Chapter 14 Chapter 14 “This can’t be.”

Shuyun's head was buzzing, her eyes were wide open, her face suddenly turned pale, she escaped from the man's hand, hid her feet tightly under her skirt, and looked at him in panic.

"Why are you still kicking the quilt when you sleep, just like when you were a child?" Xiao Ye said as he gathered the clothes on her shoulders. His face was cold, as if that behavior just now was just natural.

Shu Yun wrapped her arms around her knees, her heels burning under her skirt pressed against the soft couch. She frowned and whispered, "But brother, I've grown up and I'm not a child anymore."

"You can't do this." Shuyun's cheeks and ears were hot. She hid her feet and walked around the man beside the couch little by little. She was so nervous that she didn't even wear her white silk socks and stood up in slippers.

Xiao Ye looked at the blushing girl and sighed, "Yes, my sister has grown up and is at the age to get married. How can she be the same as when she was little?"

He chuckled, "Brother is abrupt."

"Thank you for coming today, brother. It's late at night and I can't stay long." Shuyun always felt something was wrong. She said goodbye to Xiao Ye and quickly left the dormitory.

After walking a few steps, Shuyun realized that she had left her umbrella behind, so she turned around and took the umbrella from the door.

The rain was still falling, but not as heavy as when it first came. Shuyun left Yanfuju with an umbrella.

Xiao Ye picked up a white sock that had fallen beside the couch and held it tightly in his palm.

I have grown up.

But this sister who was raised in the Marquis's Mansion was supposed to be his from birth.

wife.

*

The night rain was drizzling, and Qiongzhi was waiting in the house, and finally Shuyun came back.

Qiongzhi took the umbrella, wiped Shuyun's wet hair with a handkerchief, and asked impatiently, "Miss, what did the eldest master say?"

Shu Yun frowned and looked down to find that she was still wearing her brother's clothes. She took off the clothes and hung them on the hanger, saying, "Brother will help me break off the engagement."

"But, it's very strange..." Shuyun sat on the couch, wanting to say something but stopping herself, her fingers hanging on her knees twisted together.

Qiongzhi poured a cup of hot water for Shuyun to drive away the cold.

Shuyun held the teacup, her cold fingers gradually warmed up, and she came back to her senses.

Her embroidered shoes were still wet, and in her haste when she came back, she accidentally left a sock in her eldest brother's room.

The heel of her foot, held by her elder brother, felt slightly hot. Shuyun pulled her foot back under her skirt and looked up to ask Qiongzhi, "Do you think my elder brother has been acting strange lately?"

Qiongzhi was confused and said after a while, "The eldest master is still the same as before. He treats the young lady with kindness and always responds to her requests."

She sighed, "This marriage was originally the result of the Luo family's unreasonable insistence. Now that the eldest son has stepped forward, it will definitely be withdrawn."

Shuyun pursed her lips, lowered her eyes to look at the hem of her skirt, and stepped back with her toes hidden.

She must have been too nervous and worried recently. Her brother has always had a deep friendship with her. When she was a child, she was tired from playing and took a nap at Yanfuju, and her brother also covered her with a quilt.

Shuyun held the cup and slowly drank the warm water, then told Qiongzhi to prepare hot water for bathing.

That night, Shuyun slept well.

*

The next day, before Luo Fangming could prepare the betrothal gifts, Xiao Ye sent Fufeng to Jingzhao Yin to bring Luo to court.

The marriage certificate that the Luo family produced was one that they had hired someone to write some time ago for a hundred coins. The certificate was then deliberately crumpled to make it appear as if it had been written a year ago.

Fu Feng found a man to write the marriage certificate for her and went to court with Luo Fangming.

When Luo Fangming saw the solemn atmosphere in the court, his legs went weak. He was also horrified because the marriage certificate had been exposed. He thought that this marriage was just an exchange of tokens between the two families and there was only a stroke of the pen in the fate.

The Luo family delayed the proposal because they were unwilling to marry the daughter of the Tian family who had lost her father and mother and went crazy. They thought that the marriage would be cancelled after the Tian girl was sold as a maid, but they did not expect that the Tian family would suddenly come to their door and persuade them to go through with the marriage and marry the adopted daughter of the marquis's mansion and the true blood of the youngest Tian.

The Luo family was moved, so they took the token of trust they had exchanged that year and the foolproof marriage certificate and went to the Marquis' Mansion to marry her.

The Jingzhao Yin summoned Tian Lao Da and his family of three. Under Fu Feng's questioning, Tian Wangshun confessed everything.

