Chapter 182 The Noble Young Master of a Marquis's Family (Twenty-One) The Noble Young Master's Revengeful Love...

The day after meeting Zhao Xuanhong, Lüzhu paid a visit to Song Ce to resign.

She was dressed in plain white, without any hairpins or jewelry, and her face was covered with a light veil. She looked much thinner than when they first met.

"Young Master," Green Pearl curtsied, her voice soft and gentle, "Green Pearl has come to bid you farewell."

Upon hearing this, Song Ce sighed softly, "You are now a free man, there's no need..."

“No, I should thank you.” Green Pearl raised her head, her eyes and brows under the light veil carrying a relieved smile. “If it weren’t for you telling me about Zhao Xuanhong’s weakness that day, and for investigating and concealing my whereabouts for me, I probably wouldn’t have survived to this day on my own.”

Song Ce sighed, then took out a brocade box from his sleeve and pushed it in front of her, saying softly, "Inside are some travel expenses and identification documents. Consider it... a parting gift!"

Green Pearl hesitated for a moment, then quickly declined, "Young master, I don't need it..."

Song Ce smiled and said, "It's already difficult for a woman like you to make a living in this world. Take this. From now on, you'll have to rely on yourself."

“…Thank you.” Green Pearl reached out and took the brocade box, which felt warm to the touch. She bowed again, “May the future be long and arduous, young master, take care.”

"treasure."

The day Green Pearl left Beijing, the sky was clear and the breeze was gentle; it was a rare and beautiful day.

Three years ago, she came to the capital alone with only a small bundle. Now, as she leaves the capital, her bundle contains only a few changes of clothes, jewelry given to her by Chen Lang, and a brocade box given to her by Song Ce.

With red eyes, Man'er took out an exquisitely embroidered purse and handed it to Lüzhu, choking back tears as she said, "Sister Lüzhu, this is some of my savings. Take it and use it on your journey."

Upon hearing this, Green Pearl shook her head and smiled, "Young Master already gave me travel expenses yesterday. Sister Man'er, you are still young, so keep them safe. You'll need them someday."

"Sister, take this!"

Man'er forcefully stuffed the purse into Green Pearl's arms, and with tears in her eyes, she cried out to Green Pearl, who was lifting the carriage curtain to board the carriage, "Sister Green Pearl, we are sisters, will we ever meet again in this life?"

Looking at Man'er's red and swollen eyes, Green Pearl felt a pang of sorrow in her heart. She clenched the silk handkerchief in her hand and replied in a trembling voice, "Silly sister, all good things must come to an end. As long as we sisters are destined to meet, we will meet again in the future." With that, she waved her hand gently, turned around, and entered the carriage.

As she left the city, the guards merely glanced at Green Pearl and waved her away.

Man'er stayed where she was, watching Green Pearl's carriage grow smaller and smaller in front of her until it became a blurry dot... and finally, it disappeared at the end of her sight.

Not long after seeing Green Pearl off, Song Ce took Man'er back to the Marquis of Weiwu's residence to pay respects to Princess Yongping.

Upon learning that Man'er was the only bloodline of Vice General Feng in the world, and that she had been sold into a brothel to become a prostitute, Princess Yongping immediately burst into tears. She tremblingly reached out and pulled Man'er to her side, her voice choked with sobs, "Poor child, from now on this mansion will be your home, and no one will bully you anymore."

Man'er nervously twisted the hem of her clothes, her pleading gaze instinctively turning to Song Ce and Sun Yiyao.

Seeing this, Sun Yiyao stepped forward and gently held Princess Yongping's cold hand, comforting her softly, "Mother, isn't Sister Man'er doing well now? If we take good care of her from now on, things will definitely get better and better."

Princess Yongping stopped crying, nodded repeatedly, and then turned to instruct the nanny beside her: "Quickly take people to clean up Chengyu Courtyard and properly settle Man'er."

"Yes, Princess."

As the days passed, Man'er gradually became familiar with life in the Marquis's mansion. Princess Yongping doted on her, frequently calling her to her room to talk, and even providing her with many beautiful outfits and jewelry. Yet, even so, Man'er always felt uneasy and uncomfortable.

One afternoon, Man'er was staring blankly at the koi in the pond in the back garden. Just then, a melodious zither tune drifted from not far away. She followed the sound and found Song Ce playing the zither in the pavilion.

The music, like flowing water, made her momentarily dazed.

"Man'er? Come and sit down."

Song Ce stopped what he was doing and greeted her with a smile.

Man'er bit her lip, bowed to him, and then walked over and sat down opposite him.

"Young master, you play the zither so well," Man'er exclaimed sincerely.

Song Ce smiled and said gently, "Just indulging in some refined pursuits when I have nothing else to do. Man'er, I've noticed you've been restless these past few days. If there's anything you want to say, feel free to tell me."

Man'er remained silent for a long time after hearing this. Finally, she mustered up her courage and spoke: "Young Master, Man'er is of lowly status and always feels that I am not worthy. Now in the manor, everyone—Young Master, Princess, and Sister Yao—is so kind to me. Man'er really doesn't know how to conduct myself..."

Song Ce was taken aback, then said seriously, "Man'er, no one in this world is born worthy or unworthy. You are the daughter of Deputy General Feng, and you are meant to live this kind of life. The other day, your mother adopted you as her goddaughter, so you are my sister. Now that we are in this mansion, we are family. You don't need to deliberately please anyone, nor do you need to be careful and cautious in everything you do, understand?"

Man'er raised her head, looked at Song Ce's gentle face, and her eyes suddenly reddened.

Just then, Sun Yiyao came gracefully over, carrying a flower basket. She entered the pavilion with a smile, took out a silk handkerchief from her sleeve and handed it to Man'er, saying gently, "Man'er, quickly wipe yourself. If your mother sees this, she will feel sorry for you again."

