ebookland Chapter 286 The Watery Girl
Chapter 286 The Watery Girl
As early as the beginning, Qiangzi and others had already discovered that someone on the second floor was closely watching the table where Qi Xingyun and Xiaocaoer were sitting. And they quickly reported the matter to Qi Xingyun. Unfortunately, Qi Xingyun just said lightly, "Don't pay any attention to it," so everyone did nothing.
Otherwise, with the temperament of Qiangzi and Xiaoxing, they would have rushed up and tied up the man. Humph! How dare you stare at my grandmother and sister so blatantly? Don't you really want to die?
Back to the emperor, he didn't hide or conceal his presence on purpose at all, but sat there openly and honestly observing.
Old Lady Yang and Xiao Cao'er were completely unaware that they had been secretly observed by the Emperor. The storyteller spoke eloquently and wittily, telling a story that was full of twists and turns and fascinating. Old Lady Yang and Xiao Cao'er were so fascinated by the story that they laughed out loud from time to time and completely forgot about anything else.
Xiao Cao'er didn't want to care about what was happening around her. With Brother Xingyun and Brother Qiangzi and the others around, it was impossible for her and her grandmother to get into trouble in the teahouse.
After listening to the storytelling, Old Lady Yang and Xiao Cao'er still felt unsatisfied, but their stomachs started to growl. So, the two of them decided to have lunch at this teahouse.
After having a good meal, Qi Xingyun personally escorted Old Lady Yang and Xiao Cao'er home. Along the way, the three of them talked and laughed, and the atmosphere was very harmonious. When Qi Xingyun returned to the palace, as soon as he stepped into the gate, he saw a servant hurriedly running to report: "Your Majesty, the emperor is waiting for you inside."
Qi Xingyun was shocked and thought to himself, "Looking at this situation, my elder brother must have had lunch there before coming back, and he came back just after me." Sure enough, as Qi Xingyun expected, the emperor did return after having lunch in the teahouse.
This teahouse not only allows guests to listen to books and drink tea, but also offers a variety of stir-fried dishes for guests to fill their stomachs. However, the dishes here are mostly home-cooked dishes. Although they taste good, they are still a bit rough compared to the finely crafted and exquisitely presented delicacies in large restaurants.
"Brother, are you ready for lunch?" Qi Xingyun asked the emperor pretending to be ignorant.
"What time is it now? I have already had lunch, but you haven't?" said the emperor.
"I'm going to use it outside." Qi Xingyun saw that the eunuch who usually followed the emperor was gone, so he asked, "Why did you leave the palace again without anyone with you?"
"There's nothing to do in the palace today, so I came out for a walk." The emperor replied with a smile.
Qi Xingyun always felt that the emperor's smile was a little strange, but he couldn't tell what was wrong.
"By the way, Xingyun, where did you go today?" the emperor asked casually.
"I went to listen to books with my friends and family." Qi Xingyun answered truthfully.
"Listening to books? Which teahouse's gentleman can tell stories so well that even you are attracted to him?" the emperor asked.
"It's the Qingshan teahouse opened by the Yang family." Qi Xingyun replied.
"Qingshan Teahouse..." The emperor repeated thoughtfully, then nodded slightly, "I'll go and listen some other day."
Qi Xingyun didn't know what tricks his elder brother was playing. He clearly knew where the teahouse opened by the Yang family was. He was also in the teahouse just now. Now he asked specifically. He felt that the emperor seemed to be very interested in his whereabouts, but he didn't know why.
"Okay, if you're okay, you should rest early." The emperor said, turning around and preparing to leave.
"Brother, I'll have someone send you back to the palace." After paying his respects, Qi Xingyun ordered Yun Er to send him back to the palace. Looking at the retired emperor's departing back, his doubts grew more serious. What was his brother planning?
Qi Xingyun naturally couldn't guess what the emperor was thinking. However, when he found out, the joy he felt was like a flood that instantly filled his heart and made him grin uncontrollably.
After returning to the palace, the retired emperor took a short rest and then could not wait to go to the empress dowager's bedroom to share with her the interesting things he had seen in the teahouse today.
"Oh, my beloved, you really can't imagine it! That brat Xingyun is almost glued to the girl with his eyes! If we don't help him, I'm afraid that in a year or two, the girl will be arranged to be married by someone else!" The emperor said with a pout, as if he was somewhat dissatisfied with the matter.
The Queen Mother frowned slightly when she heard this. After thinking for a moment, she asked, "That little girl probably doesn't know that Xingyun likes her yet. So in your opinion, how should we help her? Should we directly issue an imperial decree to grant them a marriage?"
The emperor waved his hands and shook his head, saying, "No, no, it's too rash to do this. Let's pay her a visit first, so that we can take the opportunity to find out what kind of character the girl is. Although we often hear others praise how virtuous and gentle this girl is, after all, we have never had any contact with her. But today, after a quick glance in the teahouse, we can see that she is indeed a very pretty girl, with a lively appearance, very lovable!"