Conquering the Male Supporting Character – CH 016

Chapter 16. Citron

“Since we’ve run into her, shall we go and greet Lu Wan?”

Her companion asked Lin Yun, a hint of eagerness in her eyes, though their gazes remained fixed on the handsome young man.

Lin Yun knew perfectly well that Lu Wan possessed only beauty and no talent, and the Lu family had fallen on hard times. Normally, these powerful families, with their haughty airs, would not allow any of the noble ladies to bother with her.

Going up to her now would clearly be a pretext for something else entirely—to get closer to Young Master Xie Yu.

Unfortunately, she felt too guilty to go.

These past few days, she had thought long and hard, only sending some medicinal herbs through intermediaries. She had not even dared to visit Lu Wan herself, let alone dare to show her her face.

“I suddenly feel unwell, so I will head back first. You can go explore on your own; do not worry about me.”

Lin Yun gave a few vague instructions, then hurriedly left with a grim expression, leaving the young ladies accompanying her quite puzzled.

“How utterly boring! Let’s go by ourselves.” The young ladies exchanged glances, then stepped forward to interrupt the two.

“Ah Wan, it has been a long time.”

A young woman in a lotus-colored embroidered blouse approached and greeted them first, her eyes constantly glancing at Xie Yu, then adding somewhat shyly, “It’s quite a coincidence that Young Master Xie Yu is here too.”

The other young ladies chimed in, “What a coincidence! We rarely see Lord Xie these days.”

A coincidence? Lu Wan glanced at them and knew what they were up to; they were clearly after the people around her.

They were all cunning foxes. What kind of ghost story were they playing?

This Young Lady Zhao had often mocked the original owner of this body, and now she was trying to curry favor with her sisters—a bit late.

Under normal circumstances, she might have considered their feelings and tried to maintain a certain image, but now that her only target was Xie Yu, she did not care about such things.

“It’s cold these days, and I rarely go out. It was Lord Yu who invited me to stroll along the Imperial Street today, which is how I met you all. It is no coincidence.”

It was practically a blatant admission that Xie Yu had invited her out.

Her gesture of covering her mouth and chuckling exuded an undeniable smugness, causing the younger woman to turn pale, barely able to suppress her smile.

“I think that shop’s fabric is quite nice; why not take a look, Young Lady Zhao?” Lu Wan suggested kindly, her brows slightly furrowed.

“Your lotus-colored blouse makes your complexion look rather dull; it is clear the embroiderers in your household were not careful with color matching. Go and choose a darker fabric; perhaps it would suit you better.” It was practically a direct insult, implying her dark skin should not wear such a delicate color.

“I have an appointment with Lord Yu, so I will take my leave now.”

“You!”

Young Lady Zhao understood the implication and trembled with anger, but remembering Xie Yu’s presence, she swallowed her words.

“Then, please wait a moment; we will be leaving now.” She maintained her composure, straightened her back, and departed with her friends.

Having witnessed this verbal sparring, Xie Yu chuckled, “I did not expect to see Ah Wan like this.”

Sharp-tongued, she had infuriated them with her witty banter, subtly using herself as a scapegoat.

Although he disliked the living creature, he felt that Lu Wan at this moment truly resembled a cat—proud and arrogant.

She was incredibly spoiled.

Lu Wan turned her head to look at him, the delicate, openwork jade pendant by her ear swaying. She frowned and asked seriously.

“Then, what should I say, Jade Gentleman?”

She made a pouting gesture, as if deflated, her cheeks puffed out in anger.

“Should those young ladies accompany you and me?”

She quickened her pace, lowered her head, and said sullenly, “Then how about I chase them back for Judicial Minister Xie?”

Even Xie Yu, who was always confident in his ability to read people’s hearts, had never seen a woman change her expression so easily in front of him, let alone a young lady who seemed to have a good impression of him.

He recalled what he had just said, and there was nothing wrong with it, so he was at a loss for words.

Fortunately, he calmed down for a moment, and after careful reflection, he roughly guessed the reason, finding it somewhat amusing.

“Is Ah Wan jealous?”

He carefully examined Lu Wan, and sure enough, he saw that her pretty face, which had suddenly lifted, was slightly red at the corners of her watery eyes, and her petal-like, moist lips were tightly pursed, clearly showing her annoyance.

“Young Master Xie, please do not make unfounded assumptions. What is there for me to be jealous of?”

Lu Wan deliberately looked away, unwilling to look at him, which only confirmed his suspicions.

“I genuinely found Ah Wan’s confident demeanor just now quite amusing, so I joked around. I had no intention of inviting the ladies to accompany us.”

Seeing that she was pretending not to care, yet still blinking her long eyelashes and listening intently to him, Xie Yu’s tone softened.

“I made a promise with Ah Wan beforehand; how could I invite anyone else? Besides, you still promised me a cup of tea, and I am waiting to ask you for it. I certainly would not have invited anyone else along.”

“Is that really what you think, Lord Yu?”

“Absolutely.”

Lu Wan looked up, her thoughtful gaze fixed on him, her clear eyes reflecting only his image. Suddenly, she smiled.

“If that’s what you say, Lord Yu, then I believe you.”

She seemed to have instantly forgotten her earlier displeasure, looking at him with bright, smiling eyes.

Occasionally throwing a little tantrum and being easily appeased—are men not all susceptible to this kind of behavior? If you always give in to them, they would probably take advantage of you.

“Young Master, remember this: never lie to me again. I hold grudges and hate being lied to.”

Xie Yu nodded in agreement, a thought flashing through his mind. Could this be the feeling of a woman’s anxiety and uncertainty when facing her beloved?

