Chapter 6: Relatives Visit

As the carriage passed through the street, its stable body suddenly shook and stopped hastily.

Aunt Yingluo hurriedly helped Qiandeng to steady herself, opened the small window, and asked the coachman what happened.

The driver pointed at a figure tumbling and crawling in front of him and cursed loudly: "That bastard suddenly rushed out of the alley. If I hadn't stopped the horse in time, his legs would have been trampled to pieces!"

The man was completely unaware that he had saved his life. As he ran, he hurriedly shouted to the people beside him, "Hurry up, hurry up! Shengfa Casino says that the husband of Qiandeng County Master will be announced in the next few days. If we don't place our bets now, we will be out of time!"

Aunt Yingluo frowned and turned to look at Qiandeng worriedly.

From the palace to the common people, everyone knew that it was less than ten days away from the hundredth day of the funeral of Lady Qi.

The time left for Princess Lingling to choose a son-in-law is only a short moment.

Fatigue and anxiety hit Qiandeng, who leaned against the car wall, pursed her lips and closed her eyes.

There are now nine young men in the backyard of the palace.

If we count Cui Fufeng, there were eight men in total that my mother had pointed out to me before she died.

With eight people, how can she find the husband her mother chooses in such a short time?

And who is the one hiding among them with ulterior motives and without making a sound?

What should she do if the person she hastily chooses is not the one her mother likes, or is the one with ulterior motives?

She was filled with panic and grief, but she didn't know who to talk to.

Until the carriage stopped at the gate of Changhua Palace, she took a deep breath, composed herself, got off the car and went into the house.

She took the windproof cloak Liuli handed over and put it on. Qiandeng saw that she looked flustered and asked, "What's wrong?"

Liuli hesitated and whispered, "County Lady, Madam Dingxiang has arrived with...with the Yang family's cousin."

"Are you here?" Qiandeng gathered his cloak and led the group inside, thinking about his aunt whom he hadn't seen for many years. He couldn't remember the last time they met. When she was seven or eight years old...

Aunt Xuanji said, "Madam Dingxiang is now staying in the west courtyard of the front yard. Would the county lord like to go and see her?"

"Okay, I'll change my clothes and be there soon." Qian Deng asked casually, "Did Aunt and Cousin have a smooth journey?"

"I think Madam Dingxiang looks good, but my cousin..." Before Xuan Ji finished speaking, several maids beside her couldn't help laughing.

"My cousin's face is covered with whip marks, just like a cat scratch."

"Not only are there whip marks, but there's also a huge blood scab on his forehead!"

Qiandeng was startled and turned to look at Liuli.

Liuli nodded at her repeatedly. Although she didn't say anything, Qiandeng knew it.

"No wonder he became even more brazen after learning we were from the Changhua Palace." Qian Deng frowned slightly, pondering this when he saw someone rush out from the corner ahead and ask Aunt Xuanji, "You're the female official in charge of the palace, right? When will your county mistress return? Two maids in the palace have offended me, and today I must..."

Before he finished speaking, his eyes fell on Qiandeng.

Qiandeng was wrapped in a plain cloak, covering the brocade snow jacket she wore when entering the palace. She only had two white jade hairpins on her head, and looked as plain as the maids around her.

The person who rushed out and shouted was Yang Huaijiang, whose face was covered with blood after being beaten by her in the mountain stream.

Seeing the evil woman he had been thinking about appear before him, his face, which was filled with shock and anger, suddenly showed joy, and even the two bloodstains were distorted: "Well, little bitch, you beat me like this, and you still dare to appear in front of me as if nothing happened!"

Everyone was caught off guard, and before they knew what was happening, he had already rushed to Qian Deng and raised his hand to grab her collar: "Come here and apologize to this young master! When you are satisfied with my service, this young master will let you go!"

The people around him all changed their expressions when they heard his nonsense.

Qian Deng remained calm, only looking up at him, even with a hint of a cold smile on his face: "Oh? What if I don't agree?"

