VBNWDW - Chapter 132

Chapter 132

Thanks to the two pieces of good news this morning, the court of Great Liang, which had been suppressed for so long, was filled with a rare sense of ease.

Even the perpetually grim-faced Crown Prince managed a hint of a smile. Following his Father Emperor, he repeatedly proposed taking Master Luo as his teacher.

However, it was unclear what Luo Qiyuan's intentions were, as he ignored the Crown Prince's enthusiasm multiple times, steering the conversation elsewhere.

Neither Zhong Tuming nor his son was annoyed by this. They figured that since the man had already entered the court as an official, there would be plenty of opportunities in the future, so they temporarily abandoned the idea.

Afterward, the Emperor decreed that Zhong Jueyu was to personally select one hundred thousand soldiers and set out for the border the following day.

As for Luo Qiyuan, just as Zhong Jueyu had said, he was temporarily appointed Grand Tutor. On the surface, he was second only to Prime Minister Meng, outside of the imperial family, but his actual influence far surpassed the other man's.

No matter how well Meng Yunshan performed, he could not compare to Luo Qiyuan, who hailed from a renowned aristocratic family. Even if the other officials wouldn't admit it, this was the reality.

Meng Yunshan offered no comment on the matter. Like the rest of the court officials, he knelt and congratulated His Majesty on gaining a capable minister.

But after the morning court session ended, Meng Yunshan waved away the carriage that had come to fetch him and instead stepped into the Grand Princess's carriage.

The time it takes for an incense stick to burn later, they entered the largest teahouse in the capital.

This teahouse was a landmark in the capital. A merchant had spent the better half of his family's fortune to excavate a lake on the west side of the city and build a five-story wooden tower next to it. On a clear day, standing on the top floor, one could overlook the entire capital, a view that filled the heart with a sense of grandeur.

For this reason, the talented scholars and beautiful ladies of the capital often gathered here. Even students who came to the capital for the imperial examinations would deliberately save their money just to have a cup of tea here.

However, the highest they could go was the third floor. The fifth floor was reserved exclusively for the capital's powerful and noble, such as the Luo Family.

At this moment, Luo Yueqing was bored out of her mind, leaning against the wooden railing by the window.

Not long after Zhong Jueyu had left this morning, Luo Yueyin had come knocking again. Claiming he was worried she would be bored cooped up in her room, he brought her out for a change of scenery, which led them to this teahouse.

A constant stream of agreeable laughter sounded in her ear. Luo Yueqing pulled her gaze back from the outside and looked back inside.

Besides Luo Yueyin, there were three other refined-looking men. Their clothing, in various colors, appeared simple but was in fact quite exquisite. The white jade pendants hanging from their waists alone were worth a thousand gold pieces, to say nothing of their other accessories.

Moreover, Luo Yueyin seemed to be on excellent terms with the three of them, as they had been laughing and chatting nonstop since their arrival.

Luo Yueqing was incredibly drowsy but had to force herself to stay alert in case they suddenly turned the conversation to her.

"Little Sister, try this."

Speak of the devil. Luo Yueqing had no choice but to look at the person who had spoken.

The man was handsome, with a cheerful smile on his face. He added, "This lotus pastry is one of the specialties of Siming Tower. The owner specially hired a chef from Yangzhou. His craftsmanship is superb. Each pastry has numerous distinct layers, and the crust is as thin as a cicada's wing."

Luo Yueyin chimed in, "This is what Brother Lin specially arranged with the kitchen when he heard you were coming. Normally, if you wanted to order this, you'd have to send a servant to reserve it a day in advance."

The man nodded with a smile.

The attentiveness was a bit excessive.

Luo Yueqing glanced at Luo Yueyin beside her. To think that after all he had said last night, he was still worried and had brought her here for more matchmaking.

But Luo Yueqing wasn't buying it. Her tone was indifferent as she refused, just as she had before.

The man didn't get angry or upset, simply smiling and saying, "Then you can try it later."

