Chapter 59：

Half an hour later, the two appeared in the largest restaurant in Yongchang City: Yunlai Restaurant. Backed by Zhongming Street and facing Quehu Lake, this restaurant is located in the most prosperous place in Yongchang City.

Zhongming Street is known as the Royal Street. There are pavilions and buildings on both sides of the street, and there are row upon row of teahouses, restaurants, and theaters. Que Lake was first built in the former dynasty. It is said that when it was built, thousands of magpies came from the sky and sang for three days and three nights, so it was named after it.

The furnishings in the restaurant are elegant and the fragrance curls up. There is a small stage in the middle, with hollowed-out figures of people and birds engraved on the back, totem poles standing on both sides, and red carpets on the upper and lower steps. It seems that there are often storytelling performances.

Ye Ping couldn't hide her admiration, but she also felt sorry for her pocketbook. On second thought, wool grows on sheep, and money should be spent on Wen Yu.

The signature dish of Yunlai Restaurant is roasted mutton, which suits the occasion.

Xiao Er naturally recognized Wen Yu, and brought the two of them to the private room on the second floor with trepidation and respect. At this time, the sky is not yet dark, and the setting sun is covered with gold. Looking from the window, there are sparkling lights on the magpie lake, and several painted boats are dotted on it.

Not long after, the mutton was served.

Ye Pingguang could not wait to smell it.

"Prince, please."

Sanxi and several guards all retreated outside the door, and they were the only ones in the private room. She thoughtfully picked a piece of meat for Wen Yu, and then ate it by herself.

The mutton is really as delicious as the rumors say, and there is no smell in it. Each of the dishes has its own advantages and disadvantages. It is paired with green plum wine, which is quite leisurely and elegant.

While eating meat and drinking, the sky outside was getting darker, and the lakeside was already lit up with lanterns reflecting the moon, a scene of prosperity and peace. The fireworks on the lake are brightly lit, like bright pearls left in the lake.

The sound of babbling singing floated in the distance, accompanied by the melodious guqin, which entered my ears. The evening breeze was cool, and the water vapor wrapped in silk condensed into fog on the lake. Looking from a distance, the lights are red and the mist surrounds, like immortals and illusions.

There are windows on both sides of the private room, so you can see the beautiful scenery by the lake, and listen to the storytelling and folk art downstairs by the building. When the lanterns first come on, a veiled woman sits on a small stage, holding a pipa in her graceful posture.

After a while, the pipa sounded.

It sang about boudoir thoughts and resentment, with a lingering voice.

Ye Ping puffed her stomach and raised her arms towards Wen Yu.

"I respect the king of the county."

Wen Yu asked: "What does this mean?"

"Mutton and wine will last forever."

"It does rhyme."

"Deep feeling, boring mouthful."

"Also."

After clinking glasses, Wen Yu really drank it down in one gulp.

Seeing that he was in a good mood, Ye Ping hurriedly struck while the iron was hot, "I only know that Princess Qingyang seems to have some inappropriate character in private. After marrying into the Duke's mansion, she actually tried to seduce Shen Shizi. I don't know if anyone noticed later?"

"It turns out there's another one out there."

Huh?

Doesn't he know?

Ye Ping thought to herself, could it be that Princess Qingyang hid it so deeply that she hid it from everyone? If this is the case, it would be a bit disappointing. She also wanted to know how Mrs. Wen would react after seeing through Princess Qingyang's nature.

"It turned out that the county king didn't know."

"I didn't know she had ever seduced Shen Shizi."

Ye Ping's eyes lit up, so he just didn't know that Qingyang had seduced Shen Shizi, but others knew about it. Immediately, the interest was revived, and the pupils were as bright as stars.

"That means someone noticed it? Who was the first to discover it? How did Mrs. Wen behave? "

Asking three times in a row showed her urgency.

Wen Yu's eyes drooped slightly, he and Qingyang were cousins. As soon as Zhang Wangfu returned to Beijing, he kept showing his kindness to him, and invited him to visit the mansion several times under the pretext of admiring stones and trees. Every time he enjoys the scenery or during the banquet, Qingyang will accompany him by his side. Thinking about this cousin's behavior in the future, he was naturally extremely displeased.

He thought that the most useful person in the world was his good friend Jin Yuan, but he didn't expect this little girl to be so inquisitive. Looking at his eyes full of curiosity, he was no different from those wild cats he saw in the palace when he was a child, who wanted to steal food but were afraid of people.

He eats dishes gracefully, his slender fingers are like jade bones, which is really pleasing to the eye.

Ye Ping has no intention of appreciating it right now, but only wants to know what will happen next. Holding back her impatience, she picked up vegetables for Wen Yu and poured wine for him. Knowing that he obviously did it on purpose, he couldn't help but secretly ground his back molars.

