If things go wrong, Hong Yicheng might not be able to marry his wife and might even harbor resentment. Besides, regardless of who deflowered Ouyang Rou, judging from her confident demeanor, it must have been related to Hong Yicheng.
Ouyang Rou, a woman who has lost her virginity, will find it difficult to marry a good man. If she could get close to Hong Yicheng, it would only benefit the General's Mansion. Naturally, Ning Shi would not let Ouyang Rou die. However, Ouyang Rou's behavior was too disgusting to her, so she gave the order. After waiting for a long time, only Ouyang Yue came to plead for her.
Thinking about Ouyang Yue's words, it seemed like something she would do. She was jilted, so how could she not resent Ouyang Rou at all? Taking out the token was also somewhat of a revenge tactic, but she hadn't thought things would come to this point, so naturally she was afraid, which pleased Ning Shi.
Seeing this, Aunt Hong immediately pleaded, "Madam, although the Second Miss's actions have gone too far, she and Young Master Hong are ultimately in love, and Young Master Hong has also agreed to marry the Second Miss."
"Besides, Second Miss is a woman. If Young Master Hong forces her, how can she resist? And how can she, a woman, bring herself to say it afterward? Young Master Hong is, after all, the Crown Prince's man. Second Miss must be afraid that the General's Mansion will offend the Crown Prince, which is why she kept it a secret. Second Miss's starting point is all for the General's Mansion. Please, Madam, let Second Miss go."
Ouyang Yue sighed. This Aunt Hong was indeed good at playing the subservient role. She really knew how to take advantage of people. Originally, Ouyang Rou's loss of virginity was due to her lack of self-control and her own shamelessness. Yet Aunt Hong claimed that she only concealed it because she was a member of the General's Mansion. What a clever tongue she had!
No matter what she says, Ouyang Rou's value has dropped!
Aunt Hua and Aunt Ouyang Hua both showed disdain, but when Ouyang Yue pleaded for her, they also understood Ning's thoughts. Even if they wanted to kill Ouyang Rou, Aunt Hong was right. If Ouyang Rou's marriage failed and she was accused of premarital loss of virginity, the trouble would be much greater!
Ouyang Yue's annulment of the engagement had already drawn the attention of the Crown Prince. If Hong Yicheng's arranged marriage resulted in another incident, wouldn't that be a slap in the face to the Hong family? Even the Crown Prince would be angry! Therefore, Ning's concerns were not without reason, and they naturally kept quiet.
Seeing this, Madam Ning feigned helplessness and said, "Rou'er is indeed young and acts rashly. I, as her mother, cannot make decisions about what might happen."
Outside, Ouyang Rou had already been beaten more than twenty times, until her eyes rolled back and she was almost dead. Only then did Madam Ning say, "Stop! Take the Second Miss downstairs to apply medicine and rest. However, although she can be spared the death penalty, she cannot escape punishment. After applying the medicine, she should go to the Buddhist hall to chant sutras and repent. She can be released after she realizes her mistake."
The purpose of going to the Buddhist hall to repent was, of course, to appease Aunt Ouyang Huaming and the others. After all, Ouyang Rou's case was no small matter, and no one would be happy to let her off so easily. Only by punishing her with a board and then sending her to the desolate Buddhist hall could people's hearts be calmed.
Aunt Hong naturally thanked her repeatedly. One thing after another had happened today, and Madam Ning was indeed quite angry and tired. She pressed her head, and suddenly a sharp glint flashed in her eyes: "Where did we get to today's matter? If I hear a single word that affects the reputation of the General's Mansion, you'll all be in for a beating!"
"yes!"
Everyone agreed, but they were secretly puzzled. This second young lady had actually committed adultery, violating the virtues of a woman! Her despicable behavior was deeply ingrained in the hearts of the masters and servants in the hall. Even the maidservant beside Ouyang Rou felt implicated, her face burning with shame, and she cursed Ouyang Rou in her heart for being shameless!
