Cheng Suying stopped immediately when she saw the two people having a great time.
She saw Cheng Lanying's smile, and saw Cheng Yunshuo handing the kite rope to Cheng Lanying and coaxing her with a doting expression. She suddenly lost all desire to move forward.
"Miss, the prince is just ahead, aren't you leaving?"
"I'm not going."
Cheng Suying turned around and walked back.
There is no such thing as scheming to win favor. The premise of using tricks to win favor is that the other person is willing to pamper and love you!
If her father didn't like Cheng Lanying, all of Cheng Lanying's schemes would be of no use.
After all, Cheng Yunshuo loves and pampers her.
She suddenly felt a huge sense of loss in her heart, and she knew that she shouldn't have any expectations of her father.
In the garden, Shuanghong walked towards Cheng Yunshuo, who was accompanying Cheng Lanying to fly a kite, "My Lord."
"What's wrong?"
"Young Madam, please come over."
Hearing this, Cheng Yunshuo immediately put down everything he was doing and stood up, "Okay."
Cheng Lanying had just started playing, so she was not willing to let him go. "Dad!"
"I'll be back soon. I'll play with you later."
Hearing this, Cheng Lanying said reluctantly, "Okay."
She held the kite string and watched Cheng Yunshuo follow Shuanghong away. At this moment, her eyes fell on a figure walking away in front of her.
"Isn't that Cheng Suying?"
Cheng Lanying immediately took the kite back.
She watched Cheng Suying walking alone to a deserted place, her eyes fell on the kite that was taken back in her hand, and a gleam of light immediately appeared in her eyes.
—
In Lu Lingyun's yard.
Lu Lingjun poured the tea and waited for a while before Cheng Yunshuo came over.
"Lingyun, are you looking for me?"
"It's not a big deal." Lu Lingjun smiled as he looked at Cheng Yunshuo who was coming over. "I went to my second aunt's house a few days ago and drank this year's new tea from her. It tasted really good."
"Really?" Cheng Yunshuo sat down, took the upside-down small cup on the table, poured himself a cup of tea and sipped it.
The light-colored tea soup is full of tea fragrance, and this year's new Longjing tea tastes sweet.
"Yeah, it's really good tea."
"My aunt is planning to hold a tea party, and I want to bring some good tea, but we don't have any good tea this year. I want to ask you, my aunt, do you have any friends who have some good tea at home?" Lu Lingjun said slowly, "Or special tea, as long as it tastes good and novel enough."
After she finished speaking, Cheng Yunshuo immediately said, "Why would you go outside the palace to find tea? Bixi has tea! The tea she stir-fries every day has a very special taste."
"Oh?" Lu Lingjun looked as if he had just learned something. "Auntie Li can also make tea?"
"Yeah," Cheng Yunshuo nodded, "She makes tea for me every day. Her handmade tea tastes very good."
If you think about it carefully, Li Bixiang is indeed a virtuous and capable woman. She can cook and make tea. She is also very gentle and humble. She is really a very good woman.
However, Cheng Yunshuo never cared about her strengths.
He only cared about her face.
It's a pity that her face...
Cheng Yunshuo thought of Bixi and lost his mind again.
"Prince, what are you thinking about?"
He heard Lu Lingjun calling him in his ear.
"Oh? What's wrong?"
Lu Lingjun looked at him with a smile on his face, "My Lord, have you been very tired recently?"
"A little bit." Cheng Yunshuo shook his head and regained his attention. "What did you just say?"
"I say, can you ask Aunt Li for some tea?" Lu Lingjun's eyes moved, looking embarrassed. "Don't say I asked for it. Aunt Li made it specially for you. If I take it to my second aunt's house to make tea and serve it to others, people will say I'm wasting people's kindness."
"That's not difficult!" Cheng Yunshuo agreed without thinking, "I just said I want to take some to the palace to drink."
Hearing the answer, Lu Lingjun smiled with satisfaction, "Then thank you for your help, my Lord."
"It's a small matter." Cheng Yunshuo drank several cups of tea in a row with her, chatted with her for a few more words, and left when he had nothing else to do.
At this time, in the small garden.
Cheng Suying was walking alone on the stone path in the garden when a crushed kite appeared on the ground at the bend ahead.
She looked at the kite on the ground and could tell at a glance that it was the one that Cheng Yunshuo and Cheng Lanying had just flown.
Cheng Suying looked at the kite lying in front of her, turned her head and strode forward.
Just as she stepped past the kite, a voice came from behind her, "Stop!"
Cheng Suying turned around and saw Cheng Lanying jogging towards her.
She picked up her kite on the ground and said, "You have such a vicious heart! You broke my kite!"
Cheng Suying looked at her with amusement, "Who broke your kite?"
"You!" Cheng Lanying glared at her, "Who else passed by here just now? Only you!"
"I broke it just because I passed by?"
"What else?" Cheng Lanying held up the kite in her hand that had been stepped on several times, and looked at her with bright eyes, "You must be jealous that Daddy accompanied me to fly kites, so you deliberately broke my kite."
"I don't want to bother with you." Cheng Suying turned her head and continued walking.
"Okay, you just break my things and leave. This is the rule your stepmother taught you!" Cheng Lanying said sarcastically behind him.
Cheng Suying couldn't hold it in any longer at this point, "Cheng Lanying, do you have any evidence to prove that I did it! When I came here, your broken kite was lying on the ground, and someone had stepped on it several times!"
"Stop talking nonsense. My kite just fell, and I took the maids and servants to look for it. This place is sealed off, and no one is going in or out. Only you came here. If it wasn't you who did it, then who did it?"
"Yes, Miss, when we were looking for the kite just now, we immediately asked people to watch this place, but no one came over." Cheng Lanying's maid said, "If you don't believe me, ask them!"
Several servants nearby also responded, "This servant can testify."
Cheng Suying had left this group of people speechless, and at this time, Cheng Yunshuo came over.
"Lanying, why are you here?"
When Cheng Lanying heard Cheng Yunshuo's voice, her eyes lit up again. She clutched the crushed kite in her hand, turned around and ran over with tears in her eyes, "Daddy, you have to make the decision for me!"
"What's going on? This is?"
"My elder sister broke my kite," Cheng Lanying cried, her eyes watering, she shrugged and sobbed in grievance, "If my elder sister wanted to play with my kite, she should have just told me, I would have given it to her. Why did she trample on the kite that my father flew for me?"
No matter how young Cheng Suying was, she understood it clearly at this time.
It wasn't someone who broke Cheng Lanying's kite, it was clearly Cheng Lanying who set up a trap to trick her!
After Cheng Lanying finished her complaint, Cheng Yunshuo turned around.
"Xiying, did you do this?" Cheng Yunshuo asked.
The moment their eyes met, Cheng Suying's heart felt like it had fallen to the bottom of a valley.
There is no need to think about it, her father must believe what Cheng Lanying said.
"It wasn't our young lady who did it!" Cai He said, explaining in a hurry, "When we walked over, the kite had fallen there and was stepped on and broken. We didn't even touch it!"
"Still trying to quibble. If it wasn't you, then it was a ghost!" Cheng Lanying lay on Cheng Yunshuo's shoulder, looking very proud. "So many people are watching. It's useless to quibble any more!"
"It's really not, it's really not!" Caihe was so anxious that she was about to cry.
"No need to say more." Cheng Suying pulled Caihe, "He won't believe it."
In all the Marquis's mansions, my mother is the only person who is the most fair and strict. When she makes a judgment, she will unravel the truth behind it, which makes people convinced and no one can find fault with her.
Her foolish father, even if he wanted to be fair, he didn't have the brains to do so!
In the current situation, she has no advantage at all and there is no way to prove her innocence.
Not to mention that he has always been on Cheng Lanying's side.
Cheng Suying didn't want to waste any more words.
When Cheng Lanying heard that Cheng Suying didn't defend herself, she was so happy inside and out, "Dad, did you hear that? She admitted it, she admitted it, you should punish her!"
Cheng Suying lowered her head, waiting for her father to announce the punishment, when she heard a voice coming from the other side.
"Isn't it just a kite? Why are you so stingy and making things difficult for your sister?"
"Dad?!" Cheng Lanying looked at her father in disbelief, "She broke my kite! She did something wrong!"
Cheng Yunshuo's face turned serious. "Lanying, that's your sister. Who did you learn to be so aggressive from?"
Cheng Lanying: "…"
Cheng Lanying was about to say something, but Cheng Yunshuo put her down and reprimanded her, "And you also broke her kite last time, so we're even this time."