"You won't? There's only an orphaned princess left in the Changhua Palace. Can she still protect you ignorant little rascals? Humph, you even dare to bully my dignified Hongnong Yang family. If you're sold off one day, I'll go to the brothel to have fun with you..."

Before he could finish his words, Qian Deng interrupted him with a sharp shout: "Someone come!"

The guards on both sides immediately rushed over, twisted his arms, and pushed him in front of Qiandeng.

Qiandeng raised his chin towards Liuli, and Liuli understood and swung his hand, hitting Yang Huaijiang's face with two crisp "pa pa" sounds.

Anyway, it was impossible for them to get along peacefully. When Liuli thought about how she was bullied by this man and thrown into the mountain stream, freezing to a pulp, hatred suddenly surged in her heart, and she attacked him ruthlessly and violently.

Yang Huaijiang's cheeks quickly became red and swollen. If he hadn't been escorted by the guards, he might have been beaten and taken two steps back.

He covered his face and stared at Qian Deng in disbelief: "You...you!"

"It's me, remember this." Qian Deng didn't retreat but advanced, taking a step closer to stare at him, saying coldly, "Today, this county lady will tell you that even if there is only an orphan girl left in the Changhua Palace, you cannot bully her. No one in my palace is yours to covet!"

"You...you are the Princess of Lingling County?" Yang Huaijiang's face turned pale, leaving only two red palm prints, which were particularly conspicuous on the whip marks. "Aren't you...disfigured and disfigured?"

"You didn't expect that, cousin." Qian Deng brushed his bangs, revealing the scar on his eyebrow, and gave a mocking smile. "Chang'an is not Guozhou. There are people everywhere here who you can't afford to offend. I think it's better for you to behave yourself and be careful with your words and actions. Otherwise, others won't be as good-tempered as I am and let you go so easily."

After saying that, she gathered her cloak around her, turned around and strode away, not bothering to look at him again.

As soon as he entered the palace, he was scolded by the county lord in public. In anger, Yang Huaijiang went straight to Pingkangfang and found a bunch of prostitutes in Cuiyu Tower, the most famous singing and dancing place, to drink to relieve his sorrow.

But his drinking habits were as bad as his character. After three cups of wine, he went crazy with a flashy face and made several customers run away.

The madam stood downstairs, handkerchief clutched, gritting her teeth. She wanted to go up and stop them, but was afraid of getting hurt. As she was hesitating, she saw a tall figure passing by. She quickly grabbed him and said with an apologetic smile, "Mr. Xue, thank goodness you're here. Please do me a favor!"

Xue Xiyang shook the music score in his hand and said with a smile, "Mother Xiang, I just came to ask Feng Shancai to copy the ancient music score. Now I am a candidate for the husband of Lingling County Master, so some things may not be convenient for me. You can find someone else to do it for you."

"No, Master Xue has a wide circle of friends in the capital. I'd like you to help me find out the background of this guest today. I heard him mention the palace and the county lady, so I'm afraid he's someone powerful." The madam glanced inside and said with her hands on her hips, "If he's just bluffing, I'll beat his teeth out!"

Hearing about the palace and the county lady, Xue Xiyang slightly raised his sparkling eyes, looked upwards, and then walked up the stairs.

The room was in a mess with cups and plates, and the air was filled with the smell of alcohol. Xue Xiyang dusted off his brocade clothes that were scented with Yue Linxiang, and stood outside the door, looking coldly at the drunken man inside.

Yang Huaijiang, drunk, angrily smashed the wine jug and wine glass in his hands to pieces, roaring, "Princess Lingling, you disfigured bitch! The Ministry of Rites came to ask if I wanted you, but I flatly refused. Now... who do you think you are? Do I want you, a bitch?"

Xue Xiyang narrowed his eyes slightly, and a hint of coldness was revealed in his usually charming and affectionate upward-raised eyes.