Chapter 10 Since you're going to scheme against him, can you admit it...?
The birthday banquet itself was nothing special. Lou Xueying ate without tasting anything. When the banquet was about to end and everyone was gradually leaving to wander around, Lou Xueying pulled Pengpeng to stand up.
She couldn't approach the male guest's seat at will, nor could she predict Li Pan's actions. She could only pretend to be taking a walk while secretly glancing across the street.
The banquet for the male guests had also ended, and people gathered in twos and threes to chat.
Lou Xueying's eyes met those of Lou Zhongyan across from her.
Lou Zhongyan yawned while covering his mouth with his fan, and gestured to Lou Xueying, asking her if she wanted to come or not.
Lou Xueying quickly shook her head, then pulled Pengpeng and walked a few steps deeper into the courtyard: "Let's go see the peonies."
The Duke of Guangping's family had many potted peonies, each one vibrant and elegant. When they were displayed together, the scene was truly magnificent, and many ladies gathered in front of the flower garden to admire them.
Lou Xueying glanced absentmindedly at the opposite side of the waterside pavilion.
From this spot, we can finally see Li Pan.
He wore a dark-patterned black brocade robe today, seemingly unremarkable, but actually very easy to spot. He was taller and more robust than almost all the men present, especially his physique, which was quite different from the men in the capital.
Take Lou Zhongyan as an example. Lou Zhongyan is also a handsome and elegant young man. Although both of them are standing, his posture is obviously relaxed and languid, showing a dashing and elegant air. Li Pan, on the other hand, has broad and firm shoulders and back, and his legs are slightly wider than those of a scholar, firmly planted on the ground. Even with one hand casually resting on the jade belt buckle at his waist, he is still as upright as a pine tree.
Suddenly, he turned his head.
Lou Xueying thought he had noticed her, so she quickly lowered her head, but then she glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and saw that he wasn't looking at her, but rather at the doorway.
Lou Xueying whispered to Cailing, "Go to the gate and see which carriage belongs to the Marquis of Wu'an's residence and what the driver is doing."
Cai Ling immediately ran away quickly.
Pengpeng turned her head and asked in confusion, "Huh, what did Cailing go to do?"
"It's nothing, my sister just lost a pearl hairpin and went to look for it." Lou Xueying patted Pengpeng's little head. "How about it, aren't the peonies here beautiful?"
"Beautiful!" Pengpeng nodded. "Beautifuler than the peonies in our yard!"
Lou Xueying laughed and said, "Our peonies didn't even have a chance to bloom this year. All the buds were knocked off by the rain. They're not as well-maintained as other people's."
Cai Ling returned quickly and whispered, "The Marquis's coachman is sitting alone in the carriage, just waiting there, not doing anything."
Birthday banquets like those at the Duke of Guangping's residence often last at least an hour. With all the social obligations before and afterward, it's highly likely that the matriarch, the main character of the banquet, will have already gone home to rest, while the guests are still chatting and laughing under the guise of strolling in the garden. Therefore, many coachmen take advantage of this time to slack off, either dozing off or chatting with other coachmen. Generally, unless the host family is particularly demanding, they won't bother with such trivial matters.
But Li Pan's driver was waiting in the carriage, it seemed Li Pan was in a hurry to leave. Lou Xueying pondered, he came right on time because he didn't want to waste too much time earlier, now that the birthday banquet was over, he had given face and didn't want to waste any more time talking to people here, which was also in line with his personality.
She actually had a plan in mind, but this plan was too limited by Li Pan's actions, which she couldn't control. So she considered settling for second best—if she couldn't marry Li Pan directly, she could at least let him develop an interest in her first. But Li Pan just stayed in the male customer area and was about to leave, so she had no chance to get close to him.
Lou Xueying stared at Pengpeng, wondering whether she should have Pengpeng pretend to be looking for her second brother and rush into the men's area. She followed behind and chased after her all the way to Li Pan. When she fell into Li Pan's arms, Cailing behind her suddenly tugged at her clothes.
Lou Xueying looked up and saw that Li Pan had left.
However, instead of heading towards the main gate, he walked into the courtyard, and he was all alone with no one else.
What are they going to do?
