Wu Ze and Wu Bin found a teahouse nearby. The first floor was the main hall, while the second floor was a private room. The room was neat and tidy, and it was a good place to talk.
There were no outsiders, so there was no need to worry about so much.
In the private room, there was a small wooden table with red lacquer, which could seat eight people. Xie Zhen and Yan Yu were originally sitting on one side, but Xie Xun insisted on sitting with Xie Zhen, forcing Yan Yu to the side. Yan Yu sat alone on one side, Xie Rong on the other, and Yan Yaoâan and Gu Ruyi on his right.
Yan Yu looked at Xie Zhen with a dark expression.
But what can he do? He canât drive her away. She smiled back, pretending she didnât understand anything.
He snorted and placed the two Mianren on the table.
Yan Yaoâan gave a cry of surprise when she saw this. Holding it in her hand, she looked left and right, âIt sure looks like you, especially this face thatâs exactly the same as my Sixth Brotherâs!â
The waiters served tea and snacks one after another. The tea,Tie Guanyin, was new of this fall. The tea was rich and the tea soup was sparkling. Before the tea even entered his mouth, he could smell a rich and delicate fragrance. Other than tea, all sorts of other snacks were brought up one after the other. Although they were not as good as the Babao building, they were still among the top snacks in the capital.
The waiter put down the pastries one by one. There was the Jujube Paste Cake, Baked Lotus Cake and Hibiscus Cake, etc. Xie Xun was the first to take a bite out of a Jujube Paste Cake. The inside was sweet and full, but it had just come out of the oven, so it was a bit hot. She carefully blew on it to let everyone have a bite.
Yan Yu had finally finished the bag of Nest Candy from Xie Zhen. His mouth was filled with sweetness, and he had no interest in any of these things. He only glanced at them for a moment before he went back to drinking his own tea.
Xie Zhen had never seen Gu Ruyi before, so she asked Yan Yaoâan in confusion, âThis is?â
Yan Yaoâan introduced her again, âThis is Ruyi, the fourth daughter of the Grand Secretariat Gu.â
Xie Zhen smiled and nodded at her. âIâm â¦â
Yan Yaoâan interrupted, âShe is my Sixth Sister-in-Law!â
Xie Zhen paused, embarrassed.
Gu Ruyi did not seem like any other rich and powerful girl who loved to put on airs. She seemed very amiable, and her smile was even more intimate: âIâve seen the Sixth Princeâs Wife in General of Agile Cavalryâs Mansion.â
They had seen each other before?
Xie Zhen felt a little embarrassed. âThat time, Ah Xun slipped and fell into the water. I didnât pay attention to my surroundings. I donât remember that time when I had a meeting with Fourth Miss Gu â¦â
Gu Ruyi shook her head, not wanting her to mind, âI just met you from a distance and didnât greet you. so behoove you donât remember. â
After speaking, she revealed a pair of curved and smiling eyes, looking through a thin layer of silk. It seemed one could see the smile on her face.
Only now did Xie Zhen realize that she was wearing a veil from beginning to end. If it was outside, then it would be alright. Why didnât she take it off when she arrived at the house? Gu Ruyi had most likely noticed her confusion. She smiled lightly and lowered her head, an unnoticeable awkwardness flashing across her eyes.
However, she did not explain any further.
When Xie Zhen realized it was strange, she couldnât help but notice.
She hadnât taken off her veil from beginning to end. Xie Zhen had wanted to see if she would take it off when she ate dessert, but she didnât touch the dessert on the table. She just sat there and talked to them occasionally.
If she also wore a veil on the day of the Generalâs birthday party, it would explain why she had no impression of her.
It took about an hour to finish the tea and snacks. Seeing the sky outside, it was already the nine oâclock at night. If he didnât go back now, doors would closed. When Yan Yaoâan left, she was still reluctant to part with it. Many times she wanted to steal the note from Xie Rongâs sleeve, but she was discovered by Xie Rong. She could only bitterly withdraw her hand.
As they walked down the stairs, Xie Zhen turned around and saw her make a face at Xie Rong, but Xie Rong ignored her and calmly walked on his own path.
Yan Yaoâan stared at his back, not angry at all.
Xie Zhen seemed to understand something and calmly turned around, pretending that she didnât see anything.
Princess He Yi should have interest for her brother? First Brother would go to Wu Jiang next spring, she didnât know when he would return, and Yan Yaoâan was the favorite princess of the Yuan Hui Emperor. Even if she was really interested in her First brother, His Majesty wouldnât agree to this marriage, would he?
