Chapter 55 I won't go

The First Madam was filled with doubt and uncertainty. Before she could make a decision, Yan Yun stood up and sneered, "Aunt, you don't need to worry. I know who this person is. I'll go and meet him."

The second wife quickly grabbed her daughter's sleeve and gently advised, "Ayun, you've just returned home. How can you go see such an impolite person right away? Let me go and discuss it with him. You're weak, and it's so cold outside. How can you go out and suffer in the wind?"

Yan Yun said, "The tree may wish to be still, but the wind will not cease. What's the use of hiding all the time? You can't handle this person outside. I'll personally drive him out."

Without waiting for the others' expressions, she put on her cloak and went outside. As soon as she opened the door, a gust of cold wind blew in, and she, who was already thin, couldn't help but shiver.

No one else dared to come, and the second wife quickly helped her niece down.

All the way to the front hall, not to mention the second madam, even the first madam of the steward and the third madam of Linglong had never encountered such a thing before. They were all flustered and did not notice that Yangqing and the others had secretly followed behind.

The little girl called him a brute, and he really was a brute. Yang Qing covered half of her face with her wide sleeves.

The men in front of them were all burly, and the one in the lead was particularly tall, like a small mountain.

She began to feel uneasy; the man's appearance alone made her uneasy.

Although he was dressed in fine clothes, he was completely different from the young masters of noble families in the capital. He was so dark-skinned, yet he insisted on wearing elegant white clothes, which made the bamboo patterns embroidered on them look out of place.

He saw Yanyun and his eyes lit up. Then he saw the second wife supporting her daughter and asked, "Are you Yanyun's mother?"

Being stared at so directly by a junior, the Second Madam, feeling herself to be a respected elder, was furious and scolded, "Where did this brat come from, daring to cause trouble in the manor!"

The man knelt down and bowed, saying, "My surname is Ying, and my given name is Sheng. I have come here to ask for Yanyun's hand in marriage. Please grant my request."

Before the second wife could speak, Yan Yun said first, "I have told you countless times to give up on this idea, but you just wouldn't listen. I, Chi Yan Yun, will never marry someone like you."

Ying Sheng got up from the ground and scoffed, "What kind of person am I? I really don't know. What else could you possibly be dissatisfied with? You used to say you were married, but now you're divorced. You looked down on me for being a bandit, but I've changed my ways. Now I've led a group of brothers to surrender to the imperial court. Although I don't have the same title as your ex-husband, which is only something to look at, if you want it, I'll risk my life to get it for you!"

Yan Yun said, "Who cares? Your behavior is despicable. I will never marry you. Give up on that idea now."

Ying Sheng said, "My behavior is despicable? Wasn't your ex-husband despicable too?"

Yan Yun said, "He has his despicable ways, and you have yours. You are both despicable people, and I will not choose either of you."

Ying Sheng: "It's not fair! This is so unfair! They're all despicable people, so why did you get to spend several years with him? I don't care, you have to spend several years with me too, that's what makes it fair."

Yan Yun sneered and spat, "Keep dreaming."

Ying Sheng continued to cause trouble, but then the Imperial Guards arrived with their men, led by Huo Lu.

The second wife also recognized him and hurriedly said, "General, I'm sorry to trouble you. This scoundrel is causing trouble in my house and has been making disrespectful remarks to my daughter."

Huo Lu was all talk, but when he saw Ying Sheng, they were both taken aback. "Brother Yun, it's actually you who came to cause trouble at the Chi family..."

Ying Sheng said, "I'm not here to cause trouble, I'm here to propose marriage. As the saying goes, a virtuous lady is sought after by a gentleman. How can proposing marriage be confused with causing trouble?"

The second wife asked suspiciously, "General, do you know this scoundrel?"

Huo Lu's face showed embarrassment. "That's right. Brother Yun was just transferred to the capital and only reported to the Imperial Guard yesterday. Is there... is there some misunderstanding?"

Yan Yun sneered, "Misunderstanding? What misunderstanding could there be? It's true that he provoked this woman, and it's also true that he broke into her home. Although my grandfather is no longer here, my father and several uncles are still serving in the court. Our Chi family is still an official family, and this person is also an official, so he should be ranked second best. Sir, are you perhaps trying to protect each other?"

"What a sharp tongue this girl has!" Huo Lu hurriedly said, "I am but a lowly official, how dare I speak like this? It's just that I see Brother Yun as a chivalrous and righteous man, with a touch of ancient virtue, so I asked him one more question. Why must you be so angry, Miss? I will take him back and send him to the Ministry of Justice for punishment."

Yan Yun snorted coldly before turning and leaving.

Ying Sheng was still indignant and wanted to struggle, but Huo Lu said a few words in a low voice and he calmed down, only his eyes were still staring in the direction Yan Yun left.

Seeing that the matter was over, before the Second Madam and the others could react, she hurriedly slipped back into her room. Thinking about it, she felt strange and sent Xiaoman to find out Huo Lu's identity and background. How could he be a bandit in her second sister's words, but suddenly become a member of the Imperial Guard?

After returning home, Yan Yun stayed indoors, while Chu Ying didn't go back to her own room. Instead, she followed Yang Qing back home and wouldn't leave no matter how hard she tried to get rid of her. She had just witnessed the commotion and couldn't wait to discuss it with someone.

