Night falls.
Outside the Qin Mansion, maids, nannies, and six guards surrounded a carriage and slowly drove out of the alley.
Sitting in the carriage were Song Ruyue and her daughter.
The others all followed the carriage on foot.
In addition to those literati and poets, there were also many dignitaries who attended the banquet.
So there are some rules that must be followed.
When getting on the carriage, Qin Weimo invited Luo Qingzhou to sit up as well, but was severely reprimanded by Song Ruyue with a stern face.
"You may not know the rules at home, but you still do this outside, which makes people laugh! If people see us, they will say that we in the Qin family have no manners!"
"You are his sister-in-law, I am his mother-in-law, and he is still a son-in-law. Can you sit with us?"
"You still spend the whole day studying in your room, but you don't know the basic etiquette, morality, rules and ethics?"
Qin Weimo's face turned red after being scolded. He dared not say another word. He lowered his head and got into the carriage.
Song Ruyue got on the carriage and muttered coldly inside: "It's ok for you two to flirt with each other at home. As long as you don't do anything out of line, I'll pretend I didn't see it. But outside, you two better behave yourself. If you act sneaky and cause gossip, watch out for your skin!"
The weak voice of Miss Qin Er came from the carriage: "Mother, my brother-in-law and I didn't... didn't flirt with each other..."
"Haha, do you think your mother is blind? Or do you think your mother is easy to deceive?"
"No..."
Miss Qin Er's voice became weaker and almost inaudible.
Luo Qingzhou slowed down and followed behind.
There is no curfew in the inner city today.
At this time, both sides of the street were hung with lanterns.
The hawkers were shouting, but the pedestrians did not stop, but rushed to the banks of the Moshui River where the poetry meeting was held.
It's naturally more lively there.
Although not everyone can get on the boat, the road along the river becomes a bustling night market before it gets dark.
All kinds of vendors gather here.
There was a constant stream of pedestrians coming and going.
There are men and women dating.
Some friends and relatives went shopping after dinner.
Some people also bring their families to join in the fun.
There were also frustrated people standing by the river, looking at their own shadows, staring in a daze at the luxurious and bustling pleasure boats.
Two pleasure boats were docked together.
There are lights and decorations, and it is bustling with people.
On the shore leading to the pleasure boat, there was a temporary wooden bridge.
At the same time, there are guards with swords on their waists guarding it.
At the entrances of the two pleasure boats, there are special reception personnel to check identities to prevent other people from sneaking on board.
In addition to the daughter of the City Lord's Mansion, other nobles from Mo City also hosted this poetry meeting, so naturally nothing could go wrong.
When the Qin family arrived at the riverside, many guests had already boarded the two pleasure boats and were chatting animatedly.
Song Ruyue and her daughter got off the carriage with the help of their maid.
Then, surrounded by maids, nannies and guards, she came to the reception area by the river.
The welcoming lady and the middle-aged man saw their carriage from a distance. When they saw them coming, they smiled and said, "Madam Qin, welcome, welcome. Madam Zhang and Madam Wang just arrived as well. They just asked if you were here."
At this time, Meng Yulan from the City Lord's Mansion just came out of the pleasure boat. Seeing them, she immediately walked over from the bridge and said enthusiastically, "Aunt Song, Wei Mo, why are you here so late?"
"Miss."
The guards nearby and the butler who greeted the guests all bowed their heads respectfully.
Meng Yulan was wearing a purple dress with a dagger still tucked around her slender waist. She had a slim figure, a pretty face, and a heroic look between her brows.
She quickly walked up to the shore, walked to Qin Weimo's side, supported her, and said with a friendly smile: "Come on, Weimo, I'll help you up. The wooden bridge is not very stable, you have to be careful."
Luo Qingzhou saw that she walked as fast as the wind, her legs were long, straight and powerful. Although she was thin, she had an aura and her eyes were full of confidence. She was obviously a warrior.
He couldn't see it before, but now that he has cultivated his spirit and soul, his eyesight is sharp and his sense of smell is keen, so he can see it at a glance.
Qin Weimo greeted her with a smile, and then reminded her softly: "Yu Lan, my brother-in-law is here too."
Meng Yulan smiled, turned to look at Luo Qingzhou and said, "I saw it. Are you blaming me for not saying hello to him?"
As he said that, he turned around, bowed to Luo Qingzhou very solemnly, and said with a smile: "Mr. Luo, it is Yu Lan who is rude."
Luo Qingzhou bowed his head and said nothing.
Meng Yulan glanced at the maids and guards gathered around her, then looked at Song Ruyue apologetically and said, "Aunt Song, I'm sorry, you can only take two maids up, no one else. As for the guards, it's even worse. There is a rule tonight that no warriors can get on board except the guards on our ship. I hope Aunt Song will understand."
Song Ruyue was very concerned about her image in front of outsiders. She smiled and said, "It's okay. Why do we need to bring guards here?"
Then he turned around and said, "Qiu'er and Zhu'er, you two stay and take care of Wei Mo. The others can go their separate ways. Those who want to go shopping can go, and those who don't want to go can wait here."
