Street."
...
Southwest of the Princess's residence.
Lian Xing watched Xu Luchuan walk into the tavern, but ultimately didn't follow him and turned to leave.
Xu Luchuan stepped through the door, and the person on duty inside, seeing him, quickly nodded in acknowledgment. Xu Luchuan didn't say much, but simply lit the candlestick and walked deeper into the secret passage.
Then, as the hidden door approached, Xu Luchuan skillfully placed the candlestick down and waited for the door to open. But when he looked up again, he saw Lian Yue standing outside the door.
Lian Yue stared at the person in front of her, puzzled.
She thought to herself that Xu Luchuan had personally instructed her not to come today, so why did he come again? She really didn't understand...
"Where is Liu Shiyu?" Before Lian Yue could ask, Xu Luchuan spoke first. Lian Yue subconsciously replied, "Your Highness, in the central courtyard."
Upon hearing this, Xu Luchuan hurriedly bypassed Lian Yue and left, leaving Lian Yue standing there completely bewildered.
But after thinking it over, Lian Yue suddenly remembered that she seemed to have forgotten to inform Lian Xing about this. She then clasped her hands together and called out loudly, "Young Master Xu!" But Xu Luchuan had already disappeared outside the courtyard gate.
As you walk along the water corridor, the boundless moonlight hangs over the balustrade.
Xu Luchuan slowed his pace for some reason, a sense of confusion creeping into his heart. He wondered... what was he doing? How did he end up here out of nowhere? And he even brought her a roast duck! Was he crazy?
No, that's not right. It was Liu Shiyu who sent someone to find me! What does that have to do with me?
However, considering what happened at court this morning, she must be feeling terrible. I'll just consider this duck a gesture of goodwill from this young master.
Xu Luchuan convinced himself and continued walking towards the central courtyard.
But to everyone's surprise, Xu Luchuan had barely stepped into Xiaoyuezhai and hadn't even entered the central courtyard when he heard a burst of extremely hearty laughter coming from inside.
Standing in the doorway, Xu Luchuan saw Liu Shiyu lying on the couch, cracking open some fruit while reading a storybook with a beaming smile, showing no sign of sadness.
This situation was far from what Xu Luchuan had imagined. He couldn't help but frown.
This woman is truly heartless. She can even laugh? Ha, indeed. With that Lord Wei around, she's really carried away with her pride.
Xu Luchuan turned around angrily, only to bump into Feng Rong, who had come to deliver water.
When Feng Rong saw Xu Luchuan, she acted as if she had seen her new son-in-law, and immediately beamed with joy: "Oh? Young Master Xu is here, why don't you come in?"
"Give this to her, I'm leaving." Xu Luchuan said, handing the roast duck to Feng Rong before turning to leave.
But Feng Rong was no match for Lian Yue; she naturally wouldn't let him leave so easily. With quick reflexes, she blocked Xu Luchuan's path and deliberately called out loudly, "Your Highness, Young Master Xu has arrived. He brought you some fine things."
who? ? ?
Liu Shiyu didn't pay much attention to what she heard. She simply raised her hand to casually remove the romance novel blocking her view, without even moving her body, and glanced back at the entrance of the study.
At first glance,
Oh, it's Xu Luchuan.
Take another look.
Ah? It's Xu Luchuan!
She quickly sat up and asked in surprise, "Xiao Lü, what brings you here?"
Well, there's no escaping it now.
Xu Luchuan sighed, but Feng Rong beat him to it and went to Liu Shiyu, saying, "Your Highness, look, Young Master Xu has come especially to bring you something!"
As Feng Rong spoke, she handed the oil paper package on the tray to Liu Shiyu, who then reached out and took the package, looking at Xu Luchuan.
"What's inside? Is it for me?"
“Hmm.” Xu Luchuan turned and walked into the courtyard. “But I didn’t buy it for you on purpose. It was leftover from a party. I just thought it would be a waste to throw it away.”
Feng Rong clicked his tongue in disapproval upon hearing this.
Liu Shiyu didn't react particularly. Although she felt that Xu Luchuan was being rather dishonest upon hearing that these were all leftovers, she then thought that many people in the world were still struggling to make ends meet, so what harm was there in eating some leftovers herself? Therefore, she wasn't so dissatisfied.
But when the oil paper package was opened, a whole salted duck was neatly placed in front of her.
Liu Shiyu chuckled and said, "Xiao Lü, is this really leftovers? It's such a waste that you're not eating any of it."
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