As soon as the ladies arrived, the young ladies would consciously make way for them and leave the matter to the adults to resolve. Those who were timid and afraid of being implicated would quietly go around to their mothers to seek shelter.
Sheng Qingyun walked in and saw his daughter standing blankly by the table. The fourth daughter of Dingyuan Marquis's family sat on the ground, with broken dishes scattered around. He was shocked and hurried forward to hug his daughter in his arms, and asked nervously, "Jinping, are you okay?"
Princess Jinping leaned in her mother's arms, and finally breathed a sigh of relief, shaking her head and saying, "I'm fine, I just got a fright."
At this time, Qin also came over. She originally came to take a look with the attitude of watching the fun, but when she saw clearly that the person sitting on the ground was Zhao Lanzhi, her heart skipped a beat. She hurriedly pushed Zhao Lanya and whispered, "You just stand there and watch? Why don't you help her up?"
They can do whatever they want at home, but when they are away from home, the sisters are like a family, rising and falling together.
Zhao Lanya didn't listen to her, but secretly pulled her sleeve.
Qin was stunned and looked at her to ask what she meant.
Zhao Lanya shook her head slightly, signaling her mother not to interfere in the matter.
Before Qin Shi understood what she meant, she heard a crisp "slap" sound, followed by a cry of surprise and Miss Chen's roar: "Bitch, you dare to hit me!"
Qin was startled and turned around to look, just in time to see Xie Nanjia slap Chen Rong in the face for the second time, with another "pop" sound.
"Why don't I dare to hit you?" Xie Nanjia held Zhao Lanzhi with one hand and said coldly, "My young lady and I have never provoked you, why should we be insulted by you? Other young ladies did not finish the toasts to the county lady, why do you insist that my young lady finish it and make her drink three more glasses? If you want to act wild, go back to your Pingnan Marquis's Mansion. You slapped the young lady of the Marquis' Mansion in the face at the wedding banquet of the Duke's Mansion. Don't you think you are qualified?"
The two crisp and decisive slaps shocked everyone present. No one had expected that a little girl would dare to slap a daughter of a bosom in public.
Zhao Jingyu, who came hurriedly, stood behind the crowd. His height advantage allowed him to see the entire process. He couldn't help but smile slightly.
He was saying, this girl is not someone who would suffer a loss. How could the person who slapped her expect to get away with it
But then again, even if my girl doesn't suffer any loss, she is not someone who can be bullied by anyone. Anyone who dares to touch me has had enough of his good life!
Su He was short and couldn't see the situation inside. She was very anxious: "Second Master, how can you still be in the mood to laugh? Go and take care of it!"
Zhao Jingyu folded his hands and said, "Wait a minute, let me watch the excitement for a while."
Su He: “…”
Chen Rong was so angry that she was shaking all over with the two slap marks on her face. However, Xie Nanjia had a Duke's Mansion on the left and a Marquis' Mansion on the right, which suppressed her in one fell swoop. He also made the ladies who came after her understand the whole thing in just two sentences. In addition, Sheng Qingyun was already standing in front of her, so no matter how angry she was, she could not fight back.
Although it was indeed a bit arrogant for the maid to hit the young lady, the shrewd ladies knew that Miss Chen Er was in the wrong as soon as they heard it, so they all tried to reconcile and said that it was okay and that everyone should take a step back and not disrupt the banquet.
Chen Rong's mother had been ill for many years and did not attend the banquet. Her aunt Zhu came to apologize to Sheng Qingyun on her behalf, saying that the child was ignorant and asked the young lady to be more tolerant.
Qin Shi couldn't hide anymore, so she came over and pretended to put her arm around Zhao Lanzhi's shoulders and said, "We are all young girls, and quarreling is common. Since no one is hurt, let's forget about it and don't delay everyone's feast."
Sheng Qingyun was quite unhappy that her daughter's welcoming banquet was disrupted, but as the host, she couldn't say much and could only put the matter aside for the time being.
Zhao Lanya took the opportunity to come over and said to Zhao Lanzhi: "Since the fourth sister is frightened, why don't you go back home first? I will ask Haitang to notify your driver and ask him to wait for you at the door."
Zhao Lanzhi lost such a big person. Under normal circumstances, she would definitely obey Zhao Lanya's suggestion. But this time, she unexpectedly did not listen and turned to look at Xie Nanjia.
Xie Nanjia said loudly: "Even if the Fourth Miss wants to go back, she has to wait until the Second Miss Chen apologizes before she can go back."
These words froze all the ladies who were about to return to their seats. They looked at her in surprise, not understanding how a little girl like her could be so confident.
Chen Rong was already feeling aggrieved, and when she heard this, she angrily said, "Bitch, you think I'm easy to bully, right? Why should I apologize? Why should I apologize to you lowly things?"
