“Why is Zhao Momo so flustered? I’m not going to hit you.” Ji Yunsu’s pink lips, hidden beneath the weimao, curved into a faint smile as she spoke lightly.
Hearing this, the arrogant expression on Zhao Momo’s wrinkled old face involuntarily shifted slightly.
Why did a lowborn daughter of a village woman possess such a powerful aura?
To be honest, even the legitimate-born eldest and third young misses in the manor didn’t have such an aura.
“Zhao Momo, right now it’s your Grand Tutor who’s in trouble and needs my mother to return to the capital. Just who gave you the courage to act so arrogantly in front of my mother?”
Suddenly, a careless voice sounded by her ear.
Zhao Momo snapped back to attention and saw the second young miss whispering something near her ear before gracefully passing by with Liu Yiniang and the second young master in tow.
A flickering light shone in Zhao Momo’s aged eyes, her heart filled with shock and alarm.
How did the second young miss know the Grand Tutor’s true intentions for bringing Liu Shi back?
“Zhao Momo, why did you actually let Liu Yiniang go drink tea? She’s just a concubine, what does she amount to…”
“Shut your mouth!” Zhao Momo coldly cut off Zhang Momo’s disrespectful words, afraid the second young miss might overhear.
“What are you afraid of? Why are you being so polite to a mere concubine? And you let them go drink tea while we haven’t had a single sip this whole journey!”
“You should’ve just had the servants tie up that mother and her two children and throw them into the carriage!”
Zhang Momo glared venomously at Ji Yunsu’s retreating figure before limping over to Zhao Momo. Covering her bleeding mouth and ignoring how her words whistled through missing teeth, she spoke resentfully.
Zhao Momo shot Zhang Momo a warning look and lowered her voice: “From now on, don’t provoke Liu Yiniang again. This second young miss is not simple!”
It was early winter.
In the tea shack, drinking a bowl of steaming hot tea warmed them considerably.
Noticing the tea shack also served tea eggs, Ji Yunsu ordered five for her mother and younger brother.
Her younger brother was still growing and needed more protein to boost his immunity.
Ji Yunsu peeled one for her mother too. Liu Rumei accepted the tea egg peeled by her daughter’s own hands, taking small, delicate bites.
The family drank hot tea, ate tea eggs, and enjoyed the surrounding scenery, creating a scene of perfect contentment.
Zhao Momo led the servants to rest at the tea shack as well, during which she continuously secretly observed Ji Yunsu, trying to glean some information.
Just then, Ji Yunsu suddenly addressed Zhao Momo: “Zhao Momo, we’ll rest at an inn tonight and continue our journey tomorrow. You have no objections, I presume?”Hearing this, Zhang Momo nearly jumped up again – this lowborn daughter had quite the demands!”
Zhao Momo pressed down on Zhang Momo’s shoulder, a trace of contempt flashing in her eyes.
After all, she was just a concubine’s daughter who’d never seen the world – she didn’t even know that there were only courier stations, no inns, on official roads. It seemed she had overestimated her earlier. Hmph!
Thinking this, Zhao Momo pretended to be friendly and replied with a fake smile.
“Second Young Miss, coming from the countryside, you might not know this – we’re traveling on official roads, and there are no inns on official roads.”
“Then we’ll stay at a courier station.” Ji Yunsu said unhurriedly.
Immediately, Zhao Momo’s face changed slightly. Watching Ji Yunsu lead Liu Yiniang and the second young master toward the carriage, she grew somewhat anxious.
Only official families were qualified to stay at the relay station. Concubine Liu was merely a concubine—what right did she have to stay there?
Standing atop the carriage at that moment, Ji Yunsu’s swollen face, hidden beneath the weimao, bore a faint smile on her powdered lips as she looked down at Zhao Momo, who stood frozen in place, and said:
“By the way, I wonder what the consequences would be if my mother doesn’t enter the capital? I’m genuinely quite curious.”
