Chapter 168 The Second Young Lady of the Marquis of Nanping

In the most bustling teahouse in the capital, "Wang Baxian," business was booming as usual, with people chattering and the storyteller on the first floor speaking with great enthusiasm.

Disguised as an ordinary tea drinker, Lu Yun Chu sat at a table in the corner of the teahouse, quietly drinking tea, occasionally joining the other tea drinkers in calling out "Good!" in the direction of the storyteller.

He seemed to be enjoying listening to the story, but in reality, he was constantly listening to the conversations of the tea drinkers around him.

If you want to find out the latest gossip in the city, there is no better place than the most bustling teahouse in the capital.

In the time it takes to drink two cups of tea, he heard several rumors circulating among the noble families of the capital. They were all about which young master had taken a fancy to a courtesan from Furong Tower and redeemed her, and now the inner quarters were filled with jealousy and quarrels every day.

Or perhaps it's about a patriarch keeping a mistress, and his wife, a shrew, leading a group of people to find the mistress's place, dragging her out, and disciplining her in the street, etc.

Seeing that the storyteller had finished his tale, and several groups of tea drinkers had come and gone, he was about to leave, feeling rather disinterested, when he heard someone at the next table stand up and call out to a middle-aged man who had just entered the teahouse:

"Cousin, we're here."

The people sitting next to him stood up and warmly welcomed the middle-aged man to sit down.

"Cousin, as the second steward of the Prince Cheng'an's mansion, you must be extremely busy lately. Please sit down and have some tea."

"Waiter, bring me a pot of your best tea!"

Immediately, a waiter's enthusiastic and loud voice announced: "Coming!"

The middle-aged man sat down with a flourish, casually wiping non-existent sweat from his forehead. At the eager urging of the others, he slowly picked up his teacup, drank a cup, and then put it down, saying:

"How could we not be busy? Our young master's marriage to the second young lady of the Nanping Marquis's mansion has been arranged, and these past two days, the concubine has been busy preparing the betrothal gifts. We, the personal servants, are certainly running around like headless chickens!"

Just as Lu Yunqi was about to leave, he heard the words "Second Miss of the Marquis of Nanping" and immediately sat down without making a sound.

engagement?

His young master?

The people just now called that man the second steward of the Prince Cheng'an's mansion. Could his young master be Li Chen, the fourth son of the Prince Cheng'an?

The second young lady of the Nanping Earl's Mansion is none other than his fiancée, Yu Qingyan, in her maternal family. So what's the story behind this engagement?

Qingyan has already married into the General's Mansion, so why is there a "Second Miss" now? Could it be that this person just said it wrong?

The Earl of Nanping and his wife had three children: their eldest son, Yu Qingyun; their second daughter, Yu Qingyan; and their third daughter, Yu Qingying.

In addition, there is a concubine's daughter who is not yet ten years old, and no other children.

A voice came from the next seat: "This second young lady of the Nanping Marquis's mansion is really lucky. Last year, she almost married into the Ningyuan General's mansion and became a widow. Fortunately, the Nanping Marquis took back his third daughter, whom he had been raising outside, and claimed that she was the legitimate daughter born to his first wife. She replaced the second young lady and married into the General's mansion, which saved the second young lady."

"Who can argue with that? No wonder they say the Second Miss is so lucky. Her fortunes have turned around, and she's even managed to marry into the Cheng'an Prince's Mansion. It's a great honor for the Nanping Earl's Mansion to marry into the Prince's Mansion. Who in the entire capital doesn't know that the Cheng'an Prince's most beloved sons are this Fourth Young Master and his mother, Consort Min?"

The voice of the second steward of the Prince's mansion: "Our Prince and Consort attach great importance to this marriage, and the betrothal gifts have been prepared in a generous manner, which has kept us errand runners very busy."

“Since you’re busy, cousin, the things we asked you to do are minor matters. We can talk about them after you’ve finished this busy period. Come, let’s have another drink.”

The second steward of the Prince's mansion picked up a piece of food from the table and put it in his mouth, saying, "You don't need to worry. I said I would help you with a job in the Prince's mansion, and I will definitely do it. Just be patient and wait. I will definitely arrange it for you within ten days at most. The young master's wedding is set for four months from now, so we will be busy for a while."

"Then we'll wait for our cousin's good news."

The group seemed quite satisfied with the words of the second steward of the Prince's mansion, and after a moment they began to flatter him:

“Once the second young lady of the Earl’s Mansion marries into the Prince’s Mansion, our young master will have a powerful in-law family to support him, and with the concubine whispering sweet nothings in the prince’s ear, the position of the Prince’s heir will fall into the young master’s hands sooner or later.”

"At that time, my cousin's status as a favorite of the imperial concubine will naturally rise, and we brothers will rely on his promotions."

Several people started to jeering, while the prince's steward maintained a composed demeanor.

"Don't talk nonsense. If this gets out, it will be considered making unwarranted comments about imperial relatives."

"Yes, yes, we're brothers, that's why we say such things. We would never say anything like that outside."

As the group chatted over tea, Lu Yunqi's mind was in turmoil.

Sisters marrying in place of each other?

Could it be that the woman who married into the general's mansion was not his fiancée Yu Qingyan, but someone else?

Lu Yunqi drank his tea expressionlessly, but a closer look revealed that his hand, gripping the teacup, was white from clenching it.

If what they said is true, then the person he met was not his supposed fiancée Yu Qingyan, but another daughter of the Earl of Nanping.

So, on the carriage, he slipped the red coral earring, the keepsake from years ago, into her hand, thinking she had recognized it and that's why she helped him. But it seems that wasn't the case.

But if that's not the case, why would she help me?

He had planned to sneak into the Nanping Earl's mansion tonight to see his father-in-law, but it seems he'll have to rethink his plans.

I thought that anyone who was willing to keep their promise and marry their daughter into the general's mansion at that time must be a chivalrous and trustworthy person.

But right now, he needs to be more cautious.

Those people were still chatting enthusiastically.

Lu Yunqi stood up, placed a silver ingot on the table, and left.

The following evening, Lu Yunqi appeared in an inconspicuous little village on the outskirts of town.

He was dressed just like any other farmer in the village, with a hoe on his shoulder, clearly indicating that he had finished working in the fields and was heading home.

He walked to a small, simple courtyard at the northernmost end of the village. The courtyard had no gate, so he could just walk in.

A young farm woman was sitting on a small stool in the yard picking wild vegetables when she looked up, saw him, smiled, and stood up.

"Husband, you're back. Dinner is ready. Let me fetch you some water to wash up."

Lu Yunqi washed his hands with the help of the woman, and the two entered the house one after the other.

The woman brought out the food and placed it on a mottled little table in the middle of the kang (a heated brick bed). It was an ordinary farm meal: a few multigrain flatbreads, two bowls of porridge, and a plate of pickled vegetables.

Lu Yunqi picked up his chopsticks, took two bites, and asked:

"Luo Yi, have Qingzhu and the others come back while I've been away these past few days?"

Luo Yi: "They returned two days ago. I followed my husband's instructions and had them leave here first, waiting for us in that small town to the north. Husband, have you taken care of everything? Tell me when we're leaving so I can pack in advance."

Lu Yunqi frowned and said, "Luo Yi, how many times have I told you, in front of others you call me husband, but when it's just the two of us, you call me young master."