The doors and windows to the west were closed tightly, making it airtight, as if for fear of leaking any sound.
After the meal, Mrs. Gantang and Nan Yi sat alone in the room, both of them looking restless. Mrs. Gantang wanted to speak several times, but she didn't know where to start. She pretended to take several sips of tea, until the first cup of tea was all gone, but she didn't say a word.
Nan Yi's hands twisted in his sleeves were almost rubbing out sparks, and he lowered his head like a child waiting to be scolded.
"What...do you have a problem with?"
Nan Yi didn't expect that this was Mrs. Gantang's first words. She looked up at her in surprise, her face suddenly burning up.
It's so shameful, so shameful.
In the past, there may have been some difficulties, but last night, it was just a matter of love and passion.
Mrs. Gantang added another sentence, as if to save Nan Yi from embarrassment: "Is it because... I want to find out some information?"
She has no face. She even hoped that Mrs. Gantang would reprimand her and punish her, which would be better than still thinking about her now.
Nan Yi was confused and nodded as she walked down the slope. The lie at this time was really helpless, but how could she explain it? I'm afraid that only this answer can barely save everyone's face.
Mrs. Gantang was obviously relieved.
"When my eldest brother remarried you, there was no other way. This was because the Xie family was sorry for you. If you want to marry again, I will never let anyone gossip. You can come and go freely in the Xie family."
"I... haven't thought about it yet," Nan Yi's voice sounded like a mosquito, "I'd rather wait until the situation in the city stabilizes."
Mrs. Gantang nodded thoughtfully and said with concern: "If you have any difficulties in the future, please feel free to come and tell me -"
She paused, and her tone seemed to become a little more distant inadvertently.
"The Xie family has a clean and upright family background. Even if Xie Queshan comes back, we can't let him ruin the hearts of the whole family."
Nan Yi understood.
Mrs. Gantang blamed Xie Queshan, but she was also telling her that she was free to choose anyone, but not Xie Queshan.
Even if she is just the young lady of the Xie family who does not live up to her name, she cannot ruin the great gift of human relations. This is the bottom line that Mrs. Gantang sticks to.
Those undisciplined and undercurrent emotions can only be treated like dust once brought to the surface.
Nan Yi felt that he was one step closer to being upright, but Ke Ren seemed to be a little empty.
She left Mrs. Gantang's yard with slow and heavy steps. As soon as she reached the corridor, she was suddenly pulled over by someone.
"What did the second sister say to you? She didn't blame you, did she?"
Xie Queshan was very close to him, so Nan Yi subconsciously took a step back.
"Why are you still at home?"
"When I saw the second sister asking you to come over, I couldn't let go."
Xie Queshan now doesn't shy away from any objections at all, and his tone is as familiar as an old couple chatting about home affairs behind closed doors.
Nan Yi straightened his expression, looked up at him, and said seriously: "Just pretend what happened last night never happened. We won't mention it in the future, and we won't do this again."
Xie Queshan frowned, sensing Nan Yi's alienation.
"The rules of Wangxuewu can't restrain me."
"But Mrs. Gantang is very kind to me. I can't do anything to embarrass her under her nose."
Xie Queshan got a little anxious and began to speak indiscriminately: "Am I not treating you well?"
"Then what do you want?" Nan Yi asked.
A single question woke Xie Queshan, who was speechless for a moment.
He was just subconsciously resisting the feeling of Nan Yi being far away from him, but what on earth did he want to do?
He couldn't express his dirty thoughts.
Nan Yi continued to add: "Didn't you say it before? A man's love for a woman is very cheap, and a woman's love for a man is not much more noble. It's just a whim, lustful, without any deeper meaning."
Xie Queshan's eyes suddenly turned cold. His face still looked normal, but in fact, he was so angry that his orifices were smoking.
This woman is so cruel, she was clearly looking at him with pity and love in her eyes last night!
The tone suddenly became fierce: "There is only one rule between us, and nothing else counts."
But Nan Yi didn't seem to be caught out at all, and instead said firmly: "But I know that you are a gentleman."
Xie Queshan:?
Put a high hat on me?
But he was immediately stood up and was in a dilemma.
Nan Yi patted Xie Queshan's shoulder magnanimously and said in a mature manner: "You have been impulsive a few times, so we can be even."
