Guo Shao's expression changed, and he couldn't take his eyes off Madam Chen for a while. It's no wonder that he was weak in the face of a beautiful woman. In fact, Guo Shao felt that he had enough self-control and he didn't lack women, so there was no need to be too greedy for beautiful women. He just blamed the fact that there were too many and amazing beauties in this world. Is it true that heroes and beauties only emerge in troubled times
No wonder she was so pretentious. Guo Shao, a senior general of the Great Zhou Imperial Army, was seldom seen. Otherwise, if she often showed up with this look, who knows how much trouble she would cause.
No wonder the head of the Shen family insisted on marrying this girl regardless of the pros and cons of the marriage. Guo Shao estimated that if the deceased head of the Shen family was a person who was interested in beauty, he would be willing to exchange more than half of his family property, let alone marriage. Sometimes people consider the pros and cons and make wise choices, just because the temptation is not enough.
Of course, Guo Shao felt that Mrs. Chen was a little inferior to Fu Ermei in terms of appearance; besides, Fu Ermei was not just beautiful to him.
However, Chen Jiali and Fu Ermei are completely different types of people, so there is no point in comparing them.
The extremely beautiful face behind the veil, with a smile, looks so beautiful at first glance, with a dimple on the white jade-like left cheek; but the eyes are full of thoughts, seemingly experienced but not vicissitudes, very spirited, as if always interested in everything in the world. The eyes are not tired of a person who has experienced hardships, nor tired of the dust; but curious and clear like a newborn.
She has experience, knowledge and vision, otherwise she would not be willing to lose a lot of profits and want to make friends with Guo Shao; even if big merchants make a fortune every day, they don't make money by picking it up. But her experience and knowledge did not make her show vicissitudes of life. The bureaucrats Guo Shao had seen in the officialdom would be vicissitudes of life. For example, Mrs. Li Guchen, who was only in her early thirties, was not like that. Instead, she remained elegant and optimistic.
Two completely contradictory things were shown on a woman's face at the same time, and so strongly that Guo Shao found it very strange.
If you are touched by the gaze of Empress Fu or the second sister, you will be moved by the warm touch like the spring breeze; if you are looked at by Madam Chen, you will feel that your whole body is full of energy, your mood will be lifted, and you will feel that everything is colorful, rich and interesting.
I said that I would personally make tea with spring water to entertain General Guo, to make up for my impoliteness when we met in the downtown area last time. Madam Chen walked forward, knelt beside the table, and placed the wooden tray, sand pot and small cups one by one.
It was then that Guo Shao noticed that although her voice was clear and gentle, it was actually full of strength, so her pronunciation was clear and round. Guo Shao thought of the phrase "a needle hidden in cotton wool".
She and the gentle and soft Yang have fundamentally different temperaments.
Guo Shaoxing said excitedly: I am fortunate to drink the tea brewed by Mrs. Chen, I must taste it well.
He forgot about the struggle and the pressure for a moment, and was in a very high spirit. He seemed to have a momentum in his heart, and instinctively had the urge to show himself in front of her. Just like some people pretending, in fact, they have to be full of interest in this world and this life to do those useless things; with that kind of mood, they will have a sentimental style, elegance and so on. If people feel that this world is already bleak and life is boring, why do they still care about those things
Guo Shao secretly sighed: Pretending is also a kind of love for life and an enthusiastic attitude.
The clear light green tea flows from the spout of the pot in a beautiful arc, falling accurately into the teacup from a height. The white jade-like fingers painted with delicate nails move smoothly and gracefully, like dancing.
A thin wisp of white smoke rose from the surface of the teacup, filling the gloomy and cold hall with a vivid vitality, like fog and smoke.
In the light tea fragrance, Guo Shao felt that tea itself was no longer important. With this attitude, any mood would arise spontaneously. This is the feeling he wanted.
He couldn't help but smile and said: The colors here are dull, there are no bright colors, even the furnishings are the natural color of wood. It was originally a boring place, but with Mrs. Chen here, everything immediately has a soul, as if it has a unique elegance and poetic feeling.
Mrs. Chen smiled softly, revealing a dimple on her left cheek. She held up the teacup with her middle finger and thumb, and gently supported the bottom of the cup with the fingers of her other hand. She held it up with both hands and said: I thought General Guo was a brave and courageous man, but I didn't expect you to be so slick.
Guo Shao shook his head slightly and praised: I am not complimenting you, Madam is really a wonderful person, who can turn decay into magic. Madam is independent and gentle with strength, which not only makes people love her, but also makes people admire her. Guo Shao carefully went to take the teacup, he didn't want to take the opportunity to touch other people's fingers and be too frivolous.
The two were chatting passionately as if no one was around, but before Guo Shao could touch the cup, Jing Niang beside him suddenly bent down, gently pressed his wrist, and said expressionlessly: Let me drink this first cup.
The happy atmosphere just now froze in the air. Mrs. Chen's smile gradually disappeared, and she said coldly: "Madam, do you suspect that I will do something to the tea?"
