Tips for breaking up a wedding

There's been a lot of good news in the capital lately, with the list of betrothal gifts for the princess's residence spreading like wildfire.

Yun Jin Lou was still filled with singing and dancing. As usual, the servant went to warm the wine and urge the drinkers to finish. Wen Ruo looked around and saw that no one was there. She pinched her cheek, pulled up the corners of her mouth, knocked on the door, and closed it in one smooth motion.

"Xiao Qiang, who hit you?" Qi Guanlan couldn't help but tease. Compared to the other muddle-headed errand boys, her plain face was framed by a pair of bright and clear eyes. She was a capable and resourceful person. She wasn't an eyesore when she tried to flatter and be charming. Besides, she was always sweet-talking and knew how to talk. What could she have offended to be hit so hard?

"It's nothing, I brought some nice things today."

"Want another reward?" Qi Guanlan was uninterested. His marriage was settled, and his good days were over.

Wen Ruo looked in a certain direction and saw that the young master was wearing a sachet today. "Young master is truly a genius. This item can solve the young master's great worry."

"Young Master, what could possibly be wrong with me?"

Wen Ruo felt a sharp pain at the corner of her mouth. Yes, what worries could a playboy have? It was clearly just a case of feigned illness. Of course, for the sake of money, she still smiled and said, "Young Master's marriage."

"What can you solve?" He shifted his posture, raised his thin eyelids, and shook his head and sighed as he looked him over, jokingly saying, "Don't tell me you're also from the 'pillow-off' group?"

"Young master is too kind. How could my humble appearance possibly offend your eyes?"

The young master speaks without restraint, sometimes enough to scare someone to death. Wen Ruo's heart skipped a beat, and her fingertips itched slightly, wanting to hit him. She rubbed her fingers, realizing that she shouldn't act impulsively.

Qi Guanlan thought she was implying something, and with a playful look, he took out the golden walnut, "If you don't have it, I'll break both of your arms."

Wen Ruo was not intimidated at all. She took out a jade pendant from her waist pouch, bent down and presented it, "Young master, the wedding date is approaching, how can we be without a token of our love? Fortunately, I had the honor of seeing one before, and I happened to find it at Cai You's study."

What? Qi Guanlan looked down, then hurriedly took the jade pendant and hung it on his waist. "You're quick-witted."

If I really lost it, my mother would break my legs.

Young Master is so generous. Wen Ruo accepted the money, her conscience aching slightly as she secretly lamented that the young master was still as naive and brainless as ever. She couldn't blame anyone else if he got cheated on in the future.

Qi Guanlan picked up his wine glass and froze. His mother had taken the jade pendant yesterday, saying she wanted to discuss marriage and help him settle down. He was worried about this matter, so how could he have lost the jade pendant?

This is not his.

"stop."

Wen Ruo turned around in surprise, "What else would you like to eat, young master?"

Qi Guanlan endured for a moment, then felt a chill run down his spine. His tone suddenly became extremely aggressive: "My jade pendant was stolen. Did you see the thief's face? I will grind him to dust."

Wen Ruo chuckled inwardly, thinking to herself, "He even knows how to cover it up." She frowned and pondered for a long time. Young Master Qi was like a grasshopper on a hot oil pan; as time went by, his face grew increasingly gloomy and unsightly.

"It seems not. Young Master Liang and Young Master Shen were both on the opposite side at the time, with their backs to me. I happened to see them when I left and quickly picked them up for you."

In other words, he hadn't seen the adulterer. Qi Guanlan's expression was uncertain, and a hint of ferocity appeared on his tense jaw.

That's how spoiled brats are; they explode at the slightest provocation, are impulsive and easily angered. I bet he'd be standing guard at the school gate with a knife, cutting down anyone he sees.

Wen Ruo subconsciously shrank her neck, and after a while she casually brought it up: "But there was only a down-on-his-luck scholar in that spot before. He was quite handsome, but his eyes were glued to his book, so he probably didn't see it."