Cheng Lanying: "…"
For the first time, she witnessed her father's amazing ability to smooth things over.
She even used the same words her father had used to reprimand Cheng Suying last time to reprimand her.
Cheng Lanying was speechless for a moment, and felt an unspeakable depression in her little heart.
She doesn't know yet, that's called frustration.
Cheng Yunshuo is not good at solving problems, but he can smooth things over and muddle through.
Just mess around here and there, as long as everyone is peaceful.
But this is really infuriating.
For the first time, little Cheng Lanying was pissed off by him.
After admonishing Cheng Suying, Cheng Yunshuo turned to look at Cheng Suying in front of him and said, "It's okay, you can go back."
Cheng Suying: "…"
Cheng Suying also looked at her father in disbelief.
Because she didn't understand what Cheng Yunshuo was doing.
She understood more than Cheng Lanying and knew that Cheng Yunshuo was fooling her because she was the one who always fooled him in the past.
In the past, Cheng Lanying was always the one who took the initiative to stir up trouble, unlike now when he would set up a trap to harm her and make her suffer in silence, so she was always the one who was fooled by Cheng Yunshuo into being humble.
But what she didn't understand was why Cheng Yunshuo sided with her and deceived Cheng Lanying.
Logically speaking, since Cheng Lanying had set up such a good plan, shouldn't Cheng Yunshuo be more on her side and punish himself severely?
She was puzzled because she actually subtly felt a hint of... preference.
But her father couldn't possibly favor her!
He has always been partial to Cheng Lanying!
"What's wrong? Do you want to fly a kite with Daddy?" Cheng Yunshuo walked up to her, squatted down and looked at her, "If you want to, let's fly it together."
Hearing this, Cheng Suying felt a pang of sadness in her heart.
At this time, Cheng Lanying, who had just made Cheng Yunshuo so angry that he couldn't speak, rushed up with her hands and feet dancing.
"Daddy!"
"You still want to fly kites with her! She broke all my things, and you still want to play with her!"
"I won't, I won't!"
Women will always strike out when they are angry, no matter how old they are. Cheng Yunshuo was hit by two punches from Cheng Lanying, both of which were aimed at his face.
Cheng Yunshuo's face darkened immediately, "Cheng Lanying! You said you learned the rules, but I see you haven't made any progress in the past half month! Get out of here! Keep putting me in solitary confinement! Copy the house rules for me!"
Cheng Lanying, who was waving her fist, stopped right where she was. She stared at her father with eyes wide open in astonishment, "You're punishing me again for that bitch Cheng Suying!"
"Pa!" Cheng Yunshuo slapped Cheng Lanying directly on the face.
The slap made Cheng Suying, who was standing next to him, jump in her heart. She looked at Cheng Lanying in shock as she was beaten.
After this slap, Cheng Lanying's eyes turned red. She looked at Cheng Suying with anger, grievance and jealousy, and then looked at Cheng Yunshuo with anger, grievance, disappointment and hatred, "You hit me for her! You are all bad people! Bad people!"
"How dare you talk nonsense! Where is the person? Where is the Second Miss's nanny? Take him away quickly!"
Several maids came forward and took the angry Cheng Lanying away. When Cheng Lanying was taken away, tears flowed down her face.
When has she ever suffered such injustice?
You're right, this time is even more unfair than last time!
The last time she was just jealous. When she saw Cheng Yunshuo talking to Cheng Suying and looking at her, she got jealous and went up to her father and got angry. Afterwards, she was locked up for half a month. Her mother came to her room every day and said that she had done something wrong.
In the end, she really realized that she was wrong. She made her father angry, so her father treated her like that and punished her.
But what about this time!
It is obvious that Cheng Yunshuo is partial to Cheng Suying!
Instead of punishing her for the kite incident, he said something bad about her and even scolded her in front of her!
How could she bear such injustice!
It's so bullying!
But Cheng Lanying never thought that when she instigated Cheng Yunshuo to favor her, Cheng Suying suffered such injustice every day.
After Cheng Lanying was taken away, Cheng Suying was still standing there in a daze.
"Siying, you go back first." Cheng Yunshuo's voice came to her ears.
When Cheng Suying heard her father say this to her, she nodded.
She walked back with Caihe. Strangely, she didn't feel happy, but only felt an inexplicable discomfort.
After she returned to Lu Lingjun's place, she told her mother what happened today.
After hearing the whole story, Lu Lingjun couldn't help but feel it was ridiculous. She smiled and said, "Forget it, your father has dealt with it, so just do it this way."
It may sound like Cheng Yunshuo is trying to smooth things over, but the final result is the same. Cheng Lanying started the matter and she shot herself in the foot. She deserves it!
To be honest, the girl was very young, and she had no idea that Cheng Yunshuo never really loved her, and she wanted to use her favoritism to scheme against Cheng Suying.
But she didn't know that once the core was touched, her biased father would immediately favor the child he really liked.
Even if it was Cheng Suying who did it today, so what? He is biased and he will protect her to the end.
After Cheng Lanying was sent back to Bishuiyuan, she cried her heart out.
When her mother found out that Cheng Lanying had angered her father again and was punished, she was so disappointed that she twisted her ears and beat her in the house.
But no matter how painful it was, it wasn't as painful as Cheng Lanying felt.
She called her dad hurt.
Her father really hurt her heart!
She was originally released yesterday and went to stop her father as her mother asked, feeling resentful.
But after she acted coquettishly with Cheng Yunshuo, he responded. When she flew a kite with him today, her anger was almost gone.
She felt in her heart that her father still loved her and doted on her.
After all, she was the only one in the entire Marquis' Mansion who enjoyed such treatment.
But she really hurt him today.
The most hurtful thing was not that he asked her to go back to solitary confinement and make her copy books as punishment, but that he was partial to Cheng Suying!
Why is he partial to her?
"Cry, cry, cry! What's the point of crying!" Li Bixi stopped beating Cheng Lanying when she saw her crying. She looked at her angrily and resentfully, "How many times have I told you not to be so willful and throw tantrums with your father? How dare you!"
"Wuwuwu—"
"Wuwuwu—"
Cheng Lanying couldn't stop crying.
Li Bixi looked at her with disgust, "You are stupid, dumb! You are as dumb as a pig, there is no cure!"
Of course, she realized early on that Cheng Yunshuo didn't dote on her daughter that much.
But for her, just the superficial favor is enough.
As long as Cheng Yunshuo could pamper her in public, she could always get things from him and make everyone in the Marquis' Mansion respect and honor her.
But her silly daughter actually took this superficial favor seriously.
She reminded her countless times that she should be whatever her father liked her to be.
But she is so stupid!
It's impossible to tell who's lighter and who's heavier!
You still think of setting up a trap to harm Cheng Suying today!
This stupid girl just ran into her father. If the one from the main courtyard had seen them first and she had to deal with it, she would have been even more miserable than she is today!
"You are lucky today. Only your father is here to judge your punishment. He will punish you by making you copy books for half a month. If anyone sees you, even I, your mother, can't save you!"
"How dare you mess with Cheng Suying? She usually has to ask me to clean up the mess after you make a few arguments. How dare you mess with her!"
Li Bixi was furious and scolded her harshly.
As she scolded her, Cheng Lanying's crying gradually subsided.
"You are just stupid! You have no brains and no sense! How could I give birth to such a stupid daughter like you!"
"Then I am better than you who kowtows like a slave every day!" Cheng Lanying, who was scolded bitterly, raised her head and looked at her with red eyes.
Li Bixi was stunned by her reply. After she realized what was going on, she became even angrier. "What did you say?"
"I said you're groveling like a slave!" Cheng Lanying raised her head and turned the grievances she had suffered from her father to her mother, "If I were the mistress's legitimate daughter, would I have to endure such humiliation! It's because you're a lowly concubine who tries to please others everywhere. I'm not respected by my father because of you!"
"Cheng Lanying, you've really been spoiled!" Li Bixiang was so angry that she picked up a rattan stick beside her and beat Cheng Lanying severely.
Suddenly, the sound of Cheng Lanying crying loudly was heard in the room.
When Cheng Yunshuo arrived at Bishuiyuan, he heard crying inside.
"What's going on inside?" he asked Xiaoju.
Xiaoju lowered her head and said, "Aunt Li is reprimanding the Second Miss."
Upon hearing this, Cheng Yunshuo rubbed his brows in annoyance. He didn't intervene in the matter at hand. He glanced at Xiaoju and said, "Give me some of the tea that your aunt makes for me every day. I want to take it to the barracks to drink."
"Yes." Xiaoju said respectfully and turned back to the kitchen to get tea.
