Su Qing came back today after eating and drinking. When she came back, she saw Ali still sitting in the yard drinking tea, as if nothing had happened.
But the person serving her became Mother Li, not Mingyue as before.
"Oh, it's so peaceful today." Su Qing came in and said with a smile.
Aliman glanced at him and said, "You're back so soon? I thought I had to spend the night outside."
They had already thoroughly investigated Liang Jin's character before they returned home, so they could easily guess where he would take Su Qing today.
Su Qing said with a smile: "I was supposed to be back tomorrow, but aren't you afraid that your wife will be jealous?"
"Go away. What's that smell?" Ali frowned.
"The smell of perfumed powder, your brother's confidants, they smell really good."
"Wash your clothes and change them, or don't get in my sight."
"I'll go wash it right away." Su Qing went there quickly.
Mother Li was terrified as she listened to this. Su Qing was the third son of the Jinghou Mansion, and even if Liang Ruoli was the principal wife, she would never dare to speak to her husband like that, not to mention that the lady called her a concubine.
Madam must have made a mistake.
Ali glanced at her calmly, "You don't have to guess. I'm not the young lady of the Marquis's Mansion, but I can take care of a few women in the inner house by myself. It doesn't matter whether he comes or not."
Mother Li had a sad face. Her dislocated arm had been healed, but she could not leave Qingyuan and had to be attended to personally. She also instructed the housekeeper to send a few sensible people over.
After Han returned, her face turned pale and she was stunned for a long time before she came to her senses.
It was not until she heard that Liang Zhiyuan had returned home that she came back to her senses from her fright, and then she began to put on powder and cry in front of the dressing table.
As soon as Liang Zhiyuan entered the mansion, a maid came to complain that the lady had been beaten in Qingyuan.
Liang Zhiyuan went to Ningyuan Marquis' Mansion today and found out that Su Qing had never been married, which meant that A'li was not the young lady of Jinghou Mansion.
He felt fooled, and came back angrily only to hear Han being slapped by Liang Ruoli. He was so angry that he went to his head. When he entered the house, he saw Han applying powder hard to cover up the finger marks on her face.
"What's going on?" Liang Zhiyuan asked.
When Han saw him coming back, she quickly wiped her tears and forced a smile, "It's okay, the perfume powder got into my eyes."
Liang Zhiyuan looked at her swollen face and became furious. This was not a slap on Han's face, but a slap on his face.
He held Han's hand and said with gritted teeth, "I have found out everything. Su Qing has never married. Su Qing even lied to me. Don't feel bad. I will go find her when I get back."
"Don't go." Han hurriedly stopped him, choking with sobs, "Although she is not the young lady of the Marquis's Mansion now, Su Qing came back with her, and there is no guarantee that she will marry Su Qing in the future. For the sake of the master's future, what's the big deal if I suffer a little grievance?"
Liang Zhiyuan said sternly, "If you just listen to a few bland words, it would be fine. You are her stepmother. If she hits you, it is treason. Since she has never married, she belongs to my Liang Mansion. As a father, I punish her. What can Su Qing say? He was born in a marquis's mansion and should be strictly disciplined. If he is sensible, he should not interfere."
Although Han was nearly forty years old, she had taken good care of herself over the years and looked like she was in her early thirties. Her appearance was outstanding. When she cried, she looked like a pear blossom in the rain. "Master, please bear with it for now. You can ask Su Qing for the marriage first. If Su Qing agrees, the matter will be over. If she doesn't agree, we can talk about it later. What can compare with your future? I was wrong today. I shouldn't have provoked her. I thought that when she came back, we could have a good talk and resolve the past grudges. I also explained the matter of her biological mother. But I never thought that she would hit me. It shows that she has a deep misunderstanding of me. If you blame her again, wouldn't it deepen the misunderstanding? If she really marries into the Marquis' Mansion in the future, how can she be used to speak for you?"
Liang Zhiyuan listened to Han's words and thought about it. It seemed that he had to find Su Qing to ask for clarification. If he had no intention of marrying A Li, then he could not tolerate this tone.
That night, he prepared wine and food and asked someone to invite Su Qing to come over for a drink.
Su Qing smiled and said to A Li: "I didn't expect you to be so well entertained. I would have come more often if I had known."
Ali glanced at him calmly, "Then you stay here and don't follow me."
"I'm not here with you. I'm here on official business, understand? I was ordered to investigate the prefect of Cizhou. Don't forget that the princess was falsely accused of being a vixen before. The rumor came from Cizhou, and it was the prefect of Cizhou who wrote to the court."
"There's no need to investigate. He was just being used by someone. As soon as the news broke, his memorial arrived in the capital. It's clear that he was just trying to please certain people. In the end, the plan didn't work out, and he didn't make any achievements. Now he's just making plans everywhere."
"That's not important, what's important is that he participated."
Ali smiled, "Yes, if you participated, you would have an excuse. It is a serious crime to frame the regent princess of the dynasty."
"Well, that's why I'm going to the banquet tonight. I have to make a show of force and get some benefits."
Su Qing said this and walked away shaking his head.
Ali stared at his back in a daze, and always felt that Su Qing was a little different from before. He no longer had the elegant air, but instead had a bit more of a ruffian air.
However, this was more to her liking; it looked too noble and made her feel alienated.
Liang Zhiyuan was so angry that he came to entertain Su Qing, so he didn't have time to exchange polite words and went straight to the point. "General Su, I heard that you haven't married yet. I don't know what's going on between you and Ali? Ali is my eldest daughter after all. It's not good for her to follow you without any status or position. You also had an engagement before. I wonder what the Marquis would say about this? Do you have any plans when you come back with Ali this time?"
Su Qing smiled and drank a glass of wine, looking at the red crabapple trees in the yard illuminated by the lanterns. "To be honest, I asked A-li to marry me many times, but she refused. I had no choice but to chase her to Cizhou. Of course, I came to Cizhou not only to chase A-li, but also because I was ordered to do so."
"By order?"
Liang Zhiyuan was confused after hearing the first half, and then he panicked again after hearing the second half, "I don't know what this is about? Who is ordering this?"
Su Qing looked at him, "My Lord, do you remember the rumor a while ago that the princess was a reincarnated fox spirit? Later it was confirmed that this was a pure false accusation. The prince was furious and asked me to come to Cizhou to find out where this rumor came from. It was so big that he asked my Lord to write a letter to the court to calm the people's speculation."
Liang Zhiyuan's expression changed slightly, "Is this matter something that the prince wants to investigate?"
"Of course. The emperor is still ill, so the affairs of the court are still in the hands of the prince for the time being."
(End of this chapter)