Gui Yao took a deep breath, trying to calm herself, and softened her tone, but gritted her teeth, "What are you doing, Zi... Xue?"
"Well, I thought your manor looked awful, so I made some minor alterations for you."
"Slightly? They even burned down the manor lord's room. 'Slightly'? That's a huge renovation. I wonder if the Ghost Manor still exists?" the butler thought, wiping his sweat.
"Do you know how many valuable things I have in my room?" Gui Yao intended to scare her; he never cared about such things, he just wanted to teach her a lesson.
Upon hearing this, I immediately stepped out from behind Jue and enthusiastically explained for him, "I know, I know! Wow, you have so many things in your room! Look, I had someone bring out all the valuable stuff; it's right there!"
Following my finger, Gui Yao nearly choked with anger. What? She really brought it out! From small items like luminous pearls to large items like a bed! This girl is something else! Gui Yao glared at Zi Xue with even more fury.
Zixue was completely oblivious, thinking Guiyao was praising her with her eyes, and said with a grin, "It's nothing, I thought it would be a waste to burn it, so I asked them to help you move it out. No need to thank me, thank them instead." I scratched the back of my head and pointed to the people for Xiaoyao to see.
The servants' unspoken thoughts: Aunt Zixue, you've ruined us!
Chapter Thirteen
"Very good, very good," Gui Yao said with a smile, pulling her out from behind Jue.
"What are you all still kneeling for? Go put out the fire!" The steward, noticing his master's strange expression, immediately ordered the servants.
Uncle Mu
"This old servant is here!" The old man hurriedly knelt before Xiao Yao.
"Give the order that she is not allowed to touch anything in the manor. If you can't do that, you can forget about staying here," Gui Yao said harshly, then threw me aside and prepared to leave. Jue saw that I was about to fall and quickly stepped in to support me.
"Hey, Xiaoyao, you've gone too far! They were just trying to make the village nicer for you, and they didn't even ask for renovation fees, which is already very kind of them. And you're still putting me on a pedestal! Are you trying to pick a fight with me?!" I struggled to break free from Jue's embrace, but he only held me tighter. I looked at him reproachfully, "Xue'er, stop it, okay?"
When Gui Yao heard me address him, his smile continued, as radiant as the March sun, yet this radiance made me feel a suffocating pressure.
"Since that's the case, then, Uncle Mu," Gui Yao ordered the old man without turning around.
The old man, calling out "Master," walked up to Xiao Yao.
"Put all the jade and gold she had knocked off the chair back in their original places," Gui Yao said angrily and stormed off.
"yes"
"What?! Xiaoyao, do you know how hard it was for me to get this done?! Hey, hey..." I stomped my feet in anger.
Jue led me to the room. He glanced at me and asked, "Did you cause trouble?"
"No way, I just don't like the atmosphere in Jeremiah, it's like I'm dead." I pouted indignantly as I watched the servants carry my jade and gold out, my eyes almost popping out of their sockets. My heart was breaking! My gold, my jade!
"Sigh, you..." Jue sighed and walked away without paying any attention to me.
"Huh, what is it?" I scratched the back of my head, unable to understand why Jue was like that.
"Miss, I told you to stop making trouble, but you still wouldn't listen." Xiao Wu came up to me, shook her head, but I could clearly see that Xiao Wu's cold face was cracking.
"No," I said dejectedly, running to a corner and pacing around.
From then on, Xiaowu became even closer to me, practically inseparable from me even to the outhouse. The servants, on the other hand, were terrified of me, disappearing in a flash. Sometimes, when I tried to help them, that old man would stop me. In short, these past few days have been incredibly boring and exhausting.
I have no idea why; he seems to be busy with something, and I never see him.
For the sake of my wonderful life, I decided I couldn't let myself continue to be so decadent, so I dragged Xiaowu to the kitchen. I say dragged her, but actually I was coercing and bribing her.
When the people in the kitchen saw me, they all blocked me from getting any closer, muttering things like, "It's too smoky here, Miss, you should go back to your room," and "Miss, please don't make things difficult for us." Bullshit! Who's making things difficult for whom? I just wanted to get something, is that really necessary?
I was furious! I couldn't take it anymore! Since you're all so heartless, don't blame me for being ruthless. If being gentle doesn't work, then I'll use force. So, everyone backed down using my method, and I seized the opportunity to kick them all out to carry out my grand culinary plan.
I wanted to ask Xiaowu for help, but she refused, her eyes fixed on my hands. So, I tried the same trick again, and finally, I started working on the food.
"Master, Master..." Leng Feng rushed into the study, and knelt on the ground at his master's glare.
"How?" His voice was extremely faint, like a chilly breeze blowing in spring, sending shivers down one's spine.
Leng Feng paused for a moment, then immediately replied, "Miss has come into the kitchen."
"So," she said, her face showing a hint of weariness and her usual haughty aloofness. She flicked the hem of her coat, stood up, and walked arrogantly into the cold wind.
