While sipping her drink, Su Mingyu asked casually in a soft voice, "Mr. Tang, you've been in our mansion for quite some time, haven't you? I remember you once said you wanted to travel the world. Have you decided which direction to start from?"
Tang Ziyan was first taken aback, then looked at Su Mingyu with a slightly hurt expression in his beautiful eyes. "Is the princess trying to drive me away?"
Su Mingyu quickly waved her hand. "Of course not. But I'm worried that you might delay your journey because of your concern for me."
As she spoke, Su Mingyu looked at Tang Ziyan with a faint smile. "After all, it wasn't easy for you to get out of Nanyuan. Now you're quite well - known in the capital. You can do whatever you want. Staying in our mansion all the time might be a waste of your talent."
"So the princess is worried about me!" Tang Ziyan squinted his good - looking eyes. "Actually, I haven't decided where to go yet. Coincidentally, I heard that the princess was kidnapped, so I stayed in the mansion for a while longer. When I figure out my destination, I'll surely tell the princess."
Su Mingyu nodded. "Mr. Tang is a very decisive person. Mingyu believes you'll find a good place for yourself."
At this point, Su Mingyu seemed to remember something. "By the way, I rarely heard you talk about your background. May I take the liberty to ask how you ended up in a place like Nanyuan?"
"I thought the princess wouldn't be interested in my affairs." Tang Ziyan looked down at Su Mingyu. There was a deep glint in his long, narrow eyes, which made Su Mingyu's heart sink.
She awkwardly averted her gaze and lowered her head to take a sip of bird's nest soup. "That... it's just a casual chat. If you don't like me asking about your family, I won't ask anymore."
"It's not that." Tang Ziyan's eyes flashed. There was even a faint trace of joy in his usually indifferent eyes.
Su Mingyu's heart sank even lower. She pursed her lips. As a woman, Su Mingyu knew exactly what that look in Tang Ziyan's eyes meant.
It was the look of a man interested in a woman. Great, she didn't manage to dig out Tang Ziyan's background, but she'd brought herself an unpredictable problem.
Su Mingyu pursed her lips. Just as she was about to say something to ease the slightly awkward atmosphere, Tang Ziyan spoke softly.
"Actually, it's not a story worth telling. I got lost and then wandered around. The skills of playing musical instruments, chess, calligraphy and painting were taught to me by a young master who saved me. He used to be an examinee, but after failing the imperial examinations several times, he became a tutor in frustration."
When Tang Ziyan said this, his voice was very low, and there was less sparkle in his eyes.
Su Mingyu didn't expect it to be such an ordinary story. She pursed her lips, then coughed lightly and said apologetically, "I'm sorry. I didn't know you had such an experience."
"It's okay. I know the princess is just curious." Tang Ziyan smiled, pretending to be magnanimous. "It's getting late. Princess, finish this bird's nest soup and have a good rest."
With that, Tang Ziyan got up and left the tea - garden with a lonely back.
Su Mingyu raised her eyebrows and watched his disappearing back. Her brows were tightly knitted. It was obvious that at least half of what Tang Ziyan had just said was false.
The excuse of getting lost was so absurd. However, this tutor might be a good starting point for investigation.
When Gu Ruobai returned from outside, he saw Su Mingyu in a daze at a glance. He dismissed the servants in the tea - garden and ordered Mu Yi to stand guard. Then he got out of his wheelchair and walked to Su Mingyu's side, asking with concern, "What's wrong? Why do you look so dazed after just half a day?"
"You're the one who's dazed." Su Mingyu pouted. "Do you know that Wu Yurou is pregnant?"
"Wu Yurou is pregnant?" There was even a flash of surprise on Gu Ruobai's usually calm face. "Who told you that?"
Surprised that even Gu Ruobai was so shocked, Su Mingyu frowned tightly. "Su Yueyue came to see me today and told me. I think it's true. But why did the King of Yu keep it from you? No, he must have kept it from the whole court. This isn't like his style."
"There are indeed many problems with this matter." As he said this, Gu Ruobai came and sat down beside Su Mingyu. Just as he was about to say something, he noticed the preserved plums on the table.
He looked at the bitten corner of the plums suspiciously and asked Su Mingyu, "These plums were clearly prepared for your younger sister. Why have you eaten so many?"
Seeing the suspicion in Gu Ruobai's eyes, Su Mingyu rolled her eyes helplessly. "Can't a normal person like eating sour food in your eyes? Do you all have to bring this up in front of me one by one?"
She didn't expect that someone other than herself had noticed that she'd been eating an abnormal amount of sour food these days.
"It's just my concern for you." Gu Ruobai had a thick skin and wasn't embarrassed at all when Su Mingyu said this.
Su Mingyu rolled her eyes again. "Come on, stop pretending. I know what you're thinking. Let me tell you, I know my own body. No! No! No!"
After saying that, Su Mingyu got up angrily and was about to leave, but before she took two steps, Gu Ruobai pulled her back into his arms.
Gu Ruobai looked down at Su Mingyu with a teasing smile in his eyes. "What's wrong? Are you getting angry just because I said a few words? You don't even know what people outside are saying about me. Why are you getting angry?"
Originally, Su Mingyu wasn't angry, but now, after what Gu Ruobai said, she felt a bit heart - ache for him.
"These people shouldn't gossip just because your leg is injured, right?"
Su Mingyu was a bit angry.
Gu Ruobai understood this quite well. "It's okay. After all, in the eyes of outsiders, I'm like a useless person. You haven't gotten pregnant for a long time, and you once said you wanted to divorce me. It's understandable that they think too much."
"But they shouldn't talk nonsense!" Su Mingyu pouted. "Forget it. Let them talk. I'll surely make them shut up in the end."
As she said this, Su Mingyu suddenly remembered something. She looked up at Gu Ruobai suspiciously and asked, "You've been quite busy these days. Have you found the person Tang Yan asked you to look for?"
"No." Gu Ruobai's face darkened when he mentioned this. "Someone managed to lurk around me for so long without being discovered. It might be someone I trust very much. I'm currently investigating this matter."