33

A few days later, Qingchen arrived at Li Muyun's residence.

Before long, Li Muyun strode out.

He was all smiles, and reached out to tug at Qingchen's sleeve:

"Oh, Brother Qing, you've finally arrived! If you hadn't come, my heartache would have become incurable!"

Qingchen smiled slightly, subtly shaking off Li Muyun's grasp, and lowered his voice to say:

"A few days ago, bandits were rampant near Jincheng, and there were too many cases of them robbing people, especially ordinary civilians.

It was all trivial, but one of my medicine merchants was killed, and now I'm out of supplies."

"Now the atmosphere is tense, everyone's on edge, the checks are very strict, and soldiers patrol the roads. I searched several places before I finally gathered all the items."

Upon hearing "gathered them all," Li Muyun's eyes lit up instantly, but he still shook his head regretfully:

"It's a pity today is an odd-numbered day, my wife is at home, it's not convenient to enjoy myself. I'll come find you first thing tomorrow morning!"

As he spoke, he reached out and patted Qingchen's shoulder, the force quite forceful, clearly showing his anxiety.

Qingchen sighed, deliberately rubbing his stomach:

"That's right, I just found the items, haven't even had a hot meal, and came straight here, afraid you'd be waiting too long."

"Oh dear! I'm so sorry for the delay!"

Li Muyun slapped his thigh, pulling Qingchen inside, "That's perfect, we were just about to have lunch, you should come and have a meal too, don't mind the simple food at my residence."

Qingchen feigned reluctance, saying, "That wouldn't be right, it wouldn't be good to disturb my sister-in-law."

"What disturbance! What's wrong with that?"

Li Muyun turned and glared at him, a smile playing on her lips. "You're a seventh-rank Zuo Sima now, a high-ranking and powerful official. Do you look down on your brother? You won't even have a meal?"

Qingchen shook his head. "How could I dare? I'm just a little flattered. Since Brother Yun is so kind to invite me, then I'll accept."

He then followed Li Muyun through the courtyard.

Several peach trees stood in the courtyard, their petals scattered on the ground. A young maid was sweeping, and upon seeing them approach, she quickly stopped and stood aside with her head bowed.

Upon entering the main room, a table was already set with dishes:

A plate of glistening braised pork, a bowl of egg drop soup sprinkled with scallions, a dish of cucumber salad, and in the center, a plate of "ants climbing a tree" (a dish of minced pork and vermicelli), still steaming hot…

A woman sat at the table.

She wore a dark blue embroidered jacket, the collar revealing a glimpse of a pale white undergarment. Her hair was styled in a high bun, adorned with a red-gold hairpin, and her earrings were two pearls.

—It was Zhao Ningyi.

Although she was nearing thirty, she still possessed the elegance and refined air of a noblewoman.

Qingchen and the noblewoman exchanged a glance, and both felt a surge of emotion. Her gaze was fixed intently on Qingchen's face.

The noblewoman's casual glance, however, had captivated the beautiful woman's heart.

"You…you are…" Zhao Ningyi asked in shock, her voice trembling slightly.

She was utterly shaken.

These past few days, she has been tossing and turning, unable to forget the handsome, masculine man from that night.

In her deepest emptiness, Qingchen's embrace allowed her to feel an unprecedented masculine presence.

Qingchen had also witnessed her hidden side, a side even her husband had never seen.

She should have been furious, but whenever she thought of it, she was somewhat mesmerized.

Although the man that night wore a mask,

his figure, his eyes, and that unique aura were deeply etched into her mind.

She secretly dispatched over a dozen people, sparing no expense, to secretly investigate a man named "Ximen Qing."

However, several days passed without any news.

She didn't know how many times she had hoped, the moment the hidden key in the study was struck with a wooden stick, but there was always no response.

Now, suddenly seeing Qingchen, a strange flutter surged in her heart.

At that moment, Li Muyun, with his back to Zhao Ningyi, was chatting and laughing with Qingchen, unaware of Zhao Ningyi's subtle lapse in composure.

Qingchen quickly lowered his head and cupped his hands, saying, "My name is Qingchen, greetings to my sister-in-law."

Li Muyun, oblivious to the awkwardness between the two, pulled Qingchen to sit down and introduced him with a smile, "Oh, Ningyi, this is Qingchen, the Assistant Commander of the West Gate, my good brother."

Zhao Ningyi smiled slightly, but her words carried a hint of amusement: "Oh, Qingchen, Ximen Qing... Chen. I feel this Assistant Commander should perhaps be surnamed Ximen more."

She glanced at Qingchen with a slightly resentful look, as if her words carried a hidden meaning.

Upon hearing this, Li Muyun immediately straightened up and said, "Ningyi, don't be rude. This Brother Qing is my good brother.

Back then, in the battle of Beiman Mountain, we fought side by side, together suppressing bandits in the mountains. Our friendship is deep."

Qing Chen scratched his head awkwardly, avoiding Zhao Ningyi's gaze. "Sister-in-law, you flatter me. My surname is Qing, and my given name is Chen."

"Alright, alright, take a seat!"

Li Muyun patted Qing Chen's shoulder and pressed him into a chair. "Once you're in my house, it's like you're in your own! My wife is your sister-in-law; you seem a bit distant."

Li Muyun patted Qing Chen's shoulder and laughed heartily, displaying his hearty and generous nature.

Although Qing Chen was quite thick-skinned, at this moment, he could only nod repeatedly in agreement, his words slightly clumsy.

As soon as Qing Chen sat down, he saw Zhao Ningyi pick up her silver chopsticks, take a piece of "ants climbing a tree" (a dish of stir-fried ants) and place it in his bowl.

She tilted her wrist slightly and said with a smile, "Young man, try this 'Ants Climbing a Tree.' It's so delicious, it'll give you a 'heart-wrenching' feeling."

Qingchen looked down at the vermicelli in his bowl and only mumbled, "Thank you, sister-in-law."

Li Muyun, unable to contain himself any longer, pulled a jar of wine from under the table, broke the clay seal, and a rich aroma instantly wafted out.

"This is thirty years old!"

He poured Qingchen a full cup and then poured himself a bowl. "This is thirty years old! If Brother Qing weren't here, I really wouldn't have brought it out.

Brother Qing, if you get drunk, you can rest at my place this afternoon and go back tonight. Come, let's drink this cup together!"

Amidst the clinking of glasses, Zhao Ningyi seemed different than usual. "My husband is in a good mood today; a few more drinks won't hurt."

Li Muyun was overjoyed and exclaimed, "My lady still loves me the most!"

With that, he picked up his wine cup and downed it in one gulp.

For the next half hour, Zhao Ningyi kept urging him to drink, so Li Muyun drank cup after cup, becoming quite tipsy.

"Husband, fill your cup again! You've got quite the capacity for alcohol today, truly a hero!"

After finishing this cup, Li Muyun finally couldn't hold on any longer and fell asleep.

Zhao Ningyi quickly supported him, and after confirming he was drunk, she gave a wink to the maid beside her, "Help Master back to his room, quietly, don't wake him."