Chapter 13 My Wife 13 Is there anyone competing for the friend track?
"Sir Chen, I have something to ask you?" Cheng Ruochen's words were very polite, but they made Chen Qingyuan's heart skip a beat.
"Master Cheng, please feel free to speak."
In fact, Chen Qingyuan probably knew what he was going to say, but he just sighed that he really couldn't hide things and was too straightforward and was discovered.
"When the three of us rode in the same carriage the day before yesterday, did Lord Chen see anything...about my interactions with Lord Lu?"
Cheng Ruochen explained that he noticed that Chen Qingyuan's attitude towards him and Lu Huai had changed since then, and he sincerely hoped that his behavior would not have any impact.
"This is actually a misunderstanding. Lord Lu is a very close brother to me. Seeing that he couldn't sleep well, Chen just wanted to make him feel better."
He even explained that he moved the hair on Lu Huai's neck aside because he saw sweat on his forehead and felt uncomfortable.
Could brothers be so close? Chen Qingyuan still had doubts. He thought about how he and his brother Qingqu had grown up together, supporting each other, and they had never shown such deep care for each other...
It also makes people blush and feel their heart beating fast. Even if his wife wants to do this, he will feel a little uncomfortable because of insufficient emotional preparation.
But Cheng Tanhua talked to him openly about the matter. Indeed, he had heard from his colleagues that Cheng and Lu had a good relationship, although it was said that he had seen it with his own eyes at the Qionghua Banquet attended by that young man.
However, Chen Qingyuan had no solid evidence. It might be that he really had some illusions because the top scholar was too good-looking.
Besides, he saw that the top scholar seemed to be indifferent to this. A smart and intelligent person like him would not let it go if he saw something wrong. If he really made a mistake and ruined their close friendship, it would be self-defeating and ungentlemanly.
So Chen Qingyuan apologized to Cheng Ruochen and let the matter go.
But the honest and upright Lord Chen did not know that those who came in a hurry to explain were often thinking about something they were guilty of, and that Lu Huai, whom he thought could see things clearly, was actually a novice in the field of love and did not have the ability to see through everything.
Cheng Ruochen was in a good mood after resolving the "misunderstanding" and eliminating a hidden danger that would have exposed his true feelings. He returned to the team with Chen Qingyuan and continued to talk to Lu Huai affectionately.
This time the disturbing sight disappeared, and I felt so refreshed.
It was the hour of Si at this moment, and the warm sunlight enveloped the neighborhood with red tiles and green walls. It was not only a perfect scene, but also a rare comfortable moment in the cold season.
But the most valuable thing is the right time, place and people.
The people of the capital are always enthusiastic, especially for such grand events as the arrival of foreign envoys. The streets are lined with crowds of people coming to welcome them back to the capital, which really makes people feel festive.
Some people have good memory and can even recognize the top three winners.
As the top scorers, these two once wore flowers and red robes to participate in the imperial street to praise officials. They were so handsome that people could not take their eyes off them. Especially the top scorer, who was dressed in red robe and white horse, was gentle and elegant, and made countless scholars admire and envy him, and also made girls of marriageable age fall in love with him.
The looks of this batch of candidates were so outstanding that the number of picture books written about them by the people increased several times compared to before.
When the young people saw them, they were as excited as if they had seen their idols.
At that moment, some people in the audience were so excited that their faces turned red, and they shouted "No. 1 scholar!" "No. 3 scholar!" The sound was so pleasant to the ears that Wu Heng couldn't help but smile playfully. Qiao Qi and Chen Qingyuan were also happy to see the two of them dealing with the excited people.
Facing their enthusiasm, Lu Huai and Cheng Ruochen smiled and waved to them. However, their temperaments were different. One was like the breeze and the morning moon, gentle and elegant, making people feel like they were bathed in spring flowers; the other was like a young peach blossom, wicked and unruly, making people blush.
This interaction continued until another group arrived.
Pushing through the crowd was a dashing man who looked like the moon surrounded by stars. Upon closer inspection, he was a young man with red lips, white teeth, sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes.
