Every Friday, July, and September, there would be Fang Zijing's lectures. Yu Shu went to Pei County on the evening of the 19th and stayed there for a few days. It didn't affect her studies.
Today was the 25th of June, and there were morning classes. Yu Shu lived at home for the past two days and didn't go to Wangji Tower. Xue Rui seemed to have something to do, so the two were separated again.
This time, Xue Rui was schemed against by the hypocrite Liu Hao and almost fell into his trap. Yu Shu thought that he had encountered too many shady cases, so he was unlucky. She wanted to give him the peach wood black silk fan in advance, but when she turned her head, she couldn't find him, so she had to give up.
Yu Shu slept well last night. When she got up in the morning, she was in high spirits. She didn't let the groom send her off and went out with Little Red.
If Xue Rui knew that she dared to ride alone on the street after riding a horse only two or three times, he would definitely teach her a lesson.
Fortunately, Little Red was indeed a fine colt that Pei Jing had carefully selected from the Northern Stud Farm. It had a gentle temperament and was neither arrogant nor rash. When it was pulled onto the streets by Yu Shu, a rash newbie, it did not panic at all. It calmly trotted along the road, avoiding pedestrians and avoiding people. If someone told it to go east, it would never go west.
Thus, one person and one horse strolled without taking any detours. They smoothly passed through the south of the city to the north of the city and came to the street in front of the main entrance of Taishi Library.
Yu Shu got off the horse when they were almost at the door. She held the reins, stroked the horse's neck, and said with a smile, "How was it? I rode it well, right?"
Little Red didn't understand Yu Shu's words, so it shook its head and ignored her.
Animals were not allowed to enter Taishi Library. Yu Shu had asked Xin Liu before and knew that they could leave the horse in the teahouse and tavern across the street. There was good feed there, but it cost one silver tael a day, which was a lot of money.
She was about to take the horse to deposit it when she heard someone calling her. She looked up and saw a young man with a round face sitting by the window on the second floor of the teahouse with a smile. He was waving at her.
"Miss Yu!"
Ruilin?
Even though there was a distance between them, Yu Shu could still recognize that this person was one of Xue Rui's good friends, the Young Noble of the Earl's Mansion, Rui Lin.
Yu Shu led the horse a few steps closer. Raising her head, she asked, "Master Rui, why are you here so early in the morning?"
Rui Lin leaned half of his body out of the window and said to her, "I couldn't find you, so I came here to wait. If you're not busy, why don't you come up for a cup of tea?"
Yu Shu hesitated for a moment, but seeing that it was still early, she agreed.
At the beginning of the year, an imperial notice was put up in the capital looking for the whereabouts of Jing Chen, the Daoist. She was arrested by the Celestial Commissioner for interrogation. In the end, it was Ruilin who broke into the Celestial Commissioner's house with Xue Rui to save her, relying on his identity as the brother-in-law of Junior Supervisor Ren.
Yu Shu owed him a favor, so she would definitely give him some face.
However, when she went upstairs, she realized that Ruilin did not come alone today.
.....
Yu Shu and Rui Zizhu, who was disguised as a man, sat face to face. A few hot and fragrant tea snacks were placed in the middle, and there was also a slender brocade box. Ruilin had just found an excuse to leave.
"Miss Yu, I …" Under the table, Rui Zizhu clutched her sleeves. The courage that she had summoned with great difficulty weakened again when she saw Yu Shu.
Yu Shu frowned without a trace, "Miss Rui, if you have something to say, you might as well say it. I have a lecture in the study garden in the morning, so I have to leave in a while."
She owed Ruilin a favor, but she didn't owe this little girl. Rui Zizhu's behavior at the Hibiscus Gentlemen's Banquet, so she didn't argue with her anymore. This little girl should thank the gods for daring to show up in front of her.
Yu Shu hated this kind of person the most — — I didn't provoke you, but you provoked me. It would be strange if I forgive you.
"I specially came to apologize to you." Rui Zizhu lowered her head and pushed the brocade box on the table to Yu Shu. She said in a low voice, "That night at the banquet, I mistakenly believed Royal Princess Xi Wen and joined them to spread rumors about you. I was really muddle-headed for a moment. I hope you don't blame me."
Hearing this, Yu Shu didn't even look at her apology. She just waved her hand and said, "That happened so many days ago. I'm not that narrow-minded, so I don't blame you."
Anyway, she didn't lose anything, but they were the ones who lost face.
Rui Zizhu probably didn't expect Yu Shu to be so easy to talk to. Her thick eyelashes fluttered, and her face lit up, "You really don't blame me?"
"Yes." Yu Shu only wanted to quickly get rid of the person, so she didn't care about going along with her words.
Rui Zizhu breathed a sigh of relief, "Miss Yu, you don't know. When I went back that day, Older Brother scolded me. I wanted to apologize to you in person, but, but — —"
She hesitantly said, "Royal Princess Xi Wen invited me over. She told me that you are a very vengeful person and will take revenge for any grievances. She told me to be careful of you."
Yu Shu drank the tea. She raised her eyes and looked at the person opposite her.
She thought that this little girl was a simple-minded person, but she didn't expect that she had misjudged her.
Rui Zizhu panicked under her gaze. She pursed her lips and braced herself, "I don't think, I think you're a bad person. Otherwise, Eldest Young Master Xue wouldn't have recognized you as his sworn sister."