Qi Guanlan stood up abruptly, gritting his teeth, and said, "Come with me to identify the person. I want to ask for their statement."

“Young master, this scholar seems to know Young Master Liang. He might have some official rank, so he would never steal. Perhaps he bought it on the black market to save face. You may not know this, but thieves usually sell their stolen goods on the black market, or maybe it wasn’t even his.”

"Young master, please don't act rashly. If you've lost something, just report it to the authorities. You are the one who suffered the loss, and besides, the wedding is just around the corner. You must not let anything go wrong."

Qi Guanlan stopped in his tracks, looking disdainful, as if to say: With me here, what trouble could possibly arise?

Wen Ruo stretched out her arms to block the doorway, her face full of worry: "Young Master's expression looks like he's about to kill someone."

The servant boy ran up to him, completely bewildered, and asked, "What murder? Is the young master leaving? Isn't he going to drink?"

Qi Guanlan choked, his face darkening. He glared at him a few times, thinking he had no tact. He turned to look at Wen Ruo, who was worried about him. She was quick-witted and sincere, but unfortunately, she was a woman.

What she said made some sense. Whether it was stolen or there was a real adulterer, a simple investigation would tell. This could have been resolved peacefully, but making a big fuss would have caused both families to lose face, especially making herself a laughingstock in the capital.

Five days later, Wen Ruo was invited to Yun Jin Lou. Qi Guanlan was drinking alone when the servant escorted her in and then stood guard at the door. There were only the two of them in the large private room.

The private rooms in Yunjin Tower each have a different style. The young master prefers the luxurious ones, which are filled with a dazzling array of gold, silver and jade artifacts that would be worth a fortune if sold elsewhere.

"Young Master, is there something you need from me?" Wen Ruo asked cautiously.

Qi Guanlan, speechless and bewildered, pulled her away from the doorway. Beneath the pearl curtains was a large bed made of pure gold, dazzling Wen Ruo's eyes. She couldn't help but swallow hard. It turned out that the gold ingots were just an appetizer.

The two sat on the floor by the edge of the bed. Wen Ruo listened to his words, but her eyes kept glancing to the side. The heavy gold was too eye-catching, and she was envious.

“I have a friend whose fiancée is suspected of having an affair. My friend doesn’t like her either, but I can’t just stand by and watch him be cheated on.”

Qi Guanlan waited for a while but she didn't speak. Just as he was about to ask where her senses had gone, he saw that her eyes were practically glued to the bed. He sighed, took off his purse, and tossed it to her. "What do you think?"

Wen Ruo took a bite, beaming with joy, then shook her head and advised, "Young Master's friend doesn't want to break off the engagement, why should you go and invite trouble? Maybe your friend is still waiting for her to change her mind. It's a matter between men and women, and no one can say for sure."

"How could that be?" Qi Guanlan was so angry that her voice cracked. "My friend wouldn't dare. His mother is strict and really likes her future daughter-in-law."

"Young Master, do you really want to help your friend dissolve his marriage?"

"right."

"Did that woman really cheat on him?"

"...Yes." Qi Guanlan replied somewhat uncertainly. He had sent people to guard the Cao residence and the scholar's house for several days, but to no avail. His mother had also said that Miss Cao was embroidering her wedding dress and rarely went out.

It's rare, but not nonexistent; if it exists, it's very likely. So, it's about 80% likely.

He just hasn't found it yet.

How could she possibly find it? She herself lost the jade pendant; that poor scholar was just passing by.

How could it not be considered that she picked it up? Wen Ruo suppressed her lips and had a sudden inspiration. She said, "It's easy. Find an excuse to bring the woman and her lover together. They will be unable to control their emotions and will naturally give themselves away, ruining their reputations."

"This is good." Qi Guanlan nodded in approval.

"However, even though the young master's friend is in the right, he may still be ridiculed behind his back."