Upon hearing this, cold sweat immediately broke out on Zhao Momo’s back. The reason the madam had ordered them to bring Liu Shi and her son back to the capital within three days was because the Grand Tutor had been impeached by the Censorate for abandoning his wife and child. The memorial would be presented to the Emperor in three days.
If Concubine Liu did not enter the residence by then, the Grand Tutor’s past affairs would be dug up, which would greatly damage his official reputation!
At this thought, Zhao Momo dared not oppose any further and could only obediently fawn: “Second Young Miss, this old servant will go make the arrangements at once.”
The group set off once again.
Not long after Ji Yunsu’s carriage had departed from the tea shack, a luxurious carriage slowly came to a halt right behind them.
The tea shack owner, seeing how magnificent the stopped carriage was, knew at a glance that its occupant was either wealthy or noble.
Thus, he hurriedly stepped forward with eager hospitality: “Esteemed guest, please come inside!”
Zhan Yi leaped down from the carriage, set up the carriage stool for his master, and then respectfully lifted the heavy curtain.
Shortly after, a face of breathtaking, transcendent immortal beauty slowly emerged.
“Owner, a pot of hot water,” Zhan Yi strode briskly into the tea shack and instructed the owner.
He then spread snow-white brocade over the crude table and chairs for his master, and carefully arranged the master’s personal tea set and tea leaves, which he had brought from the carriage.
After completing these practiced tasks, Zhan Yi stood respectfully to the side.
Pei Wuheng slowly took his seat before the crude table and chairs, now draped in snow-white brocade, his expression cool and his thin lips slightly pressed together.
He sat there quietly, like a pristine snow lotus standing alone in the world—so pure and aloof that one could not look away.
When the tea shack owner brought over the hot water kettle, he couldn’t help muttering to himself: “Goodness, just sent off a plump young lady, and now here comes a handsome gentleman. Tsk, tsk, tsk…”
“Owner, which direction did that plump young lady you mentioned go in?”
A faint light flickered in Pei Wuheng’s deep phoenix eyes as his thin lips parted indifferently.
Hearing this, the tea shack owner was startled. He had only been muttering to himself, and his voice had been very soft—how had the handsome gentleman heard him?
However, having set up his stall by the official road for many years, the tea shack owner had seen his share of comings and goings.
Seeing that this handsome gentleman was dressed exquisitely, he surmised that he must be of high status, and so he respectfully smiled and recounted the earlier incident of Ji Yunsu and her party heading to the relay station to spend the night.
Growing excited as he spoke, the tea shack owner couldn’t resist adding a gossipy remark: “Young master, it’s quite strange, I must say. In over twenty years of running this tea shack by the official road, this is the first time I’ve seen such a young lady from a noble family.”
“That plump young lady’s attire wasn’t splendid at all, and she was accompanied by a mother in poor health and a younger brother who looked sallow and thin.”
“From what I saw, even the servants attending them were dressed better than the mother and her two children.”
“Moreover, the attitude of those servants didn’t seem particularly respectful toward the mother and her children.”
“However, that plump young lady spoke with such commanding presence that the servants were completely subdued by her…”
Just then, Zhan Yi finished brewing the tea. He had just picked up the special teapot to pour tea into his master’s cup when he heard his master abruptly utter “Settle the bill” before striding out of the tea house without another word.
Seeing this, Zhan Yi hastily gathered the tea set from the table in disarray, tossed a silver ingot to the tea house owner, and hurriedly chased after him.
“Master, the tea is freshly brewed, you haven’t had a single sip yet…”
“Have you arranged accommodations for tonight?”
Zhan Yi was taken aback, muttering unconsciously: “Master, we’re only fifty li from the capital. We can return to the Royal Manor for lodging before hai hour tonight…”
“We’re staying at the courier station tonight.”
Pei Wuheng issued the instruction expressionlessly and coldly before bending down to enter the carriage.
Zhan Yi scratched his head, completely bewildered. His master had always disliked staying outside – what could have happened today?