It turned out that Pei Yu was riding a tall horse, with the Pei family's personal guard battalion behind him. The flag with the word "Pei" printed on it was flying high, and the group came to greet the guests in an orderly manner.
The people loved the Pei family army for defending their country, so when they saw them, they retreated to the far side with great respect, leaving the two groups to meet on the main road of the city.
Pei Yu's eyes lit up immediately when he saw Lu Huai getting off the carriage and interacting with the people.
It really felt like a long time since we last met. These past few days, he really missed Yan Jin!
At this moment, he had already forgotten about Shen Sanhe, who was once his childhood sweetheart but now made him feel a little annoying, and all the entanglements caused by Shen Sanhe. He only thought about his sweetheart who had finally returned from the distant Chongzhou, and wanted to give him a good welcome.
But he regretfully remembered that he was bringing all of them to see the emperor, and he might not have the chance. After all, he had been exhausted from the long journey, and after meeting the emperor, Lu Huai returned home to rest for a while, presumably attending the banquet that evening.
Pei Yu's regret was short-lived and fleeting, because Lu Huai smiled and called him, "Huaiyuan! Long time no see."
"Yan Jin! Long time no see!" He suppressed the words "I miss you so much" which were not suitable to be said in public, and just looked at Lu Huai intently.
The already distinct jawline of the man in front of him became even clearer, and the wrist bones not covered by the sky-blue official robe became more prominent, as if they could be easily captured.
How could he have lost so much weight in just five days? He was clearly already so thin that a gust of wind could blow him away. He must have been so exhausted these days, his focus on the task must have been the cause.
Although such fragility is not ugly, it makes it look more fragile and easily breakable, which can easily arouse the desires of those who already have special intentions.
But at this moment, Pei Yu felt only pity and heartache. He wanted to send some good things to him and felt that Yan Jin needed to be taken good care of so that he could recover to his original appearance.
Lu Huai looked at the young man in front of him who was still as bright and handsome as ever. When he faced the bright moon in a foreign land before, he also missed his confidant.
I had a lot of things I wanted to talk to him about, but I realized the setting wasn't right. I could only exchange a few words of personal conversation with him softly, like a pool of water, and nothing else.
They exchanged a few pleasantries, not wanting to delay their journey even a little. After Pei Yu greeted everyone, they marched towards the Imperial Court in a mighty procession.
While riding the horse, he couldn't help but look back frequently at the carriage where Lu Huai was, but he didn't do it very obviously.
But he was surprised to find that the young official who he had not noticed just now and was chatting enthusiastically with Yan Jin was actually the Deng Langtuzi who painted Lu Huai at the Qionghua Banquet.
The person met his gaze sharply and smiled at him imperceptibly, but there was no sincerity in her affectionate eyes.
Pei Yu had experienced life and death battles and intrigues on the battlefield, and his grasp of human nature was extremely precise.
He intuitively felt that if this man didn't even try to feign a smile, he would be very much like the snake he had seen when he was suppressing the civil unrest in southern Xinjiang, which was spying in secret and would spray venom when it encountered an enemy.
How could it be him? The person who went to Chongzhou with Lu Huai was Chen Qingyuan, whom he had assessed as being very safe. Where did this person come from?
Cheng Ruochen might have gone after Yan Jin! If he had known that such a "dangerous" person was also in Chongzhou, he would not have let his friend go so easily. He would have personally caught this evil and disgusting person and taught him a lesson.
It's no use trying to make amends now. I don't know what that third place winner did in Chongzhou to make Yan Jin change his mind about him. Now he even dares to glare at him arrogantly and continues to attract Yan Jin's attention. It's really hateful!
That look seemed to say that Cheng Ruochen wanted to replace him and become Lu Huai's best friend. It was really wishful thinking.
No, he had to meet Yan Jin before the dinner. He had to expose Cheng Ruochen's ugly and evil intentions! He had to find out what kind of drug he had used and then expel him completely.
The imperial court covers a large area. Driving along the official road, one soon arrives at the Chenghe Hall where the court meetings are held.
Wu Heng flipped off his horse nimbly, the tassels on his forehead jingling. He looked at the elegant and exquisite figure in front of him, which was completely inconsistent with the grassland, and a dark light flashed in his eyes.
