Chapter 48: Who is the Wife-Master? Han Fushi Requests Your Presence in the Main Hall at This Time…

The smiling young man peeked through the gauze window to check on the movement inside the room. Seeing the young lady still sleeping soundly on the soft couch, he felt relieved and resumed fanning the fire diligently with a cattail leaf fan.

On the open storybook, amidst various comments, a few lines were clearly visible:

“The Third Young Master’s cheeks were as lovely as if he had drunk peach blossom wine. His whole person swayed like wind-blown branches and leaves, leaving only a low whisper, ‘Good elder sister, please eat a little more.'”

So.

The young man pondered silently, using a rice paddle to pack the cooked mixed grains tightly. This meal definitely needed to be eaten more.

On the desk, the fragrance of rice grains in the jade bowl was intensifying, urged by the cooking fire.

Meng Jun rubbed his accidentally scalded hand on his earlobe, then carefully leaned on the edge of the soft couch. She was sleeping sweetly.

“Tang—”

As soon as the clear, cool voice came out, the young man paused, remembering that Li Ruantang didn’t allow him to address her intimately. Those curved phoenix eyes drooped, showing a hint of disappointment as he corrected himself, “World Miss.”

His voice was neither loud nor soft, but Li Ruantang only slightly furrowed her brow, showing no sign of waking up.

The drug’s effects probably hadn’t worn off yet.

In that case!

Meng Jun’s courage swelled. He reached out and gently pinched her lips. Tsk, so soft!

The young man’s mouth curved up high, as happy as a cat that had stolen some fish. Those bright eyes blinked, showing a hint of shyness.

She still hadn’t woken up after all. Might as well get a little closer for a while. Perhaps by the time she wakes up, that strange poison will have completely disappeared.

“Tang Tang, don’t worry, I’ll definitely help you detoxify!” The young man vowed earnestly, clearing his throat lightly before leaning closer to the sleeping young lady with reddened cheeks.

His face was both reverent and expectant, but his flustered heart had already fluttered far away. By the time his breath was filled with sweetness, the young man’s forehead was already covered in sweat. His fingers, propped on the bedding, curled tightly as he gradually leaned down.

In the shadow cast, those apricot eyes slightly opened a slit. Li Ruantang stared blankly at the young man who was almost completely red. Just as he was about to touch her, she suddenly turned her face away.

“Young Master Meng.” The thin brocade quilt couldn’t hide her rapidly beating heart.

“Ah, Tang Tang, I, I didn’t mean anything by it, just—” Caught in the act, the young man sat up awkwardly. Those beautiful phoenix eyes looked east and west, and after a while, he finally squeezed out an excuse, “Just, just wanted to see if you were awake.”

As soon as the words meant to cover up fell, Meng Jun felt extremely guilty.

He pitter-pattered to the desk, carefully brought over the cooked rice, and looked expectantly at the young lady who had just sat up and was about to put on her undergarments.

“These clothes……”

“I took off these clothes!”

The question and answer came almost simultaneously.

The young man’s face reddened even more. Holding the bowl, he sat down properly some distance away. “I, I just helped the World Miss check the wound.”

“Wound?”

“Mm.” Those beautiful phoenix eyes swept slightly towards her chest. “World Miss, who left that poisonous bite there?”

The young man asked awkwardly, trying hard to hide the bit of jealousy that was spreading.

He secretly observed Li Ruantang’s expression, his heart wavering up and down, afraid of hearing the two words he least wanted to hear from her mouth.

Poisonous bite?

Li Ruantang, who had regained some of her senses, paused and silently pulled the brocade quilt higher. Her scattered black hair hid her reddened ear tips.

She glanced at the oblivious culprit and said, “It was a little greedy cat.”

“Eh?” This answer was beyond Meng Jun’s expectations. He moved a bit closer with the bowl and asked seriously, “Why would a cat bite you?”

“Because.” Li Ruantang smiled slightly, somewhat helplessly, “He mistook me for a delicious bun.”