"Just because you are so rude and arrogant." Xie Nanjia said, "No matter how low my lady's status is, she is still the daughter of a marquis. I won't allow a young lady like you to humiliate her at will. You have to apologize today, whether you want to or not. If you don't want to, let's go and meet the marquis and the baron. I want to see who is more senior, the baron or the marquis!"
"You dare!" Chen Rong glared at her and yelled.
"Why wouldn't I dare?" Xie Nanjia sneered, "I'll go anywhere in the world if I'm right. To seek justice for my young lady, I'd dare to meet the emperor, not to mention the Earl of Pingnan!"
“…” Such an arrogant tone shocked everyone and made them secretly smack their lips, thinking, is this girl really just a girl? How come her aura is more powerful than that of a proper rich lady
Qin had long been accustomed to her stubbornness, and because she had suffered at her hands before, she did not dare to force her to leave, so she quietly reminded her: "Xiu'er, that's enough, there are so many people here!"
"It is precisely because there are so many people that we must make it clear, so that it will not be spread around and become a stain on my young lady." Xie Nanjia said seriously, "Madam is also the mother of the fourth young lady. Do you want to watch your daughter's reputation be damaged? If the fourth young lady's reputation is ruined, it will not be a good thing for the other young ladies, right?"
"You..." Qin was speechless.
Sheng Qingyun was watching from the side and suddenly became interested in this stubborn little girl. He felt that her fearlessness was quite similar to himself when he was young.
Just as she was about to speak up for the little girl, Lin suddenly said, "In my opinion, what the little girl said is correct. This matter was indeed caused by Miss Chen Er. Apart from anything else, Miss Zhao Si should apologize just for the stains on her body."
As soon as the Shangshu's wife spoke, everyone present changed their expressions. Zhu pushed Chen Rong hurriedly, advising her not to be stubborn and to at least apologize to Zhao Lanzhi.
Chen Rong did not expect that the Shangshu's wife would support Zhao Lanzhi, but she was already upset enough after being slapped twice by a servant, and she could not do it no matter how hard she tried to do it.
At this time, Xie Nanjia leaned over and whispered a few words in Zhao Lanzhi's ear.
Zhao Lanzhi was slightly stunned at first, and then she bravely said: "Miss Chen Er, you don't have to apologize, but you must answer a question for me."
"What's the problem?" Chen Rong asked.
Zhao Lanzhi said, "Miss Chen Er and I have never had any contact. Miss Chen Er suddenly made things difficult for me. Someone must have instigated her. I want to know who that person is."
Zhao Lanya, who was standing next to him, felt a buzzing in her head and her expression became flustered.
Xie Nanjia had been paying close attention to Zhao Lanzhi and Qin since she started talking. When he saw her reaction, he smiled knowingly.
Chen Rong looked at Zhao Lanzhi in confusion, wondering why she suddenly became so smart.
But what should she say? Should she say that she believed what Zhao Lanya said and was angry that Xiu'er had ruined her and Zhao Jingping's relationship, so she deliberately made things difficult for her
How could she say that? She would lose all face if she said it.
Xie Nanjia figured out what was going on after a little thought. She sneered and said, "It is said that Miss Chen Er is very smart. In my opinion, this time, she is being used as a fool by others, right?"
Chen Rong was stunned, slowly savored the taste, and glared at Zhao Lanya hatefully.
Zhao Lanya lowered her eyelashes in a hurry, thinking to herself, if you really say it out loud, you’d be a real fool!
Chen Rong was not stupid, so she naturally wouldn't say it out loud. After weighing the pros and cons, she decided to apologize to Zhao Lanzhi.
But her apology was equivalent to telling others that someone was really instigating her.
Everyone present was a smart person. They just thought about the people who had interests related to Zhao Lanzhi, and combined with the look Chen Rong gave Zhao Lanya, they guessed it was almost right.
The eldest daughter of the Dingyuan Marquis's Mansion has always been famous in the capital for her beauty, intelligence, dignity and grace. Unexpectedly, there is such a divisive and narrow-minded person behind her. In order to plot against her half-sister, she did not hesitate to disrupt other people's banquets. She is really not a good candidate to be the mistress of the house.
Therefore, several ladies who had originally listed Zhao Lanya as a candidate for daughter-in-law quietly crossed her out of their minds.
Miss Chen Er apologized, and the dispute was over. To prevent any further complications, Zhu hurriedly pulled her away, and the ladies returned to their seats in twos and threes. Sheng Qingyun ordered the servants to clean up the mess and serve a new table of food and wine. Fearing that his daughter would be frightened again, he took her to his own table.
Qin was so embarrassed that after everyone left, she pinched Zhao Lanya in anger.