Jingniang replied: We are very familiar with you, why can't I doubt
Jingniang also meant well, she had no other intentions, please don't blame her, Madam Chen. Guo Shao hurriedly tried to smooth things over.
He didn't feel there was any danger. He could probably tell the good from the bad. If he didn't trust Chen Jiali, then why did he come here today? If he hesitated because of the assassination attempt and affected the expansion of his network and influence, then he would be throwing the baby out with the bathwater.
But he was not a social expert after all, and he was not good at smoothing things over. It was obvious that his words were only to defend Jingniang, but they did not dispel her suspicion.
As expected, Mrs. Chen was unhappy. She took the teacup back and drank it herself in a huff. The water in the teapot should have been at a suitable temperature. When pouring tea from a high place, the thin water line was cool again, so it was not hot. Mrs. Chen took a sip first, and then drank the whole cup of tea.
Guo Shao sat there awkwardly for a while, not knowing what to say. Jingniang did nothing wrong. She was also concerned about his safety and used her to test him. He couldn't scold Jingniang to appease the beautiful woman. But Mrs. Chen also had good intentions. Now he had offended her for no reason. The mutual understanding and contact preparation in the early stage and the mutual trust gradually built up were not in vain.
Mrs. Chen finished her cup of tea, glanced at Guo Shao, then calmly refilled the cup and handed it to him again, her voice hinting with provocation: General Guo, do you dare to drink it now
The word "dare" was really powerful. Guo Shao took the cup and suddenly saw a light red lip print on the edge. This cup was the one that Mrs. Chen had just drunk from, but she didn't notice it when she was talking. Guo Shao was stunned but didn't know whether she did it intentionally or unintentionally.
If it was unintentional, it must have been because he was so angry that he didn't pay attention. If it was intentional, it was to deliberately show that the cup was not changed and there was no poison on the cup or something else.
Guo Shao was unable to guess, and he could not say anything when he saw the very faint lip print. The teacup was already in his hand, so he had to drink it. At this moment, Mrs. Chen's cheeks suddenly turned red, and she opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something but stopped. Her embarrassed and shy look suddenly became vivid, and the previous embarrassment was naturally resolved, and replaced by a new unspeakable embarrassment.
There was a brief silence. Jing Niang stood there without saying anything, while Yang Shi sat there smiling without interrupting. And that Aunt Sun was probably just a subordinate serving Madam Chen, and she would not care about her master's affairs.
In this cold atmosphere, Guo Shao was able to taste the tea carefully. To be honest, he couldn't taste what was so good about the tea. It seemed to be smoother than ordinary tea and the fragrance was also good, but that was all. He was really not good at this and didn't understand the difference. But he could taste the faint floral fragrance of the tea, the rouge on the lips. The light tea flavor was mixed with rouge, and the elegant feeling was completely destroyed. The two were mixed together, and there was an indescribable feeling.
Guo Shao finally broke the silence and said: This tea is good, and it has a floral scent.
Mrs. Chen's face turned even redder after hearing this.
Although the teacup had been drunk from by others, it was not drunk from by a beautiful woman. Guo Shao said he had no aversion at all. Instead, his heartstrings became sensitive, like a bowstring between moments of opportunity.
But Guo Shao didn't want to pay any more attention to the strange thoughts among the women.
He finally remembered what he was here for today and what was most important to him. After a moment's silence, he said: To be honest, I took the liberty of visiting Mrs. Chen today because I have something to discuss.
Mrs. Chen also put away the teacup and said softly: Aunt Sun has been by my side for more than twenty years.
After hearing this, Guo Shao thought that Chen Jiali was only in her early twenties at most, and this Aunt Sun had probably been serving her since she was born.
Guo Shao pondered for a long time, but did not speak for a long time. Seeing this, Chen Jiali said again: "I know that General Guo is a military commander and will not care. You don't have to care too much about the etiquette. Just tell me directly if you have anything to say."
That's good. Guo Shao nodded and said, to be honest, there is a military secret that is not a secret. Everyone in the court knows about it and it is not kept secret; but the people may not know it yet. The court has decided to launch a northern expedition against the Liao Kingdom.
Mrs. Chen listened attentively and seemed to be very concerned. If Guo Shao had not known her background in advance and saw that she was so interested in military affairs, he might have suspected that she was a spy from the Liao Kingdom.
Guo Shao said: I am the general of the Imperial Guards, and I will lead a part of the important elite forces of the Zhou army. I dare not play it lightly. The art of war says that knowing yourself and the enemy will ensure victory in a hundred battles. I want to learn more about the geography and climate of Youzhou and other places before the war breaks out, and learn some detailed information about the military and political deployment and force composition of the Liao Kingdom. But I have no way to do it at the moment. It is very dangerous to send scouts into the enemy's territory, and it is not easy to go deep. If I ask ordinary merchants, they may only know some superficial things.
So I have an idea. When Madam's business goes to Youzhou to trade, she can plant some of my people in the business group and borrow their identities to go to Liao to collect intelligence. Of course, for the sake of mutual benefit, I have also thought of giving you something in return.