However, no matter how angry the Marquis of Pingyang was, what could he do? Today he needed something from others. For the reputation and status of his marquis's mansion, he had to endure it.
Bowing to Su Qing, the Marquis of Pingyang said, "I've come today to apologize for my daughter's act of pushing your daughter into the water at the Empress's birthday banquet a few days ago. I hope this can ease the rift between our two families. After all, we both share the surname Su. Maybe hundreds or thousands of years ago, we were from the same family. Since we're all of the Su clan, we should be friendly and helpful to each other. It's better not to damage our amity."
"Oh—" Su Qing pretended to suddenly understand, then frowned worriedly. "So that's why Your Lordship has come. Alas, what should we do?"
Hearing this, the Marquis of Pingyang felt a sense of unease.
"Why does the Duke of Yong say so?"
"If you're here to apologize, it'd be appropriate to call my wife and daughter here to reconcile with Your Lordship. But unfortunately, Your Lordship has come at a bad time. Today is the fifteenth day of the lunar month. My wife took our children to Fuxing Temple early in the morning to offer incense and pray. They're not at home. How about Your Lordship coming again tomorrow?"
What?! Not at home?!
No, the Duchess of Yong also took her children to Fuxing Temple?! Oh no! Could the two families meet at the Buddhist temple?
He'd been delayed for two days because of Lady Tong's illness and hadn't been able to come and apologize earlier, so he hadn't won the forgiveness of the Duke of Yong's mansion. If the Duchess of Yong saw Yu'er and Qian'er and there was another conflict, what could he do?
The Marquis of Pingyang was so anxious that a cold sweat broke out on his forehead.
Did he really have to come again tomorrow?
No! If there was really a conflict between the two families at Fuxing Temple, the Duke of Yong's mansion would resent the Marquis of Pingyang's mansion even more. If he came again tomorrow, the situation would be completely different!
The Marquis of Pingyang's face changed several times. Finally, he endured it and said, "It doesn't matter. Since I've already waited for one day, it doesn't hurt to wait a little longer."
Su Qing chuckled. "Your Lordship is truly magnanimous. In that case, let's wait here together."
Su Qing sat down in the main seat, and the Marquis of Pingyang sat down reluctantly.
The butler promptly served Su Qing a cup of hot tea. Su Qing picked up the teacup, stirred the tea leaves with the lid, took a sip, and praised, "Excellent tea."
Looking up and seeing the Marquis of Pingyang sitting still, he said very enthusiastically, "Why doesn't Your Lordship try this tea? This is Biluochun bestowed by His Majesty. It has a delicate and lingering flavor, and a sweet aftertaste when it goes down the throat. It's truly wonderful."
The Marquis of Pingyang's face turned even worse, but he was too proud to say that the tea by his hand was already ice - cold.
It was his young servant who said, "Your Grace, our Marquis has been sitting here for a whole day. The tea has long since gone cold."
Su Qing feigned surprise. "What? Has the tea gone cold? Oh, look at me. I'm so clumsy that I didn't notice this detail."
Then he kicked the butler beside him. "Su Maozhong, how do you do things? Can't you see that the Marquis's tea has gone cold? Hurry up and get the Marquis a fresh cup of hot tea!"
"Yes, yes, yes. I'll go right away."
The butler quickly responded, stepped forward to take the teacup from the Marquis of Pingyang's hand, and turned to go and change the tea.
Pointing at the departing back of the butler, Su Qing said to the Marquis of Pingyang, "The customs in Mobei are simple and honest. This lad has never seen much of the world. And we've only been in Shengjing for a short time, so we're not quite used to these formalities. That's why we didn't notice that Your Lordship's tea had gone cold. It was never intentional. I hope Your Lordship will forgive us."
Since Su Qing had already given all the excuses, what else could the Marquis of Pingyang say?
So, the Marquis of Pingyang could only force a polite and humble smile. "The Duke of Yong is forthright and doesn't care about trivial matters. The people around you are also loyal. I envy you very much."
