A handsome man and a beautiful woman
There were also a few unmarried ladies at the pavilion who noticed the men opposite and looked at them secretly with curiosity and shyness.
Lu Yu has always been the most conspicuous in the crowd and is often called the number one young master in the capital.
However, the ladies discovered that there was a tall and graceful figure today, standing shoulder to shoulder with Lu Yu, who was equally as good as him. It was none other than the newly crowned number one scholar Bai Yongsi, who was in the limelight recently.
If we compare the two of them: Prime Minister Lu is a famous handsome man in the capital, but his cold and majestic aura of a superior makes many ladies feel timid. In addition, many of the noble ladies present are from aristocratic families, so they are destined to have no chance with Lu Yu just because of their family background;
Compared with this decisive and ruthless prime minister, the new number one scholar of the Bai family seemed much gentler. His pair of phoenix eyes that were always smiling attracted the hearts of many women present. Moreover, it was said that this Mr. Bai was born into a commoner family, so some noble ladies of humble origins began to have some thoughts about him.
So, in a short while, several noble ladies surrounded Bai Miaoke.
Among them were the daughter of the Minister of Revenue, the young lady of the Yong'an Marquisate, and even the daughter of Princess Showa.
The girls gathered together to praise Bai Miaoke's beautiful clothes and headgear. They were so friendly that it didn't seem like they were meeting for the first time, but rather like real sisters.
Bai Miaoke smiled as she practiced Tai Chi with the other noble ladies, and also took the opportunity to promote Jin Yu Lou's jewelry and headwear. She thought that it would be even better if she could bring in some big deals for Jin Yu Lou by attending the banquet.
After the pleasantries were almost over, some people started to talk about Bai Miaoke's brother who was the champion. They were all girls who were well-educated and had strict rules, so no one dared to ask more questions after they praised him.
Bai Miaoke looked at the reserved and curious looks of the noble ladies with some amusement. After seeing enough of the excitement, she took the initiative to say, "My brother hasn't married yet. I hope he can find me a sister-in-law soon."
When the noble ladies present heard this, they were secretly happy in their hearts, but looked shy.
Not long after, it was lunch time, and the servants of the Lu Mansion led everyone to the hall, where they had lunch.
Men and women still sat at separate tables, but the distance between them was much closer, with only a thin gauze separating them, so they could hear each other's conversations at the table.
Bai Miaoke was pulled by Mrs. Lu to sit on her left side, and then the servants brought in exquisite dishes in an orderly manner.
Because they were relatively close to the male guests, the ladies deliberately lowered their voices in conversation. Bai Miaoke was happy to be alone and only joked with Mrs. Lu beside her.
But the male guests were not so reserved. Perhaps it was because they had drunk some wine. Even from a distance, one could hear their conversation gradually getting louder.
Bai Miaoke heard many people toasting her brother and congratulating him on his admission to high school. She secretly prayed that her brother didn't drink too much.
If Bai Miaoke's alcohol tolerance is considered okay, then her brother Bai Yongsi's alcohol tolerance is less than half of hers. Although he won't do anything strange after being drunk, Bai Miaoke doesn't want to bring a drunk home.
At the table of male guests, Bai Yongsi had already drunk two or three glasses of sake. He knew his alcohol tolerance and would probably get drunk if he drank more. He deliberately avoided the eager eyes of the officials at the same table and picked up his own dishes.
Lu Yu, who was sitting in the main seat, immediately saw his embarrassment and the blush that had quietly crept up on him. He understood in his heart that the Bai family's brother and sister were both equally good at drinking.
He turned his head and whispered something to the servant, and soon someone brought a pot of tea to Bai Yongsi. He looked at Lu Yu inquiringly.
The latter said softly: "If Mr. Bai can't drink much, you can drink tea instead of wine. I believe you gentlemen won't mind."
The prime minister spoke, and the other officials echoed him.
Upon hearing this, Bai Yongsi nodded to thank Lu Yu, thinking that the Prime Minister was not as cold-blooded as the rumors said, and his ability to read people's expressions was first-rate, making him feel ashamed of himself.
This extra care made everyone at the table wonder whether the prime minister had received some instruction from the emperor. This new number one scholar might be given an important position.
Bai Yongsi thought so at first, until he heard a few whispers from the women behind the gauze curtain, accompanied by a woman's silver bell-like laughter. He naturally recognized that it was his sister's voice, but what did the smile of Lord Lu beside him mean...
He looked at Lu Yu in confusion.
The faint smile on Lu Yu's lips disappeared in an instant, as if it was just an illusion.
The banquet lasted for half an hour.
The Lu family of three saw off all the guests and only the Bai siblings were left behind.
Bai Miaoke was sitting in the pavilion listening to Mrs. Lu telling her story on the battlefield when Lu Yu came over and said respectfully, "Mother."
Before he could speak, Mrs. Lu smiled and said, "I know, you young people can chat more. I am a little tired after entertaining guests for the whole morning. I will go back and rest first."
After saying this, there was no need for Lu Yu to see her off any further, and she left with her maid.
Bai Miaoke looked up at Lu Yu. When she got closer, she saw a light pink mark on his slender neck, right near his Adam's apple. It moved slightly as he spoke or swallowed, making Bai Miaoke want to touch it.
Noticing her gaze, Lu Yu took the initiative to say, "It's fine now."
After hearing this, Bai Miaoke turned her gaze back to that overly handsome face and said "Oh" in response.
