Chapter 27: This is what newlywed life is like.
Lou Xueying was led by Li Pan, walking quickly on the road out of the palace.
"See? I told you I was right, it really won't take long, will it?" Li Pan said.
Lou Xueying nodded reluctantly.
The wind blew on her, making her sweaty back feel slightly cool.
She tried hard to control her expression, telling herself that she was about to return to her parents' home and needed to put what had just happened aside. Otherwise, if her mother and the others saw through her thoughts, they might misunderstand that she had some kind of conflict with Li Pan.
Just then, a woman's figure suddenly appeared at the end of the palace path, led by a palace maid, coming towards them.
Lou Xueying stopped in her tracks, taken aback.
"Ah Yue?" she asked in surprise.
The woman was none other than Yao Biyue.
She recognized Lou Xueying, and a smile suddenly bloomed on her previously expressionless face. Lifting her skirt, she ran quickly towards her, calling out, "Susu!"
Li Pan looked at them in surprise.
Yao Biyue ran up to them and, with her sharp eyes, noticed their clasped hands. She quickly covered her face with her fan, hiding her mischievous smile: "Oh dear, it seems I've come at an inopportune time."
Lou Xueying quickly pulled her hand away and said to Li Pan, "This is my friend, the daughter of Yao Shaoqing of the Ministry of Agriculture. I... I want to say a few words to her."
“Miss Yao.” Li Pan nodded.
"My Lord," Yao Biyue also bowed.
Li Pan stepped aside and said, "Please make yourself at home."
Lou Xueying quickly pulled Yao Biyue aside and asked her in a low voice, "Why are you here?"
"Don't say that, I'm wondering about it too." Yao Biyue covered her mouth with her fan and whispered, "Yesterday someone came from the palace and said that Her Majesty the Empress summoned me to the palace. I had no choice but to come."
"The Empress summoned you to the palace?" Lou Xueying was startled. "Why? You and the Empress are complete strangers. Could it be that she's here because of the Crown Prince's marriage?"
“I think so too.” Yao Biyue wrinkled her nose. “You didn’t go to the flower viewing banquet when it rained so heavily, but I did. Later, the Grand Princess held another one, so I had to go again. But I didn’t see the Crown Prince. Could it be that the Grand Princess took a liking to me and recommended me to the Empress?”
Lou Xueying inwardly felt uneasy. In this life, since the Crown Prince hadn't chosen anyone for the flower-viewing banquet, the elders had to make the selection. It wasn't surprising that he had chosen Yao Biyue in the previous life and was choosing Yao Biyue again in this life.
But... is she just going to stand by and watch Yao Biyue marry the Crown Prince again?
The Crown Prince wasn't a good match, but that was just her opinion. Yao Biyue had no idea that the Crown Prince had later hidden her away. In her previous life, as an observer, she hadn't noticed Yao Biyue's obvious dislike for the Crown Prince, nor had she had the chance to ask Yao Biyue what she truly thought. What if, although she didn't like the Crown Prince, she was willing to become Empress and support her maternal clan? After all, the two were not the same. If she hadn't received a direct answer from Yao Biyue saying that she didn't want to marry the Crown Prince, didn't want to be Empress, etc., how could she easily interfere in someone else's fate?
Most importantly, she can't interfere now. Who would believe her claim that the Crown Prince is not a kind person? Even the Crown Prince himself probably finds it baffling.
He hasn't made any mistakes yet, so she has no way to remind Yao Biyue.
Lou Xueying pursed her lips and said, "I think the Empress summoned you because she wanted to see what kind of person you were, not necessarily because she decided to make you the Crown Princess. If you don't want to... there are many ways to make the Empress give up on you."
"Ah, it's not that I'm unwilling." Yao Biyue leaned closer to Lou Xueying's ear and said in a very low voice, "It's just that I always feel strange. We're like vegetables at the execution ground, being picked and chosen by the Crown Prince. The worst part is that he doesn't even show his face. If he did, I would feel a little better. But I'm just saying this to you. I still dressed myself up neatly and went to the execution ground. If he really picks me, I have no reason not to accept it, don't you think?"
Lou Xueying sighed softly.
Yao Biyue's eyes darted around: "What, you don't want me to marry the Crown Prince? Do you perhaps know some secret?"
