Chapter 374 So she's my cousin!
Cui Yunxi waited for a while, until the two boats were almost touching, but she still hadn't heard a sound from the other side. She smiled and said, "It's okay if you can't do it. Next time we go out to play, we'll invite you along. Go out and listen to different things. One day you'll be able to do it."
Xiao Xuanwu retorted, "Who said we can't? Just wait, Fourth Sister, let's go!"
Xiao Mingshu stepped forward, her clear voice ringing out, "The sky, clouds, mountains, and water are all white. On the lake, the only shadows are a trace of the long dike, a dot of the pavilion in the middle of the lake, and a speck of my boat, with only two or three people in it."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Heng looked behind him and seemed to see the scene from the poem. He clapped his hands with his folding fan and exclaimed excitedly, "Excellent! Excellent poem! Excellent poem indeed, young lady, did you write this poem?"
He had never heard of such a good thing before.
Xiao Mingshu shook her head frankly, "No, you didn't say that we had to create it ourselves."
"Then which poet wrote this poem?"
Yun Zhaoxue replied, "Has this young master never heard of hidden masters among ordinary people?"
The culture of the Great Zhou Dynasty was flourishing, and almost everyone could write poetry. Many talented people were hidden among the common people, but they kept a low profile and did not seek fame.
"Thank you for clearing up my doubts, young lady. I was being presumptuous."
Lu Tingzhi was worried that they might do something even more outrageous, so he revealed their identities first and bowed to Yun Zhaoxue again, saying, "This humble official, Lu Tingzhi, greets the Princess."
He then bowed to the other two people, saying, "Miss Xiao, Young Master Xiao."
Xiao Xuanwu snorted and turned his face away. He said he liked his fourth sister, but she was always flirting with other women. He didn't want a brother-in-law like that.
The crowd asked, puzzled, "She's a princess? Which princess?"
"Princess Zhaoxue".
Xu Yao pointed to himself excitedly and said, "So you are Princess Zhaoxue. My surname is Xu, and we are relatives..."
“Young Master Xu, we are not acquainted,” Yun Zhaoxue interrupted him first.
Pei Huaiji mentioned the Xu family.
She had also investigated the identities and backgrounds of the officials in Lin'an City beforehand.
They knew that Xu Yao was Pei Huaiji's mother's nephew.
She hasn't yet formally registered her ancestry with the Pei family, and she's not related to the Xu family at all; it's true that they're not familiar with each other.
"Farewell!" The boatman on Yun Zhaoxue's side rowed away.
After learning Yun Zhaoxue's true identity, Cui Yunxi hid herself away.
Yun Zhaoxue is not only a princess, but also has the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion behind her. Her younger sister, Consort Yun, is the most honored woman in the harem.
She can't afford to offend her.
What should we do? What should we do?
I've heard that Princess Zhaoxue has a bad temper and is a notorious shrew in the capital. I wonder if she holds grudges.
The young lady who gave her the advice was also afraid and hid with her.
The two exchanged a glance. "How about we go to your place another day to apologize?"
"No need to reschedule, let's do it tomorrow."
Their boat sailed away from the center of the lake, getting further and further away from the pavilion in the middle of the lake. Looking back, the pavilion in the middle of the lake appeared as a dot in the distance.
Zhang Heng was almost obsessed with poetry, and once again clapped his hands and exclaimed, "Wonderful! The poem is wonderful! And the person is wonderful too!"
"The fourth young lady of the Xiao family is both beautiful and talented, with a kind and gentle heart. I wonder if such a wonderful person is already married?"
Lu Tingzhi's hand, hidden under his sleeve, tightened. "...You can't."
Zhang Heng frowned in dissatisfaction, "Why not? Our Zhang family is also an official family, and we are a good match for the Xiao family."
"I heard that Miss Xiao does not like weak scholars."
Although Zhang Heng was somewhat talented, he was a womanizer and a frequent visitor to brothels. He not only had concubines in his home, but also female confidantes.
He is not good enough for Xiao Mingshu.
Zhang Heng was puzzled and tilted his head to look at him. Did he like her?