Li Bijie never told them what was in the tea she made. She was a meticulous and prudent person. Besides, the indentures of these people were in the hands of Lu Lingyun, so she didn't trust them. So Xiaoju just treated it as ordinary tea.
Cheng Yunshuo asked for it, so she went to get it.
After taking it over to Cheng Yunshuo, Cheng Yunshuo listened to the increasingly loud crying inside and said to Xiaoju, "Tell your aunt later that the lesson is enough, don't keep beating the child."
"yes."
Cheng Yunshuo left with the tea.
On the way, he asked Qingfeng to deliver the tea to Lu Lingyun, and then he went out of the house to relax and take a deep breath.
Lu Lingjun coaxed Cheng Suying back to rest. Not long after they sat down, Qingfeng brought some tea over.
Lu Lingjun looked at the bag of tea in front of her, which was the same one that Nanny Wan had brought. She smiled and gave Qingfeng an ingot of silver as a reward.
"Thank you, Madam!"
"There's no need to thank me. If you take good care of the young master, see where he goes every day and keep an eye on when he returns home, I will have to thank you very much." Lu Lingjun looked at Qingfeng with a smile.
Qingfeng's eyes turned and he immediately understood what Lu Lingjun meant.
She didn't mean to ask him to just take care of Cheng Yunshuo and keep an eye on what he did and where he went. She meant to ask him to report Cheng Yunshuo's whereabouts to her in the future!
Qingfeng nodded repeatedly while holding the silver ingot in his hand, "Yes, yes, yes, I will definitely take good care of the young master and keep an eye on his whereabouts. Madam, please rest assured!"
He just agreed to this statement.
Lu Lingjun gave Qingfeng another cup of tea and told him to leave.
This is Bishuiyuan.
Li Bixiang was so angry at Cheng Lanying that she beat her until she cried and her voice became hoarse. Then Xiaoju came in.
"Aunt, let's just forget it! The prince just came and asked you to just teach her a lesson. Don't hurt the second young lady." Xiaoju advised.
Hearing that Cheng Yunshuo was coming, she put down the cane in her hand, looked at Cheng Lanying, whose butt was beaten to pieces on the couch, and said angrily, "Don't even think about eating tonight!"
This girl even dared to scold her, she really deserves a beating.
Cheng Lanying groaned. Although she was injured, she was determined and had a lot of the character of her father. She turned her head away in annoyance.
Li Bixi was so angry that she wanted to slap her again, but she put her hand down. She was so angry that her face turned blue and she left her room. At this time, she thought of Cheng Yunshuo again, "Where is the prince?"
"The prince is out."
Hearing that he had left, Li Bixi frowned and said nothing. It was better for him to leave, as it was better than going to that bitch concubine in the backyard and adding to her depression.
"Did the prince say anything else since he came here?" she asked casually.
Xiaoju thought for a moment and said, "Oh, by the way, the prince came here and asked for some tea that you made."
Li Bixi, whose anger had just calmed down, was suddenly struck by lightning and stood there in a daze, "What!"
"The prince asked for some of the tea you made..." Xiaoju felt that her aunt seemed to be in a state of tension at the moment. She didn't know where she had offended her, so she said cautiously.
"You gave it to him!"
Xiaoju was frightened, "The prince said he would take some to the barracks to drink, so I went to the kitchen to get it..."
Li Bixiang was worried when she found out that Cheng Yunshuo had taken away the tea she had dried.
She hurriedly asked people to look for Cheng Yunshuo, and when she learned that he had left the house, she became even more anxious.
As time passed, she could only comfort herself in her heart that Cheng Yunshuo did not notice anything unusual and just simply wanted to take the tea to drink in the barracks.
That night, Cheng Yunshuo did not return home.
Qingfeng told Lu Lingjun that Cheng Yunshuo went to find the Du brothers outside to drink, and after drinking too much, he stayed at the Du family's house.
Lu Lingjun responded after hearing this.
Over the years, Cheng Yunshuo has been in contact with the Du brothers. Du Ruo's practice of untied hair has not affected their relationship.
Even better than before.
Whenever they encountered big problems, Cheng Yunshuo would help them.
In the past few years, with the help of Cheng Yunshuo, the two brothers got married.
When Lu Lingjun heard that Cheng Yunshuo was going to drink with them, he didn't notice anything different.
"Yun Shuo, what's wrong with you today? You keep drinking."
Outside in the tavern, Du Yang looked at Cheng Yunshuo who was drinking in a depressed mood and asked.
Cheng Yunshuo shook his head and forced a smile, "Nothing."
"You can fool others but you can't fool your brothers!"
"Yes! And there is nothing we can't talk about between us!"
Brothers Du Yang and Du Tai said.
Over the years, they have always been helped by Cheng Yunshuo, so Cheng Yunshuo is closer to them than a real brother!
Originally, when their sister Du Ruo went to the temple to practice Buddhism with her hair untied for unknown reasons, they were worried that Cheng Yunshuo would be unhappy and get angry with the Du family later. However, they did not expect that Cheng Yunshuo's attitude towards them did not change at all, and was even better.
Whenever they encountered problems, they would ask Cheng Yunshuo for help. Cheng Yunshuo would help them wholeheartedly without even blinking an eye, even more attentive than when Du Ruo was around.
"Is Aruo okay now?" Cheng Yunshuo asked after they both kept asking.
"Aruo is doing very well. I went to see her last month and she is the same as before."
"I have to thank Young Madam. Although Aruo has been practicing in the mountain temple for more than six years, Young Madam has provided her with all her food, clothing and other expenses during these six years. She has not let her down in the slightest!"
Cheng Yunshuo's brows relaxed slightly as he listened to what they said.
He didn't know whether it was because Lu Lingjun did everything behind his back and didn't give him any worries, or because Du Ruo didn't lack for food and clothing.
At this time, Du Tai held up the wine bowl and said, "Counting the days, Aruo will be out soon! She said at the beginning that she would mourn for her aunt for seven years. Now it's June, and she should be out in a few months."
Cheng Yunshuo, who was sitting next to him, had his eyes light up at this time, "Aru, she's coming out."
"Yes!" Du Yang responded, "Yun Shuo, you have been wronged over the years. Aruo is also a stubborn girl, she is irrational and has no rules. When she comes out this time, we will definitely teach her a lesson for you!"
"That's right, how could she be so willful, saying she wanted to observe mourning and then running away? It's lucky she married you, if it were someone else, they would have divorced her!"
Du Yang and Du Tai were talking while observing Cheng Yunshuo's expression. When they saw that he fell silent again, they both started to speak well of Du Ruo.
"Yun Shuo, don't bother with that girl. When she comes out, we will teach her a lesson for you and then personally send her back to the Marquis' Mansion."
"Yes, Aruo's temper must have changed over the years. She is not the same as before. Give her another chance."
Du Yang and Du Tai were afraid that Cheng Yunshuo would no longer want Du Ruo. Their good sister was really lucky to marry Cheng Yunshuo, even if she was to be his concubine.
With her bad temper and the way she behaved in the past, if it were someone else, she would probably have divorced and returned to her parents' home.
They didn't know what happened between the two of them, but from their perspective, Cheng Yunshuo was already a very good person.
Cheng Yunshuo has a high status, a good family background, is rich and powerful, and is also a righteous man. What is there for Du Ruo to be dissatisfied with!
He did have several concubines in his backyard, but these days, every powerful man had three or four wives. Besides, she was just a concubine, not married to him as his principal wife, so how could she be so arrogant?
But it was precisely because of this that they were worried that Cheng Yunshuo would divorce Du Ruo and send her back to her parents' home.
As they said this, Cheng Yunshuo fell silent again. He drank his wine in big gulps and didn't respond to any of them. This really confused the brothers Du Yang and Du Tai.
Before long, Cheng Yunshuo was drunk.
"Yun Shuo, you are drunk, shall we take you home?" Du Yang said.
Hearing that he had to go back, the drunk Cheng Yunshuo immediately sobered up a bit and shouted, "I'm not going back!"
"Where are you going if you don't go back?"
"I'm not going back anyway!" Cheng Yunshuo was like a drunk, resisting extremely, "I'm not going back, I'm not going back!"
"Okay, okay, if you don't want to go back, then come to our house." Du Yang looked at Du Tai. The two of them helped Cheng Yunshuo up. After that, he said to Qingfeng, "Qingfeng, go back and tell them that your young master is staying at my house tonight."
"yes."
Qingfeng ran back swiftly.