Zhao Lanya did not expect that the development of the matter would be out of her control, but since things had come to this point, she had no choice. Fortunately, Chen Rong did not give her up in the end, so her face was finally saved.
So, she pretended to be calm and said to Qin: "Mother, now that the matter has been resolved, let Fourth Sister go back home and rest!"
Even at this time, she was still worried about Zhao Lanzhi. Xie Nanjia couldn't help but feel puzzled.
"In that case, I will take the fourth young lady back first." Xie Nanjia followed her words.
Qin looked at the grease on Zhao Lanzhi's body, sighed and nodded: "Go, go back and change quickly and take a hot bath, be careful not to catch a cold."
"Yes." Zhao Lanzhi bowed and responded, then walked out with Xie Nanjia.
Mrs. Wang loved gossiping about family matters. Even though she had taken her seat, she was still staring at Qin and her daughters. When she saw Zhao Lanzhi leaving with the maid, she sighed exaggeratedly, "Motherless children are so pitiful!"
The other ladies all felt the same way, but they didn't say it out loud like she did. They just smiled in response.
Sheng Qingyun thought about the suffering her daughter had endured in the past few years, and holding her hand, she said with emotion: "Isn't it true? No matter how good others are, they are not as good as your own mother."
"Fortunately, there is a strong girl by the child's side who can protect her to some extent." said a lady.
"Yes, yes, yes. I was just thinking, where was that girl bought from? She's so powerful, she's fearless." Another lady echoed.
"I heard from my son Zhiye that it seemed that the fourth concubine of Marquis Dingyuan brought it back from Hongou Manor." said Minister Cheng's wife.
"Is there such an outstanding girl in Zhuangzi?" Several ladies were a little skeptical.
"It was indeed Zhuangzi who came." Lin said softly, "On the day she came to Beijing, she happened to see me having a difficult labor at the inn. It was because of her prescription that my mother and I survived."
"Oh, it's her!" All the ladies suddenly realized. They had heard that a little maid in the Marquis' Mansion saved the lives of the Shangshu's wife and her daughter. They didn't expect it was that girl. No wonder the Shangshu's wife spoke for her just now.
"That girl is really amazing despite her young age." Mrs. Wang said half-jokingly, "I see that she is very similar to the young lady when she was young. And her eyes and face, if she changes into a young lady's clothes, she can pass for the young lady's daughter."
Princess Jinping was listening attentively, but when she heard the last sentence, her body suddenly froze.
A lady joked: "That's a pity. If you had found her earlier, you could have brought her to the young lady to collect the reward."
In order to find the child, the Duke's Mansion has been rewarding large sums of money to anyone who provides clues throughout the year.
Mrs. Wang laughed out loud: "Now that you mention it, it's really a pity!"
The speaker may not have intended it, but the listener took it to heart. Sheng Qingyun's previous inexplicable feeling was awakened again. He felt very nervous and almost couldn't sit still several times.
Xie Nanjia and Zhao Lanzhi walked out of the banquet hall and met Zhao Jingyu at the door.
Zhao Jingyu saw that they were about to leave, so he and Su He waited outside in advance.
Zhao Lanzhi was full of grievances, but she had been holding it in. When she saw Zhao Jingyu, she finally couldn't help it. She pursed her lips and called out "Second Brother", and tears started coming down.
"Don't cry, don't cry. Second brother has seen everything." Zhao Jingyu said, "Today is a big happy event for the Duke's Mansion. Don't interfere. Second brother will definitely help you get revenge later."
Zhao Lanzhi was speechless and took out a handkerchief to wipe her tears.
Zhao Jingyu said, "You go back first. I'll be back soon after I sit for a while. We can talk when we get back."
Zhao Lanzhi choked up and nodded.
Xie Nanjia and Su He then helped her walk away.
After taking two steps, Xie Nanjia turned back to look at Zhao Jingyu, but accidentally discovered that Zhao Lanya's figure flashed past the door.
"Su He, you accompany the young lady first. I want to talk to the second young master." Xie Nanjia said, letting go of Zhao Lanzhi and walked back.
Seeing her coming back, Zhao Jingyu asked with a smile, "Why, you can't bear to leave me and want me to go with you?"
Xie Nanjia rolled her eyes at him, then stood on tiptoe and whispered a few words in his ear.
Zhao Jingyu looked puzzled and asked, "Why?"
"Don't worry about it for now, just do as I say." Xie Nanjia said.
…
The carriage jolted away from the Duke Zhenguo's Mansion and headed towards the Marquis Dingyuan's Mansion.
Xie Nanjia thought Zhao Lanzhi would burst into tears when she got on the carriage, but she didn't shed a single tear. Instead, she said to Xie Nanjia, "Xiu'er, I know you are capable. Please find a chance to talk to the Marquis about my marriage and ask him to find a good family for me."