The palace of Dayong is indeed magnificent and worthy of its reputation. However, if people only come here to entertain guests, it would not be so enjoyable.
In the carriage next to them, the atmosphere of anxiety was rising. Cheng Ruochen, who jumped off decisively first, faced Pei Yu, who turned around and came to help Lu Huai get off the carriage. The two were in a stalemate. Finally, Lu Huai looked at Pei Yu, who was farther away, with some apology, and got off the carriage with Cheng Ruochen's hand.
Lu Huai thought that time was running out, and he and Huaiyuan were close to Xuanning, so there was no need to be so formal. Huaiyuan should be able to understand his actions of being close to him.
But he didn't see the deep look Pei Yu gave him. It was all about the unwillingness and loss of a male animal seeking a mate but seeing the female he loved turn around and choose someone else.
Several people went into the palace together to meet the emperor.
"This is the second prince of the Northern Huns! What a handsome man!"
Chu Yuanting exempted everyone from greetings, glanced at the dusty Lu Huai for a moment longer, and then focused his gaze on the alien with arched brows. His eyes contained well-hidden inquiry and fear, but his face was filled with a kind and decent smile.
"When I met Brother Wu in the past, the prince was still so young and adorable. I never thought that today, he has become such a heroic young man!"
"Thank you, Emperor Zhongyuan, for your praise!"
Wu Heng was as "enthusiastic and cheerful" as ever. It seemed that he did not take the evaluation of him from the perspective of an elder by the Emperor of Yong Dynasty, who was only a few years older than him, to heart, or perhaps he could not hear the warning in the evaluation.
Chu Yuanting, who wanted to observe his reaction to get the information he wanted to confirm, finally felt like he had met his match. It was like punching cotton, which was really unpleasant.
The two men, wearing masks, exchanged a few seemingly peaceful yet tense words in the court. Afterwards, Chu Yuanting asked Wu Heng and the envoy to stay in the guest rooms prepared in the palace, and sent everyone back home.
Lu Huai returned to the mansion without stopping after the court session. He felt that his clothes were covered with a lot of sticky dirt after the long journey, so he wanted to change his clothes and dress himself up before attending the evening banquet.
In this era where literature is valued, many famous men would soak flower petals and scented oils in water to bathe, just like noble ladies. However, Lu Huai did not like such extravagance and waste, and chose to refuse when Chunying wanted to prepare it for him.
She just asked the maid to fill a pot with hot water, prepared a few soap nuts and some clothes for changing, then simply took off her clothes and sank into the pool.
The pool water was misty, and the heat lingered around Lu Huai's body, warming him and dispelling his fatigue. His head was dizzy and he felt like he was about to pass out from the comfort.
But he wasn't someone who was easily influenced by his feelings, and after a while, he regained his composure. Seeing that nothing had happened and the bathroom was still quiet, he slowly sighed.
After all, those who unequivocally supported the new law had also faced assassination attempts by stakeholders. If a civil servant like Lu Huai, who had no martial arts training, wasn't vigilant, he'd be in big trouble.
But just as I let down my guard, I heard someone push the door open without any hesitation, so quickly and so panic-inducingly.
Lu Huai was surprised but only had time to pick up the diamond-shaped button that came with the change of clothes. He didn't feel relieved until he found out that the person coming was Pei Yu.
"Yan...Yan Jin?!"
Pei Yu was filled with indignation, and turned back to Lu's Mansion halfway through his journey. When he entered, he found that Lu Huai was nowhere to be found where he usually stayed, and Chunying and Xialu were not there either.
He also blamed himself for being indecisive and failing to reach his friend's destination in Chongzhou last time, so he pushed open the door with the idea of giving it a try, but he never expected that his friend was actually inside.
But he never expected that what he saw was like this...
So vivid!
The author has something to say:
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The beginning of the next chapter (covering mouth and laughing) has everything
I hope to update twice a day today, because I originally wanted to add an extra update to this chapter yesterday (QWQ) Xiao Jiang failed in his challenge.
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