Chapter 91: Jealousy, he had such thoughts about Lu Tingwan?
The bustling building was not a place for conversation. Xie Zhao was invited by Cheng Xianzhi, and he did not instruct her on what to do. Perhaps meeting Xie Zhao would help her resolve her worries.
Xie Zhao was the first to suggest going out for a walk, but the streets were scorching hot after noon and were not suitable for walking.
After leaving Weiyang Tower, there were a few small shops along the east wall with a few tables and chairs. When Lu Tingwan saw the fruit wine sold in the shops, she immediately felt like drinking again. She walked in front and Xie Zhao followed beside her, keeping the distance between them just right.
She was in a good mood, perhaps because she had met Xie Zhao. At least it made her feel that she was not the only one who survived the bloody execution. The indescribable feeling of loneliness was resolved after she met Xie Zhao.
She is not the only one who is struggling to survive.
There is a cart in front of the shop, which is filled with iced fruit wine and tea. In the hot summer, only iced drinks can dispel the heat.
She raised her arm and ordered a few things. They looked delicious, but she didn't know how to control herself and ordered too much.
Xie Zhao took out a few coins from his waist and paid the bill before her. Lu Tingwan did not hesitate. They chose a place with good wind in the outer shed of the shop and sat down.
When he was talking to her in the building just now, Xie Zhao smelled the aroma of alcohol. The blush on her cheeks still lingered, which showed that she was still drunk.
"Iced drinks can relieve the heat, but if you are too greedy for coolness, it will also harm your body." He wiped the table in front of Lu Tingwan with his sleeve, then picked up a pair of bamboo chopsticks, wiped them clean with a handkerchief and handed them to her.
"When did you become so particular?" Lu Tingwan frowned as she saw him moving around a lot. "How come you've become so spoiled after working in the palace?"
Xie Zhao just smiled and didn't refute. He was not being squeamish, he just wanted to make her feel more comfortable.
"Have you had your meal upstairs?" Xie Zhao remembered that it was not appropriate to drink the ice wine on an empty stomach.
Lu Tingwan felt that he had become long-winded. "I've eaten, but Cheng Xianzhi is still upstairs."
"Why are you here too?"
Xie Zhao didn't react when he heard Cheng Xianzhi was there. He just said calmly, "I just got reinstated not long ago, and my colleagues invited me over for a drink and a celebration. I didn't expect to see you here."
"I should have visited you sooner."
Lu Tingwan didn't care. She knew that the two of them had awkward identities as they were both involved in the execution. If he came to visit openly, it would be inappropriate.
The waiter brought a few pots of fruit wine, and Xie Zhao ordered some iced fruit tea. However, he quietly placed the fruit wine on the edge where Lu Tingwan could not reach it, and then filled her with fruit tea.
Lu Tingwan thought the wine tasted good, so she didn't think of changing to fruit wine.
"How have you been these days?" Xie Zhao asked tentatively. Seeing is not always believing. Although she looked happy, her words and actions had lost their former spirit.
Lu Tingwan's attention was taken away by a figure in the distance. She didn't hear what Xie Zhao said clearly, and the hawking voice faded away.
"Tanghulu, Tanghulu..."
She suddenly said, "I want to eat candied haws."
Xie Zhao turned his head and caught sight of an old man in the distance on the street. He stood up and said, "Then wait here for me. I'll be back soon."
Lu Tingwan nodded, and then he ran away.
Not long after, Xie Zhao came with a few strings of candied haws and a few cakes in his hands.
"This fruit tea goes well with pastries." He stuffed the candied haws into the cup and unwrapped the pastries wrapped in oil paper and spread them on the table.
Lu Tingwan smiled sweetly, and the gloom disappeared.
She drank fruit tea with pastries. The sour and sweet taste of the tea dispelled the gloom, and she felt like she could eat more.
Not many of them are used in Weiyang Tower. Looking at the snacks on the table, she picked up a piece and took a small bite. The green bean paste cake melted in her mouth. It was made by boiling the bean paste into cubes and then chilling it. It was fragrant and refreshing.
"It's icy." She looked at Xie Zhao with surprise in her eyes. She thought it was just an ordinary mung bean cake.
