Le paysage est comme une peinture

Chapitre 21

How could You Tong, with her half-baked martial arts skills, possibly handle her? With a light flick of her wrist, she pushed her aside, gracefully stood up, dusted off her clothes, and said leisurely, "Third Prince, forget I didn't warn you, this outfit of mine isn't cheap either. It's made of Hangzhou silk, Suzhou embroidery, and adorned with pearls from the East China Sea. Charging you a hundred taels wouldn't be unreasonable."

The Third Prince, still not having learned his lesson, lunged at her again in anger. You Tong deftly turned around, subtly hooking his foot, and the Third Prince stumbled and fell to the ground.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, You Tong stepped forward and gently patted the back of her neck. The Third Prince's vision went black, and he collapsed limply.

You Tong slapped her twice across the face, one hand and one foot, to vent her anger. Then she casually tossed her onto the bed and called it a day.

When Huo Weiyuan sent someone to pick up the Third Prince that evening, his face was still red and swollen, and he was still dazed and confused. No matter how they called him, they couldn't wake him up.

Cui Weiyuan knew perfectly well that You Tong was behind it, but he just glanced at her helplessly and said nothing.

42. Return to the capital

That very night, Cui Weiyuan led the three princes back to the capital, while Youtong had Huiqiao pack her things to prepare for their return.

I originally thought he wouldn't be able to come back the next day, but just as I was about to leave, I heard a servant rush over to report that the Fifth Young Master had returned.

You Tong was slightly surprised and quickly put down what she was holding to greet him. But when she reached the door, she stopped abruptly, pondered for a moment, and then said to Hong Yun, "Fifth Young Master has traveled a long way and must be tired. Please lead him to the guest room to rest. We'll continue our journey after lunch."

Hongyun bowed her head in agreement, but after a while she turned back and replied, "Fifth Young Master said he wasn't tired and told us to leave early, saying that if we left late, we would have to rush on the road. The road is not easy to walk on, and he was afraid that we would get sore from the bumpy ride."

You Tong nodded silently, said nothing more, and turned to pack her things.

Huiying's sword wound had slightly healed, so she needed to rest for the time being. Youtong gave her Baiji's dog-drawn carriage, and had Huiqiao and Hongye serve her. Baiji herself rode in a small carriage, with Hongyun following behind.

Huo Weiyuan was still riding his horse, his back straight, his features still handsome, but his face showed some signs of weariness.

Hearing the sounds of You Tong and the others coming out, Huo Weiyuan trembled slightly, and after a long while, he slowly turned his head and nodded slightly to You Tong.

The crowd bowed to him and then boarded the carriage one by one.

It was still early, so the carriage didn't move very fast, swaying and rocking so much that it made one want to turn their head and look at it with wide eyes.

You Tong leaned against the car wall and dozed off for a while before waking up groggily.

All around was quiet, with only the creaking of wheels and the occasional sound of horses' hooves. Hongyun was fast asleep with her eyes closed, her little head bobbing up and down, occasionally turning her body to find a more comfortable position.

You Tong lifted the curtain to look outside the carriage. The sun was blazing, shining so brightly that it was hard to open one's eyes.

Fortunately, tall poplar trees were planted on both sides of the road, which blocked part of the sunlight, making it more comfortable for the people traveling under the blazing sun.

Huo Weiyuan sat upright on his horse, his face stern, his hair neatly combed, and his clothes perfectly ironed. Even under the scorching sun, he still maintained the impeccable demeanor of a noble young master, without a trace of sweat on his forehead.

Perhaps sensing You Tong's gaze, Huo Weiyuan suddenly turned his head in this direction, their eyes met, and then they calmly looked away as if nothing had happened.

They stopped at a small restaurant for a quick lunch and then set off again.

As they boarded the carriage, Hongyun leaned close to Youtong's ear and whispered, "Miss, the Fifth Young Master looks a little tired. Should we ask him to get in the carriage and rest?"

Upon hearing this, You Tong turned around and saw Huo Weiyuan yawning several times with his head down. He even turned his face away as if afraid of being seen. After he finished yawning, he turned back around and quickly put on a stern face.

You Tong couldn't help but laugh, shook her head, and instructed Hong Yun, "Go and talk to the Fifth Young Master."

Hongyun agreed and quickly stepped forward to whisper something to Huo Weiyuan.

Upon hearing this, Huo Weiyuan looked up at You Tong with a hint of joy in his eyes, nodded to Hong Yun, and then followed behind her.

The carriage was quite small, and with Huo Weiyuan added, it felt cramped. You Tong moved over a bit, but even with his long arms and legs, he still couldn't stretch out properly.

Seeing this, Hongyun suggested, "How about we switch cars with Huiying and the others?"

