Chapter 330: First Meeting at Beitangju
Zhuang Shao's carriage stopped in front of a teahouse.
Ning Yunxi and her sister got off the carriage and followed closely.
It was still early and the teahouse was deserted. Leng Man sat alone in an elegant seat, waiting for Zhuang Shao.
When Zhuang Shao took his seat, Ning Yunxi and her sister followed quietly, took out a few gold bars and signaled to the waiter not to tell anyone.
The guys took the gold and happily did as they were told.
The Ning Yunxi sisters sat in the elegant seats behind Zhuang Shao. They were separated by a screen and could hear the conversation between Zhuang Shao and Leng Man clearly.
Leng Man chose a deserted and simple teahouse to prevent the meeting from being heard by others.
Fearing that the clerk would gossip, she gave him some silver and told him not to tell anyone else.
Everything was fine, she felt relieved and smiled at Zhuang Shao.
"I ordered tea casually. I don't know what you like. The tea and pastries are simple and tasteless. I hope you don't mind."
Zhuang Shao felt a little nervous, his eyes were full of smiles, and there seemed to be tears in them.
"Miss Leng is sharp and meticulous, and her tea is fragrant and her delicacies are exquisite, all of which are my favorites."
With a cold call of the girl, the past slowly emerged in his mind.
I still remember that they first met in the Beitang Residence of the Gu Mansion, which was also the residence of Gu Mengzhen.
At that time, she came happily with a food box in her hand.
"Mr. Gu said before that he loves the sweet cakes made by my cook. My father asked me to send some to you. Please accept them."
Zhuang Shao walked out of the inner room with a book and came to the main hall, where he happened to meet her face to face.
"Brother Gu is talking about this book..."
Before he finished speaking, he looked coldly at her, and stopped moving in a daze.
Gu Mengzhen turned his head left and right and glanced at them one by one.
Leng Man was neither arrogant nor boastful, and treated others with courtesy.
"Who is this?"
Gu Mengzhen slowly left his seat, walked to his brother's side, and introduced him with a smile.
"He is my good friend, the legitimate son of the Minister of the Ministry of Defense, Zhuang Shao."
"Brother Zhuang, this girl is the daughter of Lord Leng, the Minister of Tongshi, Leng Man."
Zhuang Shao turned to the coffee table beside him, quickly placed the book on it, and then bowed.
"Miss Leng, be well."
Leng Man lowered her eyes and smiled, responding with a salute.
"Mr. Zhuang is well."
My brother's cheeks were involuntarily flushed with shyness, which was seen clearly by Gu Mengzhen.
After Leng Man left, he asked in a friendly manner.
"My dear brother, what do you think of Miss Leng?"
Zhuang Shao has bright eyes and a childish and innocent smile.
"Perceptive, thoughtful, and considerate, very good."
As he spoke, he picked up the book and smiled brightly.
"Brother Gu, please take a look. Is this the book you are talking about?"
Gu Mengzhen waved for him to come over, picked up little Zhuang Shao and let him sit on his lap.
Not paying attention to the book, Gu Mengzhen put it aside and continued talking about Leng Man.
"When you grow up, if you have the chance, would you like to marry her?"
Zhuang Shao covered his face with his chubby little hands in embarrassment.
"Brother Gu, why are you so direct?"
Gu Mengzhen gently brushed his hand down. Although he was preaching, there was no harshness in his tone.
"A real man should be upright and honest. Why should you be so timid? Just say it."
Zhuang Shao's cheeks were rosy and he looked innocent and lively.
"It would be great if we could get engaged."
Gu Mengzhen picked up a piece of sweet jujube cake and fed it to his younger brother.
"Unfortunately, you are a step late. She and I are already engaged."
Zhuang Shao happily took a bite of the dessert, but his expression suddenly changed when he heard these words.
"Ah? Where is this...engagement? I don't think you ever mentioned it."
Gu Mengzhen gently touched his nose with his fingertips.
"Verbal agreement cannot be put into writing."
Zhuang Shao frowned and his eyes were blank.
"Didn't Brother Gu say that verbal promises are not binding, and if you are sincere, you should sign the marriage contract?"
Gu Mengzhen glanced at the sweet cake and chuckled silently, with deep meaning.
"As you said, if it's not sincere, how can I sign it?"
Zhuang Shao scratched his head, not understanding for a moment.