Xie Nanjia and Su He were both surprised. Su He asked in surprise, "Miss, how did you suddenly come to your senses?"
"I don't want to be trampled on by others anymore." Zhao Lanzhi's face no longer had the shyness of the past, and she said lightly, "No matter what method I use, I must marry a good family and become the legal wife. If I can't become the legal wife, I would rather die!"
"..." Su He stared at her in a daze, feeling that her young lady had suddenly become so strange.
Xie Nanjia sighed in her heart. This simple and beautiful girl was finally going to put on armor and declare war on the world.
Just because Zhao Lanzhi had made a set of clothes for her son with her own hands, she was grateful for her sincerity and secretly promised to find a good marriage for her. Therefore, after returning to the Marquis' Mansion, she tried her best to protect her, always keeping an eye out for a suitable family for her, hoping to let her live a happy life.
But she understood that if Zhao Lanzhi herself did not wake up, she would not be able to live a good life even if she married into a good family. Now, the cruel reality has finally awakened her from her confusion, and she is finally going to fight back.
"What kind of good family does Fourth Miss want? What are her requirements for the man?" Xie Nanjia asked with both sadness and relief.
"I only have one request, I must marry better than Zhao Lanya." Zhao Lanzhi said, "I know I am overestimating myself a little, but as long as it is possible, I can do it at any cost."
The carriage jolted violently, and Xie Nanjia couldn't help but smile: "There is a good family right before us, but the young lady will have to pay a price."
"What's the price?" Zhao Lanzhi asked.
Before he could finish his words, the carriage suddenly jolted violently, then tilted to one side. The horses neighed rapidly, and the driver exclaimed "Oh no" and jumped off the carriage with a plop. The master and his two servants had no time to react before the carriage rushed diagonally into an icy puddle on the side of the road.
"Help, someone fell into the water, please save him..." The driver got up and shouted for help.
Someone nearby also called for help.
At this time, two ruffian-looking men came running over from somewhere and jumped into the water without saying a word.
But before they could jump in, two figures, one in blue and one in red, rushed over from behind, kicked the two men out at the same time, and then both jumped into the pool.
"Second Young Master!" Wei Jun shouted and jumped in as well.
The driver stumbled up to the two men who had been kicked away and told them to hurry up. The two men hurriedly got up and limped away.
There was chaos all around and no one noticed their abnormality.
After a while, three men each carried a girl out of the water, and everyone was wet.
“Amitabha, Bodhisattva bless us, we finally rescued him… The onlookers all breathed a sigh of relief.
Some people also said sympathetically: "She was rescued, but it is bad for a girl to be held like this by a man."
"What's there to be sorry about? Didn't you see who those two gentlemen are? One is Mr. Zhou, and the other is Mr. Zhao. In my opinion, the girl has gotten a great bargain!" Someone else said so.
"Did you hear that? You got a great bargain." Zhao Jingyu's lips were purple from the cold, but he was still in the mood to joke with Xie Nanjia.
Xie Nanjia shivered as she nestled in Zhao Jingyu's arms. She looked over his arm at Master Zhou who was holding Zhao Lanzhi, and said in a trembling voice, "You're lucky to have such a handsome brother-in-law!"
Zhao Jingyu: "... You had expected this to happen, so you asked Zhou Yuncheng and I to follow you, right?"
Xie Nanjia smiled but said nothing.
The accident here soon spread to the banquet at the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion.
When Zhao Lanya heard that it was Zhou Yuncheng who rescued Zhao Lanzhi from the water, she felt terrible and sat there in a daze, not coming to her senses for a long time.
Qin had not understood why her daughter had instigated a conflict between Chen Rong and Zhao Lanzhi. After hearing the news, she understood everything at once. Her daughter had no intention of embarrassing Zhao Lanzhi in public, but wanted Zhao Lanzhi to return home early so that she could frame her on the way.
If her guess was correct, there should have been some questionable men waiting there in advance, but she had planned everything but had not expected that Zhao Jingyu and Young Master Zhou would just happen to pass by there... No, Zhao Jingyu and Young Master Zhou were clearly at the banquet, so why did they happen to appear there
Sleeves
It's her, it must be her!
When Qin thought of this possibility, she felt a chill down her spine.
Xiu'er must have seen through Lan Ya's plan long ago, so she deliberately asked Zhao Jingyu to lure Young Master Zhou away. In this way, Young Master Zhou would have to marry Zhao Lanzhi.
This damn girl, why is she so scary, is she a devil
Qin was so angry that her teeth were chattering. Yun Yan suddenly came over and whispered in her ear, "Madam, someone from the mansion said that the Crown Prince's wife was in trouble."
(End of this chapter)