The reborn girl always wants to escape, but the abstinent marquis hugs her and coaxes her!

Chapter 38 Even if it’s the Hongmen Banquet, I’ll Go

Five days later, Mu Yi, the steward of the Mu family, received a letter addressed to his master.

The source is... the Xu Mansion next door.

Mu Rong opened the post doubtfully, and the beautiful handwriting was exactly that of a woman.

"My Lord, what's the matter?" Seeing that his Lord's face looked a little strange, Mu Yi asked.

"Miss Xu hosted a banquet at Fanlou and invited me specifically, saying it was to express her gratitude for my rescue efforts at Shaohua Mountain."

Mu Yi was secretly surprised. Miss Xu had always disliked her own Marquis. This post looked like a Hongmen Banquet?

He asked, "My Lord, are you going to the banquet? If it's inconvenient, I..." "Go! Of course I will go! Even if it's the Hongmen Banquet, I will accept it." Mu Rong closed the invitation, his mind made up.

The next evening, Mu Ai harnessed the carriage and waited outside the mansion for a long time, but his master did not come out.

He was impatient, so he went straight into the mansion to look for someone, but saw his own master trying on clothes.

Mu Yi gestured numbly: That’s already twelve sets.

Muai: "..."

In the end, Mu Rong chose a royal blue uniform with a sky blue belt.

When he walked out of the room, he was wearing a hair crown with a white jade rim, and his casual clothes were embroidered with bamboo and pine patterns, which made him look more upright, calm and steady, with an air of a prince.

Mu Ai was already stunned.

He had followed the Marquis since he was six years old, and it had been fourteen years now, but this was the first time he had seen his master like this. "Isn't it just a meal?" he muttered softly.

Mu Rong didn't take it seriously and replied cheerfully, "You're not married yet, so naturally you don't understand."

Muai: "..."

When we arrived at Fanlou, it was getting dark.

The waiter led Mu Rong to a private room on the second floor facing the street. Luo Shu was waiting outside and quickly saluted when he saw him coming.

Mu Rong took a deep breath and pushed open the box.

Xu Rongrong was sitting by the window. When she saw him come in, she stood up and bowed slightly: "My daughter greets the Marquis."

Today, she wore a goose-yellow dress, accessorized with a jade bead hairpin, her black hair like clouds, and a touch of makeup that accentuated her exquisite beauty. A bright smile graced her face, her eyebrows curved, a hint of playfulness.

She is very different today than she was in the past, and Mu Rong couldn't tell whether he was happy or anxious.

He nodded slightly: "It's just you and me here, there's no need to be polite, Miss."

The wing room was elegantly decorated, with a table carved with an Epiphyllum calyx placed by the window. The folding window was half-open, letting in a faint autumn breeze. Mu Rong was a frequent visitor to Fanlou, but this was his first time experiencing its exquisite elegance.

The two sat facing each other, a gentle breeze ruffling Xu Rongrong's hair, bringing out a touch of tenderness. She poured a cup of tea for Mu Rong and said with a smile, "Today, I'm hosting a banquet for you, my Lord. Besides thanking you for your help at Shaohua Mountain, I'd also like to make a deal with you."

Mu Rong took a sip and said, "I'd like to hear more about it."

"I'm sure Your Majesty has heard of my daughter's experiences in the Xu Mansion. I lost my mother at a young age, and Xu Liu has treated me like a thorn in her side, humiliating and bullying me for over a decade. All I've wanted all these years is to stay alive, but life is more than just about survival. Although I'm a woman, I also want to realize my own ambitions. I hope that after we get married, Your Majesty will grant me the right to act as I see fit."

"Then what are your terms of trade?" Mu Rong raised the corner of his mouth.

"I am willing to turn over 30% of the profits from my business to the Marquis' Mansion for public use."

"Do you want to do business?" Mu Rong asked.

Xu Rongrong nodded. In order to achieve her goal, she was not afraid of confessing.

Mu Rong hesitated for a moment and said, "But I'm not interested in money."

Xu Rongrong: "..."

Mu Rong continued, "There are only a few hundred servants in my house, so they don't need much."

"I am a thrifty person. My salary is already more than enough to spend, not to mention the generous rewards given by the palace during every festival. Therefore, Miss Xu's offer is not attractive to me."

Xu Rongrong gritted her teeth when she heard the phrase "salary is too much to spend." After he finished speaking, she asked, "Then what does the Marquis want?"

