Chapter 68 Drinking Green Plum Wine Together

After being announced by Qingshan, Pan Yueqing slowly walked into Wei Yi Xuan. She curtsied gracefully to Pan Haiyun and Shen Xinchang. Shen Xinchang slightly raised his eyes and looked at Pan Yueqing, who had a gentle look and her eyes downcast. An involuntary trace of surprise flashed in his eyes. He averted his gaze and turned to Pan Haiyun, who was softly asking Pan Yueqing to take a seat. "Is this... the Second Miss of your mansion?"

"Yes, this is my daughter." Pan Haiyun nodded slightly. "Pour some wine for Uncle Shen."

Shen Pingji couldn't help but raise his eyes slightly and glance at Pan Yueqing. By the warm light of the lamp, he secretly suppressed the amazement in his heart. When he noticed that Pan Yueqing turned her head and met his gaze, he unconsciously lowered his eyebrows, looking a bit flustered and embarrassed. Pan Yueqing pretended not to notice. She just reached out and took the wine cup beside Shen Xinchang, slowly filled it with wine, and said softly, "Please have a drink, Uncle Shen." Then she sat upright in her seat, with her eyes focused downwards.

"Brother Haiyun, regarding the matter of the chief examiner at the morning court today, after much consideration, I've decided to privately inform you. I heard that the King of Dongzhu and the Imperial College Chancellor, Lord Lai, are still strongly recommending and asking the Emperor to appoint you as the chief examiner. It seems to be of great benefit to you. What do you think?" Shen Xinchang nodded and thanked Pan Yueqing, then raised his eyes to look at Pan Haiyun, who was picking up some food with chopsticks.

Pan Yueqing's heart stirred. Although there was no change in her eyes, she confirmed her original suspicion from Shen Xinchang's words. This matter was indeed a trap set by Qi Sian.

Pan Haiyun picked up a chopstick of green vegetables and put them in his bowl. Then he looked up and smiled at Shen Xinchang. "If the Emperor gives an order, how dare a subject refuse?" After that, he pointed at the roasted chicken in the center of the small square table and said hospitably, "Nephew, don't just listen to us two talking. Eat quickly. This roasted chicken is really delicious. Some time ago, a cook from Jianzhou came to the mansion. This is said to be a famous dish there."

Shen Pingji thanked him with a smile. He picked up his chopsticks and first put a piece of meat with fragrant sauce into Shen Xinchang's bowl, and then picked up a chopstick of food for himself. As soon as a piece of soft and glutinous chicken meat entered his mouth, Pan Haiyun's clear laugh made him choke so hard that tears almost came out.

They heard Pan Haiyun ask, "Is the Second Young Master married?"

Shen Xinchang cast a stern look at Shen Pingji's face. Shen Pingji caught his breath, quickly wiped his mouth, stood up, and apologized to Pan Haiyun for his rudeness. Amid Pan Haiyun's laughing words, he slowly sat back on the stool. Seeing this, Pan Yueqing put down her chopsticks and gently chided Pan Haiyun, "Father, why are you asking this..."

Pan Haiyun laughed heartily. Pan Yueqing knew that Pan Haiyun definitely didn't have the intention of marrying her to Shen Pingji. He just really didn't want to answer Shen Xinchang's further persuasion, so he brought up a topic to stop Shen Xinchang from talking. It was just too bad for Shen Pingji. His rudeness at the dinner table might mean that he would be punished by Shen Xinchang when he got back. Shen Xinchang raised the wine cup in his hand and toasted Pan Haiyun from a distance. "Look, why ask this? Come on, let's drink!" Upon hearing this, Pan Haiyun also laughed heartily and raised his hand to empty the cup. He was just about to ask the maid to come forward and refill the wine when Pan Yueqing reached out and covered Pan Haiyun's cup a step earlier.