After everyone dispersed and returned to Mingyue Pavilion, Ouyang Yue immediately said to Chuncao, "Chuncao, Chan'er has been beaten to death. Go and send some silver to her mother as a token of my compassion."
Chuncao was somewhat displeased. Chan'er had betrayed her master and falsely accused him, which she deserved. Why was Miss still concerned about her family? But Chuncao still obeyed the order and went to do it.
Ouyang Yue glanced at the two women who had been following her silently but never left her side, and smiled. These two women were silent and persistent, and they understood the situation. She was very satisfied!
Ouyang Rou dragged her aching body back to apply the medicine. As the wound was being treated, she screamed and cursed. It took two whole hours to apply the medicine, and the maid beside her had her face swollen and bleeding from the beating before it was finally finished.
Ouyang Rou lay on the bed, gritting her teeth in hatred.
Aunt Hong, who had come along, also said angrily, "There isn't a single good person in this family. They all kick me when I'm down. Even the second young lady is like that. She didn't even tell me about this. I could have been prepared."
Ouyang Rou gritted her teeth and said, "Hong Yicheng is definitely one of my men. Why should I care about those things? Besides, how can I say that out loud!"
"What do we do now? The Ning family is definitely fed up with you. All our previous efforts have been in vain!"
Ouyang Rou's face was gloomy: "If I'm not having a good time, then nobody is!"
Aunt Hong's eyes darted around: "Has Second Miss forgotten the palace banquet that's coming up soon?"
Ouyang Rou was taken aback: "What does Aunt mean..."
Aunt Hong sneered, "Second Miss, Ning Shi always puts on airs and cares most about her reputation. If the eldest and third young ladies embarrass themselves at the banquet and their reputations are ruined, you won't be the most favored young lady in the manor. At that time, she will only dote on you even more!"
"You mean..." Ouyang Rou smiled venomously, "I understand. Ning Xishan and I are the closest, and she has always looked down on Ouyang Hua and hated Ouyang Yue. With a little provocation, I can make them both lose face in the palace! Hmph, they're not worthy to fight me!"
In Huacai Courtyard, Ouyang Hua also smiled coldly. How could she let go of such a shameful matter as Ouyang Rou's! However, she would not spread it herself and incur Ning Shi's displeasure. She had already thought of the best scapegoat.
Ouyang Hua looked towards Mingyue Pavilion, his smile carrying a deeper meaning...
☆、020、All walks of life are treacherous!
The morning dew sprinkled among the flowers and plants outside Mingyue Pavilion. A playful drop slowly swam on the grassy path, fell to the ground with a "plop," and finally disappeared into the soil without a trace.
Inside the room, Ouyang Yue sat cross-legged, her palms pressed together, her eyes closed, her thick, curled eyelashes casting shadows. Her breathing was steady, and she appeared very peaceful and serene.
At this moment, a person entered Mingyue Pavilion. She walked quickly and without hindrance, but when she stepped into Ouyang Yue's outer room, she was stopped by someone outside the door. That person said coldly, "Miss has ordered that no one be disturbed."
Chuncao paused as she was about to step forward, looking at the aloof girl. She felt a little displeased, but still stepped back and stood guard on the other side.
Inside the room, Ouyang Yue's eyelashes fluttered slightly, then she opened her eyes, her pupils clear and pure, rippling like water. Ouyang Su happily jumped out: "Mom, this thing is great, it's very comfortable inside!"
Ouyang Yue raised her left arm, but her eyes darkened. Ever since she got the bracelet back that day, she had tried every means to remove it, but she couldn't. The only thing she was happy about was that Ouyang Su was indeed able to use the bracelet as a vessel.
The so-called host body is the place where Ouyang Su can temporarily reside and travel with Ouyang Yue. For example, when Ouyang Yue was looking for a host body for his son, Ouyang Su had to follow the selection in order to have a good host body. Under normal circumstances, he cannot appear for a long time during the day, as that would be very harmful to his soul and would be bad for Ouyang Su's body after reincarnation. Therefore, this host body is of utmost importance.