"Crown Prince..." Lou Xueying thought for a while, but still couldn't help but vaguely remind her, "Being a Crown Princess isn't so easy. Rather than finding someone troublesome, it's better to find someone who's easy to manage."
Yao Biyue thought for a moment and said, "What you said makes sense, I'll consider it. But maybe the Crown Prince doesn't even fancy me, hahaha."
She glanced at Li Pan standing a dozen feet away and couldn't help but nudge Lou Xueying, laughing, "Let's talk about you, Susu. You're really something. That Marquis of Wu'an seems so cold, but he's so warm to you. You even held hands in the palace. He really doesn't treat us like outsiders. I was at your wedding the other day, and he didn't seem particularly happy. I was a little worried about you, but it turns out I was overthinking it. Even heroes eventually fall for the gentle touch of love."
Lou Xueying blushed and said, "I'm not talking to you anymore. I'm leaving. I still have to go back to my parents' home."
"Then I'll let you off the hook for today." Both of them had things to do, and Yao Biyue didn't have time to chat with her much. She just smiled cryptically and said, "I'll ask you what you did to Marquis Wu'an when I have the chance in the future."
Lou Xueying glared at her, shook her off, and quickly walked back to Li Pan's side.
Li Pan: "Are you done talking?"
Lou Xueying nodded.
Li Pan looked at Yao Biyue, who bowed to him to take her leave, and then followed the palace maid who had come to guide her into the depths of the palace.
As Li Pan led Lou Xueying toward the outskirts of the imperial city, he casually asked, "Are you two on good terms?"
“We grew up together when we were little.” Lou Xueying hesitated for a moment before saying, “Actually, the day you went to the city… it was me and her upstairs watching you, but you didn’t see her.”
Li Pan smiled enigmatically: "Oh? You need someone to bolster your courage for something like this?"
Lou Xueying: "..."
Li Pan: "Did she know that you deliberately fell into the water to lure me to save you?"
Lou Xueying shook her head: "She only found out later."
"She kept glancing at me just now, could it be that she has some kind of problem with me?"
Lou Xueying said, half-jokingly, "She said you're a martial artist and she's afraid you'll treat me badly."
Li Pan looked at her and said, "Don't you know whether I'm good to you or not?"
Lou Xueying muttered, "She thinks I'm so infatuated with you that I'll think everything you do is good."
Li Pan snorted: "Give me a break, who was it that kicked me in bed earlier?"
Lou Xueying immediately became anxious: "You!"
She looked around warily, thankfully there was no one around for the time being, and no one would listen to what he was saying, otherwise she would have lost all face.
Li Pan chuckled and said no more.
The two left the imperial city, boarded a carriage, and headed towards the Lou family's residence.
The entire Lou family had been waiting for Lou Xueying to return to her parents' home. Even though they knew that the family would first go to the palace to express their gratitude and wouldn't come over immediately, they still made preparations well in advance.
As soon as Lou Xueying got out of the car, she saw her whole family standing at the door to greet them.
She took a deep breath, putting aside the matters of the palace for the moment, and forced a smile.
"Lord Marquis." Lou Shu stepped forward first and bowed to Li Pan.
Li Pan waved his hand and said, "Father-in-law, you are too kind. Now that we are family, there is no need for such formalities, as it would only make us feel distant."
Lou Shu smiled and said, "Alright. It's getting late, why don't we have lunch first?"
Li Pan: "Okay."
The whole family then walked in a grand procession towards the main hall.
Pengpeng clung to Lou Xueying, refusing to let go: "Third sister, you're finally back!"
"Pengpeng, have you missed your sister these past few days?" Lou Xueying asked with a smile.
"Of course I want to!" Pengpeng said. "The kitchen even made my sister's favorite clove-flavored shredded pork, which I specifically asked her to make!"
Lou Xueying couldn't help but touch Pengpeng's face: "Pengpeng is so good to her older sister."
Li Pan, who was walking ahead, heard this and paused slightly.
She likes clove-flavored sliced meat? Why didn't you tell him?
The food at the Marquis of Wu'an's residence was rather rustic, catering to his and his mother's habits and tastes. However, having spent almost two months in the capital, he had sampled almost all the delicacies of the city at various banquets and naturally knew what Dingzixiang Linkuai was.
