Cheng Yuanz felt a little helpless when it came to Cheng Yujin. He happened to see her annulment of the engagement. He didn't understand the entanglement between her and Huo Changyuan and couldn't be bothered to. However, since the engagement was annulled, they were strangers. It was a good thing that she could think things through and actively look for her next spring.
A few days ago, Cheng Yuanz could tell that Cheng Yujin had ulterior motives towards that pink-faced young master the moment they met. Cheng Yuanz thought that she was quite fast. She heard that they were childhood sweethearts and cousins, so it was a good thing. As for whether it was a good thing for Xu Zhixian, he didn't know.
Cheng Yuanz thought that things would end there. Who would have thought that he would see Cheng Yujin scheming against the young man he thought highly of in his own territory? As a man, Cheng Yuanz felt a little complicated when he saw this.
Cheng Yujin stared at him with sparkling eyes. She couldn't wait to introduce herself. Cheng Yuanz had no choice but to step forward. "This is my niece, President."
He then pointed to the two young men. "This is Lin Qingyuan, the top scholar in the 19th year of Jianwu. This is Zou Cheng, the top scholar in the same year. "
He was the top scholar! Cheng Yujin's eyes lit up, but she quickly concealed it. She bowed to Lin Qingyuan and Zou Cheng. "So it's Zhuang Yuanlang and Zou Cheng. Please forgive my rudeness."
Lin Qingyuan smiled and declined. Cheng Yuanz looked at him and said, "Alright, let's sit down first."
Among them, Xu Zhixian was a relative of the Cheng Family. After the crowd dispersed, he went straight into the inner residence of the Cheng Family. He was familiar with the place. Lin Qingyuan, Zou Cheng, and Cheng Yuanz were very familiar with each other. It wasn't rash for them to enter the inner residence. Huo Changyuan wanted to marry Cheng Yumo, so he found an excuse to follow them in. With a senior like Cheng Yujin here, it wasn't rude for Cheng Yujin to appear here. Everyone took their seats. Cheng Yujin quickly assessed the situation and then asked the Dugeaux to move an embroidered stool over so that she could sit beside Cheng Yujin.
From beginning to end, she didn't even glance at Huo Changyuan.
Huo Changyuan wanted to befriend Cheng Yuanz for the sake of Xue family. Cheng Yuanz was short of manpower now, and it was good to have more military strength. The two of them tacitly did not mention the Xue family. Huo Changyuan didn't feel anything when there were so many people around, but now that there were only a few people left, Huo Changyuan clearly felt a little uncomfortable.
Of course, the real source of the discomfort was probably Cheng Yujin, who was sitting not far away.
At first, Huo Changyuan thought that Cheng Yujin was here for him. Huo Changyuan had a little understanding of Cheng Yujin. It might be accidental for others to mistakenly enter the place where seniors received guests, but Cheng Yujin definitely wouldn't do that. He subconsciously thought that Cheng Yujin regretted her decision and took the opportunity to get close to him.
Huo Changyuan should have found it troublesome that she was still pestering him after breaking off the engagement, but he secretly felt a little happy in his heart.
However, Cheng Yujin didn't even look at Huo Changyuan until they sat down. Huo Changyuan thought that she was playing hard to get. She was playing hard to get. He looked at the two people at the head of the table and felt indescribably depressed. Wasn't she here for him? Why was she always sticking to Cheng Yuanz? How long had Cheng Yuanz been back? When did Cheng Yujin become so familiar with Cheng Yuanz?
Lin Qingyuan was very curious about this woman who could freely enter and leave Cheng Yuanz's study. He asked, "What is Miss Cheng doing in the study?"
Cheng Yujin smiled and said, "Ninth Uncle taught me how to write. I have a word that I can't write properly, so I came to ask the Ninth Uncle. I didn't expect Ninth Uncle to have guests. I'm very sorry to disturb everyone. I brought some pastries when I went out. If you don't mind, please allow me to use this opportunity to apologize. "
Cheng Yuanz smiled lightly. She had even prepared the pastries. She really came prepared.
The Dugeaux brought out the few plates of pastries that Cheng Yujin had brought. There weren't many pastries. There were only three on each plate, but they were exquisite in appearance and had excellent taste. Lin Qingyuan tasted a piece and praised, "It's delicious. Which shop's pastries are these? I've never tried them before. "
"Lin Zhangyuan, you flatter me. I made them myself."