Ouyang Yue has been studying the bracelet for the past few days, but from its appearance, it is just an ordinary gold bracelet. Even Ouyang Su cannot explain the feeling of his own body. He only knows that it is a very good thing that can help him nourish his soul. Since Ouyang Yue cannot figure it out, he can only put it aside for the time being.
As he stood up, Ouyang Su vanished in a flash, leaving only a slight movement on the bracelet on Ouyang Yue's wrist.
"Come in."
Upon hearing the sound, the two people outside entered one after the other. Chuncao walked in first and immediately handed two pieces of paper to Ouyang Yue: "Miss, I asked my elder brother to go to Feicai Courtyard to redeem Qiuyue and Dongxue's indenture."
Ouyang Yue took it and looked at it, then laughed and said, "So Ming Dawu agreed so readily?"
Chuncao chimed in with a mocking laugh: "Ming Dawu still has to rely on the General's Mansion. This time he caused a huge disaster and is afraid of being implicated, so the price of this indenture is quite fair. He even gave my elder brother two taels of silver, hoping that I would put in a good word for him with the young lady and the masters."
The cold-faced woman who had been following her side finally showed a change in expression, and a hint of joy flashed in her eyes.
Ouyang Yue smiled. The two people from that day, the one who cried and complained was named Qiuyue, and the one with a cold expression was named Dongxue. Ouyang Yue had no intention of taking them in, but they followed her carriage all the way through half of the capital without making a fuss or asking for anything, just silently following along. They followed her to the main hall and saw what happened, and they haven't said a word in the past few days. Ouyang Yue felt that these two were worth making good use of, but of course she still needed to observe them for a while.
"By the way, Miss, when my brother came back, he saw the Ning family's carriage enter the mansion."
Ouyang Yue raised an eyebrow: "Do you know who's here?"
Chuncao's expression was somewhat unpleasant: "It's Miss Shan and Young Master Hai. I inquired and found out that Miss Shan went to Madam's place for a while before going to see the Second Miss."
Ouyang Yue's eyes darkened. The original owner of this body was simple-minded and seemingly impulsive, but she had a soft heart and was always willing to grant requests from her relatives, such as Ouyang Rou and this niece of the Ning family, Ning Xishan. Whenever Ouyang Rou and Ning Xishan had any trouble, they would often push the original owner out. The original owner did not realize that she was being used, but instead felt happy to be valued.
Over the years, Ouyang Yue's reputation has been getting worse and worse, which is also related to Ning Xishan. It's rare that she and Ning Xishan are actually cousins, but she is closer to Ouyang Rou and often plots against the original owner of this body in secret.
It seems Ouyang Rou is up to some trick again!
In the garden, two figures rushed in. The one in the lead looked around and angrily shouted at the servant behind him, "Where are they! Didn't you say this place?"
The servant hurriedly looked around: "Young master, the note said this is the place, there's no mistake!"
"Miss, the peonies in the garden are in full bloom. May I pick a couple to take back to my room?"
The girl's voice was soft and melodious, and the two men were immediately delighted: "Go then."
The leading man winked at the servant, who quickly dodged and circled around to the front corner. A woman in a gauze dress with a slender figure was hiding in the shade, avoiding the sun. The man couldn't help but smile deeply: "Big cousin, what a coincidence."
The woman was taken aback and quickly turned around. When she saw the man running towards her, her expression changed, but she tried to remain calm and first bowed: "So it's Cousin Hai. I heard you came to the mansion. Why didn't you spend more time chatting with Mother?"
The man was Ning Xihai, Ning's nephew. As a member of a large family, he had been pampered since childhood. As the only son of Ning's elder brother, he was naturally spoiled. This gradually fostered Ning Xihai's lazy and lecherous nature. Two years ago, he met Ouyang Hua at the General's Mansion and became deeply infatuated with her.