Fish should be raw and tender, and drizzled with clove oil to bring out its freshness. Although Li Pan himself did not think it was particularly delicious, it did not prevent him from knowing that the simpler the ingredients, the more refined the processing methods were. People in the capital liked to eat such fancy but impractical things.
Moreover, the fish is already sliced, snow-white, and melts in your mouth, so diners can simply enjoy it without worrying about picking out bones.
And yet, she was even thinking about picking the thorns off them at their house… Li Pan’s brows twitched slightly.
The family took their seats, and the maids filed in, quickly filling the large table with plates of various dishes.
Li Pan observed secretly that the food at the Lou family's house was just as exquisite as that in restaurants outside. Before the meal, there was water and a towel to wash hands. Everyone at the table ate slowly and deliberately. When they spoke, they spoke softly and chatted with light smiles. There was no joking or laughing atmosphere.
Li Pan felt unwell all over.
Since restaurants are places for banquets, people are usually less formal and tend to be as lively as possible. In addition, Li Pan was the one being flattered, so he naturally had even fewer scruples.
But when he arrived at the Lou family's house, surrounded by a group of people who were impeccably dressed from head to toe and whose manners were impeccable, even the eight-year-old girl was eating slowly and gracefully. Li Pan suddenly felt like he didn't even know how to hold chopsticks anymore.
Lou Xueying, who was standing next to him, glanced at him and slightly curled the corners of her lips.
Li Pan saw this and was displeased, but his face remained expressionless. In reality, while his right hand was still holding a dish, his left hand was under the table, and he quietly touched Lou Xueying's leg.
Lou Xueying was so startled that she dropped the spoon in her hand, splashing a few drops of water.
Li Pan withdrew his hand as if nothing had happened.
Everyone looked over, but Lou Xueying forced herself to remain calm and instructed the maid serving the dishes, "Give the Marquis some more rice."
The maid should be.
Lou Shu asked, "Does the food served in our manor suit your taste, Lord Marquis?"
Li Pan nodded naturally: "Very good, very good. It's much better than the Marquis's residence. We'll have our cooks come to the Lou family to learn from them another day."
Lou Shu smiled and said, "If Your Excellency likes it, that's good."
After the meal, Madam Lou said with a smile, "Susu, we've just bought a new batch of jewelry. Why don't you and your sister-in-law come to my room and pick some out?"
Lou Shu also said, "The women want to look at jewelry, but we can't say anything. Why don't we go have some tea? Boyu is coming back this month and happened to bring a packet of new tea. Let's try it and see how it tastes."
Lou Boyu is the eldest son of the Lou family. He usually works in the capital and doesn't come home often. When Lou Xueying was first betrothed, he received the news and brought his wife back for a visit. This time, for his sister's wedding, he took a few days off and stayed at home with his wife until today when they returned to her parents' home.
Li Pan understood that they were going to question the couple separately. They would ask the woman how Lou Xueying was doing after marriage, and the man would be asked about his future plans.
He had expected this, so he smiled, stood up and said, "I'm a rough man and can't tell the difference between good and bad tea, so it would be a waste for me to drink it. But since my brother-in-law specially brought it back, I'll respectfully accept it."
Like Lou Zhongyan, Lou Boyu was also handsome and talented. However, he was older than Lou Zhongyan and held the troublesome position of county magistrate, so he seemed much more composed than Lou Zhongyan and had a lot of his father's demeanor.
Lou Boyu nodded: "It's not anything top-quality tea, just a small token of appreciation from the common people to the county government. I'm just passing on this to you, so please have a taste, my lord."
Li Pan understood that this was a veiled message telling him that he was doing real work in the county government, not just accumulating seniority; otherwise, the common people wouldn't have bothered to deliver tea to the county government.
Li Pan laughed and said, "Then let's go. I haven't tried the local tea from the capital yet."
Seeing Li Pan chatting and laughing with his father and brothers, Lou Xueying felt relieved and went back to the house with her sister-in-law and mother.
As soon as the door closed, Madam Lou eagerly grabbed Lou Xueying and asked, "The day before yesterday, when the steward from the Marquis's mansion came to our residence to borrow maids, was that at your behest? Does the Marquis know about it?"
