Chapter 41 Just Being Stubborn
Rongshan brought a message saying that Xiaoman wanted to see him.
Li Shangxuan was somewhat surprised, but he didn't think much of it, assuming that Yang Qing had changed her mind and wanted to invite him on a trip.
In front of Yang Jiarong and Huo Lu, he couldn't help but show off a little, "I guess all young girls are like this. I just saw her yesterday, and she's here to see me again today."
He shook his head, speaking with an air of seriousness, but the upturned corner of his mouth betrayed his true thoughts: "There's really nothing I can do."
Yang Jiarong and Huo Lu exchanged a glance, seeing the smile in each other's eyes. They knew what was going on, but on the surface, they were both more flattering than the other.
Yang Jiarong: "Of course. Sincerity begets sincerity. Miss Chi will definitely be able to feel His Highness's good intentions."
Huo Lu had spent more time with them and understood their way of getting along better. Seeing the usually aloof prince repeatedly fail in front of Chi Yangqing, he couldn't help but laugh inwardly. At this moment, his flattery was even more exaggerated than Yang Jiarong's: "Our prince is handsome and elegant. Miss Chi is just being stubborn. She must be completely infatuated with you behind your back."
Li Shangxuan was visibly happy. After Xiaoman came in, Yang Jiarong and Huo Lu were about to leave.
Who knows what they're saying? It would be terrible if they overheard something they shouldn't have heard.
Xiaoman had just finished her bow when she saw Huo Lu about to leave the palace. She immediately disregarded etiquette and hurriedly asked, "Lord Huo, why are you leaving? Is there something urgent?"
Huo Lu was stopped and paused for a moment, then asked, "Did you need something?"
Xiaoman said, "It's not me who needs to talk to you, it's Miss Chi who needs to talk to you."
Huo Lu was truly stunned this time, pointing to himself with one finger in disbelief, "Are you sure Miss Chi is looking for me?"
Xiaoman nodded seriously: "I'm sure, I asked several times too, Miss Chi is talking about you. Are you free after your shift? She has something to tell you."
Li Shangxuan's face froze. Yang Jiarong, who loved watching the fun, couldn't help but laugh, "Oh my, the person we've been searching for for so long is actually right under our noses!"
Huo Lu immediately said, "You can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want. I've barely spoken to Miss Chi, and she always avoids me whenever she sees me. She must have something important to tell me this time."
Yang Jiarong smiled but remained silent. Huo Lu glanced at Li Shangxuan's expression and continued to criticize Yang Jiarong, "A casual remark from you could ruin that young lady's reputation, and it could also ruin mine. Your Highness, don't you think so? I think he should be severely punished so that he will learn his lesson and remember the principle that trouble comes from the mouth."
Li Shangxuan said, "No need for this banter. Since she... has something to ask you, just go."
These words seemed to have caused a sour smell to permeate the spacious hall, like a spilled bowl of old vinegar. Huo Lu quickly said, "Your Highness, please come with me."
He analyzed with apparent certainty, "I think it's very possible that Miss Chi wants to see His Highness, but is just too shy to say it directly. It's also possible that she wants to find out His Highness's preferences from me. Yang Jiarong, what do you think?"
Yang Jiarong, whose name was called, responded repeatedly, "Yes."
After Xiaoman returned and gave her report, Li Shangxuan was still unable to calm down. His mind kept replaying Yangqing's attitude towards Huo Lu.
She never acts like this with other people; she never avoids them when she sees them.
Looking back now, I guess it was because I was shy?
His face stiffened further, and his hands clenched into fists under his sleeves. He could only keep thinking, "Please, Yang Qing, don't fall for Huo Lu."
It wouldn't matter if it were anyone else, but Huo Lu really had some feelings for him, and he truly considered Huo Lu as family.
In this dynasty, most government offices close at noon. Yang Qing once complained that they had to get up before dawn for the morning court session, but they had to leave early at noon. If that's the case, why can't the morning court session be moved back a bit?
