Xue Lianyu smiled but said nothing. After they had walked for a while, he said again, "But I've forgotten the name of that princess from Yulin Kingdom. It's said that she came with the envoy to pay homage to the emperor this time just for A Duo. She seems to have been in love with A Duo for many years. It's been seven or eight years since her last visit."
To remain infatuated with someone for seven or eight years, was it just an obsession or true love? Anyway, Cheng Xiran couldn't tell.
Seeing that Cheng Xiran was silent, Xue Lianyu thought she was scared and encouraged her, "Don't worry. I think you're definitely no worse than that princess. So you don't need to be afraid. A Duo won't change his mind easily."
Really?
Even though she felt a bit insecure, Cheng Xiran never showed any weakness in spirit. "I'm not scared, and I don't need to be."
After spending several hours choosing some clothes and jewelry according to Chu Liyin's taste with him, as Cheng Xiran had expected, the weather changed. As dusk approached, a fine drizzle began to fall outside.
They returned to the newspaper office together and met Yan An at the door.
There was a girl of similar age standing beside him. Apparently, they were taking shelter from the rain together.
Seeing Cheng Xiran coming, Yan An stepped forward and bowed politely, "Yan An greets Miss Cheng."
"Please rise, sir..." Cheng Xiran smiled at him and asked, "Why don't you go inside and have a cup of tea, Mr. Yan?"
Yan An invited her to one side, and Cheng Xiran followed, leaving Xue Lianyu behind.
"I passed by here today. Firstly, I haven't seen Miss Cheng for a long time and I miss you. Secondly, I'd like to invite Miss Cheng to my wedding banquet in two days."
As he spoke, Yan An presented the invitation card he had prepared with both hands.
Cheng Xiran understood and didn't refuse. She took it casually, "Sure, I'll be there on time."
"Also, I've heard that the emperor has betrothed you to the regent. I'd like to congratulate you here."
Saying that, he bowed his head again.
Cheng Xiran supported him gently, "You're too polite, Mr. Yan."
After chatting about some trivial matters, they saw Mr. Yan walking away with his charming lady.
Their figures gradually disappeared around the corner of the alley, blurred by the drizzle.
Cheng Xiran thought they were a good-looking couple and couldn't help looking at them for a while. Although she was under the eaves, the wind and rain still blew towards her, wetting a patch on her shoulder.
Suddenly, a figure with a heavy breath squeezed in beside her.
"Is that the teacher your grandmother introduced to you before?"
Helian Duo's tone sounded a bit unhappy.
But Cheng Xiran couldn't help joking, "Yes. Mr. Yan has always been very low-key. Actually, he's quite handsome. It's said that many girls in that area are after him."
"Were you one of them?"
Helian Duo asked without changing his expression, but he didn't forget to block the autumn rain for Cheng Xiran.
Cheng Xiran showed him the invitation card with a smile, "He's getting married in two days. He just came here to give me an invitation and invite me to his wedding banquet today. It's not what you think."
"I didn't think anything..."
Helian Duo walked into the newspaper office in a hurry, and Cheng Xiran followed closely behind.
Poor Xue Lianyu was left outside, eating a big mouthful of dog food as a single dog.
The shopkeeper served them new tea, pastries and preserved fruits. Xue Lianyu kept asking Helian Duo about things in the palace. Helian Duo was too lazy to answer him, but he kept pestering him. Finally, Helian Duo had no choice but to tell the truth.
"Yulin Kingdom wrote a letter asking me to go to Fuzhou to pick them up in person."
Fuzhou... It was only about 30 kilometers from Fuzhou to the capital. Why did Helian Duo have to go out of the city to pick them up?
Xue Lianyu voiced what was really on Cheng Xiran's mind.
"Are they just playing with you? It's obvious that they're just making fun of you. You're the regent! Their status doesn't even deserve you to pick them up in person!"
"Yulin Kingdom and our country have been on good terms for many years, so there's some friendship. I'm willing to go if they ask me to. But I can't figure out why I have to go out of the city. When I asked the emperor, he said that there was nothing unusual in the letters exchanged with the envoy recently."
Xue Lianyu began to talk recklessly, "Could it be related to that princess? Since she likes you, maybe she wants to take this opportunity to spend more time alone with you to strengthen your relationship?"
Helian Duo rolled his eyes at him angrily, "Do you think everyone is like you, with all those dirty thoughts in your head?"
Cheng Xiran didn't say a word from beginning to end. She knew nothing and didn't want to know anything about the affairs in the court.
But seeing Helian Duo frowning, she felt a bit upset too.
"Xiran, I'm not kidding. You should keep a close eye on him. Otherwise, you won't even know if he runs away with someone someday!"
Cheng Xiran grabbed a red bean cake and stuffed it into his mouth, "Can't you keep your mouth shut even when you're eating?"
Xue Lianyu finally shut up.
"You can have dinner by yourselves tonight. I have some business to attend to."
After leaving just this sentence, he left without looking back.
Didn't he know how to comfort others? Shouldn't he say something sweet before leaving? That's how she had seen it on TV and in the articles she had read. But when it came to Helian Duo, everything was different.
She suddenly felt a bit bored and complained casually, "He's always so busy every day."
Xue Lianyu covered his mouth and snickered, "See, don't deny it. I think you're going to fall for this wooden block for the rest of your life."
Cheng Xiran made a face at him and then went upstairs to write. Since she couldn't get what she wanted in real life, she might as well write freely in her articles. Of course, she still knew how to keep a certain degree of propriety.
Moreover, Minister Cheng had been in a bad mood these two days, so she didn't dare to write too recklessly. She still restrained herself a bit, lest he take his anger out on her again. It was always not good to hurt the innocent.
After having dinner without much appetite, out of curiosity about how the story would develop, she went back to the Cheng Mansion. Minister Cheng still had a gloomy face. Mrs. Liu still looked pitiful. Sun Yanyan was smiling faintly. Cheng Zhiyue was still copying the Tao Te Ching in the ancestral hall. It was said that she had only copied it about twenty times.
Cheng Xiran just made a brief visit there. After she came out, the person who had been gathering information for her reported that Helian Duo had gone to the Flower Beauty Pavilion.
Cheng Xiran felt a surge of anger in her heart. Good! He said he had business to attend to, but it turned out he was going to a place like the Flower Beauty Pavilion!
"I'm going to see what kind of business he's attending to!"
Saying that, she strode towards the Flower Beauty Pavilion without caring about the still-raining sky.