On the second morning after Yu Shu returned to the capital, Jing Chen came looking for her. She didn't have to go to the Imperial Astronomer's Office to take attendance for two days. She didn't go anywhere but stayed at home, waiting for Jing Chen to come because she owed him an explanation.
In less than ten days, Jing Chen had actually lost a lot of weight. It was as if he was seriously ill. Even the slightly thicker clothes on his body could not hold him up. Yu Shu felt guilty. After the two of them met, she kindly led him to the small study room in the North Wing and closed the door to talk.
As soon as Jing Chen sat down, he lowered his voice and asked her, "Did my father and … and Xue Rui escape?"
When she heard him ask this question, Yu Shu knew that he was more concerned about Yun Hua and Xue Rui than he was about his resentment. So, she told him with certainty, "They have already escaped far away. Even if Xue Rui sent people to chase after them, they would not be able to catch up with them."
"Xue Rui, is he really my elder brother?" Jing Chen's words were cryptic. He was hesitant, but he did not question it. It was obvious that he did not find it difficult to accept this fact.
Yun Hua ran away with Xue Rui, leaving behind this mess. Yu Shu had to clean it up for her. She had no choice but to bite the bullet and tell him the truth. "When Yun Hua went to the capital to take the imperial examination, there was already a first wife, Han, in my hometown. Brother Xue is Madam Han's son. He is one year older than you. Because Yun Hua was attacked in the capital, mother and son were chased after. Madam Han was unfortunately killed. Brother Xue was lucky to escape and was saved by Uncle Xue, who was sent to Suzhou to be an official. In order to deceive people, he raised him as his own son. "
She took a breath and did not want the two brothers to be enemies, so she exonerated Xue Rui. "Brother Xue and I only learned that he and Yun Hua are father and son not long ago. It is our fault to hide such a big thing from you. Brother Xue originally planned to tell you personally after we destroyed the Book of Mystery Fairy's Six Rens. However, the plan could not keep up with the changes. We were all deceived by Yun Hua. We did not expect that Xue Rui had already found out his identity, forcing them to flee in a hurry. They did not have time to tell you the truth."
After listening to the cause and effect, Jing Chen slowly furrowed his eyebrows and said self-deprecatingly, "It turns out that my father not only let my mother down."
Yu Shu opened her mouth and wanted to defend Yun Hua, but she found that she had nothing to say. Although it was Princess Luyue who snatched his love away and Yun Hua was forced to be a heartless man, this did not mean that he was not wrong. After all, in the beginning, he knew that Princess Luyue disguised herself as a man to get close to him, but he did not keep a distance from her. In the end, it led to an ill-fated relationship.
Jing Chen was indeed a little disappointed in Yun Hua, but his temperament was indifferent. Whether he was happy or angry would not last long. Now that he knew the truth, the knot in his heart was solved, and he was no longer entangled in this. Moreover, he was more concerned about another matter at the moment.
"Tell me, Xue Rui, you promised to marry me. Is it true?"
Yu Shu nodded and said, "Yes, I promised him."
Jing Chen did not feel surprised at all. Instead, he showed a bitter smile and said with slight bitterness, "The person you once said is Brother Xue, right? I can see that he has deep feelings for you. No wonder you are willing to entrust your life to him. "
In Rising Cloud Temple, when Xue Rui and Yun Hua were at loggerheads, Xue Rui personally said that he wanted to live and die together with Yu Shu. At that time, Jing Chen realized that the two of them were not just siblings.
This time, Yu Shu did not think of continuing to hide it from him. After he pointed it out, she admitted it calmly, "Yes, the person I was talking about is him."
"Then why did you come back?" Jing Chen still had a glimmer of hope, so he asked cautiously.
Yu Shu sighed secretly. She got up and walked to the window. With her back facing him, she said resolutely, "I came back because my family is here. I can't leave them alone. I promised Xue Rui to marry you because I had no other choice, not because I changed my mind and wanted to marry you. Jing Chen, I still say the same thing. You should give up. Don't end up like Princess Luyue. "
Her experience was so similar to Yun Hua's. She was also forced to marry someone else. At this time, she could understand what Yun Hua said about having no other choice. However, she did not want Jing Chen to follow in Princess Luyue's footsteps. He could not get what he wanted and would hate it for the rest of his life.
Jing Chen was gloomy. Looking at her back, he sat for a while and then left.
Not long after he left, someone came to the door. It was Prime Minister Xue who sent someone to invite Yu Shu to the mansion for questioning. Yu Shu was a little hesitant about whether to see Xue Lingnan or not. On one hand, she suspected that Xue Lingnan was the traitor who wanted to kill the Life Breaker. She did not want to contact him in private. On the other hand, she felt that she should give an explanation to the Xue family for Xue Rui's disappearance. At least, she should let them know that Xue Rui was safe.