Yu Shu curled up the corner of her mouth and didn't continue.
Seeing her smile, Rui Zizhu seemed to be encouraged and said in a spurt of energy, "If Miss Yu doesn't blame me, can you do me a favor?"
She was taking advantage of the situation. Yu Shu asked, "What is it?"
"I know that Eldest Young Master Xue's birthday is on the ninth of next month, so I want to give him something, but I don't know what he likes. Miss Yu, you are close, so you must know what he likes. Can you help me give me some ideas?"
Normally, it was a taboo for men and women to give things to each other in private, but it wasn't a problem for a proper birthday gift. Rui Zizhu was shy, but she still brought it up.
Yu Shu almost laughed out loud. What kind of nonsense was this? A girl liked her boyfriend, and in order to please him, she actually came to her rival in love to give him ideas.
Many people believed that she and Xue Rui were siblings, so the two of them could only pretend that they didn't know anything.
Should she bear with it and help Rui Zizhu come up with an idea?
"Not good." Yu Shu crossed her arms and said with a slightly mocking expression, "I don't have a good relationship with you, so why should I help you? Give him whatever you like, why ask me?"
Xue Rui was her boyfriend. Even if no one knew, it was a fact, so why should she bear it?
Regardless of Rui Zizhu's stunned expression, Yu Shu lost her patience and got up to leave, "It's time. I won't wait for Brother Ling, I'll leave first."
After that, she turned and went downstairs. As for the box of apology on the table, she didn't look at it again.
Rui Zizhu bit her lip and didn't try to persuade her to stay.
Seeing that she had left, Rui Lin came out from behind a screen and sat next to her. He shook his head and said, "I already said that this Yu Shu isn't easy to get along with. Don't look at her friendly face. When it's time to be rude, she won't be polite at all. You're just asking for trouble by looking for her like this. I think you should just wait for Father and the Xue family to discuss the marriage. Don't let your imagination run wild all day long. "
Rui Zizhu turned her head and stammered, "Miss Yu and Young Master Xue, are they really just sworn siblings?"
"How can it be fake? Brother Rui said it himself. How can he lie about this?" Rui Lin looked at her strangely and guessed her thoughts. He laughed and said, "I told you not to let your imagination run wild. Brother Rui likes a beauty like the Tenth Princess. Why would he have any thoughts about Miss Yu?"
"Isn't Miss Yu a beauty? Didn't Brother see her at the Gentlemen's Hibiscus Banquet? When she dressed like that, she overshadowed me and Princess Xi Wen. Sister Mingyue didn't come that night. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been in the limelight. "
Rui Zizhu said sourly. She couldn't forget that night when Xue Rui was singing a poem about a beauty. At the end, he couldn't take his eyes off of the person he was staring at.
"Uh, this …" Rui Lin couldn't find a rebuttal. He thought to himself, "Yu Lianfang is such a powerful person. Even if she's a beauty, how many men can stand her?"
Of course, he couldn't say this to his younger sister, so he went against his conscience and comforted her, "Brother will guarantee you that Xue Rui will never have an affair with Miss Yu. Think about it, how can they be a match? What kind of family does the Xue family have? Even if she's a female fortune teller who can determine life and death, she doesn't have any background and only has an empty title. How can she be worthy of the young master of the Xue family?"
Rui Zizhu's beautiful face revealed a smile. She held her cheek and turned her head to look at the figure leaving downstairs. She thought to herself, "Fortunately, I'm the young lady of the Count's Mansion. I was born better than some people."
.....
After class, Yu Shu and Situ Qinglan went to the female dormitory to get their books.
She hadn't appeared in Taishi Library for the past few days. The students who were curious about her didn't manage to catch her. After a few times, they lost their patience and didn't come to her class.
On the way, they met Xin Liu who was walking in the opposite direction. When he finally saw her, Xin Liu hurried forward and complained, "Lianfang, where have you been hiding these past few days? I couldn't find you anywhere. It's my grandfather's birthday in two days. I accepted an errand to deliver an invitation to you. "
It seemed that the news of Ning Wang and Liu Yi killing the imperial envoy had not spread.
"I had something to do outside the city." Yu Shu didn't elaborate. She stretched out her hand and asked, "Where's the invitation, give it to me."
Xin Liu really did have it on her. She took it out and shoved it to her. She asked worriedly, "You will come?"
Yu Shu took the hard-covered invitation and patted her shoulder. She smiled and said, "Wait for me at the gates. Then I'll go."
Xin Liu grinned, "Then it's a deal."
Situ Qinglan looked enviously at the two of them chatting.
After exchanging a few words, Xin Liu hurriedly left, saying that the academician had instructed him to do something important.
When Xin Liu had walked far away, Situ Qinglan finally said to Yu Shu, "You're amazing now. The Left Arbiter daren has a birthday celebration and specially sent an invitation to you. For my birthday next month, I'm too embarrassed to call you."
Yu Shu casually picked up the gold-stamped invitation. She turned her head and smiled, asking, "Am I that snobbish? What day is it?"
"July 21st."
When Yu Shu heard that she didn't want to interrupt Xue Rui's birthday, she nodded and said, "If you invite me, I will definitely go."
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