He recalled that Lu Tingzhi hadn't shown much enthusiasm towards Yun Zhaoxue, but his expression was very strange.
He raised an eyebrow, his smile ambiguous. "How did Lord Lu find out? What... is your relationship?"
Lu Tingzhi: "Does our friendship from being exiled together count?"
Zhang Heng, "..."
Hmm... I guess so. Why wouldn't it count?
After disembarking from the cruise ship, Xu Yao did not return to the Xu family but went to the Pei family instead.
The gatekeepers didn't stop him when they saw him; instead, they respectfully bowed to him and addressed him as "Young Master."
"Young Master, you've arrived."
The butler saw him and went to greet him. "Young Master, are you here to see the Eldest Young Master? He's not home; he's at the shop taking care of some things."
"No, I'm here to see my second cousin. I heard he's back. When did he get back? Is he still home?"
The butler replied, "They returned yesterday, and the young master is having his meal right now."
Xu Yao walked into Pei Huaiji's courtyard and shouted loudly:
"Second cousin, second cousin, I heard you came back yesterday. If I had known you were back yesterday, I would have asked you to come with me on the lake trip today. Guess who I met at West Lake?"
Pei Huaiji had been traveling for two months and wanted to rest for a few days. He had nothing to do these past few days and stayed in bed until noon before waking up. He was having his first meal of the day.
The bed at home is so comfortable, and the food from my hometown is delicious too.
While I was enjoying my meal, I heard him howling. I put down my chopsticks and asked in an annoyed tone, "What are you howling about? Can't a person eat in peace?"
“I met Princess Zhaoxue at West Lake. Why didn’t you tell her I was her cousin? She told me we weren’t close and she didn’t want to acknowledge me…”
"Shouldn't I introduce you when the time is right? How can I introduce you before we've met? There are so many people with the surname Xu in Lin'an, I can't exactly tell Xue'er that all the people with the surname Xu are your cousins, can I?"
Also, please don't go around talking about Xue'er's relationship with the Pei family. It's best if we keep it to ourselves.
Xu Yao didn't understand, "Why?"
Pei Huaiji was speechless; this kid was still as foolish as before.
"Why? Is everything above your neck just for decoration? If you can't use your brain, use your toes to think. What is the relationship between my second uncle and the eldest princess?"
"Adulterer..." Xu Yao's tongue stammered, unable to utter the last two words.
Pei Huaiji flicked his forehead, "Screw your head."
"Fortunately, Zhang Heng and the others asked me, but Lord Lu stopped them, so I didn't say anything."
"You almost ruined things. You'd better keep your mouth shut from now on, or I'll seal your mouth shut."
Xu Yao pressed his lips together into a straight line, drew a line with his index finger, and made a shushing gesture. "I promise I won't tell anyone, I won't tell even if anyone asks."
"Be more careful next time."
"Alright, second cousin, why didn't you tell me that our cousin is as beautiful as an angel? My heart skipped a beat the moment I saw her face, and I was completely smitten. It's a pity she married so young. How is her relationship with Prince Xiao? Do I still have a chance? There's a saying that goes, 'Don't let the good stuff go to outsiders.'"
"They have a very good relationship, you have no chance. Someone, bring the young master a bowl and chopsticks."
"My second cousin is much better to me than my eldest cousin, who is a very busy man who is always busy with his business and has no time to have meals with me."
The servants set out bowls and chopsticks.
Pei Huaiji served him a bowl of pig brain soup and said with a smile, "Eat more to nourish your brain."
Xu Yao was so angry that he bared his teeth and brandished his claws. "Second cousin, you can't be so mean to me. I take back what you said about how good you are to me. My eldest cousin will still give me money to spend."
"You're only just realizing this now? Eat up, my silly cousin. I served this soup myself, be content."
"You're the silly one. I'm not silly, I won't eat it."
Xu Yao's reserve couldn't last more than a cup of tea, and he picked up the bowl and started eating.
"It's so delicious, just the right taste. We're all cooked by the same chef, so why wasn't it this good when I came here?"
"You benefited from my fame."
Hehe~
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