I dress up as a poor noblewoman, and I bring my whole family home with my literary talent.

Chapter 6 Meeting Again
Entering the Hesi Building, you will find a different world inside

Song Lingyi stared blankly at the stage in the middle of the lobby.

The young man on the stage had a handsome face and was playing the piano. The music was so melodious that the tea drinkers around him were so engrossed in it that they didn't even notice that the tea had gotten cold.

I didn't expect the owner of this teahouse to have such avant-garde ideas! What's the difference between this and the handsome guys marketing in modern bars? Just looking at them is pleasing to the eye, so there's no need to worry about not being able to sell tea.

Song Xianglan waved her hand in front of Song Lingyi: "Oh, oh, are you stupid?"

Song Lingyi said infatuatedly: "Second sister, the musician of Hesi Tower is so handsome..."

Song Xianglan glanced at the young man on the stage and said, "I think he is just like that, not yet..." She stopped herself in time.

Nothing yet? Song Lingyi was puzzled

Suddenly I recalled the scene when I met my second sister in the dark alley. I guessed that my second sister was in love. She thought her lover was the most handsome.

Afraid that Song Lingyi would ask more questions, the guilty Song Xianglan pulled her to the private room on the second floor.

The corridor on the second floor was quite narrow. If they tried to walk side by side, they would inevitably collide with people coming from the opposite direction, so the two sisters walked one in front and one behind.

Song Lingyi followed slowly from behind, looking out from time to time to admire the musicians downstairs, until the musician stood up to take a bow and then turned her attention back.

The young man walking towards him had a slender figure, wearing a seven-beam crown on his head, and a lake blue robe with dots of gold. His hands were hidden in his wide sleeves, and behind him was a row of flaming lanterns. He was walking with the light from behind, and his face flickered.

Song Lingyi first noticed that the man was very tall, and then thought that his clothes were of extraordinary style. It was not until the man came closer that she was surprised to find that this man looked very familiar!
Isn’t he the man who had an affair with the Shangshu’s concubine in his mansion that day?

He was dressed much more simply today, like a dashing and elegant gentleman, unlike when he was in the Shangshu Mansion, when he was as flamboyant as a peacock.

As the saying goes, if we are destined to meet, we will meet even if we are thousands of miles apart; if we are not destined to meet, we will not meet even if we are face to face.

Chang'an City is so big, and we met twice. It's really a narrow road for enemies.

Lu Jing had recognized Song Lingyi a long time ago, but pretended not to know her. He just looked at her coldly and passed by.

Following closely behind him was a gorgeously dressed and charming woman. As the woman passed by Song Lingyi, she glanced at her with her beautiful eyes and a meaningful smile on her face.

"..."

Seeing that Lu Jing didn't want to pay attention to her, Song Lingyi didn't want to bother to please him, so she quickly followed Song Xianglan in front of her, leaving everything behind.

Mr. Song booked the Cuiyu Pavilion on the second floor, which has a wide view. Not only can he see the entire first floor, but he can also enjoy the scenery of South Bridge.

Song Lingyi entered the private room, but found that not only her father and the eldest lady were there, but also Zhou Xiaoniang and her third sister.

No wonder everyone was gone when I turned around. It seemed like they all went to Hesi Tower to listen to music and drink tea.

The private room is filled with warm fragrance and is fairly spacious. On the left are three carved windows through which you can see the scenery outside. In the front is a railing, facing the interior of the building, through which you can see the bustling and noisy first floor with the sound of music.

There are not many seats in the pavilion, just a small long table made of golden nanmu wood and four chairs.

As soon as Song Xianglan entered the Cuiyu Pavilion, she rushed to Madam Song.

Zhou Xiaoniang said, "Ling'er, why don't you give up your seat to your second sister?"

Song Changling was dissatisfied. She was the one who arrived first, so why should she give up her seat to Song Xianglan? But she had to obey what her mother said.