Leng Feng's lips trembled, and he couldn't utter a single word. He knelt there stiffly, showing no sign of slackness.
"Burned?" Unlike Jue, Gui Yao paused in her writing, ink dripping onto the paper and ruining its original beauty.
"No, there's still a fragrance coming from there!" Leng Feng, who hadn't known how to answer his master, quickly replied because of Gui Yao's words.
"Oh," Jue said calmly as if nothing had happened, sitting back in his original chair. Gui Yao also smoothed her sleeves, lifted her feet, and strolled over to sit opposite Jue, exchanging a glance with him.
Chapter Fourteen
In this spring, pear blossoms are in full bloom, and occasionally a petal or two will playfully drift in. Although it is spring, the cold wind feels like the cold wind of winter. Although the two pairs of eyes are not looking at him, they can feel the air pressure sinking overhead, and the dark air is pervasive.
After a long pause, Gui Yao parted her lips slightly, holding a teacup in one hand and gently tapping the rim of the cup with the other. "I've already given orders that she's not allowed to touch anything. How did she get in?"
"This..." Leng Feng paused. How should he say it? His master would definitely be angry if he said it. What should he do?
"Hmm," Jue finally raised his head, looking at Leng Feng indifferently, waiting for Leng Feng to say something next. Leng Feng felt that the back of his clothes was soaked with sweat from his master's gaze.
"Miss Zixue...she..." Leng Feng couldn't continue, fearing that what would emerge later would be his own corpse.
"What?" Her delicate brows furrowed slightly.
"She snatched a sword from a servant, held it to her own neck, and shouted, 'Whoever doesn't let me into the kitchen, I'll kill myself!' Looking at her master's increasingly dark face, Leng Feng felt like crying bitterly."
"Go on," Gui Yao said, stopping the teacup lid on the edge of the teapot with a "ding." If you listened carefully, you could hear her gritting her teeth.
"The servants were terrified and all backed away." Leng Feng secretly wiped away his cold sweat and looked at his master with trepidation.
"Where is Xuanwu?" Jue felt an urge to rush to Xue'er and lock her up.
When Leng Feng heard his master's question, he didn't know how to answer it, because if he didn't answer it well, Xuan Wu would definitely not let him off the hook. Oh dear, Miss Zi Xue, you really know how to kill people!
Seeing Xuanwu about to approach, the young lady shouted at her, "If you come any closer, I'll ignore you! I'll make you do hard labor, like emptying the chamber pot—it stinks! I don't think a beautiful woman like you would like that. Ah, don't come any closer! If you do, I'll really die!"
"Interesting, interesting, so interesting!" Gui Yao looked at Jue with pity, pursed her lips, and smiled—a smile tinged with mischief and a hint of helplessness.
His face remained expressionless, and no one knew what he was thinking. It was precisely this kind of master that made Leng Feng even more terrified. His master was indeed intelligent, but sometimes, while others might understand intelligent people, his master never showed his emotions on his face. Only when Miss Zixue appeared did a different expression appear on his face.
As Leng Feng pondered how to explain things to Miss Zi Xue, the door slammed open, a small foot still in the act of kicking it open. This noise caused both of them, who had been deep in thought, to simultaneously turn towards the doorway.
Then they saw a head pop up and look around.
Because I was holding something, it was inconvenient to open it with my hands. I was wondering what to do when I saw my feet, which led to this scene. I held the crystal dumpling tightly in my hands. When I went in, I saw Jue wearing a black robe embroidered with green patterns. His skin was fair, and his handsome features were particularly striking, especially his lips, which were almost as red as if they had been painted with rouge. He looked like a rare beauty in the world. This kind of beauty that transcended gender and worldly norms could not be described in words.
I was stunned, my mind a complete mess. Looking at the almost ethereal Jue before me, I felt a little dazed, as if I were in a paradise, witnessing a peerless beauty. Wow, Jue truly is a handsome man; he looks stunning no matter what he wears!
"Xue'er," his voice was very soft, but loud enough for me to hear. I snapped back to reality, rushed to him, and held the plate up to Jue, showing it off as if to say, "Jue, look, look, this is what I made! It's delicious!"
A deep, faint sigh escaped my ear.
"Cough cough," I looked innocently at Jue, but a sudden cough interrupted my gaze. I turned around and almost had a nosebleed! This was too much! The weather was practically killing me; why did it have to give me these two shocks all at once?! Deep-set phoenix eyes, dressed in ink-wash style clothing, his handsome features were strikingly clear, his lips glistening like cherry blossoms beneath his straight nose, and his hair cascading like a black waterfall to his waist. This guy looks so much like Xiao Yao!
"Drooling" Ghost Yao enjoyed watching her amazed gaze, propping his head up with his hand and meeting her eyes in a very languid posture, which added to his own charm, making him look extremely enchanting, as if he were a fairy in disguise, tempting his delicious prey.