Here, Du Yang and Du Tai carried Cheng Yunshuo towards their home. As soon as they walked out of the tavern, they ran into an old monk.
Cheng Yunshuo was drunk, and Du Yang and Du Tai were not much stronger either. Their steps were unsteady, and with this collision, they both took a step back. Cheng Yunshuo, who was held in the middle, was thrown towards the old monk by the two of them.
The old monk was skinny and thin, with white hair and beard. Don't be fooled by his appearance as he looked like a veteran. He caught Cheng Yunshuo steadily in one move.
Cheng Yunshuo, who was drunk, opened his eyes dazedly. He looked at the old monk in front of him, "You, who are you?"
"My Buddhist name is Yuanqing, Amitabha."
"What do you mean by round? What do you mean by clear?... I think your head is quite round..." Cheng Yunshuo's eyes were dull, and he stared at the other person's bald head with a silly smile.
Du Yang and Du Tai: "..."
"Yun Shuo, he is a master." Du Yang and Du Tai came to their senses. They hurried over and helped Cheng Yun Shuo over.
"What master? Who is the master? I don't want a master. I don't want anything. I don't want anyone." Cheng Yunshuo spoke in a daze.
"Yun Shuo, you've had too much to drink." Du Yang and Du Tai lifted him up again. They looked at the old monk apologetically and said, "Master, I'm sorry."
"It's okay, Amitabha." The old monk typed some Buddhist words with one hand and made way for them.
Du Yang and Du Tai carried Cheng Yunshuo back, and Cheng Yunshuo kept muttering to himself along the way.
"I'm not going back."
"No one asked you to go back!"
"She is not herself anymore. They will not come back. They don't want me anymore."
"What a mess! Who are you talking about?"
Cheng Yunshuo slept until noon.
It was only when the breeze came to urge him that he slowly woke up.
"What time is it?" Cheng Yunshuo asked.
"It's almost noon."
"Why is it so late?" Hearing that it was almost noon, Cheng Yunshuo rubbed his drunken head, "I don't even have time to report for duty."
Qingfeng hurriedly said, "My Lord, the young lady has asked for leave for you."
Cheng Yunshuo couldn't wake up early in the morning, so Qingfeng went back to the Marquis' Mansion. After hearing this, the extremely considerate Lu Lingjun immediately asked for a day off for him.
Hearing that Lu Lingjun had made arrangements for him, Cheng Yunshuo immediately stopped being anxious.
Even the headache was relieved a little.
But instead he sat on the bed with blank eyes.
He asked for leave, but what did he do that day?
At this time, Du Tai walked into the room with a smile, "Yun Shuo, you're awake."
"Yeah." Cheng Yunshuo glanced at him and said, "Did I drink a lot of wine yesterday?"
"You didn't just drink a lot of alcohol, you even acted drunk and crazy in the street!"
"What?" Cheng Yunshuo's eyes widened.
"You hugged someone last night, kept saying that person's breasts were round, and even touched their head!"
When Cheng Yunshuo heard this, his heart beat faster instantly, and he felt guilty and regretful. "This, this, Qingfeng, what's going on!"
"My Lord, I don't know. I was delivering a letter to the young lady at that time. Could it be that you flirted with a certain girl?" Qingfeng was also shocked.
The eldest son of their family had a bad reputation as a playboy, and although he hadn't gotten into any trouble in recent years, he had seen all of his romantic affairs in his early years.
Sometimes she is a prostitute from a brothel, sometimes she is a young woman selling tofu, and there is also the heroic Du Ruo who is clinging to him, and his mistress who still has charm.
It is very possible that Cheng Yunshuo will suddenly add a new concubine to the mansion!
"My Lord, if you like a certain girl again, you should tell the Young Madam as soon as possible and ask her to marry you! Don't create any extramarital affairs or mistresses, which will cause a stir in the capital." Qingfeng said with a bitter face.
When Cheng Yunshuo heard this, his face turned purple with anger, but he didn't dare to say anything for a moment, for he was afraid that he had really done something wrong after drinking yesterday.
If that's the case...
Oh! He is so annoying!
"No, no, I'll go talk to the young lady earlier and ask her to make arrangements early."
Du Tai, who was standing at the door, stopped laughing when he heard this. "Okay, okay, I won't tease you anymore. It's not a young lady, it's an old monk!"
"Ah! My prince has taken a liking to the old monk!"
Cheng Yunshuo: "..."
Du Tai: "..."
Cheng Yunshuo came to his senses and kicked Qingfeng out, "Get out!"
After Qingfeng staggered out, he did not forget to pull Du Tai aside to ask him again in detail who he met yesterday and what happened.
They were relieved to learn that they had just bumped into an old monk on their way out and nothing happened.
At this time, the Marquis' Mansion.
Tong Nanxia is here today.
He also told Lu Lingjun that Tong Nanyuan's marriage had been settled.
After August, she married here from Jiangnan.
The Tong family said that all the betrothal gifts did not need to be sent to Jiangnan, but only needed to be sent to Master Tong Er as a formality, and then all the things would be given to Tong Nanyuan to take to her own home.
In addition, the Jiangnan Tong family has also prepared a very generous dowry, which will accompany Tong Nanyuan to the capital.
When Lu Lingjun received the news that the marriage was finalized, she couldn't stop smiling.
"Cousin, although Cousin Lu is a young and talented man, the Lu family is a bit small. When Nan Yuan comes, she will definitely bring a lot of maids and servants, and the Lu family will definitely not be able to accommodate them. What should we do then?" Tong Nanxia asked.
Not long after the palace examination ended, the court appointed Lu Kuan as an official.
Shujishi was a short-term position in the Hanlin Academy, providing a transitional official position for newly promoted Jinshi. After serving in the position for a period of time, Shujishi would be appointed to a new place.
The vast majority were sent out to serve as county magistrates and prefects, while some stayed in Beijing to fill other vacant positions in the six ministries.
There is also a very small group of Shujishi in the Zhongshu place, who are often the central reserve, retaining core positions, and working for the emperor in the future.
Lu Kuan was a Zhongshu Shujishi, a path arranged for him by his teacher, Grand Tutor Zhao. For this reason, Lu Kuan's father was kicked out of the Hanlin Academy and arranged to work in the Ministry of Revenue as a sixth-rank idler.
Because the Hanlin Academy has rules that father and son or brothers are not allowed to serve at the same time.
Everyone was stunned by Lu Kuan's rapid rise to fame, and even after Old Man Lu was kicked out, he seemed proud of it.
The Lu family now regards Lu Kuan as the real heir, but the Lu family is a small family after all, and Lu Kuan himself has just started out, so he doesn't have the wealth to buy property.
Tong Nanxia felt sorry for Tong Nanyuan and was afraid that she would be wronged after marrying him.
"I have been thinking about what you said, and I have sent people to check out a few houses." Lu Lingjun said.
"oh?"
"It just so happens that there is a house for sale today. Why don't we go take a look together?" Lu Lingjun stood up and said, looking at the stack of house information in front of him.
"good!"
The Marquis' Mansion prepared a carriage, and Lu Lingjun and Tong Nanxia went out together.
There are many rich people's houses in the east of the city, and the Marquis's Mansion is in the east of the city. The carriage stopped not long after it started.
"Young Madam, we're here." Shuanghong said.
"Um."
Lu Lingjun and Tong Nanxia came down together. Someone was already waiting at the door of the house.
"Good luck, ladies," a woman from a dental shop came up to greet them with a big smile on her face. "You must have been exhausted on the way here. Someone has prepared some tea in the house. Ladies, please take a rest and have some tea first."
Lu Lingjun just nodded at her, and Shuanghong, the maid beside her, said, "No need, we still have to look at several families today, so please introduce them to us."
Hearing this, the broker's eyes lit up and she hurriedly invited Lu Lingjun and Tong Nanxia in.
It's obvious that these two ladies come from extraordinary backgrounds. One is calm and dignified, and the other is as beautiful as a fairy. You can tell at a glance that they are wives of wealthy families. When they come out to look at the house, it's definitely not just an ordinary investment or transaction.
If they only wanted to buy a property, they would just send their servants to come and see the house in person. There were a few more houses behind them, and they were definitely for their nephews and nieces to look at. In all likelihood, they were choosing the wedding house for the separate residence!
"Our house is great! It's a large courtyard with three entrances and three exits. Look at our entrance screen wall. There are dragons and phoenixes carved on it, as well as a variety of fruits and animals! It means that the couples who live in this house will have many children and live a long life!"
"We have a garden at the back. If Madam has many children, they can play freely in the garden in the future!"
