Zhou Niannan was pretending to be asleep, but because he was so tired, he actually fell asleep without realizing it. When he woke up, there was no one else waiting in the private room. Only Xie Miao was left sitting next to him, holding her chin with one hand and looking at the void.
He looked down and saw that the palm of his hand was still holding her sleeve. Even though the fabric was wrinkled, he was reluctant to let go, as if he was holding her soft palm instead of the corner of her clothes.
"Zhou Niannan." Xie Miao noticed that he woke up and said rudely, "Let go."
Zhou Niannan regretfully did as he was told. It's not known what he thought of, but he raised his eyebrows and smiled again, "You've always been with me?"
Xie Miao was speechless, "Who knows where your guards went. I searched all over but couldn't find anyone."
Zhou Niannan nodded solemnly, "Neglecting one's duties, I will punish them severely when I return home." But he was happy in his heart: Yes, Zuo Qing has a very good eye, and he must be rewarded when he returns home.
Xie Miao tried smoothing her cuffs, but to no avail, so she simply gave up.
Zhou Niannan said: "I will give you a piece of Yunwu gauze as a reward someday. The Empress in the palace loves to wear this. It can be made into a nice and tight dress."
Xie Miao flatly refused: "No, I can't bear it."
Zhou Niannan has learned the lesson and decided to settle the matter directly instead of arguing with her. He changed the subject and asked: "Did you read carefully the recipe booklet I gave you a few days ago?"
Xie Miao is much more experienced than Qiaogu, and her face does not change when she lies, "What recipe booklet? I haven't seen it before."
Zhou Niannan rubbed his chin and stared at her. Although he couldn't find any flaws, he somehow felt that Xie Miao surely had read the cookbook.
He said: "Hangzhou is a good place, with beautiful water and mountains, beautiful scenery, and even the food is exquisite and elegant. When we get married, I will take you to travel together and experience the scenery of Jiangnan."
Xie Miao automatically ignored his wild imagination and asked, "What are you doing in Hangzhou?"
A cold look flashed in Zhou Niannan's eyes, and then he said casually: "Just taking care of some chores."
Xie Miao said "En", stood up and walked out, "I'm leaving."
Zhou Niannan followed closely, "I'll see you off."
Xie Miao said: "I have a carriage, you don't need to do anything extra."
Xie Miao was the first to cross the threshold and happened to meet the people coming out of the private room next door. When she took a closer look, she saw that it was Wen Rubin and Su Panyan.
The two of them stood together, and they could be called a talented man and a beautiful woman. However, Su Panyan always had a vague feeling of worry lingering between her brows, making her look fragile and pitiful.
When Xie Miao was thinking about whether she could pretend to be blind, Su Panyan took the initiative to greet her, "Miss Xie."
Xie Miao replied politely: "Miss Su."
There was a hint of embarrassment in the air. Xie Miao was not going to force the conversation. Just as she was about to leave, she heard Wen Rubin say: "Is this Second Young Master Cui's cousin, Miss Xie?"
Xie Miao looked over in surprise, how could Wen Rubin talk to her?
Immediately afterwards, she saw dissatisfaction in his eyes, and he spoke sternly and righteously: "The Cui family has a clear family tradition, and has always set an example for the court. As a cousin of the Cui family, Miss Xie should pay attention to her words and deeds. How can she hold hands with the Second Young Master Cui intimately in public? After flirting with each other, she went on a private trip to the lake with a foreign man? "
These words made Xie Miao dizzy. Let's not say how he knew about her and Zhou Niannan's lake tour. Let's just talk about one thing: Whoever she meets with, what does the matter have to do with him? !
She thought that Su Panyan would speak out to take care of her fiancé, but unexpectedly, Su Panyan lowered her eyes and looked like she was staying out of the matter.
Xie Miao was angered. Hey, this person can put on an act even more than her.
She suppressed her expression and was about to have a good conversation with the other party when she was interrupted by a lazy voice.
"I didn't know that with such a leisurely job in the Hanlin Academy, Young Master Wen would still have the time to point fingers at others." Zhou Niannan appeared from behind the door with a smile on his face and a mocking tone, "Whoever this Young Master want to meet in private, is it your turn to make irresponsible remarks?"