Suddenly, my waist was gripped even tighter, making it hard to breathe. "Ah, what? Where? Are you Xiao Yao?" I shouted, pointing at Gui Yao.
"What, have you gotten uglier?" Her originally perfect demeanor nearly collapsed at Zi Xue's address of "Xiao Yao."
I turned back and gave Jue a reproachful look. "Jue, it hurts, relax." Then I turned back to look at Xiao Yao with a flirtatious gaze and said something meaningful that made Gui Yao want to vomit blood. "Well, I just didn't expect you to have a presentable appearance." What do you mean by "presentable appearance"? I don't know how many women outside want to throw themselves at me, but how come she's just making do?
Ignoring Xiao Yao's stiff body, I saw Leng Feng kneeling on the ground and chuckled, "Leng Feng, what are you doing here? Why are you kneeling?" Ah, Miss Zi Xue, you finally saw me. It seems that in your eyes only the master is human. When it comes to us, you treat us like we're invisible!
"This..." Leng Feng dared not be presumptuous in front of his master, lowering his head almost to the ground to kiss him.
"Go down," Jue Qingya said.
"Yes." So, Leng Feng was freed from his misery.
Jue used his long, slender, jade-like hand to turn Xue'er's head. In a voice neither too loud nor too soft, he coldly asked, "You held a knife to your own neck?" He lowered his head slightly to question me, carefully examining my neck. Only after finding no visible wounds did he look away with relief.
"Ah...hehe, Jue, he's the one who caused that, you should blame him." Hearing Jue's question, my heart skipped a beat, and I immediately pointed at Xiao Yao. "Xiao Yao, I'm sorry you were wronged, but you also bear some responsibility. Why did you give out those orders?"
"It has nothing to do with me?" Gui Yao pointed at herself in astonishment. She knew Gui Yao liked to play pranks, but she didn't know that Gui Yao was also quite capable of being a rogue.
Chapter Fifteen
Gui Yao squinted, staring at me with a mocking gaze, as if I had committed some heinous crime. His stunningly beautiful face and the low, oppressive aura emanating from him made it hard for me to breathe. Although I was afraid, I couldn't afford to lose in terms of presence.
"What, isn't it your fault? If it weren't for you, would I have needed to go through all this trouble? I just made a few minor changes to your estate, and you acted like you were going to kill me. Do you know how bored I've been these past few days? So, in the end, all the blame lies with you being the reason?"
"How come I never realized you were so perceptive?" Gui Yao leaned on the armrest of the chair. A gentle breeze blew in from the window, stirring his dark green robe as he slowly approached me. What should have been a beautiful scene, to me, who was in a tense state, felt like a demon with two sharp horns, with a sinister smile, slowly closing in on me. That feeling was truly unpleasant.
Jue did not stop him, but just looked at my back with icy eyes, making my back feel cold.
"Stop!" I made a pause gesture, and Gui Yao stopped in her tracks, watching with great interest as I prepared to do something.
I rescued my waist from Jue's grasp. What a joke! I'm not going to wait here to die. Think about it! There's someone staring intently at my back from behind, and a demon watching me struggle from the front. If I stay here any longer, will I even survive?
"Um, um, I have something to say." I stepped away from them and reached a safe area, inching my way toward the gate while gesturing with my hands to stop them.
My eyes darted around. "I think we should make it clear," Jue and Gui Yao said. "They are skilled in martial arts, how could they not know her little tricks? Her clumsy backward leg movement has already betrayed her, but they are still waiting for him to speak."
As soon as my foot touched the threshold, I turned and ran, explaining as I ran, "Enjoy those crystal dumplings, I'll go get some for my wife, bye-bye!"
Watching her comical actions and playful words, Gui Yao and Jue shook their heads and turned back to look at the dumplings they had neglected for so long. The dumplings were crystal clear, and water droplets on the dumpling skins slowly flowed into the plate. The air was filled with fragrance. They both picked up their chopsticks, took a dumpling, and put it in their mouths. The fragrance lingered on their lips and teeth, and a strong sense of happiness filled their hearts. This was a taste they had never experienced before.
"Not bad at all. I didn't expect her cooking skills to be so good." Gui Yao licked her lips, leaned back in her chair, and savored the delicious food she had just eaten.
"We should go," Jue said, lowering his head. His eyes were full of tenderness, but his tone was cold and distant.
"So fast," Gui Yao thought, a little dazed, a pang of reluctance in his heart, though he didn't understand why. By the time he found out, it was too late to stop it.
"We'll set off tomorrow," Jue said, stepping out of the study, leaving Gui Yao alone in the room deep in thought.
Jue wasn't oblivious; he knew that Gui Yao had developed an interest in Zi Xue beyond what he thought, but he simply hadn't pointed it out. Xue'er was his, and he would never give her up to anyone.