Chapter 122 Chapter 122 Jealousy Who is jealous of me?
After the three of them left the palace, the servants from Prince Heng's mansion immediately brought Yan Zhuo's mount, and the groom from the Cui mansion also urged his horse forward.
When the carriage arrived, Cui Cen turned to look at Zhao Mingsheng. "Let's go. I'll give you a ride."
Zhao Mingsheng glanced at the sun and estimated that it was already past noon. It was too late to return to Qingshan Village, and besides, he really needed to report back to his grandmother. So he nodded and boarded the carriage.
Having achieved his goal, the boy couldn't help but curl up the corners of his mouth.
Turning around, he saw Yan Zhuo quietly mounting his horse alone. For some reason, he lifted the carriage curtain and said with some pride.
"Uncle, you've had a long journey to Yanzhou. After all the travel and the previous experience, I'm afraid you must be very tired."
Yan Zhuo looked at Cui Cen indifferently, wondering what his intention was in suddenly saying this.
"Let me escort the young lady from the Zhao family back home. Don't worry, I will definitely take her back home safely. You should also go back and rest early."
Through the opened curtain, Yan Zhuo saw the girl's fair profile at a glance. The reins in his hand suddenly tightened, and the corners of his mouth were pursed into a straight line.
That satisfied and complacent smile seemed so dazzling to him.
The boy's thoughts were simple yet insightful, eager to announce his affections to the world. His nephew had found a woman he loved, and as an uncle, he should have offered his blessing. But Cui Cen's crush was on her...
His mind told him that he should ride away now, but a corner of his heart was clamoring with unwillingness.
The first encounter on the wrong carriage, the small courtyard in Qingshan Town, the hunt for cicadas together, every bit of our time together in Yanzhou...
Scattered memories gathered into a galaxy, and my sanity was instantly shattered.
Cui Cen was laughing when he suddenly saw his uncle jump off the horse without any warning.
Then, the carriage sank and another uninvited guest got on.
Cui Ergou was stunned.
"Uncle, uncle, why did you change to a carriage?"
Yan Zhuo straightened his robe and said calmly, "You're right. The journey has been quite tiring. I won't be riding today."
Oh no.
Cui Cen wanted to slap himself in the face.
Since Yan Zhuo said so, he couldn't chase him away, so he had to sit back in disappointment and ordered the coachman to drive.
Zhao Mingsheng didn't feel crowded when she first got on the carriage, but as soon as the two big men sat in, she immediately felt that the space inside the carriage became much smaller and the air became much less.
The uncle and nephew stared at each other, neither of them willing to speak first.
The horse hooves with iron ingots nailed to them made a clattering sound as they stepped on the bluestone slabs, which could be clearly heard inside the carriage.
Zhao Mingsheng held his breath and sat upright in the carriage.
Zhao Mingsheng adjusted the hem of her skirt to make it look less messy, then cleared her throat: "Um..."
The two men turned to look at her.
Zhao Mingsheng suddenly felt a huge pressure on himself, and said with a stiff upper lip, "Who should I send first?"
"For you."
"For you"
The two said in unison.
Zhao Mingsheng: ...
What happened to this uncle and nephew today? Have they finally established telepathy?
She lifted the curtain and looked at the street scene outside. She had just walked to Xuanwu Street. If she remembered correctly, Prince Heng's Mansion was nearby, but they chose to go the long way and send her to someone three blocks away first.
But this was not something Zhao Mingsheng should worry about. Since they were willing to send her first, she was happy to get home earlier. It was just that the atmosphere in the car was too quiet.
The carriage drove onto a busy street. Zhao Mingsheng lifted a corner of the curtain to look at the long-missed street. He happened to pass by a pastry shop that his grandmother used to love, and he couldn't help but take a second look.
Cui Cen followed her gaze and immediately became alert.
"Stop the car," he ordered the driver to stop, then turned to Zhao Mingsheng and asked, "I remember this place has some good pastries. I'll go buy some. What flavor do you want?"
Whether it was the fragrant pastries or the boy’s bright eyes, it was difficult for Zhao Mingsheng to refuse.
"Chestnut cake and osmanthus glutinous rice cake."
After receiving the order, the boy jumped out of the car happily.
Yan Zhuo looked at the young man's positive attitude coldly, his lips pursed into a straight line, and he couldn't help but snort.
This caused Zhao Mingsheng to look at him.
Yan Zhuo looked gloomy, as if he was unhappy.
Cui Ergou didn’t seem to ask him what flavor he wanted just now. Was he angry because of this?
Zhao Mingsheng guessed.
"Besides this bakery, there are many other delicious snacks on this street. I'll buy you whatever you like."
As he said this, he stood up and prepared to lift the curtain and go out.
“No need.”
Yan Zhuo reached out and grabbed her slender wrist through the fabric, successfully stopping her movements.
The warmth of his palm passed through the thin fabric to his wrist, causing Zhao Mingsheng to glance sideways. The moment he lowered his eyes, he happened to meet those deep eyes.
"Cui Cen knows that I don't like sweets, so you don't have to buy it." Yan Zhuo explained to her seriously.
"oh......"
The girl stared at something and responded somewhat slowly.
Yan Zhuo followed her gaze and realized that he had subconsciously grabbed her wrist in order to stop her.
The man immediately withdrew his hand as if he was scalded. The speed at which he drew his sword when encountering an enemy was not as fast as this.
"Feel sorry."
"N-Never mind."
Faced with the man's apology, Zhao Mingsheng pretended to be calm and answered, but the slightly red tips of her ears betrayed her inner unrest at the moment.
After saying that, she sat back in her original seat and took deep breaths to calm herself down. However, in the narrow carriage, her breathing was inevitably mixed together.
