"It's nothing, I should go back now." He said with a faint smile.
Lu Yiheng said, "I'll take you back." He then turned and dismissed his entourage.
"Let's go." He took my hand.
I pulled my hand away and looked up at him: "I am, after all, a young lady from a respectable family, and I will get married in the future."
Looking at me with a half-smile, he said, "Little girl, who else would you like to marry besides me?"
I won't go see him anymore, if things are going to turn out badly.
"Third Brother." As soon as he entered, he saw Liu Chengxian walking into the courtyard as well. He smiled gently, but his smile froze for a moment after glancing at Lu Yiheng to the side. "Brother Lu is here too."
Lu Yiheng smiled and said, "Yes, it's been a long time since I've seen Brother Liu."
"Third Brother, have you heard anything about Father from the court? When is he coming back?" I was a little worried. Baihualou had completely cut off all contact with us; there wasn't a single piece of information left.
Liu Chengxian gave Lu Yiheng a wary look. "Thank you for bringing Yue'er back. Take care."
Lu Yiheng's smile remained unchanged: "No need, it's what I should do."
Liu Chengxian's expression changed: "Lu Yiheng, what do you mean by this?" His voice was filled with barely concealed anger.
There was a tense atmosphere.
Lu Yiheng stepped forward, and I looked down in confusion. I didn't know when, but he had tightly grasped my hand.
"I will soon request the Emperor's permission to marry Yue'er."
Upon hearing this, the four of us were all surprised.
"Impossible!" Fourth Brother looked even angrier than me, his eyes filled with suppressed anger and a hint of sadness. "Lu Yiheng, don't forget what you promised me?"
Lu Yiheng lowered his head and looked at me tenderly.
I lowered my head and started counting the ants on the ground.
With a cold, emotionless smile, he said, "Liu Chengxian, don't forget the current situation of your Liu family. What right do you have to refuse?"
She smiled gently at me again, "Moon, I'll come pick you up tomorrow."
Liu Chengxian watched Lu Yiheng leave with anger and suppressed resentment.
Back in my yard.
Seeing her fourth brother looking troubled, she stood up and walked to his side. "Fourth brother, don't be upset. The more things get to this point, the calmer you need to be. Think these troubling things through one by one." She placed her fair hand on his temples. "Let me massage them for you."
Liu Chengxian opened his eyes, his gaze filled with satisfaction: "Although Yue'er is a sheltered young lady who rarely leaves her home, she sees things more clearly and is more composed than I am. Sigh..."
I handed him the tea and looked at him with a smile.
Liu Chengxian looked annoyed and didn't pay much attention. He picked up his teacup and started to drink, but took a big gulp and his face turned bright red from the heat, water spilling out completely. "This..."
I gestured for Ping'er to hurry up and wipe it.
Smiling, he picked up the teacup in front of him and took a small sip. "Third Brother, you have to drink tea slowly, or you'll burn yourself."
Liu Chengxian paused for half a second, a look of shame on his face, "Before Father passed away, he entrusted the affairs of the family to me. If only Fourth Sister were a man..."
"Why say that, Third Brother? You're better than me in many ways. It was just a moment of confusion caused by being busy. Besides, whether I'm a man or not doesn't conflict with what I want to do." He smiled brightly.
Liu Chengxian was instantly stunned by that sunny and confident smile. When did his fourth sister become so dazzling?
She stood up and said, "Thank you, Fourth Sister. I understand. I'll come over for tea again when I have time."
I nodded. "Ping'er, take Fourth Brother back."
As soon as Ping'er entered the door, she expressed her joy at my return, rushing straight over and saying, "Miss, I missed you so much!" Her voice was trembling with tears.
He looked at her with amusement: "You silly girl, what's there to cry about?"
Ping'er said aggrievedly, "Miss, you still said that it was so dangerous there, yet you still ran there. What if, what if..." The fear at that moment suddenly seized her, and she began to sob.
He picked up a handkerchief and wiped away her tears. "Crybaby, what are you saying? Your young lady is very lucky, nothing happened to her, look..." He smiled and turned around to give her a good look.
Ping'er then hurriedly wiped away her tears, "Yes, yes, our young lady is a lucky star sent from heaven."
"Yes." He lightly flicked her forehead.
A familiar voice came from the doorway.
"Moon Girl, Moon Girl..."
Ping'er and I hurried outside, only to find that the old lady herself had come to visit. We were truly flattered.
She quickly stepped forward to help her up, "Grandma, why did you come here?"
"Of course I came to see you, you heartless girl, abandoning your grandmother and running off to such a dangerous place." He glared at me.