Getting up when it was still pitch black was torture for her, though others might not know.
No one in the Chi family needed to attend the morning court session, but Master Chi the Second and others still had to get up early as usual.
Before Yang Qing sent Xiao Man to find Huo Lu, she had already asked Xiao Tao to make a reservation at a restaurant outside.
If I go again at the last minute, I'm afraid I'll end up sitting in the lobby, just like last time.
Having received a positive reply, Yang Qing arrived at the private room early to wait. This time, she chose Zui Fang Lou again, the same place she had visited with the Xu Yanran and Xu Pianran sisters last time. It would be best if Huo Lu also had feelings for Xu Yanran.
At this moment, Yang Qing also began to have doubts. Were all the things Yang Jiayin told her in her previous life true?
After all, she would also smear Li Shangxuan.
If Huo Lu really agrees, then what should Yang Jiayin do?
They used to bicker and argue in their past lives, but no one really knows what their relationship was like.
Although the dishes at Zui Fang Lou are unique, they are not catering to high-ranking officials and dignitaries. The private rooms are also very ordinary, with only a table in the middle and no other decorations.
However, it was tidied up quite nicely. Yang Qing rested her chin on her hand, lost in thought, considering all the possibilities. The more she thought about it, the more her brows furrowed.
Xiaoman sat very upright, her face expressionless, making it impossible to guess what she was thinking.
Huo Lu's Jinwu Guard was responsible for patrolling the capital, and their shifts were different from those of other government offices. By the time it was his turn to finish his shift, it was already getting dark.
Yang Qing was bored out of her mind while waiting. When the person finally arrived, her joy lasted only a moment and vanished without a trace the moment she saw Li Shangxuan.
Not to mention Yang Jiarong was behind them. Yang Qing turned to Xiaoman next to her and asked, "Why are there so many people here?"
Xiaoman looked innocent: "There was nothing I could do. They were together at the time, and once one of them knew, everyone knew."
The two women were whispering, but the private room was so small that it would be difficult for others not to hear them.
Li Shangxuan's expression was strange, and Huo Lu hurriedly asked, "Miss Chi, is there anything you need from me?"
Yang Qing felt strange; it seemed like their relationship had been reversed. Before, she would try to avoid Huo Lu whenever she saw him, but now Huo Lu acted like a mouse seeing a cat whenever he saw her.
She replied, "It's nothing too important, but there are just too many people here..."
Up until now, Yang Qing hasn't said a word to him, only giving him a glance when she came in. Li Shangxuan said coldly, "What is it that even I can't know?"
Yang Qing was taken aback by his confidence. What did he mean by saying that even he couldn't know?
There's so much he can't possibly know.
Yang Qing said irritably, "I'm not looking for you. You came uninvited, fine, but who are you trying to accuse me of? Get out, get out. I paid for this room, you're not allowed to stay here."
They actually kicked him out?
The sun was setting in the west, and the colorful clouds were in full bloom. There was still some time before nightfall, but Li Shangxuan's face was already as dark as the night sky.
Fearing that he might say something that would strain their relationship, Huo Lu immediately seized the initiative, "Miss Chi, just say what you want to say. His Highness and I are inseparable; whatever I know, he will surely know as well."
Yang Qing glanced at him. To be honest, Huo Lu was not bad-looking. Unlike Li Shangxuan and Si Jiamu, his good looks were rough and unrefined. It was precisely because he was not aloof that people found him easy to approach.
She was still reluctant to talk about Xu Yanran in front of others. "How could that be? Even brothers keep clear accounts. You two aren't even brothers."
Huo Lu said, "If there's nothing else, I'll be going now. I have some things to take care of."
He would take sides, and in this situation, both logically and emotionally, he would definitely side with Li Shangxuan.
He made a move to leave, and Yang Qing immediately became anxious: "Hey, don't be in such a hurry to leave..."
She finally relented, "Fine, you can listen if you want, but you absolutely mustn't spread it around."