Meng Jun: “???”

This reason, he had never heard before. But, do cats also like to eat buns?

The young man felt a bit puzzled in his heart, but he also secretly rejoiced. He scooted forward again and carefully handed the jade bowl he had been holding for a long time to Li Ruantang. “Tang Tang, are you hungry? I made some delicious rice, do you want to try it?”

He called her intimately without thinking.

Li Ruantang was stunned for a moment, her gaze falling on the bowl of mixed grain rice that was packed tightly. Suddenly, she was at a loss for words.

The young man pursed his lips, carefully observing her expression.

Could it be that Li Ruantang had seen through this trick? He felt uneasy and was about to find another excuse.

Behind the gauze curtain, the shoulders hidden under the black hair had already turned pink. Li Ruantang sighed lightly and said very calmly, “Young Master Meng, could you allow me to put on some clothes?”

If she hadn’t said anything, Meng Jun wouldn’t have noticed anything wrong with the young lady in front of him.

Those beautiful phoenix eyes followed Li Ruantang’s words and looked over, instantly feeling as if pricked by a needle. He quickly walked back to the desk and sat down properly.

His handsome face was like a persimmon ripened on an autumn branch, heavy and full. The heat from within seemed like the arrival of the hottest days of summer, burning one’s mouth dry.

Behind him, there was the rustling sound of dressing.

The young man gently put down the jade bowl.

Oh no, would Li Ruantang think he did it on purpose?

Although he did have some impure intentions, but, but he really didn’t notice just now. However, even the young man himself felt this excuse wouldn’t hold up when he thought about it.

Let alone Li Ruantang.

The more he thought about it, the more flustered he became. He hurriedly stammered an explanation, “Tang Tang, you, you must, must believe me.”

Meng Jun’s face grew increasingly hot, and even his palms were sweating, dampening the sleeves he was clutching tightly.

“…Mm.” The young lady behind him remained faint and light.

The young man panicked and picked up the half-drunk cup on the table, bringing it to his lips.

The cool tea briefly relieved the burning sensation that was about to reach his eyebrows. However, this tea?

Meng Jun was stunned and unconsciously licked the sweetness left on his lips.

“Tang—”

Before he could say anything more, the floating wide sleeves fell limply, accompanied by the crisp sound of the cup falling to the ground, all returning to silence.

Seeing that handsome figure about to fall from the soft stool.

Li Ruantang didn’t have time to put on her outer garment and hurriedly caught the young man who had fainted. Those apricot eyes looked somewhat helplessly at the person curled up in her arms, but the corners of her lips curved up slightly.

So silly.

How could someone be so careless when drugging someone?

“Wei Dan.” The cold female voice was much softer in the night. Li Ruantang carefully wrapped the cloak around Meng Jun and instructed the maid waiting outside the study, “Prepare to send Young Master Meng back to his residence.”

The night was deep, the wind like spring.

Li Ruantang, who had just taken a nap, was already full of energy. She bent over the table, her vermilion brush moving incessantly.

In the study, a new candle had been replaced in the gauze lamp. Wei Dan, who had been on duty all night, was also feeling drowsy by now. She had just dozed off for a moment.

Then she saw Li Ruantang wave her hand, not even lifting her head, “Alright, you may go now.”

She had never been a master who mistreated her servants.

“Yes.”

Wei Dan bowed and retreated a few steps, her eyes falling on the jade bowl beside Li Ruantang. She hesitated for a moment and then said, “World Miss, shall this servant remove this bowl of rice?”

Young Master Meng had been busy for most of the night, and this bowl of rice he had served was indeed packed tightly. However, the World Miss usually didn’t have late-night snacks.

She sighed inwardly, looking somewhat regretfully at Meng Jun’s thoughtfulness.

A brief silence.

Li Ruantang’s vermilion brush paused, “No need.”