The pipa downstairs became more and more weeping, and the applause of guests came from time to time. The woman held the pipa and half covered her face, she was so sweet and sad that I felt pity for it.

At this time, a man squinted his drunken eyes, leaning against the stage and hooking his finger at the woman.

"Three hundred taels of silver, I will go with you after playing."

That woman should be used to this kind of scene, although she turned pale, she didn't stop playing the pipa.

The customers of Yunlai Restaurant are like Yunlai, making money every day, so the owner behind him can't be an ordinary person. That woman can go in and out of the restaurant to play the pipa, so it is impossible for her to be someone who has never seen the world.

Although this person is dressed like five people and six people, but there is no crown in his hair, no gold and silver thread embroidered on his clothes, it seems that he is not a member of a noble family. If they really dare to make trouble, the shopkeeper of the restaurant will come forward.

At the end of the song, the lingering sound lingers.

The woman thanked everyone and was about to step down holding the pipa.

The man felt humiliated, and stopped him under the courage of alcohol.

"Why? Don't you like the three hundred taels of silver?"

"The little girl sells her art but not her body, please forgive me, my lord."

"If you sell it, you still think you are a lady of everyone? Why are you pretending to be noble!" The man wanted to step forward and grab the pipa girl, not wanting to be stopped. He turned his head and saw that it was a young man in fine clothes, he was stunned.

Mr. Huafu said: "At the feet of the Son of Heaven, presumptuous people are not allowed."

He has a good appearance, a good temperament, and the jade crown on his head is of extraordinary appearance. At first glance, he is a splendid son from a noble family. Although the man was drunk, he was not without winks. Quickly excused drinking too much, said a few words of apology, and left in despair.

The pipa girl thanked Mr. Huafu, she was so charming and ashamed.

Some of the diners recognized the man in the fine clothes, and they praised him a lot. Praise him as worthy of being a parent, he is really a humble gentleman and approachable.

Ye Ping was lying by the window at this moment, watching with relish.

In terms of appearance alone, Wen Tingzhi is naturally a handsome man. Seeing the injustice in the road, the noble son helped the busker out of the siege. According to the popular routine, something should happen.

However, Wen Tingzhi turned a blind eye to the shyness of the pipa girl. After doing a good deed, she didn't ask for anything in return, and left in a chic attire, which seemed to be a bit of a hidden merit and fame.

"Looking at his appearance, Wen Shizi is not far behind Shen Shizi. Could it be that Princess Qingyang is eating what is in the bowl and looking at the pot?" She seemed to be asking herself, but she was actually asking Wen Yu.

As soon as the words fell, Wen Yu got up and came over.

"Pretty but not useful, it's really hard to tell. It's Qingyang who said that."

"Good-looking but not useful?" Ye Ping's eyes glistened with gossip. Could it be that Wen Tingzhi is not good at that? No, she remembered that it was mentioned in the book that Princess Qingyang gave birth to two sons in succession. "No way, didn't you have two sons?"

"Literacy is nothing but knowledge, which is very different from knowledge."

"makes sense."

It's just that the analogy is not very good.

So later Princess Qingyang disliked Wen Tingzhi's incompetence, so did Mrs. Wen know?

"Who did she tell this to? Has it spread?"

"Everyone knows."

Ye Ping frowned upon hearing this.

Mrs. Wen's expression must have been wonderful.

"Then what happened next?"

"After the reconciliation, Wen Tingzhi never remarried, while Qingyang was always accompanied by men when he went in and out, so he didn't have any scruples about flaunting things."

"Princess Qingyang has lived out her own life."

"Are you very envious?"

The atmosphere changed suddenly, and Ye Ping's heart skipped a beat.

"How is it possible? The county king is good-looking and knowledgeable, and he won my heart."

She leaned back and snuggled into Wen Yu's arms with a trembling heart, but what she thought in her heart was that it's not good to be too useful, and it's also hard to tell.

…

At three o'clock in the morning, the soup is cold and the dishes are cold.

The couple went out of the restaurant and got into the carriage.

This meal cost nearly thirty taels of silver, equivalent to a year's salary of a seventh-rank official. Ye Ping's heart hurts even more at the thought of having another meal.

The singing is still in the distance, and the sound of the piano is endless. There are not many pedestrians on the street, and they are all men who are calling for friends. Women or children are rarely seen.

Ye Ping thought regretfully that the nightlife in ancient times belonged to men. She can be regarded as a rich woman at any rate now, but apart from enjoying within a limited range, she can't do many things.

No matter how good the character of the Qingyang princess is, he lived a happy life. They are accompanied by men when they go in and out, so it can be seen that they have raised a lot of facial hair, and they are not only good-looking, but also very useful.

Quite enviable.