Li Shangxuan had already sat down. The tea he had prepared beforehand had gone completely cold. He took a sip, his expression cold. "Who cares to listen?"
Yang Qing retorted sarcastically, "If you don't care to hear this, what are you doing here?"
Li Shangxuan choked for a moment, then sipped his tea reluctantly and said nothing more.
Yang Qing stared at Huo Lu, hesitated for a long time before asking, "General, do you... have someone you like?"
Huo Lu's expression was extremely interesting: "Miss Chi, why are you asking this?"
Yang Qing said, "Don't worry about why I asked this, just answer me."
Huo Lu said, "...No...right?"
Yang Qing said, "It either exists or it doesn't. What do you mean by 'it doesn't exist'?"
Huo Lu said, "Miss Chi, stop beating around the bush and just tell me directly."
Yang Qing then said, "Alright. Do you remember? Just a few days ago, you met me here. There was a young lady with you at the time, named Xu Yanran, who was the granddaughter of the Duke of Xu."
Judging from his expression, you could tell he hadn't remembered.
Yang Qing noticed that Li Shangxuan was pretending to drink tea with his head down, but in reality, the small teacup hadn't run out of water at all, and his eyes kept drifting towards her.
She looked at him angrily and sneered, "Then you must remember that when you accompanied your prince and his concubines on a lake trip the other day, you saved a girl, right?"
Fortunately, Li Shangxuan was just pretending and wasn't actually drinking tea, otherwise he probably would have choked to death. Before Huo Lu could speak, he interrupted, "What do you mean by 'taking a beauty for a boat trip on the lake'? Don't make baseless accusations."
Yang Qing completely ignored him, as if she couldn't hear him at all. Having someone around was a good thing, so Li Shangxuan didn't dare to make a move.
Huo Lu wanted to explain: "Your Highness is not..."
Yang Qing retorted with his earlier words, "Stop beating around the bush and just tell me straight. Whether you remember or not, it's that simple."
Huo Lu could only reply, "I remember."
Yang Qing nodded: "So what do you think of her?"
Huo Lu didn't speak. He did remember such a person, but only from a fleeting glance. It was unlikely that he could give a detailed account of the person.
Yang Qing knew that this matter was probably hopeless. Since things had come to this point, she still had to ask, "If I told you that Miss Xu had taken a liking to you and wanted you to go to the Duke of Xu's mansion to propose marriage, would you be willing?"
Huo Lu stood there stunned, his first reaction was to refuse, "Miss Chi, please don't joke with me. Since ancient times, marriages have always been arranged by parents and matchmakers. A daughter of the Duke's mansion should care more about these things."
Yang Qing wanted to try one last time: "If you go and propose marriage, wouldn't that be an arranged marriage?"
Huo Lu said, "But they are from the Duke's mansion, while my ancestors were commoners for three generations and had no title whatsoever. How could they possibly look up to me? Please don't make fun of me, young lady."
His attitude was clearly outrageous, so Yang Qing couldn't persuade him any further.
Although she felt there was nothing wrong with boldly pursuing love, years of education had taught women to be obedient and docile, and she was inevitably influenced by this, subconsciously still ashamed to speak up.
Li Shangxuan tried his best not to change his expression after hearing this, but he couldn't hide the smile in his eyes.
Yang Qing said dejectedly, "Fine, I'll pretend I didn't say that today. And please don't spread it around."
Huo Lu readily agreed, "Of course."
Yang Jiarong laughed and said, "I really envy Brother Huo's good fortune. Why doesn't he have any feelings for me? My grandfather wanted to marry my younger sister to you. I wonder what Brother Huo thinks?"
Huo Lu was speechless. Why was Yang Jiarong getting involved at this time? He had met his younger sister a few times, and she was far too spoiled. It was probably not something an ordinary man could handle.
Li Shangxuan suddenly spoke up: "What a coincidence, it seems that Father also intends to betroth Shengping to you."
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