Lu Yu walked to the place where Mrs. Lu had just sat and sat down, facing the garden by the lake. Facing the burning gaze of the eldest brother of the Bai family in the garden, he slowly poured a cup of tea for each of them.
Bai Miaoke asked: "Where's my brother? Are you done talking?"
Lu Yu nodded, "We're done talking, it's time to talk about our business."
These words were not clear, and Bai Miaoke was stunned for a moment, staring at his expression while holding the teacup.
Seeing the girl's dazed look, Lu Yu couldn't help but remind her, "Where's the surprise you mentioned? I'm really looking forward to it."
Bai Miaoke came to her senses and realized that he was teasing her. She immediately became unhappy and glared at him fiercely. She was so angry that she didn't say anything else.
Lu Yu stared at her moist red lips that were pouting because of anger, and said in a slow tone: "I found out some things about the master in Jiangnan."
Hearing this, Bai Miaoke raised her head abruptly and asked, "What happened when he was in Jiangnan?"
Lu Yu couldn't tell her what the emperor asked him to investigate, but he did find out some new information about the Grand Tutor recently.
"Taifu was the Minister of Works thirty years ago. He was ordered to go to Jiangnan to repair water conservancy projects. In Jiangnan, he met the eldest daughter of the Yu family who was raised in the old house and fell in love with her at first sight. He went to Jiangnan many times in the past four years. The last time he stayed in Jiangnan for a whole year. He did not return to Beijing until the eve of the Northwest War. Later, the Yu family declined, and he rose rapidly. Until today, he has never been to Jiangnan again."
Lu Yu only stated what he knew about the Grand Tutor, without giving his own analysis and also concealing the part about royal secrets. However, Bai Miaoke still heard some clues from it.
She asked, "The eldest daughter of the Yu family is Concubine Li, right?"
Lu Yu nodded. "The late emperor met the eldest daughter of the Yu family when he was on an incognito tour, also in Jiangnan."
Bai Miaoke suddenly realized that she might have missed some important information. She didn't care that Lu Yu was still there and quickly took out the letters from King Kang that she had brought with her. She thought these had nothing to do with what she wanted to investigate, so she prepared to sell them to Lu Yu as a favor.
At this moment, she quickly flipped through the letters and pulled out a yellowed and damaged letter that looked a bit old. It said: Have you found Yu Er? Don't forget what you promised me. If you can't see her, I won't help you.
The signature is a blurred seal.
Lu Yu was startled by her sudden movement. Seeing that she had no intention of avoiding him, he moved his head closer and looked at the contents on the paper.
When he saw the blurred red mark at the end, a crack appeared in his usually calm expression.
Bai Miaoke did not miss his fleeting expression change and asked sharply: "Do you recognize this mark?"
He hesitated for a moment before nodding. "It's the private seal that Ma Hongzhe used when he was young. I've seen it in his study before."
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Bai Miaoke was almost certain that her mother must have some relationship with the Yu family. Because she discovered some of the things Ma Hongzhe had done in Jiangnan, she was forced to separate from her family and became an orphan.
She felt that she needed to go to Jiangnan to find out what happened to her mother. If she was lucky, her maternal grandparents might still be in Jiangnan.
Lu Yu didn't know what Bai Miaoke was thinking. He was wondering who Ma Hongzhe was looking for, what that matter was about, and whether it was related to what he was investigating.
After thinking it over, Bai Miaoke put away the letter paper, handed the rest of the letters about King Kang to Lu Yu, and said, "It's not in vain to listen to your story."
Lu Yu raised his hand to take it. With the letter just now, he probably knew the usefulness of these letters in his hands. He smiled at Bai Miaoke and said, "Thank you very much, Miss."
Listening to his teasing words, Bai Miaoke felt her tense nerves slowly relax. Suddenly she thought of her adopted brother and asked, "Where's my brother?"
Lu Yu raised his hand and pointed, and saw Bai Yongsi sitting alone on a stone bench in the garden, staring at this side intently.
Bai Miaoke waved at him. Seeing her family members feel more at ease, she said to Lu Yu, "I'm leaving."
She swallowed the idea of going to Jiangnan. It was her own business and there was no need to tell others.
Lu Yu walked out of the pavilion with her, crossed the arch bridge and walked to the garden. Bai Yongsi looked at the two people walking in front of him with mixed feelings. He had to admit that they were a perfect match, but for some reason he felt uncomfortable.
Just now, after Lu Yu conveyed to him the mission assigned by the Emperor to go undercover in the Ministry of Works, he was left here and watched the two of them talking in the pavilion.
If it was just talk, it would be fine. He could clearly see that Lu Yu kept leaning his head towards his sister. That was taking advantage of her!
When he was about to rush over to beat up the Prime Minister, he saw his sister took out a letter and gave it to Lu Yu. He was stunned again. It's not like he had never received letters from shy girls before, but he didn't expect his sister to write a letter for this man. He fell silent at that time...
After calming down for a long time, Bai Yongsi can now barely face the two people calmly: a black-hearted senior official who took advantage of the girl and his own kind-hearted and lovely sister who was deceived by the bad guy.
When the two approached, Bai Yongsi saw a hint of gloom hidden in Bai Miaoke's usually flying eyebrows. Could it be that Lu Yu said something that made her sad? Thinking of this, Bai Yongsi didn't care that the other party was the Prime Minister. He left the Zhenguo Mansion quickly with his sister with a cold face.
Lu Yu didn't know why Mr. Bai was suddenly unhappy, and he just watched the two of them leave silently.
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