Chapter 27 Head-to-Head
"Miss, Miss..." Ping'er rushed over in a hurry.
"What's wrong?" I rarely saw him so agitated. After sorting through the letters, I received news from Baihualou that Lin Si had been captured by Yueminglou. I was quite puzzled and asked Qiu Niang to help investigate Yueminglou, but there was very little information available.
Ping'er glanced at her young mistress's simple attire: a loose white robe, her hair loosely tied back with a red ribbon. What young lady would dress like that? Picking up a comb, she said, "Miss, please sit down, I'll help you get ready."
"What happened? Ping'er looks so flustered."
Ping'er replied while combing her hair, "It's the old lady of the Lin family who's here, along with Second Master Lin. They're supposedly here to discuss marriage."
"Didn't Second Sister break off the engagement?"
Ping'er quickly replied, "Yes, that's why Miss must seize this opportunity. She can't let it slip away again. Without the mistress's mansion, how much suffering has Miss endured..."
Memories of Liu Feiyue surfaced in my mind.
The woman in the light blue dress had sleeves that were a little too short, and she always seemed uncomfortable walking down the street, constantly pulling the sleeves down with both hands.
"Look, look! It's still the fourth young lady of the Liu family, dressed so shabbily!"
"I heard someone say that the First Madam is having an affair," they whispered, talking about the woman's figure.
"Really? No wonder I've never seen the First Madam, tsk tsk..."
"Just a wild girl..."
Tears welled in Liu Feiyue's eyes. She desperately denied their malicious speculations, but dared not voice her opposition, biting her lower lip tightly.
She always hid in the crowd, and no one noticed her. She knew that no one in the Liu family liked her, and no one cared about her, except for Ping'er. The clothes she wore were her childhood clothes; some were too small, so Ping'er asked Aunt Lan for them and ended up picking up the clothes that Liu Feiyun didn't want anymore. Her childhood was spent in that small, secluded courtyard.
Looking up at Ping'er, he asked, "Does Ping'er really want me to marry Lin Ruixuan?"
Ping'er nodded. "Ping'er only hopes that Miss can choose a good husband and live a happy life."
"I see."
Looking at the handsome Lin Ruixuan, Old Madam Liu sighed, "That Meng'er is unlucky. She even said she wasn't good enough for Second Master Lin. Really..." Her face was full of heartache. She should have just married Yue'er off instead of causing so much trouble. She felt a surge of dissatisfaction towards Liu Mengshi.
Madam Lin smiled and brought over tea. "My Ruixuan isn't in a hurry. He met the Prime Minister's wife yesterday, and her daughter is also interested in him." She glanced at Liu Mengshi not far away. "She's nothing special," she thought, "and she actually dared to break off her engagement with Ruixuan. Humph..."
Lin Ruixuan didn't care, maintaining a nonchalant smile. Suddenly, he caught sight of the woman entering.
"Ping'er, the hairpin you brought me..." Before she could finish speaking, she felt a sharp pain on her scalp. Good heavens! The golden hairpin with the peacock-shaped design on her head was caught on a tree branch. She stood there, tears welling in her eyes. "Ping'er..." she muttered, suddenly noticing the man in front of her with a half-smile. "You laughing bastard! Just keep laughing until you choke!"
Lin Ruixuan's eyelids twitched, and he walked in this direction.
"This isn't Sister Yue, what happened?" Mu Guanghui asked worriedly.
Damn it, doesn't he have eyes? I got hooked on a branch! This guy did it on purpose, didn't he? All eyes turned to him.
"Oh dear, little Yue..."
"What's going on?"
"What are you still standing there for? Go and help..."
Seeing the crowd surging towards me, I quickly shouted, "Stop!" and beckoned to Lin Ruixuan with my finger, "You, come here."
Lin Ruixuan lowered his head and chuckled, then looked up again. Suddenly, something occurred to him, and his expression changed. What method did this girl have this time to seduce him?
Lin Ruixuan approached, his expression returning to its coldness. "What is it?"
"What kind of nonsense are you spouting? Quick, help me get my hair down from the tree."
They actually dared to order him around, it was unbelievable… He glanced back at the group of women watching the spectacle, feeling annoyed. Fine, he'd do it. He took a few steps closer and began pulling the hair that was tangled up from under his head.
"Hiss..." A sharp pain shot through my scalp. Oh my god, is this going to rip my hair off? "What did I ever do to you? It hurts so much..." My face scrunched up in pain.
Lin Ruixuan suddenly looked down and saw this pitiful little face, with silver light shining in its eyes. Its wet eyes seemed like a handful of crushed moonlight, which made his hand move suddenly.
"Ah..." I couldn't take it anymore and let out a howl.
Startled, he looked down at the strand of hair in his hand. "I'm so sorry..." How could he have accidentally pulled out his hair like that?
Lin Ruixuan, we must have been incompatible in our past lives to treat me like this! She glared at him fiercely.
Lin Ruixuan hurriedly lowered his head, staring at the tangled hair. It was truly bizarre; for a fleeting moment, he had actually found this ugly girl quite cute. He must be seeing things. It seemed this ugly girl's seduction skills were becoming increasingly sophisticated; he had to be constantly on guard. Suddenly, he remembered his grandmother's words, insisting on a marriage alliance with the Liu family. If Liu Mengshi wasn't an option, then only she and that woman named Liu Feiyun remained. He would rather die than marry this ugly girl.
"Alright." Lin Ruixuan stood coldly to the side.
She touched her hair; it seemed to be done. She looked up at him with a grateful smile, "Thank you."