"Yes, ma'am."
After hearing this, the maids and nannies became secretly excited.
Finally, I have one night of freedom.
"Aunt Song, please go first. Wei Mo and I will be in the back."
Meng Yulan said politely.
Song Ruyue did not refuse. With Zhu'er's help, she walked onto the bridge and got on the boat with a calm face.
As soon as she got on the boat, the ladies who often party with her came up to her and greeted her with smiles on their faces.
Meng Yulan and Qiu'er helped Miss Qin Er onto the boat.
Luo Qingzhou followed behind and boarded the boat alone.
Several noble ladies were chatting animatedly, and when they saw the frail and sickly Miss Qin Er, they immediately surrounded her, each speaking with a look of pity and heartache on their faces.
"Our Wei Mo is so beautiful, but her health is not very good."
"Ruyue, I've told you before that the doctors in Mo City are not good enough. You should go to the capital and try to find an imperial physician. Maybe you can cure him."
"Yes, let's take Wei Mo there in the early spring of next year. Isn't your boss in the capital? He must be able to contact a good doctor. Look at this child, so weak and fragile. It makes me feel bad just looking at him."
Song Ruyue knew that they meant well, but her face still darkened when she heard it. She didn't want them to mention her daughter's illness.
Meng Yulan quickly pulled Miss Qin away and said, "Aunt Zhang, Aunt Song, you guys can chat first. I'll take Wei Mo upstairs. Zi Xi and the others are waiting upstairs. They just asked me why Wei Mo hasn't come yet."
Having said that, he and Qiu'er helped the frail Miss Qin away.
Qin Weimo quickly turned around and called softly: "Brother-in-law, you come too..."
She didn't dare leave the boy here alone. Her mother and those aunts would definitely not respect him and might even make things difficult for him.
Of course Luo Qingzhou didn't dare to stay here alone, so he quickly followed.
Song Ruyue glanced at him and raised her hand as if she wanted to stop him. After hesitating for a moment, she put her hand down again.
"Hey, Ruyue, is your son-in-law here too?"
"That young man is it? Tsk tsk, he is indeed very handsome and talented. No wonder my Qingwan has been praising him since she returned home."
"Ruyue, were those poems and stories you mentioned really written by him? You have been spreading them for so long, but we have never seen him write them in person."
"That's right, he happens to be here tonight, we have to see it with our own eyes later."
"It's not that we don't believe you, but we think that kind of poetry and stories are not something that ordinary scholars can write..."
The ladies were talking at once, and they continued discussing even after Luo Qingzhou went up the stairs.
Song Ruyue had a calm expression on her face, sneered in her heart, and did not argue immediately.
There's no need to argue now.
Let that brat speak with facts later, and they will naturally stop talking.
"Wei Mo, you seem to care about your husband. Do you have to take him with you wherever you go?"
When going upstairs, Meng Yulan glanced at the young man following behind him, and whispered a good-natured teasing to the girl next to him.
Qin Weimo smiled and explained softly, "Yu Lan, my brother-in-law never goes out. He stays at home every day to study hard. Unlike other scholars, he has no social life and has never participated in poetry gatherings like this. If I leave him alone down there, he will be at a loss as to what to do without any friends to talk to. And my mother... will embarrass him."
Meng Yulan smiled and said, "You really care about him."
Qin Weimo knew what she was teasing on purpose, his eyebrows moved slightly, he turned back to take a peek, and said in a low voice: "Of course I care."
Meng Yulan was stunned when she heard this, and a look of surprise appeared on her face. She didn't expect that she would actually admit it.
How can such a thing be admitted so openly
Meng Yulan was stunned for a moment, then helped her up to the second floor, walked to the corner by the window, leaned close to her ear and whispered, "Silly girl, don't say this in front of other people. If others hear it, they will laugh at you in their hearts."
Qin Weimo smiled and said, "It's okay. I don't care how others laugh at me. But of course I won't tell others that I don't care, because that would implicate my brother-in-law."
Meng Yulan frowned, stared at her deeply, then turned back to look at the boy behind him, and whispered: "Wei Mo, you won't really..."
"I don't know."
Qin Weimo knew what she was going to say. He looked calm and gentle, and murmured in his heart: I really don’t know…
"Wei Mo! You are finally here!"
"Come, come, our delicate little beauty, come and sit here. There is no wind here and it won't blow you away."
"Ha ha ha ha… "
Just as Meng Yulan was about to say something, there were suddenly several girls' enthusiastic greetings and bell-like laughter from the corner.
However, when the girls who were hugging each other with laughter saw the boy following behind them, they immediately stopped laughing, were stunned for a moment, and quickly sat down and straightened their clothes and hair.
One girl's face turned red unconsciously because she laughed too wildly just now.
"What a handsome young man!"
A young girl's eyes flickered as she whispered to her companions.
The noisy atmosphere just now suddenly became quiet.
Several girls sat upright with reserved smiles on their faces, secretly wondering who this young man was.