It was Xiao Shuzhen who took the initiative to mention this matter to him and asked the two families to go to the Marquis' Mansion to exchange the bride.

The ten taels of silver that Luo Fangming used as a betrothal gift were also given by Xiao Shuzhen.

According to the Dafeng Law, marriages must be arranged by a matchmaker, and a contract must be signed between men and women, legitimate and illegitimate children, and the elder and the younger. [1]

There was only a token of trust, and no matchmaker was used to arrange the engagement, so the agreement was invalid. The tokens were returned to both parties, and Luo Fangming forged a marriage certificate and threatened to be beaten with thirty sticks.

People gathered outside the court. After watching, Prince Li Ce of Huainan suddenly spoke up and sighed:

"When Northern Yan invaded, Marquis Anlu guarded the border for two years, protecting the people of the northern border from being invaded. I never expected that his beloved daughter would be bullied like this! This is really chilling to the Marquis' heart!"

The bodyguard echoed, "Yes, it chilled the Marquis's heart."

The onlookers nodded frequently and agreed one after another.

Xiao Ye frowned, feeling extremely disgusted, and left the crowd.

Seeing that the situation was not right, Li Ce followed closely.

"This prince heard about this two days ago. I asked you to meet me, but you ignored me." Li Ce kept muttering beside Xiao Ye. He took out the folding fan from his waist, unfolded it and waved it, saying, "If you had accepted the invitation that day, this wouldn't have ended up in court."

Li Ce spread his hands and said, "Now it's all known in the city, ruining Miss Shuyun's reputation."

Xiao Ye stopped and looked at her, saying, "This is the first time that the prince has shown such concern for my sister."

Li Ce raised his chin slightly, his folding fan spread across his chest, "This prince and Miss Xiao San have known each other for many years, and we have a very good relationship."

He nudged Xiao Ye with his elbow and raised his eyebrows, saying, "How about, Young Master Xiao, just be my friend."

Xiao Ye smiled faintly and said goodbye: "I have something to take care of in the mansion, goodbye."

Li Ce fanned himself with a sigh as he watched the receding figure. He had long wanted to establish a close friendship with Xiao Ye, but things hadn't gone as he wished, and now they were just acquaintances.

He was a notorious playboy in the capital, a cockfighting scoundrel with no education or skills, unlike Xiao Ye who was both civil and military.

How could I have a close friendship with such a good man with such noble character?

Li Ce sighed, and his attendant wiped the stools of the teahouse on the street. Li Ce lifted his robe and sat down, waiting for the servants to bring the carriage.

*

How could Wang Huilan not know that there was something wrong with the marriage forced by the Luo family? She just wanted to use this opportunity to send Shuyun away so that she wouldn't be an eyesore all day long.

But she never expected that all this was caused by Xiao Shuzhen.

Xiao Ye has always been decisive in his actions, and he started to deal with this matter as soon as he returned home.

Xiao Shuzhen, a wicked and jealous woman, was punished by being forced to kneel in the ancestral hall for ten days to reflect on her mistakes. She cried and pleaded with Wang Huilan, but Xiao Ye was determined to punish her. Furthermore, when Old Lady Cui learned of this, she was furious and no one dared to speak up. Wang Huilan was also punished by the old lady for not telling her daughter anything.

Ever since the exchange of children, the Marquis' Mansion has never been at peace. Xiao Shuzhen is so scheming at such a young age, and Old Madam Cui is so angry that her heart aches.

Xiao Ye poured a cup of warm water and handed it to her, calming the old lady's temper. He said, "Grandma, take care of yourself. This small punishment is a big warning. Third sister, you will learn your lesson. Be more obedient in the future."

Mrs. Cui sighed, drank some warm water, and rubbed her eyebrows with her hand.

Xiao Ye took the empty cup and put it down. After a moment of silence, he said, "In my grandson's opinion, this is actually a dispute between Sister Yun and Third Sister. Sister Yun has indeed taken advantage of Third Sister's wealth and prosperity for the past sixteen years, and Stepmother blames Sister Yun for Third Sister's suffering. Mother and daughter have a bad relationship, and the sisters are disgusted with each other. If Sister Yun is placed in Chanxueju, she will see her every now and then, and I'm afraid there will be more resentment."

Old Madam Cui looked at Xiao Ye with a scrutinizing look in her eyes.

"What do you think we should do?" asked Mrs. Cui.

Xiao Ye lowered his eyes in thought, and after a while he said, "Let Sister Yun move away from the west side of the Marquis' Mansion."

