Chapter 118.
At the window, Tangli cross her arms and dropped a faint taunt. She seemed to be smiling, but her cold eyes made Qiao Ying, who was hiding outside, smile.
Qiao Ying walked a few steps slowly, then looked back at Tang Li. She said innocently, "I didn't see anything just now, really!"
"Hehe."
Tangli's sneer made Qiao Ying feel like she was in the cold winter, and her head was holding a snowball that Tangli had mercilessly hit, and it was seeping into her bones bit by bit.
Qiao Ying shivered unconsciously, smiled apologetically and stood still.
"You come in."
"It's better not to do it. It's late at night and I'm afraid I'll disturb sister Yuan."
Tangli glanced at her and said calmly, "You'd better not let me go out to find you."
Qiao Ying smelled the danger, and with a sad face, she no longer dared to refute Tang Li's words.
She was dejected and felt that she was really unlucky. She was just so angry that she thought of coming over to the wall to scare her, but she didn't want to... but she saw the scene of the two people hugging each other, so she accidentally made a noise and was caught.
Qiao Ying walked in slowly. Liu Zhu stood up in surprise and asked, "Didn't the eldest miss just leave? Why did she come back again?"
Tangli opened the door halfway, her eyes fell on Qiao Ying's face, and explained, "Maybe something was left here."
Qiao Ying justified herself and nodded along with Tang Li's words. Now that Tang Li had opened the door, Qiao Ying had to go in no matter what she said. Otherwise, Qiao Ying had the feeling that she would be dragged into the room by the expressionless Tang Li. If that was the case, she might as well have walked in by herself.
Liu Zhu didn't become suspicious. The ladies from the Qiao family had good feelings, so she didn't think too much about it. She smiled and sat back on the stool and continued busy with her embroidery work.
With Tang Yuan in the room, she should be able to take good care of these two ladies.
She thought so, being obedient, because Liu Zhu would not enter the inner room without Tang Li's permission, let alone Tang Yuan.
When the door closed, Qiao Ying couldn't help but glance at Tang Yuan. She looked at Tang Li again and smiled subconsciously.
Tang Li hummed, "Why are you smiling?"
Qiao Ying explained: "Because I have also caught your handle, sister Yuan. In this way, the two of us can sit together and not be afraid of your threats."
Upon seeing this, Tang Yuan hurriedly said, "Miss, this is all my fault and has nothing to do with the second miss!"
After listening to Qiao Ying's words, she thought that Qiao Ying was going to complain to Mrs. Meng or Mrs. Qiao, so she didn't care to think of a solution and only thought about protecting Tangli first. Her thoughts were simple and straightforward, but they made people see Tangli's importance to her, so Tangyuan's nervousness and worry aroused Qiao Ying's kind smile.
She covered her lips with her sleeve and said jokingly, "You are a very loyal maid who wants to take the blame for your master."
Tangyuan was almost in tears. Tangli glared at Qiao Ying dissatisfied, then gently wiped her tears and said, "Don't be afraid, Yuanyuan, sister Ying won't tell others."
Tangyuan's eyelashes were soaked with tears, and her clear eyes were covered with anxiety. She asked, "Is it true? Miss, please don't lie to me."
When she heard someone at the window, she was already confused. Tangyuan was afraid that because of her, Tangli would be in danger. If Tangli was the second miss of the Qiao family, this relationship would be discovered, maybe she will only get the word "passionate" from others, but she is a girl, so it will be dangerous if her feelings are exposed.
This is their helplessness, and it is also the prison given to them by the world.
"Since you now know that you are a good citizen, don't call yourself a slave anymore." Tangli's voice was soft and gentle. She was not frightened, as if everything was under her control, and she was unpredictable. No one could guess what she was thinking.
Qiao Ying's eyes widened and she said in disbelief, "What? You said this maid is a good citizenl? Sister Yuan, did you help her recover?"
Tangli nodded and said disapprovingly, "Is there a second person?"
Qiao Ying was so surprised that she was speechless. She thought that Tangli was mainly playing around, but she was just a maid, so she could just play around. But she didn't expect that Tangli would make a move to restore her good status. From this point of view, she did not treat Tangyuan as a maid casually enjoying herself, but treated her sincerely.
"Aren't you... are you afraid that grandma will know?"
Tangli smiled and said, "Will you betray me?"
Qiao Ying replied without hesitation, "How is that possible?"