Lu Lingjun couldn't help but smile when listening to the matchmaker's bragging. This matchmaker was really shrewd. She could tell what they were buying the house for.
After hearing all this, Tong Nanxia, who was standing by, nodded repeatedly, looking extremely satisfied.
"This house is really nice."
Tong Nanxia praised it with admiration.
"Madam, many high-ranking officials have lived in my house before!" Seeing that Tong Nanxia was interested, the matchmaker tried harder to sell her house. "Everyone who lived here was promoted. The previous owner of this house was sent to Lingnan as the governor. He was promoted less than five years ago. Our house is definitely a Feng Shui treasure land!"
"Cousin, this house is nice." Tong Nanxia said.
"You two are both nobles, with delicate bodies. You must be tired after walking around for a while. I have prepared some tea in the front yard. Go and have some tea now. I will take you to our backyard later! I will take a close look inside and out. I will not let you make a bad purchase!"
At this time, Lu Lingjun could not help but admire the matchmaker's vision and eloquence. He urged them to go for tea, and the morning was almost over. He then took them for a walk, and most of the afternoon was gone. They were tired from walking, and had looked around carefully, so they didn't need to go to see the houses next door today.
Lu Lingyun looked around the house and was quite satisfied. She nodded and said, "Okay, I won't drink tea, but this house. How much did it cost?"
Lu Lingjun was too lazy to go anywhere else, so he just made a reservation.
"Hello, Madam! May Madam be rich and prosperous! Our house is not expensive. The previous owner left in a hurry. We can buy it for only three thousand taels!" The matchmaker said nice things one after another, and quickly signaled her subordinates to get the things. "I'll go get the deed documents right away, and we can go to the government office to change the name and transfer the ownership today!"
Three thousand taels is by no means a small amount!
Land is expensive in the capital. For ordinary families in the south and west of the city, it costs about fifty to one hundred taels to buy a tiled house with a yard. If you want to buy a decent house, the starting price is three hundred taels.
At that time, an ordinary person working in Beijing could earn only one or two cents of silver a month, and only two taels of silver a year. To settle down in Beijing, the whole family would have to go without food and drink for more than 20 years.
This three-way house is not something that ordinary people can dream of! The starting price is one thousand taels!
The asking price for this house is three thousand taels, which is not a low price.
"Your asking price of three thousand taels is not low." Lu Lingjun said.
"Madam, don't you see where this house is? This is the most expensive land in the east of the city. The neighbors are either rich or noble, and they are all high-ranking officials! There are a few three-story houses in the south of the city that cost about 1,000 taels, but what kind of people live there!" The matchmaker smiled, "With your indescribable status, you definitely can't live in a place like that!"
"That's true. The houses in the east of the city are expensive." Tong Nanxia said.
Tong Nanxia never had to worry about money in her life, and she married into the wealthy Duke's Mansion. Although she was not in charge of the Duke's Mansion's finances, the mansion gave her a monthly allowance of three hundred taels of silver, and during the holidays, the Duke's Mansion gave her hundreds or even thousands of taels of silver. This was not to mention that her husband Zhao Yanshu would give her rare and precious gifts from time to time to please her.
She never had to worry about money.
In her opinion, three thousand taels was really not expensive.
Seeing Tong Nanxia like this, the matchmaker said even more earnestly, "Yes! Our house is also good. There are not many houses as suitable as this one in the east of the city! Three thousand taels is definitely not expensive."
Lu Lingjun glanced at the old woman with gleaming eyes and said calmly, "Two thousand three hundred taels."
It's okay to deceive others, but it's absolutely unacceptable to deceive her.
"This, this," the matchmaker was stunned when she saw Lu Lingyun bargaining so hard, "Madam, this price is unacceptable. We accepted the commission from the previous owner and promised to give him a certain amount of money. When the time comes, we have to pay him the money. Your price is really unacceptable."
Lu Lingjun glanced at her and said, "I know very well how much the land in Beijing is worth. I'll give you this price. I guarantee that your business will not lose money and will make a profit. If you want to rip off a big customer, then you just have to wait and see. I'll go look somewhere else."
Even if Lu Lingyun was rich, she would never suffer such a loss.
This house was basically worth two thousand taels of money, but he thought she was the kind of fool who never managed the household or checked the accounts, so he asked for an extra thousand taels.
Controlling reasonable price expenditure is a must for a housewife.
She didn't want to be the mistress of the house anymore as she was being fooled and wasted so much money.
When the matchmaker saw Lu Lingjun bargaining so accurately, she could tell at a glance that she knew the market conditions very well.
The house was taken over by their brokerage firm. They had originally agreed on a minimum price of two thousand taels for the previous owner. If they sold it for more, the extra money would be their profit.
Lu Lingjun bargained down to two thousand three hundred taels, which left a profit of three hundred taels for their business. This price was very precise and painful for them.
If the profit is less than three hundred taels, they will definitely not sell it. If the profit is more than three hundred taels, they will definitely sell it if they cry bitterly. They must not be let go.
But the amount of three hundred taels was extremely difficult for her!
"Madam, please add a little more. Two thousand three hundred taels is really not enough..."
"If it doesn't work, let's go and have a look again. It won't waste my time." Lu Lingjun made another precise move.
This time, the matchmaker really felt Lu Lingjun's shrewdness.
From the moment she entered the door, she had already made arrangements in her mind and would never let her lead her by the nose and follow her plan!
This lady is really hard to fool!
"Madam, Madam, please listen to me again, our house..."
Seeing that she was about to brag again, Lu Lingjun was too lazy to listen to her and winked at Nanny Wan.
The extremely lethal Wan Nanny stepped forward and said, "That's enough. Our young lady's time is precious. She doesn't have time to listen to your nonsense. If it can be done, it can be done. If it can't be done, get out of the way! You have wasted our young lady's time, and your dental clinic can't afford to compensate you no matter how much money you spend!"
Seeing that the person in front of her was not one of those foolish, rich and easy-going ladies, the matchmaker gritted her teeth and said, "Madam, please stay. This price is acceptable!"
When Lu Lingjun heard this, he finally smiled.
On the same day, she finalized the wedding house for Lu Kuan and Tong Nanyuan.
When it was time to pay, Tong Nanxia said, "Cousin, I'll pay for this house."
"What are you going to do?"
"Cousin," Tong Nanxia saw her bargaining very considerately and thought she had no money. She blinked her watery eyes and said, "I have money."
Lu Lingjun looked at her and smiled, "I know you have money, I have money too."
She made her fortune with the help of the Marquis' Mansion. After so many years of operation, plus subsidies from Qin and the Marquis' Mansion, Lu Lingjun had already become a wealthy man.
She now owns forty or fifty shops in the capital, seventy or eighty farms, and nearly a thousand acres of farmland and forest. Her own private treasury is now almost as rich as the entire marquis's mansion!
Even if the Marquis' Mansion is in decline now, her own wealth is enough for her to live the life of a young lady of the Marquis' Mansion for the rest of her life!
Lu Kuan and Tong Nanyuan's new house was finalized, and Lu Lingjun got the house deed and land title deeds on the same day.
After she returned to the Marquis' Mansion, Tong Nanxia said that she would come again in a few days when the Lu family prepared the betrothal gifts.
After seeing Tong Nanxia off, the first thing Lu Lingjun asked about after returning home was Cheng Yunshuo.
"Is the prince not back yet?"
"No." said the servant.
Hearing that Cheng Yunshuo had not returned yet, Lu Lingjun couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.
It's strange. She asked Cheng Yunshuo for a day off today, and he didn't go to the palace to work, so why hasn't he returned home yet?
"Go to the Du family and ask if the prince is still at the Du family today?"
"yes."
Because Cheng Yunshuo didn't come back, she couldn't reveal the truth about Li Bijie poisoning him.
It won't take long.
The servant came back and reported.
Cheng Yunshuo was not at the Du family today. He went to Guangji Temple outside the city.
Lu Lingjun was stunned again when he heard that Cheng Yunshuo went to the temple.
What is Cheng Yunshuo doing?
How did you go to the temple?
After Cheng Yunshuo woke up at Du's house today, he was at a loss again and didn't know where to go because Lu Lingjun asked for leave for him.
Go back to the mansion? No fun.
Going out for a walk? No fun.
When his mind was empty, he heard Du Tai tell him that he had bumped into a monk yesterday. Cheng Yunshuo simply got up and went to the temple outside the city to find the old monk and apologize to him.
He went to the temple.
After arriving at the temple, he listened to the chanting and the sound of wooden fish in the hall, and his empty and disoriented mood suddenly calmed down.
