At this moment, her address had already changed from Heir Xie to Brother Xie.
But Xie Wanqing's attention wasn't on this; she turned her head to look at her newly recognized sister and said in an indescribable tone, "I actually think your brother is quite good."
She was really afraid of Xie YanYu's serious lecturing manner.
The two young ladies praised each other's brothers, making the gentlemen present find it amusing.
Zheng Ye, the Heir of Marquis Qu, laughed and said, "That's easy, you can just swap the names with each other."
He looked at his little cousin: "What do you say, Wanwan?"
Xie Wanqing poured him a cup of tea, forcing a smile, "Since cousin has said so much, you must be thirsty, better drink tea quietly."
Zheng Ye choked up and sighed, "I thought that after not seeing you for a few months, Wanwan's temperament would improve, but it turns out that you still won't bear any loss."
"Is a loss some kind of good thing?" Pei Yuxuan asked curiously, "Why should one bear a loss?"
"Well said," Pei Yuqing, who hadn't spoken, suddenly opened his mouth and said, "A girl's nature should indeed be assertive, not allowing herself to suffer losses."
Faced with the continuous rebukes from the two young ladies and a friend's mid-way betrayal, Zheng Ye was utterly defeated and shook his head with a wry smile, no longer daring to joke around.
The group began to discuss other topics.
This dynasty was not very strict about the separation between men and women, but it was generally not very appropriate for two young ladies to sit and chat with a group of men.
Xie Wanqing was pondering what excuse she could use to leave, when she heard the man next to her whisper, "Has Wanwan prepared a return gift this time?"
... A return gift?
Xie Wanqing remembered the casual promise she made last time when they parted.
She blinked and looked around, everyone was talking, enjoying the scenery, even Xie YanYu, who loved to lecture her the most, was attracted by Pei Yuxuan.
But after all, there were so many people here.
How could this person be so shameless as to ask for a return gift?
Xie Wanqing refused to speak. The person beside her waited for a while, then suddenly chuckled lightly, and said nothing more.
The laughter made her feel a tickle in her heart. She picked up the teacup and drank it all in one go, unable to sit still any longer.
Fortunately, as night fell, it wasn't long before everyone at the banquet began to excuse themselves and leave.
Xie Wanqing accompanied her brother to see the Pei siblings off to the gate.
When Pei Yuxuan got into the carriage, she seemed somewhat reluctant, her eyes swept over Xie YanYu, she held Xie Wanqing's hand and said eagerly, "I love going to the Yuxuan Tea House to listen to stories, I'll send you an invitation in a couple of days, you must come, no excuses."
Understanding her intentions, Xie Wanqing was silent for a moment, then returned a warm smile: "Alright."
The Commandery Princess did seem to really like her brother, she was also generous, if they could become a couple, it wouldn't be a bad thing.
It's much better than in her dream where her brother remained unmarried into his twenties, worrying their parents to death.
Seeing her agree, Pei Yuxuan looked towards Xie YanYu and politely said, "Brother Xie, if you have time, you're welcome to join us."
Xie YanYu slightly nodded, not giving a verbal response.
Pei Yuxuan was not discouraged, she smiled and waved goodbye before getting into the carriage.
Beside her, Pei Yuqing didn't know if he noticed his sister's intentions, but his face didn't show it at all. He looked up and said his farewell.
As the Pei family's carriage went far away, Xie Wanqing turned her head to look at her brother, raising her eyebrows with a smile: "In your opinion, if Princess Pingning really invites me, should I go or not?"
Xie YanYu lowered his eyes slightly, lost in thought, and when he heard her question, he glanced at his sister sideways and said calmly, "You may go, wear your veil hat properly, go early and come back early, don't stay out for long."
After saying that, he turned around and entered the mansion, leaving Xie Wanqing pouting at his back.
Pei Yuxuan's display was obvious enough, yet her blockheaded brother couldn't see it at all?
Or was it that as someone who had been married in her dreams, she was more sensitive?
Xie Wanqing was somewhat anxious for her slow-witted brother and resolved to understand Princess Pingning's character well before deciding whether to match them together.
With this thought in mind, she stepped towards the mansion, only to be stopped by the sound of horse hooves behind her.
She instinctively turned her head, her steps suddenly halting, stopping in her tracks.
——Lu Ziyuan.
He wore a dark riding outfit, a jade belt outlined his lean waist, his face was stern, and the war horse Xueyue beneath him was taller than an average woman. Even though it was a warm spring day, his presence seemed to carry wind and snow, exuding coldness.
Even though they had reached this point of discord, Xie Wanqing couldn't help but admit that her childhood friend indeed had an aura.
In her dreams, she couldn't bear to give up and insisted on marrying him, perhaps partly because of his face.
And his aloof demeanor.
After all, the desire to conquer is not only a man's trait, she seemed to lack nothing in that regard.
... She didn't fall unjustly.
Xie Wanqing concluded, looking up at the man who had dismounted, and gave a relieved smile: "You're looking for me?"
Twice refused at the door, reaching the point of breaking the engagement, yet upon meeting again, it was just a calm, "You're looking for me?"
Lu Ziyuan's expression was extremely indifferent, his dark pupils devoid of any emotion as he looked at her: "When did you get to know Pei Yuqing?"
"???" Xie Wanqing was a bit stunned, not expecting that his first question would be this.
She didn't know how long he had been here or what he had seen.
But she thought to herself that she had done nothing wrong, and even when sending off the Pei siblings, her brother was there too...
Then she realized that even if she was of poor character now, it had nothing to do with him anymore, right?
So she frowned and said, "What's it to you?"
Upon hearing this, Lu Ziyuan's eyes turned dark, he slightly moved his lips: "You're my fiancée, so you tell me, what's it to me?"
"Oh," Xie Wanqing replied nonchalantly, took a step back, no longer disturbed by his presence, and said, "Then let's break the engagement, hasn't my father gone to your house to deal with the annulment?"
Lu Ziyuan seemed unaffected by her sarcasm, his eyes staying on her face as he asked, "What's the reason for breaking the engagement?"
Xie Wanqing feigned surprise, "You don't know?"
"If it's because of Rou Niang, you don't have to concern yourself with her..."
"No, no, don't mention your Rou Niang to me." Xie Wanqing quickly interrupted, not wanting to hear his clichés that she had already heard enough of in her dreams.
From the moment Liu Manrou entered the door, he said, "Don't worry, Rou Niang won't affect you in the slightest."
This 'slightest' influence continued until Liu Manrou gave birth to a firstborn son, which changed to, "Even if Rou Niang gives birth to a firstborn, it won't threaten your position as the main wife."
In the end, she didn't know when it finally turned into, "Xie Wanqing, when did you become such a shrew?"
A shrew?
Xie Wanqing shivered, taking three steps back, looking at the man in front of her with undisguised disgust: "Lu Ziyuan, I understand you need to carry on the Lu family line, I'm letting you go, can you let me go too?"
She took a deep breath and said bluntly, "Honestly, hearing you mention Rou Niang repeatedly makes me feel nauseous."