Just like when Tangli guessed Qiao Ying's thoughts about cousin Wen Xiu, Tangli never mentioned this secret to Mrs. Meng, so of course Qiao Ying would not become that treacherous villain this time.
"Then grandma won't know about this."
Qiao Ying sighed helplessly, her eyebrows a little swollen and painful, "Whoever says Qiao Er is a sensible person in the future, I will be the first to object."
How can this be sensible? She just wants to destroy this day. Compared with what happened between her and cousin Wen Xiu, it pales into insignificance.
Tangyuan's tears had stopped, but her emotional sobbing couldn't stop. She held Tangli's wrist tightly and didn't speak, but her movements had already expressed it.
"Don't be afraid." Tangli touched her hair.
She said hoarsely, "Wherever you are, I will follow you."
Qiao Ying glanced at Tang Yuan a few more times and asked, "Aren't you going to leave the house?"
She shook her head, "I won't go out, just stay with the miss."
Qiao Ying said helplessly, "Sister Yuan, it's true that you didn't tell me in advance about such a big thing. By the way, did I overhear her talking about Liang Ji?"
Tangyuan got the hint from Tangli's eyes, and she said slowly, "I heard this from the master. I walked past the rockery in the garden and saw the master and a strange man. I thought they would leave soon, so I stayed where I was and waited, never expecting to hear about the slave."
Tang Li smiled fondly and said, "You still call yourself a slave?"
"It's not a problem, I don't care about this."
Qiao Ying took a breath and asked suspiciously, "What are you doing if my dad checks you out?"
Tang Yuan obviously didn't know the reason, "Then the strange man said that the slave and the miss were born on the same day, same month, and same year."
"What a coincidence!"
Tang Yuan smiled, pursed her lips, and said, "Yes, I think it's a coincidence."
Suddenly, Qiao Ying narrowed her eyes and pointed at the two of them, "Could it be that you two hugged each other wrongly? It's just like a story book I read before, which contained this kind of story." After she finished speaking, she even thought it was funny, waved her hands and said, "How is this possible? That's just a script."
Tangyuan was shocked and broke into a sweat, mainly because Qiao Ying's expression just now was so sure, as if it was the truth and not her guess.
She covered her chest, "You girls from the Qiao family love to scare people."
Qiao Ying curled her lips, clasped her waist with both hands and said, "I, Qiao Ying, am a good person, how can I be like Qiao Yuan, a wilted bad girl."
Tangli was surprised that Qiao Ying had such an open mind that she guessed it right.
She smiled lightly, "Haha."
Qiao Ying couldn't help but shuddered again, and said in horror, "Your smile is a bit scary."
It is not suitable to stay here for a long time. After everything that needs to be said has been said clearly, Qiao Ying is still thinking about important things tomorrow.
"Sister Yuan, I have to go back. You should give me something as a gift this time."
Tangli responded, "Okay."
After the two of them left, Tang Yuan sat quietly on the soft couch, her eyes dull and her eyebrows a little sad. Without her faint smile, she became lost at this moment.
She suddenly felt that she was a drag, and it was her appearance that had caused the current predicament. Without her, the second miss of the Qiao family would have married Lu Mingzhi, who she was already engaged to, and become a couple of gods in the eyes of the world, because without someine like her she won't love her, so they become a couple of gods and immortals.
Tang Yuan forced a smile, and her dark and deep eyes showed a chill. She just thought about it in her heart, and felt a burst of pain. She couldn't help but spurn her random thoughts. Since she had already appeared, it was impossible. If she leaves again, her people can only belong to her, and no one can take them away.
The approaching footsteps made her raise her head, look at Tang Li, then smiled and called "Miss."
Tangli was covered in air-conditioning, and the night wind was very cold. Tangyuan spread out her arms and threw herself into her arms to help Tangli warm her body. She leaned her face on Tangli's shoulder and whispered softly, "While you are not here, I miss you so much."
Faced with her clinginess, Tang Li enjoyed it, "Me too."
Tang Yuan acted coquettishly with a soft voice, her eyes were burning, and her face was hot as she said, "I want to kiss you."
Tang Li raised her dark eyes and teased, "Yuan Yuan can do whatever she wants, no need to ask me."
As soon as she made a move, she suddenly thought of the window. Tang Yuan turned her head and looked at the window without folding forks, "I almost forgot about this."
Tang Yuan was really frightened by Qiao Ying and had a certain shadow of the window.