Lin Ruixuan turned his head away and left in a cool manner.
Did I offend him? I don't think so. Why did I feel like he was being deliberately distant towards me just now?
Liu Feiyun was playing the piano in the room, the smoke from which accompanied the beautiful and moving melody.
"Not bad, Yun'er's zither skills have improved a lot. Ruixuan, what do you think?" Old Madam Lin quite liked this girl from the Liu family. She was well-educated, virtuous, and proficient in all the arts, including music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. She also seemed very clever.
"Oh, not bad." Lin Ruixuan didn't seem to care much. His gaze unconsciously swept over Liu Feiyue, who was sitting upright with her eyes closed, seemingly taking a nap. Judging from her ramrod straight back, anyone who didn't know better would think he was actually listening attentively. Lin Ruixuan smiled and asked, "I wonder how Yue-meimei's piano skills are?"
Madam Lin casually remarked, "Yes, we haven't even seen Yue'er perform." Upon hearing this, everyone turned their gaze to the person with her eyes closed.
Only then did Old Madam Liu realize Liu Feiyue's pretense, her brows furrowing. "Yue'er, Yue'er!"
Ping'er was so startled that she quickly pushed him away, "Miss!"
"Wh...what!" Startled, she opened her eyes wide and immediately noticed everyone's gaze upon her. She paused, then licked her lips. "What is it?"
Ping'er whispered in her ear what had just happened.
Damn it, I stared at Lin Ruixuan with the eyes of someone who killed my father. You're just trying to go against me, aren't you? Trying to drag me down with you.
Lin Ruixuan felt a pang in his heart when he saw those burning eyes fixed on him. He glanced sideways, trying his best to avoid looking at her. Hmph… even if you offered me your heart, I wouldn't be interested. Don't waste your energy.
"Yue girl, what are you standing there for? Come over here." What an ill-mannered girl. I'll have to find someone to teach her a lesson after today, so people won't say that the Liu family is ill-mannered.
I sheepishly scurried over, "Grandma, it's not that I don't want to perform, it's just... I don't know how..."
Liu Feiyun covered her mouth and chuckled, then said to Old Madam Lin, "Grandmother Lin, please don't make things difficult for Yue-mei. After all, she lost her mother at a young age, and no one supervised her studies or taught her. It's quite remarkable that she's grown up like this..."
"Third Sister!" I looked up abruptly, staring intently at her, my hands clenched tightly. Mother was a source of pain for Liu Feiyue, and when she said those words, I felt a deep sorrow welling up inside me. "I'm sorry, I'm not feeling well."
Lin Ruixuan stared in astonishment at the departing figure. Had she just shed tears?
He suddenly realized why he cared about this; it was a joke. But he couldn't forget the image of Liu Feiyue with tears in her eyes.
I walked to a pear tree and looked up to see the white pear blossoms.
I stretched out my five fingers and watched the sunlight leak through them.
Why, why did Mother leave me alone in the Liu family mansion? Why couldn't Father, who was so devoted, keep her? Is it really as those people say, that Mother has fallen in love with someone else?
He pulled out a jade hairpin; its soft, smooth texture touched him. This was his mother's. He pressed it to his face. Mother…
"Moon..."
When I turned around, I saw Lu Yiheng, dressed in a blue robe, walking towards me. Why is he here?
"Moon," she said with a smile, placing her hand on my head.
Bang--
A hand with distinct knuckles pushed him away. Lu Yiheng stared in astonishment at the person who had suddenly appeared, his narrow eyes narrowing with a hint of hostility: "Who are you?"
"That's what I should be asking you," Lin Ruixuan glared at him, her anger undiminished. She hadn't been able to forget Liu Feiyue's tearful eyes, and had only just managed to convince herself to come and see, only to see this man casually place his hand on her head. What a foolish woman! Didn't she know to dodge? How could she be so frivolous! A surge of anger welled up inside him, making him feel suffocated.
"My name is Lu Yiheng." He met his gaze coldly.
Lu Yiheng, it's him? Lin Ruixuan's expression changed. He was the most powerful man in the court, the First Prince's lackey. His face turned cold, and his thin lips slowly parted: "Lord Lu, you should be careful with your behavior."
"How have I behaved? Yue'er is my betrothed." He said, reaching out his hand again.
With a cracking sound, like bones breaking, Lin Ruixuan grabbed the hand and looked at him warily.
A strange smile crept across Lu Yiheng's lips. He withdrew his hand, and with a few cracking sounds, it was back in place. His smile remained undiminished. "I have already petitioned the Emperor to grant you permission to marry Yue'er." With a mocking smile, he brushed past me and took my hand. "Yue'er, let's go."
A look of shock crossed Lin Ruixuan's face. His jaw tightened as he stared at the two figures, a dark cloud hanging over his eyes.
"Where are you taking me?" I looked up at him.
A cool hand gently stroked my face. "Moon, why can't you put my mind at ease?" Her gentle, watery eyes locked onto my face.
Author's Note:
Lala...another chapter!
Chapter 28 Pervert
"His Majesty is waiting inside. You may go in."
"Thank you, Father-in-law." Liu Mengshi smiled and placed a gold leaf in the father-in-law's hand. "Yue'er, come along."
Although I don't understand why Liu Mengshi is so determined to enter the palace, I feel ashamed when I think of that middle-aged emperor. Could it be that my second sister wants to marry him?
"What are you still standing there for?" Liu Mengshi said impatiently. She must be stupid to think that Liu Feiyue was a formidable opponent. Liu Feiyue always looked like she was in a daze, and she was no match for her at all.