Lou Xueying was puzzled, but she didn't dare miss the opportunity. She immediately pulled Pengpeng up and said, "Come on, there are even more fun things inside. I'll take you in to play."
Li Pan walked towards the deepest part of the courtyard. Lou Xueying had been here once and knew that there was a bamboo forest inside, and a small pond for raising koi fish, which was perfect for a secret rendezvous. This was the most perfect idea in her plan, and she thought it would never come true. She didn't expect the surprise to come so quickly.
Could it be that Li Pan suddenly felt like visiting the garden? But given the level of attention he receives, if he wanted to visit the garden, why wouldn't he have someone accompanying him?
Lou Xueying and Li Pan were not on the same path. She was careful and slowed down. Sure enough, she saw Li Pan suddenly turn and walk into another side path just as he was about to step into the bamboo forest.
Lou Xueying: "..."
She remembered; that direction led to the outhouse.
Lou Xueying stopped and rubbed her temples.
Oh well, the outhouse is fine. Who doesn't use the outhouse? We'll just wait for him to come out.
Lou Xueying turned around and said to the maid who was taking care of Pengpeng, "Cailing went to look for my pearl hairpin just now, but she couldn't find it. You can go with her to look for it again. I'll take Pengpeng with me, she'll be fine."
The maid replied, "Yes."
Cailing pointed at herself in astonishment: "A servant? You still have to go look for her?"
Lou Xueying winked at her: "What else? Of course we should keep looking if we haven't found it yet, but if we can't find either of them, then forget it, it's not particularly valuable."
Cai Ling: "..."
Miss, oh Miss, it's one thing for you to go to such lengths to meet with Marquis Wu'an in secret, but to bring a child along instead of a maid is quite another! Don't set a bad example for Fourth Miss!
Lou Xueying urged, "Aren't you going yet?"
Cailing had no choice but to leave with Pengpeng's maid, turning back every few steps.
Lou Xueying breathed a sigh of relief as she watched the two of them walk away, then pulled Pengpeng into the small bamboo grove.
Pengpeng looked around and asked curiously, "Sister, where's the fun? There's nothing here."
The scenery here is indeed quite ordinary. Most families with a little money will plant bamboo and dig ponds in their courtyards, so it's nothing special. Therefore, most people gathered in front to look at the peonies, and no one was strolling around here.
Lou Xueying squatted down, put her hands on Pengpeng's shoulders, looked into her eyes, and said very solemnly, "Sister lied to Pengpeng. Sister didn't bring Pengpeng here to play. Sister has a favor to ask Pengpeng to help her."
Pengpeng's eyes widened: "What kind of help?"
Lou Xueying: "Ahem, sister... sister has a sweetheart, she fell in love at first sight and wants to marry him, but he doesn't know you. Sister wants to find an opportunity to talk to him alone. But if sister takes the initiative to invite him, he might think sister is frivolous. Sister doesn't want to leave a bad impression on him, so could you please ask Pengpeng to help lure him over?"
Although Pengpeng was only eight years old, she already recognized quite a few characters and could read some books; she wasn't completely ignorant. Upon hearing this, she covered her mouth in shock and exclaimed in a whisper, "Sister actually has someone she likes! And she wants to marry him! Do Father and Mother know about this?"
Lou Xueying: "They don't know yet. I didn't dare to say anything. What if the person I like doesn't like me back? Wouldn't it be embarrassing if they found out?"
Pengpeng asked, "Who does your sister like? Do I know her?"
Lou Xueying: "He's here for the banquet today too. You might not have seen him, but you may have heard of him. He's General Li Pan, the one who helped us drive away the invading Quanrong from the Northwest. He's a great hero!"
"Oh! I've heard of it! Mother even told me the story of the great general who drove away the enemy!" Pengpeng exclaimed excitedly. "So he was such a powerful general! No wonder my sister likes him! How can my sister help me?"
Lou Xueying patted her head and said, "It's so good that Pengpeng is willing to help her older sister, but before helping, I want to make a promise with Pengpeng: no matter who asks, you can't tell them the truth about what happened today..."
She whispered something to Pengpeng.
Pengpeng frowned, looking somewhat troubled: "But... isn't this lying?"
