Chapter 54 Reward? Ghostwriter?

Pan Yueqing didn't know that shortly after she left Changxian Pavilion, Shen Ping'an also got up and left. Lai Changya noticed Shen Ping'an's figure following Pan Yueqing's departure, and a vague sense of unease welled up in her heart. The once lively banquet thus became utterly tasteless.

Pan Yueqing declined the carriage prepared by Qi Liulang and was strolling slowly with her hands behind her back in Yubi Fang of Dong Fang.

Qi Liulang stepped forward and reached out to grab Pan Yueqing's arm. Meeting the puzzled look in her side glance, the words of concern on his lips failed to come out. Instead, he grinned carelessly at Pan Yueqing and said, "Miss Yue, let's go and have something to eat."

Pan Yueqing noticed the change in his expression. She could also tell that Qi Liulang was worried about her. At that moment, a smile spread across her lips. "Okay."

Qi Liulang took her to Yunxiu Tower in Yuyu Fang. "Although Yunxiu Tower is just a small teahouse, its almond milk crisp is extremely delicious. It's a rare opportunity today..." Before Qi Liulang could finish his words, a man's hearty laugh came from behind. "Yunxiu Tower? Can you take me along?"

"Mr. Shen?" Qi Liulang and Pan Yueqing turned around and saw Shen Ping'an standing there alone, wearing a light green long gown with patterns of two sparrows on a white background. A white jade fan was tucked into his waist, and he wore a gentle smile.

Pan Yueqing's eyes quivered slightly. She heard clearly that Qi Liulang had called him "Shen Ping'an", but this Shen Ping'an was obviously different from the Qi Sian who had claimed to be "Shen Ping'an" that she knew. The first difference was in their eyes. Qi Sian's eyes were often filled with distrust of everything, like a viper hissing and waiting for an opportunity to strike with a fatal blow. However, this Shen Ping'an had a warm and gentle smile, looking like a graceful and elegant young man.

But except for twins, how could there be someone who looked so alike in this world?

"Miss Pan?" Shen Ping'an seemed to notice Pan Yueqing's gaze that hadn't left him for a moment. He gently opened his folding fan, turned his face away, and said with a hint of embarrassment, "Is there something on my face?"

Even their voices were so similar... Pan Yueqing silently shook her head and covered up the shock in her heart with a smile. "Sorry, I was being impolite."

"It doesn't matter." Shen Ping'an closed his fan and stepped forward to walk beside Qi Liulang. "The banquet at Changxian Pavilion was so boring that I really didn't want to stay there, so I came out."

"I never expected that they would actually invite you to the banquet at Changxian Pavilion?" Qi Liulang averted his eyes from Shen Ping'an's innocent gaze and led the way in front. He took a deep look at Shen Ping'an and then entered Yunxiu Tower. As soon as they entered, he ordered the best tea there, the famous almond milk crisp, and a dozen or so other kinds of pastries.

"Of course they didn't invite me," Shen Ping'an took his seat. After watching the waiter of Yunxiu Tower leave, he looked at Qi Liulang and said, "Don't you know who they wanted to invite? I'm just a messenger."

"Is His Highness still staying behind closed doors?" Qi Liulang didn't shy away from mentioning it in front of Pan Yueqing. The "His Highness" he referred to naturally meant Prince Xiangyang, Qi Sian!

Shen Ping'an didn't care either and picked up Qi Liulang's topic. "Of course he's not coming out. A few days ago, someone sent him several beautiful maids, all of them extremely pretty. Among them, there were even two Persian slave girls. He's just hiding away and living a life like a fairy."

"Sigh, doesn't your father have any opinions?" Qi Liulang let out a slight sigh.

"The Emperor doesn't have any opinions. What opinions could my father have?" Shen Ping'an sneered and took a sip of the tea from the cup on the table.

Pan Yueqing's gaze fixed on Shen Ping'an, and at that moment, she consciously looked away. Although at first she thought that this person who claimed to be Shen Ping'an was just another trick of Qi Sian's, it was impossible for there to be someone who could be completely different even in some subtle movements and expressions.

Qi Sian's sneer always made people feel extremely cold, but the young man in front of her now had nothing but youthful spirit in his smile. Pan Yueqing sighed softly in her heart. After all, she had listened carefully to the conversation between Shen Ping'an and Qi Liulang. No wonder Qi Simeng and Qi Sicheng had come to the Princess of Anbei's birthday banquet, but Qi Sian hadn't. It turned out that there really was something that had held him back.

"I've ordered two pieces of music. I'll go down and take a look now." Qi Liulang stood up and walked straight to the tea stage downstairs. Yunxiu Tower had a cooperation with the Nanqu troupe, and those who came to drink tea could also order music.

"Miss Yue." Shen Ping'an listened attentively to the sound of Qi Liulang's footsteps going downstairs and suddenly said to Pan Yueqing, "You did a good job at the Princess of Anbei's banquet."

Pan Yueqing raised her eyebrows and looked at Shen Ping'an sharply. "Young Master Shen San, who are you representing when you say this?"

"You've already guessed who I'm representing from the very beginning, haven't you?" Shen Ping'an's unique youthful voice was as clear as gold and quartz. He picked up a mung bean cake, put it in his mouth, clapped his hands to shake off the crumbs of the cake on his hands, and said, "He said that he asked me to reward you."

"Reward?" Pan Yueqing sneered. In an instant, a fierce look appeared in her eyes as she lowered her eyebrows and raised her eyes. "Go back and tell him that he's not worthy of speaking to me in such a superior manner. " Pan Yueqing slightly opened her five fingers, and her index finger and middle finger tapped slowly on the table. She squinted her eyes and said, "Listen, I've never been subordinate to him."

"You're really hot-tempered." Shen Ping'an wasn't angry at all. He rested his chin in his hand and looked at Pan Yueqing with great interest. "I heard that you returned the money that Zou Yingruo owed you? It was right for you to want to win her over, but your method was wrong."

"Zou Yingruo is the only daughter of the Prince of Dongzhu, and the Prince of Dongzhu has a typical character of being weak when facing the strong. If you make this concession, I'm afraid there will be endless troubles waiting for you. " Shen Ping'an raised his eyes and looked out the window. The smile on his lips seemed to foretell his boundless confidence. "You forced her to sign for five hundred taels of silver in front of so many guests, and now you don't want it privately. She will only regard all this as your humiliation and charity, and she won't be grateful to you at all."

"If you want to tame an eagle, you should let it be on the verge of life and death. Only by facing death and then living will it be loyal to you. Otherwise, it might bite you back someday. "

Pan Yueqing's eyes slightly narrowed. She understood the reasoning. She really had the intention of winning Zou Yingruo's heart and thus gave up the five hundred taels of silver. But she had relied too much on her past experience. Ordinary people would indeed come to their senses, but for extraordinary people, you can't communicate with them in an ordinary way. It's just that she hadn't inquired about the character of the Prince of Dongzhu before deciding to do this.

"But it doesn't matter. He doesn't dare to act rashly for now. What do you think?" Shen Ping'an looked past Pan Yueqing towards the closed small door behind her. "He said that there is a row of empty houses in Shangbei Fang. Since there's no one living there anyway, if you're really short of money, now that the spring imperial examination is approaching, you can rent them out to the scholars who come to the capital to take the exam, and you can make a profit from it."

"It's not a bad thing to get to know some future ministers during the process of interacting with them. " Shen Ping'an's words were plain, but when they reached Pan Yueqing's ears, she was quite shocked. She quickly reacted and chuckled. "Even he can't just randomly get in touch with these examinees, right?"