Chapter 53:
Outside the courtyard wall of Xuanping Marquis’s Estate, Lu Ziyan stood restlessly for a while, unable to resist turning his head to ask his confidant behind him: “Do you think… I did something wrong?”
He could tell how unwilling that young lady was when she agreed; she dreaded his reckless night intrusion into her boudoir and had no choice but to promise to wait for his return.
But if he didn’t go tonight, he would have to leave the capital at dawn, with an uncertain return date.
It would take at least several months at the very least, and now they no longer had an engagement, while another man was eyeing her covetously—how could he dare to gamble?
Ming Jian had followed by his side since childhood and had never seen him in such a hesitant and distraught state; feeling a slight pang in his heart, he said: “Master can do no wrong. Don’t overthink it. Miss Xie is sincere toward you—how could she truly be angry with you?”
……Sincere.
Lu Ziyan’s breathing hitched slightly. He looked up at the sky full of stars, feeling his heart empty and devoid of any confidence.
Was that young lady truly still sincere toward him?
Tonight should have been their wedding night……
Originally, after tonight, he could legitimately take her into his arms, but now, he had ruined everything.
Lu Ziyan closed his eyes briefly and said hoarsely: “This time, you stay in the capital and guard her well for me.”
Ming Jian was stunned: “Should I follow her secretly?”
“No need. Just keep constant watch on her movements—don’t let her notice.”
The guards of Xuanping Marquis’s Estate weren’t there for nothing; if someone truly followed their young lady day after day in secret, they might be discovered at any moment.
She had already clearly rejected his plan to send her away, and he dared not go against her wish.
Lu Ziyan said: “I’ll be back by three months at the latest. During these three months, stay vigilant and inform me immediately of anything that happens.”
With that, he slowly turned around, lowering his eyes to look at his confidant, his voice low: “She is your matriarch. Guard her well for me—don’t let her make a foolish mistake in a moment of confusion.”
“Yes!” Ming Jian dropped to one knee and solemnly promised.
As for what kind of mistake she might make, master and servant did not discuss it.
Lu Ziyan took one last look at the deep courtyard wall under the night sky and turned to leave.
…………
At the court session the next day, no fewer than ten memorials impeaching Lu Ziyan were presented, but upon learning he was already on the road to Yunzhou, they all fizzled out somewhat.
In truth, all he had done was block his former fiancée from leaving in an attempt to salvage their marriage and fight with two guards from Duke Pei’s Mansion.
His actions were naturally arrogant, but they weren’t all that heinous. Now he had led troops out of the capital to suppress the chaos—who would dare ask His Majesty to issue another imperial decree to punish him?
It wouldn’t do to assign someone a task on one hand and then beat them with a rod on the other.
The Emperor would not do such a thing either.
In the end, the matter fell within Pei Yuqing’s expectations and was let go lightly.
Xie Wanning learned the news from her elder brother and was not at all surprised.
She nodded listlessly, having no hope that this minor matter could bring any punishment to Lu Ziyan.
Seeing his younger sister’s wilted appearance, Xie Yanyu frowned and said: “Sick again?”
“……” Xie Wanning fell silent for a moment, carefully touching her own forehead, then breathed a sigh of relief and said: “Not sick, just didn’t sleep well last night.”
Thinking she had simply been frightened yesterday and thus unable to sleep peacefully, Xie Yanyu said no more.
Instead, Madam Zheng beside them said with concern: “Mother sees you haven’t been cheerful for a single day these past two months. Shall we go out to relax?”
Xie Wanning shook her head repeatedly: “I’m not going out to be laughed at.”
Yesterday’s events had already spread like wildfire throughout the capital, with all sorts of rumors flying.
The most widespread was that the young lords of the Pei and Lu families were vying for her, the legitimate daughter of a marquis household.
There were also rumors that her insistence on breaking the engagement was because she and the Pei Family’s young lord had developed mutual feelings, so she ruthlessly abandoned her childhood sweetheart fiancé.
Completely forgetting Lu Ziyan’s recent scandal of keeping a concubine.
The entire city was full of gossip about her; she had no desire to go out and be gawked at like a curiosity.
“Why care about those rumors? In the previous dynasty, it would certainly be tricky, but now it’s our Great Khan Dynasty, where customs are very open. The imperial family’s princesses and commandery princesses keep male companions as a trend—has there been any shortage of gossip about them?”
Madam Zheng tenderly smoothed her daughter’s temple hair and said softly: “Even if my daughter never marries and keeps a few male companions to pass the days, what can others say?”
Xie Wanning’s eyes lit up as she gripped her mother’s hand: “Mother, do you really mean that?”
Madam Zheng: “……”
She had only said it casually to coax her.
“Ahem~” Xie Yanyu, who had been silent for a long time, coughed lightly. Waiting for his younger sister to look over, he said helplessly: “Don’t talk nonsense.”
Xie Wanning acknowledged with an “oh,” feeling greatly bored, and rested her chin on her mother’s shoulder, humming and hawing.
Madam Zheng was at a loss with her. After thinking for a moment, she said: “If you’re impatient with the rumors in the capital, why not stay at the farmhouse on the outskirts for a while? The weather is hot anyway—it’s a good chance to escape the heat.”
The Xie Family had a farmhouse on the outskirts of the capital, which supplied basically all their annual melons and fruits, vegetables, river delicacies, and aquatic products.
A few years ago, Xie Wanning had stayed there for a time. Compared to the capital’s bustle, it was indeed a quiet and secluded place.
Thinking of this, she felt tempted—after all, she was thoroughly fed up with staying in the capital.
“Then will Mother come with me?”
“There’s a pile of matters at home; I can’t go,” Madam Zheng shook her head with a smile. “Why not ask Ru Niang if she’s willing to go with you?”
Xie Ruyu was naturally willing. Upon hearing her cousin’s words, she immediately went to ask her own mother.
They were both young ladies who had reached marriageable age; the days spent at home grew fewer by the day, and Aunt Liu was unwilling to keep her confined, so she waved her hand grandly and approved.
Since they had decided to stay briefly at the farmhouse, they naturally needed to pack properly.
By the day of actual departure, it was already three days later.
Although the farmhouse was on the outskirts of the capital, it was actually some distance from the capital city. With two young ladies traveling alone, the family was uneasy, so in the end, Xie Yanyu personally escorted them.
The carriage didn’t travel fast, taking a full hour-plus on the road before it finally came to a swaying stop.
When Xie Wanning jumped down from the carriage, she saw her brother’s expression was off, so she tilted her head and asked: “Elder Brother, what’s wrong?”
“……I just suddenly remembered an old matter,” Heaven knows what he thought of, but Xie Yanyu gave her a meaningful look. “Did you decide to stay briefly at the farmhouse because you knew Duke Pei’s Mansion’s separate courtyard is nearby?”
“！！！” Xie Wanning’s pupils suddenly widened as she said angrily: “Don’t wrongly accuse me. Wasn’t it Mother who said it was quiet here that made me come? You were there at the time.”
With that, she looked around, her gaze sweeping over several nearby manors, still uncertainly asking: “Which separate courtyard is the Pei Family’s?”
All the farmhouses and separate courtyards on this side of the outskirts of the capital basically belonged to the private properties of the capital’s prominent families and nobles; each one was quite grand, but none bore a plaque with the family name……
End of the month—begging for monthly tickets~~~ Let’s rush the new book list too~~
The plot is getting on track! No one feels sorry for Lu Ziyan, right?
I remember my first book on Yuewen—usually quiet, always complaining about Zhou Mochen, but when the abuse started, a bunch of his fans exploded……