When she closed the window, she looked around and was relieved when she saw that there was no movement.
Tang Yuan stroked her chest, "It can finally be quiet now."
Tangli lay on her side with her head in her hands and smiled at her. She smiled and suddenly couldn't help but lie on the soft couch and started laughing.
"What are you doing!"
She laughed so hard that Tangli couldn't find the answer.
She suppressed her smile and explained, "Maybe it's because Yuanyuan is so cute."
Tang Yuan trotted over, squatted beside the soft couch and covered her lips, and said angrily, "You are not allowed to laugh at the slave."
Tang Li looked at her deeply, then held her wrist tightly, stood up and pulled her up, "Didn't you just say you wanted to kiss me? You can do it now."
"Miss is too impatient."
Tangli simply didn't wait for her and kissed her on her own initiative.
The words were blocked by a kiss, making Tang Yuan couldn't help but grasp the skirt of her clothes.
It's quiet between heaven and earth, no one will disturb them anymore, they can have a happy kiss.
This is their right.
*
Spring is warm and flowers are blooming, all things are revived, and the spring breeze blowing in the face seems to have the smell of warm sunshine and floral fragrance.
At the gate of Wen Mansion, two stone lions are powerful and domineering, and the carvings are lifelike. This shows that these objects are extraordinary and the prosperity of Wen Mansion.
Three or five carriages stopped, and the servants of the Wen family were leading the horses in an orderly manner, planning to lead them to the stables for feeding.
Mrs. Meng was sick, and Mrs. Qiao didn't like to join in the fun, so she just got sick too. Fortunately, Qiao Ying and Tangli were already grown girls, so the Wen family wouldn't ignore them if they went to a banquet together as sisters.
Tangli got off the carriage, and her outstanding appearance easily caught the attention of others. It's not that other girls are not beautiful, but her beauty has the most sultry ability.
Qiao Ying said nervously, "Sister Yuan, what do you think of my makeup?"
That night Qiao Ying discovered Tang Li's secret. When Tang Li sent her away, the two had a heart-to-heart talk. Just as Tang Li didn't understand her feelings for cousin Wen Xiu, so did Qiao Ying, but they had a tacit understanding. They reached an agreement, that is to keep the secret.
Tang Li looked at it carefully, without any intention of perfunctory, "In one word, beautiful."
Qiao Ying was filled with joy and could not hide the joy in her eyes. She pouted and said dissatisfiedly, "With you by my side, I can't afford such a beautiful word."
Tang Li sneered lightly, taking Liu Zhu and Tang Yuan into the Wen Mansion, and was really in no mood to deal with Qiao Ying's strange aura.
Qiao Ying happened to be a master who was not afraid of cold faces, so she followed Tang Li again with a smile.
In the eyes of outsiders, the sisters of the Qiao family are polite and generous, the eldest sister is gentle and elegant, and Tangli is a stunning beauty. After they got hairpins, they became so popular that their doorsteps were almost trampled on.
When Lu Manpei heard the maid's voice, she looked towards Tang Li, her eyes moved slightly, she covered her lips with a handkerchief and said, "Go and let Yuan Bao know."
Lu Manpei is Lu Mingzhi's sister. She should have waited for her brother to get married before she, as a sister, could get married. But Lu Mingzhi is weak, and the Lu family cannot urge Tang Li to get married. After all, Qiao Zhenshan and others are still in Mobei, so the marriage has been delayed again and again. If the eldest son's marriage fails, the marriage of the younger daughter Lu Manpei cannot be allowed to have another accident. After thinking about it, she then agreed to her husband's family's proposal and let her get married last year.
The Lu family is not from Yuzhou. They live in Xiangcheng, which is not far away. They are from a scholarly family. Their ancestors served as high officials in the capital. Later, they retired and returned to Xiangcheng. From then on, the most promising member of the Lu family was Lu Mingzhi. His father was a scholar and stayed to teach at Xiangcheng Academy, so the Lu family and the Wen family had some friendship, because the Changqing Academy in Yuzhou was run by the Wen family.
"Qiao Er!"
A female voice stopped Lu Manpei from talking to Tangli. Tangli turned to look at her and smiled, "She's the birthday girl."
Wen Xiu was born delicate and beautiful, with a strong scholarly temperament, and she smiled, "It feels like I haven't seen you for a long time."
Qiao Ying said, "She has been staying at home since she came back from Mobei. It's been a long time since you two have seen each other."