Huo Weiyuan said there was no need, and You Tong was too lazy to bother, so she said in a low voice, "Forget it, Huiying is still injured, it's too much trouble to move her around."

It's only a journey of one or two hours, the dog family can squeeze in.

Hongyun thought for a moment and then said, "How about I go to the carriage over there? The carriage is bigger there, so even if there are more people, it won't be crowded. It will save Fifth Young Master from getting in the way of resting here."

This time, Huo Weiyuan remained silent. Seeing this, Hongyun quickly told the coachman and hurriedly turned to another carriage.

With only the two of them left in the small space, You Tong suddenly felt awkward and couldn't help but regret that she should have gotten off the bus with Hong Yun earlier. If she brought it up again now, it would be too obvious.

Huo Weiyuan, on the other hand, seemed quite at ease. After nodding to You Tong, he closed his eyes.

You Tong was not a shy person. Seeing how composed he was, she relaxed and leaned against the corner of the carriage to doze off.

Perhaps because he was curled up and not sleeping comfortably, he didn't know how long he had dozed off. He just felt sore all over. He rubbed his sore arms and legs and opened his eyes, only to meet Cui Weiyuan's gaze.

He had woken up at some point, his eyes slightly narrowed, but with a clear light in them.

"May 11"

You Tong hesitated for a moment before speaking, then, instead of calling him by name, yawned and asked, "When did you wake up?"

Cui Weiyuan lowered his head and replied, "Just woke up."

Having said that, he fell silent.

You Tong couldn't find anything to say for a moment, so she could only lift the carriage curtain and admire the scenery outside the window.

There was a moment of silence in the carriage, before Huo Weiyuan suddenly spoke, saying, "You had many opportunities to leave back then, why did you come with me to the Cui residence?"

You Tong was taken aback, and before he could think of anything to say in response, he muttered to himself, "Is it because of the third young master of the Shen family?"

You Tong silently agreed.

Huo Weiyuan chuckled again, his tone laced with sarcasm, "What were you originally planning to do with him?"

You Tong remained silent for a while before finally deciding to tell the truth. "You said that Miss Jiu was engaged to Young Master Shen, so I thought of using her identity to marry into the Shen family and set a fire during the chaos of the wedding so that he could also taste what it's like to have his estate burned down."

After the Ninth Miss died in the Shen residence, the Cui family would not let it go, and the Shen family accused the Ninth Miss of setting fire to the house. The two families would inevitably have several more big fights.

At that time, she was single-mindedly thinking about revenge. Besides Shen San, Cui Weiyuan, who kidnapped people on the way, was just as hateful.

She just didn't expect things to change so much later on, and what she didn't expect was that she would meet Xu Wei again and develop feelings for him.

Once a person develops feelings, they will have concerns about their actions and will begin to soften their heart. Now, even towards Cui Weiyuan, whom she once hated with a passion, she can calmly let him go.

Huo Weiyuan could only smile bitterly upon hearing this. Even Lü He couldn't quite describe the feeling in his heart. He shook his head and said with a helpless smile, "In that case, I should thank you for letting us go."

If things really develop as she predicted, a major conflict is bound to break out between the Cui and Shen families.

The situation in the capital is already unstable, surrounded by powerful enemies. If the Shen family becomes another enemy, the Cui family will inevitably be put in a disadvantageous position.

"You and Brother Xu—"

Huo Weiyuan regretted his words as soon as they left his mouth. Wasn't he just asking himself a question?

We've met before.

You Tong answered decisively, "Six years ago, when we were first engaged, Madam Xu took Brother Xu to visit the Yu family in Qiantang."

Although many years have passed since we parted ways, and although I was quite dissatisfied with this marriage back then, only now do I realize how absurd it was.

Cui may have been an unfit mother, but her concern for her daughter was undeniable.

The fact that she chose Xu Wei as her life partner suggests that she had unwavering faith in his character.

Unfortunately, You Tong was still young at that time and only saw the hurt and pain of marriage in her parents, so she refused to accept the relationship. So, taking advantage of the opportunity when Yu Wan and her mother were plotting against her, she turned the tables and faked her death to escape the marriage.

If it weren't for her elopement, Xu Wei wouldn't have been burdened by her, traveling thousands of miles to attend her funeral, and their journey together wouldn't have been so arduous and full of twists and turns.

Although she has now tasted the sweetness after bitterness, she still feels guilty and uneasy as long as things don't go smoothly. It's as if things are still subject to change.

Upon hearing You Tong's words, Huo Weiyuan finally gave up completely, silently closed his eyes, and said no more.

You Tong originally planned to ask her how the Third Prince was doing, since she had slapped her twice yesterday, and if the Dowager Consort Mi were to hold it against her, she would inevitably blame her.

Seeing his expression, You Tong didn't dare to speak again.

The two fell silent once again, all the way to the capital.