“Yes, it’s a lie,” Lou Xueying said. “But it’s a white lie. If you and the General were to meet here alone before you’ve officially started dating, it would damage your reputations. So, for your happiness and for Pengpeng to have a great hero as her brother-in-law, please keep this a secret, okay?”
Pengpeng clenched her fists, took a deep breath, struggled internally for a moment, and finally nodded heavily.
"Don't worry, sister! I definitely won't let you down!"
...
Li Pan stood with his hands on his hips, staring at the top of the wall in front of him.
When he first arrived in the capital, he had to give face to everyone. He couldn't accept one person's invitation but not another's. So even though the Duke of Guangping held no real position and was just an idle imperial relative relying on his ancestors' titles, he still came to the banquet.
He just hadn't expected there to be so many people at this birthday banquet! The crowd was dense, with people clinking glasses and exchanging toasts, plus the singing and dancing on the stage, which gave him a real headache.
He thought he could leave after the birthday banquet, but he was blocked by a group of strangers who introduced themselves one by one, flattering him and trying to get close to him. At first, Li Pan could nod and laugh a couple of times, but he became more and more impatient and just wanted to go home as soon as possible.
Li Pan didn't know if those people genuinely didn't understand or were just pretending. He stopped smiling and stood there with a cold face, but they still managed to chat back and forth, with the topic revolving around him, making it difficult for him to extricate himself.
Seeing that things weren't going well and he was about to leave, Li Pan made an excuse, saying he needed to use the restroom.
Now finally no one is following us anymore.
The outhouse is now not far from him. There is no one to be seen here anymore. There is a high wall between them, and he can hear the street vendors calling out their wares from the other side of the wall.
In other words, once he gets over this wall, he will be free.
Li Pan took a few steps back, wondering if climbing over the wall would damage his reputation if he were recognized by passersby, when he suddenly heard a series of clattering footsteps behind him.
He turned his head and saw a little girl walking unsteadily from the end of the road.
The little girl looked to be only seven or eight years old, with a plump and radiant appearance, dressed in rich clothes, and sobbing and wiping away tears as she walked.
Li Pan looked at her and recognized her immediately.
This little girl had been walking with a female guest earlier, and she was the only child at the entire banquet, so she was easy to remember. Because she and the two female guests had been walking in the same direction, Li Pan caught a glimpse of her out of the corner of his eye and paid special attention to her.
I don't know why she's all alone now, and she's crying so pitifully. Could it be that she got scolded?
However, Li Pan did not want to meddle in other people's business. He was preparing to find another place to escape from the Duke's mansion when he saw the little girl rushing towards him as if she had seen a savior.
"Uncle!" the little girl called out pitifully, her eyes red, then paused and changed her words, "...brother."
Li Pan: "..."
The little girl said, "I...I've gotten separated from my family and I can't find them. Can you help me find them?"
Li Pan had felt something was off ever since she appeared. Hearing this question only confirmed his suspicions, so he said, "If you can't find your family, then ask the servants at the Duke's mansion. They will naturally help you."
How could a little girl get lost in the mansion of a high-ranking official? It's laughable.
The little girl stammered, "But, but I'm lost and I can't find anyone to help me... Brother, you're the first person I've met."
Li Pan couldn't stand it when someone cried in front of him, especially children, who were the most troublesome and unreasonable, much harder to deal with than adults.
Li Pan looked left and right, and seeing that there was no one around, he had no choice but to take a deep breath and resign himself to his fate, saying, "Fine, come with me."
He took a step forward, intending to go back and hand the little girl over to the people from the Duke's mansion, when the little girl grabbed his sleeve and pulled him into the bamboo forest, saying, "My family should still be inside, brother, come and look for them!"
Li Pan almost laughed out of anger.
Such terrible acting skills, even worse than the spies of the Quanrong. If you're going to scheme against him, can't you be a little more serious? What's with sending a clueless little kid to do it?
With a cold expression, he wanted to see what the person behind it all was up to, so he changed his mind and let the little girl drag him into the bamboo forest.
Several paths intertwined in the bamboo forest. The little girl wandered around, occasionally glancing back at him and asking, "Brother, are you just going to follow me like this? Can you look around too?"
Li Pan said expressionlessly, "You were already lost. What if you get lost again if I don't follow you?"
The little girl: "..."
A note from the author:
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