With the burning incense, the evening drum and the morning bell ringing, and devout men and women coming and going, Cheng Yunshuo felt a long-lost sense of security.
At this time he saw Master Yuanqing.
"Donor, you are here." When the old monk Yuanqing saw Cheng Yunshuo, he smiled as if a beautiful orchid had bloomed in the valley.
"Master, are you Yuanqing?"
"This old monk is, Amitabha."
"Master Yuanqing, I'm sorry for offending you yesterday."
"It's okay. Meeting each other is destiny. Buddha said everything is cause and effect. Amitabha." The old monk was as steady as a mountain. He spoke slowly and leisurely, which only made Cheng Yunshuo feel more at peace.
Cheng Yunshuo nodded at him and asked Qingfeng to donate some incense. When he was about to leave, the old monk spoke again.
"Donor, it is fate that we meet. I see you are in distress, so why not speak it out?"
That night, Cheng Yunshuo stayed in Guangji Temple.
He and Master Yuanqing hit it off right away, and he was so enlightened by the Buddhist teachings he spoke that he forgot everything else.
Not only did he stay at Guangji Temple that night to discuss the Dharma with Master Yuanqing, but the next day he went to the palace to work during the day, and came back at night to stay overnight in a mountain temple outside the city.
This went on for seven or eight days.
The fact that Cheng Yunshuo did not return home every day soon alarmed all the women in the mansion except Qin.
Since Cheng Yunshuo rarely visited his mother, Lu Lingjun did not ask anyone to tell Qin about Cheng Yunshuo's recent strange behavior.
The other women in the Marquis's mansion were all very strange.
He has a good home but he doesn't want to go back. He would rather live in a temple than come back. What is he doing?
If he went to hang out in brothels, people would roll their eyes and think it was understandable, but what fun is there in a temple full of monks!
Why did he go there!
This is probably as strange as those middle-aged old men in later generations who would rather go out fishing all night than go home.
Lu Lingjun was a little surprised when he heard that Cheng Yunshuo lived in the temple every day and stayed overnight with the monks to preach.
But she was not that anxious. She asked Qingfeng to keep watching and notify her as soon as Cheng Yunshuo came back.
After all, it made no difference to her whether Cheng Yunshuo was in this marquisate or not.
She doesn't care.
But Lu Lingjun remained calm as always, while Li Bijie in another courtyard was extremely anxious.
Ever since Cheng Yunshuo took the tea from her yard that day, he never returned home.
She had originally thought that she would be able to meet Cheng Yunshuo soon and get the tea from him.
After all, he said he took it to the palace to drink. What if someone noticed something?
But as she waited in the yard, she found out that Cheng Yunshuo was staying overnight in the Buddhist temple outside every day. When she knew this, she was dumbfounded.
She doesn't understand at all!
I have no idea what Cheng Yunshuo is doing!
The first thing she thought of was that Cheng Yunshuo had a mistress and a new woman.
She took out her daughter's valuable jewelry and gave it to her servants to find out Cheng Yunshuo's true whereabouts, because her own money and jewelry had long been used up on medicine.
But the news that the servants brought back was that Cheng Yunshuo was indeed staying in a mountain temple outside the city.
Li Bijie was not willing to give up and kept asking about the monk who lectured Cheng Yunshuo on scriptures and doctrines every day. She wondered if he was a young and handsome monk who had aroused Cheng Yunshuo's sexual desire.
Soon the servant replied to her that it was an old monk with chicken skin and white beard, and he was also a very famous and accomplished monk.
The eminent monk often went out to preach and save people, and he became quite famous.
After hearing this, Li Bixiang fell into complete silence. After a long time, she thought that Cheng Yunshuo must have been brainwashed by that old bald man.
She paced back and forth anxiously in Bishuiyuan, and finally took out all the valuable things in Cheng Lanying's room, bribed Qingfeng's best servant, and asked Qingfeng to invite Cheng Yunshuo back.
She had just spread the news when Lu Lingjun learned about Li Bijie's actions from Qingfeng.
After knowing that Li Bijie took the initiative to invite Cheng Yunshuo back, Lu Lingjun couldn't help but raise his eyebrows.
This Li Bixiang is really eager to make trouble for herself.
Cheng Yunshuo went to the temple and didn't return home, which delayed her plan to expose Li Bijie's tea affairs, and she even took the initiative to invite Cheng Yunshuo back.
In that case, Lu Lingjun helped her.
She asked Qingfeng to pass on a message, asking Cheng Yunshuo to come back home today.
That day, after Cheng Yunshuo came out of the palace, he did not go to the temple again, but returned to the marquis' mansion.
Just as he entered the Marquis' Mansion, he heard a voice behind him.
"Big deal! Let me go meet your young mistress!"
Cheng Yunshuo heard a male voice coming to see Lu Lingjun and stopped curiously, "Who are you?"
The man was dressed as a servant, wearing coarse cloth. He looked at Cheng Yunshuo, who was dressed in bright clothes, and said, "I am from the Tong family. I am here on the orders of the mistress of the master's family to ask to see the wife of the Ningyang Marquis's son!"
"Oh." Hearing the word Tong family, Cheng Yunshuo nodded, "Come in with me."
"Yes, thank you, sir!" The servant walked to Cheng Yunshuo very smartly.
"You just kept talking about big things at the door. What big thing does your family have that you want to talk to Lingyun about?" Cheng Yunshuo asked casually.
The servant glanced at Cheng Yunshuo nervously, "Last time, our grandmother held a tea party, and the Crown Prince's wife sent some tea..."
Cheng Yunshuo's eyes lit up when he heard this. He knew about this. "What happened to the tea?"
"Master, there's something wrong with the tea leaves!"
"What's the problem?" Cheng Yunshuo stopped and asked.
The servant looked at him, took out a piece of paper from his bosom, and there was still half a bag of tea. "Our grandmother originally liked the tea sent by the prince's wife very much, and kept it to drink every day. Coincidentally, the doctor from the mansion came to consult and saw at a glance that something was added to the tea."
The boy handed the paper to Cheng Yunshuo.
Cheng Yunshuo unfolded it and saw a long list of medicine names on it.
"What are these medicines?"
"This is what is added to the tea. The doctor said it is medicinal tea!" said the servant.
How could Cheng Yunshuo understand the effects of these medicines? "Medicinal tea? What effects?"
"The doctor in our mansion said that these medicines are all drugs that suppress kidney qi and essence. If women drink them, it's okay, it will only make women's qi weak and uterine meridians stagnant. But if men drink them, it will seriously damage their essence! It will affect fertility, and long-term consumption will cause lifelong infertility!"
The servant spoke slowly, word by word, emphasizing the final words.
After hearing what the servant said, Cheng Yunshuo was completely shocked.
If men drink this tea, will it... seriously damage their essence? Affect fertility? Long-term drinking will... lead to lifelong infertility?!
"When our Madam found out, she immediately asked me to come over and tell the Madam that she didn't know where she got the tea from, but she was told not to drink it again! Especially the men in the mansion!"
At this moment, Cheng Yunshuo had no intention of listening to what he said next, as his mind was full of what the servant had just said.
Because this tea... was made by Li Bixiang, and she roasted it herself, specially for him!
Cheng Yunshuo has been drinking this tea for many years!
Li Bixi poisoned him for several years!
I want him to never have children again in his life!
"Master? Master?" the servant urged anxiously, "If you are alright, I will go find the young mistress first. Our grandmother said that she must be told about this today!"
The servant's words finally brought Cheng Yunshuo back to his senses. When he came to his senses, he saw the servant walking towards the inner courtyard.
At this time, Cheng Yunshuo spoke up, "Stop."
"Master? Do you have any other instructions?" The servant looked at him anxiously.
Cheng Yunshuo's face darkened, and he frowned and said, "I am the prince of the mansion. I know about this matter. You can go back, and I will tell Lingyun myself."
Hearing this, the servant seemed to hesitate, and Cheng Yunshuo scolded him, "Don't you trust me?"
"No, no!" the servant hurriedly said ingratiatingly, "You are the prince of the mansion. It is natural that I will inform you of this matter as I would inform the young lady."
As he spoke, he retreated out of the mansion.
Cheng Yunshuo's expression eased, and he instructed again, "Go back and tell your grandmother that we know about it, and don't mention it again in the future."
"Okay, I understand!" The servant responded and left the Marquis' Mansion.
Only Cheng Yunshuo was left alone, holding the prescription and half a pack of tea in his hand, silent.
As soon as the servant left the mansion, Lu Lingjun arrived at the main courtyard and learned about what had just happened.