Lou Xueying smiled and said, "Of course the Marquis knows."
Madam Lou: "We wouldn't mind sending a few maids over, but doesn't the Marquis think our Lou family has ulterior motives? Why doesn't he mind using people from our Lou family?"
Lou Xueying scratched her face sheepishly and told Li Pan about how he had overheard her conversation with Cai Ling.
Mrs. Lou was speechless: This...he..."
The sister-in-law's eyes widened as well: "Then the Marquis won't think you..."
She didn't say what she was going to say directly, but Lou Xueying understood. She shook her head and said, "He doesn't seem to care much about this. After learning that this marriage was not planned by the Lou family and that the Lou family didn't have any other intentions, he became much gentler towards me."
Madam Lou frowned and hissed softly, "But when a woman is too proactive, men tend to look down on her..."
“The Marquis did not look down on me.” Lou Xueying thought for a moment and said, “He is very good to me. On the night of our wedding, he handed over the power of managing the household to me. He also said that his family came from the Northwest and were not very good at training the servants of the Marquis’s mansion, so he asked me to help. He also said that if there was anything in the Marquis’s mansion that needed to be repaired, it could be changed according to my opinion.”
"In that case, the Marquis is quite thoughtful," his sister-in-law laughed. "Susu has a good eye."
The group chatted idly in the room until half an hour later, when Madam Lou's maid knocked on the door: "Madam, the master and the young masters have finished their talk with the Marquis and want Miss to accompany the Marquis to tour the manor."
Lou Xueying immediately stood up.
Madam Lou clicked her tongue and said, "I knew your mind wasn't on this! Who was it that said all those nice things on your wedding day, about coming home often, about still being my daughter even after you're married? In reality, you're still thinking about your husband when you come home! Luckily, I didn't take your words seriously!"
The sister-in-law smiled and said, "That's how newlyweds are. Susu's behavior just shows that she and the Marquis have a good relationship. Mother should be pleased."
Madam Lou waved her hand: "Go quickly, we won't disturb you two any longer."
Lou Xueying smiled, bowed to her mother and sister-in-law, and ran off lightly.
She ran to the front hall and immediately saw Li Pan sitting next to her father, drinking tea.
"Susu, you've arrived." Lou Shu smiled kindly. "During the wedding preparations, the Marquis visited several times to discuss the details of the marriage with your mother and me, but he has not yet had a proper tour of our residence. Today we have some free time, so why don't you show the Marquis around?"
Lou Xueying responded with a "Yes".
Li Pan got up and walked to Lou Xueying's side.
Seeing her father and brothers leave one after another, Lou Xueying led Li Pan into the garden and asked curiously, "What were you all talking about just now?"
Li Pan said casually, "We didn't talk about much. They asked me what I thought of you, and I said I was fine with anything, but I had plenty of courage but lacked cunning. To come up with such a lame trick as falling into the water really lowered the Lou family's standards."
Lou Xueying paused in astonishment: "Really?"
Li Pan grinned as he looked at her suddenly wide-eyed eyes: "Just kidding. Your father and brothers didn't talk to me about this."
"I knew it!" Lou Xueying couldn't help but raise her hand and hit him.
Li Pan laughed and said, "You're back in your own home, and you're really putting on a show of power. Are you afraid your family doesn't know how spoiled you've been living in the Marquis's mansion?"
Lou Xueying turned around and found her father and brother, who had not gone far behind her, staring at her in shock.
Lou Xueying: "..."
Her face flushed, and she quickly shook off Li Pan, focusing only on walking forward. Li Pan remained calm and composed, even turning back to nod at the Lou family father and son before leisurely following her into the garden.
Only after the two figures disappeared around the corner did Lou Zhongyan pat his face and say in a daze, "Did I see that right? Did Su Su just hit Marquis Wu'an?"
Lou Boyu took a deep breath: "I'm afraid I haven't misread it."
Lou Zhongyan: "Does Marquis Wu'an just let her hit him?"
Lou Boyu: "Not only does he indulge in it, but he also seems to enjoy it."
Lou Zhongyan: "..."
Lou Shu shook his head, turned and left with his hands behind his back, chuckling as he said, "Su Su is really capable..."
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