"Yeah." Xie Zhao responded and picked up the wine cup.
After Cheng Xianzhi finished his meal, Gongsun Xue also put down her chopsticks. The room was silent the entire time. He didn't say much, and Gongsun Xue didn't dare to speak during the meal.
Cheng Xianzhi's mind wandered as she left the house. She didn't know whether arranging for Xie Zhao to meet her would help her recover from her illness or make her more determined to stay in Kyoto.
Gongsun Xue noticed his every move and after a moment's silence, she said, "The Second Madam has been out for quite some time, and she didn't bring any maids with her this time. How about Xue'er go out and take a look?"
"It's okay, let her go." Cheng Xianzhi washed his hands and wiped his long fingers with a dry handkerchief with an elegant manner.
"But I just saw that she was drunk. If she goes out and meets someone..." Gongsun Xue seemed to be afraid as she spoke.
Cheng Xianzhi knew in her heart that with Han Zhou watching over her, she knew nothing would happen, and Xie Zhao was also there.
The breeze outside the window blew through the window lattice, as if to lead people over. Cheng Xianzhi moved to the windowsill, overlooking the street. He withdrew his gaze from a distance and swept across the shop shed opposite, when a familiar figure came into view.
Lu Tingwan had a very pleasant conversation with Xie Zhao. It was the first time he saw her smile like this in all these days.
The people upstairs were staring at this scene infatuatedly, as if they had ignored the person next to her who was joking with her, and their eyes were only filled with that clear shadow.
Lu Tingwan held the cup and sipped the tea in small sips, while holding a candied haws in the other hand. She didn't know what Xie Zhao was saying to her, but she gestured from time to time, as if drawing a bow with her hand.
She opened her mouth wide and bit off a piece of candied haws, stuffing her cheeks full, like a hamster hiding food.
Beneath that cold and aloof face, a smile unconsciously appeared at the corner of his lips. He didn't even notice Gongsun Xue approaching him.
"So the Second Madam is meeting a friend." Gongsun Xue looked downstairs. She had called Cheng Xianzhi twice just now but there was no response, so she came over to find out what was going on.
I never thought I would see this scene.
Cheng Xianzhi calmly withdrew his fiery gaze, lowered the corners of his lips, and returned to his usual cold demeanor.
"Everyone knows Xie Zhao is a bandit, but I never thought he was so loyal and righteous. I heard that on the day the Lu family was beheaded, Xie Zhao led the imperial guards to hijack the execution ground," she said in a voice with a hint of respect. "There aren't many people in this world who are so loyal that they would risk their lives to protect each other."
These words seemed like speculation, but every word pierced Cheng Xianzhi's heart.
Lu Tingwan's mouth was full and she almost choked when swallowing. Xie Zhao hurriedly took out a handkerchief and patted her back gently to help her relax.
This action caught the eyes of the people upstairs. Cheng Xianzhi clenched his wide sleeves into fists, and a layer of gloom appeared faintly on his normal face. It seemed that an indescribable emotion was tugging at his thoughts, making it difficult for him to control himself.
He didn't like this feeling, this uncontrollable, intense anger and bitterness that was about to burst out.
There was a sharp gleam in his cold eyes, so sharp that it seemed to be able to pierce through everything.
Lu Tingwan let him wipe the corner of her lips. As the distance between them got closer, Xie Zhao's originally suppressed emotions surged like a leaked tide after touching the other's breath. Tenderness and cherishment were in his black pupils.
Lu Tingwan was so focused on suppressing the blockage in his heart that he was completely unaware of the strange gaze coming from the side.
But everyone upstairs saw all of this.
Gongsun Xue caught Cheng Xianzhi's strange expression completely. She was sure that someone was intruding into Cheng Xianzhi's heart at this moment. That person could control his emotions, embarrass him, make him unable to extricate himself, and make him sink.
A surge of hatred gradually emerged, and Gongsun Xue dug her nails into her palms.
Since when did he have such thoughts about Lu Tingwan?
Did he bring her back from Tanzhou and ask for the title of Hudu Hou for her, or was he supervising the work in Tanzhou and learned that the entire Lu family was executed, so he rushed back to Kyoto regardless of everything?