She poured herself a cup of hot tea given by her second aunt and couldn't help but sigh.
It turned out that Cheng Yunshuo thought the same as she did and was planning to expose the matter.
He stopped the servant halfway and told him to go back directly, and also told him to inform the Tong family not to mention this matter again. He wanted to not tell her and keep it secret from her.
Why hide it from her?
Of course it's for Li Bixi!
Once the truth came to light, Lu Lingjun, as the mistress of the house, would have to deal with Li Bijie.
Cheng Yunshuo sent the people back because he was forbearing it privately to protect Li Bixi.
Lu Lingjun sighed, Cheng Yunshuo is indeed a romantic man, he will protect the women he cares about to the end, even if it means poisoning him personally, he can endure it.
Fortunately, she didn't deal with it herself when she found out, otherwise she would have been in trouble!
Never mind, never mind, I am willing to protect and pamper him and just let him be!
Her treatment of Li Bixi did not do her much good, but instead offended a group of people.
The mistress of the house has to turn a blind eye to everything, it is a thankless job to be in charge of everything.
The most important thing is, it wasn't her or her people who were poisoned!
Lu Lingjun finished her tea. Cheng Yunshuo didn't want her to know, so she just pretended not to know.
At this time, Bishuiyuan.
Li Bixi was waiting inside the house.
Today, the servants she took care of informed her that Cheng Yunshuo would definitely come back, so she personally prepared a table of sumptuous dishes for Cheng Yunshuo's return.
The level of care is much greater than before.
To this end, she paid out her, Cheng Lanying and Cheng Bingzhi's monthly allowance in advance and asked the kitchen to buy the freshest and best vegetables.
Li Bijie has put in a lot of effort to win back Cheng Yunshuo's heart.
She had used up all the money she and her daughter had saved, and now she was penniless, having received a month's allowance.
But the wool comes from the sheep. As long as she can win back Cheng Yunshuo's heart and ask him to come to her yard often, will she still worry about having no money in the future?
Li Bijie waited around in the house and finally waited for Cheng Yunshuo to come back.
"Master!" Li Bixi hurried over to him, her face full of tenderness and joy, "You are finally back."
She came to Cheng Yunshuo with a face full of admiration and love as usual, but Cheng Yunshuo felt as if he had fallen into an icy cave. He stared at Li Bijie with his eyes, as if he wanted to see through her and understand her.
Does she really have any sincerity towards him?
His gaze was too sharp. Li Bixi felt guilty for no reason when he stared at her. She lowered her head and gently untied his armor as usual. "Master, what's wrong with you? Are you tired in the palace?"
As soon as her hand touched Cheng Yunshuo, Cheng Yunshuo dodged it.
Cheng Yunshuo walked into the room with a silent face and sat on the chair without asking her to undress him or take off his court robes.
"Master, are you tired?" Li Bixi was even more unsure at this moment. She saw her table full of sumptuous food and smiled again, "If you are tired, let's eat first. I have prepared a table of delicious food today, all made by me."
As she spoke, Cheng Yunshuo's eyes fell on the table full of extremely sumptuous dishes.
Li Bixiang was an excellent cook, and he had originally hired her as a cook. But now, when Cheng Yunshuo saw the table full of dishes she had made, he thought of the tea she had made for him.
She poisoned the tea leaves, but what about the food?
People can't help but have associations.
When Cheng Yunshuo thought about how he first met her and took her in and ate the food she cooked, he wondered if she had poisoned him from the beginning.
What kind of feelings does this woman Li Bijie have for him?
Could it be that she was full of calculations and purposes towards him from the very beginning!
"Master, what happened to you?"
Seeing Cheng Yunshuo staring at the food on the table motionlessly, Li Bijie asked again.
Cheng Yunshuo was acting really abnormal today, and Li Bijie had no idea what he was thinking.
If you are not sure, don't touch it! To retreat in order to advance, ask Cheng Yunshuo to coax her!
Li Bixi immediately changed her expression, putting on her usual aggrieved and pitiful look, and looked at Cheng Yunshuo charmingly, "Master, you haven't been home for a long time recently. I've been waiting for you to come back day and night in Bishui Garden. I have no other thoughts, just thinking that you can have me in your heart. If you have me in your heart even a little bit, my life will be worth it!"
Normally, her humble and delicate words would surely arouse Cheng Yunshuo's sympathy and love.
Not to mention giving her some good things as rewards, at least he would give Li Bixi an affirmative answer verbally.
It's not that I have you in my heart and will never let you down, it's just that you think too much. I won't take anyone else in to give Li Bixi enough sense of security.
And today, Cheng Yunshuo's gaze was even colder.
Because when he heard Li Bixi's familiar words today, he felt they were so fake.
If she really had a little bit of sincerity in him, would she have poisoned him for so many years?
Cheng Yunshuo looked at Li Bixi who was acting in front of him for a long time. He stood up under her pitiful gaze and walked out.
When Li Bixiang saw that he was leaving, she became really anxious.
Cheng Lanying has not been released from solitary confinement yet. She has spent all her money to lure Cheng Yunshuo to her yard today. If Cheng Yunshuo doesn't come again in the future, she doesn't know how she will live here!
In her anxiety, she stepped forward and hugged Cheng Yunshuo's arm.
"My Lord! What did I do wrong that you dislike me so much now?!"
Cheng Yunshuo was hugged by her arms, and he finally said the first words since entering her place today, "Let go!"
"Master, could it be that Lanying made you angry last time, and you haven't calmed down yet? I have already given Lanying a good lesson, and I promise you that she will never do such rude things for the third time! Why don't you let her out, and I will ask her to apologize to Daddy!"
Cheng Yunshuo sneered upon hearing this.
Li Bijie sensed that something was definitely wrong with Cheng Yunshuo today. Considering that he would rather go to the Buddhist temple than come back recently, it was most likely that someone had said something to Cheng Yunshuo behind her back, making him dislike her.
She blinked her eyes and tears flowed directly, "Master! In this square house, I only have you to rely on! I don't seek wealth and honor in this life, but I seek a little friendship. Bixi is humble and stupid. If Bixi has done something wrong and offended the prince, please give Bixi an explanation, and don't let other people's rumors misunderstand me!"
What she said was so heartfelt, especially the part where she said, "I don't ask for wealth and fame, I only ask for true love." Cheng Yunshuo's eyes trembled. He really wanted to throw the prescription and half a pack of tea in his arms on her face and ask her harshly, "Is this her true love?"
How long does she want to deceive him?
But when his gaze met Li Bixi's eyes, which were very similar to the woman in his memory, and the tears that were now falling line by line, full of anxiety and longing, his heart stagnated, as if it was being held tightly by a big hand.
Cheng Yunshuo closed his eyes, swung his arms, pushed Li Bixiang away, and strode out of her yard.
He suppressed his anger.
He endured it and didn't reveal the tea matter to her or break up with her.
Li Bixiang, who was thrown away, staggered and hit the door threshold. She cried out in pain, but the person in front of her walked away without looking back.
When Li Bixi saw this, her heart sank completely.
There is definitely something wrong with Cheng Yunshuo. There is definitely something big wrong with him!
She asked Xiaoju to chase him and see where he was going. Xiaoju came back quickly and told her that Cheng Yunshuo had left the house again and he had not gone to any of his concubines or mistresses.
When Li Bijie learned that he had left the Marquis' Mansion, she gritted her teeth and took out her son's private treasury. Those were the silver and money she had left for her son. She took out most of it and bribed the servants to track down Cheng Yunshuo's whereabouts.
In her opinion, if it wasn't for the instigation of the concubines in the mansion, Cheng Yunshuo must have another woman outside.
He had changed his mind, and he was no longer the same to her as before.
There must be a new woman!
But soon, the servants she took care of brought news that Cheng Yunshuo had gone to Guangji Temple outside the city again.
When Li Bijie heard that Cheng Yunshuo was going to look for Master Yuanqing again, she was stunned for a moment.
After a while, she shook her head firmly.
"Impossible, absolutely impossible! There must be something wrong! It must not be a monk!"
She firmly refused to believe that Cheng Yunshuo was bewitched by a monk. There must be something fishy going on.
Because she didn't believe that she would lose to an old monk with chicken skin!
She wanted to go to Guangji Temple in person, see it with her own eyes, and catch the person in person!
The next day, in Lu Lingyun's yard.
Lu Lingjun was busy with Lu Kuan's affairs. Today she received news that Tong Nanyuan had already come from Jiangnan to get married, and the Lu family was going to start preparing the betrothal gifts for Lu Kuan.
