A poem "Ode to the Willows on the Eaves of Yangyun Tower" won the whole room's applause. Zhao Pei looked at him with a smile, but her face was a little stiff. His half-smile was meaningful.
At 3:30 pm, the boat docked. The first to get off were Zhao Pei and her group of four. He Hui said goodbye to the three of them and left thoughtfully. Zhao Pei watched his back disappear before turning around to look for a carriage, only to meet his deep eyes.
Zhao Pei was startled, and seeing that he looked very serious, she finally stammered, "I'm sorry..."
"Did you really meet that person by chance?" he asked her calmly.
Zhao Pei nodded firmly immediately: "Of course it was a coincidence! If I lied, God will punish me with lightning!" She raised her index and middle fingers and answered very seriously. She knew that there was no room for ambiguity in this matter.
Xiao Yi reached out and slapped her raised finger down, looking a little displeased, and turned and walked away. Zhao Pei followed helplessly, sighing that this man changed his face like turning the pages of a book, and his mood was unpredictable. But he said shamelessly: "Seventh brother, let's discuss and go back to the mansion together. It will save the money for a carriage."
Xiao Yi squinted at her and said, "Why don't you just go back? I've already treated you well by not punishing you for sneaking out and causing trouble everywhere."
She stood there, looking at him stupidly. She lowered her head dejectedly, as if she really intended to walk back with Ruhua. Xiao Yi stopped and looked at her aggrieved expression with amusement, but he couldn't do anything about her. His tone softened: "Okay, I'll let you go this time. It's getting late, let's go back together."
Zhao Pei raised her head and followed him with a smile, and he said in a low voice: "If you want to go out in the future, tell Shui Niang and find some people to follow you. It is not safe for two people." Zhao Pei felt a sudden surge in his heart when he heard this, and he was speechless for a long time, so he could only nod.
Xiao Yi looked at her sideways, and a trace of disappointment suddenly crossed his chest. It turned out that the woman in his heart was the one with a smile on her face and a high spirit, not the one with sorrow and sadness. If you are willing, I can go out with you. But he never said this.
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When Xiao Lun came out from the emperor's place, he heard the eldest princess inviting him to appreciate paintings with great interest. She said she had found a painting of Xi Shi boating and invited him to appreciate it. He couldn't refuse, so he changed into a crimson-purple gauze robe and followed her.
The maid did not lead him to Le'an Palace, but stopped at the waterside pavilion in the garden behind the palace. Xiao Yuyao had been waiting on the soft seat. Seeing him coming, she stood up with a smile and raised her eyes slightly: "Sixth brother."
Xiao Lun looked around and saw no trace of the painting, so he asked, "Sister, where is the painting?"
Xiao Yuyao said with a hint of complaint, "It's really boring to ask about paintings right after I come here. It seems that if I don't use the pretext of appreciating paintings, Sixth Brother is unwilling to honor me. Then I will tell you the truth, there are no paintings."
Xiao Lun didn't know what she was planning, so he raised his eyebrows and teased, "Sister, you don't know what day it is today. If it were a normal day, I would come without saying a word as long as you called me. But today is the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. I have made appointments with many beautiful women and my time is very tight." He smiled complacently, revealing his romantic and suave nature.
Xiao Yuyao hissed at him in an angry tone, "Sixth brother, you are so heartless. Don't say such things carelessly. If you hurt the beauty's heart, I won't protect you." After saying that, she smiled intimately and glanced around.
He saw that she was being mysterious and secretive, so he frowned slightly to show his surprise.
Xiao Yuyao smiled and said, "Okay, okay, although I don't have a picture of Xi Shi boating, I have a beauty who is ten thousand times more beautiful than Xi Shi." Then she raised her hand and called out, "Pepe, Pepe."
He looked back in the direction of her gaze, and saw a beautiful lady in palace attire walking towards him. She took small steps, with her head bowed low, as if she was counting the lotus flowers along the way. She was wearing a lake-green and silver-patterned dress, with gold and silver clouds flowing around the collar, and a red lotus knot tied to the front. She was also wearing a purple-green outer skirt embroidered with flying phoenixes, with the hem trailing. She had a simple and elegant horse-fallen bun, and a jade hairpin with beads inserted diagonally into her black hair, which sparkled. She was plain but still charming and enchanting. She looked more like a white lotus than a red lotus.
She looked up at him awkwardly and smiled. She put on some rouge, and the faint fragrance from her body instantly invaded him.
Xiao Lun was a little dazed, staring at her intently, again and again.
She felt a little embarrassed by his stare, and turned to look at Xiao Yuyao, blushing and saying, "Sister, I... this dress doesn't look good. I'll go back and change first, it's a little troublesome to walk."
Xiao Yuyao smiled and held her back: "Don't, it looks good. It really looks good. Sister, you like bright colors, this one actually suits you very well." She turned around and said angrily: "Sixth brother, please say something."
Xiao Lun smiled and nodded: "Pepe, it looks very good."
Zhao Pei smiled awkwardly again, stuck out her tongue and said nothing.
Xiao Yuyao looked at them and smiled: "Well, it's rare for you to see each other, so I won't bother you anymore and will leave first. But sixth brother, how about this painting of Xizi boating?"
Xiao Lun smiled back: "Very good, thank you, big sister."
She smiled meaningfully, turned around and left. The waterside pavilion returned to its former tranquility.
Zhao Pei heaved a sigh of relief when she saw her walking away. She sat down on a soft mat nearby. She didn't dare look at him, and lowered her head to adjust her skirt.
"Did she look for you?" Xiao Lun sat down beside her.
"Yeah." Zhao Pei responded sullenly, "Not long ago, she really brought this matter to negotiate with me. I think she has trapped me this time."
Xiao Lun smiled indifferently: "It doesn't matter, it's the truth."
Zhao Pei glared at him: "What nonsense are you talking about."
"What nonsense! That's exactly what happened!" Xiao Lun was determined to argue with her to the end.
"No."
“Yes!”
"No!" It was like two quarreling children, determined to determine who was better.
He was very close to her at this moment, and could clearly see her trembling eyelashes like butterfly wings. His chest felt warm, and he held her in his arms without thinking. He could feel the fragrance filling his heart, which touched his heartstrings.
Zhao Pei immediately fell into that familiar embrace. Feeling his slight breathing, she panicked and quickly pushed him away, saying, "What are you crazy about? It's not safe here. We'd better leave early."
Xiao Lun sat back and calmed down for a while before nodding and saying, "Yes." After all, they didn't know whether Xiao Yuyao was really helping them achieve their "wish". If this was a trick... it was not impossible.
He looked at Zhao Pei's flushed cheeks and pondered for a long while. He didn't care, but he was afraid that it would make her...
He sighed and said, "Forget it, Pepe. Let's go home early."
Zhao Pei nodded and stood up. Xiao Lun stared at her for a long time and asked solemnly, "I will go to Yangzhou in five days. Will you see me off?"
He looked at her seriously, and seemed to be waiting for her answer nervously. She looked at herself in his eyes, and her heart ached. In the end, she couldn't bear to refuse: "I'll try my best. If there is a chance, I will definitely go."
After hearing this, Xiao Lun's eyes lit up, he heaved a sigh of relief and chuckled, revealing a row of white teeth: "I'll wait for you. Five days later, I'll be waiting for you at the Shili Pavilion outside the city." (To be continued)