Chapter: 129.2 out of 171
Wei Luo and Zhao Liuli went back to the capital. Once they were inside the capital, Wei Luo saw that Zhao Liuli eyes were still red. Empress Chen would definitely be suspicious if she saw her like this, so Wei Luo led her a teahouse on Willow Lane to listen to ping tan.
(T/N: Ping tan is storytelling through song that’s usually accompanied by two people playing instruments.)
Wei Luo reserved a private room and went upstairs with Zhao Liuli.
The private room upstairs was separated into two spaces by a partition. There was a private space and a place to lean on the parapet to enjoy the ping tan below. "Du-shi the Tenth Daughter" was currently being sung downstairs and accompanied by musical instruments. Just like Zhao Liuli, the melody was sad and melancholy. The people listening felt sadder, but they couldn't free themselves from continuing to listen. Wei Luo pinched the spot between her eyebrows. Seeing Zhao Liuli's tears falling down, she wondered if they had come to the wrong place. She shouldn't have brought her here to listen to the ping tan...
Wei Luo actually understood Yang Zhen's point of view. He wanted to seek a better path so that he could grandly marry Zhao Liuli in the future. He didn't want the girl that he liked to suffer grievances. But, it was understandable for the other participant, Zhao Liuli, to be unwilling to part with Yang Zhen. Wei Luo didn't have any words to persuade her. She could only wait until Zhao Liuli figured things out for herself.
Zhao Jie probably knew about this matter. Otherwise, he wouldn't have agreed to let her come out. Wei Luo picked up the Ru Yao chrysanthemum-shaped teapot, poured tea for herself and Zhao Liuli, then she pushed a colorful teacup with a chrysanthemum pattern in front of Zhao Liuli. "Liuli, I’m afraid that this teahouse will be drowned by your tears if you keep crying."
(T/N: Ru Yao was a famous kiln factory during the Song Dynasty known for its amazing glazing techniques.)
Zhao Liuli wiped her tears, twisted Wei Luo's hand with her thumb and forefinger for a second, and said, "Mean Ah Luo. You’re actually making fun of me. Do you think I want to cry? I would stop if I could.”
Wei Luo avoided future attempts by sitting down on the other side. After sitting down again, she supported her cheeks in her hands and looked at her. "It's a good thing that Yang Zhan went to Guang Dong to bring order there. Don't you think that he'll do beyond what's required? Perhaps, His Majesty will betroth you to him without him even asking when he safely come back in triumphant.”
Wei Luo's words weren't impossible. With Yang Zhen's abilities, it would be easy for him to accomplish meritorious service.
Hearing her words, Zhao Liuli's cheeks turned red. "But..." She was worried that he would get injured.
Wei Luo added, "When that times comes, won't you be so lovingly inseparable from your older brother Yang Zhen that passersby will be envious to death?"
In the end, Zhao Liuli was an unmarried girl. Her face wasn't thick-skinned like Wei Luo’s, which had been toughened by Zhao Jie's training. She immediately became embarrassed, "Y-you dare to make fun of me! Ah Luo, I know what goes on between you and imperial brother."
Startled, Wei Luo asked, "What?”
Zhao Liuli moved close to her ear and whispered, "The elderly female servant that imperial mother arranged in Prince Jing's residence comes to the palace to report every day. She said that you and imperial brother don't leave the bed until very late each day. Tell me, what do the two of you do in your bedroom every day?"
This time, Wei Luo was the one that blushed. She pushed Zhao Liuli away and denied, "I’m not telling you."
It was Zhao Jie's fault. Never mind that he would pester her at night. Most of the time, he wouldn't let her leave the bed after he practiced martial arts in the morning. He would hug her when his body was covered in sweat, pressed her down, and do it one more time. Then, he would carry her to the cleaning room to bath...
Wei Luo wouldn't say anything, so Zhao Liuli kept insisting that she tell her. After they went back and forth about this for a while, Zhao Liuli's mood improved. She wasn't as sad as before and she gradually smiled.
Wei Luo stayed with her to talk for a while after that. Because Wei Luo had drunk too much tea, she started to leave the private room to go to the back courtyard.
Right after Wei Luo pushed open the divider, she heard the door from the neighboring private room opening. Wei Luo didn't pay attention to this. They were in the most inner private room, so they had to pass by the neighboring private room to leave. She walked forward two steps, inadvertently lifted her head, and met someone’s shining gaze.
Li Song was standing at the private room's doorway. He was expressionlessly staring at her. There was a delicate and slightly familiar looking girl standing behind him. She was the singer that had recently acted as Du-shi.
The girl curiously stretched out her head and asked, "Master Li, why did you stop?"
Li Song reached a hand out, pressed it against her face, and pushed her back her into the room without any tender, protective feelings towards the fairer sex. His thin lips lightly said, "Go away.”
That girl was slightly unwilling to accept this. He had been so gentle before. Why was he suddenly treating her differently? Just as she was about say something, she saw his malicious face and immediately flinched. She blankly stood there.
Wei Luo looked away as if she had looked at something filthy. She started to walk past Li Song.
But she had only taken one step forward when his figure blocked her path in a flash. Wei Luo furrowed her eyebrows. She took a step left, but Li Song also followed her step. She took a step to the right, but he also went to the right. The man's tall and slim body blocked the woman's path as if he was a motionless towering mountain peak.
Li Song lowered his eyes to look at her and saw that her long eyelashes were trembling like two fluttering butterfly wings. Just as he was about to stretch his hand out to grab her, she had already raised her eyes. Her eyes held contempt and scorn. It was the type of gaze that Li Song hated the most. For a brief moment, he wanted more than anything to rip away these beautiful eyes and break her wings, so that she wouldn't be able despise him or push him away anymore.
A light flashed through Li Song's eyes. No one knew what he was thinking.