Unfortunately, Ning refused to speak up for him, so Ning Xihai could only watch and enjoy the spectacle. He had just entered the mansion today when a servant bumped into him and handed him a note that said he would meet a beauty in the back garden. He never expected it to be Ouyang Hua. He was immediately filled with longing.
Seeing Ning Xihai's infatuated expression, Ouyang Hua's vanity surged, but she smiled cleverly and said, "Cousin, do you also know that Second Sister is in trouble, so you came to visit her?"
Ning Xihai was stunned when he heard this: "Second cousin? What happened to her?"
Ouyang Hua was stunned: "Cousin doesn't know? It's Hua'er's fault for being so talkative. Mother forbade us to say anything about this..."
"Hey, don't just tell me halfway. What exactly happened to my second cousin?" Ning Xihai was even more curious about Ouyang Hua's half-said answer.
In the Buddhist hall, Ning Xishan rushed in angrily with her maid. The two servants wanted to stop her, but seeing Ning Xishan's appearance and remembering how much the madam doted on this niece, they ultimately did not dare to stop her.
"Bang!"
"Rou'er, what happened! I went to your courtyard and heard that you were locked in the Buddhist hall. Why? Why did your aunt punish you? I'm going to talk to your aunt!" The girl was wearing a pink silk dress with peach blossoms embroidered on the hem, and her hair was adorned with jingling pearls and jade. Her face was flushed red with anger!
Ouyang Rou, who was kneeling and striking the wooden fish, was startled. She turned around and saw Ning Xishan crying. Ning Xishan was shocked: "Rou'er, don't cry. Who bullied you? Tell me quickly!"
Ouyang Rou kept shaking her head: "No, that's not true. I just want to focus on Buddhist practice!"
"Nonsense! Who did you say bullied you? Oh right, Ouyang Yue, wasn't it her? I heard she was jilted by Hong Yicheng. Doesn't she even know herself? Is she even worthy of Young Master Hong? Is that why she's angry with you?"
Ouyang Rou shook her head vigorously, but then suddenly shrank back, her eyes filled with fear, which told Ning Xishan that her guess was correct!
"Damn it! That bitch Ouyang Yue, I will never let her get away with this!"
Ning Xishan gritted her teeth, her eyes wide with anger, oblivious to Ouyang Rou's cold gaze: "Rou'er, don't be so kind. Ouyang Yue has bullied you since you were little. You and Young Master Hong were in love, but she insisted on interfering. You've already backed down, and she still won't let you go. Do you want to be killed by her?! Rou'er, listen to me. This time, you have to protect yourself. With me here, I will make sure Ouyang Yue is utterly disgraced and suffers a terrible death!"
Ouyang Rou's lips curled up slightly. Yes, Ouyang Yue had to die, and she had to suffer even more than Ouyang Yue. She was determined to trample Ouyang Yue underfoot!
Of course, Ouyang Hua will also be included this time!
☆、021、The troublemaker!
On this day, all the courtyards of the General's Mansion were exceptionally lively.
Inside the Bright Moon Pavilion, Ouyang Yue stood in front of her dressing table, wearing a white silk dress adorned with several fresh flowers on the hem, covered by a green gauze. As she moved, it seemed as if the flowers and green leaves complemented each other, with flowers among leaves and leaves among flowers, as if they were alive.
Ouyang Yue turned around, raised an eyebrow, and said to the blue-clad maid beside her, "Qiuyue, your embroidery skills are probably better than even the embroiderers in the embroidery workshop!"
Qiu Yue blushed upon hearing this and lowered her head slightly: "Miss is making fun of me. This is the only skill I have that I can be proud of. I hope Miss doesn't mind."
This Qiuyue was the woman who knelt in the street begging for mercy. She was originally a law-abiding citizen with both parents alive, as well as two older brothers and a younger sister. However, her father became addicted to gambling, which led to the family's decline. Creditors came looking for her and sold her to that sordid place called a brothel.