It was Luo Yueyin whose expression darkened slightly before he started chatting with the others again.

Luo Yueqing paid him no mind and let her gaze drift elsewhere again, listlessly.

Footsteps sounded from the long staircase on the other side. Luo Yueqing hadn't paid any attention at first, but then she saw a familiar figure, and her gaze instantly froze.

To maintain good views and lighting, the fifth floor was not partitioned with high walls. Instead, bamboo curtains were hung from ropes to divide the space.

This was actually sufficient. Even if two tables were right next to each other, one could only make out a vague silhouette through the gaps in the curtains, making it impossible to recognize anyone.

But the person in question was Zhong Jueyu, the one who shared her pillow, whom Luo Yueqing knew better than anyone. Just last night, she had studied her carefully by candlelight. If she couldn't recognize her now, it would be far too heartless.

The other person with her, however, was a stranger.

Luo Yueqing frowned slightly, her attention inevitably drawn over.

The man looked a bit old, perhaps in his forties or fifties. He was thin, with a sallow complexion and a long beard. He wore a loose robe over what seemed to be an official's uniform, as if to conceal it. But his bearing was extraordinary; even with his plain features, his solemn and sharp aura was undeniable.

Luo Yueqing couldn't help but wonder which high-ranking minister of the court this was.

Since the tower only had lake views on two sides, and Luo Yueqing's party occupied one, only the other side was left. So, led by an attendant, the two were seated opposite Luo Yueqing.

Zhong Jueyu appeared to hold the man in high esteem, constantly deferring to him.

The other person, after a brief refusal, acquiesced.

Luo Yueqing raised an eyebrow, a look of keen interest on her face.

There weren't many people in Great Liang who could make Her Highness the Grand Princess act this way.

The people opposite them didn't notice her. With the day's events weighing on their minds, both had much to consider and were hardly paying attention to their surroundings.

The people around her were still chatting, but Luo Yueqing had no interest in joining in. Having finally found a bit of amusement in her boredom, she kept looking across the room.

Zhong Jueyu had also changed into a brocade robe embroidered with green bamboo, her hair tied up with a jade pin. Even in profile, she was a picture of refined elegance, more eye-catching than any of these so-called sons of noble families.

Luo Yueqing's thoughts strayed, and she couldn't help but think of the marks on Zhong Jueyu's body—the ink stains spelling out her own name. She wondered if they had been washed off…

But on second thought, Zhong Jueyu had woken up late, rushed all the way, and then arranged to meet someone at a teahouse right after court. There had been no breaks in between, so naturally, there would have been no time to deal with them. The ink marks should still be there…

The smile on Luo Yueqing's lips deepened as that little bit of wicked delight surfaced again.

The feeling was indescribable, like the moon in the sky being held in the arms of a mortal. A person as pure as jade was stamped with a chaotic, exclusive mark. Even the most upright and kindhearted person would be stirred by such a feeling.

The people beside her said something else, but Luo Yueqing wasn't listening closely, her perfunctory responses becoming even more so.

Luo Yueyin grew increasingly displeased but still managed to restrain himself.

After a short while, Luo Yueqing stood up, saying she wanted to go for a walk downstairs.

Luo Yueyin, already annoyed that she refused to give him face, didn't even try to stop her when he saw she wanted to leave. He simply waved his hand and let her go.

---

On the other side, Zhong Jueyu was kneeling on a bamboo mat. Though her posture was relaxed, it still exuded a noble air. A smile played on her lips as she said, "I have always seen Prime Minister Meng as exceedingly diligent. I thought you would never set foot in such a place of leisure."

Meng Yunshan shook his head slightly and explained, "Your Highness thinks too highly of me. In my youth, I too envied those students from wealthy families who had the spare money to come to this teahouse and gaze upon the splendor of the capital."

A trace of nostalgia appeared on his face, aged by excessive toil, and he smiled. "But my family was poor. Even after I took office, it took all my effort to save a few months' salary just to barely make it to the second floor for a single cup of clear tea."