"If you don't really mean it, why do you make a promise?"
Gu Mengzhen was careful and considerate and combed his black hair for him.
"It's too early to tell you about the affairs of the court. You will understand slowly in the future."
Zhuang Shao imitated his elders by stroking their beards and pretending to be in deep thought.
"The court..."
After stroking for a long time without success, he turned to twisting his brother's short beard, pretending to be calm.
"You and I are still young, living in the palace and not in the court, why should we care about the affairs of the court?"
Gu Mengzhen smiled dotingly, not caring about it, and let his brother play with his beard.
"A few days ago, the Gu family was in trouble. Fortunately, you saved them. These two days, I have been thinking that sitting still is tantamount to waiting for death. You are still young, so you don't need to think too much; but I am almost twenty years old, and it is time to make some preparations in advance to pave the way for the future."
Feeling something was wrong, Zhuang Shao objected and gave advice.
"But Brother Gu has clearly taught us that we should be upright and do our duty. How can we get involved in the court when we are not yet an official? In addition, it is not right to use Miss Leng to seek personal gain."
Gu Mengzhen was slightly startled, and then he realized that his brother was very talented and could understand some of the words that were said without reservation.
After weighing the pros and cons for a moment, Gu Mengzhen showed a kind look, talked and laughed cheerfully, and made excuses to smooth things over.
"you misunderstood."
"Why would I have any bad intentions? I took the initiative to get to know Lord Leng in order to find someone to rely on, so that we won't be bullied by bad guys again."
"I never meant to use Miss Leng by promising her. She is still young, and I am afraid that signing a marriage contract would be too restrictive, so I want to wait until she is older before discussing this matter. When I say 'not sincere', I am referring to her, not me. In the end, I have good intentions, and I am afraid that she will regret it."
Zhuang Shaochun had no doubt about it. He jumped to the ground and bowed to his brother.
"Brother Gu, I'm sorry. I was judging others by my own standards. I hope you can forgive me."
Seeing that he was frowning and full of guilt, Gu Mengzhen gave him a hand and rubbed his brother's brow.
"There's no need to be so polite between us brothers."
He left his seat, squatted down, looked Zhuang Shao in the eye, and taught patiently and tirelessly.
"Uncle Zhuang, you are my only child, so I have high hopes for you. He is an upright man, and he doesn't care about family background. When you marry in the future, remember to choose a virtuous wife. Miss Leng, who was raised in the mansion and is inevitably willful, is not really a good choice for a wife."
Zhuang Shao disagreed and still nodded obediently.
"Yeah, I remember."
"Brother, you promised me something, so I shouldn't have coveted it. I was rude, please don't blame me, Brother Gu."
Gu Mengzhen looked at him and smiled.
"My dear brother, you are sensible. I am very relieved."
Recalling this, Zhuang Shao sat in a private room, his heart touched.
However, due to the current situation, he could not reveal his identity, and could only use the name of Lord Fang and call her Miss Leng, addressing her respectfully as if they were just meeting for the first time.
As time passed, he had no idea that the three words "Cold Girl" had become a pain in Leng Man's heart.
Hearing his name, Leng Man felt deeply mocked, her smile disappeared and her face quickly turned cold.
"Master Fang was speechless. I am already married, how can I be called a girl?"
She gritted her teeth and endured the pain, feeling guilty, and couldn't help but test it.
"Could it be that... Lord Fang has heard some rumors?"
Zhuang Shao hastily apologized with a smile and a respectful attitude.
"I am indeed speechless. Please do not be offended, Madam Xu. I will say it again. Madam Xu is very perceptive and meticulous. These snacks are all my favorites."
Leng Man frowned in displeasure.
"Why do you admit that you are speechless and keep silent about the rumors? I guess Lord Fang has indeed heard the rumors."
Zhuang Shao had secretly inquired about many things about her, so he asked.
"Which rumor are you referring to?"
Leng Man misunderstood his meaning and stood up angrily.
"I understand Lord Fang's intention to keep people at a distance. Goodbye!"
Zhuang Shao stood up and waved his hands.
"Huh? I don't have one..."
Without waiting for his explanation, she walked out of the private room.
It was a rare occasion for them to meet again, Zhuang Shao was reluctant to leave, so he chased her out of the private room and blocked her way.
"Wait a minute!"
Seeing them standing in the living room, Ning Yunxi and her sister were startled and hid under the table in time.