She thought about it. She could hide for the first time, but she could not hide forever. So, she packed up and went to the Xue mansion.
*
*
*
Thinking about it, Yu Shu had seen Xue Lingnan several times. No matter if it was at court or at the Land and Water Conference, she did not feel as uncomfortable as when she faced him.
When she came in, Xue Lingnan politely let her sit down. Then he picked up the teacup and examined her without concealment. His eyes were steady and carried a bit of sharpness. At first, she could still force herself to be calm. Gradually, she felt uncomfortable, as if she had become a criminal and was being tried in court.
"This old man does not want to beat around the bush with you. Tell me the truth, where is Cheng Bi now?"
Yu Shu took a breath and said tentatively, "Didn't you say that he was captured by Ning Wang's people? You know it in your heart, why ask me? "
When Xue Lingnan found out that Xue Rui had disappeared, the first thing he did was put the blame on Ning Wang. He used this matter to make a big fuss and incite people's hearts in order to force the Emperor to appoint a Crown Prince so that he could support Liu Tan to take the throne. How much weight did Xue Rui's life and safety matter in his heart?
Xue Lingnan was dissatisfied with her ambiguous answer. His face instantly darkened. "The Xue family raised him for twenty years. It's better to raise a dog."
Hearing this, Yu Shu knew that he didn't have much affection for Xue Rui. She didn't pretend to be obedient and retorted, "Even if you raise a dog, you can't just throw it away. The owner has to shed a few tears. If they don't feel sad, then that person is not even comparable to a dog."
The father and son of the Xue family had also raised Xue Rui. Xue Rui's chivalrous heart made people respect him, but Xue Lingnan's coercion made people's hearts turn cold. She didn't have a good impression of Xue Lingnan. Based on his "raising a dog" attitude towards Xue Rui, there was no need for her to tell him that she was safe and sound.
Xue Lingnan had never been talked back to like this by a junior. His eyes became more and more gloomy as he looked at her. He didn't show any anger. "You're too arrogant. Do you think that I can't touch you just because you have a backer? Xue Rui's disappearance is related to you. If you don't tell me everything, don't think about leaving here. "
Yu Shu had always been amenable to coaxing but not coercion. She sneered and said, "What backer can I have? My backer is myself. If I was afraid of you, I wouldn't have dared to come here today. If you want to punish me, it's useless no matter what I say. "
That night at the Ascending Cloud Temple, the Grand Tipping Monk had put on such a grand show, so Xue Lingnan must have known that something had happened. He was as cunning as the Grand Tipping Monk. It would be a lie to say that he was concerned about Xue Rui's whereabouts, but the truth was that he wanted to pry information from her.
No matter what he wanted to find out, she wouldn't say a word.
Xue Lingnan frowned. He probably didn't expect Yu Shu to have such a bad temper. He couldn't bluff her, and he couldn't put down his face to say soft words. He gave up and warned her with a stern face, "Looking at your expression, that unfilial son must be safe and sound. I'll say this first. In the future, no matter who asks about his whereabouts, you must say that you don't know. If I hear that you make irresponsible remarks to others, I won't forgive you."
After saying this, he flicked his sleeves and silently asked her to leave. Yu Shu was eager to leave. She hastily bowed to him to show her etiquette, lifted the corner of her skirt, and stepped out of the door. When she reached the corridor outside the study, a servant came to greet her and led her out of the courtyard. After walking for a while to the west, the garden was in front of them. Yu Shu suddenly stopped and asked,
"Is Third Miss in the mansion now?"
The servant didn't understand, so he nodded honestly. However, he saw Yu Shu turn a corner and walk into the garden. He hurriedly followed to stop her, "Miss, you're wrong. The gate should go this way."
Yu Shu continued to walk forward and said with a smile, "Since you're here, you can visit your young miss on the way. You should quickly go and inform her."
The Xue Family was very strict with rules. They had never encountered such a random guest. They couldn't stop her, so they could only run faster to inform her. On Xue Rui's birthday, Yu Shu had strolled in the garden of the Prime Minister's Estate, so she knew how to get to Younger Sister Xue's courtyard. She didn't need anyone to lead the way and found the place after a few turns.
This was the real reason why she came to the Xue Family today.
At this time, Xue Jinxun was drawing needlework in the room. She had just heard a servant running to report that Miss Yu was coming to visit her. Before the chief maidservant in her room could ask carefully, she heard a hearty voice coming from outside the courtyard, "Is Younger Sister Jinxun here? I'm here to see you."
When Xue Jinxun heard that it was Yu Shu, she hurriedly put down the needle and thread in her hand. She swept away her usual gentle appearance and trotted out. Seeing the figure standing at the door of the courtyard, she was very surprised. Yu Shu called her again, and she hurriedly asked the old maid guarding the door to let her in.
