Chapter 68 Meeting
"Goodbye, young master! Come again tomorrow!" Having just seen off a customer, the madam of Yichun Courtyard suddenly noticed two familiar faces approaching in the distance and hurriedly went to greet them. "How long has it been? Young Master Ye, you've finally returned?"
The two were Ye Wanning and Cui'er. Ye Wanning waved her hand with a smile, "Mom, have you been waiting for me for a long time?"
"Of course!" The madam smiled obsequiously. Ever since this young master Ye caused trouble in Miss Peony's boudoir last time, her master not only didn't blame him, but also told them afterwards to treat him well when they saw him in the future. Presumably, this young master Ye must be someone of great importance, or at least someone who could be very beneficial to her master. Thinking about this, the madam couldn't help but smile. Fortunately, she hadn't been harsh on them back then. She would have to hold on to this big tree well in the future!
"What brings Young Master Ye here today?" The madam waved her handkerchief, and the girls standing at the door stepped aside to make way for them.
Ye Wanning raised an eyebrow, her eyes full of laughter, "Who did Mom say I came for?"
The madam chuckled twice, then covered her mouth with a handkerchief. "Of course, of course, I'll take you there right away!"
"Hey!" Ye Wanning suddenly reached out and grabbed the madam. She looked at her and asked sharply, "I wonder if there were any outsiders in Miss Peony's room today?"
"Whether it's a stranger or not..." the madam smiled seductively, "it all depends on whether Young Master Ye wants to see it as a stranger!"
"You certainly have a sharp tongue!" Ye Wanning smiled alluringly, then said, "Then let's hurry up and go!"
Following behind the madam, Ye Wanning felt a chill run down her spine. Fortunately, the madam was not old. If she were a middle-aged woman like in the TV dramas, Ye Wanning couldn't help but shudder. She couldn't withstand such teasing!
As she approached the door of the peony room, a faint fragrance wafted over. Ye Wanning frowned, realizing that the person was indeed there. She turned her head and glanced at Cui'er, who nodded knowingly.
Knowing what her young mistress wanted to do, Cui'er turned her head away and said to the madam in an unfriendly tone, "Alright, you don't need to knock on the door today, Mother. My cousin and I will go in by ourselves."
"This..." The madam hesitated, glancing at Ye Wanning and Cui'er. She thought to herself that she couldn't offend them, but her mistress was in the room; if she didn't knock, she feared...
Noticing the madam's worry, Ye Wanning glanced at her and said softly, "Don't worry, I'll explain to your master later." As she spoke, she gave Cui'er a look, "Mama has worked hard bringing us here, let's give her a little something for her trouble."
Cui'er gave a soft snort, somewhat impatiently took out a few silver ingots, handed them to the madam, and said in a muffled voice, "Take it!"
"Alright! Thank you, Young Master Ye!"
Seeing the madam happily leaving, Cui'er felt a little unhappy. Standing behind Ye Wanning, she complained softly, "Why give her money?"
Ye Wanning glanced at Cui'er and said with a smile, "We'll have to trouble her to keep an eye on things for us in the future. Why are you so temperamental?"
"I just can't stand the sight of her!" Cui'er said unhappily. "I wonder how many young ladies she's ruined."
Ye Wanning chuckled softly, without saying a word. She stepped forward and gently knocked on the door. A sound came from inside, followed by Shaoyao's voice, "Who's outside?"
“Peony, it’s me!” Ye Wanning replied.
After a long silence, seeing that no one came to open the door, Ye Wanning raised an eyebrow and knocked again, "Peony?"
A series of footsteps approached, and with a creak, the wooden door opened. Ye Wanning saw that Shaoyao's cheeks were still flushed and immediately understood what was going on.
"Why has Young Master Ye come today?" Seeing Ye Wanning standing at the door, Shaoyao immediately tried to lean closer, but Ye Wanning dodged her.
Ye Wanning subtly retreated to a safe distance, smiled and bowed, saying, "I've been quite busy these past few days. I didn't have time to come over even though I was supposed to be meeting your master. I was afraid of keeping your master waiting, so I came over today without informing him."
Seeing Ye Wanning's deliberate avoidance, Shaoyao couldn't help but smile awkwardly, "Young Master Ye is too kind. My master has been waiting for you."
"I can tell," Ye Wanning raised an eyebrow. "You've probably been living here for quite some time now."
As soon as Ye Wanning said this, Shaoyao's face immediately turned extremely ugly. Before she could speak, a male voice came from inside the room, "Shaoyao, please invite Young Master Ye in."
Peony stiffened and replied, "Yes!" Then she turned to look at Ye Wanning, "Young Master Ye, please."
Ye Wanning nodded and stepped into the room. A gust of cool wind swept over her, making her shiver. She frowned. "Why has this room become so cold?"
“My master can’t stand the heat,” Peony replied softly from the side.
"It's alright," a voice from inside said. "Peony, close the window."
