Synopsis: [Main text finished] [Resilient Farm Girl vs. Venomous Aristocrat]
"She's nothing but a lowly farm girl exploiting kindness for gain, utterly beneath me. How could she ever ...
Chapter 50 Chapter 50 "I really won't run away again."...
The secret investigation was discovered by the real person, and the Cai brothers and sisters reacted very differently.
The brother's eyes flickered at first, revealing a sense of guilt, but then he noticed that Zhang Jingxian was smiling at him. His throat tightened, his self-confidence soared, and his gaze became more presumptuous.
He said, how could a woman walking with a group of soldiers be the concubine of Lord Xie? She must be a maid or a half-servant trained by a noble family.
Although, he could sense at first glance that she did not have that disciplined temperament, but instead exuded a kind of aura that really made him itch... Cai Xiang inexplicably thought of the deep mountains where he had gone on horseback with a few friends a few days ago.
What hits you is a vigorous and fresh breath.
Compared with her brother Cai Xiang, her sister Cai Shu's reaction seemed much more decent.
Also realizing that the woman riding in the same carriage with Envoy Xie was not who she had imagined, she covered her face with her hands and smiled politely.
Turning around and looking at her brother, Cai Shu felt even more relieved. A woman who wanted to show goodwill to her brother could never become a threat to her.
She took a few quick steps to catch up with her father, and the jade ornaments on her body made a clear and pleasant sound of clinking.
Then, Cai Shu saw that Envoy Xie, who was talking with Mr. Zi Ji with a smile in front of him, suddenly stopped, and his deep black eyes seemed to look in her direction.
Xie Envoy noticed her!
Cai Shu was overjoyed, but she forced herself to suppress her excitement, half lowering her graceful neck and acting shy and timid.
Zhang Jingxian also noticed this brief pause and relaxed a little silently. Fortunately, no one was looking at her, so her deliberate action just now should not have been noticed by Xie Yun.
"Yu, it's still early. After the welcoming banquet is over, can we go for a walk and a stroll in Wuling City?" She was a new guest and didn't understand some of the rules yet. She whispered to Yi Yu if she could go outside the manor.
After saying this, perhaps realizing that there was a misunderstanding in her words, Zhang Jingxian quickly emphasized that she would not escape secretly.
"My dear husband, since you don't want me to embarrass him, I'm going to go to the city to buy some clothes." In the Cai family manor, every servant was wearing brocade clothes. She knew that she could no longer wear her coarse linen skirt, otherwise she would attract a lot of strange looks.
Her uncle taught her that when she was out, she should keep a low profile, but she must not make herself an "outlier".
In their previous life, they had galloped all the way back to Changling County. As soon as Zhang Jingxian entered the Xie Mansion, the well-trained maids placed a variety of clothes, dresses, and jewelry in front of her for her to choose from, so she didn't have to worry about having nothing to wear.
Upon hearing this, Yi Yu nodded in understanding, but being cautious, he still did not agree outright. Instead, he said that they needed to wait until the banquet was over. "Then Madam Zhang can ask the envoy if she can go out."
"The envoy may be busy with other things and may not be able to spare time to pay attention to me. Otherwise, maybe you can have another person to accompany me?"
"this……"
Yi Yu was a little hesitant. If more people followed, it would be unlikely for Madam Zhang to escape, but he was afraid that if something went wrong, they could not afford the envoy's anger.
"Yu, I really won't run away. If you're worried, I can let you hold my bow and arrow." Zhang Jingxian insisted, looking at him sincerely. As long as she made a promise, she would not lie.
Their eyes met, and Zhang Jingxian, without the slightest hesitation, handed him her short bow and the bag of wooden arrows. This was her sincerity, wasn't it? Ahead, surrounded by people and a moderate distance, though abrupt, Xie Yun paused, turned around, and fixed his cold gaze precisely on her outstretched hand.
He was too tall. Even with so many people between them, Zhang Jingxian subconsciously looked up when she sensed danger, and her eyes immediately met a pair of gloomy black eyes.
Her chest suddenly felt tight, and after confirming that Xie Yun was looking at her this time, she silently withdrew her extended hand.
Yi Yu, who also realized something was wrong, lowered his head and distanced himself from her.
"Prime Minister Xie praised you for your youthful ability to subdue a fierce horse. But today, you have a leg injury and can't even get on the horse. You scoundrel, you are truly despicable."
Xu Ziji learned from Xie Yun that Xie Yun had his legs injured by thieves, so he had to sit in the carriage and let Chen Junshou and others ride horses to protect him. He felt a liking for him but also a little indignant.
Originally, Mr. Xu thought that after he scolded the thief, he would be thanked by him, but unexpectedly, the easy-going and polite Envoy Xie suddenly turned around and stared at a woman.
"Envoy?" Seeing this, Xu Ziji frowned. Losing focus while talking to someone was not something a young man from a noble family should do.
Especially, the person he was looking at was a woman.
"Huh? Why is Madam Zhang the last one to come? Since Mr. Ziji mentioned the thief, he must meet Madam Zhang." At that moment, Gong Chengyue spoke with a smile and responded to Xu Ziji's question.
Upon hearing this, County Magistrate Chen and others looked at each other in confusion. The thief who murdered Envoy Xie was related to a girl?
"Ah Xian, come here." Xie Yun stared coldly at the dishonest peasant girl as she put the short bow and cloth bag back in place, and gave her an order.
The sound reached Zhang Jingxian's ears. It was not very loud, but it was as sharp as a long sword, cutting through the air around her.