Man'er nodded gently, took the handkerchief with red eyes, and gently wiped her moist eyes.

Sun Yiyao sat down beside Song Ce and placed the flower basket on the stone table. The freshly picked peony petals were glistening with water droplets, and their pleasant and elegant fragrance wafted gently around them.

"I just went to the flower pond in the back garden and happened to see that the peonies in the garden were in full bloom. I was thinking of putting a few branches in Man'er's room." As she spoke, she handed over the peony branches covered with dew. The water droplets on the petals slid slowly down Man'er's fingertips, feeling cool and refreshing.

Holding the flowers, Man'er's eyes welled up with tears again. She quickly lowered her head and fiddled with the flowers to hide her emotions, saying softly, "Thank you, Sister Yao."

A gentle breeze rippled across the pond outside the pavilion, and Man'er, inhaling the lingering fragrance of peonies, felt her unease gradually dissipate.

While the Marquis of Weiwu's mansion was filled with harmony and joy, on the other side, Sun Qing'er looked at the brocade box that Yueying handed her and asked with a look of surprise, "This is... for me?"

Yueying paused, then nodded with a blank expression.

Sun Qing'er blushed and carefully opened the brocade box. Inside lay a jade lotus hairpin with pearls. Her hands trembled as she picked up the hairpin, holding it for a long time. Since she had been imprisoned in the family temple and rescued by this person, she had not seen such an exquisite object for a long time.

"Young Master Chu, why... did you give me a hairpin?"

Sun Qing'er's voice was soft. She looked up at Yueying, who still had that indifferent expression. The sunlight outlined his strong and tall features, but the expression on his face remained indifferent, making him impossible for her to understand.

Yueying remained silent for a long while, genuinely puzzled as to why Song Ce had suddenly asked him to deliver the hairpin to Sun Qing'er. After a pause, he finally spoke, "Just doing it as I was doing it."

Those four simple words suddenly made a small flower bloom in Sun Qing'er's heart. She lowered her head, staring at the hairpin in her hand, and couldn't help but gently press it to her chest. This rare tenderness from the person before her... she wanted to linger a little longer.

The next day, Yueying left early. Sun Qing'er, as if possessed, took out the hairpin and carefully tucked it into her hair. The simple and elegant jade lotus hairpin with its dangling pearls made her complexion appear even more rosy, inexplicably adding to her charming and delicate beauty.

And so, Sun Qing'er put on the hairpin and picked up a light veil to cover her face. The veil covered most of her face, revealing only her beautiful eyes. After confirming that she was alright, she walked briskly out the door.

As the summer sun began to scorch, Sun Qing'er walked through the bustling crowd with a bamboo basket on her shoulder. Listening to the loud shouts of the street vendors and smelling the aroma wafting from the fried dough stall ahead, she felt a sense of being in another world.

Sun Qing'er hadn't seen such a lively scene in a long time.

She slowed her pace and came to a vegetable stall, carefully picking out a few fresh vegetables with a few older women behind her. In the past, when she was at the Rongguo Duke's Mansion, the servants did the chores of buying vegetables. Now that it was her turn to do it herself, she found it rather novel and interesting.

After buying groceries, Sun Qing'er went to the rice shop and bought some new rice before slowly turning around and walking back.

The jade lotus hairpin adorning her hair swayed gently with her movements. The lotus petals were lifelike, the lotus roots smooth and delicate, and the pearls dangling down shimmered softly in the sunlight. She subconsciously raised her hand to touch it, recalling the slightly stiff expression on Yueying's face when she gave her the hairpin, and a strange joy welled up in her heart.

Right now, this hairpin is the most valuable item she owns... She wonders where that person found it...

The thought had barely crossed her mind when she tripped over something, causing the bamboo basket in her hand to fall to the ground, and she staggered forward.

At that moment, the hairpin in her hair flew out due to inertia. With a "clink," the hairpin landed next to a pair of black boots not far away.

"Ah! My hairpin!"

Sun Qing'er exclaimed in surprise, ignoring her sore knees and elbows, and hurriedly got up to pick up the hairpin.

The owner of the black boots was dressed in a black close-fitting outfit, with a large dark veil on his head. The black gauze hanging from the brim of the hat reached his waist, completely covering his face.

The man tilted his head slightly, his gaze falling through the veil onto the hairpin lying on the ground. He slowly bent down and picked up the hairpin before she could.

Sun Qing'er panicked and, disregarding who the other person was, stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Young master, these are my things, please return them to me—"

Before she could finish speaking, a warm breeze swept by, gently lifting the man's veil to reveal the distinct features of his jawline and his eyes, which were filled with malevolence.

The moment their eyes met, Sun Qing'er felt as if she had been struck by lightning, and the blood in her body seemed to freeze instantly!

This face...this face...

It's Zhao Xuanhong!

It's the Second Prince, Zhao Xuanhong!

How could it be him? What's he doing here? And wearing a veil? Did he come looking for me? What does he want?

Countless questions exploded in Sun Qing'er's mind, making her momentarily forget to react.

Zhao Xuanhong clearly recognized her as well. Although she covered her face, her beautiful eyes, filled with fear, instantly reminded him of the concubine's daughter from the Marquis's mansion whom he had discarded like trash.

"Qing'er?"

His voice reached her ears through the soap veil, deep and cold, with a hint of barely perceptible, maniacal pleasure.

Sun Qing'er felt a chill run from the soles of her feet straight to the top of her head. Countless unbearable images flashed through her mind, causing her to subconsciously take a step back, her whole body trembling uncontrollably.

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Author's note: It's almost over! [Keep going!]