They went back to the inn to retrieve the carriage, the same one that Helian Chaolu had ridden in, but with a different design.
He took the calligraphy he had bought at great expense and headed towards the Prime Minister's residence.
Lieutenant Li will continue to follow, and as long as he doesn't do anything too extreme, he won't stop him.
However, deep down he felt it was a wasted trip; Prime Minister Pei wasn't someone you could just see whenever you wanted.
It's just a formality; they'll probably calm down once they're turned away.
At Prime Minister Pei's residence, his subordinate knocked on the door, exchanged a few words with the gatekeeper, and then turned back.
What did I say? How could it be so easy? Then the door opened.
Lieutenant Li: ...
No, when did Prime Minister Pei become so easy to meet?
The subordinate reported that it happened to be Prime Minister Pei's day off, and his expression was indescribable.
Nobody's stupid. Why would Prime Minister Pei see someone who showed up without an invitation, especially one from the border?
Helian Chaolu remained calm and showed no fear after getting off the carriage, striding inside.
They acted so matter-of-factly that anyone who didn't know better would think they came here regularly.
Lieutenant Li remained silent, standing guard closely behind her.
It's one thing to act arrogantly in a restaurant, but if someone dares to do the same in the Prime Minister's residence, they must be stopped immediately.
The butler remained silent, simply leading the way.
Lieutenant Li kept his eyes fixed on Helian Chaolu, and couldn't help but admire her courage.
He didn't even notice the group of brothers behind him; they were all standing close together, their eyes fixed straight ahead—a rare display of seriousness.
The girl, however, acted as if nothing was wrong, looking left and right, not caring at all.
They entered the reception hall, where Pei Xuanyun sat at the head of the table, with the eldest son, whom they had just met earlier that day, beside him.
Today was a day off, so Pei Xuanyun naturally didn't wear his official robes. He wore a white linen undershirt with a pine-green half-sleeved gauze shirt over it.
She did not wear a belt, but only a black twisted silk sash loosely wrapped around her waist.
The slightly open collar reveals half of a camel hair undershirt, which absorbs sweat and doesn't stick to the body.
She wore no headscarf, only a wooden hairpin inlaid with malachite, exuding a relaxed and carefree air.
"Greetings, Prime Minister Pei."
Lieutenant Li led the way in bowing, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw that Helian Chaolu also bowed formally.
It differs slightly from the falcon-stroking ceremony at the city gate, with an additional step added in front:
The right toe rolled over the blue bricks, and the arm flapped slightly like a mountain eagle's wings, moving as gracefully as if stepping on clouds. Clearly, this gesture was more solemn.
Pei Xuanyun did not stand up, but slightly cupped his hands in greeting, and his eldest son returned the greeting respectfully.
Pei Xueqiao was filled with apprehension.
When I received him before, he only mentioned his official position and did not introduce himself.
This is common sense. Does one have to shout "My father is the current prime minister" when meeting someone for the first time?
Everyone in Fengjing City knew about it, and he didn't care whether Helian Chaolu knew or not.
That makes perfect sense, there's nothing wrong with it.
But then he went to Qizhen Pavilion, where they happened to be selling his father's calligraphy, and he spent a full 20,000 taels of silver.
Will Helian Chaolu think this is a setup to trick her into making a purchase?
Pei Xueqiao thought about it more and more and more likely, and couldn't help but secretly observe the other person's expression.
As a result, Helian Chaolu ignored him and only looked at her father at the head of the table.
So she knew from the beginning?
"What is the purpose of Helian's visit?"
Helian Chaolu stepped forward, and Lieutenant Li immediately followed, never leaving her side.
But then she walked up to me and presented the scroll with both hands.
"I came across Prime Minister Pei's calligraphy by chance and bought it for a large sum of money. I would like to ask Prime Minister Pei to authenticate whether it is genuine."
Pei Xuanyun took it without showing any emotion, unfolded it, and was stunned after glancing at it.
Isn't this the painting I gave to the Sixth Princess a couple of days ago? Why is it back again?
There's absolutely no need for authentication. How could you possibly be wrong about something you wrote yourself? It's absolutely impossible!
Using the cover, Pei Xuanyun glanced at Hao Da'er and guessed most of the story from his evasive expression.
He put down the scroll, his tone casual, "You said a large sum of money?"
"Yes, two thousand taels of gold."
His beard trembled slightly, so subtly that it was almost imperceptible unless you were looking closely.
Good heavens, Lao Pei thought to himself, this guy really dares to ask for a high price!
He suddenly had an impulse: he wanted to give all the calligraphy and paintings in his study to the Sixth Princess.
I don't want more, but half is fine too!
"It was indeed made by me."
"That's good."
"We would like to ask Prime Minister Pei for assistance?"
How can we help?
"To become famous".
To put it simply, Helian Chaolu took out an envelope from her bosom and handed it over.
It was exactly the same as what she had received before; it contained three poems, but she had simply copied them over herself.
Pei Xueqiao, who was standing to the side, sighed.
Sure enough, who would spend two thousand taels of gold to buy a piece of calligraphy by his father?
This was an attempt to artificially inflate the value of the father's calligraphy, but in reality, there was something else they wanted.
He was thinking about how to bring it up later, to save her some face, since the deal had been made right under his nose.
After Pei Xuanyun unfolded the scroll, she wrote, "Last night the rain was sparse and the wind was strong." Hmm?
That's not right. Those two poems were confirmed by him, so how could they not be?
As he read on, Lao Pei's expression grew increasingly solemn.
Whose poem is this?!
He raised his head, his gaze fixed intently on the other side, only to meet a pair of incredibly calm eyes.
Did she write it herself?
However, the state of mind expressed in the third poem could not have been written by a young girl.
The first one doesn't sound like it either; where would you find crabapple blossoms in the northwest frontier?
If reading and imagining oneself could produce such poetry, would one need them to prepare poems for one?
Old Pei wanted to ask about the source of the poems, but he suppressed his curiosity.
Even in his own residence, he was unwilling to reveal the slightest flaw.
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