Su Panyan was shocked, not expecting Zhou Niannan to be inside. She immediately turned to Wen Rubin in a panic.
Although Wen Rubin was also surprised, he was much calmer and said with cupped hands, "Third Young Master Zhou's words are wrong."
Zhou Niannan stood beside Xie Miao, not hiding his closeness to her, "Oh?"
Wen Rubin said solemnly: "There are precepts for women: to be leisurely, chaste, and quiet, to be disciplined and tidy, to behave with shame, and to behave according to the law. This is called women's virtue. Miss Xie is still in the boudoir, and she has too much contact with two men, which is really against women's virtue."
Someone applauded softly, er, it was Xie Miao herself, who was accused of being immoral.
Xie Miao said to Zhou Niannan seriously: "Listen, it turns out that he is the editor of the Hanlin Academy. He is not only familiar with the Four Books and Five Classics, but also has a thorough understanding of Confucianism. He even knows the Four Books on Women at his fingertips."
Zhou Niannan readily accepted her views, and said: "More than just picking it up at the fingertips, he has a comprehensive understanding."
Everyone could hear the disapproval in their words. Wen Rubin was annoyed and continued to lecture, "Da Qi is a land of ritual and propriety. Men should be sensible and cultivate themselves, and women should be chaste and virtuous..."
Zhou Niannan raised his eyebrows and asked, "In that case, what about your private meeting with Miss Su?"
Wen Rubin's cheeks warmed slightly. He glanced at Su Panyan and said, "Wanwan and I are already engaged, so it is only natural that we meet."
"Oh, I understand." Zhou Niannan turned to Xie Miao and said confidently: "If you agree to be engaged to me as soon as possible, you will not cause other people to criticize you again."
...
Xie Miao's face said "You are sick and need to be treated."
On the contrary, Wen Rubin frowned, "Third Young Master Zhou, this Miss Xie is trying to get both sides of you and Second Young Master Cui. I advise you to think carefully."
Zhou Niannan almost laughed out loud. In his lifetime, can he still hear Wen Rubin helping Cui Er to protest against injustice?
He inspected back and forth between Wen Rubin and Su Panyan, and said meaningfully: "Young Master Wen, instead of worrying about Cui Er and I being deceived, you should worry about yourself first. After all, some things cannot be achieved by wishful thinking."
After saying that, regardless of Wen Rubin's expression, he said to Xie Miao: "Your maids should be in a hurry, let's go."
Zhou Niannan deliberately slowed down, and after Xie Miao went downstairs, he suddenly turned around and said, "Oh, I forgot to tell you. It's not that Xie Miao is trying to get along with me and Cui Er, but that Cui Er and I yearn for her at the same time and we can't help ourselves."
Wen Rubin was stunned, this, this...
He was speechless for a moment, and looked at Su Panyan, but met her sad eyes. He couldn't help but want to hold her hand, but she subconsciously avoided him.
Wen Rubin's heartstrings trembled and he was stunned for a moment.
After Su Panyan came to her senses, she explained nervously: "Brother Wen, you and I are all grown up, so we must pay attention to propriety."
However, Wen Rubin could see guilt and remorse in her evasive eyes, and suddenly felt ridiculous. In recent years, Wanwan has always been depressed when she was with him, and is no longer as cheerful as before. He used to comfort himself that she was shy, but now he can no longer turn a blind eye.
Zhou Niannan's words kept echoing in his mind: Some things cannot be achieved by just wishful thinking...?
*
Before parting, Zhou Niannan had a bad smile on his lips. He approached Xie Miao and asked, "Xie Miao, what do you think of the relationship between Wen Rubin and Su Panyan?"
Xie Miao said: "I'll stand and watch."
Zhou Niannan said: "Don't you think the relationship between them is strange?"
Xie Miao said: "I don't think so."
Zhou Niannan nodded and pretended to be serious: "Yes, Su Panyan has fallen in love with someone else. I'm afraid their marriage will go awry."
Xie Miao:......
