Chapter 50 (1/2)

Chapter 50 Rising Wind:  Awkwardness

“There you are, Miss Feng!” Lu Bo quickly led the way into the residence as he smiled jovially. “Our Grand Tutor has been resting obediently at home, awaiting your arrival!”

“That’s good to hear. I’m glad that you were here to stop him last night; I’m sure that he’d intended to go to the feast despite needing rest.” Feng Luodi smiled as she quickened her pace towards Jiang Moyin’s courtyard.

Lu Bo quietly dabbed at his forehead. It’s just as he said! How did he know that Miss Feng was going to ask about it?

Only when Feng Luodi stepped into the courtyard did she notice that it was packed full of people, all sitting around the stone table in the yard. Jiang Moyin and Situ was expected, but Gan Qingjia and Qi Jianqiu were both there as well.

“Luodi! What took you so long!” Qi Jianqiu quickly dragged Feng Luodi to the seat beside her. Feng Luodi quickly greeted the Gan Qingjia and enquired about Jiang Moyin’s health. However, when it came to Situ, Feng Luodi quickly avoided his gaze. I can still feel the warmth on my ankle whenever I look at him!

Qi Jianqiu quickly took out the dishes she had brought to share. “Don’t look so down, Luodi! Your elder brother’s looking much better today already! Here, come try some of my new dishes!”

“Hey pretty! You can’t ignore us just because Miss Feng is here!” Gan Qingjia mocked as he raised his goblet.

“Who are you calling ‘pretty?” Qi Jianqiu glared at him, fire almost spewing out of her eyes.

Gan Qingjia wisely ignored the challenge in her words and took a sip of wine – a sight that greatly pleased Qi Jianqiu, who continued to set the table. “I have many new things to share with you guys today! Quickly, try some of them!”

Gan Qingjia quickly s.n.a.t.c.hed a piece of rib from the table and placed it in his mouth, a look of pure bliss on his face. “You cook pretty well; I’m sure you’ll make a pretty wife next time.”

“You can either keep your comments to yourself or you can starve! I am not the easy girls in the parlours you frequent; keep your honeyed words away from me!”

Gan Qingjia quickly shut his mouth and focused on the food. This beauty is a barrel full of gunpowder – fiery!

“Looking at you today, you look much better than when I’d last saw you. I’m sure you stayed home last night.” Feng Luodi carefully observed Jiang Moyin’s complexion, who was about to take a sip of wine.

Then I have to do my best to keep up this complexion then. Jiang Moyin quietly set his cup down, and reached for the dishes on the table. “Don’t worry, I’ll recover very soon. Oh, I mean…I’m already well.”

Feng Luodi smiled, and scooped a piece of meat for him. She was about to speak, but Situ’s suddenly cut in.

“You’re here to ask about the case, aren’t you?”

Feng Luodi’s hand paused in mid-air, and she turned to smile at Situ. “How smart of you! So tell me, do you know what the Emperor decided to do with the Ailao amba.s.sador?”

Situ grinned. “Of course I do.”

Feng Luodi shuddered. A grinning Situ is much scarier than when he is expressionless. Everyone around the table stopped simultaneously, spoons and chopsticks halfway to their destinations. All eyes were on Feng Luodi and Situ, who stared at each other.

Jiang Moyin’s natural smile on his face drooped a little. His hand that held the edge of the table tightened and relaxed again.

Feng Luodi looked away from Situ, and said to Jiang Moyin. “Brother, tell me about it. I’m sure you know about it as well, right?”

Jiang Moyin shook his head and shrugged helplessly. “I really can’t help you this time, Luodi. His Majesty hasn’t given an official edict and I don’t know anything about it. Situ definitely does, though; he’d just conferred with his Majesty in the palace.”

Feng Luodi took a deep breath, smiled, and continued piling food onto Jiang Moyin and Qi Jianqiu’s plates. Qi Jianqiu and Gan Qingjia exchanged a look, something that had never happened before between the two of them. What exactly is going on? They turned and buried their heads into their plates, not wanting to be dragged into the strange tension between the other three, keeping their ears perked.

Jiang Moyin held his laughter in, and tried to avoid looking at Situ. I can only imagine the expression on his face right now!Situ spoke up, breaking the tension in the air.

“The Emperor has decided to rebuild the statue, one that is even more grand than the original to appease the people. The amba.s.sador and all Ailao officials in Chang’an will be taken into custody until the Ailao king sends another representative to Chang’an.” Situ paused. “If that doesn’t happen, the Western Army would be ready to ride into the Ailao lands once again.”

“What a brilliant move!” Qi Jianqiu nodded along. “This isn’t asking for something as simple as a representative from Ailao; this is asking for the representative to bring gifts and offerings again to appease our kingdom.”

“Wow! I didn’t expect you to be well versed in the area of foreign policy too!” Gan Qingjia exclaimed, surprised at Qi Jianqiu’s concise deduction.

Qi Jianqiu rolled her eyes at him. “Definitely much better than you.”

Gan Qingjia was left wordless. He was handsome and charming, and the countless ‘girlfriends’ he had acc.u.mulated in the music parlours of Chang’an could testify to that. Yet, the “Beauty of Chang’an” had never shown the slight bit of interest in him.

Another question popped into Feng Luodi’s mind. “What about the field of oleander flowers in the outskirts of the city?”

“An oleander field?” Jiang Moyin joined into the conversation.

“It’s where the poison in the statue had been sourced from.” Feng Luodi explained it as simply as she could, and turned to Situ. “What about it?”

Finally, Gan Qingjia found a part of conversation that he could partic.i.p.ate in. “I was wondering why Yiqi was heading out of the city with the Imperial Army early in the morning just now. I’m sure he’d gone to take care of it.”

Unfortunately, he was still ignored by the rest, and he quickly took his leave, bored of the gathering. “I’d made an appointment with Miss Linglong of Moonglade, for a private concert by her. I’ll head off first, then!” His proclamation quickly earned him another eye-roll from Qi Jianqiu, and Gan Qingjia quickly scurried out of the courtyard.