"Yes."
The girls were in groups, so pretty and lively that Lu Mingzhi, who was standing on the attic, could not regain his consciousness for a long time.
Wang Yun, who was talking to him, followed his gaze downstairs and smiled heartily.
Lu Mingzhi shook his folding fan when he heard Wang Yun's laughter. He had a plan in mind. Through the conversation just now, he found that he was not as knowledgeable as Wang Yun, which made him angry. However, the laughter downstairs rekindled Lu Mingzhi's hope.
He pretended to use a folding fan to block the warm sun. Wang Yun no longer paid attention to the downstairs because Lu Mingzhi's words made Wang Yun more interested. Lu Mingzhi said, "Maybe it is a bit dazzling and makes me unable to see clearly. Brother Wang sit down, I have something to tell you."
He said this deliberately, just to pave the way for the next words.
He said, "Brother Wang, they all say that you are very lucky. It is only because of living in Miss Wen's house that you are where you are now. But in my humble opinion, I am not worse than you."
Wang Yun was Wen Xiu's cousin. After his parents passed away, the old slave took him to Wen's Mansion and stayed there for seven or eight years.
All the classmates in the college knew this matter well. Wang Yun never felt that it was a loss of face. He was deeply grateful to the Wen family. As Lu Mingzhi said, without the Wen family, he would not be where he is today.
The two of them were not familiar with each other, but since they were scholars, Wang Yun thought that they might have similar interests, so they chatted for a few words.
Wang Yun advanced and retreated politely, "What Brother Lu said is true. I will repay my aunt and uncle well. But there is something unclear. Brother Lu's parents are still alive and he is not living under the influence of others. Why do you say you are no worse than me?"
Lu Mingzhi's proud smile froze, and he closed the folding fan angrily. He was angry at Wang Yun who didn't understand sense of proportion, and said coldly, "You have a cousin as your confidante, but my fiancée Qiao Er is not any worse than your cousin. Her family background doesn't matter if it's good or not, the most important thing is to look great. I'm not talking about my parents, do you understand?"
Wang Yun silently withdrew his gentle look at Lu Mingzhi. He bowed and said with a smile, "Brother Lu, the smell of medicine is pungent to my nose. I can't believe that even the words you uttered are so disgusting. My cousin and I are in love, how can I let a little kid like you do slander her at will? It's such a pity that Miss Qiao has a fiancé like you."
Lu Mingzhi was furious. He was willing to chat with Wang Yunqian just for the sake of the Wen family. Now that a down-and-out scholar whom he looked down upon dared to accuse him, Lu Mingzhi would naturally not let him go.
He held the folding fan in his hand and trembled. He was about to curse, but suddenly he coughed. That was because the tip of Lu Mingzhi's nose smelled the fragrance again. This was different from the fragrance of flowers in the garden. It was a smell that Lu Mingzhi would find difficult to forget. So this time he wanted to find the source of the smell, but his body couldn't help him distract himself. He bent over and coughed loudly. His whole neck seemed to be strangled by someone, as if he couldn't breathe, which caused his face to be red and his lips to be red. The petals glowed with an unhealthy color, which frightened the Yuan Bao who was glaring at Wang Yun and suddenly lost his arrogance.
Speaking of the appearance of this fragrance, Lu Mingzhi had to thank his sister who was eager to help him.
Previously, Lu Manpei wanted the maid to send a message to Yuan Bao, and then Lu Mingzhi came to Tangli in person. However, Tangli was now surrounded by Wen Xiu and others, and could not get away to see Lu Mingzhi for a while.
A few days ago, Lu Mingzhi made a fool of himself at the Qiao family. Lu Manpei couldn't help but get angry when she learned about it. The Qiao family always didn't mention marriage, so there must be something else. Now Lu Mingzhi's illness happened for no reason, which is likely to make the Qiao family even more worried about Lu Mingzhi's health, and the hope of this marriage becoming even more slim.
Therefore, she specially prepared two gifts for Wen Xiu's birthday party this time, one from Lu Mingzhi and one from her husband's family. Lu Manpei sent someone to ask and knew that the Qiao family would come, so she came to the birthday party to congratulate Wen Xiu is fake, but coming to see Tangli is real.
In order to worry about her brother's marriage, Lu Manpei was also full of complaints. She felt that the Qiao family was high-spirited and that Lu Mingzhi was not living up to expectations, but there was nothing she could do. If she couldn't handle this matter in Yuzhou, she would be wrong when Lu Mingzhi returned home, parents will probably write another letter to scold her.