Her body paused slightly, and she walked silently, passing Yi Yu, Xie, Cai Hui and his children, Chen Junshou, then Gong Chengyue and an old gentleman with white hair and beard, and finally stopped in front of Xie Yun.
"My dear, you called me. What do you want me to do for you?" She lowered her eyes, looking a little embarrassed and nervous.
"This is Madam Zhang, the savior of our envoy. Mr. Ziji, don't underestimate her because she is a woman. She is not only good at hunting, but also very brave and strong. She single-handedly rescued the unconscious envoy from the mountain." Gong Chengyue explained Zhang Jingxian's identity to everyone before Xie Yun could speak.
Thank you for your life-saving benefactor, even if she is a woman, even if her behavior is vulgar and she doesn't know etiquette, everyone present must respect and praise her honestly.
"Madam Zhang is so righteous!" As expected, the first thing County Magistrate Chen said was words of praise for Zhang Jingxian, and his eyes were full of admiration when he looked at her.
Xu Ziji no longer had any resentment. After taking a look at Zhang Jingxian, he said, "Your Excellency must repay me handsomely for saving my life."
"Mr. Ziji is right. Therefore, I have recruited Ah Xian as my disciple. When we return to Changling, I will allow her to display her talents and ambitions." Xie Yun replied calmly. Then, looking straight at the girl standing with her hands hanging down, he reminded her word by word, "Ah Xian, remember to put away your bow and arrow. Before leaving home, your uncle repeatedly reminded you not to forget his instructions."
When he mentioned the word bow and arrow, he gritted his teeth and emphasized his tone.
"Yes." Zhang Jingxian heard a sharp chill, pulled her lips, and calmed down.
Next, she walked to Xie Yun's side, only half a step behind Mr. Zi Ji.
A series of measured gazes swept over her subtly. Zhang Jingxian wanted to repeat the same trick and fall behind again to stay with Xie, Yi Yu and others.
But this time, no one would take the position she gave up, and even if she slowed down, others would slow down as well.
In the end, when they sat down at the banquet, she was even seated just below Xie Yun, with County Magistrate Chen's seat not even as close as hers. As for the owners of the manor, Cai Hui and his family, they sat at the bottom.
Zhang Jingxian lost the chance to stand with Yi Yu and the others, and she felt uncomfortable all over. She had no one to talk to, so she could only sip the fruit drink at the table with a blank face.
Halfway through, the singing, dancing and string music that Cai Hui had prepared were about to begin, but she showed no interest at all. She kept her head down the whole time and looked a little at a loss.
The only thing that made her feel at ease was that Xie Yun never looked at her again after introducing her identity. After observing her words and expressions, Chen Junshou and others all agreed that she was indeed just a guest who was valued by Envoy Xie because of his kindness.
Cai Shu's heart rose again, then quietly subsided. Although female guests were rare, they did exist.
Soon, Cai Hui suggested that his daughter play the zither for Xie Shijun at the banquet. The melodious sound of the zither pushed the atmosphere of the banquet to a climax.
It sounded quite nice. Zhang Jingxian praised the Cai family girl's piano skills in her heart while pouring herself a glass of fruit drink.
Still without looking up, she was like a fat squirrel in Yangshan, holding the ceramic cup and drinking the sweet and sour liquid in it clean.
She was in a good mood at this time, after all, the sound of the piano played by the girl from the Cai family was indeed pleasant.
"You play the piano well." After the song ended, the cold and indifferent Envoy Xie also gave a high evaluation.
Hearing this, Cai Hui was overjoyed and immediately asked his daughter to kneel down and thank Xie Yun.
"Thank you for your kindness, my lord. I am willing to stay by your side forever and play the zither for you day and night."
After her father finished saying this, Cai Shu stood up from behind the piano and bowed to the tall man at the top.
The movements are beautiful, like flowing clouds and running water.
Zhang Jingxian felt a little regretful that she couldn't see it, and at the same time, she lowered her head even lower.
"No need. I have no shortage of musicians in my house." Amid the anticipation of Cai Hui, Cai Shu and others, Xie Yun refused bluntly and calmly.
Perhaps out of consideration for Mr. Ziji, who was acquainted with his uncle, he added indifferently after a while, "Mr. Cai has a beautiful daughter. She should be kept by his side and promised to a good man. Only then can the music of the zither continue uninterrupted in the future."
"Your Excellency's words are correct." Upon hearing this, Mr. Ziji stroked his beard and nodded repeatedly. He felt that he was like Prime Minister Xie, his nephew was his uncle, and both had the demeanor of a gentleman.
A gentleman's demeanor? Zhang Jingxian silently recited these four words until the end of the banquet, still feeling a bit absurd and delusional.
However, through Xie Yun's attitude, she vaguely guessed something, for example, this Mr. Xu Ziji seemed very important.
She found Gong Chengyue and asked him, and Gong Chengyue shook his feather fan and replied meaningfully.
"Is a scholar with no power or influence but only a little fame really important to the envoy? The only reason he has the slightest respect from Qilang is because he is acquainted with Prime Minister Xie."
Prime Minister Xie is Xie Yun’s uncle, and Zhang Jingxian knows this.
So what did this have to do with her cousin and the villagers? Zhang Jingxian seemed to have grasped a clue, but there seemed to be a layer of white fog between them, preventing her from seeing the truth.
She pondered this and returned to the wing room Xie had arranged for her. It was two courtyards away from where Xie Yun lived, and she was very satisfied.
Just pushing the door open, Zhang Jingxian was stunned.
In the room, on the table in the middle were placed several brocade clothes and... a set of crystal clear jade ornaments.
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The author has something to say: Let’s go through the plot~