Chapter 140 How much do you want to leave her?

In July, the entire Xiao Mansion was bathed in the light summer sunshine. The crabapple flowers outside Xiao Wan's bedroom window were blooming again, swaying gently in the breeze.

Xiao Wanjing sat by the window, writing at her desk, preparing for the provincial examination to be held next month.

Chunlan pushed the door open and came in, whispering, "Miss, that Young Master Yang is here again."

A hint of impatience at being interrupted flashed across Xiao Wan's calm eyes. "You don't have to tell me when he comes in the future. Just handle it yourself."

Chunlan responded and went out, and met Mrs. Xiao at the corner of the corridor.

"What's wrong?" Mrs. Xiao asked.

"That Mr. Yang has come to ask Miss out for an outing again."

Mrs. Xiao was helpless. It was almost autumn, and she still went out for an outing.

It's just Sima Zhao's intention.

Wan'er's provincial examination is approaching and she cannot be distracted by other things.

However, Yang Xin's father was an old friend of his master, and the two families had a close relationship. Besides, Yang Xin was now the Tongpan of Jiangzhou, the third in command of the entire Jiangzhou city, so it would be bad to offend him.

Besides, Yang Xin has good looks, talent, and family background. It is said that he also ranked first in the imperial examination last month. It should not be a problem for him to pass the provincial examination.

The Xiao family is a declining aristocratic family. No one in the family has served as an official in the court for two generations. There are very few children in the family who can even become scholars. Only this generation is lucky enough to have Xiao Wan, who is very good at studying.

But after all, for a girl, it is better to marry well than to do well in the exam.

By then, Yang Xin and Wan'er will both pass the imperial examination, and Yang Xin's father will be a fifth-rank official in the imperial court. If this can really happen, wouldn't it be icing on the cake?

Madam Xiao thought about it for a while and said to Chunlan, "Go and talk to Young Master Yang. Wan'er is not unwilling to meet you, but she can't be distracted by the provincial examination. She told Young Master Yang to study hard and they will meet after the provincial examination."

Chunlan arrived outside the Xiao Mansion and replied to Yang Xin according to Mrs. Xiao's instructions.

Yang Xin was a little skeptical when he heard this, and frowned, saying, "I have come to visit you many times. Even if I want to concentrate on preparing for the exam, I would not refuse to see you once.

Tell me the truth, does your lady have a prejudice against me?"

Chunlan didn't expect the other party to expose it directly, and was speechless for a moment, "The young lady doesn't have any prejudice against you..."

I didn't take it to heart at all.

Of course Chunlan didn't dare to say that.

Yang Xin looked at Chunlan's expression, took out a few silver ingots from his arms, and his expression became less humble than before.

"I am not a fool, and you should not try to trick me into thinking I am a fool.

Let's be frank. I really like your daughter. If you accept this money, you must tell me the truth about your daughter's habits, preferences, and thoughts.

If the young master from Japan wins the beauty, you will be the chief steward of the new mansion."

Chunlan looked at the silver with wavering eyes.

The Xiao family was not actually wealthy, but Master Xiao loved to show off his wealth, and his mistress was very frugal every day, so when the family was short of money, they could only deduct it from the monthly wages of the servants.

I only get two cents of silver a month at most, and this Mr. Yang in front of me is offering five taels, which is enough to redeem myself!

What's more, if the young lady marries into the Yang family in the future, I can also become the head housekeeper. What a lucrative job that would be!

Chunlan's heart was beating wildly. She reached out to take the silver, but the other party retracted his hand.

Chunlan's eyes were shining as she stared at the silver.

She gritted her teeth and said, "Okay, I'll tell you!"

…

On the day off, Zhao Sicheng simply packed his bags and prepared to go home to visit his father.

Ever since the last science test results were announced and she was ranked first, Xiao Wan's attitude towards him has softened a bit.

However, Zhao Sicheng himself knew that the imperial examination was just a mock test. If he wanted to propose marriage to the Xiao Mansion with legitimate reasons, he had to pass the examination and become a juren.

He walked through the bustling streets of Jiangzhou City and bought a few bags of Xiao Wan's favorite snacks. Just after paying, he felt someone patted his shoulder.

He turned around and saw a stranger.

"Are you Zhao Sicheng?" the other party asked.

Zhao Sicheng nodded and looked at the other person: "Who are you?"

"Miss Xiao Wan asked me to tell you that she is waiting for you in Wangyue Tower for something urgent."

After saying this, the other party left, leaving Zhao Sicheng completely confused.

Didn’t Wanwan return to the Xiao Mansion today? According to her personality, she should have stayed in her room reading books all day long. Why did she go to Wangyue Tower?

And Wanwan’s maid is Chunlan, so how could a man suddenly appear and come to deliver a message?

Although Zhao Sicheng felt something was wrong, his first reaction was to go to Xiao's house to check it out. However, Xiao's house was quite far away, and it would take at least an hour to walk back and forth, while Wangyue Tower was only one street away.

Could it be that Wanwan really encountered some urgent matter and didn't want Chunlan to know about their relationship, so she temporarily asked someone to deliver a message?

Thinking of this, Zhao Sicheng couldn't help but start to worry. He then remembered that Wangyue Tower was a famous restaurant in Jiangzhou City. Even if there was a trap, it couldn't be set in such a crowded place.

He made up his mind and walked towards the Moon-Watching Tower.

"Sir, what would you like to order?" The waiter from Wangyue Tower came up to greet him warmly when he saw him.

Zhao Sicheng didn't say anything, but looked around and saw the man who had just passed the message to him walking towards him.

"Mr. Zhao, please follow me." The man dismissed the waiter and said to Zhao Sicheng.

Yang Xin was sitting in a private room on the second floor of Wangyue Tower. When he saw Zhao Sicheng come in, he nodded to him.

"Who are you?" Zhao Sicheng asked straight to the point. He guessed that the other person was a few years older than him and dressed like the son of an official family.

"My name is Yang Xin, and my father is the magistrate of Jiangzhou. Mr. Zhao, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Yang Xin raised his hand slightly, motioning Zhao Sicheng to take a seat, his expression revealing a hint of contempt.

He learned from Chunlan that Zhao Sicheng was the son of a gardener in the city, had worked in the Xiao Mansion for a few days, and had a very unusual relationship with Xiao Wan.

He didn't believe it at first, wondering how Xiao Wan could be so blind as to fall in love with the son of a gardener.

Now I see that although this man looks fair, he is really shabby from head to toe. Could it be that Miss Xiao Wan is really so superficial that she just likes this poor boy because he looks good?

The more Yang Xin looked at Zhao Sicheng, the more he disliked him. He was too lazy to be polite with him. He lowered his head and took a sip of tea, then asked in a pretentious manner:

"What is your relationship with Miss Xiao Wan?"

Zhao Sicheng was puzzled. "What is our relationship? What does it have to do with you?"

When Yang Xin heard the word "the two of us", his brows slightly frowned. Could it be that what Chunlan said was true?

He put the tea bowl back on the table in annoyance. "Tell me, how much do you want to stop harassing her in the future?"

Zhao Sicheng didn't get angry but laughed instead. He almost blurted out "That's my wife", but he held it back.

After all, this was ancient times, and there was no formal marriage yet. Saying such things would have a bad influence on Wanwan.