Qi Guanlan's face stiffened. That made sense. His cronies loved this kind of thing. The thought of his future gossip shifting from being a playboy to being cuckolded made him want to kill someone. "How about my... friend dumps her first?"

Wen Ruo looked at him with a somewhat subtle gaze, "A romantic affair certainly sounds better than being cuckolded. Does your friend have someone he likes?"

Qi Guanlan's smug expression immediately crumbled. No, he didn't even have a single female friend among his acquaintances.

"You can find a fake one. If you like her, you can keep her. If you don't like her, you can give her a sum of money and send her out of the capital. If you're afraid of being exposed, you can just make up a non-existent person. She will be tossing and turning in her sleep, longing for him."

Qi Guanlan suddenly realized, slapped his thigh in amazement, and said, "I knew you had a lot of tricks up your sleeve."

Wen Ruo smiled gently: "Young Master is too kind."

The next day, Wen Ruo was cornered at the steamed bun shop by the young master, whose face was covered by a white jade fan. When he arrived, his steps were slightly unsteady and his shoulders swayed more. She looked away and concluded that the young master's golden buttocks had been slapped again.

Qi Guanlan lifted his shirt, sat halfway on the edge of the bench, and said in a low voice, "You betrayed me?" He had said a few words at the dinner table to test the waters, but his mother had cut him off, saying exactly what Wen Ruo had said.

Wen Ruo swallowed the steamed bun and sighed, "Young Master is the most distinguished person I can speak to. No matter how nimble my legs are or how sweet my tongue is, I could never know the princess."

"Could it be that my mother is following me?" Qi Guanlan thought for a moment and realized that he had been shocked every time he was beaten, and that there were spies around him everywhere.

"Where's the silver I gave you yesterday?" Qi Guanlan, who had sneaked out after breakfast, looked at her in surprise as she packed up the remaining two steamed buns, and said with disdain, "How come there's not even a bit of oil in them?" Forget about his fish porridge and red oil crystal buns, at least give me a tea egg.

"I bought the medicine," Wen Ruo replied calmly.

Qi Guanlan looked at the injury on her face and was speechless for a moment. However, his attention was quickly diverted, his mind filled with worries. He was eager to find a solution, so he asked, "If this path is blocked, do you have any other ideas?"

Wen Ruo secretly rolled her eyes. "Young Master, I need to get to work."

Qi Guanlan was taken aback, but shamelessly said, "I didn't bring any money with me today, so I'll pay on credit first. Tell me quickly."

"As the saying goes, marriage is arranged by parents and matchmakers. Parents come first, and children can only obey what their parents do." Wen Ruo raised her head and met his half-understanding eyes. "You have to know how to be submissive. Do you understand, young master?"

Qi Guanlan nodded blankly, then got out of the sedan chair thoughtfully. Passing the stone lions in front of the gate and through the pond garden, his steps gradually became lighter. The maids in the courtyard were sweeping bamboo leaves.

His eyes lit up, and he swept away all the tea sets on the sandalwood table, the vases on the four corner stools, the potted plants on the long table, and so on. The clattering noise inside the room startled the maid, who quickly ran to report the news.

Qi Guanlan glanced at the door again, his eyes reddening as he opened the Songhe cabinet door, casually packed a few robes, slung his bundle over his shoulder, and prepared to leave the room.

"What's wrong?" The princess rushed over, accompanied only by her son, Mumu. It was the first time she had ever seen her son like this; he was usually as stubborn as a mule, always going west if she told him to go east.

"My mother ruined me!"

The princess paused, instantly becoming furious. Who could she reason with? Hadn't she spoiled him too much, raising such a troublemaker? She didn't know how much she had spent apologizing for this.

Seeing that she didn't speak, Qi Guanlan's tears streamed down her face. This was very unusual. The princess coaxed her a few times, and Qi Guanlan sobbed, "Cao Xi is laughing at me behind my back. She must be seeing someone else."

“It’s one thing to fool around normally, but how can you smear someone’s reputation? That’s Cao Xi.”