Chapter 4 Side Hall (2)

"As the Grand Master of Music, am I one of the officials?" Qu Hanjin smiled faintly when he heard the voice, but the smile was not easy to detect. He raised his eyes and asked again.

Seeing this, Li Yunmao quickly stood up and knelt down, respectfully bowing to the master: "Of course, Mr. Qu is highly respected and virtuous. We all admire him and would never dare to neglect him in the slightest."

Regardless of his official position in the court, Mr. Qu's inviolable reputation alone was enough to make the prefect of the capital retreat. If he really offended Mr. Qu, the consequences would be disastrous. Li Yunmao would never dare to do such a thing that would not be worth the loss.

"In that case, this area will be under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Justice and the Supreme Court. Even though Magistrate Li judges cases for the people, he has no right to investigate the Ministry of Music."

After he finished speaking lightly, the young man stood up and bowed to the kneeling prefect.

Unable to persuade him any further, Li Yunmao frowned and sighed, reminding him with a hint of meaning, "Sir, you should know that if the murderer is really hiding in the mansion, you will be guilty of the serious crime of harboring the suspect..."

Qu Han remained unmoved and politely ordered the guest to leave: "As Magistrate Li said, I will take care of it. Please don't worry about it."

This young man was really no match for him. Magistrate Li was helpless, knowing that he was intentionally protecting him and that he was determined to cover up for him this time. He had no choice but to slowly stand up and leave the hall very reluctantly.

"I have disturbed the Ministry of Music today and have offended you greatly. I hope you will forgive me."

She had thought that Mr. Qu would agree to the prefect's search, turn a blind eye to other matters, or tell her everything he had witnessed in the back mountain. She had never imagined that Mr. Qu would be so blatant in protecting her...

Chu Qingluo heard everything clearly outside the hall. As she was thinking, she suddenly felt her skirt being pulled quietly. She saw the maid behind her pointing to the side hall and then to the way she came, indicating that she should leave quickly.

If your whereabouts are discovered, you will get into trouble.

The door of the elegant room opened from the inside. Meng Ying'er muttered softly and retreated hurriedly: "The master is coming out, hurry up..."

After passing through a narrow corridor and looking around, the girl breathed a sigh of relief as she found no one noticed and the master hadn't figured it out either.

"Mr. Qu is too arrogant... He sent the prefect away with just a few words." Thinking back to what she had just heard, the girl smiled and admired this unpredictable gentleman even more. She said happily, "With Mr. Qu's protection, who would dare to bully the girls of the Music Bureau in the future!"

But as soon as she finished speaking, she was bumped into by the nanny who was walking towards her. Meng Ying'er trembled violently, stepped aside, stammering, not knowing where to start, her mind in a state of confusion.

"How dare you! You two girls are sneaking around here, it's really lawless!" The nanny knew what had happened as soon as she saw it. She was immediately furious and scolded them loudly with a stern face.

This shout really attracted the gentleman and the situation became out of control in an instant.

When Qu Hanjin arrived, he saw two figures standing in front of the nanny with their heads down, their eyes lowered, very timid, like frightened wild deer in the mountains, their faces full of anxiety.

Seeing the master approaching, the nanny respectfully made way to listen to his subsequent instructions: "Sir, these two young ladies came here without permission and eavesdropped on your conversation. What should be done with them?"

After a moment of silence, his expression remained unchanged. He waved his sleeves lightly and told the nanny to leave first.

"You step back first, I will punish you myself."

When all the servants in this hall had left, only three shadows were left in the corridor, casting shadows on the ground.

Qu Han stood there elegantly, looking down at the two pretty girls without saying a word.

Meng Ying'er couldn't hold back her words, her whole body trembling violently. She didn't know whether it was fear or embarrassment, but she refused to raise her almond-shaped eyes. "Sir, Qingluo and I saw that you hadn't returned to the zither hall yet, so we sneaked over to take a look."

"It's... Mr. Worry that's why I'm here."

"Is this true?" He tilted his head to look at the silent Shuying beside him, and asked as if there was something else hidden in his words.

Hearing the master's doubts, the girl panicked even more. She raised her eyes for a moment, then quickly lowered them again and said, "Of course it's true. I really mean every word I said."

Qu Hanjin seemed to be smiling, but his eyes did not move away from her. After a long moment, he said, "I'm asking about her."

Perhaps it was the dagger that really caught Mr. Qu's attention. Today's disaster was caused by her, so it was reasonable for Mr. Qu to vent his anger on her.

But if Mr. really holds a grudge against me for this, I'm afraid his future will be difficult...

Bowing respectfully towards him, Chu Qingluo smiled and replied slowly, "Ying'er was worried about your safety. She was sweating in anxiety sitting alone in the corner, but she didn't dare to come alone, so I came up with this bad idea."

This answer seemed to satisfy him. The young master nodded slightly and asked again in a soft voice, but there was a sense of authority in his words: "Do you admit that you knowingly and deliberately violated the rules this time?"

"Yes," she replied calmly. She knew she was bound to be punished, so she simply admitted her mistake. "This is all my fault. It has nothing to do with Ying'er."

Unable to find any other faults, Qu Hanjin frowned and looked thoughtful, then after careful consideration, he announced the punishment.

