Chapter 208: A Perfect Match
On the back hillside of the National Academy, the spring breeze blew, and fragrant smoke swirled.
Yang Luo held three incense sticks in her hand, gazing distantly toward Lu County.
Although she had persuaded the Emperor not to publicize Imperial Consort Li’s crimes and still allowed her to be buried with the qualifications of an Imperial Consort, Yang Luo certainly would not truly keep vigil for the Imperial Consort.
“Your mother must be at peace now.” Mo Zheng said softly beside her, “Actually, just you being alive puts her at ease.”
Yang Luo nodded, inserted the nearly burned-out incense into the ground, stood up and bowed to Mo Zheng: “In past life and this life, it was you, A Sheng, who let me live, and in this life you also let me avenge my mother.”
Mo Zheng smiled and said: “It should be, it should be, after all, you also let me live.”
Yang Luo looked at her and nodded solemnly: “I will definitely let you live well too.”
At first, when she didn’t know Mo Zheng’s true identity, she thought of not letting Mo Zheng become a mountain bandit, so she could change the fate of that life.
Now…
Uncle Hong and the others had all become secret guards bestowed upon her by His Majesty, so even if Mo Zheng went to be a mountain bandit again, she would have the Emperor issue a decree, letting Mo Zheng act as a mountain bandit by imperial order!
Mo Zheng smiled and nodded.
Yang Luo’s eyes lit up again.
“Sister Tao Hua told me this morning that yesterday a private tutor was beaten by his wife on the street, saying he gambled away all the family’s money. Coincidentally, this private tutor was in a private school supported by the Li Clan.”
“Now everyone on the street is discussing how the private school hired such a tutor, whose character is highly questionable.”
Although it seemed like a small matter, it was actually the Chai Clan beginning to make their move.
So good, this time she could watch as the person who schemed against her in that life was plotted against by others.
Mo Zheng was about to say something when birdsong rang crisply through the mountain forest.
Someone was coming.
Mo Zheng squatted down, used a branch to push soil over the burned-out incense, covering it.
Wei Jiao walked up and sneered: “No need to cover it up, don’t I know whose hand the Imperial Consort died by?”
“I’m not covering up my burning incense to pay respects to my mother.” Mo Zheng said, “I’m preventing a mountain fire.”
With that, she stood up and gave Wei Jiao a shallow bow.
Wei Jiao was about to say something when Yang Luo stepped in front of Mo Zheng.
“Captain Wei.” She called out, “You should still avoid suspicion with our young lady, lest your father accuse our young lady of ruining your innocence.”
Wei Jiao sneered coldly: “Now you know to avoid suspicion? Too late.”
Mo Zheng stood behind Yang Luo, raised her sleeve to cover her face: “Senior Brother, what should we do? I didn’t mean to ruin your innocence.”
Wei Jiao chuckled twice: “Nonsense, you did it on purpose.”
Mo Zheng couldn’t hold back anymore and laughed with her sleeve covering her face, gesturing to Yang Luo: “A Sheng, go check for me what instructions His Majesty has.”
Yang Luo looked at her with a worried expression: “Young lady…”
Mo Zheng waved her hand with a smile: “No harm, no harm. I’ve already sullied the Captain’s innocence, doesn’t matter if I do it a few more times.”
What kind of talk was that? Yang Luo gave her a helpless glance but said no more, knowing Mo Zheng wouldn’t suffer losses in front of Wei Jiao, and responded before leaving first.
……
……
Wei Cui’s people suddenly proposed marriage, and Wei Jiao was unaware; when he found out, he immediately went to the people sent by Wei Cui and demanded a lot of money.
“If you can’t get justice for my innocence, then compensate with more money.”
Wei Jiao said excitedly, looking at Mo Zheng.
“My father is so thoughtful, he reminded me that you did sully my innocence, so you have to give me money too.”
So he came to ask her for money. Mo Zheng shook her head firmly: “How can Senior Brother’s innocence be compensated with money!”
Wei Jiao raised his brow: “Don’t even think of compensating with yourself, wouldn’t that make me suffer even more loss?”
Mo Zheng shook her head again, clucking twice: “Senior Brother, what you’re saying really isn’t as good as your father.”
Oh? Wei Jiao looked at her.
“Your father’s eyesight is so good, passing over so many princesses without seeking them, until I appeared.” Mo Zheng said, “He must have seen that I have the reality of a princess without the name, beautiful in talent and looks, uniquely intelligent, truly a rare match.”
This dog thing, Wei Jiao couldn’t hold back and burst out laughing.
It seemed hearing about the arranged marriage between her and him, she was quite pleased.
