"Take care, Third Brother."
I just put the gauze curtain down.
"Ping'er, go outside and see what's going on. It sounds a bit noisy."
“Miss, our courtyard is close to the back gate. There are always some disputes and such on the street outside, so it’s particularly noisy.”
I have a feeling it's something in the manor. "Ping'er, go take a look."
"Okay, I'll be right back."
He watched as Ping'er hurriedly rushed into the house.
"What happened?"
Ping'er looked delighted. "Miss, you'd never guess who's causing trouble at the back door!"
"Who is it? Why are you keeping your young lady in suspense?"
"It's Master Meng, the same master who taught the Second Miss the zither. He's at the back gate right now, making a fuss about wanting to see the Second Miss."
"Him!" He immediately perked up. "Let's go see him..."
"Please, please let me see the Second Miss...please..."
"Who do you think you are? You dare to see our young lady? Beat you up!"
I heard the sounds of fists and kicks being thrown and cries of pain.
"Butler Hu." Isn't that the man who had sex under the tree that day?
"Oh, it's Miss Fourth. Your voice is too loud, isn't it?" He gestured for the servants to drag her away.
"etc."
Butler Hu laughed and said, "He's just a lowly commoner who doesn't know the rules. Miss, you don't need to worry about him."
"Ping'er, why do I hear him calling me 'Second Sister' over there? Am I hallucinating?"
"Miss, I heard it too. It was very loud!"
"Yes, I should ask her properly, lest I tarnish my second sister's reputation. Butler Hu, as you know, she's getting married soon."
The teacher who had been held down was extremely agitated and struggled free, "Fourth Miss..."
Butler Hu couldn't keep his composure and made a gesture.
"Wait..." I suddenly stopped the servant who was about to leave, turned around and looked at Butler Hu, "Butler Hu, what are you doing? Are you going to inform someone?"
"No, no..." The smile was forced.
Ping'er chimed in, "I saw Steward Hu behind the pear orchard last night, but it was too dark for me to say hello."
Butler Hu's expression changed.
Master Meng was only in his thirties, his clothes stained with mud and blood. "Thank you, Fourth Miss, thank you..."
"No need to thank me, just tell me. What brings you to the Liu residence?"
Master Meng said heavily, "Miss Liu and I are truly in love, but Madam Mei forbids it and cruelly separates us. She imprisoned Miss Liu and forced me to leave. She forbids me from appearing in the Liu residence."
"Really? Then you've come here..."
"I want to see the Second Miss, and also..." He suddenly knelt down and kowtowed, "I hope the Fourth Miss will allow me to see the Old Madam."
Startled, I took a step back. "You, what are you doing...?"
"I will persuade the old lady to marry the second young lady to me." A determined light shone in his eyes.
"Impossible!" Ping'er exclaimed in surprise, "You, you're a widower, how could you... marry the Second Miss?"
Master Meng explained, “My deceased wife was betrothed to me by my family when I was young, but she died of smallpox when she was thirteen, so we never got to marry. My feelings for the second young lady are genuine, and…”
"And what? Master, please speak frankly." He's really quite bold.
"Moreover... I have already had physical intimacy with the Second Miss."
"Oh my god..." Ping'er exclaimed and covered her mouth.
I glanced at her. "And my second sister, does she love you?"
"Love. We love each other very much," she said firmly.
"Then why did she marry the Second Young Master Lin?"
“It was the old lady and Madam Mei who forced her to marry. I know.” Meng Yun said with a hint of bitterness, then suddenly raised her head. “I will not let her marry anyone else.”
More than an hour later.
"Miss, are you really going to help Master Meng?"
"He's so devoted, he'd rather tear down a temple than break up a marriage, haven't you heard? Since you're in love, what's a little help from me?"
Ping'er glanced at her young mistress, and she refused to believe that her mistress didn't understand. "The teacher has been deceived by the second young lady all along, what a waste of his deep affection."
"You feel sorry for him?" He looked up at her with a smile.
Ping'er nodded, "I feel it's not worth it for Master Meng..." She left with a limp, her thin figure showing.
What a kind child. "Don't worry, when Ping'er reaches marriageable age, I will find you someone just as affectionate."
"Miss..." she called out in complaint.
Ping'er kept calling my name incessantly in my ear early in the morning.
"Hurry up, so as not to keep the Third Young Master waiting."
As I left, Ping'er tidied up my things one last time and handed me the small box. "Miss, please be careful on the road."
"Yes." He touched her face. "Stay home and wait for me to come back."
Upon arriving at the front hall, I saw my third brother, dressed in a light blue robe.
"Third Brother!"
"Fourth Sister is here. It's getting late, let's go."
They boarded a sedan chair from the palace and headed towards the imperial palace.
He opened the small box, took out a paper-wrapped package, slowly unwrapped it, and handed it over, saying, "Third Brother, you didn't eat breakfast this morning, did you?"
A hint of surprise flashed in Liu Chengxian's eyes, "This is..."
"It's peach shortbread, crumbly and crumbly. It tastes pretty good, and it's nice to have some in the morning to tide you over."
He glanced at the small box and immediately smiled, "Looks like Fourth Sister brought quite a lot of things!"
“Yeah,” he smiled at him, “they really have everything.”
"Young Master Liu, we've arrived."
Slowly got out of the car, "Come on, take it easy..."
He looked up with a smile, placed his hand on the outstretched hand, and jumped down suddenly.
I lunged forward and lost my balance.
"Look at you, still so careless..." Liu Chengxian scolded with concern.
I touched my nose and gave an awkward smile.
"Follow me, don't get lost."
"Brother Liu has arrived." A man in a red robe walked over. "And this gentleman is..."
“This is my fourth younger sister, Feiyue,” he said, pointing to the man again. “This is Lu Yiheng, the only son of the Imperial Censor Lu.”
The man in the red robe had a dashing air about him, with a touch of feminine charm. "Just call me Brother Lu."
"If Third Brother hadn't said so, I would have thought it was Sister Lu!"
Liu Chengxian laughed on the spot, and Lu Yiheng's expression changed. "A sharp-tongued girl."
Then he pulled Liu Chengxian aside and said, "Is this girl betrothed yet? Why don't we go and propose marriage?"
"Lu Yiheng," he called out in a flat voice.
"Okay, okay..." Watching her departing figure, what an interesting girl, what a pity...
"Girl, sit next to me."
As soon as I entered, the man named Lu Yiheng called out to me.
I walked straight to the back and found a spot where I wouldn't be noticed.
While I was engrossed in reading...
"Sister Liu..."
Suddenly I looked up and saw Dugu Ziyi, dressed in a crimson robe, rushing towards me.