The carriage drove all the way into the gate of the Cui residence before stopping. Huo Weiyuan was surprisingly fast asleep. You Tong called him several times but couldn't wake him up, so she had to go up and pat him on the shoulder.

He jerked violently as if startled, opened his eyes in alarm, and saw You Tong. His eyes were filled with confusion, and it took him a while to react. He rubbed his temples and whispered, "Are we home?"

You Tong hummed in agreement, then carefully lowered herself from the carriage, lifting her skirt.

As soon as I got off the bus, I heard hurried footsteps approaching from afar. When I looked up, I saw Wen Yan's hurried figure as expected.

"Ninth Sister,"

When Wen Yan saw her, her face lit up with joy. She quickly skipped over, grabbed her hand, and looked her up and down for a while before pouting and saying, "Really, everyone else gets tanned from the summer sun, but Ninth Sister has gotten even fairer!"

You Tong didn't know how to reply, so she just smiled and said, "Didn't you say you went to the villa to escape the summer heat? Why are you back already?"

Wen Yan immediately looked distressed and shook her head repeatedly, saying, "Don't even mention it. That manor is so deserted and quiet, there's no one to talk to. It's so boring."

I stayed in the village for two days and then moved back immediately.

But there were no other sisters in the mansion, and my mother was afraid that I would get tanned outside, so she insisted on stopping me from going out.

If this continues, I'll get sick from feeling so stifled.

Thankfully, Ninth Sister is back; I'm saved.

After saying that, he put on a relieved expression.

In the Cui household, You Tong's favorite girl was Wen Yan. She truly cherished her as a sister. After not seeing her for a while, she missed her terribly. The two girls chatted intimately, completely forgetting about Cui Weiyuan.

It wasn't until Huo Weiyuan grumbled twice that Wen Yan remembered him. She scratched her head sheepishly, blushing, and said, "Fifth Brother, you're here too?"

Huo Weiyuan naturally wouldn't be angry with her. He smiled, patted her head, and then bid farewell to everyone before going to pay his respects to the Second Madam.

Wen Yan then pulled You Tong toward Jiangxue Studio, chattering on and on about everything that had happened since they last met. Then, she added mysteriously, "Ninth Sister, do you know that annoying person is coming to the capital too?"

"who?'

You Tong didn't react for a moment.

Wen Yan stretched out her hand and made the number "eight" towards her. You Tong was taken aback and asked in surprise, "Wen Qing is coming to the capital?"

Chapter 43, Xiao Ding

When the Third Young Master Weiqing was scalded, Wenqing was punished by Old Madam Cui and sent to a temple. It was thought that she wouldn't see Wenqing again for a while, but unexpectedly, not only was she released, but she also came to the capital. It seems that Aunt Jiang is indeed formidable. I wonder if she's among the people accompanying the Third Young Master to the capital this time.

Everyone in the Cui household knew that Wen Yan and Wen Qing were at odds. Of course, You Tong also had no good feelings towards that ruthless eighth young lady. So when she heard Wen Yan mention that she was coming to the capital, she immediately showed disgust and shook her head, saying, "Truly, what you fear most is what happens. Not many people can stand her personality."

Suddenly, she recalled Wenqing's covetousness of Xu Wei, and a sudden feeling of unease arose in her heart, as if something she had been coveted was being threatened. Given Wenqing's resentful nature, once she found out that she was engaged to Xu Wei, she would probably tear her apart. Although Youtong was not afraid of her, she still felt uneasy, as if something was stuck in her throat, like a thorn pricking her throat.

That evening, Wen Yan talked with You Tong for a long time, not going upstairs until midnight. After she left, You Tong finally calmed down and began to carefully consider Wen Qing's return to the capital.

Although Wenqing isn't the brightest, she's narrow-minded, ruthless, and extremely impulsive. Once she finds out about Wenqing's engagement to Xu Wei, she'll undoubtedly cause a scene. Last time she was capable of throwing boiling water, this time she might even resort to knives. Although Youtong is skilled in martial arts, it's not convenient for her to use it within the Cui household. Moreover, she's about to be engaged, so it wouldn't be good to cause any more trouble and stir up more gossip in the capital.

In the end, they still couldn't come up with a solution, so they decided to wait and see. After all, she was now considered the Xu family's betrothed daughter-in-law, and the Cui family couldn't just stand by and watch her get into trouble. Even if the second madam didn't like her, she was still polite on the surface, so she must have expected this and wouldn't let Wenqing cause any trouble.

After figuring this out, You Tong felt relieved and slept soundly until dawn.

Having been away from the capital for so long, returning suddenly felt somewhat strange. Not only was it hotter than in the manor, but the courtyard was never quiet. Maids and servants were constantly coming and going, and although they all walked very quietly, You Tong's ears were sharp, and she couldn't help but hear everything.