Lin Qingyuan was even more surprised, "Miss Cheng is the eldest daughter of the Marquis Family. You have a respectable background, but you actually know how to cook?"
Cheng Yujin revealed some embarrassment, "I don't dare. Grandmother's teeth aren't good, and she likes to eat soft pastries. I slowly figured it out."
Lin Qingyuan clicked his tongue in wonder and praised Cheng Yujin. When Xu Zhixian heard this, he didn't know why he felt proud, but he said, "Not only that, Sister Jin not only has good cooking skills and is filial, but she is also proficient in the four arts. She has good needlework. When my eldest sister saw Sister Jin's embroidery, she couldn't stop praising it."
Xu Zhixian's eldest sister was Imperial Concubine Shu. Cheng Yujin secretly praised Xu Zhixian for being able to pick up the conversation, but she still said modestly, "I had nothing to do. I'm just passing the time. How can it be as good as cousin said? Everyone here is a pillar of the imperial court. Cousin, don't give me face and make the top scholar and others laugh at you. "
Cheng Yujin and Xu Zhixian chatted and laughed naturally. It was obvious that they had a good relationship. Huo Changyuan felt complicated when he heard this. He could only quickly lower his head and drink tea to hide the expression on his face. While drinking tea, Huo Changyuan saw that Xu Zhixian's pastries were lotus cakes and the tea was flower tea. During the banquet, Xu Zhixian said that he liked light pastries and sweet tea. He was also ridiculed by everyone for his Young Master's Disease. He didn't expect to see Xu Zhixian's Young Master's Disease here.
The tea and pastries were served by Cheng Yujin's servant girl. It was obvious who made them.
Huo Changyuan was very observant. He quickly noticed that Huo Changyuan was a bit absent-minded. He followed Huo Changyuan's line of sight and found that the tea and pastries on Xu Zhixian's table were different from theirs. Cheng Yuanz thought for a moment and understood. If Cheng Yujin really wanted to be good to someone, it would be like the spring wind and rain. It would be all-pervasive, like a fine net, and unknowingly make people sink deep into the mud. Xu Zhixian and Cheng Yumo were very intimate and didn't hide anything. However, as a man, Cheng Yuanz could see that if a man really cared about someone, he would definitely not show his ugly side in front of her.
Thinking of this, Cheng Yuanz suddenly realized that the pastries in his hands were different. The pastries were made into the shape of leaves and tasted cool and refreshing. There was a faint bitter tea taste.
Oh, openly bribing?
Because of Cheng Yuanz's childhood, he never touched food that had not been tested for poison. Just now, he naturally took two pieces. Was it because the pastries that Cheng Yujin made for him were really to his liking, or was it because he had let down his guard against Cheng Yujin?
Cheng Yuanz seemed to be aware of Cheng Yujin's existence for the first time. In the past, he always thought that she was a junior. Because she was young, she didn't have a gender. Her fiancé broke off the engagement. She was angry and did some very emotional things in a fit of pique. The child was not sensible, so Cheng Yuanz tolerated her. It was like an adult tolerating a child making a scene. It wasn't until this moment that Cheng Yuanz realized that Cheng Yujin was 14 years old. She was a young and beautiful girl, and she was able to attract the attention of two men.
Cheng Yuanz was silent. No one knew what he was thinking. Cheng Yujin had already investigated Lin Qingyuan and Zou Cheng's background thoroughly. Zou Cheng was a child of a poor family. His mother and sister worked hard to make him study when he was young. Zou Cheng also worked hard. He studied hard for ten years and one day passed the imperial examination. Cheng Yujin was very moved by the Zou family's previous contributions to each other. But that was it. She would not become the wife of a rich family's son.
Lin Qingyuan, on the other hand, had a much better family background.
Cheng Yujin listened to them while thinking in her heart. Lin Qingyuan's ancestral home was in Jinan. His family was a famous local family. Poetry and books were passed down from generation to generation. The Duke House of Chang had no one in the imperial court. His family was fancy and impractical, but they had the title of nobility. In terms of family background, the two of them were equal.