But no matter how you listened to it, it seemed to have a gritted - teeth undertone.
A short while later, the butler returned to the main hall with a fresh cup of hot tea and placed it beside the Marquis of Pingyang.
"Your Lordship, please have some tea."
The Marquis of Pingyang was really thirsty. He picked up the teacup. Whether it was intentional or not, his action of pushing aside the tea leaves with the lid was extremely elegant, completely different from Su Qing's bold and unrestrained way.
Seeing the Marquis of Pingyang's behavior, Su Qing squinted his eyes slightly, and the smile on his lips deepened.
The Marquis of Pingyang blew on the tea soup. When the temperature had cooled down a bit, he took a sip. However, as soon as the tea soup entered his mouth, the strange taste made him choke and cough.
"Cough, cough, cough! Cough, cough—"
His young servant beside him was extremely worried. "Your Lordship, what's wrong? Is the tea too hot?"
Su Qing also asked with great concern, "Is Your Lordship all right? Does the tea bestowed by His Majesty not suit your taste?"
What tea bestowed by His Majesty? This was clearly the old tea used in the teahouses in the market! It tasted bitter and unpleasant, with a musty smell. It would be a miracle if it suited his taste!
After finally calming down, the Marquis of Pingyang wiped the tea from his lips with a gloomy face and said, "I have a unique taste and can't enjoy the tea bestowed by His Majesty. I've made the Duke of Yong laugh."
Su Qing raised his eyebrows and didn't say anything else. Instead, he held his teacup and chatted with the Marquis of Pingyang casually.
They chatted from the customs and scenery of Mobei to the streets and alleys of Shengjing, and then to the differences in cuisine between Mobei and Shengjing, until the Marquis of Pingyang's face turned green.
Seeing the Marquis of Pingyang looking outside from time to time, Su Qing stopped talking and asked the butler beside him, "Maozhong, go and find out why my wife took the young master and young lady to Fuxing Temple to pray but haven't returned home yet. Could it be that something unexpected happened on the way?"
As he said this, Su Qing also glanced meaningfully at the Marquis of Pingyang.
The Marquis of Pingyang naturally didn't miss Su Qing's inquisitive and suspicious look. He couldn't help but clench his fists by his side.
Sixteen years ago, Lady Tong had an accident on the way back from Fuxing Temple, and his eldest legitimate daughter was lost.
Now, in order to let Lady Tong sleep peacefully, he'd agreed to her request to go to Fuxing Temple again. If there was another accident this time, he'd never forgive himself...
"Your Lordship." Su Qing called out.
The Marquis of Pingyang looked up and saw Su Qing looking at him seriously.
"I know why Your Lordship has come today, and I also know that Your Lordship must be a bit reluctant in your heart. It's understandable that Your Lordship loves your children. I can understand that. But I only have one daughter, and she's the apple of my eye. I'm willing to do anything for her and won't let her suffer any grievances."
"Your Lordship, put yourself in my shoes. If it was your beloved daughter who was pushed into the water and almost drowned at the bottom of the lake, would you be able to sit here so calmly and talk to me today?"
The Marquis of Pingyang moved his lips but was speechless for a moment.
A moment later, he stood up and bowed deeply to Su Qing. "I've severely punished my rebellious daughter and will also strictly discipline my children. I'll order them not to be willful and play tricks on others in the future."
"That's good." Su Qing said indifferently. "I'll convey Your Lordship's and the Marquis of Pingyang's mansion's apologies to my wife. But whether she'll forgive Your Lordship and the Marquis of Pingyang's mansion depends on her. Maozhong, see the guest out."
The Marquis of Pingyang also knew that staying any longer wouldn't yield any results. He was just about to get up and leave when he heard a clear and sweet girl's voice coming from outside.
"Daddy! Daddy—Yuanbao is back!"
Then he saw a plum - red figure rushing in from the outside and throwing herself into Su Qing's arms.
That fiery enthusiasm and the slightly familiar tone made the Marquis of Pingyang stand there stunned on the spot.