"Grandmother already has four younger sisters living here. If there's one more, I'm afraid it'll disturb the peace."

Xiao Ye pondered and said, "The Hengwu Garden, east of the inner courtyard and south of the Linxi Pavilion, has been uninhabited for a long time. Send someone to clean it up and let Sister Yun move in."

The Anlu Marquis Mansion had been renovated and expanded several times, and covered a large area. Hengwu Garden and Wang Huilan's residence were located in the east and west respectively, separated by a large lotus pond and a summer corridor, but were located in the east of the inner courtyard together with Yan Fu Residence, separated by only a study and a pond, and the courtyards faced each other.

*

The servants went in and out of Chanxueju, moving all the things to Hengwuyuan.

Shu Yun looked at the residence that was even more spacious than Qu He Tang and frowned, "How strange, suddenly changing residence again."

The servants had bought many small ornaments that Shuyun liked, and Qiongzhi arranged them on the antique display stand. She even felt more energetic when she worked, saying, "It's probably because the eldest master thought Chanxueju was too small and felt sorry for the young lady. The eldest master has always been very kind to the young lady."

Shuyun glanced at the quiet outside the house, her thoughts in a tizzy.

Later, Xiao Ye appeared in Hengwuyuan, and Shuyun was embroidering in the house.

"Brother." Shuyun put down her embroidery tools and stood up to greet him with an especially sweet smile.

Xiao Ye glanced at the orchid pattern on the embroidery frame and asked, "What are you embroidering?"

"This is a sachet for my brother. He helped me break off my engagement, so naturally I have to thank him. But after thinking about it, he seems to have no shortage of things. In early summer, there are more mosquitoes, so I made an insect repellent sachet for him. He sometimes works night shifts, so I'll give him a sachet to keep him away from mosquito bites."

She also owed her fourth sister a sachet, so she did it all at once.

"I'm going to Yunshuang Pavilion tomorrow to buy some spices. What kind of incense do you like?"

Xiao Ye looked at her. "Sweet, with a faint scent of white orchid."

Shuyun looked down at the sachet around her waist, which smelled of a faint scent of white orchid.

On this side, Xiao Ye sent the maid away from the room and took out a white jade lotus pendant from his sleeve.

Xiao Ye said: "The token returned by the Luo family was given to you by your mother."

Shu Yun was stunned. She took the jade pendant with both hands. Holding it in her hand, the jade pendant was white and delicate, with a warm texture and a translucent luster.

It is pure and transparent in the sunlight, and is the best mutton-fat white jade.

"My mother gave it to me?"

Shuyun was puzzled.

Xiao Ye nodded, looked at the familiar jade pendant, and said, "The marriage was not arranged with you, but this jade belonged to your mother. Now that the engagement is annulled, it should be returned to its original owner."

Shu Yun frowned, puzzled, "I heard from the Tian family that my mother is an embroiderer in town, not a local. So, our family isn't well off, but this jade pendant is exquisitely crafted and worth a fortune. How could my mother have it?"

Xiao Ye took the jade pendant and rubbed the lines on it with his fingertips. After a while, he said in a calm voice, "Maybe it's a family heirloom."

Shu Yun tilted her head slightly and stared at the jade pendant in the man's hand.

Xiao Ye came up behind Shu Yun and said, "Wear the jade pendant with you, don't lose it."

"Brother, I can do it myself." Shuyun nodded and reached out to take the jade pendant, but missed.

Xiao Ye lifted the black hair behind her neck and put it in front of her. The girl had a slender neck and skin as white as cream.

Shuyun lowered her head and tied her long hair in front of her.

Behind her, the skin on the back of her neck felt slightly hot as the man's long fingers brushed across it. His dark green long sleeves brushed across her shoulders, enveloping her in his refreshing breath. Her ears couldn't help but turn red.

After fastening the jade pendant, Xiao Ye gathered her drooping hair and let it fall behind her, covering her snow-white neck. He said in a slightly deep voice, "Sister Yun, it's done."

Shuyun looked at the jade pendant on her chest and carefully put it into her clothes, close to her skin.

The jade pendant was warm, as if it had just been warmed up by her brother. Shuyun's heartbeat suddenly quickened a bit, and she lowered her eyes to look at the shadow cast on the ground.

The brother was still standing behind her, his shadow seemed to be sticking closely to her.

Shuyun turned around, her deep eyes seemed a little burning.

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The law of marriage requires a matchmaker, and the marriage of men and women, legitimate and illegitimate children, elders and juniors must all be signed in a contract. — From Tang Law Explanation

See you on Saturday [waves hand]