"What do you guys do when there is nothing to do between husband and wife?" Wen Yu asked suddenly.

Ye Ping was stunned, and replied: "Shopping, watching a theater, going into the woods, these are mostly the same."

"Drill the grove?"

"...It is to find a secluded place where there is no one, preferably with trees and shade. Tell your heartfelt words, talk about life and ideals."

Wen Yu was thoughtful, and ordered the coachman to turn around.

Ye Ping was still leaning back just now, when she heard him tell the coachman to turn around, she immediately sat up straight. He blinked uncertainly. At this time, he didn't want to take himself into the woods, did he?

By the way, apart from the high walls of the various prefectures in Beijing, where are there small forests?

There really are.

The grove is just behind the Tongtiantai, and the guards are strictly guarded and no one is allowed to enter. Ye Ping followed him in with a dazed expression, always feeling that she was dreaming.

Wen Yu led her, and shuttled through the dark woods as if entering no one's land. Her heart "thumped" wildly, I don't know if it was because of fear or something else.

In the woods, there are actually stone tables and benches.

She sat on one of the stone benches, and Wen Yu sat next to her. Looking up is the sky full of tree shadows, but there is a faint skylight without stars and moon.

Everything is dreamlike and unreal.

"Speak." Wen Yu spoke in a low voice.

say what?

Ye Ping couldn't laugh or cry.

What kind of wind did this evil spirit smoke today, and he actually wanted to have a romantic relationship with her.

When she was in a daze, Wen Yu's deep eyes glanced over faintly. When the next shock came, he immediately came back to his senses. Shashen spoke, and she had no choice but to respond.

"At first, I was obsessed with it. At that time, did the county king hate me?"

"No."

"...Did the county king think that I was different and became interested in me from the very beginning?"

"I don't care about people who don't matter."

Ye Ping really wanted to slap her **** and leave. She had never seen such a puzzled person before. She wanted to scold people so much, she wanted to talk to death, and she wanted to talk about love, which was simply too difficult for her.

She lowered her head, making a sad appearance.

"I know it's my fault, I shouldn't provoke the king. But what can I do... I like the king, and I suffer from lovesickness day and night. I'm not really a shameless person. The world slanders me, I will also be sad and sad. At that time, I often thought, you are a noble person, you are a cloud in the sky. I came from a humble background, worse than the mud in the ground, and I dare not contaminate your body with this kind of mud. Noble, I am satisfied if I can only look at the county king from afar in the future..."

"Now that I got what I wanted, are you happy?"

"Overjoyed."

"good."

What good!

Is this a love affair?

This is an interrogation.

"What do you want to do?"

More like an interrogation.

Ye Ping still lowered her head, "Being lucky enough to be by the county king's side is what I want to do most in my life. It's enough to focus on one thing for the rest of my life."

The so-called love talk, she was the only one talking about it. She was a little moved when she heard these words, this person should be satisfied, right?

Wen Yu's eyes were heavy, like an endless night.

This little liar is used to coaxing people.

Going shopping and watching movies are all boring things. There are gardens in every prefecture. Since it is the flowers before the moon and the moon is under, shouldn’t there be beautiful scenery to accompany it? Why drill a grove?

Ye Ping couldn't wait for him to speak for a long time, her heart fluttered non-stop. Suddenly caught a glimpse of something passing by not far away, and heard a faint rustling sound, she jumped three feet high in fright, hugging the person in front of her like an octopus.

"Snakes! There are snakes!"

With Wen Xiang nephrite in his arms, Wen Yu's eyes darkened.

It turns out that this is the fun of drilling a grove.

…

Sanxi and a few guards had been waiting outside the grove, she looked in from time to time, she really didn't understand what the county king was doing to bring her girl in.

Is it a small solution?

If he was in a hurry, he should have just returned home, so why detour here?

When her neck was almost broken, Wen Yu and Ye Ping finally came out.

Ye Ping's face was a little pale. She was really scared before, and she was scaring herself. There was no snake at all, just a woodrat that came out at night to feed.

"Girl, what did you and the county king do just now?" Sanxi came to help her and asked in a low voice.

"It's time to talk." Ye Ping replied feebly, who would believe it, the so-called jade-faced demon king Wenjun actually went to the grove to have a love affair with her.

Sanxi wondered, "Playing the piano?"

Ye Ping nodded speechlessly, the chicken talked to the duck, and played the piano to the cow.

"After you went in, did you find that you forgot to bring the piano?"

That's why the county princess's complexion is so bad.

"Yeah, it's heartless, let's talk."

"Play it for nothing." Sanxi looked at her master sympathetically, it was really embarrassing for her eldest girl to play without the piano.

"It's just empty talk."