"Yu, Older Sister Yu, why, why are you here?" Xue Jinxun stuttered when she was nervous.
Yu Shu naturally held Chen Xi's hand and sized her up, yet when she saw Chen Xi's expression was normal and didn't seem to be sad, she guessed that Chen Xi hadn't heard of Xue Rui's disappearance, so she said with a smile, "I came to see you on the way. Come, let's go in and talk."
She turned from guest to host and pulled her into the room. Xue Jinxun lived in a corner of the Prime Minister's Estate. Since the Tenth Princess died of illness three years ago, she had been neglected. No one came to see her all year round. Xue Lingnan had probably given up on this granddaughter a long time ago. She heard that Xue Jinxun's mother was suffering from a mental illness and was sometimes good and sometimes bad. In this large Prime Minister's Estate, she could only rely on Xue Rui to survive.
Not long ago, the truth of the case of Prince Ning killing the Tenth Princess came to light. Although Xue Jinxun's innocence was cleared, it couldn't make up for the harm she had suffered. Her intelligence might forever stay at the stage of a child.
Xue Jinxun was very happy to see Yu Shu, but she didn't know how to express it. She took out the pouches and handkerchiefs she had embroidered these days and showed them to her. Yu Shu didn't know how to do needlework, so she just picked up each one and looked at it. After praising her, Xue Jinxun's face quickly turned red. She stuttered as she held up the best embroidered pouch and said,
"For, for jiejie."
Yu Shu thanked her and tied it around her waist on the spot. Seeing Xue Jinxun's smiling face, she felt a little better. Sitting down next to her, she held her little hand and said in a soft voice, "Your brother hasn't come to see you these days. Do you miss him?"
Xue Jinxun nodded and said obediently, "Brother has business and doesn't have time to come see me. I understand."
Yu Shu's eyes darkened. She put an arm around her shoulder and pretended to be relaxed, "Yes, he has gone to do business and may not come back for a long time. If you miss him, you can't cry."
Xue Jinxun asked in confusion, "Then when will he come back?"
"I don't know, but he will definitely come back. Let's wait for him together, okay?"
"Okay then." Xue Jinxun didn't realize that Xue Rui had left. She simply remembered the agreement between Yu Shu and her. In the future, if someone told her that Xue Rui was missing, she would stubbornly believe that he would come back.
Before Yu Shu left, she avoided Xue Jinxun and called the head maidservant in her room to one side. She warned her sternly, "Your Eldest Young Master and I are sworn brothers and sisters. I treat your young miss as my own sister. You have to serve her well, and there will be benefits for you. If something happens to her later, you must send a letter to the Yu Residence on Baochang Street."
In order to prevent this maidservant from messing things up, she didn't mention Xue Rui. She gave her a banknote and coaxed her. Only then did she leave with peace of mind. She wasn't afraid that this maidservant would turn around and run back to Xue Lingnan to imitate her.
Later, when the news of Yu Shu trespassing into the backyard to see Xue Jinxun reached Xue Lingnan's ears, she had already disappeared.
*
*
*
The Great Tutor acted quickly. A few days after Yu Shu agreed to the marriage, a noble madam of the imperial family came with a matchmaker to propose marriage. Jing Chen's birth mother, Princess Luyue, was the beloved daughter of the late Emperor. He himself was a relative of the emperor and was valued by the current emperor as an official. If Emperor Zhaoqing hadn't moved to Huazhen Garden to recuperate, this marriage would have been arranged by the emperor himself.
The noble madam of the imperial family was above the third rank and couldn't be easily ordered around. The fact that she was willing to lower herself and come to the Yu Residence to propose marriage was enough to give Yu Shu face. It could be seen that the Great Tutor didn't do it perfunctorily.
When Zhao Hui heard that someone had come to propose marriage, she panicked and didn't know what to do. Yu Shu, who was sitting next to her, was calm and didn't seem surprised at all. She first ordered the maidservants to invite the guests to the inner courtyard, and then turned to Zhao Hui and said, "I agreed to this marriage. You also know that person, it's Jing Chen."
Zhao Hui felt as if a muffled thunder had hit her. Dizzily, she grabbed her arm and said incoherently, "Why did you only tell me about such a big thing? I didn't even prepare for it, and you agreed just like that? Have you thought it through? Do you really want to marry that, that Young Master Jing? "
Yu Shu supported her and faintly smiled. She avoided the topic and focused on the trivial, "Men and women should get married when they're of age. After the New Year, I'll be eighteen. If I don't get married, I'll be an old lady. Didn't you already prepare my dowry?"
