Yan Liangwen stifled his smile and closed the folding fan in his hand. His words carried an ambiguous meaning. "They say the Censorate doesn't keep idle people. I didn't believe it before, but seeing it today, I've truly underestimated Lord Pei."
Pei Zhaolin raised his eyes to meet Yan Liangwen's gaze. The atmosphere between them grew increasingly tense.
Suddenly, Yan Liangwen changed the subject.
"I can give the ledger to Lord Pei, but I want a person—"
Yan Liangwen glanced sideways and fixed his eyes on Huang Zuoshi, who had been pretending to be invisible behind Pei Zhaolin.
"Let him stay with me for three nights. Can you bear to part with him, Lord Pei?"
Hearing this, Pei Zhaolin slightly shifted his body and scanned Huang Zuoshi's rigid and stunned face.
Everyone present was a bit surprised by Yan Liangwen's move.
Coming to his senses, Huang Zuoshi widened his eyes and almost frantically shook his head at Pei Zhaolin.
He didn't want this! He was eager to go back home to accompany his wife!
After a moment of thought, Pei Zhaolin stood up and calmly said, "I'll send someone to pick up the ledger in three incense - burning times. Huang Zuoshi is an official of the Censorate. If a single hair on his head is harmed—"
He twirled the jade wine cup on his fingertips. As he finished speaking, he flicked his finger, and the wine cup flew almost past Yan Liangwen's face.
Then it hit the bronze mirror behind Yan Liangwen, and the mirror surface instantly cracked into a spider - web pattern.
"Tomorrow, this Golden Jade Workshop will—"
"Be turned into a morgue."
Outside the building, the night watchman struck the gong three times and shouted to be careful with candles at night.
Inside the Golden Jade Workshop, things were just starting.
Instead of getting angry, Yan Liangwen laughed and kept fanning himself. "The place is in a mess. Hurry up and show Lord Pei to another room to rest."
Yunniang swayed her hips and stepped forward, softly calling, "Lord Pei, this way, please."
Pei Zhaolin disgustedly avoided her and coldly said, "No need."
He couldn't stand staying in such a place.
As for Huang Zuoshi.
"Lock him in the wood - shed without a lamp."
Yan Liangwen closed his fan and watched Pei Zhaolin's back, smiling.
Huang Zuoshi: "?!" Was this right!
But before Huang Zuoshi could say a single word, he was knocked unconscious by a surprise attack from a secret guard!
A servant beside Yan Liangwen was puzzled. "My lord, are you really going to get the ledger for that Pei Zhaolin? If you hand over the ledger now, it will be hard for the master to explain the fire in the Ministry of Revenue five days ago."
"Father is old and muddle - headed. How could he cooperate with a woman like Concubine Rong!"
Yan Liangwen said in a low voice, "Everyone is on edge now. Pei Zhaolin is willing to be the one to stick his neck out. It's all for his mistress hidden in Willow Garment Alley."
Then he confidently curled his lips. "I've heard that before Concubine Rong entered the palace, she was a slave of the Luo family. It was only after she entered the palace that the Luo family changed her name and identity."
"Given these old stories, even for the sake of his mistress, Pei Zhaolin won't dare to make a big deal out of it."
The attendant's eyes lit up and he said admiringly, "My lord is both brave and resourceful. Your subordinate admires you!"
Yan Liangwen waved his fan and sighed regretfully. "It's a pity, though."
The attendant was confused. "What does my lord pity?"
Yan Liangwen let out a sigh.
Naturally, he was sighing about Cui Jintang.
Since he was seventeen, he had been thinking about how to make a fortune. After looking around, he finally set his eyes on the gambling house.
Just when his business was booming, Cui Jintang, who had just arrived in the capital, exposed the cheating tricks.
Yan Liangwen appreciated her talent and repeatedly asked her to stay.
