eurekapd Chapter 271 No Chat
Chapter 271 No Chat
The air was becoming awkward.
"Miss, I had so much trouble to find the teapot and teacups from the master's room. There are so many dignitaries coming today that even the teacups are not enough..." Fortunately, at this time, Lu Ju came out from behind the rockery with a tray, but she didn't notice that there were more people present.
Zhou Chang and Yuan Qi were at the entrance to the backyard, next to the pond.
There is a rockery on the east side of the pond. There should be another path behind the rockery. Green Chrysanthemum came from behind it.
When Lu Ju saw Prince Yi, she was stunned.
Yuan Qi said: "Put it in the waterside pavilion."
Lu Ju bowed to Zhou Chang and turned to go to the water pavilion.
Zhou Chang looked in the direction where they were standing. The two were standing on the west side of the pond, and the water pavilion was on the north side of the pond. The water pavilion seemed to have just been built, and there was no time to install doors and windows. It was wide open and windy on all sides.
"Are you going to entertain people in the water pavilion?" Zhou Chang was not cold at the moment, but if he sat outside for too long, he would definitely catch a cold.
Yuan Qi said: "I originally wanted to be alone and quiet, but it was too noisy in front today, and only here is quiet."
"Oh, that's right." Zhou Chang felt relieved when he heard Yuan Qi's answer that he had not met with anyone. He asked casually, "Brother Rong must have invited many dignitaries to support the occasion, right? I don't like that kind of occasion either. I felt like I had used up all my energy for the day just now when I squeezed in."
Yuan Qi did not respond. After a slight hesitation, he said, "If His Royal Highness Prince Yi finds the crowds in front annoying, why don't you come sit in the waterside pavilion and have some tea?"
"Okay." Zhou Chang seemed to be waiting for this sentence in his heart. He also forgot who was complaining about the cold just now and agreed immediately, "Just don't disturb Miss Yuan. I'm really tired."
Yuan Qi smiled faintly, made a "please" gesture, and led Zhou Chang and his party towards the water pavilion.
Zhou Chang suddenly became very happy and started chatting: "I guess Mr. Yuan must be very busy today. After today, he can completely deal with the previous case."
"Yes, my father said that after these busy days, we will go to the residence of His Royal Highness Prince Yi to express our gratitude again." Yuan Qi led Zhou Chang to a stone table in the waterside pavilion.
The two men sat down in the waterside pavilion one after another. Although the sun was shining brightly in the sky, it was winter after all, and the waterside pavilion was windy on all sides, so Zhou Chang was still not used to it.
But with Yuan Qi sitting with her, she felt warm in her heart, and even worried about Yuan Qi: "Miss Yuan, just sit for a while, otherwise you might catch a cold easily."
Yuan Qi's face was white and he looked healthy. He wrapped himself in a moon-white silver silk cloak, but he didn't feel cold. He just sighed and said, "This was originally an abandoned pond. There were a few tile houses behind the pond. My father has been living in the tile houses for more than a month because of the tower construction. He also renovated this place into a garden. As for this waterside pavilion, it was built in a hurry. It was not planned that many people would come here, so there were no doors or windows. It was only used for cooling off in the summer."
As Yuan Qi spoke, he picked up the teapot and poured a cup of tea for Zhou Chang himself. He then instructed Lu Ju, "Lu Ju, go get some snacks and fruits to entertain His Royal Highness Prince Yi's relatives."
"Yes." Lu Ju agreed.
Zhou Chang drank half a cup of tea first, then said, "Miss Yuan, you are too polite."
Yuan Qi also poured himself a cup of tea, but held it in his hand without drinking it: "It's a pity that it's winter now, and there's only so much we can do. Otherwise, if we transplanted a few more peach trees from Dafu Temple, it would be no worse than the peach forest in the temple."
Zhou Chang also recalled the place where the wife of the Minister of Justice, Hu Wan, met Master Shuchen. He felt as if it was a lifetime ago, but he had to find another topic to talk about: "Your father is thoughtful, which is really good. I heard that the commercial street outside Dafu Temple was also rebuilt by the Yuan family?"
