He was about to meet Beidou, and Aether was inexplicably looking forward to it.
He had heard many legends about Beidou, but he had never seen what he actually looked like.
Ningguang, however, seemed to be very familiar with Beidou, and even when he spoke of meeting Beidou, he looked a bit troubled.
Aether found Ningguang's behavior very strange.
Ningguang's answer was also very simple: that captain was someone who didn't particularly like to follow rules. Although Beidou's fleet played a crucial role in Liyue's economy, Beidou's way of doing things gave Ningguang quite a headache.
"Lady Ningguang, Captain Beidou has arrived." The maid walked in and reported to Ningguang.
"I know. Bring him in directly." Ningguang paused his conversation with Aether, glanced at the maid, and said slowly.
"Huh? Are we meeting Beidou right here?" Aether looked at Ningguang in confusion.
He had seen Ningguang arrange the meeting with Beidou so urgently, and had thought it would be a very important meeting.
But Ningguang was still reclining on the couch, pipe in hand, and did not appear as formal as he had when meeting Yelan.
"It's fine. He's an informal person. After a long time, even I'm too lazy to bother with these formalities." Ningguang shook his head, but despite saying this, he still sat up straight.
"Haha, you're right. All these formalities of yours are a real hassle." This was Beidou's voice; he arrived very quickly.
Aether turned his head and looked, and only then did he finally see Beidou in person.
He was completely different from what the stories had described.
He still remembered the storyteller once saying: Beidou was three zhang tall, ten chi wide around the waist, dressed in fiery red, with a single eye like a flashing lightning bolt!
Aether knew the storyteller must have exaggerated, but he also felt that the storyteller wouldn't exaggerate without any basis.
Since the rumors were like that, Beidou must have been the burly type, but he didn't expect…
Aether carefully observed Beidou. Although he was tall, he was certainly not burly. And even with an eye patch covering one eye, he could still see his delicate features, and his whole being exuded a heroic spirit.
He was very handsome…
As Aether was observing Beidou, Beidou was also silently watching Aether. He even forgot about Ningguang.
"Captain Beidou, is it not a bit rude to stare at my secretary the moment you enter the room?" Ningguang frowned slightly, feeling inexplicably stifled in his heart at Beidou's appearance.
"Haha, I'm just curious where you found such a beautiful Damselette." Beidou turned around, grinned, then walked over to a nearby seat and sat down, pouring himself a cup of tea.
He seemed very casual, as if this reception room was Beidou's home.
"This must be Stelle, right? Xiangling asked me to check on you. Have you suffered any grievances working here?" Beidou drank the tea in one gulp; from his posture, it looked more like he was drinking alcohol than tea.
"Uh, no, no, Ningguang treats me very well…" Aether was still a bit stunned to hear that Xiangling had entrusted Beidou to check on him.
He hadn't expected Xiangling to know Beidou.
"Is that so? This man is not simple. There's probably no one in all of Liyue with more schemes than him. You should be careful, you know." Beidou didn't know why, but he had an extremely good impression of this Damselette he was meeting for the first time.
He even unconsciously began to criticize Ningguang.
"Captain Beidou, everyone can see how I treat my subordinates. You don't need to worry about that. Let's talk about business." Ningguang snorted coldly, looking at Beidou with a displeased expression.
"Disregarding Liyue's laws and smuggling prohibited goods, we need to settle this account properly."
"Here we go again…" Beidou sighed helplessly.
Ningguang always found fault with him, although some things he did were indeed against the rules.
But seeing injustice and helping those in need were urgent matters that couldn't be ignored because of a few rules. As for the rest… he still had such a large fleet to support, after all.
"Same old rules, it doesn't matter." Beidou shrugged, saying frankly to Ningguang.
Ningguang had always heavily punished him, and Beidou was almost used to it. Anyway, for him, these punishments were inconsequential.
Compared to these things, he was more concerned about the matter at hand.
Especially this gray-haired, very special Damselette in front of him.
"Stelle, if you're not comfortable here, how about working for my fleet? I guarantee the Reward will be higher than what this man gives you."
-----
Beidou finally left only in the evening.
During this time, he and Ningguang exchanged many words that Aether didn't quite understand. Besides that, they also played a game of chess, which ended in a draw.
It's worth noting that after Beidou left, Ningguang's mood seemed to have started to turn a bit sour.
Although he didn't show it obviously, as Tianquan Star, Ningguang had long developed the habit of not letting his emotions show on his face.
But Aether could still sense it; being by Ningguang's side, Aether was very sensitive to his emotional changes.
However, Aether couldn't figure out why for a moment.
Could it be because of Beidou's earlier attempt to poach him?
But he had clearly refused, hadn't he? How strange…
Aether thought silently, and soon it was time to go to bed.
Aether carried a basin of water and walked towards Ningguang's room.
"Ningguang, I'm coming in!" Aether held a basin of water with both hands, unable to knock, so he just stood outside and called out to Ningguang.
"Come in." Ningguang's voice quickly came from inside the room.
Aether also quickly walked into Ningguang's room.
Today, Ningguang was different from yesterday. He had changed into a light nightgown early, and his hair was already unbound.
Aether's eyes lit up when he saw Ningguang like this.
This outfit looked expensive, definitely made of top-grade silk, and more importantly, it seemed somewhat translucent…
Aether secretly shook his head and, without changing his expression, came to Ningguang's side and set down the basin of water.
"Thank you for your hard work," Ningguang said with a slight smile, having naturally noticed Aether's reaction.
"No, it's not hard work at all, it's just my duty," Aether quickly replied.
Although he later learned that Baiwen and the others actually didn't personally wash Ningguang's feet before; they were only responsible for preparing the water.
So, his so-called 'duty' seemed to be a complete misunderstanding on his part.
Of course, Ningguang seemed quite happy to enjoy it.
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