Song Xianglan didn't hesitate and sat in the empty seat immediately.

"Lan'er, you didn't even mention bringing Azhu with you when you went out just now. There are so many people coming and going on the street. What would happen if he got bumped into something?" Madam Song grumbled.

This year, the Song family moved to a smaller courtyard, so they couldn't celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival. They wanted to see the hustle and bustle of the West Market, so they came to Nanqiao for fun. However, there were so many people. Madam Song and Madam Zhou didn't like the crowds, so they persuaded Mr. Song to open a private room in Hesi Tower.

"I'm fine, what could go wrong..." Song Xianglan muttered.

Song Lingyi in the corner seemed to be forgotten by everyone. She scratched her hands and felt really bored in the room, so she simply slipped out when no one was paying attention.

……

Qiushui Pavilion on the other side of the second floor is the most luxurious private room in the entire Hesi Building.

A huge screen with a landscape ink painting separates Qiu Shui Pavilion into two areas. On the left is a row of antique shelves and desks filled with jade, porcelain and gold artifacts, while on the right is a place for drinking tea and chatting.

Lu Jing turned his back to the antique display cabinet and picked up an account book from the rosewood desk and started flipping through it.

The charming woman was sitting in front of the tea table on the right side of the screen, ordering tea slowly.

"I heard that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince will be returning to Beijing soon?" the woman said.

Not getting a response, she continued to talk to herself, "Mr. Lu only used a little trick to bring down the Minister of Personnel and implicated so many people in Yu Silang's group. When His Royal Highness returns to the capital, he will definitely reward you handsomely, right?"

Snapped--

The account book was thrown onto the desk with a heavy thump. Lu Jing's face was as cold as ice, and his eyes were full of cruelty: "There's a lot of thunder but little rain. The empress is becoming more and more confused."

"..."

The woman took a sip of freshly brewed tea and said in a clear voice, "Yu Silang has the support of the Huainan family. We can't act too hastily."

Lu Jing did not continue the topic and walked to the seat opposite the woman.

"Try this tea, it's my newly harvested Longjing tea from before the rain."

Lu Jing picked up the teacup and took a sip. The tea was fragrant and sweet.

“Good tea”

The woman supported her face with one hand and looked at Lu Jing with a smile: "I heard from Qian Chao that you let a beautiful girl go that night in the Shangshu Mansion, but who was the one in the corridor just now?"

Lu Jing raised his eyebrows and curled the corners of his lips slightly: "Why do you say that, Madam Yun Ji?"

"I know what you men are thinking with just one look." Madam Yun Ji stroked the teacup. "Mr. Lu may seem romantic and affectionate, but he is actually cold-hearted. No matter how beautiful an ordinary woman is, she will only bother you and make you feel annoyed in front of him. But the girl in the corridor just now is different. Your eyes stayed on her for a long time."

Lu Jing laughed muffledly and said, "Madam Yun Ji has given up business and turned to fortune-telling?"

If there is no denial, it is true.

Madam Yun Ji's smile did not reach her eyes: "I just want to remind Mr. Lu that people like us are not worthy of having feelings."

The two looked at each other, and the atmosphere suddenly became solemn.

clatter--

Lu Jing placed the teacup on the tea table, leaned back slightly, and narrowed his eyes: "People like us?"

"Madam Yunji is confused. You and I have never been the same kind of people, so how can we talk about 'we'?"

Lu Jing left Qiu Shui Pavilion.

At this time, Song Lingyi was lying on the railing on the second floor, her cheeks flushed with excitement. A musician playing the flute was replaced downstairs, and he was just as handsome and his music was melodious.

Listening to the flute sounds that were sometimes passionate, sometimes low, lingering, and drifting - she had never enjoyed such beautiful folk music like this!

When I was in school, there were classmates around me who learned to play musical instruments, but they were all Western instruments, because learning traditional instruments was more expensive and it was difficult to find excellent teachers.

(End of this chapter)