ARTTEDSBGT Chapter 108
The dim sum at Yanhui Tower is made with great delicacy. The silver bowls are only slightly larger than a young girl’s fist, polished to a bright sheen with beautiful patterns carved on them. Inside, there are sparkling ice crystals, drenched in pure white milk, with glimpses of lychee flesh like white jade, translucent, and coated with enticing osmanthus honey, emitting a refreshing coolness.
Looking at the Jade Belt Three-Layer Cake, as its name suggests, the cake is a light green color, like fresh lotus leaves in early summer. In the middle, a white layer divides the cake into three layers, resembling a jade belt. On top, there is a sparkling tender lotus seed, making it look extremely attractive.
Honestly, Li Zhizhi likes both of these desserts very much. However, she feels that the atmosphere at the moment is somewhat strange, and she can’t eat so much. If she were to refuse directly, it might make things awkward.
Li Zhizhi’s thoughts shifted, and she smiled and asked Xiao Rulei: “Would A’yang like to try some?”
Xiao Rulei was naturally very happy and nodded eagerly, saying, “Yes!”
Li Zhizhi then thanked Pei Yanchuan and Su Qingshang, had clean bowls and plates brought over, and shared the two desserts with Xiao Rulei.
Pei Yanchuan hadn’t thought much about it at first, but he heard Yang Jun enthusiastically say to Su Qingshang, “I thought Sir Su only drank plain porridge, but it turns out you also enjoy sweets?”
Su Qing smiled faintly and said, “Occasionally, I indulge.”
Pei Yanchuan felt doubtful in his heart. Only occasionally indulge? Yet you brought it up for recommendation. A while ago, he made a special effort to try all the dim sum at Yanhui Tower, just to pick out this Ice Crystal Lychee Paste. He wanted to ask Li Zhizhi which one she liked better, but he was afraid of sounding petty and calculating, so he became gloomy and unhappy.
Just then, Li Zhizhi heard her laugh and said to him, “The dim sum at Yanhui Tower is indeed delicious. Today, I must thank Young Master Pei for the treat. It’s thanks to him that we have the chance to taste such delicious food.”
Everyone also thanked him one after another, and Pei Yanchuan’s mood instantly became joyful. He said, “I’m glad you like it.”
He grinned, a small smile forming at the corner of his mouth, looking somewhat childish, and Li Zhizhi couldn’t help but smile too.
Yang Jun sipped his tea and noticed Su Qingshang beside him. There was a faint expression on his handsome face that was hard to interpret. She couldn’t help but stroke her chin, finding it quite interesting.
After finishing their meal, the waiter brought freshly brewed fragrant tea and fruits. While eating fruits and chatting leisurely, Li Zhizhi initially noticed that Yang Shen seemed a bit reserved, just drinking tea quietly. She thought for a moment and deliberately brought up topics related to poetry and literature. Sure enough, Yang Shen started to join the conversation, becoming more relaxed and eloquent, completely different from before.
Watching him chatting happily with Su Tangyu, Li Zhizhi felt somewhat relieved and simply listened quietly on the side, occasionally pa.s.sing some fruits to Xiao Rulei to eat. Suddenly, she noticed a gaze on herself. She turned to look and saw it was Pei Yanchuan. She couldn’t help but smile and ask, “What’s wrong?”
Pei Yanchuan seemed startled and immediately looked away, muttering softly, “N-nothing…”
His att.i.tude seemed unnatural, and Li Zhizhi vaguely felt something was amiss, but she didn’t know where this feeling came from. Ever since she met Pei Yanchuan, he had always been like this, appearing reckless and careless on the surface but actually quite shy and with a strong sense of justice inside.
These character traits blend together, making Li Zhizhi see him as she would see Xiao Rulei, like a younger brother. She casually handed him a apricot, smiling and saying, “This one is very sweet, you should try it too.”
Pei Yanchuan was taken aback for a moment, instinctively took it, but only held the apricot in his hand without eating it immediately. Li Zhizhi didn’t know what was going on, thinking he might be afraid of sourness, so she urged, “Try it, it’s not sour.”
Pei Yanchuan had no choice but to take a bite. The apricot was juicy and sweet, indeed very delicious, but he felt a bit regretful. If he had kept it and brought it back, chilled, it could have lasted for several days.
Just then, Yang Jun suddenly asked him, “Young Master Pei, is this apricot sour?”
Pei Yanchuan had just received fruit from his beloved, feeling sweet inside. Upon hearing this, he said, “Not sour, it’s sweet.”
Yang Jun listened and picked up an apricot, offering it to Su Qingshang with a smile, “Then let Su Young Master also taste it.”
At that moment, Su Qingshang was drinking tea. Upon hearing this, he looked up and glanced at her with a faint expression, saying, “Thank you for your kindness, I appreciate it.”
Yang Jun smiled and threw the apricot into her mouth, chewing it thoughtfully. She then said with a meaningful tone, “Hmm, this one is sour.”
Su Qingshang suddenly said, “I heard that Southern Jiang has a hot climate and produces many tribute fruits, with a wide variety. I wonder if there is a fruit rumored to be there.”
Yang Jun curiously asked, “What?”
Su Qingshang put down the teacup, smiled slightly, and said, “It is rumored that in ancient times, birds could speak like humans and were very noisy. If not stopped, they would chirp all day long, disturbing the Buddha’s meditation. Therefore, the Buddha caused a kind of Amitabha fruit to grow in the world. Birds that ate it could only chirp and tweet, unable to speak like humans again.”
After listening, Yang Jun was first stunned, then burst into laughter. She laughed until tears were about to come out, saying, “Is there really such a fruit in the world? When I return to Southern Xinjiang, I will definitely send someone to search for it.”
