Ling Qingwan thought carefully about what had just happened. No wonder she was pulled to sit next to General Shen as soon as she arrived in the hall.
She was so embarrassed that she lowered her head and rubbed the tip of her nose with her hand.
"Okay, I'm leaving. Please say hello to your mother for me." General Shen said and got on the carriage.
The carriage left in a hurry, and in the blink of an eye, it disappeared. Ling Qingwan stood there, stunned for a long while.
"Miss." Qiao'er walked towards Ling Qingwan while lifting her skirt and put her jacket on her.
"Let's go." Ling Qingwan said softly.
She looked at her fingers, which were stained with white rouge. It was indeed as General Shen had said, it was applied too thickly.
General Shen knew that she was faking her illness, but he never asked her why she was faking it. Ling Qingwan felt a warm feeling in her heart.
"Miss, what's wrong with you?" Qiao'er saw that Ling Qingwan was worried about something.
"Does it look obvious on my face?" Ling Qingwan moved her face closer to Qiao'er.
"No, it's not obvious." Qiao'er shook her head sincerely.
…
Yes, she understood why she had put too much rouge on her face. Qiao'er was really a girl who didn't know the seriousness of the matter.
For two or three days, Ling Qingwan stayed in the Iris Pavilion. She didn't go anywhere and finished reading two whole storybooks. No one disturbed her, and Ling Chuchu rarely made trouble. Ling Qingwan enjoyed the peace and quiet.
Because of General Shen's visit, Madam Ling arranged a few more maids for Iris Pavilion. Ling Qingwan didn't even recognize all of them, so she waved her hand and handed them over to Qiao'er.
Qiao'er suddenly became a small foreman. She was very grateful to Ling Qingwan. Even Hongdou's meals have been better these days.
There was a peaceful atmosphere in Iris Pavilion until Ling Xiao came.
"Why are you going out to eat suddenly?" Ling Qingwan looked surprised.
Ling Xiao has been busy with government affairs these days, and he is rarely seen in the mansion. Not counting this time, Ling Xiao has probably not been to Iris Pavilion for eight or nine days.
Suddenly he invited Ling Qingwan to dinner at Zuixiaolou and brought Tan Hongbo along. Ling Qingwan always felt that something was happening.
"I naturally have my own arrangements." Ling Xiao gently rubbed Ling Qingwan's hair. "You have been back for quite a while. You usually deal with people in the Marquis' Mansion. It's time to get in touch with people outside. Tan Hongbo looks unreliable, but he knows his limits and is never vague about major matters. If I am not around in the future, I will feel more at ease with him taking care of you."
After hearing these words, Ling Qingwan felt even more uneasy.
"You're not here? Why aren't you here?" Ling Qingwan was anxious and asked hurriedly.
"The Japanese pirates are invading Sui City, and the emperor wants to send my grandfather and me to quell the rebellion." Ling Xiao sighed helplessly.
If it were normal, he would not think there was anything wrong with this arrangement. But now in Tokyo City, Ling Xiao had Ling Qingwan on his mind, and he was always worried that Ling Qingwan would be in danger again.
"Don't worry, I will be back soon." Ling Xiao comforted Ling Qingwan softly.
Ling Qingwan then remembered that at this time in her previous life, there was indeed a war in Sui City. However, Ling Xiao returned after a month away. Because the matter was too small, Ling Qingwan didn't even remember it.
"I understand." Ling Qingwan raised the corner of her mouth slightly with a smile.
Ling Xiao must have come to this dinner to ask Tan Hongbo to take good care of his sister. What Ling Qingwan didn't expect was that Wei Xun also came.
When she saw Wei Xun, Ling Qingwan went over the whole thing in her mind. It seemed that she rarely met Wei Xun during the day.
Wei Xun was sitting by the window. The midday sun was shining brightly, just right on Wei Xun's body, making his skin look whiter and more beautiful than a woman's. Ling Qingwan stared at him for several seconds before moving her eyes away.
"Sister Wanwan~" Tan Hongbo's voice came from behind.
As soon as Ling Qingwan turned around, Tan Hongbo pretended to hold her arm. Ling Xiao gave Tan Hongbo a disdainful look and stood between them without hesitation.
"What are you doing?" Tan Hongbo frowned.
"Men and women should not touch each other." Ling Xiao said with a cold expression. He then helped Ling Qingwan walk to the table and sat down.
Tan Hongbo was stunned for a moment, then turned to look at Wei Xun with a look of understanding.
"What did you do just now?" Ling Xiao asked Tan Hongbo.
"The waiter said that the pear blossom wine was gone, but I didn't believe it, so I ran to the kitchen and found a jar." As he spoke, Tan Hongbo shook the jar of wine in his hand, a smug smile on his face.
"Have you asked, who is this pear blossom wine prepared for?" Ling Xiao asked again.
"I don't care who he prepared it for. I found it today, so it's ours." Tan Hongbo didn't care. He took off the lid, and the aroma of wine immediately filled the entire box.
Tan Hongbo was pouring wine for a few people, and he felt that the atmosphere around him was increasingly strange. He looked up and met Wei Xun's eyes.
Ling Qingwan swore that this was the most meaningful look she had ever seen in her life. Wei Xun's eyes were mixed with anger, helplessness and calmness as he stared at Tan Hongbo.
"This wine smells so good." Ling Qingwan saw that Tan Hongbo was nervous and spoke up to help him out.
"Um, this wine... This wine is fragrant, hehe. Lihua Niang is a good wine. The chef of Zuixiaolou brews the best wine in Beijing. Not to mention your eldest brother and your second brother, even the Seventh Prince loves to drink it." Tan Hongbo replied to Ling Qingwan with a smile.
"I know my eldest brother, but who is my second brother?" Ling Qingwan looked confused.
"Me!" Tan Hongbo straightened up. "Don't worry, the three of us have been good brothers since we were young, and you will be my real sister in the future. If there is anything that your eldest brother can't handle, just ask your second brother."
After saying this, Tan Hongbo patted his chest confidently.
"In that case, Wanwan should call the Seventh Prince brother." Ling Xiao echoed.
Wei Xun didn't say anything, but took a sip of wine.
"The Seventh Prince is not Wanwan's brother. He might even become her husband in the future." Tan Hongbo smiled cunningly.
He had just offended Wei Xun, and now he was making fun of Wei Xun. Tan Hongbo was like this, with an extremely easy-going personality, and he usually looked nonchalant.
As soon as these words were spoken, Ling Xiao and Ling Qingwan were choked by the wine at the same time and coughed repeatedly.
"You finally said something sensible today." Wei Xun suddenly spoke.
Tan Hongbo originally thought that he had said something wrong again and upset Wei Xun, but when he suddenly heard Wei Xun agree, Tan Hongbo's smile widened. Ling Xiao, on the other hand, was more concerned about his sister's mood. He stared at Ling Qingwan intently, waiting for her answer.
Ling Qingwan was so embarrassed that she wanted to find a hole to crawl into. How could she know that Tan Hongbo loved to joke, and Wei Xun actually went along with what Tan Hongbo said.
Now it's good, I guess Ling Xiao and Tan Hongbo really think Wei Xun likes her. Ling Qingwan is helpless.
"When will you leave for Sui City?" Wei Xun raised his eyes and looked at Ling Xiao.
Finally the topic changed, Ling Qingwan secretly breathed a sigh of relief. The three men were talking, Ling Qingwan couldn't get a word in, and was only focused on eating. In a blink of an eye, the plate of eight-treasure duck was reduced to a pile of bones.
"So you guys are really here!"