Chapter 42 A Bit of Sour Tears
After doing all this, Xiao Yuxuan sincerely said:
"Thank you so much. If you ever find anything like this again, please remember to let me choose it."
She spoke frankly and without any reservations.
Xiao Yuyao was surprised that Xiao Yuxuan had become so shameless, and her expression changed.
Although she looked down on these things, what did Xiao Yuxuan mean by treating her like a sucker?
She just wanted to remind Xiao Yuxuan that even though her reputation was damaged, the Fourth Prince and her Third Brother were still on her side, and Xiao Yuxuan shouldn't think that this would give her an advantage.
Regardless of whether she takes it or not, she has a reason to go to Xiao Jin and sow discord between Xiao Yuxuan and Xiao Jin.
"What's wrong with Fourth Sister? Why does she look so pale? She used to be quite pretty and charming, but now that she's ill, her beauty has faded even further. Alas."
Xiao Yuxuan held a carp-shaped jade pendant in her hand, and did not forget to "care" about Xiao Yuyao's appearance.
Xiao Yuyao subconsciously touched her cheek: "..."
As they left Baozhen Courtyard, Hongzhu followed behind, carrying the box, and asked curiously:
"Fourth Miss has changed her ways. Why is she being so kind to you? Usually, even if she doesn't like these things, she would at most give them to the people in her own courtyard. And if they are given to her by the Fourth Prince, she would just leave them untouched. Why is she like this today..."
Bi Sui didn't take it to heart:
"Have you forgotten? The girl had only been home for three days when she started crying and complaining that the hairpin the girl had given her was stolen, trying to frame the girl."
Hongzhu suddenly realized that this was indeed the case.
Xiao Yuyao embellished the story, saying that it was her favorite hairpin and there was absolutely no way she could have given it away by mistake, just to make the Xiao family think that the Fifth Miss was dishonest and had a despicable mind.
She was working at Baozhen Courtyard at the time and saw it clearly. After the hairpin was returned, Xiao Yuyao tossed it aside and didn't even glance at it again.
Fifth Miss, on the other hand, was immediately punished by Master Xiao and made to kneel in the family temple. She didn't eat or drink for a day and a night. After she came out, she still tried her best to make ginseng soup and pastries for Master Xiao and Madam Xiao to please them...
Hongzhu immediately felt like she was holding a hot potato, and said:
"Could this be another scheme she's plotting? Is there something shady going on here?"
Xiao Yuxuan walked steadily ahead, and only when she heard the two little girls chattering behind her did she remember what had happened.
Since she stopped caring about her so-called family, these jealous and malicious schemes have become meaningless to her. But even so, it's time to teach Xiao Yuyao a lesson for her repeated attempts.
"Hongzhu, go to the front yard and keep an eye on things. Report back to me as soon as Third Brother returns. Also..." she whispered a few instructions.
Hongzhu listened attentively, her eyes lit up, and she immediately handed the things to Bihui, gave a crisp reply, and went straight to the front yard.
When Xiao Jin returned to the Xiao residence from the palace, she saw two people waiting at the gate of her courtyard from afar.
One is Mu Jin, who serves Xiao Yuyao, and the other is Hong Zhu, who serves Xiao Yuxuan.
The two stood on either side of the doorway, clearly separated.
He approached and smiled:
"What's going on? Why did the two girls ask you to find me?"
He was in a good mood today. Yesterday, the dignitaries rewarded him with gifts because they thought his studies were quite good. Today, during the archery test, he also managed to hit several bullseyes and was praised to the skies by his group of companions.
Hongzhu, before Mujin, was the first to bow, and said fluently:
"Third Young Master, I came here on the orders of Fifth Young Lady to express my gratitude. Although those gifts were given by Fourth Young Lady, they were still a reward because of your high standing in the palace. Our young lady likes them very much and said she would embroider a new purse for you."
She rattled off a string of words in a flash, and once Xiao Jin understood them, the joy on her face suddenly faded.
"What did Fourth Sister send?"
He raised his hand, interrupting Mu Jin who was about to speak, and pointed at Hong Zhu: "You speak."
Hongzhu stared wide-eyed, looking completely bewildered.
"Weren't they gifts from the palace yesterday? Fourth Miss said they were all given by the Imperial Concubine and the Fourth Prince, and they are extremely precious! She said our young lady had never seen such fine things before, and specially sent her to pick some out to play with."
Because of her young age and innocent face, Hongzhu innocently parroted others, and no one questioned her. At least Xiao Jin couldn't see anything wrong with it.
"Third Young Master, is something amiss? Our young lady said those things are valuable, and if she shouldn't have taken them, she should return them immediately..."
"Shut up!"
Xiao Jin wanted to interrupt her, but Hongzhu was not frightened. Instead, she opened the box she was holding.
"Our young lady also said that when she left, she noticed that the fourth young lady seemed a bit unhappy. She wondered if it was because the third young master had taken too much. If the third young master was also unhappy, she would return these to him..."
"I told you to shut up!"
Xiao Jin suppressed the throbbing in his temples and instead called out to someone:
"Where's Cheng Bu? Tell him to get out here!"
Cheng Bu had been waiting in the courtyard for a while. Upon hearing the summons, he hurriedly ran out of the courtyard.
He bowed and scraped, but before he could even stand up straight, Xiao Jin kicked him in the chest.
"You can't even handle this small matter, what use are you to me?!"
Cheng Bu cried out in pain, dramatically rolled twice on the ground, then knelt down again, kowtowed deeply, and said pitifully:
"Third Young Master, I was just following orders. However, when I went to Baozhen Courtyard, Madam happened to be there as well. She left all my things there, so I had no choice..."
Xiao Jin felt increasingly distressed as she listened:
"Idiot, I'll deal with you when you get back!"
Now that the reward is gone, couldn't he at least take something else from the storeroom and send it to Lanting Pavilion as a temporary measure? Now Yu Xuan is going to think he, as her older brother, is being biased...
"Is your young lady at the Orchid Pavilion right now? I'll go find her."
Hongzhu shook her head:
"Miss Dai and I went to admire the lanterns. We informed the master and mistress, and we had dinner at Tianxiang Restaurant before returning."
Dai Cheng, the eldest brother's fiancée, is their future sister-in-law. With the eldest brother's wedding approaching, it's normal for Dai Cheng to invite her sister-in-law out for fun.
Now that things have come to this, Mu Jin already knows that the Fourth Miss is not going to get away with this.
She was somewhat tired of dealing with such a master, but she had to say that she only hoped that the fourth young lady wouldn't take her anger out on her too much and would just give her a beating or scolding.
Mu Jin forced herself to step forward, a stiff smile on her face:
"Third Young Master, Fourth Young Lady hasn't seen you for several days and misses you very much. She would like to invite you over for a chat."
Xiao Jin thought about it and realized that Yu Yao had suffered another ordeal on Zhuang Mountain two days ago, and had only recovered slightly this morning.
He then thought of the rumors circulating in the capital these past few days. If Yuyao heard them, she would be heartbroken. For both reason and duty, he should go and see her.
After all, she was the girl he had cherished like the apple of his eye for fourteen years, and she was no different from his own sister. Even though he knew she had some harmless little thoughts, he couldn't bear to distance himself from her like that.
"Lead the way."
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