Chapter 170 First Release "Don't you think Mr. Zhou wants to know...
The slanting blue sun and golden light add a hazy touch to the quiet Guanshan study.
The mottled shadows of bamboo outside the window swayed like water waves. The inner room was so silent that you could hear a pin drop.
Wen Yu's eyelashes trembled, and she quickly turned to look at the bamboo branches outside that were also trembling. The breeze brought a few wafts of fragrance through the window sill, but it could not hide Wen Yu's uneasiness.
She ignored Zhou Lehui's questions and didn't know where to start.
"Mr. Zhou is very perceptive, and I admire him immensely."
Song Linsheng's voice rang out, like a stone falling into water, breaking the tranquility of the inner room; it was also like a clear spring flowing, diluting some of Wen Yu's uneasiness.
"Sir Song, you are too polite. Please tell me frankly." Zhou Lehui replied with a faint smile, and his every move was very polite and considerate.
"Of course." Song Linsheng nodded.
"Song Linsheng?" Wen Yu stopped him softly, looking towards him with a hint of confusion.
However, Song Linsheng smiled faintly and did not stop talking. He just nodded affirmatively to Wen Yu and continued speaking.
"Mr. Zhou, you know that as the prefect of Jiangyang, Linsheng must govern accordingly."
Zhou Lehui looked puzzled and confused, but still nodded in agreement with Song Linsheng's words.
"There's a civil lawsuit going on in the government office right now. During the investigation, Mr. Zhou is implicated. Madam Wen and I have come to consult Mr. Zhou. We hope you won't disturb him."
Song Linsheng was very careful in what he said and did, and his words were very sincere.
But having said that, Wen Yu guessed that he would talk about Master Wen next.
This would go against her previous thoughts and might even offend Mr. Zhou.
Wen Yu rolled up her sleeves and hid under the table, gently holding the corner of Song Linsheng's clothes with one hand, trying to ask him to stop talking.
But Song Linsheng seemed not to hear and just looked quietly at Zhou Lehui who was sitting opposite him.
He knew that Xiaoyu had many worries and considerations in her heart. Xiaoyu was unwilling to question Mr. Zhou based on her momentary guesses and Mrs. Wen's empty words, for fear of damaging his reputation.
However, the whole story of Master Wen's incident still needs to be investigated thoroughly. This is to help Xiaoyu speak up, something she cannot speak up, and it is also to fulfill his own responsibilities.
As the prefect of Jiangyang, he will not listen to one side of the story, nor will he bend the law for personal gain.
Even Mr. Zhou, who has been very supportive of Mingde School, is no exception in this matter.
Although Wen Yu and Song Linsheng's movements were very small, they were still seen clearly by Zhou Lehui who was sitting opposite them.
Zhou Lehui's smile remained unchanged, and he didn't seem to be worried at all about what Song Linsheng meant.
"Master Song, what are you talking about? As a citizen of Jiangyang, I should share your worries."
What kind of trouble could she, a teacher who teaches behind closed doors, get involved in?
"Whatever I know, I will tell you."
Wen Yu's eyebrows jumped, and she looked around between Song Linsheng and Zhou Lehui in a somewhat bewildered manner.
The current situation is like a galloping horse that has galloped thousands of miles away, and the reins are no longer in Wen Yu's hands.
"I'm sorry for the intrusion," Song Linsheng said politely but friendly. "I wonder if Mr. Zhou knows the eldest son of the Jiangbei Wen family?"
He couldn't ask directly whether Mr. Zhou and Mr. Wen were old friends, let alone mention the "childhood sweethearts" mentioned by Mrs. Wen. He could only try to find out first.
But as Song Linsheng finished speaking, the sound gradually faded away...
No one responded until Wen Yu realized something was wrong.
Wen Yu carefully turned her eyes and looked out from the loose hair on her forehead, and saw Zhou Lehui's frosty face full of coldness.
Even when she had previously used words like "carved in frost" and "sculpted in ice and snow" to describe Mr. Zhou, it was just her imagination of Mr. Zhou's temperament, not that he was really that cold.
But at this moment, the expression on Mr. Zhou's face was undisguised, it was pure disgust and rejection.
At the same time, her polite, considerate and courteous smile was almost cracking.
The bamboo shadows disappear and the sound of the wind stops.
In Guanshan Study, there was only silence as deep as a pool with no bottom to be seen.
After a long time, when Wen Yu thought Mr. Zhou would not answer, she finally spoke.
"Sir Song, I have lived in Jiangnan for a long time. I have never heard of the people and things in Jiangbei, let alone know anything about them."
Zhou Lehui raised her sleeve and poured tea for Song Linsheng, Wen Yu, and herself one after another. Then, without paying any attention to Wen and Song, she picked up the cup and took a sip without saying anything else.
Wen Yu knew that she and Song Linsheng had hit a wall and probably couldn't get anything out of him. She just rubbed the rim of the cup with her fingertips, holding the cup without drinking.
The tea in the cup in front of me was shaking, like the rising waves on the lake, a storm was about to come, and the boat could not sail.
Song Linsheng closed his eyelashes for just a moment, and then quickly opened them again.
He chose to move against the wind and ride the waves.
"How could that be?" Song Linsheng said something profound, as if he was shocked. "The eldest son of the Wen family participated in the imperial examination last spring and passed it with one stroke. He was chosen by the sage as the third place in the imperial examination. He was very popular in Shangdu and was unrivalled."
"On the day the results were announced, he was favored by many officials in the court, leading to the famous story of "finding a son-in-law under the list."
Song Linsheng paused, then looked up at Zhou Lehui, who was sitting opposite him. "Logically speaking, the third place winner should return to his hometown to visit his family after passing the imperial examination. How could Mr. Zhou, who is in Jiangyang, not know about this? And who this person is?"