Seeing Zhong Jueyu's stunned expression, he added reassuringly, "That was enough."

"If the late Empress hadn't kept me here, I'm afraid I wouldn't have even had the chance to come upstairs. I would have had to return to my hometown, hoping day after day that the children of the wealthy families would show some promise and perhaps earn a rank in the examinations, so that their families might reward me with two extra catties of meat."

Zhong Jueyu said, "Prime Minister Meng is broad-minded. If you were willing now, I imagine many people in the capital would line up at your door overnight, hoping to treat you to a cup of tea."

Meng Yunshan shook his head and sighed. "There's no need. That was just the insignificant vanity of my youth. Thinking back on it now, it only seems laughable."

"Oh?" Zhong Jueyu changed the subject. "Then what was it that Prime Minister Meng truly pursued in his youth?"

A gentle breeze swept by, sending ripples across the lake's surface. The willows planted along the bank bent their trunks and drooped their branches, as if admiring their own reflections in the water.

The wooden floorboards did little to block the sound. Even on the top floor, one could hear the laughter and clamor from the first and second floors, mostly from young scholars in the capital for the examinations, gathered together, talking about everything under the sun and expressing their ambitions through poetry.

Meng Yunshan felt a sense of dislocation, remembering himself back then, huddled in a corner. His worn-out official robes had been worn and washed until they were faded, yet his eyes shone brightly, greedily taking in the vast capital.

"I…" Meng Yunshan opened his mouth, but the words came with difficulty.

Zhong Jueyu was in no hurry. She waited quietly. Perhaps she understood him better than he understood himself.

When the late Empress was still alive, she had mentioned him to Zhong Jueyu, saying that he was diligent and down-to-earth, but that while he was talented, he was inflexible and overly rigid. Thus, she could only place him in a lower rank for the time being, to temper his character as a minor official.

Zhong Jueyu had become interested. After all, her mother rarely had such high hopes for someone, going so far as to temper them first. So, without Meng Yunshan's knowledge, Zhong Jueyu had secretly ordered someone to retrieve his life story and had examined it in detail.

Seeing that he couldn't bring himself to say it, Zhong Jueyu shook her head and smiled. "Has Prime Minister Meng ever doubted his original intentions?"

Meng Yunshan opened his mouth, but his lack of an answer was an answer in itself.

Zhong Jueyu was not at all surprised. She said, "Does the Prime Minister remember a certain winter, when you were being given a hard time by your colleagues? The snow was piled up to an adult's knees, yet you had to huddle in a room with only a few broken tiles left on its roof, handling so-called official business."

Meng Yunshan was taken aback, blurting out, "How could Your Highness know of this!"

At that time, he was merely a seventh-rank official, stuck with a group of profligates who had bought their positions through their families. Even if he had wanted to accomplish something, he was bullied day in and day out.

Zhong Jueyu didn't answer, saying instead, "That day, I had just come from the training hall when my mother urgently summoned me. She wanted me to take two catties of charcoal out of the palace and give them to an insignificant minor official."

Meng Yunshan froze abruptly.

He finally understood where the charcoal fire that had suddenly appeared in his room when he had fallen asleep from the cold had come from.

He murmured, "It was the Empress and Your Highness who saved me."

If not for that basin of charcoal, he would have likely frozen to death in that small room.

Zhong Jueyu smiled, about to say more, when she heard footsteps from outside.

The two of them immediately fell silent and instinctively looked over.

A woman in a light-colored dress, holding a plate stacked with pastries, lifted the bamboo curtain with one hand and entered.

She first knelt beside them, slightly closer to Zhong Jueyu, and then placed the plate in the middle of the tea table.

Meng Yunshan assumed Zhong Jueyu had ordered the pastries, so he remained silent. A rare hint of anxiety showed in his eyes; he clearly wanted to ask more, but this person had interrupted them.

Zhong Jueyu, on the other hand, was completely frozen.

But Luo Yueqing smiled and said, "This servant has come to pour tea for you two lords."

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