Yuan Qi stared at the teacup, not knowing what he was thinking, and replied, "Yes, except for this place, my father sold half of the land around Dafu Temple and rebuilt it into Dongfu Street."
"Ah..." Although Zhou Chang had just heard the discussion, he had never expected that the Yuan family would actually buy the entire street. "It is truly a miracle that the tower and the shops were built in just over a month."
"Your Highness Prince Yi, thank you for your praise. The surrounding merchants are just renovating a whole new set of buildings. The original merchants are also happy to see the result and are very cooperative. As for this tower, since it was commissioned by the court, how dare I not do my best." Yuan Qi didn't know if he had something else on his mind or for some other reason. Although he was chatting and laughing as usual, there seemed to be something missing.
Zhou Chang didn't want to ask directly, so he changed the subject: "Master Yuan is also here, and I guess there will be many people to attend social events today. I wonder if there is still a chance for us to meet him?"
"Your Highness Prince Yi has good intentions, but I'm afraid that my father today..." Yuan Qi seemed to be in a dilemma.
"No, I don't have to see him. I'm just asking." Zhou Chang was indeed just making small talk, just asking.
Yuan Qi's eyes were fixed on the teacup. "My father may not be busy, but this pagoda was built in a hurry, and many parts are not perfect. His Royal Highness Prince Rong is probably eager to pray for the people, and has been eager to consecrate it today. My father is always worried that there are some shortcomings. If His Royal Highness Prince Yi is willing to summon me, I will send someone to find my father."
"No, that's not necessary." Zhou Chang always felt something was strange.
Yuan Qi seemed to be keeping a distance from her today, intentionally or unintentionally.
People who were once familiar with each other have now become strangers again, and I don’t know what’s going on.
The air in the backyard was about to freeze.
At this time, Luju brought back four plates of snacks and fruits, put two on the table, and gave two directly to Shouhou.
"Thank you." The skinny monkey grinned and without any hesitation, he put a plate of oranges and a plate of bananas into his arms, and did not forget to give Gao Yuan two as well.
Gao Yuan shook his head and refused, and went to guard the Moon Gate.
Zhou Chang tried for a long time but failed to make the conversation start, so he simply gave up.
Yuan Qi poured Zhou Chang another cup of tea and said, "This place is simple, so I will temporarily use tea instead of wine. Thank you, Your Highness Prince Yi."
"What are you thanking me for?" Zhou Chang was about to say goodbye.
Yuan Qi held the teacup and said, "Master Wen was acquitted by the Dali Temple a few days ago. He should have come to thank you in person, but his body was strained in prison and he fell ill the night he was released. In addition, the news of the court's re-examination was so sudden, and he went to take the exam some time ago, so he was unable to come to thank His Royal Highness Prince Yi in person in time."
"No need to thank me, I didn't do anything." Zhou Chang really let the matter go since she ran to the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Rites that day. Unless others mentioned it, she would not think about it.
When it was brought up today, she still wanted to keep a low profile, mainly because she didn't want to cause trouble for Prince Yi, but for some reason, after hearing this, she started to feel uncomfortable again.
Whenever Yuan Qi mentioned Wen Qingyan, his eyes were filled with gentle smiles. "Your Highness Prince Yi, there is no need to be so modest. This matter has already spread among the candidates. The Dali Temple has arrested dozens of candidates who bought test questions and positions. The Ministry of Rites not only cancelled the results of the last announcement, but also reopened the exam. The reason was because of a man named Zheng. That man not only blatantly bought test questions and cheated in the exam room, but also asked people to buy positions everywhere. In the end, His Highness Prince Yi made the mistake. This matter is already known to everyone, Your Highness does not need to deny it."
"Everyone knows?" Zhou Chang's internal organs began to shift out of place.
Is this someone's deliberate propaganda?