Lin Qingyuan was the eldest grandson of the eldest branch. In the future, the ancestral property would be left to him. Xu Zhixian was the legitimate son of the second branch. Although he was favored by Madame Xu, once Madame Xu passed away, the second branch would move out of the Duke House of Chang. It had nothing to do with the inheritance of the Duke House of Chang. In this point, Lin Qingyuan won.
Third, Lin Qingyuan was the top scholar. He was now an editor in the Hanlin Academy. He had a promising future. Xu Zhixian was still a virgin. There was no need to talk about it. In terms of personal future, Lin Qingyuan completely crushed him. However, Xu Zhixian had a gentle temperament and was her cousin. He would be very easy to control in the future. Lin Qingyuan might not be.
Cheng Yujin combined family background, property, future, and personality. After adding and subtracting, she found that Lin Qingyuan's score was higher. Very good. Cheng Yujin's future husband had changed.
After Cheng Yujin made her decision, she began to quietly show concern for Lin Qingyuan. Lin Qingyuan felt that today's conversation was particularly pleasant. He couldn't tell why. Lin Qingyuan didn't notice, but the former party, Huo Changyuan, and the perceptive Cheng Yuanz did.
Huo Changyuan's mood was extremely complicated. He had thought that Cheng Yujin was doing this for him. Now he understood. Cheng Yujin had already taken a fancy to someone else. He and the Huo family really thought too much. Huo Changyuan's wish was to break off the engagement. However, seeing this situation with his own eyes still made him unhappy. Extremely unhappy.
It was as if he was watching his fiancée cheat on him.
Cheng Yuanz took another sip of tea. He found that the tea and snacks prepared by Cheng Yujin were really to his liking. He didn't even show his preferences in front of Cheng Yujin. Cheng Yuanz thought carefully. The only time they overlapped was at a few family dinners. Cheng Yuanz was the ninth son of the Cheng Family. It would be inappropriate if he didn't go. It was only at this place that he showed what he liked and didn't eat.
He didn't expect that in just a few meals, and at a big banquet where men and women sat separately, she would be able to observe it.
If she really wanted to be good to someone, she could definitely make the other party unable to resist. It was like boiling a frog in warm water. The other party became more and more addicted. However, the person boiling the water saw a better option and retreated.
She scolded Huo Changyuan for being heartless. In fact, she was the most heartless person.
Cheng Yuanz suddenly felt a little irritated. This irritability scared even himself. He thought that after all, Lin Qingyuan was a young reserve that he had high hopes for. When he returned to his position in the future, there would be plenty of places to use him. If he let Cheng Yujin continue, Lin Qingyuan and Huo Changyuan would inevitably have a rift. If they became enemies because of this, it would be bad.
So Cheng Yuanz said faintly, "Cheng Yujin."
Cheng Yujin was stunned for a moment. She subconsciously replied, "Ninth Uncle?"
"Which word did you write wrong?"
"Ah?" Cheng Yujin reacted for a while. Only then did she realize that the reason she appeared here was to ask about the word.
When the others saw this scene, they stopped talking and looked at them curiously. Cheng Yuanz stood up and said, "Follow me."
Cheng Yujin was unwilling. However, Cheng Yuanz had accumulated a lot of power. Cheng Yujin obediently followed Cheng Yuanz. When the others saw this scene, they were amazed. Lin Qingyuan was the most familiar with Cheng Yuanz. He smiled and said to the others, "Jing Xing doesn't like people to get close to him. He especially doesn't like people to touch his things. I didn't expect him to be so easy-going with his niece at home. She can enter and leave his study as she pleases. "
Zou Cheng nodded in agreement. He was unhappy when others touched Cheng Yuanz's things. However, his niece could casually sit in his study and wait for him. Sure enough, everyone had double standards. Even Cheng Yuanz was no exception.
Lin Qingyuan and Zou Cheng didn't understand the inner workings of the Cheng Family. Xu Zhixian heartlessly laughed along. The only person present who felt that something was wrong was probably Huo Changyuan.
Was Cheng Yujin such an obedient person? Would she personally wait for someone in a place? Would she obediently stand up and follow the other party's casual words?
If Cheng Yujin was really like this, the two of them wouldn't have broken off the engagement.
Huo Changyuan had an inexplicable suspicion. There seemed to be something wrong with this uncle and niece.
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