Lu Manpei made an excuse and said it would be better to go up to the attic to see the scenery. Wen Xiu agreed because she knew Wang Yun was also in the attic.
Seeing this scene, Tang Li couldn't help but ask 001 to search for Lu Mingzhi's location. She was used to being cautious. There must be something wrong with Lu Manpei's sudden enthusiasm. After listening to 001's answer, Tang Li smiled more and more beautifully.
Isn't it just to go to the attic? That's it.
What does someone give you a pillow as soon as you doze off?
Today, Tangli had to run into such a good thing.
She heard Lu Mingzhi's words clearly. Not only her, but everyone present heard them clearly.
His words were full of disdain and arrogance towards Tangli. In Lu Mingzhi's heart, Tangli was not a living person, but an object used for comparison and to satisfy his desire to win or lose.
His inferiority complex led to all of this. When he couldn't compare with others in everything, he suddenly had Tangli that was enough to crush others. He was elated and complacent, and he couldn't wait to show it off.
It is Wang Yun who really cares about people, not him.
So Tang Li quickly opened Tang Yuan's sachet behind her, twisted out some, and took out a handkerchief to wipe her tears. She threw it towards Lu Mingzhi's position and asked angrily, "Mr. Lu, you really disappoint me. We have a good marriage between our two surnames. It is a matchmaker's words. I don't ask you to be deeply affectionate to me, but what about you? Extremely frivolous, despicable and obscene! You can point out women's affairs at will, which shows that you don't take me to heart. Mr. Lu, I think it's better to let this marriage go and save you from insulting me!"
As she spoke, her eyes turned red, and she said apologetically to Wen Xiu, "I'm sorry because I disturbed your birthday party, but Wen Xiu, I have my backbone. If I didn't say this, I'm afraid I'll get sick from holding it in. As for what happened today, I'll come see you another day with a heavy gift. Forgive me for not being idle at this time, so I'll take my leave."
Although Tang Li's eyes were red, her reason was still there. She scolded Lu Mingzhi with her words, causing some people to silently approve her words.
Qiao Ying pointed at Lu Mingzhi, who was still coughing, and sneered, "Look at you, a sick man, you are not satisfied with this marriage. I want to see who the Lu family can find to marry without this marriage."
She supported Tang Li and gouged out Lu Mingzhi while protecting her shortcomings.
Wen Xiu's pretty face turned cold, and she comforted Tang Li, "It's okay. Don't be sad. Qiao Ying, please take Qiao Er back first."
Seeing Wen Xiu protecting them in this way, Qiao Ying's jealousy towards her suddenly disappeared. When she heard what Wang Yun said, she was so uncomfortable that she could hardly hold on to her smile. But now Wen Xiu's behavior made Qiao Ying unable to bear it. Her eyes couldn't help but moisten.
She knew that Tang Li did it on purpose. This was an excellent opportunity. If she grabbed it tightly, she might be able to get out of this terrible marriage.
But Wang Yun's concern for Wen Xiu was not fake, so Qiao Ying suddenly understood through tears that her love could end.
She said tremblingly, "Okay."
Lu Manpei was in a state of confusion. She held the maid's hand tightly and managed to stand firm.
She glanced at Lu Mingzhi angrily. She couldn't scold him. Not only could she not scold him, she also had to deal with this mess for Lu Mingzhi.
It's just that mud can't hold up the wall. I've told you long ago that this is Yuzhou, not Xiangcheng, so be content and don't listen to anything you say. It's fine now. It's too late to listen.
The group of people got on the carriage, Tang Li put down the handkerchief to cover her tears, smiled Qiao Qiao, and looked at each other with Tang Yuan in tacit understanding.
Qiao Ying pursed her lips, "You were crying because you were pretending."
But my discomfort is real.
"Forget it, I cry for you."
Tang Yuan blinked blankly and asked Tang Li silently.
Tangli's eyes were still as moist as before, looking passionate. She touched Tangyuan's hair, "Sister Ying is happy for me, celebrating that I finally found a chance to break up with Lu Mingzhi."
Qiao Ying's crying stopped suddenly, and she was so angry that she picked up the handkerchief and threw it at her, laughing and scolding, "Please, please say something that people can listen to!"
Tang Yuan covered her mouth and snickered, "A bad girl!"