Xi State's market was filled with laughter and chatters very early in the morning. People could be seen entering in and out of shops, inns and restaurants.
In the quieter corner of the street stood a two story restaurant. The second floor was similar to a roof top setting. There was a bamboo roof but the sides were opened where customers could enjoy the view of the streets.
Sitting at a table in the corner were Prince Shao and male Yu Mei. Yu Mei sported a top bun and a dark purple male robe. On the opposite was the handsome and refined Prince Shao in his usual white robe. The contrast between the youthful Yu Mei and mature Prince Shao was too much. Sitting across from Gu Shao, Yu Mei looked like a young brother.
Seeing Yu Mei looking more refreshing than the last time he saw her made all his worries go away. A saddened Yu Mei was replaced with a youthful and bright her today.
His arm reached out to grab the wine jug in the middle of the center. His hand was barely on the handle when Yu Mei's slender fingers overlapped his. A sudden wave of shock went through his body. When he looked up, he was met with a bright smile.
"Brother Shao is my savior. Let me pour the drinks today." She persuaded him.
"Your savior?" he arched his brow.
"Brother Shao! You don't need to hide it from me. I know it was you who sent me food everyday. You must have been worried about me being mistreated. I must thank you for that. Not only that but I am forever in your debt. If it wasn't for you, I would still be stuck in that scary Taiji Palace."
Prince Shao took a sip of the wine and tried to process everything she said in his head. [Sent her food everyday? Had her released?] It was true he was in the process of gathering evidence but Pei Nan was a step ahead of him. He had already found the evidence to free Yu Mei. And what was she saying about sending her food? He really didn't know about it. The more he thought about it, the more he realized what was going on.
"Brother Xu, you caught me. I thought I could do it sneakily without you figuring out. I really didn't want you to feel indebted towards me." He went along with it. After all, knowing Pei Nan, If he didn't say anything to Yu Mei now, it meant he wouldn't say it ever. Besides, it was her who made the mistake. He would use this chance to gain her admiration and respect for him.
"Of course I know it was you. Who else would go through so much trouble for me? I really owe you too much in this life." she paused. It was getting her all sad again. She made up her mind not to be sad in front of Prince Shao again. "Whatever you want to do today, I am at your service." Yu Mei smiled at him.
Gu Shao put his finger to his chin and pretended to think hard on it. "Anything? Really?"
That voice. Yu Mei knew it was nothing good but she had already said what she had to say. There was no going back. "En!" she assured him.
"Should we go to the House of Splendor?" He asked. She cursed herself silently. She should have known better.
Yu Mei leaned forward. With a finger, she signaled him to come closer. Gu Shao couldn't help but wonder what her next move would be. Would she really go or not?
He too leaned forward. The two of them were quite close. Their faces no more than a few inches away from each other. Yu Mei used her hand to cover one side of her face and whispered, "Are you feeling too lonely lately? Should we go for real? As your friend, I'll help you choose the most beautiful woman there." She giggled, continuing to play along.
He too played along. "I'll hold you to your words! Considering I am your savior, you must find me someone as beautiful as you."
The smile on Yu Mei's face stiffened. What was he saying? He caught her off guard.
The mischievous Gu Shao pointed at her. "If you can't find me a beautiful woman, you will be the one to suffer. Let's go find this beauty!"
A determined Gu Shao stretched his arm and grabbed her wrist quicker than she could react. Before she knew it, they had already exited the restaurant. He was still holding onto her hand as they quickly headed towards the House of Splendor. With him holding onto her wrist, she was able to keep up with him.
"Brother Shao, you can let go now. I can walk on my own." She complained. There were so many eyes watching, what would happen if Pei Nan found out.
He stopped.
"Remember the last time I took you to the House of Splendor and you got lost in the crowd. The crowd on the street is just as busy. How can I trust that you won't get lost." He countered.
"But still. Men and women shouldn't have any physical touch. Especially since we are two men right now." She calmly reminded him. This only made Gu Shao chuckle. He had completely forgotten about her disguise. Even in her disguise, he saw her as a lady.
Suddenly Gu Shao made a sharp turn. They ended up at a jade store. "What are we doing here?" she asked. Weren't they heading to the House of Splendor?
He didn't pay her any attention. His free hand casually swiped along the hairpins in front of him. "Brother Shao, are you planning on gifting some lucky lady a hairpin?" she teased once again. They were going to a brothel after all. Surely he was going to buy some lucky lady a gift to remember him.
Yu Mei watched as he bought a plain jade hairpin. In the next moment, it was slid into her hair effortlessly. "It suits you. Count yourself lucky for meeting such a handsome yet generous man like me today."
"But I'm a man." Yu Mei was about to pull the hairpin out when he held her hand up. "If you take it out, I'm going to hold onto your hand all the way to the House of Splendor. Who knows...there might be rumors that we are two broken sleeve people." He threatened.
She frowned at him. What a rogue he was. How could she afford to smear his royal name. If anyone found out it was her who ruined Prince Shao's reputation, she would be in big trouble. Her decision was made. In the end, the hairpin was left in her hair.
In the end they did not go to the House of Splendor. It was as if he was lying to her this whole time. She only stayed annoyed for a brief second. He knew how to make up for lying to her.
The two ended up walking around and stuffing their mouths with delicious snacks. So when Yu Mei returned, she was quite satisfied.
Gu Shao on the other hand was not feeling too happy. The moment he came across a maid in his palace, he stopped her. "I'm about to have a special guest. Bring my precious wine to the main hall."