Unknowingly, it was already afternoon, and after playing for most of the day, everyone was a bit tired. Xiao Rulei had a habit of taking a nap in the afternoon and was finding it hard to endure. She yawned, and Li Zhizhi prepared to take her back to rest, so she bid farewell.
The group gradually left the elegant room and walked outside. The Yang siblings were the last to leave. Yang Jun nudged her brother with her elbow and said with a smile, “I think that Miss Li is also very good. She is beautiful, speaks well, and is knowledgeable and interesting. She seems to be a smart person. I wonder if she’s already engaged. I’ll have someone inquire about it later.”
Yang Shen was taken aback for a moment and whispered, “I’m not…”
“You’re still thinking about such beautiful things?” Yang Jun chuckled coldly. “You can’t even keep that Miss Su, and now you’re thinking about Miss Li?”
Not getting angry at his sister’s teasing, Yang Shen just said, “Why do you want to inquire about her?”
Yang Jun tossed a plum in the air and caught it again, squinting slightly, and said casually, “Just asking if she’s willing to come with me to Southern Xinjiang.”
Upon hearing this, Yang Shen’s face showed a hint of fear, and he immediately advised, “Don’t be reckless. This place is different from Southern Frontier. That Li girl is the adopted daughter of Grand Princess Yongning, and she’s also been granted the t.i.tle of princess. You mustn’t cause trouble.”
Yang Jun looked ahead at the slender figure, the young girl was smiling and chatting with the people around her, her bright eyes curved like crescent moons. The sunlight streaming in from outside outlined her profile nearly perfectly, a sight that was truly pleasing to the eye. Yang Jun chuckled and said, “So you could say she’s my sister now, adding another layer of kinship.”
Yang Shen couldn’t help but raise his voice, “Are you even listening to me?”
Yang Jun nonchalantly plugged his ears and glanced at him, saying, “Since when is it your turn to lecture me? You better take care of your own affairs.”
Just then, she felt a gaze land on her, so she turned to look and saw a young man who looked like a guard. Yang Jun raised an eyebrow slightly, the two locked eyes for a moment, and then Xu Tingfeng quietly shifted his gaze away.
…
It was mid-July, and the capital city was scorching hot, not to mention the distant city of Louyang in the south. The sun was hanging high in the sky like a fiery ball, baking people’s skin.
In a hall of a mansion, servants were fanning themselves, but the breeze was obviously too weak to dispel the summer heat. The provincial governor, Zheng Dechang, was pacing back and forth with his hands behind his back, sweating soon started to appear on his forehead. A maid quickly approached to wipe his sweat with a damp cloth.
Zheng Dechang was agitated and impatiently s.n.a.t.c.hed the handkerchief, saying, “Go away, don’t bother me.”
He stretched his neck to look outside the hall, feeling extremely restless, and said, “Why haven’t they returned yet? Send someone to check again.”
At that moment, a middle-aged man walked in, and Zheng Dechang hurried over, asking, “How is it? Did you find out anything?”
The middle-aged man’s face was red from the sun, sweating profusely, he wiped his forehead and panted, “I found out, sir.”
Zheng Dechang quickly asked, “Who are the people involved?”
The middle-aged man held up one hand, and Zheng Dechang asked suspiciously, “Five people? Who are they?”
The middle-aged man then held up another hand, swallowed nervously, and said, “Sir, there are at least ten people involved, and once they entered the inn, they never came out again.”
Zheng Dechang’s expression changed completely, and he angrily said, “Didn’t I instruct you to keep an eye on them? How could you mess up like this?!”
The middle-aged man sighed, “Sir, the time was too short!”
Indeed, he had only given them one day, and the officials in Louyang didn’t even have enough time to plan more, even if they stayed up all night discussing, they couldn’t come up with an effective and convincing solution. Everyone was in danger, afraid of being scapegoated.
Zheng Dechang couldn’t possibly kill all those informed officials and smaller officials! He slumped into a chair, sweat pouring down his forehead, muttering to himself, “It’s over, it’s all over… A grim reaper has arrived…”
That useless crown prince, he doesn’t take bribes, doesn’t indulge in beauty, he just wants their heads to earn merit!
…
The inn’s door was wide open, with a cl.u.s.ter of green bamboo in the courtyard. The gentle breeze brought a hint of coolness even in the scorching weather. Xiao Yan sat near the doorway, his collar meticulously straight even in this sweltering heat, holding a folding fan and gently swaying it.
A trembling official knelt in the hall, sweating profusely, shivering uncontrollably as if frozen to the core. Xiao Yan smirked disdainfully, nonchalantly remarking, “There’s a saying that goes, ‘Only enjoy wealth together, not endure hardships together.’ Your wise move to seek me out now, rather than rely on those above you to protect you, makes sense. At least my power surpa.s.ses theirs. Isn’t that right? At least I’ll consider the situation. For instance, whether you embezzled a hundred taels of silver or ten thousand, it’s different here with me. Your head doesn’t carry enough weight; rest a.s.sured.”
The official quivered, “Yes, Your Highness is wise.”
Xiao Yan closed the folding fan, took the tea offered nearby, and said, “Go on, send in the next one.”
The official hurriedly got up and retreated, barely able to contain his relief, before another familiar colleague approached. The two faced each other, gazed for a while, then simultaneously lowered their heads, pretending not to recognize each other as they pa.s.sed by each other.
His Royal Highness is right. Whom do we not serve when we pledge our lives? Moreover, none of them boarded the ship willingly. Now that the ship is about to capsize, it’s natural for each to fly in the face of danger.
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