Wei Jiao’s mouth curved.
“Exactly.” He nodded, “My father’s eyesight is very good; no matter what person, he can see their usable points.”
Mo Zheng stepped forward, eyes excited: “Senior Brother, between your father and Marquis Yichun, who is more formidable?”
What? She wanted to use Wei Cui to deal with Marquis Yichun again? Wei Jiao smiled lazily.
“That should still be my father more formidable.” He said, “After all, the me my father put forward is better than the Zhu Yunxiao Marquis Yichun put forward.”
Mo Zheng couldn’t hold back and laughed heartily.
“Senior Brother is right.” She said smiling, then thoughtfully her eyes flickered, “Your father reminded me, I should sully the reputations of a few more people, attract their fathers—these young masters’ fathers—to see me, so they can all become my helpers…”
This madwoman really could do such a thing. Wei Jiao sneered: “I’m fine, when I want to live or die, one sentence of ‘having a fit’ sends me away, but if other innocent young masters from good families make a fuss, it’s not easy to dismiss.”
Mo Zheng nodded thoughtfully again: “Senior Brother is right.” With that, she smiled at Wei Jiao, “So Senior Brother is the most reliable.”
Senior Brother reliable? She knew Senior Brother wouldn’t really marry her, right? Wei Jiao sneered twice, turned and went down the mountain, and after two steps saw the person behind hadn’t followed.
“What?” He half-smiled, “Now that great vengeance is avenged, the enemy played in the palm of your hand, no need for me anymore, time to avoid suspicion?”
Mo Zheng smiled and hurried to catch up: “Senior Brother, you’re joking, you’re so capable, when would there ever be a time you’re not needed?”
Good that you know. Wei Jiao turned around, holding back a laugh.
……
…..
“Wei Jiao!”
Entering the Library, Ling Yu stood inside, gripping a book and frowning at him.
“Who let you—”
His words unfinished, Wei Jiao grabbed the stair railing, bounded up two or three steps at a time, bang—he entered his room and closed the door “—go read your book, dead fish eyes.”
Ling Yu frowned and glanced upward, ignored Wei Jiao, and looked at Mo Zheng.
“I heard Wei Cui forced the Emperor to arrange a marriage…” He said with a frown.
Mo Zheng smiled: “Wei Cui heard rumors and misunderstood, His Majesty has already rejected it.”
Ling Yu said: “If the Wei family makes more trouble, I…”
Mo Zheng hurriedly said: “No need to trouble Mister.”
Ling Yu nodded: “I know, I mean this kind of thing doesn’t need to trouble Mister, I can handle it.”
In the upstairs room, Wei Jiao leaning against the door pressed his ear to the door panel—
What business of his!
What could he do!
In the spacious Library, Ling Yu’s voice passed through the bookshelves, swaying upward, squeezing in through the door cracks.
“…what saving someone is improper, truly absurd, then I also fell into the lake water, you save me once, see what Wei Cui can say then…”
Pah, Wei Jiao spat in his mind, what was dead fish eyes thinking.
A woman’s laughter followed.
“Many thanks, Senior Brother Ling. If there’s really a need, I’ll come find you then.”
She really planned to keep him as backup. Wei Jiao sneered, then heard light footsteps, then page-turning sounds, then silence.
He sat leaning against the door for a while, reached out and grabbed a scattered book from the floor, flipped through it, and disgustedly threw it away.
Copied by Ling Yu.
He stood and took a book from the nearby bookshelf.
This book was already more than half torn away.
Wei Jiao opened the remaining book pages, looking at the words on them…
More sloppy than Ling Yu’s handwriting, and the copied content was preachy to the point of nausea…
No idea where this dog thing found such a book.
It couldn’t be that she made it up herself, right.
Makes one want to tear it to shreds just looking at it.
He extended his hand, pinched a page and tore it off, held it before his eyes and read line by line until finished, then tore this page into strips.
Arranged marriage.
When he heard the news that his father’s people had petitioned the Emperor for an arranged marriage, he had only one thought: Wei Cui was as nauseating as always, but…
“…beautiful in talent and looks, uniquely intelligent, truly a rare match.”
That young girl’s smugly triumphant voice rang in Wei Jiao’s ears.
He couldn’t help laughing out loud.
Rare match.
This dog thing actually thought that way?
She, actually really, thought that?
Marriage.
Wei Jiao slowly rubbed the torn paper strip to pieces with his fingers.
Him and this dog thing getting married?
That was just… too funny.
He raised his hand and flung, watching the torn paper strips scatter, unable to stop his mouth from curving up.
