Spring gradually warms up, snow and ice melt, and green buds emerge from branches, secretly looking at the vibrant Jiankang City.
Suddenly, two heads popped out from the wall in the backyard of the palace. Zhao Pei, dressed in men's clothing, climbed up the wall and stretched her legs to get out, but she seemed to remember something, turned around and said to the maid behind her: "Ruhua, you crawl out first."
The girl was a little puzzled, and she climbed over the wall slowly and hesitantly. Seeing that there was no one in the back street, she turned around and waved to the person on the wall to let her come down. Zhao Pei then jumped down swiftly, patted the dirt on her hands and smiled: "Haha, that's great. But I'm free." Finally, the poetry and prose conference came, and the person happened to be away from the mansion. Everything went smoothly beyond imagination.
Seeing that she seemed about to laugh out loud three times, Ruhua quickly grabbed her arm and dragged her towards the downtown street.
Zhao Pei hadn't been so relaxed for a long time. The long-suppressed happiness suddenly appeared. She stopped and walked along the way, looking around. Ruhua seemed to be worried and kept asking her if she would be discovered.
Zhao Pei turned around and glared at her, blaming her for spoiling the fun, saying, "We have Zi Ye! What are you afraid of? Besides, what can happen even if they find out? They won't eat you or me." Ruhua pouted and stared at Zhao Pei who was walking excitedly in front of her, complaining in her heart: You're fine, but I can't guarantee that I won't die a miserable death.
The two boarded the cruise ship and handed over the invitation. If you ask where the invitation came from, it was because Qingqing asked Zhaojie to steal it. If you ask why she didn't ask Xiao Yi, she didn't have the courage.
She found a seat by the window and sat down, looking around at the people present. She saw the old man with a beard from last year, who also happened to see her and walked over with a smile. "Young Master, you are here too."
"How can I not come to such a grand event?" Zhao Pei bowed politely.
"I haven't seen you since the poetry conference last year. You were in a hurry last time, so you didn't even ask the young master's name?" The old man looked at him with satisfaction, stroking his beard. After not seeing him for a year, his frivolous and conceited look had disappeared, replaced by calmness.
"My last name is Xu, and my given name is Zhao." Zhao Pei said with a faint smile, muttering to herself, "It would be strange if you knew where I am." The old man with a beard had already glanced at Ruhua beside her and smiled, "Who is this girl...?"
"Oh." Zhao Pei looked at Ruhua and replied, "This is my little wife. I'm here to take her to see the world today." She didn't care that Ruhua was blushing and secretly pulling her sleeve.
The old man took a look at her, clapped his hands and smiled, saying, "A beautiful woman and a talented man, very good, very good." Zhao Pei scratched her head embarrassedly.
While they were chatting, someone beside him suddenly called out with an expression of surprise that was difficult to conceal: "Xu brother!"
She felt that the name was familiar, and turned to look at the person who came, and was stunned. His eyes were bright and sharp, and the corners of his mouth were raised, revealing a row of white teeth.
"Xu Di! It's really you!" He Hui looked at her with a smile and reached out to grab her shoulders.
Zhao Pei was equally excited and looked at him with wide eyes: "Brother He? Oh my God, I see you here!" It had been more than half a year since they last met. She often thought of this close friend. She thought she would never see him again, but unexpectedly she met him here.
Seeing how excited they were, the old man said, "Since two old friends are meeting again, I will not disturb you any longer." After that, he turned his eyes to He Hui, waved his sleeves and left.
Zhao Pei ignored the old man's slightly disdainful look, pulled He Hui to sit down, personally poured him a cup of tea, and asked happily: "Brother He, when did you come to Jiankang? How long have you been here? Where do you live now? Did you come alone?"
The series of questions made He Hui chuckle. He withdrew his gaze from her and answered patiently, "I came here alone. I listened to your words and thought they made a lot of sense, so I came to Jiankang to try my luck. I came here three months ago. It was my first time in the city as a country boy and I didn't know where to go. I have been wandering around in this prosperous capital for a long time. It is rare that the four kings appreciate me. Now I live under the King of Nankang as an aide."
The Prince of Nankang was the fourth prince Xiao Ji, whom Zhao Pei was not familiar with, but it was a good job to work in the palace. She looked at the well-dressed He Hui in front of her and connected him with the poor scholar on the street a long time ago. Her situation had improved a lot.
She said with a hint of annoyance, "Brother He is the same. He didn't come to look for me when he was in and out of Jiankang. Otherwise, I could have saved myself these three months." Then she smoothed her hair to reveal her smooth forehead. "It seems that the King of Nankang really appreciates Brother He. He even let you attend such a poetry and prose conference." Zhao Pei smiled,
He Hui smiled faintly: "To be honest, the Fourth Prince sent me here to find the young man in red who stunned everyone at that time." He looked at Zhao Pei carefully again, shook his head and smiled, "I guess that's the person in front of me?"
Zhao Pei shrugged her shoulders and looked very serious: "Brother He, please don't tell him my identity. I still want to live a quiet life for a few days. If everyone in the royal family knows about it, I think the emperor will probably send me to a temple."
He Hui nodded: "Of course, as long as you don't show off today, I will say that the red-shirted boy didn't come." After a long silence, he suddenly stared at her eyes seriously, "Is he... good to you?"
"Who?" Zhao Pei asked immediately, and only understood after looking at Ruhua. Xiao Yi's stern face appeared in her mind. She still couldn't guess what he was thinking, but it was undeniable that Xiao Yi was very kind to her and very considerate.
He Hui felt a little flustered when he saw that she did not answer immediately but fell into deep thought.
"He treats me very well. Brother He, you don't have to worry about me." Zhao Pei looked at him with a smile.
"Really?" He Hui asked again, as if he was afraid that she was lying. When he saw Zhao Pei nod, his frown finally relaxed.
The cabin swayed slightly and slowly left the shore. Zhao Pei looked around with a smile and introduced: "Brother He, this is your first time here, so you may not understand some of the things here. I will..." She stopped talking halfway.
She was staring blankly at a certain place, and when she came to her senses, she suddenly pulled Ruhua beside her and turned her head to look out the window. She gritted her teeth and shouted, "My enemy! Why is he here?" (To be continued)