"Daddy, don't drink this wine. It burns your throat and is not good for your health. You and Uncle Shen are both ministers in the court. It won't be good if drinking today affects tomorrow's morning court. The green plum wine that Yue'er brewed last month was just dug out some time ago. It's green plum fruit wine, which tastes good and won't harm the spleen and stomach." Pan Yueqing met Pan Haiyun's somewhat surprised gaze, and with a faint smile, she showed the thoughtfulness of a young lady from a noble family. "Yue'er will have someone change it immediately."

Not long after, Luo Shui brought a cup of green plum wine that had been heated in a water bath. After Pan Yueqing took it, she slowly replaced the wine with a stronger alcohol content that Shen Xinchang and Pan Haiyun were drinking with this green plum wine with a milder alcohol content, and smiled, "Please also try Yue'er's craftsmanship."

Pan Haiyun took a sip of the green plum wine, which was slightly astringent at first and then sweet, sour first and then refreshing. He couldn't help but respond with pride to Shen Xinchang's praise. "She just brewed it for fun at home as a girl. It's nothing special." After saying that, he still couldn't help but nod with a smile. Shen Xinchang looked at Pan Haiyun like this and felt helpless. He only had an eldest daughter who had gone to the Northern Border for a political marriage in the early years. The year before last, on the night when she gave birth to the crown prince of the Northern Border, both the mother and the child didn't survive.

He had always been unable to understand why the King of Dongzhu could be so obedient to his daughter. But seeing Pan Yueqing like this, he couldn't help but think of his daughter who had married far away in the Northern Border. He couldn't help but sigh. It turned out that it wasn't that he was heartless, but that he hadn't been touched by such feelings before.

Shen Pingji took a sip of the green plum wine, and the surprise in his eyes was hard to hide. He and his brothers had always loved wine, and he loved it the most. So people in the capital often called him the "Immortal in Wine". At this moment, he couldn't help but take a deep look at the faint smile on Pan Yueqing's lips. He secretly sighed in his heart that if he hadn't come here as a guest with his father today, he would have always thought that the most charming person in Prime Minister Pan's mansion was Pan Miaoqian, who was known as the number one talented girl in the capital.

But then he thought that if the little-known Second Miss Pan was already so talented, how fascinating the number one talented girl, Pan Miaoqian, would be. However, judging from Pan Haiyun's current state, it seemed that he had no intention of letting Pan Miaoqian come out to meet people.

"Third Miss... you can't go in..." Qingshan's low voice came from the Changling Gate not far from Wei Yi Xuan. Pan Yueqing heard the sound and slightly raised her eyes. She saw Pan Miaoqian wearing a silver-silk embroidered shawl with five-petal plum blossoms. She was holding a food box and standing not far away, saying in a low voice to Qingshan, "Are you blind? Grandmother asked me to bring some side dishes to Father!"

Qingshan raised his eyes and looked at the direction where Pan Haiyun was sitting with a difficult expression. He said somewhat reluctantly, "Master is talking with honored guests. He has ordered that no one is allowed to enter. Miss, why don't you come back later..."

However, Pan Yueqing's frequent actions of looking up and glancing into the distance still caught the attention of Pan Haiyun, Shen Xinchang, and the others. Shen Pingji, who had his back to the Changling Gate, was the first to turn his head and look at the beauty standing under the willows not far away. Shen Xinchang met Pan Haiyun's calm gaze, from which no emotion could be read. "Who is that..."

"My third daughter. She should be running an errand for my mother." Pan Haiyun said in a flat tone. He turned to Qingshan and said, "Let the Third Miss in."

Upon hearing Pan Haiyun's words, Pan Miaoqian curtsied slightly towards Pan Haiyun from a distance. Then she looked at Qingshan with a sneering smile on her lips. In Wei Yi Xuan, Pan Yueqing was standing aside. Pan Miaoqian walked slowly, her steps were light and delicate, making her look even more graceful. The emerald hairpin on her head shone beautifully in the candlelight. She first curtsied slowly in front of Pan Haiyun. "Father, Grandmother asked me to bring you some newly made dishes."

Pan Haiyun nodded slightly and motioned for her to greet Shen Xinchang and Shen Pingji.