“But…” Peony frowned, wanting to say something, but then she heard Ye Wanning speak.
Unable to bear their polite conversation any longer, Ye Wanning coughed twice. "It's not very cold, it's alright." As she spoke, she glanced at Cui'er and said, "You and Shaoyao can go down first. I have some things to discuss with their master."
Peony paused, looking at Ye Wanning with some confusion, "Young Master Ye, what do you mean by this..."
"Don't you understand, Miss Peony?" Ye Wanning gently waved her fan, a hint of wickedness appearing in her eyes. "I need to discuss some matters with your master alone, so I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you to go out."
"But..." Peony hesitated, glancing towards the inner room. Why did Young Master Ye want to go out by himself...?
"Peony." A soft cough came from inside the room. "Just listen to Young Master Ye and go out first."
"Yes." Peony pursed her lips, gave Ye Wanning a slow bow, and then went out with Cui'er.
Seeing that the two had left, Ye Wanning felt relieved. She sat down gently and looked around the room.
Seeing that there was no movement outside, the people inside seemed to be getting restless. After a while, a handsome man with clear eyebrows and bright eyes slowly walked out of the house. His eyebrows were like distant mountains and his eyes were like bright stars. Ye Wan Ning was startled. This man was indeed extremely handsome, but his complexion... Ye Wan Ning frowned. Why was he so pale?
The man walked over and sat down opposite Ye Wanning. He coughed lightly twice, his body slightly unsteady. "May I ask what business Young Master Ye has with me?"
Ye Wanning returned the greeting with clasped hands, "May I ask how you are addressed, brother?"
"My name is Liu Xuan," he said softly. "If Young Master Ye doesn't mind, you can call me Ah Xuan."
Liu Xuan? Ye Wanning was stunned, looking at him in disbelief, "Young Master... is he really Liu Xuan, the young master of the Liu family?"
Liu Xuan nodded and smiled gently, "It is my great honor to be known by Young Master Ye."
Ye Wanning looked at him, somewhat surprised. She had only heard about Liu Xuan from someone else by chance. He was said to be a legendary figure who had suddenly appeared in the last two years. In just two or three years, he had grasped the economic lifeline of the Chu Kingdom and had extraordinary influence in several neighboring countries. Rumor had it that this young master Liu was elusive and rarely seen. She never expected to see him here...
Although Ye Wanning was puzzled, she didn't show it at all. She smiled and said, "Ah Xuan is too kind. Who among businessmen doesn't know the name of Young Master Liu?"
"It's just that people say it's amazing." Liu Xuan smiled shyly. "In the end, it's just that I'm lucky."
Ye Wanning pursed her lips and did not reply. If she continued, it would seem like she was being fake. She composed herself, looked at Liu Xuan, and said with a burning gaze, "My name is Ye Ning, just a small merchant from Jiangnan. It is my honor to meet Young Master Liu Xuan today."
“A-Ning, don’t say that.” Liu Xuan looked at her. “Peony has already given me the things you brought to Yichun Courtyard a few days ago to check. A-Ning is indeed more thoughtful than others.”
Hearing Liu Xuan say this, Ye Wanning breathed a long sigh of relief. This showed that Liu Xuan was interested in her things. After a while, she looked up and met Liu Xuan's eyes with a smile, "Actually, I have many similar ideas. I wonder if Young Master Liu would be interested in cooperating with me?"
“Of course, it is possible, but…” Liu Xuan poured a cup of tea, his tone softening slightly, “I’ve heard from Shaoyao that Young Master Ye seems to have some connection with the Prince of Jin’s mansion. Shaoyao doesn’t know, but I do understand the implications. With the recent political turmoil, I don’t want to get involved in this mess for the time being.”
"What does Ah Xuan mean by this?" Ye Wanning asked, squinting at him.
Liu Xuan took a sip of tea and said, "I'm afraid we'll have to postpone our collaboration with Young Master Ye until another time."
After leaving Yichun Courtyard, Ye Wanning was clearly upset. Seeing that Ye Wanning's expression was not good, Cui'er did not dare to go forward to ask, probably guessing that her young lady's wishes had not been fulfilled.
It was quite a polite excuse, but after all that back and forth, this was the final answer. Ye Wanning was annoyed and spat out a curse. After a pause, her emotions calmed down, and she couldn't help but sigh. It seemed she hadn't considered things thoroughly enough. She shook her head and suddenly remembered Qiu Shan. She had forgotten about the palace maid's request to find someone a few days ago. Since she was free now, she could arrange for someone else to look for them.
Thinking about it, Ye Wanning reached into her purse, only to find it empty. In a panic, she turned to Cui'er and asked anxiously, "Cui'er, where did the jade pendant I brought back from the palace a few days ago go?"
"Huh?" Cui'er was taken aback, looking at Ye Wanning with some confusion. "Sister, what are you talking about? What jade pendant?"
"It's..." Ye Wanning took out her purse, "...the jade pendant! The jade pendant in this purse!"
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