They smiled at each other. He lowered his eyelashes first, concealing the deep emotions in his eyes. If she truly loved him deeply, how could her affection level only be 20?

Then her affection was rather cold.

A tall, mountain-shaped frame made of slender bamboo hung high, adorned with lanterns and flower balls made of bright silk. Blue and white striped banners with the character “川¹” fluttered high, forming a striking entrance on the long street. All of this clearly indicated that this was a tavern.

This tavern, naturally belonging to the Zhou family, was situated on the banks of the Luo River, which flowed through the city. Facing both the water and the street, it was one of Lady Zhou’s dowry properties. Its imposing three-bay facade was bustling with customers, easily generating a fortune daily.

Of course, Lu Wan chose this place because she was the owner and could reserve the best seats in advance.

“What does Lord Yu think of this place?”

Lu Wan forcefully pushed open the wooden window overlooking the river. The willows along the riverbank and the boats moored on the water were all visible.

“The location is excellent.” The view of the river was unobstructed.

Xie Yu stood beside Lu Wan, very close, her delicate, sweet fragrance wafting towards his nose.

But Xie Yu’s gaze was fixed on the Wohong Bridge, where a group of prisoners being escorted slowly passed by.

At this moment, Lu Wan also noticed the group of people. She was not particularly concerned, but seeing Xie Yu’s slightly grim expression, she could not help but ask out of curiosity.

“Lord Yu, do you recognize the people being escorted?”

Of course, he recognized them. Not long ago, he had heard about them firsthand from a thief who had committed suicide. It was because of this person’s suicide that he had been reprimanded by the Emperor.

The people being escorted were the very family members who had instructed him to frame the Crown Prince.

The witness who framed the Crown Prince was already dead in his hands, so the reason for his imprisonment was probably no longer related to the Crown Prince. He just did not know what the reason for their imprisonment this time was.

Perhaps it was still that hidden force.

Long ago, he had discovered that someone seemed to be secretly plotting, protecting the Crown Prince while constantly using the Crown Prince’s name to eliminate dissidents. However, whenever he discovered any clues, they were quickly covered up.

“Ah Wan, if someone is protecting another person while simultaneously using them to cover up their own self-serving actions, why do you think that would be?”

Was this a question about matters of the court?

Lu Wan paused, her mind racing. This was not a difficult question, but it gave her an opportunity to play the role of a confidante.

“What Lord Yu is saying must be serious business. I may be ignorant, but I do have some ideas.”

Xie Yu turned his gaze, quietly observing her.

“Perhaps we could try putting it the other way around? Is it that someone is protecting that person to cover up their own self-serving actions?”

This made perfect sense, showing she was not as thoughtless as the rumors suggested.

Xie Yu’s eyes held an ambiguous meaning, but his expression softened.

“It was just a spontaneous remark. Today was meant to be an outing with Ah Wan, so why bring up those tedious official matters? It was my fault.”

He bowed slightly, his demeanor elegant, offering a smile of apology. “I hope Ah Wan will not hold it against me.”

“That’s easy enough.” Lu Wan raised an eyebrow, a sly look of approval appearing on her face.

“Since Lord Yu knows his mistake, will he accept punishment?”

Punished? Xie Yu straightened up, suppressing the sudden annoyance in his eyes, and slowly leaned closer to her, his voice softening, almost a low whisper.

“Of course, I wonder how Ah Wan intends to punish me.”

The closer they got, the stronger the sweet fragrance became. He discerned three notes: autumn pear, agarwood, and sandalwood, and there seemed to be another sweet scent, indescribable, making his throat suddenly dry.

The darkness in his eyes deepened; the annoyance and displeasure that had just filled the air vanished.

Lu Wan did not flinch, her slender, pale fingers lingering on the jade hairpin he had given her, looking quite pleased.

She picked up a lotus-leaf-shaped white jade cup and filled it with morning dew.

Her captivating eyes, sparkling with life, glanced at him, their pupils seemingly holding tiny hooks that stirred a slight stirring in his heart.

“If you, Lord Yu, drink this cup to the brim, then this matter will be over.”

The cups used for urging drinks were large; this one was easily a liter. After finishing it, he probably would not have the appetite for food.

Lu Wan was in a good mood.

Teasing Xie Yu occasionally was a bit of fun, and it would be even better to see the usually composed Lord Xie Yu show a look of discomfiture.

She glanced out of the corner of her eye at the citron cup on the table; its golden hue was quite pleasing. She planned to wait for Xie Yu to show any hesitation, then feign generosity and suggest he use the smaller citron cup instead.

The citron cup was made by splitting a whole citron in half, removing the pulp, and carving patterns on it. Liquids poured from citron cups would carry a fragrant aroma.

But that was not important. What mattered was that she wanted Xie Yu to share a cup with her, a cup split in two.

The two cups combined immediately conjured up images of nuptial wine, served in a gourd-shaped vessel.

A young man and woman, alone together, sitting opposite each other, sharing a cup split in two—if this did not create an atmosphere of intimacy, she might as well rewrite her name, Lu Wan, backwards.

Lu Wan’s little scheme was perfectly planned; her smile had become more genuine, and her eyes sparkled with a quiet light.

But then, a sudden commotion and cries erupted downstairs, creating chaos that pierced the soundproofing and shattered the tranquility of the room.

Author’s Note:
Using citron as cups to hold wine was a custom during the Tang and Song dynasties. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, there were even special stands for displaying citron.
As for “morning dew syrup,” its original name should be “hangxie syrup.” The “Shan Jia Qing Gong” (山家清供) describes it as the juice of boiled white radish and sugarcane. As early as the Three Kingdoms period, Cao Zhi wrote a poem: “Wearing my jade pendant, I rinse my mouth with hangxie syrup.”