Shannanxi, In the governor's manor.

"Young mistress, Young mistress," the maid called out, seeing her young mistress in a daze, with her elbow on the table and her hand supporting her jaw but the young mistress still didn't come to her senses even with the loud call from her maid, so the maid had no choice but to tap her shoulder.

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"Young mistress!" she called again, this time louder than before.

"What is it?" she queried just after coming back to her senses.

"Young mistress, is there anything wrong, you have been in a daze for a while now and you didn't even answer me when I called your name?" she inquired with concern written on her face, Ruo Rufei smiled in pretence, she didn't want the maid to know who she had been thinking about.

"It is nothing, by the way, why did you call me?" she just needed to change the topic.

"I wanted to tell you that your father will be returning from the capital today since you told me to remind you on the day he is returning," the maid replied but her young mistress mind had wandered off again, she was now staring into space, she sighed again.

"Young mistress!" the maid shouted to bring her back to her senses.

"What is it?" she questioned with a startled look on her face.

"Young mistress, are you sure you are alright, you have been spacing out for some time now, if you have anything bothering you, you can always talk to me about it and this servant will do her best to help you solve it,"

"Xixi, you don't have to worry about me, actually, I have been having strange thoughts ever since we saw that man on the street the day I left the manor for sightseeing," Ruo Rufei confessed, standing up from her seat, she folded her hands on her navel and paced up and down the room while Xixi who is her personal maid followed her steps.

"A man...." she was now trying to remember who her young mistress might be referring to then the handsome man that every woman in the street was looking at on the other day came to her mind.

"Young mistress, could it be that you are referring to the handsome man you met on the street while you were in the carriage on the day you went sightseeing," she was quite surprised that a man she met for the first time would be capable of having such an influence on her young mistress who is the renowned intelligent and beautiful daughter of the governor of Shannanxi but considering ho handsome and noble the man looked, it wasn't too surprising..

"You are right, though I am ashamed to admit, the man has somehow found his way into my thought, I can't help the feeling that I have met him before," she answered, coming to a stop when she got to her princess bed then she gently took her seat on the edge of her bed.

"Maybe young mistress has met him coincidentally but he is too irrelevant so you might not remember when," Xixi replied but in her heart, she was thinking something else.

"Impossible, with a face like that it is impossible that I would forget where I met him, I have been trying to remember where I have met him before and aside from that, I keep feeling the urge to see him again," she admitted shyly, Xixi smiled, seeing her young mistress giving off a shy look which she has rarely seen on her young mistress's face.

"Maybe..." she paused for a while

"Maybe what?"

"Maybe he has managed to catch your interest," Xixi replied vaguely, not wanting to be too direct when speaking to her young mistress who has never been attracted to any man, even amongst the many young masters that have tried to get close to her.

"What do you mean? many people and things have managed to catch my interest but never have any one of them lingered in my thought as he does," she responded with a confused look, Xixi slightly lowered her head and smiled faintly.

"Young mistress might have fallen for him, after all, many ladies were also attracted to him the other day," Xixi answered

"How dare you? are you putting me and those lowly ladies in the same category" Ruo Rufei snapped almost immediately with her eyes widened, Xixi immediately fell to her knees in fear that she has angered her mistress.

"Please forgive my reckless guess,"

"How can you say such a thing, how can I thr granddaughter of the governor stoop so low to fall for such a lewd and shrewd person who is filled with the love of women, someone who picks the flowers and tramples the grass," she responded angrily, thinking back on when she saw him entering Ruyi pavilion the other day, she had a very proud side that makes her belittle everyone below her status, this is why Xixi was quite surprised when her young mistress claimed to be thinking of the stranger.

She bit her lower lips and turned to the maid who was still kneeling.

"Rise up"

"thank you, young mistress," but she still couldn't help her curiosity.

"But what does young mistress mean by a lewd and shrewd man, didn't young mistress say you don't remember where you have met him before," she inquired in curiosity, she didn't want to ask directly to avoid being scolded by her young mistress.

"This is why I always tell you to notice things, shortly after I noticed him, I saw him entering Ruyi pavilion, what else is he if he is not shrewd person?"

"Ruyi pavilion, isn't that the famous entertainment pavilion in Shannanxi?"

"Is there any other Ruyi pavilion in the whole of Tang," she questioned out of annoyance of the stupid question.

"Xixi is really slow, I have angered you again,"

"Anyways, I have to get him out of my mind, no matter what it takes, he is just a lewd man, I cannot be associated with such a person regardless of if I have seen him anywhere before,"

"Young mistress is right but Ruyi pavilion is not a place for prostitution, they just entertain the men with music and dance, that is why they are very popular even though it is not located in the capital," she lowered her gaze after receiving a glare from her young mistress and immediately scolded herself for running her mouth.

"It seems like you want to start working at Ruyi pavilion, don't worry, I can send you there without collecting any payment," Ruo Rufei responded with a scolding tone but inside, she was quite convinced with what Xixi had just said, perhaps if the gentleman had just gone there to listen to music and watch the dance then there is nothing wrong....or is there?

"Young mistress, I have to inform you of something, can I come in?" a servant inquired, she glanced at the door in annoyance and nodded at Xixi to answer since she couldn't be bothered to.

"Come in," Xixi answered, the servant opened the door and walked into the room with her head bowed.

"What is it?" Xixi asked on behalf of her young mistress.

"Old master had returned so I just came to inform you of the news," the servant replied

"What! why wasn't I informed of his arrival before now, Xixi?"

"I just told you that, young mistress but you were too preoccupied with the thought of that..."

"Seal your mouth," she snapped to stop Xixi from saying more than she should.

"Where is he now?" she asked, turning to the servant who had just entered.

"He has already entered the manor with a young noble following him," she responded

"A young noble....do you know who he is?"

"I am not sure of his identity but the other servants claim he is the son of the prime minister," the servant replied

"The son of the prime minister!" Xixi exclaimed, earning a glare from Ruo Rufei.

"What is the son of the prime minister doing in Shannanxi?" she asked rhetorically with a scoff.

"He must have accompanied the old master to see you, I remember the old master once mentioned that the son of the prime minister inquired of you, young mistress is so lucky to have the son of the prime minister taking a liking to you," Xixi said with her face beaming with smiles at the thought of her young mistress becoming the wife of the prime minister's son.

"What are you saying? he does not deserve me, no one does and even if we marry, he would be the one lucky to marry me," Ruo Rufei snapped, Xixi sneakily shook her head at the proud side of her young mistress showing itself again, she just hoped that she would not act the same before the prime minister's son, even though the governor is an old man who has been serving the government since his youth and is very appreciated by the emperor, everyone knows that the prime minister still remains the most powerful minister in court.

"Yes, Yes, young mistress is right,"

"Lead the way," she ordered and followed after the maid.

The old master accompanied by his private guards and the prime minister's son walked into the manor with an air of nobility in every step they took while the old man arched his sleeve in front of him.

"It is really a shame that young master Wei would accompany me to my humble manor all the way from the capital, I am really ashamed to receive you in such a humble place," the old master said with a false regretful tone.

"Old master doesn't need to..."

"Grandfather, aren't you undermining your own manor," Ruo Rufei interjected from afar while she walked towards her grandfather who had just entered the manor with delicate and brittle steps filled with elegance.