“Yes.” Wei Dan, who had stepped forward out of habit, took two steps and suddenly stopped. Wait, the World Miss was actually going to break her own rule?!

Tsk tsk, truly a person who had fallen in love. Wei Dan had a sudden realization and retreated from the study, trying to hold back her laughter.

On the soft couch, there was still the storybook left by the young man. Li Ruantang only glanced at it once, and a smile immediately surged between her eyebrows and eyes.

Really so silly.

However, this bowl of rice was indeed quite delicious, as he had said.

*

After two consecutive days of dance practice, Chen He and Qi Yunming had quarreled countless times, openly and secretly. Seeing that it was gloomy today, Wei Junshi first asked for leave on behalf of Chen He, who was catching a cold.

This news spread quickly.

Before dawn, the Emperor Consort had also called for an imperial physician to check Qi Yunming’s pulse and incidentally asked for leave.

With the two main people absent, the eunuch supervising the dance practice simply did a favor and cancelled the practice for the day.

Thus, when the young man woke up, before he could hurriedly put on his clothes, he was pressed back onto the bed by Zhiqiu.

“Young Master, Weidan just sent a message. You don’t need to go to the palace for dance practice today. It’s still early, you should sleep a bit more.”

After climbing over the wall to the Suqing Wang’s mansion for two consecutive nights, Meng Jun already had faint dark circles under his eyes.

He sat dazedly holding the quilt for a while, then relaxed and fell back on the soft pillow. Suddenly, he widened his eyes, “Zhiqiu!”

The sleepiness had already flown away, and the young man urgently pulled the confused servant, “How did I come back last night?!”

“Young Master, are you still confused from sleep?” Zhiqiu lowered his voice and said softly, “Of course, that person sent you back to the mansion.”

“No, that’s not what I’m asking!” Meng Jun frowned, but couldn’t say it outright. He only said, “What was her expression like?”

Expression?

The servant was slightly stunned. He hadn’t paid attention to that. Everyone in the capital knew that World Miss Li was cold and heartless. With that murderous aura all over her body, only his own young master didn’t mind. If it were someone else, they would rather stay as far away as possible.

However, since Meng Jun asked so seriously, he couldn’t say it directly.

Zhiqiu couldn’t get any answers, and the more straightforward Zhidong was even more confused. The young man thought about it for half a day in bed, then hurriedly changed his clothes and climbed over the wall.

It was daytime after all.

The young man didn’t dare to be as blatant as he was at night. He still put a lotus leaf on his head before secretly peeking over.

At the foot of the wall, Wei Dan, standing straight, immediately reported respectfully, “Young Master Meng, the World Miss has gone out on business and is not in the mansion.”

Eh? He hadn’t even asked yet.

The young man’s face reddened, but he pretended to be calm and said untruthfully, “Mm, but I’m not here to see her.”

“Yes.”

After last night’s several impacts, Wei Dan already understood that the person currently perched on the wall was not just some unimportant Young Master Meng. But the future lord of the Suqing Wang’s mansion!

She immediately reported all of the World Miss’s unusual behaviors from last night in a fawning manner.

Especially when talking about that bowl of mixed grain rice, Wei Dan deliberately used praising and complimentary methods, making Meng Jun beam with joy immediately.

“Did she really eat it all?”

“Yes, this servant wouldn’t dare deceive the Young Master.”

The young man listened with delight, his highly curved lips unable to contain his pride.

Hmm, she ate his rice, so she’s his wife-master!

Thinking about the upcoming Dragon Boat Festival banquet, she would no longer agree to Qi Yunming. However, if Her Majesty were to arrange the marriage, Meng Jun, who had just become happy, was stunned and felt somewhat dejected again.

Just as he was feeling melancholy, Zhidong’s panicked voice came from behind, “Young Master, it’s terrible!”

The servant was out of breath from running, “Official Wei, Official Wei has invited a matchmaker to the house.”

“At this moment, Han Fushi requests your presence in the main hall, saying it’s to discuss marriage.”