Zu An was a bit confused. He
hadn’t expected her to be so frank about that! Normally speaking,
shouldn’t she have tried to hide it and say their relationship was
extremely good? However, he threw these thoughts to the back of his mind
and continued to ask, “Right, is Gong Pan someone loyal to the madam?”
“They
were all old acquaintances from the Duke Manor. Now that something has
happened, they have nowhere to go, so it was my duty to take them in as
well. If they ever want to leave, I won’t force them to stay either.
That’s why there isn’t much loyalty or dedication. I’m not the type to
strictly manage my subordinates. How they think is up to them,” Yu
Yanluo replied ambiguously. Soon afterward, a look of suspicion appeared
between her brows. “Why did you suddenly ask about this? Could it be
that there’s something wrong with him?”
Zu An didn’t want to alert
her too much and said with a smile, “That’s not it. I just feel that
even though Cloudcenter Commandery looks calm and quiet, there are some
things stirring in it. I was worried that something might happen to the
madam, which is why I asked about some more things.”
“You’re surprisingly considerate of me.” Yu Yanluo smiled sweetly. Even the winter day seemed to have become warm.
The
two of them chatted casually for a while longer. Zu An still had his
own task to take care of, so he got up and bid her farewell.
Yu
Yanluo was a bit stunned. Other men were always itching to meet with her
even once, so every single one of them wanted to chat with her for a
bit longer. Yet this fellow was completely different. He instead took
the initiative to leave first whenever they were chatting happily with
each other.
Is he loosening the reins on purpose so he can grasp
them better? Yu Yanluo frowned slightly. But when she saw the other
party’s pure expression, she couldn"t help but chuckle. It was probably
she who had become a bit too sensitive from being bothered by men for so
many years. With her nature, though, she obviously wouldn’t keep him
for idle chatter. She had Maid Xing see him out.
When they left
the room, Zu An cupped his hands toward Maid Xing and said, “Big Sister
Maid Xing, I wish to meet with General Gong Pan. Would it be convenient
to do so?”
Maid Xing’s body bent over from laughing. She replied,
“That little mouth of yours is quite sweet; no wonder the madam likes
you so much. Please wait here for a bit; this maid will invite General
Gong over.”
The other party was a guest of Madam Yu, and Gong Pan
wasn’t one of the womenfolk who weren’t supposed to mingle with outsider
men too much. That was why there was no need for her to reject his
proposal.
She brought Zu An over to a lounge to relax. Then, she
called over a maid to bring Gong Pan. Afterward, she sat down across
from Zu An to chat with him. She asked, “How did the young master meet