Walk away.
When he reached the end of the verandah, Nan Yi felt empty in his heart. He looked back and saw that there was no longer Xie Queshan there.
——
Flower morning. Higami Mikan.
Zhang Yuehui, who was drunk and dreaming, lay on the couch. He moved his muscles and bones in his sleep, and then he and his body were turned over together with the quilt.
Now I woke up completely, rubbed my hungover head, got up and opened the window.
He leaned against the window, letting the cool breeze flow in, sobering up his mind. Suddenly he saw something, and his casual eyes narrowed slightly.
Gently pull the brass bell in the room, and an attendant will immediately enter.
"My boss."
Zhang Yue beckoned people over, gave a few instructions, and soon the attendants withdrew.
Outside Huachao Pavilion, there were many more secret guards from the Black Crow Battalion, posing as footmen, passers-by, and diners... They had only one goal, to stare at Zhang Yuehui.
Zhang Yuehui's biggest move recently was to go to the Xie family's widow to marry him with great fanfare. It is not unusual for him to do this, and it is even somewhat reasonable. Maybe this wealthy businessman likes wives?
Since that day, Hua Chao Pavilion has been quiet and quiet, without any movement.
This group of secret guards thought they were well hidden. Unexpectedly, a group of female maids suddenly walked out of Hua Chao Pavilion on this day. They accurately found all the disguised secret guards and presented each of them with exquisite tea drinks and fruits. He also left a message saying, this is the boss’s intention, thank you for your hard work.
The secret guards were stunned, not knowing whether they should accept it or not.
This little trick couldn't be hidden from Zhang Yuehui's vicious eyes.
Then he burned incense, took a bath, tidied up, and waited quietly in the pavilion. Sure enough, the uninvited guest appeared.
The visitor is a woman.
Zhang Yuehui really didn't expect that the wind from Lidu Mansion would actually bring her here.
This is a petite Nuki, wearing a red brocade robe with a brocade front and white fox fur on the sleeves, making her look heroic and delicate. The woman's face is only lightly painted with powder, but there are a pair of red phoenix eyes under the deep eyebrows. Her gaze is always like a feather fan, gently brushing over the face, making her appear charming.
Zhang Yuehui rarely showed a cautious expression, stood up and bowed politely.
"The little man meets the eldest princess."
Wanyan Puruo is the current eldest princess of Daqi and the king's biological sister. Although she is a woman, her appearance can even be said to be sweet, but she is as resolute and skillful as a man in her work. She has no actual position above the court, but she is a behind-the-scenes political participant who can influence all decisions of the Daqi Dynasty. Black Crow Camp is ostensibly led by Crow Jiu, but the real power lies in her hands.
In a moment, Zhang Yuehui wanted to understand what was going on.
When the Black Crow Battalion entered Lidu Mansion, Wanyan Puruo must have entered the city together. There has been no news about the whereabouts of King Ling'an. There is obviously a problem with the cooperation between Husha and Wanyan Jun. She must be here to investigate the mess in Lidu Mansion.
It's just that she hid in the darkness and didn't show up, observing every move in Lidu Mansion. Zhang Yuehui suddenly felt at a loss... What information did she know?
She and Zhang Yuehui were old acquaintances. He could quickly penetrate into the Qi people and expand his business, so he inevitably had to make friends with some big figures in the officialdom, and Wanyan Puruo could be said to be Zhang Yue's backer in Daqi.
She admires this businessman and believes that special times require the use of unusual talents. She would leave it to Zhang Yue to do many things that couldn't be put on the table. He can always do things beautifully and unexpectedly. But after he came south to Lidu Mansion, her grasp of his movements became much weaker.
This was also one of the few people that Zhang Yuehui had to deal with with great energy. Neither Husha nor Wanyan Jun can be tainted with the affairs of the Return Hall, but Wanyan Puruo is different. Many of the businesses he has were actually developed by helping her make money before. She knows the Return Hall well.
Wanyan Puruo's eyes had already exploited Zhang Yue all the way up and down, and Shi Shiran sat down on the couch: "Boss Zhang, have you thought about it?"
Zhang Yuehui raised his eyebrows and relaxedly expressed his confusion.
