Ye Luan, with her sharp mind, glanced at the men playing chess inside the room and pulled her hand, leading her towards the corridor.
"Let's play here," she said, closing the door to block the view from inside.
Chi You leaned against the railing, gazing at the scenery below the pavilion, her heart feeling a little lighter. Those men were all her enemies; she truly couldn't bear to be in the same room with them.
"Have some tea, brewed with fresh dew collected just now. It's very fragrant."
The voice came from behind. Chi You turned around and saw a face as pure as jade. She managed a weak smile and accepted the cup.
"Thank you."
Ye Luan rested her hands on the railing, looking at the lush jujube tree. She couldn't resist picking a few.
"Here, they're big and sweet, so delicious."
"Ah Luan, I want some too."
Wei Qingge, having tidied up the mahjong tiles, immediately brought them out and moved them into the corridor. Seeing Ye Luan picking jujubes, she clamored for some as well.
Ye Luan's belly was growing bigger. Standing by the railing, she couldn't reach many. Wei Qingge, not satisfied with eating from the fruit platter and wanting to pick them herself, leaped onto the tree and stomped her foot forcefully, causing a cascade of jujubes to fall to the ground.
The sound of silver bells echoed through the room.
Li Qiongyu smiled lazily, glancing at the placid Liu Rongruo, and spoke. "Bringing the young lady here, do you want to anger someone to death?"
"What, can't I?" He raised his eyelids and shot him a glance.
"Fine, fine, fine, you're the boss. Do whatever you want."
Xiao Chizhan took a sip of tea, holding a black chess piece, and teased, "Could it be you've fallen for her?"
Liu Rongruo curled his lips. "Indeed, after all, we've slept together for so long." He once thought the world was foolish, consumed by desire, but now he knew that a gentle haven could be a hero's grave.
"Oh ho, you've finally opened up."
Just as Li Qiongyu was about to continue teasing, he saw two people ascending from downstairs. He burst into laughter upon seeing Tantai Ye with white bandages around his eyes.
"Weren't you all better? Why are you still wearing them?"
Tantai Ye knew this fellow was deliberately provoking him and attempted to kick him, but feeling the gaze of the person beside him, he sheepishly retracted his foot. He squeezed Lan Murou's waist and whispered, coaxing, "Why don't you go play with Ye Luan outside the corridor?"
Lan Murou surveyed her surroundings. Hearing Wei Qingge's voice from the corridor, a flicker of joy crossed her gentle face. She quietly pried his hand away and hurried to meet the two women.
As she left, Tantai Ye instantly removed the white bandages and lounged onto a chair.
"Serves you right, for deceiving people."
Tantai Ye directly kicked him. "Shut up!"
Li Qiongyu hissed and began to mock him. "I heard your parents personally went to Gusu to invite her back, but she refused to return with you. Tsk, tsk, if Ye Luan wasn't about to give birth, you'd be stuck in Gusu as her ox or horse for the rest of your life."
Mentioning this, Tantai Ye's eyes narrowed in displeasure as he turned to Xiao Chizhan. "Why did you even tell them the specific address?"
Xiao Chizhan glanced at him. "Your grandmother and grandfather begged her, it was annoying."
Tantai Ye snorted unhappily and picked up his teacup to drink.
Back then, when the two of them fell into the Forgetfulness River, he had tightly bound their clothes together, holding her tightly and desperately, rushing downstream through the secret passage. Later, they were rescued by an old man. After a long period of unconsciousness, he awoke to learn that Lan Murou was not dead but had been taken away. He then sent a carrier pigeon for Xiao Chizhan and the others to return to Da Liang first, while he went to Gusu. After a long search, he finally found her.
"It's been a while since we've gathered. Come on, let's go for a drink."
Xiao Chizhan said, "No, it's irritating."
"What kind of man are you? There are still two months before the birth."
"I'm abstaining from alcohol."
Tantai Ye looked at Liu Rongruo, who was still playing chess, and teased. "You're abstaining too?"
Liu Rongruo said faintly, "I'm not."
"Heh, what was he thinking, bringing her back for a political marriage? And even having a child."
Li Qiongyu chimed in, "What could he be thinking? A gentle haven, a hero's grave."
Tantai Ye burst into laughter, leaning back lazily in his chair, and continued to tease Liu Rongruo. Liu Rongruo remained placid, ignoring their taunts and continuing his chess game with Xiao Chizhan.
"Let's go hunt some game. I'll roast it for you." Behind the temporary palace was a vast hunting ground, specially prepared for their amusement.
While they went hunting, Ye Luan also grew tired. She led the others down from the pavilion and set up a small couch under a tree to rest. Chi You sat on a stone stool, listening to the others chat, sipping tea in silence. Seeing her dejected expression, Ye Luan forced herself up, holding her belly, and sat on a stool to talk with her.
The temperaments of the women were compatible, and Lan Murou was gentle. After a few exchanges, they became quite friendly. Wei Qingge, still displeased with Tantai Ye's bad temper during their trip to Gusu, seized the opportunity to pour out her grievances to Lan Murou. Lan Murou listened quietly to her complaints, occasionally agreeing, her eyes soft and amiable, making her seem very easy to talk to. Chi You couldn't help but look at her a few more times.
The autumn cicadas chirped incessantly on the willow branches, disturbing the peace. The group retreated to a quiet room to rest. As the sun began to set, the hunters returned. In the open space outside, several large Shanglin kilns were set up. These kilns were specially used by the nobles in the capital, with two layers, a shallow inner wall, and small square holes at the bottom for heat dissipation. Meat was skewered on iron rods and placed on top for roasting.
Xiao Chizhan, fearing Ye Luan would be hungry waiting, returned soon after hunting, so the haul was not large: venison, beef ribs, lamb, and pork. Long Tian, fearing it wouldn't be enough, also brought some wild duck and crucian carp.
"Tantai Ye, you said you'd roast it for us. You come and do it."
Hearing Li Qiongyu, Xiao Chizhan raised an eyebrow. "He thinks he can?"
Li Qiongyu smiled and patted his shoulder. "He can. Someone was caught pretending to be blind because he was secretly learning to cook to please a young lady, hahaha--"
Tantai Ye, his secret exposed, grabbed the wild rabbit he was preparing and threw it. Li Qiongyu dodged and threw it back. "Prepare it yourself."
Tantai Ye caught it. Seeing Lan Murou and the others emerge, he was too lazy to argue and began preparing the game. Liu Rongruo glanced at the women who had come out, his expression turning cold.
Ye Luan coughed lightly. "Inside the room." He nodded, washed his hands, wiped them dry, and went inside.
"Are you hungry?" Xiao Chizhan wiped his hands and came over to support her.
Ye Luan, having gained weight during her pregnancy, had rounder cheeks. Her beautiful, almost aggressive face softened with a touch of gentleness when she smiled.
"Hungry." Her eyes held a hint of a pout, captivating Xiao Chizhan. He helped her sit on the soft couch and brought her some pastries.
"Fill your stomach first."
'I want to eat grilled fish.'
Xiao Chizhan pinched her nose, saying dotingly, "Alright."