She had told the Lu family before that Lu Kuan was going to marry Tong Nanyuan. When Old Man Lu found out that Lu Kuan was going to marry Tong's daughter, he agreed without hesitation and said that he wanted to have a grand wedding. He would open up all the warehouses at home and even go out to borrow money just to prepare the most generous betrothal gift for the Tong family.
After hearing this, Liu's eyes rolled back and she fainted.
Even her fainting could not affect Old Man Lu's decision. The Lu family had been marrying off daughters and wives in succession over the years, and they were not very wealthy to begin with. Now they had to empty their family savings to help Lu Kuan get married. After he got married, both Liu and Old Man Lu would be left with nothing!
She quarreled with Old Man Lu for several days, and Old Man Lu only told her that if she disagreed, she could go back to her parents' home and he would divorce her!
Only then did Liu fall silent.
She fell silent and at the same time gave up hope, because she realized that after all these years of doing her best for him, giving birth to children and managing the household, she was still no match for his late wife!
Old Man Lu's decision to allow his son to marry a girl from the Tong family and to hold such a grand ceremony was entirely because of his deceased wife!
He didn't give Lu Lingyun's mother a grand wedding and betrothal gifts back then. He was compensating her in disguised form!
That hateful man, she married him as his second wife and lived with him for so many years, but in the end, in his heart, Tong was his true love! She was nothing!
Liu was heartbroken and no longer cared about the Lu family's affairs. She left the household finances directly to the aunts, who could do whatever they wanted with them. Anyway, she would be left with nothing after taking care of the Lu family.
The concubines of the Lu family got such a big mess, how could they handle it? Naturally, they sent it to Lu Lingjun and asked her to make arrangements!
Lu Lingjun looked at the list of miscellaneous betrothal gifts and added some things to it.
At this time, a servant came outside to report.
"Madam, Aunt Li is here to see you."
After a while, Li Bixi came in.
"Young Madam."
Li Bixiang lowered her head and stood in front of Lu Lingjun very respectfully, bowing to her.
"What wind brings Aunt Li here?" Lu Lingjun looked at her with a smile.
As soon as she finished speaking, Li Bixi's eyes filled with tears, and she said pitifully, "Madam, Lanying's complexion has been getting worse these days. She hardly eats the food sent to her, and leaves it unopened. I went to see her, and I saw that her hand, which was copying the family rules, could hardly hold a pen."
"Auntie Li, are you begging me to release Lanying again?" Lu Lingjun looked at her pitiful expression, and her face was moved. She sighed and changed her tone, "But I released Lanying on my own initiative last time, and then Lanying offended the prince again, and the prince complained about me afterwards."
"After all, I didn't impose this punishment. If I had the intention to let Prince Lan Yingke go, he would have been angry."
Lu Lingjun sent her away with a few words and told her to go and ask Cheng Yunshuo for help.
Last time, she just happened to need Cheng Lanying, so she gave her a favor.
They come to her for help every time, but unfortunately she is not a compassionate and kind Bodhisattva.
"Young Madam." Li Bixi knelt down with a plop. "Of course I dare not embarrass Young Madam again. I am already grateful for Young Madam's kindness last time. How dare I dare to ask Young Madam to offend the prince? Lanying did something wrong, she should be punished! The prince did not punish her wrongly."
When Lu Lingjun heard Li Biying say this, he couldn't help but raise his eyebrows, quite surprised.
She didn't come here for her daughter, so what was she doing here for?
"Then Aunt Li, what are you doing here this time?" Lu Lingjun asked calmly.
"Lanying used to be well-behaved, but her temperament has changed drastically recently. I suspect she has offended someone. I beg Madam for mercy. I want to go to the temple outside the city to get a peace amulet for Lanying to drive away the evil spirits!"
Li Bixi knelt down deeply.
After listening to what she said, Lu Lingjun thought to himself.
My goodness, he definitely didn't come here for Cheng Lanying, but for Cheng Yunshuo!
Everyone in the mansion knew that Cheng Yunshuo had been staying overnight in temples frequently recently. She was not going to the temple to pray for Cheng Lanying's safety, but was clearly going to find him!
Fortunately, she could think of such an excuse. In order to find a way to meet Cheng Yunshuo, she even said that her daughter was possessed by evil spirits.
But...
"Lan Ying has indeed changed her character recently. She used to be as obedient as Aunt Li, but now she has contradicted her father several times. I think there is some evil spirit at work. Aunt Li has such a loving motherly heart, how can I not agree? You go and pray for Lan Ying."
Lu Lingjun was very considerate and generous and agreed to her words.
Li Bijie was a little uncomfortable with Lu Lingjun's easy talk these days.
What happened to Lu Lingjun?
Why have you been so easy to talk to again and again recently?
She originally thought that today would be a fierce battle. How could Lu Lingjun's versatile mind be easily fooled? For this reason, she gave Cheng Lanying a warning before leaving and asked her to start pretending to be crazy. If Lu Lingjun didn't let her out of the house, she would drag Cheng Lanying out and ask them to go and see.
But she really didn't expect that Lu Lingjun had been so easy to talk to recently.
Last time she asked her to release Cheng Lanying, she agreed as soon as she asked...
"What's wrong with Aunt Li?" Lu Lingjun looked down at her from above. "Didn't you just say that Lanying was bumped into by an evil spirit? Why don't you hurry up and go today?"
Li Bixi immediately came back to her senses. She kowtowed three times, "Thank you for your grace, Madam! Long live the Madam!"
No matter what medicine Lu Lingjun took wrongly, since they are willing to let her leave the house, that's a good thing!
Li Bijie quickly agreed.
After she thanked him, she quickly left.
After she left, Shuang Hong couldn't help but ask in confusion, "Young Madam, it doesn't look like Aunt Li is going to the temple outside the city to pray for blessings. It looks like she's going to pray for the Second Miss. She looks more like she's going to look for the Young Master."
"Yes, she has been staring at the prince all day long, like a lapdog. She even uses her daughter as an excuse to go look for him. Why should you give in to her wishes and let her go look for the prince?"
Lu Lingjun listened to the discussion of her maids, smiled faintly, and continued to spread out the list of betrothal gifts from the Lu family.
The most important thing in this world is not to be too deliberate. Being too deliberate will only backfire.
She doesn't need to suppress Li Bie too much deliberately. She just needs to let things develop and add some help or resistance every time.
The rest will take its course.
If one only pursues setting up a scheme and deliberately suppressing and targeting others, not to mention how tired one will be in this life, the situation after all the effort will probably be unsatisfactory.
Just like Li Biheng now, everything is not going as she wished and she is confused. What good situation can she get by going to Cheng Yunshuo so deliberately?
Lu Lingjun didn't know anything else, but she knew that the matter of poisoning tea leaves would never end.
Cheng Yunshuo suppressed the matter, but it won't disappear out of thin air. It will always be there. Li Bixi doesn't know what's going on, so she just keeps vying for favor like before and trying to win Cheng Yunshuo's love, but she's afraid that it will backfire and push him further away.
A bad guy like Lu Lingjun who enjoys watching the show is naturally willing to lend a helping hand secretly.
After Li Bijie got permission to leave the house from Lu Lingyun, she left the house directly and called a carriage to go directly to Guangji Temple in the suburbs.
Today she wants to see what kind of person is that old monk named Cheng Yunshuo who never comes home and has made him obsessed with Buddhist doctrines!
She really didn't believe it. He was just an ordinary monk!
Li Bixi arrived at Guangji Temple.
Today seems to be a big day, and there are especially many people coming to the temple.
"Young master, may I ask if there is a Master Yuanqing in your temple?" Li Bixiang asked the little monk at the door as soon as she stepped into the gate of Guangji Temple.
"Amitabha, you are here to find our abbot," the little monk pointed the way inside to Li Bixi, "our abbot is giving a lecture in the main hall today, just go straight ahead and you will arrive."
When Li Bixiang heard this, she didn't even bother to be polite and strode inside.
She climbed the high stairs and followed a group of people up to the main hall. As soon as she entered the hall, she saw devout men and women kneeling on cushions.
In front of the golden Buddha statue, surrounded by young novices on both sides, an old monk with wrinkles on his face, long white beard and eyebrows was sitting cross-legged, knocking the wooden fish in front of him and reciting scriptures that she could not understand.
"Who's that in the middle?"
Li Bijie looked at the old monk and asked the young monk at the door.
"Donor lady, that is our host, Amitabha."
"He is Master Yuanqing?" Li Bijie asked again.
"Amitabha, yes, donor."