First brother would be 20 years old this year, and when he reached the age of marriage, Xie Zhen had never known what kind of girl he liked. She always felt that he was indifferent to everything.
If it was Princess He Yi ⦠Xie Zhen shook her head, trying not to think too much. What if she misunderstood? After all, Yan Yaoâan always had a carefree attitude towards everyone.
Walking out of the teahouse, the group of people stopped by the roadside.
Yan Yu and Xie Zhen returned to the Princeâs Mansion, Xie Rong and Xie Xun returned to the Duke Dingguoâs Mansion, coincidentally going with Gu Ruyi, while Yan Yaoâan herself returned to the Palace.
It was late, and she was afraid that the road would be unsafe. Xie Zhen wanted Gu Ruyi to go with her brother, Ah Rong, but after thanking her for her kindness and saying that her carriage was here, she said goodbye and went to the carriage. The Gu Mansionâs carriage stopped in front of the teahouse. She held onto the servant girlâs hand as she prepared to step on the carriage, but a drunkard suddenly jumped out from the roadside and dashed towards her.
Gu Ruyi was frightened and hurriedly dodged to the side.
With the stimulation of the alcohol, the drunkard took advantage of Gu Ruyi and the maidservantâs unguarded moments. With a wave of his hand, he removed the muslin covering her face and said with a smile: âBeautiful girl â¦â
Before he could finish his sentence, he saw the look on her face and his expression changed. he steadied himself and left with a curse that was unpleasant to hear.
Gu Ruyi stood blankly where she was, the muslin cloth falling to the ground. Her body trembled slightly, and her eyes were slightly red.
Xie Zhen and Xie Xun were also stunned.
Her skin was like snow, and her nose was exquisite. However, there was a birthmark under the corner of her eye. The birthmark was not big, but it was enough to affect the beauty of the entire face. Under the colorful lanterns, it was especially eye-catching. The servant girl from the Gu family angrily stomped her feet and pointed at the drunkâs back as she cursed. Ruyi came back to her senses, bent down to pick up the muslin on the ground, and once again put it on her face, blinking the soreness in her eyes. With a relaxed smile, she said to them, âI had a birthmark on my face when I was born, I wear a muslin in order not to scare you ,so hope you donât mind it.
Xie Zhen quickly waved her hands and said, âMiss Gu is too formal â¦â
Before she could finish her words, she saw that her First Brother had disappeared.
Not long later, the drunkard who had offended Gu Ruyi earlier was brought back with a swollen nose and bruised eyes. He knelt in front of Gu Ruyi and kowtowed in apology, âThis lowly one deserves to die, this Miss is magnanimous. Forgive me this time â¦â
He kowtowed several times.
Gu Ruyi looked at Xie Rong gratefully, but didnât say anything. She got into the carriage and headed home.
After they left, Xie Zhen and Yan Yu got into the carriage to return home.
She thought of the scene she had just seen and held her chin in regret. âMiss Gu is so beautiful. If she didnât have the birthmark on her face, what kind of beauty would she be â¦â
Yan Yu sat at the side and listened to these words more than ten times along the way.
Why did she care so much about other peopleâs faces? Canât she pay more attention to him?
Yan Yu did not say a word as she continued to blabber on, âBrother Xiao Yu, do you think there is any way to treat this birthmark? Is there a secret recipe in the Palace? â
He looked at her and said he didnât know.
She sighed in frustration and finally let the subject drop.
The horse carriage drove along the street. Most of the shops by the roadside were closed, and only a few doors were lit up with lanterns. The whole street was quiet and peaceful, in contrast to the hubbub from before. The moon was like a silver plate in the sky, and the hooves of the horses could be clearly heard clattering on the street.
Not long after, the carriage suddenly stopped.
Yan Yu asked the coachman outside, âWhat happened?â
The coachman said, âYour Highness, the wheel seems to be broken.â
He frowned slightly.
After a short while, Wu Ze, who was sitting outside, said, âYour Highness, please wait here for a moment. I will go to another place to borrow a carriage.â
âHow can it be bad?â Xie Zhen asked uneasily, sitting in the carriage.
Yan Yu told her to wait in the carriage while he went down to take a look.
It turned out that the wheel of the carriage had been broken, so the carriage could no longer move forward. Therefore, it had to stop by the roadside for the time being.
âAfter checking, Yan Yu lifted the curtain and went back into the carriage.â âItâs â¦â
When he saw it, he felt cold all over.
The carriage was empty. Xie Zhen who was still sitting on before had already gone.