A bitter smile appeared on her bright red lips. After she was sure of Cheng Xianzhi's feelings for Lu Tingwan, she suppressed her rationality and could only repeatedly hammer her sincerity on the edge of pain. She protected the hope hidden deep in her heart and still looked like a gentle and dignified mistress.
She wanted to confront him several times at this time and ask him whether he loved Lu Tingwan. If he said yes and was willing to leave a place for her in his heart, she would be willing to do everything for him.
After Lu Tingwanshun was relieved, he remembered the important matter: "I have been looking for ancient books in the palace library. I have some insights into the ingenious design of the Sunset Bow. When I have some free time, I will draw it and you can give me some advice, okay?"
Xie Zhao's eyes lit up with admiration: "Did you really figure out this Sunset Bow?"
"It's not difficult to draw the blueprint. The difficult part is to enable the craftsmen to successfully forge it according to the blueprint." Lu Tingwan held his chin and thought deeply.
"Then let me see it after you finish drawing." Xie Zhao nodded.
"good."
Lu Tingwan quietly took the fruit wine. Xie Zhao saw it all out of the corner of his eye, but he didn't stop her and just let her do what she wanted.
Lu Tingwan was in a good mood. Today was the day she talked the most in recent days. The unpleasant memories from the conversation were slowly buried, making her feel happy and relieved.
"I've brewed some wine in my yard. I'll bring it to you someday."
"Then I must try it." Xie Zhao raised his eyebrows and smiled.
As for what the Chief Clerk of the Dali Temple had said, the Jiang family was behind the incident. Given her status, if she wanted to reach out to someone from the Jiang family, her only chance would be through the Empress Dowager. Before the Lu family incident, she was the head of Jinhua Palace. Now that she had been pardoned, if she could return to Jinhua Palace, perhaps she could gain further insights from the Empress Dowager's side.
As for why the Queen Mother abandoned the Lu family, and why Lu Mingqian was unwilling to give out the person behind the scenes, how much evidence did Queen Mother Jiang have that could bring the Lu family to their knees, and among these evidences, was there any evidence of Queen Mother Jiang's conspiracy?
She wanted to know.
"Is the palace peaceful these days?" Lu Tingwan changed the subject. It seemed like a casual greeting, but Xie Zhao couldn't hide it.
"Everything in the palace remains the same as before." Xie Zhao said lightly, "Why, do you want to return to the palace?"
Lu Tingwan paused, then smiled broadly, "Can't I go back? Since you want me to stay in Kyoto, why can't I enter the palace?"
Xie Zhao's eyes were filled with complexity. He knew that Lu Tingwan was unwilling to give up. Even though she was depressed during those days and even suffered from aphasia, after this blow, she was still herself, and she still had Jiang Yanli's stubbornness in her bones.
"So what if I get in?" Xie Zhao said, "It's easy to get into the deep palace, but it's not easy to get out."
"But it's not the same in this imperial city, right?" Lu Tingwan looked up at the sky. The sunlight was dazzling, but she didn't look away and stared straight at it.
Xie Zhao stood up to block the light from her eyes, supporting himself on the table with his arms, and pressed down with his mighty body. "You risked your life to save your brothers' lives. As long as I stay in the palace, in this imperial city of Kyoto, what do you want to do? Xie Zhao, I will obey you."
Lu Tingwan smiled emotionally. It wasn't too bad. She raised her arm and dropped it heavily on his shoulder: "It's hard to find a soulmate."
The person upstairs withdrew his gaze, took a few steps back, and said to the person on the side: "Go back home."
"Yes." Gongsun Xue's beautiful eyes were sinister, as if she was brewing a crazy conspiracy, growing secretly.
When Lu Tingwan entered Weiyang Tower, Xie Zhao had already left.
As soon as she stepped onto the stairs, an old friend on the second floor walked straight towards her. It didn't seem like a chance encounter, but more like someone who had been waiting for a long time.
The moment Lu Tingwan raised her eyes, the past had already been completely forgotten. After experiencing life and death, she did not have such strong hostility towards the person in front of her.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