But the young girl said she had taken a fancy to Pei Zhaolin of the Censorate and had secretly fallen in love with him. Since then, they had lost contact.
But now...
Yan Liangwen sneered secretly. What was so good about Pei Zhaolin? After seeing him today, he was just a hypocrite!
He shook his head and said, "It's nothing. Let's go."
But just as they were about to leave the private room, Yan Liangwen suddenly heard an uproar downstairs.
"I want ten gigolos all at once!"
Yan Liangwen stopped in his tracks. His eyes instantly lit up when he heard this: Ten gigolos? This was a big customer!
He turned around. When he saw Pei Zhaolin standing not far away, his expression instantly fell.
He cursed secretly in his heart: Why is this annoying guy still here?!
Muttering curses, he followed Pei Zhaolin's gaze. When he saw clearly, Yan Liangwen immediately rushed to the railing and widened his eyes.
He couldn't believe it and shouted out the name of the person standing downstairs: "Cui Jintang? What is she doing here!"
Pei Zhaolin slightly lowered his eyes and watched Cui Jintang leaning against the railing. Her pomegranate - red dress was eye - catching.
He saw her playfully lift the chin of a young lutenist, with the most charming smile on her lips as she spoke.
Although Pei Zhaolin couldn't hear what Cui Jintang was saying to the young lutenist.
He could clearly see that the young lutenist's ears were red with shyness, and the girls around them burst into laughter.
Pei Zhaolin's eyes darkened a bit.
He turned to Yan Liangwen, his face expressionless but his voice a bit colder. "Do you know Miss Cui?"
Seeing Pei Zhaolin's attitude, Yan Liangwen paused for a moment. After reacting, he showed a proud look on his face.
With a "snap", he opened his folding fan.
"If we calculate carefully, when I got to know Miss Cui, Lord Pei didn't even know where he was!"
Yan Liangwen acted as if he had a deep relationship with Cui Jintang.
Suddenly, downstairs, Pei Ying waved her hand boldly. She shouted so loudly that she was afraid no one would hear.
"Sister Jin, I'm treating today!—Hurry up and call out all the most expensive and good - looking gentlemen in your building! Serve my Sister Jin well!"
The gigolos who heard the news swarmed over.
Some were holding lutes, some were wielding swords, and some were half - bare - chested, pouring wine. All of them had rosy lips and white teeth.
Pei Ying hid behind Cui Jintang and laughed like a cat that had stolen the cream. "Sister, touch them as you like. It's all on me today!"
After saying that, she didn't forget to pat her purse.
It was bulging. It would surely satisfy Sister Jin!
Even Cui Jintang had never seen such a "surrounded by men" scene. She quickly reached out and pulled the young lutenist beside her as a shield.
She said a few kind words with a smile before she managed to break free from the crowd.
Seeing this, Pei Zhaolin withdrew his gaze and mercilessly mocked Yan Liangwen.
"Master Yan boasts about knowing Miss Cui earlier. I thought Miss Cui came here to look for you today. It seems that's not the case."
Yan Liangwen snorted and stood up grudgingly.
Of course, he knew whether the young lutenist that Cui Jintang was holding was male or female.
But in front of Pei Zhaolin at this moment, he just didn't want Pei Zhaolin to feel good!
Just as he was about to retort, he saw Pei Zhaolin already walking downstairs.
In a hurry, Yan Liangwen quickly followed.
Pei Zhaolin walked quite fast.
Pei Ying was just bouncing up to the second floor when she ran straight into Pei Zhaolin!
She was stunned and instinctively wanted to turn around and run. Then she looked at Cui Jintang face to face—
Cui Jintang was confused. She hadn't seen Pei Zhaolin standing behind her and was still asking, "What's wrong?"
Pei Ying opened her mouth and silently but desperately signaled to Cui Jintang, "Brother!"
But Cui Jintang still didn't understand. Just as she was about to open her mouth.
A soft call came from behind her. "Pei Ying."