The sound of a gentle wind mixed with the fragrance of bamboo leaves rushed in from outside the window lattice, swirling between Wen Yu and the other two.
Zhou Lehui ignored Song Linsheng's question and did not respond.
Wen Yu swallowed softly and called out hesitantly, "Mr. Zhou...Mr. Zhou?"
"What Lord Song said must be true." Zhou Lehui's voice was a little colder. "But I am just a teacher. I usually stay at my Wendao Bookstore and never go out. I don't think I have ever noticed the return of the third place winner, let alone seen his face."
She suppressed the impatience in Zhou Le's voice, but still couldn't help showing it a little.
Song Linsheng pursed his lips and said nothing. The water in the teacup in front of him had calmed down.
He was just speaking the truth, not being aggressive, but Mr. Zhou seemed displeased...
"It's nothing serious," Wen Yu said, taking over the conversation and smoothing things over for the two of them. "It's just that what Lord Song said is related to the eldest son of the Wen family, so he said this."
Originally, he wanted to calm the delicate atmosphere between Mr. Zhou and Song Linsheng as soon as possible, but Wen Yu's words made Zhou Lehui even more indignant.
"Since it's not a serious matter, it's really tiring for you to trouble Lord Song to make this trip." Zhou Lehui turned slightly to avoid looking at Song Linsheng and the others. "Lord Song is very busy with official duties, so please don't waste time here. Please make yourself at your own pace."
As soon as he said this, he was about to send the guest away.
Wen Yu knew she was in the wrong, and it was difficult for her to argue. She could only add softly and hopefully, "Mr. Zhou, Song Linsheng means no harm. He's just asking a routine question... Please don't be upset, Mr. Zhou. Just tell me the truth..."
The further it went on, the quieter Wen Yu's voice became, until it was almost as quiet as a mosquito or fly.
But her gentle advice seemed to be the last straw that broke Zhou Lehui's back.
"Tell the truth? Ha!" Zhou Lehui's voice was restrained and subdued, yet trembling with an unconcealable intensity. "Madam Wen, you and I are both women, do you know what I'm thinking right now?"
But then he changed the subject, and his tone became obviously cold. "I know that the Wen family eldest son you two are talking about is Wen Yanli - the famous third place winner in the imperial examination."
"Just ask Jiangyang, south of the Yangtze River, north of the Yangtze River, who doesn't know it?"
Wen Yu's eyes lit up, and she immediately looked at Song Linsheng beside her, then turned her gaze back to Zhou Lehui.
Mr. Zhou really knew about Wen Yanli!
Wen Yu was so overwhelmed by her joy that she didn't have time to think about the deeper meaning behind Zhou Le's reply. She blurted out, "Does Mr. Zhou know..."
"I don't know." Zhou Lehui interrupted Wen Yu directly before she finished speaking.
These four concise and expressive words left Wen Yu speechless for a moment, and even a little dazed.
Song Linsheng raised his sleeve and gently patted the back of Wen Yu's hand, soothing her bewilderment. He said calmly, "Why don't you know?"
He only believes that everything happens for a reason, not for no reason.
Since Mr. Zhou was willing to mention Young Master Wen, it meant that they did know each other, but she was unwilling to talk in depth, so there must be a reason why she couldn't say it out loud.
Song Linsheng's gaze was deep, as if he wanted to see into Zhou Lehui's heart through her eyes.
"If you don't know, then you don't know. How can there be any reason why you don't know?" Zhou Lehui's lips curled slightly, with a hint of sarcasm. "Could it be that everyone comes to me just to ask me about Wen Yanli?"
"It's true that he and I knew each other before, but I'm not... not..." Zhou Lehui seemed to be very angry. He repeated the words but couldn't say the rest.
"Not really?" Wen Yu bravely answered, just wanting to know what Mr. Zhou was not.
Zhou Lehui let out a long sigh, then turned to look Wen Yu in the face. As if discarding all manners and upbringing, he stopped his slow argument and simply retorted unconvincedly, "Could it be that the words 'Wen Yanli' are engraved on my forehead? Why does anyone who enters my Wen Dao Academy have to mention him in a roundabout way?"
Wen Yu and Song Linsheng both kept silent. She felt really guilty. She had indeed mentioned Master Wen in a roundabout way, so she was in the wrong.
Therefore, no matter what Mr. Zhou said, she had no way to refute him and could only listen with her ears closed.
The seemingly unrefined words and almost non-existent wording made Zhou Lehui speak out whatever was on his mind.
Her chest heaved, and she no longer had the forbearance she had previously shown.
“It doesn’t matter whether you know or not.”
Zhou Lehui's eyes wandered between Wen Yu and Song Linsheng. "What matters is whether to say it or not."
Immediately afterwards, before Song Linsheng and Wen Yu could speak, Zhou Lehui took the initiative to speak, "And I will make it clear today. Regarding Wen Yanli's matter, please do not ask me, Master Song. I don't know, and I don't want to mention it."
"Lord Song is a guest, so please have some tea." After saying that, Zhou Le turned away his gaze, sat down with his head lowered, as if the harsh words just now had never existed.
Song Linsheng frowned, knowing that it would be futile to ask any further questions today.
The three of them just sat there quietly, seemingly unwilling to give in to the other.
Wen Yanli...
Zhou Lehui kept thinking about this name in his mind, and felt upset for a while.
"The tea is too weak. I'll go get another pot." Zhou Lehui put aside all those complicated and chaotic thoughts and wanted to leave while making tea so that he could get some fresh air.
"Mr. Zhou, please wait a moment!"
Wen Yu's clear voice rang out, and Zhou Le turned around in response.
"Don't you think Mr. Zhou wants to know what happened to Master Wen?"
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