"Then I'll punish you by grounding you for two days and making you copy the Qin Dao thirty times. Do you have any complaints?"

"I have no complaints." Wen Yu accepted it calmly. She leaned over and walked back, slowly walking towards the end of the corridor.

Fortunately, the punishment was light, just copying books and reflecting on his mistakes at home. This was a good opportunity for him to avoid the attention of the government office looking for the murderer and keep himself safe.

As for other matters, she didn't care.

Taking on this responsibility would, on the one hand, leave the impression of being respectful and obedient on the teacher's behalf, and on the other hand, make Meng Ying'er feel guilty and treat her more honestly in the future. Killing two birds with one stone, achieving what one desires.

"This dress is too plain and doesn't suit you at all. Go and see how others dress and learn from them." She was walking and thinking when she heard some bizarre words coming from behind her. She stopped abruptly and listened to the teacher's solemn voice saying, "So as not to lose face for the Music Bureau..."

clothes……

She lowered her eyes and looked over, but didn't think there was anything wrong.

I don't understand why the gentleman said this. Could it be that she is really disgusting to look at and has brought shame to the mansion...

After stopping and bowing respectfully, Chu Qingluo continued walking and left the side hall completely: "The student will remember the teacher's teachings. I will take my leave first."

What happened at the other courtyard seemed to be a false alarm. Mr. Qu was not angry and seemed to have imposed a penalty casually. This was a violation of the rules and should be punished.

The girl was still in shock and kept looking back at the way she came, gasping for breath to make sure she had escaped the disaster.

Looking at the woman following her, Meng Ying'er felt ashamed. After all, she didn't say anything when she accepted the punishment, which was indeed a bit embarrassing.

Meng Yatou lowered her eyes in guilt and murmured for a while: "Qingluo, why do you want to take this sin? It was clearly my idea, how can you bear this sin alone..."

"When I help others, even if they are friends, I always ask for compensation first." This punishment was not painful at all. Chu Qingluo smiled faintly and looked back slowly.

"Yesterday's osmanthus cake will be considered as your reward."

"But you were punished and grounded right after arriving in this mansion. I'm afraid you'll have to miss classes..." Meng Ying'er was relieved to see that she really didn't care, and then she thought of a solution for her and said happily.

"I've carefully written down the knowledge the teacher taught me in a book and will give it to you after class. What do you think?"

Two days passed in the blink of an eye, and she didn't miss many classes. But since it was the girl's kindness, she accepted it: "I guess I can only rely on Ying'er like this..."

A girl whom she had only met a few times had saved her from disaster, so it was only natural for her to excerpt knowledge for her. Meng Ying'er was delighted and thanked her sincerely: "Don't be so polite. You helped me so much, allowing me to talk to Mr. Qu and saving me from this disaster. I should do my best to help her!"

"Our rooms are so close to each other, it's like fate has destined us to be close friends, sharing weal and woe. What do you think of my suggestion?"

Meng Ying'er glanced at the pavilion she was about to enter, and suddenly an idea came to her mind, and she looked back happily.

Chu Qingluoyan smiled softly, her autumn eyes reflecting water, and she replied softly, "You sound so interested, it seems I can't refuse..."

At this point, she had made a friend in the mansion, and at least she wouldn't be targeted in the future. She had also tried her best to integrate into the family, so that she would have someone to take care of her when she was in trouble.

Hearing her cheerful response, Meng Ying'er suddenly felt cheerful, and the scenes she had just experienced echoed in her mind, especially her husband's every move.

The more Meng girl thought about it, the redder her cheeks became. Thinking about her own stupid behavior, she felt it was really embarrassing.

"You don't know how nervous I was when I saw the teacher just now..." The girl was embarrassed and annoyed, and felt guilty for several times. When she thought of the teacher, she immediately smiled happily.

"Mr. Qu is just as the rumors say. He is born with a pure and flawless appearance, graceful and elegant, like a banished immortal. He is so handsome..."

Talking about the gentleman, the last puzzling words lingered in her ears again. Meng Ying'er looked at the soft and gentle woman beside her, puzzled.

"By the way, sir, what do you mean by saying your clothes don't suit you? I think the light blue silk dress is quite suitable..."

She was also confused about this. No matter how hard she thought, she couldn't figure out what the master meant...

"Sir, what you mean, why do we need to ask more? Maybe all the girls are dressed up brightly and elegantly, and I really don't fit in." Chu Qingluo smiled calmly, thinking that the man was someone even Emperor Daning respected very much, so his words must have a reason, and she decided to obey his orders.

"I'll change into this outfit when I get back to my room."

"Listen more to the master, it will only benefit you." Meng Ying'er, who always believed in the master's words, nodded. Then, thinking of what Magistrate Li had said in the hall, she asked with concern, "Do you think the prefect will come again?"

"That gentleman is really something. The women in the Music Bureau are all weak and helpless. How could there be a murderer hiding among them..."

Hearing this, her expression remained calm, her eyes gently moving forward. A smile crossed her face as she replied calmly, "If it's true, then you have to be careful. Ying'er must take good care of herself."

Meng Ying'er looked at herself warily, then looked at the weak and delicate body in front of her, and couldn't help but worry about her.