When she smelled the cold pine scent, she couldn't help but think of the smell in the room in Yanzhou, which made Zhao Mingsheng a little dazed.
Speaking of which, it was Prince Heng who gave up his own room for her to rest during those days so that she wouldn't have to sleep on the streets or share a room with others. Prince Heng himself stayed in the study, but why did he do that?
Before she could think about it, the boy's excited voice came from outside the car.
"I bought it!" Cui Cen's voice arrived before he even showed up. He quickly climbed onto the carriage in two or three steps, waving the seven or eight packages of pastries in his hands as if to show off his skills. "I'm quick, aren't I?"
Zhao Mingsheng was amazed. With so many cakes, she thought the whole stall must have been sold out. She glanced in the direction of the stall and saw the proprietress, grinning from ear to ear, packing up the stall and preparing to go home.
However, Cui Cen's arrival immediately dispelled the somewhat strange atmosphere. Zhao Mingsheng quietly breathed a sigh of relief, smiled and took some pastries from him.
The carriage soon arrived in front of the marquis's mansion.
Before leaving, Cui Cen said with some reluctance.
"If you like those cakes, we can buy some tomorrow!"
Zhao Mingsheng smiled and shook his head. "Maybe not tomorrow. I'll see grandma today and talk to her. I'll go back to Qingshan Village tomorrow."
Cui Cen suddenly became anxious. "Why are you in such a hurry to go back?"
Zhao Mingsheng counted the days since he left home on his fingers. "I've been away for quite a while now. Although I've been sending letters to let them know I'm safe, my parents will be worried if I don't go back soon."
Cui Cen suddenly lost his temper.
Yes, Mr. Zhao and the others must miss their daughter, and he can't stop her from going back.
Yan Zhuo was not in a hurry at all. Instead, he asked, "When will you be back? Don't forget your appointment with His Majesty."
Zhao Mingsheng naturally would not forget.
She already had a preliminary plan for mass production of healing medicine. The first thing to do was to separate the mature medicinal plants in the Qingshan Village medicinal fields and keep the seeds, and then transplant them after the fields in the suburbs of Beijing were ready.
Thinking of this, Zhao Mingsheng said to Yan Zhuo, "I'll be back soon. First, arrange for people to reclaim the fields outside Beijing, and leave the rest to me."
Yan Zhuo nodded in agreement, "Okay. Take this badge. If you need anything, you can use it as a command. My people in Qingkang Town will help you unconditionally."
As he spoke, he took out a token from his waist and handed it to Zhao Mingsheng.
Zhao Mingsheng thought about it and decided that he might indeed need those people, so he accepted them.
I heard that she would be back soon, and Cui Cen was alive again, but he was confused by their conversation. Is there anything that can't be told to him?!
"What are you two whispering about?"
Yan Zhuo didn't indulge him and just said, "You'll know later."
Cui Cen snorted. He knew that there were some things he shouldn't know, but he was inexplicably in a bad mood, and his unhappiness was almost written on his face.
Before leaving, Zhao Mingsheng raised the cakes in his hand and said to Cui Cen, "There are so many cakes that my grandmother and I can't finish them all. I'll take them back to Qingshan Village tomorrow and share them with the children in the academy. I'd like to thank you on their behalf."
When Cui Cen mentioned the children in the academy, he was stunned for a moment and said with some regret:
"If I had known I would have bought more."
The smile on Zhao Mingsheng's face froze for a moment.
"How about I go buy some more?" Cui Cen suggested.
Zhao Mingsheng was afraid that he would buy up all the cakes on the street, so he quickly said, "That's enough, it's not good for children to eat too many cakes."
Cui Cen then gave up.
Zhao Mingsheng quickly changed the subject: "The children in Qingshan Village all miss you very much. Although the new teacher has taught them well, you are still very important to them."
Hearing these words, Cui Cen's mood unconsciously improved. Although the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl up, he pretended not to care: "Humph, it's not in vain that I spent all that time teaching them."
As they were talking, the carriage stopped at the gate of the Marquis's mansion.
"I'm here, thank you for giving me a ride."
Zhao Mingsheng stood outside the carriage, smiling and waving goodbye.
Cui Cen leaned out of the car window, waving and shouting, "Tell the kids I'll come back to see them after this busy period."
Zhao Mingsheng smiled and said, "Okay, I'll tell them what you said when I get back."
The carriage had gone a long way, but Cui Cen still had a silly smile on his face.
Yan Zhuo couldn't bear to watch it anymore and snorted coldly.
Cui Cen then realized that there was someone else in the car. When he looked up, he saw his uncle with a gloomy face and didn't know what he was thinking. He was immediately startled.
What happened? Who was so blind as to offend him? I didn't provoke him at all.
Before Cui Cen could organize his words.
Uncle Iceberg spoke first.
"parking."
The servants of Prince Heng's mansion were leading the horses and following behind the carriage.
Yan Zhuo got off the carriage and mounted his horse, his movements smooth and seamless. He didn't show any trace of the tiredness he had mentioned earlier.
"Prince Heng's Mansion and Cui's Mansion are not on the same route. No need to send me off. I can ride on my own."
Now you know it’s not on your way?
What were you doing so far?
Before Cui Cen could finish his complaints, Yan Zhuo whipped his horsewhip and rode away.
"Ah, ugh, ugh!"
By the time Cui Cen, who had a mouth full of dust, finally spit out all the sand, Yan Zhuo had already disappeared.
Only the coachman was left looking at him stupidly.
"What are you looking at!" Cui Cen was in a very bad mood at the moment. He didn't know what Yan Zhuo was crazy about. He waved his hand and said, "Let's go back home!"
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