At that time, Qiuyue was still young and not yet of age to serve customers. She worked as a handyman in the backyard. Dongxue was the one she rescued. That day, Dongxue escaped to the backyard injured and she kindly took her in. However, the madam discovered this and, taking advantage of her powerful connections, tricked Dongxue into signing a contract of servitude while she was recovering. Once she recovered, she would make the two of them serve customers. How could two innocent young girls comply? That's how the following events unfolded.
Ouyang Yue felt sorry for the two maids' plight, but she was also glad that she had found a treasure. Although Qiu Yue came from an ordinary background, she was born with a pair of skillful hands and her embroidery skills were superb. The clothes she was wearing were made by Qiu Yue in half a month. The stitches were fine and the embroidery was superb. She could not embroider them even if she spent her whole life.
As for Dongxue, he was even more remarkable. Dongxue was as cold and taciturn as his name suggested, but he knew some martial arts.
"Miss, it's almost time. Madam is urging someone to go." Ouyang Yue was still guessing what Dongxue's identity might be when Chuncao, dressed in green, rushed in, interrupting her thoughts. Her eyes scanned Ouyang Yue up and down. Ouyang Yue knew that today was the Imperial Summer Banquet, and all the well-known nobles of the capital would be there. So many eyes were watching, and she couldn't afford to make a mistake. After scanning her up, Chuncao exclaimed, "Miss, you are so beautiful."
Ouyang Yue nodded and walked out of the room. Dong Xue was standing outside waiting. Ouyang Yue smiled at her and asked, "How's the matter I asked you to investigate?"
Dongxue remained expressionless, her eyes flickering slightly: "There are several blacksmith shops in the capital; I'll need to inquire further."
Ouyang Yue had already walked away. Watching Ouyang Yue's figure, Dong Xue frowned slightly, a thoughtful look in her eyes.
When Ouyang Yue arrived at the hall, everyone was already there. Aunt Hua said sarcastically, "No wonder the Third Miss is so slow. Look at how beautifully she's dressed. It's worth it for Madam to wait a little longer. The Third Miss will definitely be the center of attention at the banquet today."
Ouyang Yue smiled faintly. She suspected that this Aunt Hua was really a brainless troublemaker. She glanced at Aunt Hua and snorted, "Why did Aunt Hua come here too? Mother has Lin Mama by her side. I don't think you need to come and serve her."
Aunt Hua's expression immediately changed. The rules for attending the imperial banquet were very strict. Not to mention a concubine like herself, who was practically a servant, even a concubine's daughter, who was practically a mistress, was not allowed to attend if things were really going to be so particular. If Aunt Hua went, wouldn't she just be serving a servant? Because Aunt Hua came from a brothel, Madam Ning never took her with her when she went out. Today, Ouyang Yue and her group went to the imperial banquet, so she was naturally unhappy and wanted to make things difficult for someone. Who knew that she would be humiliated by Ouyang Yue!
Ouyang Yue ignored her and walked forward with a smile, taking Ning Shi's hand: "Mother, you look even more elegant and dignified today. Alas, I can't think of anything to wear. I've looked through the whole trunk of clothes, but none of them can match Mother's elegance." She pouted as she spoke.
Ning smiled faintly: "You, you're not just making excuses because you slept in late, are you? But if you're going to learn how to dress, you should learn from your older sisters."
Ouyang Yue looked at Ouyang Hua and Ouyang Rou with a half-smile. One of them was dressed in light purple, which made her look mysterious and noble, while the other was dressed in plain white, which made her look elegant and refined. They were indeed very good at dressing up. However, she could hear the indifference in Ning Shi's tone. It was clear that Ning Shi was still very bothered by what happened half a month ago.
Ouyang Hua and Ouyang Rou's expressions changed slightly, but they smiled and nodded vigorously.