Zhou Niannan said: "Do you want to know who Su Panyan likes?"
Xie Miao: "I don't want to. I'm not interested. I don't care."
Zhou Niannan: "She likes Cui Er. They met in Yangzhou three years ago and had a crush on each other. If it weren't for Wen Rubin, they might have already made an engagement."
Xie Miao smiled and said, "Third Young Master Zhou, you have eyes that see in six directions and ears that hear in all directions."
"It's okay, it's okay. I happened to be passing through Yangzhou at that time." Zhou Niannan said modestly: "Actually, I think Cui Er and Su Panyan are very compatible in every aspect. What do you think?"
Xie Miao noticed something was wrong, "What do you want to do?"
Zhou Niannan blinked innocently, "What can I do?"
Xie Miao glanced at him and warned: "You'd better mind your own business."
Zhou Niannan thought to himself, how could this be considered nosy? Su Panyan likes Cui Er, and Cui Er also had a crush on Su Panyan. If the marriage between Su Panyan and Wen Rubin is cancelled, Cui Er and Su Panyan will reunite...
Everyone is happy, everyone is happy!
*
Half a month passed quickly, and it was Xie Miao's birthday in the blink of an eye.
In the early morning, as soon as Xie Miao sat down in front of the dressing table, she saw Lan Xia mysteriously open the door and come in.
"Miss." Lan Xia lowered her voice and said excitedly: "Something big has happened, something big has happened!"
Xie Miao yawned gracefully, and picked up the double white begonia flower in the vase. She brought it to her nose and sniffed it.
"Don't get excited, let me guess." Fu Lu answered as usual: "Is it the fight between the couple selling wontons on the street, or the cattle and sheep running around in the market, or whose house was broken into and money was stolen?"
Lan Xia shook her head, "No, no, not at all. I will definitely scare you if I say it."
"Oh?" Fu Lu trailed off, not quite believing it, "Really?"
Lan Xia took a few deep breaths and then said: "Listen carefully, I'm only going to say it once, Miss Su's marriage is over!"
Xie Miao held the jade comb in her hand for a moment and looked sideways at her, "Whose marriage is it?"
"The one who is inseparable from the Third Young Lady, Su Panyan, the only daughter of General Ambassador Su." Lan Xia said: "Her fiancé - no, it's the former fiancé. It is said that he is the son of the Minister of Taichang Temple, his surname is Wen."
Fu Lu was deeply surprised and said: "Where did you hear the news? Make sure it is not a misinformation."
Lan Xia used her hands as a fan to blow air on her face, "I personally heard it from the maid in the Third Miss' courtyard. How can it still be a lie? The Third Miss is rushing to the Su Mansion to offer comfort. I'm afraid she won't be able to come back until midnight."
The news must be true.
Fu Lu sighed, "I heard that they were engaged to be married when they were still in their mothers' womb. They have been sweethearts since childhood and their relationship is extraordinary. How could something unexpected happen suddenly?"
Lan Xia said: "There are rumours outside that Young Master Wen broke off the engagement on his own initiative. As for the reason, there are various theories, but I don't know which one is true."
Fu Lu and Lan Xia were so absorbed in chatting that they didn't notice Xie Miao's unusual silence.
The marriage between Su Panyan and Wen Rubin was annulled, and she wanted to know whose handiwork it was.
Zhou Niannan is really...
She combed her long hair again and again, thinking wildly: It's not a bad thing. After they got married in their previous life, the childhood sweethearts eventually became enemies. It's better to separate early. A moment of gossip is better than a lifetime of misfortune for two people.
After all, she was the woman he liked when he first fell in love. When Cui Muli returns to the capital, he and Su Panyan may be able to resume their old dreams.
In this way, Zhou Niannan did something good by accident.
Xie Miao thinks it's pretty good.
As early as in her previous life, she had already seen clearly that the gap in identity, the mixed emotions, and the misunderstandings that had accumulated over time and were never expressed in words, all doomed her and Cui Muli to failure.
In comparison, Su Panyan is obviously more suitable for Cui Muli. At least they are well matched and happy with each other, right?