The Blessed (Book 1)

144. They Were Lovers? Then I Got to See Him for Sure! (1)

“My lord, Childe Ling was indeed born in a peasant family, but he passed the tongsheng entrance examination at the age of 13. To a peasant family, he was already quite outstanding.”

Not knowing why he suddenly asked about Ling Jingxuan, Shopkeeper Zhang raised his eyes to carefully look at him, with his head down as far as possible, and only picked some nice words to say. Zeng Shaoqing smiled and muttered to himself, “Ice cubes are not something rare, but to those minor families, it is not easy to store. A farmer could even think of using it to make food. Maybe that’s a real talent.”

He hit the mark with a single comment about something that no one noticed. Zeng Shaoqing seemed careless about anything, in and out of his words was with some kind of sharpness. Shopkeeper Zhang only felt his forehead was having cold sweat all over, and became more confused about what the boss wanted.

“What is his name?”

With his head resting on one hand which was holding against his thigh, Zeng Shaoqing enjoyed Shopkeeper Zhang’s nervousness smilingly, with undisguised teasing and interest deep in that pair of fox eyes. Apparently, not only the gap of the identities, before him, even the capable Shopkeeper Zhang was like a naïve child. They were not on the same page at all.

“Ling Jingxuan.”

Besides deferentially answering him, Shopkeeper Zhang did not know what to say. He was indeed a little confused about this master’s temper.

“The name doesn’t sound like a farmer. You know where he lives, don’t you? Send someone for him, and I will see him myself.”

Zeng Shaoqing slightly curved his lips, showing more interest under his eyes. Recently because of the disappearance of that bastard Yan Shengrui, plus the unceasing wars at the boarders, his father could only begged His Majesty to the boarders to take charge. Everyone in the mansion was jittery. Finally he ran out under the name of of asking for a safe rune for the old man, and secretly asked about Yan Shengrui’s trace all the way. Pity that the only news he got was that he seemed to have disappeared in his fief, nothing more. For this, as he who nearly got mouldy staying home all day heard that a farmer in Datong town even thought of using ice cubes to make food and multiplied the income of a restaurant nearby in only a month, he came to check it out, and breathed some fresh air by the way.

“Well…”

Shopkeeper Zhang looked a little hesitated. Sweeping over at him with his split vision, Zeng Shaoqing said deeply, “What? Inconvenient?”

At this time, the well-hidden dominance suddenly broke out. So it was completely wrong to describe him with words like seductive or charming. Only some slight change of his tone, Zeng Shaoqing already looked like he had changed to another person, and his beautiful face seemed tougher. Shopkeeper Zhang had a skip of his heart and he hurriedly bent down, “No, don’t take me wrong, master. It’s not inconvenient. To tell you the truth, except the jam, he also uses medicinal herbs to raise some kind of fat medicinal fish, but in small amount, merely enough for the branch in Datong. So every morning I’d send people to fetch the fish at his place. Today when the worker came back, Ling Jingxuan asked him to tell me that he’d come in person later. So if you are not in a hurry, can you wait for some time?”

Speaking of which, Shopkeeper Zhang held his breath and looked at him nervously. The master’s temper was so fickle that he’d change his face at any minute. He was really a little scared.

“Oh? Someone who could even does fish-farming in Cangzhou? Really something.”

Lips curved, that kind of sharpness instantly disappeared. Zeng Shaoqing lowered his head to flatten his golden-silk cuff whole saying, “When did he say he’d come?”

In today’s world, few people dare to make him wait. He’d like to see what kind of big figure the other side is!

But he seemed to forget, Ling Jingxuan never let him wait.

“His children are studying in the town, and I guess he’d come with them. Maybe they are arrived already. Will you please allow me to check it out?”

Looking at the sky outside the window, Shopkeeper Zhang was still tense. Zeng Shaoqing casually waved his hand and he bowed down to back out. Not until the door of the box was closed did Shopkeeper Zhang breathed a long sigh and wiped off the sweat off his forehead. Coping with him was even harder than coping with people from yamen! Who said he is easy-going?

“Master, why do you want to see a farmer? He should have nothing to do with Lord Jiu.”

After he left, the woman in green clothes standing on the left hand of Zeng Shaoqing asked curiously when she was serving tea, thinking that she hid her infatuation about him well but was totally betrayed by that pair of eyes, while the woman in green clothes on the other side frowned so slightly that one could barely notice. Of course she noticed it with a glance, but said nothing, only standing there like a statue.

“Cuizhu, you’ve been with me for nearly a year, right?”

Taking a sip of the tea elegantly, Zeng Shaoqing said lightly. The woman who was called Cuizhu froze there, then hurriedly knelt down, “I deserve to die!”

“Oh?”

With only a random eyebrow-picking of him, Cuizhu who was kneeling down there nearly had her heart jumped out, “I shouldn’t have asked about your personal thing, master. I deserve to die.”

Outsiders might not know, Zeng Shaoqing looked amiable in ordinary times, and his beautiful appearance often made other think he was totally incapable but only relied on his family. Only those who had really contacted with him knew that his personality was totally different from what he looked. He never liked others asking about his personal stuff, including the old duke and Princess Mingshang. Apparently Cuizhu had touched his taboo.

“Go down and take your punishment.”

Lazily raising his eyelids, Zeng Shaoqing even didn’t give her a look, but only lay back after handling the tea cup in his hand to the other maid. Cuizhu repeatedly said thanks while wiping off her tears. Soon, the box quieted down again. Zeng Shaoqing put his hands on the back of his head, staring at the roof listlessly, with all things about Yan Shengrui flashing in his head.

On the other side, as Shopkeeper Zhang who just came out of box heard that Ling Jingxuan had come already, he immediately went to the box on the second floor. The boss’ coming undoubted hurry-scurry. But…it seemed that he couldn’t show a slice of complaining feeling. He could only swallow a bitter pill in silence…