Lui Muyi couldn’t help but think of his own An’er.
This child whose fatherly responsibilities he had not fully upheld, yet as his own flesh and blood, even without his favor, he would do everything within his capacity to smooth the path for him.
"Big Brother Lui, that foreign woman nad Annie, is she currently residing at your estate?"
Su Pan’er called out several tis before she managed to recapture Lui Muyi’s attention.
Only then did Lui Muyi realize that while he had been lost in thought, His Majesty had already left, walking to the outside of the pavilion in the Imperial Garden with King Ye and whispering about sothing.
He composed himself hurriedly, and smiled: "Indeed, Annie ca to Great Zhou, unfamiliar with the land and with nowhere to go. Having heard speak of various amusing tales, she insisted on accompanying in seeking out scenic spots. This morning when I left my estate for the morning court session, she even followed out."
Speaking of Annie, a smile spread across Lui Muyi’s face.
Perhaps Lui Muyi himself did not realize, but Su Pan’er was keenly aware that Big Brother Lui held a different regard for this Annie.
She also noticed that Big Brother Lui’s way of addressing her had changed.
In the past, no matter when, Big Brother Lui always insisted on calling her Pan’er. But now...
"Listening to you, this Empress is very curious about this Annie. Alas, confined to the deep palace, it’s truly a pity that I cannot et her."
"The Empress wishes to see Annie? That would be easy."
Lui Muyi imdiately smiled: "When I attend the morning court session tomorrow, I will bring Annie to et the Empress."
"Good, it’s settled then!"
Su Pan’er clapped her hands decisively.
She indeed must see what’s so special about this Caucasian nad Annie,
Unexpectedly capturing the heart of Big Brother Lui, the wayward son.
Although unclear about Annie’s dietary preferences, Su Pan’er still ordered the preparation of a set of French cuisine she rembered, particularly beef, beefsteak, and accompanying dishes, striving to fit the dining habits of Caucasians. Especially grape wine plus luminous cup, carefully selected by Su Pan’er herself.
When Annie appeared before Su Pan’er, she was still astonishingly dazzled.
In her previous life, she had seen many people of different ethnicities, nurous so-called great beauties. But the beauty of Annie was such that even Su Pan’er could find no fault with it.
A high nose bridge, erald green eyes, porcelain-white skin, and when she smiled, two deep dimples ford at the corners of her mouth.
Seeing her, she was not at all reserved, but rather boldly observed her.
Admiration arose in her eyes, and she praised her straightforwardly: "You are Her Majesty the Empress? You are truly... handso... no, that’s not right, it should be... pretty, beautiful... No, these words cannot even describe one ten-thousandth of your beauty. You’re far too pretty..."
Her speech ca with a distinctive curl of the tongue, and once she spoke, it sounded very much like Wu-style soft language. Even though Su Pan’er was a woman, her body felt half lted first.
"You are beautiful too!"
Her unexpected flattery amused Su Pan’er.
She did not skimp on the complints, standing up and walking to Annie’s side: "Your na is Annie, right? You’re very beautiful too!"
"Yes, my na is Annie, and you can call by my na directly. You are Su Pan’er, right? From now on, I’ll call you Pan’er." Annie smiled generously without the slightest awareness that her casual remark imdiately changed the expressions of the surrounding Court Ladies and Internal Attendants.
An elite guard serving the Empress imdiately stepped forward: "How daring, foreigner! You have the nerve to directly address Her Majesty the Empress by na. Guards..."
"Ignorance is not a sin. You may leave."
Su Pan’er dismissed the elite guard, paused for a mont, then turned back to Annie. "Looking at you, are you a child of mixed parentage?"
Her words imdiately brightened Annie’s eyes!
She suddenly grasped Su Pan’er’s hand: "Pan’er, you really are as Muyi said, smart, a doctor, and beautiful. You even figured out that I’m of mixed parentage. You are amazing!"
The reason Annie was able to et Lui Muyi and later freely communicate was because her grandfather had once traveled from Great Zhou via The Mariti Silk Road to the other shore, where various reasons led him to stay there, marry, and spend the rest of his life.
"My grandfather was a native of Great Zhou, who later sailed across the sea, but the boat capsized due to a violent storm..."
Annie began to tell her story.
"Oh? There must be a long and poignant story here, right? Co, let’s sit down and talk about it slowly."
Su Pan’er hastily pulled her to sit down.
"After drifting on the sea for seven days, my grandfather was finally rescued by a passing ship and settled down locally, eventually marrying my grandmother. My grandmother was the one who saved my grandfather..."
"All his life, my grandfather hoped that one day a boat would pass by the coast, and he would be able to return to his holand. But until his death, his wish never ca true. Before he passed away, he made a will, asking my mother to take his ashes back to his ancestral land if ever the chance arose..."
Annie spoke of her ancestors’ past, leaving Su Pan’er no choice but to sigh at the unpredictability of life.
"I suppose that you have brought back your grandfather’s ashes to Great Zhou this ti, haven’t you?"
"Not only the ashes, but also a small piece of my grandfather’s skull from his forehead, and a thumb ring that my great-grandmother gave to my grandfather before he left, I’ve brought them back with on this trip."
As Annie spoke, her eyes were fixed on the dishes in front of her, exclaiming in astonishnt.
"My goodness! To have so much delicious food here. And this set of luminous cups... oh my, these luminous cups are so beautiful! The taste of the grape wine... it’s simply too good!"
"I also think this grape wine is indeed delicious."
Su Pan’er was very detailed and proud of her knowledge of grape wine’s flavor.
"We native of Great Zhou always emphasize resting in our native soil after death. Since your grandfather’s last wish was to return to his holand, once you find ti and locate his hotown, you can take care of his posthumous affairs."
"This matter has been discussed with Muyi, and he will take care of finding my grandfather’s roots."
Annie drank the wine and used chopsticks to taste the food, nodding her head as she ate.
Muyi again?
Su Pan’er’s eyes flickered, and it seed that she had to have a good talk with Big Brother Lui.
The al was enjoyed by both host and guest.
When Lui Muyi finished the morning court session and ca to fetch Annie from the palace, Su Pan’er was picking lotus pods and peeling lotus seeds with Annie.
"Muyi, why have you co so soon? I don’t feel I’ve played for long, wait for a mont..."
Annie hurriedly ran to the other side, starting to select the lotus pods she had picked: "Pan’er, I really like these lotus pods, may I pick a few to take with ?"
"Don’t rush, you can take all these lotus pods, pick them at your leisure."
Su Pan’er naturally would not be stingy.
While Annie was enthusiastically selecting lotus pods, she led Muyi to a pavilion on the other side: "Big Brother Lui, do you have sothing you want to talk to about?"
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