There is no affection, no love, and some are all acting. The so-called one game is empty, naturally it is all empty. Even if it is hard talk, it is empty talk.

"Miss, it's not easy for you." Sanxi sighed.

Ye Ping became more and more speechless, and pinched her chubby face.

"Sanxi, have you gained weight recently?"

Sanxi covered her face, "...No, no."

"It's good if you don't have any. Eat less. If there are delicious ones, let's order Sanfu. You see Sanfu is so skinny, you can make two of her with one."

"knew."

The master and servant were talking in a low voice, suddenly Qiqi felt that the atmosphere was not right.

Wen Yu stood not far away, looking at Ye Ping's hand touching Sanxi's face with cold eyes, Ye Ping immediately retracted his hand in fright.

The night was full of ups and downs, and Ye Ping didn't wake up until Chen Shi the next day. While dressing in the mirror, she remembered something. Yesterday, when I asked Princess Qingyang about it, I actually forgot about Wen Ruyu.

The ending she knew was that Wen Ruyu was sent out of Beijing after her reputation was ruined, and she never heard from her again. But books are just books, how can she know as much as her man.

Sanxi observed her expression and asked in a low voice. "Princess Princess, are you still going to the Duke's Mansion today?"

Not only Ye Ping's delicate and flowery face was reflected in the mirror, but also Sanxi's rather festive round face. In terms of trust, of course Ye Ping trusted Sanxi the most. But Mrs. Zeng and Sanfu are very capable, and they can use one master inside and the other master outside.

"No."

"...Then do you want to send someone to deliver a letter?"

Ye Ping's eyes showed her approval, after all, it was Gaomen Mansion who trained people, and Sanxi had grown up.

"Send someone there, just say that I want to look at the account books of the mansion today, and I will listen to the old lady's teachings after I straighten out the account books."

Sanxi takes the order and arranges it.

Ye Ping looked at the account books to see that it was fake, but it was true to be lazy.

After briefly going through the account books, I probably have a good idea. It seems that there are not many human contacts in the entire east courtyard, and Wen Yu is the only master, but the expenses are indeed not small.

She drank her tea slowly, and then got up after a while.

He didn't go out of the house either, but went to Xueyuan.

Wen Ruqin had been waiting anxiously for a long time, she didn't dare to go to Wen Yu's yard, so she could only hope that Ye Ping would come to find her.

The aunt and sister-in-law were already on good terms, and they were of an average age, talking and laughing very harmoniously. When lunch was approaching, Ye Ping naturally stayed to eat together.

Zhuangzi sent fresh beef over, and Wen Ruqin thought about the mutton pot last time, so he proposed to eat beef pot.

The beef at this time is rare, and Ye Ping has never eaten it since crossing. The eating method of the beef pot is similar to that of the mutton pot, and the dipping sauce is still prepared by herself.

The soup has a strong fragrance and floats far away.

A woman hurried into the yard, not knowing what she had said to Hongsang.

Hongsang's expression changed, and she walked into the room a few steps.

"Princess Princess, girl, the old lady is here."

Wen Ruqin stood up in fright when she heard the words, "Second sister-in-law, what... what should I do?"

How did grandma come here?

"Sit down." Ye Ping pushed her back, "That's your grandmother, not a tiger that eats people. It is said that tiger poison does not eat offspring, even if she is a tiger, she will not eat you."

"...but grandma doesn't like me."

"She doesn't like me either."

"Then... what should I do?"

"Come when she comes, what are you afraid of?"

At this time, Mrs. Wen had already arrived at the gate of Xueyuan, and could smell the aroma of meat. Immediately, his face became long, and the one who couldn't get on the stage said something about looking at the account books, so it turned out that he was hiding and eating.

She entered the yard with a gloomy face, just as Ye Ping and Wen Ruqin came out.

"Just now I told Xue Niang that I heard a magpie calling on a branch early this morning, and I don't know what it is. I didn't expect that it was borrowed from the east wind to bring your old man here."

While talking, Ye Ping stepped forward to hold Mrs. Wen's left arm.

Wen Ruqin winked, and carefully and nervously stepped forward to hold Mrs. Wen's right arm. Seeing that grandma didn't say anything, the heart in her throat was finally relieved a little.

The second sister-in-law is right, this is her grandmother, not a man-eating tiger.

Ye Ping secretly gave her a look of approval, and said to Mrs. Wen with a smile: "Xue Niang and I prepared a pot of beef early in the fear that some distinguished guests would come to our door. If grandma doesn't dislike it, why don't you come in and taste it? "

The closer to the house, the stronger the smell of meat. In addition to the smell of meat, there is also an indescribable spicy taste, which whets the appetite and makes the mouth water.

Mrs. Wen secretly swallowed her saliva, pretending to be reserved, "If that's the case, let's have a taste."