My Princess Has Been Reborn Chapter 36.1

Chapter 36.1 – This Wine Is Too Strong (1)

This was not Lu Qipei's first time meeting the Emperor, but it was the first time she had been so confused after meeting him.

At the end of her shift on the evening, she did not see Qi Yang outside Hanlin Academy. She seemed to have been caught up by something recently and hadn't appeared for several days. However, before Lu Qipei had time to be disappointed, she ran into Liu Chen and several other colleagues.

Lu Qipei didn't have a very good impression of Liu Chen, because everytime Qi Yang appeared, his eyes would always be on her. This made Lu Qipei a little unhappy – no matter how good-natured a person was, they wouldn't want anyone else to have thoughts about their beloved. Therefore, the friendship between the two were not deep. When they ran into each other today, Lu Qipei only said hello and planned to leave.

However, Liu Chen stopped her with a gentle smile. “Come on Brother Lu, don't be in such a hurry to leave. It's rare for everyone to get off work together today, and we bumped into each other again here. Why don't we go to the House of Happiness for a drink?”

Lu Qipei wasn't interested, and she wasn't a strong drinker, so she wanted to refuse.

But before she could say anything, Liu Chen grabbed her arm and said while smiling, “Come, come, let's go together. Everyone coming with us today are those who entered Hanlin Academy this year. We're all colleagues, so we should get closer with each other.”

Lu Qipei wasn't used to being dragged around like this, not to mention the one doing it was Liu Chen that she didn't like. After frowning, she struggled and pulled back her arm. After taking another look at them, she realized that aside from Liu Chen, there was the number one scholar Kong Jie and the number two scholar Wei Ting. All the scholars who were admitted to Hanlin Academy through the shujishi were also there.

It wasn't wrong to say that they were all colleagues who entered Hanlin Academy this year, and it wasn't uncommon for cliques and gangs to form among officials. But Lu Qipei knew better; all these people were accepted after going through examination, and she was the only one who joined Hanlin Academy through recommendation. In reality, the two sides were not that close to each other, and it was just a case of water from the well not crossing water from the river1.

The rash invitation made her feel that there was an ulterior motive, so Lu Qipei still refused. “I still have things to do at home lately, so it's inconvenient to stay outside for a long time. Brother Liu, everyone, I'm sorry. This Lu will have to go first.” After saying that, she added, “You can put today's drink on my account, consider it my apology for not being able to go with you.”

Such a polite refusal should be enough. She had said that there was something to do at home, and anyone with some sense would not continue to force her. However, there was someone stubborn in this group today.

Wei Ting was a little displeased with her being recommended to join Hanlin Academy. He saw her broke free from Liu Chen's grab earlier and that she seemed to dislike it, so he stepped forward with a sour face and dragged her again, “What does Compiler Lu mean? Although this Wei's family is not rich, I can still afford a few drinks.”

He was just trying to find fault with her, and Lu Qipei no longer let herself be easily pushed around. She pulled back her sleeves and her expression turned cold. “This Lu didn't mean anything else, but what does Lord Wei mean when you dragged me around!?”

Their group of people were still wearing official robes; it really was not a good look when they pulled each other outside Hanlin Academy.

Seeing this, Kong Jie hurriedly stepped forward to calm down the situation. “Calm down, calm down. It's just a few drinks, it's not a big deal to go or not.”

But Wei Ting didn't appreciate his effort and coldly snorted, “What 'I can't go because I have something to do at home'? Some people just look down on us because they're successful and don't want to hang around with us.”

Lu Qipei knew with a single glance that when she got the chance to enter the palace and meet the Emperor today, it was not Wei Ting alone who became jealous.

The scene became quiet for a moment, and Kong Jie who tried to mediate the situation also frowned. He tugged at Wei Ting's sleeves to signal that he should stop, but in the end he looked at Lu Qipei again and said, “Brother Wei was too rash, I hope Brother Lu can be magnanimous. But let's forget the drinking tab, if Brother Lu's business at home is not urgent, why don't you come with us to have one cup?”

The two of them were named as champions together after all, and they already became friends during the Spring Exam – Kong Jie's bias was very obvious. But in the end, all of them were colleagues, and Lu Qipei was rising with strong momentum. It was better to make friends than to antagonize her.

Lu Qipei looked at Wei Ting and Kong Jie, and finally glanced at Liu Chen who was just watching from the sidelines. After thinking about it, she finally agreed.

House of Happiness was the most famous restaurant in the capital. It was basically full of guests everyday, but Liu Chen and the others had obviously booked some seats. A waiter came to greet them as soon as their group entered the restaurant. They were led to a private room without a word, and even the wine and dishes had been prepared in advance.

Wei Ting was quick tempered and had a clear sense of gratitude and resentment. He was sincerely convinced by Lu Qipei's talent in her previous life, so he never complained when she was chosen as Prince Consort or when she outshone them all.

But this time things were different. The starting point was different, and they had never really competed with each other. The young were always unconvinced by those even younger than them.

Fortunately, Wei Ting was different from Liu Chen. Liu Chen would greet everyone with a smile, but his thoughts ran deep and couldn't be taken lightly. But Wei Ting was frank and straightforward, and would say whatever was on his mind. He could easily offend people, but many also appreciated his frankness.

Lu Qipei didn't communicate with Wei Ting that much in her previous life, but she also knew a thing or two about his temper. So as they traveled here from Hanlin Academy, half of her original anger had already dissipated.

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Chapter end