Finally, he handed the teacup to Liu Qi.
At first, Liu Qi watched her movements with suspicion, but later, seeing that each step was trivial yet unhurried and pleasing to the eye, he couldn't help but secretly admire her.
The saying "exquisite craftsmanship despite poverty" is nothing more than this.
"Even for a prominent family, drinking tea is so complicated?"
He glanced down at the "Moon Over the Sea" painting on the teacup and curled his lips into a slightly sarcastic smile.
Su Wanwan didn't take it to heart and remained calm.
"The people of the Song Dynasty admired the art of whisking tea, praising it as refined. Our Emperor Taizu condemned it as extravagant, and nowadays people only know how to brew tea."
"Beautiful but useless, it can only be discarded."
Her tone was light and non-aggressive.
Without even raising his eyes, he slowly tidied up the exquisite utensils in front of him.
The movements were fluid and graceful, calm and composed.
The mocking smile on Liu Qi's face slowly faded.
My cheeks feel slightly hot.
This statement, seemingly about tea, may well be a veiled reference to him.
He always prided himself on being a dashing young hero, and was very popular with women. Countless women were willing to throw themselves at him, including many daughters of noble families.
The woman in front of him, however, didn't seem to be buying it.
She appears unassuming and somewhat delicate.
This statement, however, is incredibly intimidating and makes one feel very unapproachable.
He had to admit that she was speaking to him from a position of authority and did not mean to insult him.
But this forced him to put away his disdain and arrogance.
Su Wanwan then picked up the tea Liu Qi had brewed and took a sip.
Her tea-making skills were personally taught by Zhou.
Ms. Zhou said that in order to stand out among all the young women in the imperial harem, she had to use every trick in the book and do everything to the best of her ability.
She eventually won the favor of the young Emperor Yingzong, gave birth to his eldest daughter and eldest son, and became the most favored concubine.
But so what?
The infatuation of youth is passionate yet fleeting.
During Zhou's pregnancy, Emperor Yingzong favored another woman, who gave birth to his second son.
Later, Emperor Yingzong became increasingly fond of the second prince's birth mother, even supporting the second prince to compete with the eldest prince, and rejected the proposal to make Lady Zhou the empress.
In the end, by a hair's breadth, Zhou's child was deposed as crown prince and missed the throne.
Su Wanwan felt a little heavy-hearted.
She spent a lot of time learning her tea-making skills, but rarely had the opportunity to use them.
Now that she is pregnant, Lu Xingjian is lonely and can't bear it. It's only a matter of time before he finds another woman.
She simply had an early advantage.
This advantage, if mishandled, could easily become a death sentence.
Putting aside other things, Emperor Xianzong's first two sons both died young.
Endless struggles and infighting are yet to come.
She had to seize the time to expand her power as quickly as possible; there was no other way.
Thinking of this, the fragrant tea lost its flavor at the touch of his lips, and a hint of coldness appeared on his face.
Liu Qi stared at her face, his expression blank, and said somewhat lazily:
"I don't sell myself."
Su Wanwan choked on her tea, coughed for a while, and then said seriously:
"Help me with my work, and I'll keep you safe."
Liu Qi raised an eyebrow, leaned forward, and stared into her eyes: "That's it?"
Su Wanwan's expression remained unchanged; she simply looked at him quietly.
"Always counts."
A person without a solid foundation wouldn't say something like that.
Liu Qi, guessing her identity with an unclear expression, slowly said after a while:
"Since Madam has taken a liking to me, how can I not be with her?"
"It's really hard to refuse a beautiful woman's invitation."
That's a rather ambiguous statement.
Combined with her previous statement that she wouldn't sell herself, this is blatant provocation.
Crane Shadow's face darkened.
Su Wanwan's expression grew even colder. Ignoring his flippancy, she stood up:
"Alright, then show me what you're capable of, and don't let people laugh at me for misjudging you."
Just as Su Wanwan turned to leave, Liu Qi spoke up.
"Behind the Su family arson case, there are shadows of the palace."
Su Wanwan turned around, her sharp gaze fixed on Liu Qi.
That's it?
His face, however, was cold and sinister.
Liu Qi shrugged, feeling a little embarrassed: "The trail has gone cold for now. It was probably ordered by some high-ranking eunuch in the palace."
Su Wanwan provided him with a lot of financial support and almost always granted his requests.
This ambiguous answer is indeed a bit hasty.
Su Wanwan was both surprised and unsurprised.
My heart sank to the bottom.
An incredible idea popped into my head.
If someone wants to get rid of Yan Ge'er...
Yan Ge'er is in grave danger!
Su Wanwan walked out in a daze.
I was extremely anxious.
Which eunuch was it?
She has kept a low profile during the months she has been empress, so why did she arouse their suspicion and murderous intent?
They are Lu Xingjian's confidants. If they reveal Yan Ge'er's whereabouts, wouldn't it be easy for them to poison him?!
Countless thoughts raced through her mind.
Was the fire at the Su family mansion aimed at Yan-ge'er?
She was so emotional that she staggered and walked unsteadily.
There was a passageway leading to the private room, but it was empty at the moment.
Su Wanwan leaned against the wall for a while, trying to calm herself down.
But a figure appeared around the corner.
He wore a straw hat, a narrow-sleeved black robe, and held a long sword in his hand.
Su Wanwan's eyes instantly welled up with tears.
Liu Qi had just stepped out of the private room when he looked momentarily embarrassed. He walked past Su Wanwan and went to greet the man in the straw hat, patting him on the shoulder as if they were old friends.
"Brother Xiao, you've arrived so early?"
"Please go sit in the next private room first. It's on me. We can talk later."
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