"I haven't thought of it yet. I'll think of it later. I hope you won't refuse, Miss." Mu Rong's smile was sly. Thinking of his previous misdeeds, Xu Rongrong was about to refuse.

Mu Rong seemed to understand her thoughts and assured her, "Don't worry, Miss. I won't do anything unreasonable."

So...it's feasible.

Thinking of the real purpose of today, Xu Rongrong agreed.

While they were talking, the waiter from Fanlou brought all the dishes one by one.

Each dish is a Fanlou classic: sweet-scented osmanthus jelly, crispy lotus root, lotus seed fish, eight-treasure duck soup, stir-fried wild rice stem, and a stack of cloud flower cakes.

When the Yunhua cake was served, Mu Rong looked calm and there was nothing wrong with him.

When the waiter was pouring wine, he accidentally stained Mu Rong's sleeve. He didn't care and wiped it off gently.

As the two chatted, Xu Rongrong calmly asked, "Everyone says the Marquis loves red, and that both his battle robes and casual attire are mostly red. But from what I've seen, that doesn't seem to be the case." Mu Rong put down his chopsticks, nodded, and smiled. "What they say is true. Three months ago, while patrolling the camp outside the capital, we encountered assassins. One of the captured assassins, after being tortured, confessed that someone told them that I was easiest to identify in a red robe. His Majesty learned of this, and to avoid worrying him, I haven't worn red since then."

Xu Rongrong thought thoughtfully: "I see."

Mu Rong couldn't help but curl his lips when he saw her small red lips and how graceful she looked when eating.

It seemed that she liked every dish here. He picked up a piece of cloud flower cake and put it in his mouth.

It’s really delicious.

However, although Xu Rongrong seemed calm, her hands hidden under the table were actually shaking slightly. She watched Mu Rong finish a piece of Yunhua Cake and then picked up another piece.

She suddenly felt like crying: Fortunately... fortunately... he didn't come back.

Xu Rongrong lowered her head, hiding the moisture in her eyes. The sound of wheels grinding on bluestone slabs could be heard outside the window. Although they were in the second-floor room, they could still hear the clear conversation downstairs:

"Brother Duan is here. What kind of wine did you bring today?"

"There are plum wine, osmanthus wine, and the sorghum wine that the boss asked me to drink a few days ago." The person who answered had a cheerful voice.

Xu Rongrong knew that it was the Duan Chuanchao she had been waiting for who had arrived. The day for the banquet for Mu Rong was also the day she had specially chosen for Duan Chuanchao to deliver wine to Fanlou.

The people downstairs were still praising him, "Young man, you're truly capable. It's truly remarkable that you manage so much on your own. I heard the Third Prince also came to order wine from you."

"It's just that the noble gentleman occasionally comes to order two jars because he's in a good mood. It's nothing to say." Duan Chuanchao said modestly.

Mu Rong glanced down disapprovingly, then retracted his gaze and picked up a piece of boneless lotus seed fish for Xu Rongrong, saying gently, "The lotus seed fish in the capital has too many marks of being cooked. Next summer, I will take you to Jiangnan to taste real lotus seed fish." Xu Rongrong agreed with a smile.

Mu Rong ate this meal very politely.

Xu Rongrong's worries were gone, and she let down her guard and drank two cups.

The plum wine in Fanlou was fragrant. She wanted to pour another glass, but Mu Rong stopped her: "Go look in the bronze mirror."

Xu Rongrong felt a little strange. She stood up and walked to the bronze mirror used for washing, only to find that the person in the mirror had flushed cheeks and hazy eyes. She thought her mind was clear, but to others, she was already drunk.

She was a little embarrassed for a moment.

Mu Rong smiled and stood up. "Although I promised you I would be a respectful person, if you tempt me like this, it will be hard for me to resist."

Xu Rongrong covered her cheeks with her hands and whispered, "I didn't."

"I know you don't have any," Mu Rong said, then opened the door to the wing room and called Luo Shu in to wait on him. A moment later, Mu Rong ordered the waiter to harness the Xu Mansion's carriage and said, "It's getting late. Miss, you should return home early."

Xu Rongrong took Luo Shu and said goodbye and left.

As the Xu Mansion's carriage gradually drove out of sight, the plate of cloud flower cake on the table was empty.

Mu Rong bent over and vomited, veins bulging on his forehead.

She...finally had doubts.