Xu Lang paused slightly, turning his head to the side as if he wanted to turn around and say something, but he didn't actually turn around. He quickly adjusted his pace and strode through the moon gate.
"Pretentious!" Wu Wan'er pouted, took out a palm-sized hand-held mirror from her purse, tidied her hair and clothes in front of the mirror, and then slowly stepped onto the gravel path.
Qi Lan emerged from behind the willow tree beside her.
Because it concerned Wushuang's safety, the Jun family naturally brought her back with them when they returned from Jiangnan. The capital was different from Jiangnan; there were many people and much scrutiny, and Jun Shu couldn't conveniently provide Qi Lan with another residence, so he had her stay at the Marquis's mansion. Qi Lan was a shrewd woman; she knew that if He Yao, who had captured her brother, believed her and successfully gained the Jun family's trust, she had to genuinely work as a servant in the Marquis of Runan's mansion. However, given the current situation, they wouldn't feel comfortable having her serve Wushuang. She was perceptive and wouldn't make such a request, proactively stating that she didn't understand the rules of wealthy families, but she was used to doing laundry and cooking at home since childhood and was always adept at it; it would be no problem for her. Jun Shu was still somewhat wary of her and naturally wouldn't arrange for her to stay in the kitchen, so Qi Lan went to the laundry room.
Today, following the instructions of the laundry manager, she delivered the washed and dried clothes to their respective locations. The weather was hot, so she couldn't resist taking a shortcut, and happened to overhear Xu Lang and Wu Wan'er's conversation.
Someone is plotting against Second Master and Eldest Miss; this must be told to the Marquis immediately. [Fast updates, clean website layout, few ads]
Qi Lan was determined to get Jun Shu to rescue her brother, so she dared not have any other thoughts and was exceptionally loyal. She hugged the neatly folded clothes in her arms, lowered her head and walked quickly to Wanxiang Residence.
The gatekeeper, seeing that she was an unfamiliar face, stopped her and asked, "Which courtyard are you from? What are you doing here?"
Qi Lan answered honestly, "I'm new to the laundry room, my name is Qi Lan. I'm here to deliver clothes on the orders of the supervisor."
"Delivering clothes?" The gatekeeper was completely bewildered. "You've come to the wrong place, haven't you? Which courtyard are you delivering clothes to?"
Qi Lan said earnestly, "This is for the Third Miss. The Marquis's mansion is a big place. I got lost just now, and after asking around, a sister told me that the Third Miss is here today."
The gatekeeper chuckled, "Third Miss is here to entertain guests today. Her clothes need to be taken to the main courtyard and given to her wet nurse, Granny Li." She thought Qi Lan was exceptionally dull-witted, and her face showed a hint of disdain. "Didn't your manager teach you?"
Qi Lan quickly said, "I was mistaken, thank you for pointing it out, Mother."
Jun Shu was in the front courtyard, which was full of male guests, and there were guards at the hanging flower gate. If ordinary maids or servants tried to pass through without the Marquis's permission, they would definitely cause trouble. That's why Qi Lan decided to come to Wanxiang Residence to find Wushuang and ask her to help deliver a message.
Unfortunately, she was unaware of the rules of the mansion. She never imagined that the Wanxiang Residence, which was used to entertain young female guests, was guarded as strictly as the Chuihua Gate. No one who was not serving there could even think of entering.
Qi Lan paced around the courtyard several times, clutching the clothes, afraid that if she lingered too long, the young lady would be tricked by Wu Wan'er. She couldn't think of a reason to ask the gatekeeper to help her send a message to Wu Shuang to come out.
Just as he was getting extremely anxious, he saw Wushuang leading a tall young girl back from outside, chatting and laughing.
Qi Lan didn't care whether she would be seen or not, and hurriedly ran to meet her.
Wushuang was naturally holding He Caiqiong's hand. She and this person who might become her future second aunt were very compatible in temperament. After leaving the lakeside, she took He Caiqiong for a walk around the back garden, so she arrived later than Qi Lan.
He Caiqiong listened with great interest as Wushuang recounted her experiences in Jiangnan in a sweet and coquettish voice. Suddenly, she saw a maid rushing towards them in a clumsy manner. She quickly bent down, picked up Wushuang, and dodged to the side.
"Third Miss." Qi Lan stopped in front of them, not bumping into anyone as He Caiqiong had expected. "I've finally waited for you."
Wushuang was still moved by He Caiqiong's act of protecting her in the face of danger. She draped her little arm around her "future second aunt's" slender, fair neck and finished talking about the previous topic in her childish voice before turning to look at Qi Lan and asking indifferently, "Is there something wrong?"
"Third Miss, I just overheard some things about the Second Master's safety. I wonder if you could come aside so I can tell you privately and then pass on the message to the Marquis?" Qi Lan didn't recognize He Caiqiong, so she was careful not to mention that the matter was also related to Wuxia.