I quickly lowered my head and admitted my mistake, "Grandmother, it was Yue'er's fault, Yue'er..."
"Alright, alright..." The old lady waved her hand and continued, "His Majesty is not well. When you go to the palace tomorrow, Yue'er, please take this with you."
I was taken aback, and somewhat confused, I took the purple package. "Grandmother, what's this?"
"You don't need to ask any more questions. Just take it to the Emperor. Grandmother had the kitchen prepare some tonics for you. Look how thin your face is. You need to eat some nourishing food."
"Thank you, Grandmother!"
I looked at the package on the table and then at Ping'er with a puzzled expression.
Ping'er gave me a blank look.
"Fourth sister..."
What a strange day! Grandmother just left and Liu Mengshi is here again. Has this place become a treasure trove, with everyone rushing here?
"Why is Second Sister here?" I looked at Liu Mengshi. Today, her snow-white dress made her look incredibly charming. I was wondering why I had such a strange feeling when I looked again and saw that her low-cut neckline revealed a large expanse of snow-white skin.
Liu Mengshi looked me over and thought, "She's really lucky. She went to such a place and still came out unharmed." Her expression instantly changed, and she grabbed my hand, "Silly girl, how could you be so foolish as to run that way? Really..."
With a sharp crack, I felt a sharp pain on the back of my hand. I looked up at her in surprise. What was she doing?
Liu Mengshi's eyes narrowed, and she continued to complain, "You've broken my heart, my older sister!"
She was clutching her chest, and her little face looked like she was in pain.
I wondered, "Could it be that your heart palpitations have flared up again? Ping'er, quickly go and fetch a doctor!"
"No need." Liu Mengshi quickly sat down, glancing at the person in front of her, wondering if this person was pretending to be stupid or genuinely stupid.
I nodded. "Second sister is in poor health, so it's better for her to stay in the courtyard and avoid going out too much."
Her eyes sparkled. "Thank you for your concern, Fourth Sister. You're all I have left to rely on..."
"Could it be that Aunt Mei has passed away?" His eyes were filled with astonishment.
Liu Mengshi quickly reached out and covered my mouth, "What nonsense are you talking about, Fourth Sister?"
He looked at her with a blank stare.
What an ignorant fool, wasting his feelings like that. Liu Mengshi thought to herself with disdain, then smiled awkwardly, "I just felt that Fourth Sister was closer to me."
"Oh, okay," she said, realizing it. "Second sister, I'm sleepy. Do you want to sleep with me?"
"No need, no need," Liu Mengshi waved her hand.
Her eyes caught sight of something on the table, and then she came to her senses and smiled, "Fourth Sister, there's something I can ask you for a favor."
"Second sister, just tell me what's wrong."
Two blushes rose on Liu Mengshi's face as she lowered her head and said, "Fourth Sister, you know I rejected the Lin family's marriage proposal, right?"
I nodded.
My hands were suddenly gripped tightly, startling me so much that my shoulders trembled. "Second Sister?"
“I know you like Lin Ruixuan. It was my fault back then. You knelt down and begged me while crying, but I…” His face was full of apology. He gritted his teeth and snapped.
I was stunned, staring at the red mark on that fair face. That's really ruthless; the beating was so convincing.
"Fourth Sister, it was my fault."
I nodded blankly. Faced with such a master actor and without a script, I could only be led by the nose.
"Fourth Sister, I'll give Lin Ruixuan to you, but will you promise me one thing in return?"
He nodded again.
Liu Mengshi smiled with satisfaction, "Tomorrow, you'll take me with you to the palace." She stood up, "I'll give this to the Emperor."
Even after Liu Mengshi left, I still felt a little uneasy about the red mark on her face. Could she really be so heartless?
"Miss, Miss..." Ping'er called for a long time, but there was no response.
"I understand." His eyes lit up, and he stood up abruptly.
"What is it?" Ping'er was startled.
Looking at Ping'er with a gleam in his eyes, he said, "Liu Mengshi's slap just now seemed loud, but it was actually very light when it landed on my face."
"No way, there's such a clear red mark on the Second Miss's face."
I gave her a sly look. "That's because she put on rouge before slapping her face, that's why it looks like that. Don't you think the red mark is a bit too red?"
“So that’s how it is…” Ping’er woke up as if from a dream, gritting her teeth, “This second young lady… is too much, simply…”
He waved his finger and said, "Don't worry, I added something to her hand when she held mine. We'll see what happens tomorrow." He smiled smugly, deciding to play along. Let's see how she gets rid of that red mark.
Author's Note:
Diudiu is begging for comments, muah...