"Last time I asked you to consider becoming my consort, but you ran away the next day. You have been here in Lidu Mansion for several months without sending any news to me - why, what kind of wolf, tiger, and leopard am I? For you to avoid me like this?"
"Eldest Princess, it's really..." Zhang Yue raised her eyebrows and lowered her voice heartbrokenly, "This villain has a hidden illness."
Zhang Yuehui is really someone who dares to say anything.
Wanyan Puruo wasn't sad either, he just showed a pity expression, looked at his lower body, then looked at his handsome face, and said regretfully: "You didn't tell me earlier, and you still made me miss you so much. You did it." I have had many ups and downs of dreams."
The woman has an unusual face, not the slightest bit shy, and she is also a person who speaks without any scruples.
Suddenly something came to mind and he asked: "Then why do you ask to marry a widow?"
"Although people are not good at it, they still have some unspeakable hobbies." Zhang Yue replied without changing her expression or heartbeat.
Wanyan Puruo understood and nodded ambiguously: "In this case, there is nothing to talk about about relationships. I'd better talk about business with Boss Zhang."
"The Return Hall belongs to the eldest princess. If you want to know anything, just give me your orders."
Zhang Yuehui was also very skilled at doing the dog leg.
"You didn't get involved in the affairs of Lidu Mansion, did you?" Wanyan Puruo squinted his eyes, as if making secret glances. It was clearly not harsh at all, but it made people feel a chill down their backs.
Zhang Yuehui answered truthfully: "It was mixed in, a lot mixed in."
"tell me the story."
"I did dig some information and made a lot of money from General Husha and Master Wanyan, but there seemed to be some disagreement between the two, which led to things not getting done in the end. In the final analysis, this is also my responsibility. I’m feeling uneasy.”
Zhang Yuehui knew that he was suspicious, and when he thought about everything carefully, he was doing a disservice.
He didn't mean it, he just didn't want to expose it.
Anyone who is sick and thinks about harming his compatriots every day may not have a high moral standard, but he still has some conscience.
So he quietly continued to shift the responsibility to Husha and Wanyanjun, and they must be allowed to bear the blame.
Wanyan Puruo said lazily: "Whether Husha or Wanyan Jun, they are both loyal ministers of the royal court, and there will be no problem with their stance. But in terms of actions, everyone has their own selfish motives, and it is inevitable that they will make mistakes. I I came here to find out whether they were stupid on their own or were deceived and deceived by others into doing inappropriate things."
Zhang Yue understood the implication.
He didn't touch anything about the previous events and kept to himself. Precisely because he stood as an outsider, he could see the whole situation clearly. Xie Queshan and Bingzhusi took advantage of the disagreement between Wanyan Jun and Hu Sha several times to hide the truth and get away perfectly.
But once Wanyan Puruo comes, this gap will soon be blocked.
Whatever Bingzhusi wants to do will become difficult. No wonder the Black Crow Battalion is so efficient in Lidu Mansion these days. It turns out there are experts behind the scenes.
Originally he could not care, but Nan Yi was in Bingzhusi, so he had to care.
"I didn't ask you what your position was before, because I admire you and trust you, but now the situation has changed -" Wanyan Puruo even looked at him a little aggrievedly, "You have to choose a position and express your opinion to me. Show loyalty."
"The affairs of the world are nothing but exchanges of interests. Why does one's stance matter?"
"No, I'm not satisfied anymore." Wanyan Puruo hooked her arm around Zhang Yuehui's neck and acted coquettishly.
But this is so coquettish that people don't even enjoy it, they only feel threatened.
Zhang Yuehui narrowed his eyes and smiled: "Do you still have to choose? Of course my heart is with you."
His face was flawless, but his heart was falling into an abyss. Zhang Yuehui knew that he had to enter the game.
He wanted to put everything down for Nan Yi and leave these disputes, but it was still a step too late. At this moment, he could no longer stay out of the situation.
"What a man says...I don't believe it at first, but Boss Zhang is my favorite after all, so I will believe you for once." Wanyan Puruo let go of his hand, his eyes narrowed slightly, showing a bit of coldness, "If you Lie to me...well...I'll make you die horribly. And what you care about-"
Wanyan Pu Ruo fiddled with the incense burner on the table and blew the ashes on the plate lightly. Zhang Yue turned around with a look of fascination.
"Poof - everything turned into ashes and smoke."