"Second Uncle?" Wushuang poked her cheek with her little hand and asked curiously, "This is Aunt Caiqiong, she is the candidate for Second Aunt. There is no need to hide anything about Second Uncle from her."
Qi Lan recalled what Wu Wan'er had said earlier: because the original candidate was not satisfied with the marriage, she asked Wu Wan'er to devise a plan to get close to Jun Nian. Now, in front of He Caiqiong, she was unsure of what to do and stammered for a long time without being able to explain herself.
He Caiqiong, observing Qi Lan's expression, realized that Qi Lan was avoiding her, so she put Wushuang down and gently stroked her bun, saying softly, "I'll wait under the tree over there. After you finish talking, we'll go back together."
Only after she actually reached the shade of the tree did Qi Lan repeat everything she had just heard to Wu Shuang. Knowing that Wu Shuang was young, she did not expect her to fully understand the meaning, but emphasized at the end: "Third Miss, someone is trying to ruin the marriage between Second Master and Eldest Miss. This matter is very urgent. You must find a way to tell the Marquis as soon as possible so that he can come up with a solution."
Wu Wan'er's instigation of Xu Lang to scheme against Wu Xia wasn't entirely unexpected for Wu Shuang, as the two of them had plotted against Wu Xia to her death in their previous life. In this life, Wu Shuang had already planned to find her sister a better marriage. As for those two scoundrels, since they had delivered themselves to her doorstep, she wouldn't hesitate to teach them a lesson.
"Aunt Caiqiong, this is terrible!" Wushuang dismissed Qi Lan, stretched out her little hands and rushed into He Caiqiong's arms, telling her about Wu Wan'er and Xu Lang's plan. "They're so mean! Not only did they lie to frame you, but they also tried to bully my sister." She clenched her little fists, pouted, and tried to make a face of deep hatred and gritted teeth, but her round, chubby face was too cute, and He Caiqiong only saw her as a spoiled child.
“I think your second uncle is alright. After all, he’s a man, so at most he’ll just be taking another woman home,” He Caiqiong said. “But Wuxia’s matter can’t be delayed. That Wu Wan’er is still a guest at the mansion. Who knows when she’ll cause trouble again?”
Wushuang thought the same thing and quickly pulled He Caiqiong into the courtyard of Wanxiang Residence. She saw that her sister was safe and sound and was having a great time playing pitch-pot with everyone.
Wu Wan'er returned earlier than the other two and was playing with Wu Xia, all smiles, showing no sign of having just experienced a failed conspiracy.
Wushuang wanted to inform her father immediately, but she was also worried about her older sister. She looked up at He Caiqiong and for a moment thought about entrusting her sister to her care for a while, but because they were not close, she still didn't trust her enough.
She lowered her head, scribbled a couple of times on the ground with her little feet, and suddenly an idea came to her.
The pitch-pot game was set up under the trellis, and a circle was drawn five steps to the east. That was where everyone stood when throwing arrows. The girls formed a semi-circle on both sides of that circle.
Taking advantage of her small stature, Wushuang weaved through the skirts of the girls and quickly came to the girl closest to the pottery pot.
Everyone recognized her, but because they were having so much fun, no one paid much attention.
The game uses an elimination system. Each girl has five arrows each time, and only those who can put all five arrows into the pot can participate in the next round; otherwise, they are eliminated.
When it was Wuxia's turn, she threw her first four arrows steadily into the pottery pot. Unfortunately, just as she released the fifth arrow, she saw her younger sister peeking out and making faces at her. Wuxia chuckled, her arm trembling, and the arrow went astray, hitting the rim of the pottery pot before bouncing to the ground.
It was just a game, so Wuxia didn't care much. She smiled and gave her place to Wu Wan'er, who was behind her in line. After saying a few words of encouragement, she ran over to pick up Wushuang.
But Wushuang suddenly became stubborn, and no matter how Wuxia tried to coax her, it was no use. With a mournful little face, she kept saying, "Sister can't lose!"
Wu Wan'er had already picked up her feathered arrow and started throwing it when a little girl rushed out from the crowd, pounced on the pottery pot that was about the same height as her, and cried and whimpered, making it impossible to hear what she was saying.
The arrow, once thrown, could not be retrieved and flew straight towards Wu. Just as it was about to pierce her back, a small figure dressed in a blue silk robe suddenly pounced out and knocked her and her pot to one side.
Chapter 63 | Table of Contents
Chapter Sixty-Three:
The two rolled once on the ground and then separated automatically. [80txt.COM]
Wushuang staggered to her feet, feeling dizzy and aching all over. Wuxia ran over, picked up her sister, and carefully checked her hands and feet; thankfully, there were no external injuries.
However, the person who tackled her earlier wasn't so lucky.
The arrow that was originally aimed at Wushuang tore through his clothes, and even broke the skin on his back, with beads of blood constantly seeping out.
"Brother Bo..." Wushuang struggled to get down from her sister's arms and leaned against Wang Hongbo, crying, "Are you in pain?"