"But, but — —" Zhao Hui didn't know what she wanted to say. Looking at Yu Shu's smiling face, she felt that something was wrong. Before she could figure it out, she was urged by Yu Shu to go into the room to change her clothes.
"Since someone has come to propose marriage, it's not convenient for me to show myself. Mother, go see the matchmaker. You only need to agree to the marriage. Everything else will be handled according to the rules."
Zhao Hui was forced to sit in front of the royal madam. She had long forgotten her previous doubts and only focused on dealing with the groom's family. The matchmaker had a glib tongue. He first praised Yu Shu and Jing Chen before mentioning the marriage. Although Yu Shu had agreed, Zhao Hui refused to be careless. She forced herself to ask all the questions she needed to ask. The royal madam didn't look down on her, a common woman, nor did she care that she was the groom's godmother. She spoke to her in a friendly manner, with an attitude that as long as Yu Shu was willing to marry, everything could be discussed.
This made Zhao Hui feel more at ease. She took out Yu Shu's Gengchen Eight Characters and exchanged it with the groom's family. This was considered as an official marriage.
In the evening, He Fangzhi and Yu Xiaoxiu came back. They heard from Zhao Hui about Yu Shu's marriage. They were very surprised. He Fangzhi was fine. After all, he knew Jing Chen, so it wasn't difficult for him to accept it. However, Yu Xiaoxiu looked defeated. He turned around and ran to the north to ask Yu Shu for confirmation.
"Sister! You want to marry Brother Jing? "
Yu Shu was in the study, flipping through the account books sent by Nan Lin Lumber Company yesterday. She raised her head to look at Yu Xiaoxiu, who had rushed in, and expressionlessly said: "I'm going to marry him, what's there to be surprised about?"
Yu Xiaoxiu closed the door tightly and walked to her. He put his upper body on the desk and tiptoed closer to her. He lowered his voice and said, "If you marry Brother Jing, what about Brother Xue?"
Yu Shu was stunned. She didn't expect him to say this. Yu Xiaoxiu saw that she didn't say anything. He scratched his ears and cheeks anxiously, "Sister, don't you like Brother Xue? I can see that he also likes you. Does he know that you are going to marry Brother Jing? Did the two of you quarrel? "
The rumor that Xue Rui had been kidnapped by Ning Wang had spread through the court. A child like Yu Xiaoxiu who didn't know the affairs of the world knew nothing about it. He hadn't heard that something had happened to Xue Rui, so he had such naive thoughts.
Yu Shu smiled bitterly. She thought that she and Xue Rui had concealed their relationship well, and everyone thought that they were siblings. However, Yu Xiaoxiu, who was only half an adult, had seen through it with a single glance.
"How old are you to know what it means to like someone?" She poked his forehead with her index finger and pushed him away. She lowered her head and continued to study the account books. Although Nanlin Lumber Shop wasn't eye-catching in Jing City, it made tens of thousands of taels every season. This was mainly because Xue Zao had bought and rented a large piece of forest in the south. He didn't lack raw materials. Later, he handed it over to Xue Rui to manage. He didn't hesitate to hire a group of skilled craftsmen. Whether it was furniture making or civil construction, they could take care of everything.
"Jiejie, jiejie? Jiejie … "Yu Xiaoxiu called out a few times. Yu Shu didn't pay attention to him and deflated like a deflated ball. He didn't have the courage to pester her and left dejectedly.
Yu Shu heard the sound of the door closing and sighed softly.
Aunt Cui was the last person in the family to know about Yu Shu's marriage. She found out from Zhao Hui about Jing Chen's family background and character. She was overjoyed and didn't complain about Yu Shu acting on her own. She was happy that her daughter had climbed up a high branch and was going to be the Emperor's niece-in-law.
That night, she impatiently went to find Yu Shu and said, "My good daughter, Zhenzhen 'er has worked hard to find such a good son-in-law for me. That third son of Assistant Minister Yin's fu is nothing. He's not even fit to carry my son-in-law's shoes. You didn't agree to his family at the beginning. So you had intentions. Mother has wronged you. Quickly tell Mother, that young master Jing is the Emperor's nephew. How much betrothal gift should he give to his wife? Are you going to move to the Princess Mansion to live in? I have to remind you that you have to leave the residence we are living in to Xiaoxiu in the future. You can't let an outsider take advantage of it. "
They had only just begun and she was already calling him son-in-law. It was clear that she was extremely satisfied with this marriage. After the joint trial of the three courts, Aunt Cui clearly saw the evil of her former master Yin Zhourong's family. She understood Father Yu's good intentions in the past. She suddenly repented and finally settled down. She no longer opposed Yu Shu. However, a leopard can change its spots but a leopard can't. Deep down, she was still a bitter and petty woman.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