As soon as she sat down, she couldn't wait to ask, "Do you know what's going on between your second sister and that man?"

Yang Qing shook her head honestly; the Second Madam never told them such things.

Yan Yun said smugly, "Hahaha, I knew it. Second Aunt wouldn't tell you these things. I know what's going on, let me tell you."

The story is both long and short; to put it simply, it's about a bandit who falls in love at first sight with a noblewoman.

Yang Qing shook her head and pursed her lips, saying, "Second Sister is as precious as a flower, how could she be placed in... In short, I don't think the two of them can be a couple."

She also felt that Yan Yun was right; to forcibly take something just because you've made a mistake, without any regard for a woman's reputation, is truly despicable.

My ex-brother-in-law looked respectable, but he was nothing special. He wanted to divorce me because of gossip.

Yan Yun used small pliers to crack walnuts. After a while, Xiao Man came back, sat down casually, and replied, "I've found out everything. Huo Lu said that this Ying Sheng was originally a bandit, but later, for some reason, he surrendered to the imperial court and was recommended by the local general to serve in the capital. I don't know how he gained the emperor's favor and was appointed to the Jinwu Guard."

Yang Qing quietly pursed her lips and covered them with her handkerchief. Sure enough, as people live longer, they inevitably become confused.

The emperor can be described as wise and sagacious, so why would he suddenly want to appoint a bandit to the position of Imperial Guard? The Imperial Guard is responsible for patrolling and maintaining the security of the capital.

Isn't this like making a mouse a cat?

She only dared to think these words in her heart, but dared not say them out loud.

Firstly, it was naturally because of Xiaoman, that little spy. She was Li Shangxuan's person, and the emperor was Li Shangxuan's biological father, so Yangqing dared not speak ill of him casually.

Secondly, loose lips sink ships. Even if everyone around her was one of her own, she couldn't easily utter such treasonous words. If word got out, she'd be accused of treason, a crime punishable by the extermination of her entire family.

Xiaoman glanced at Chuying, then at Yangqing, her clear black and white eyes darting around, looking like a sneaky, grain-stealing mouse.

Yang Qing said, "Speak your mind. What kind of appearance do you have, looking so shifty and sneaky?"

Xiaoman then said, "I just happened to run into His Highness. He asked me to pass on a message to you: after the New Year, he's going to the hot spring resort and is asking if you'd like to go?"

Chu Ying chuckled upon hearing this, "Oh dear, I shouldn't have overheard this. It's not appropriate to have others around when it comes to such private matters. But are you two really that inseparable? It's only been a few days since you last saw each other, and you can't wait any longer?"

Yang Qing said, embarrassed and annoyed, "It's just a sentence, how come you came up with so many things? It shows what kind of things are in your head. Don't worry, your third aunt will decide on it for you soon."

Chu Ying turned around, made a face, and ran away without arguing.

Only Xiaoman remained in place, standing there blankly.

The remaining maids, seeing that Yangqing was angry, hurried out to find work to do, some sweeping the floor, some embroidering, and some wiping the tables.

Yang Qing was very puzzled. She stared at Xiao Man for a while, then stood up and stared at her again. She said in amazement, "I'm really curious, where did Li Shangxuan find someone as clueless as you? It's really hard for him to find someone like you."

Even if Xiaoman was slow-witted, she could tell that "stupid" wasn't a compliment. She pouted and said, "Miss only stays in her boudoir, never stepping out of the inner chambers. How smart can she be? And she even complains that I'm stupid."

Yang Qing raised an eyebrow and said, "So you think you're smarter than me?"

What a joke! She's been an empress for many years, how could she be stupid?

Even if Li Shangxuan always bullies me, it's because he's abusing his power. What does it have to do with whether I'm smart or not?

Xiaoman said, "Anyway, I'm not stupid. No matter what the move is, I can always learn it in no time. My master said that I can learn it in no time."

Yang Qing snorted, "If you're so smart, how come you can't even hold a needle?"

Xiaoman said, "I can break a boulder with my chest, how can an embroidery needle compare to breaking a boulder?"

Yang Qing said, "If you can't compare, then why do you keep trembling when you pick up a needle and thread?"

Xiaoman stopped talking, but she was still unconvinced.

Yang Qing said, "A young lady from a sheltered family may not be as knowledgeable as you, but even if you go out and see a lot, you're still a complete idiot."

Xiaoman was called an "idiot," and even a "complete idiot," which made her even angrier. But since the person who called her an idiot was Yangqing, she couldn't beat her up. She could only sulk on the side.

Yang Qing waited a while before saying, "Go and tell your prince that I'm not going to the hot spring estate. In the future, unless it's something important, don't send me any messages, and don't invite me out again. What will people think if they hear about it?"

Xiaoman tilted her head back: "What could it look like?"

Yang Qing said, "I told you to deliver a message, so just do it. Why are you asking so many questions?"

Xiaoman then stepped back, muttering to herself, "She only asked one question, how could she have said so much?"

These people are really strange, always chasing each other around, not open and aboveboard at all. And that Miss Ming from last time, she's always trying to find ways to block the Crown Prince, or she suddenly shows up at the Chi residence without even sending an invitation. She's so annoying.

Xiaoman couldn't stand it anymore. She only hoped that the Fourth Miss could marry the Crown Prince as soon as possible. Ming Luoqi couldn't be allowed to run wild in the Eastern Palace any longer.