"What!?" Cheng Ruyi was shocked upon hearing the news and quickly asked, "How is the Zhou family? Was anyone injured?"
The Zhou family is her biggest backer right now, and they are also very important to the stability of the entire Huaishan County. I hope nothing unexpected happens!
Seeing Ruyi's intense reaction, Guo Qinglan couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, then pulled her aside, signaling her to lower her voice, reminding her that they were right next to the courtroom!
"Don't worry, the Zhou family should be fine. They have plenty of guards. If you're still concerned, you can go and check on them yourself. You can also visit Master Zhou while you're there. I heard that he was injured while saving you!"
Seeing Guo Qinglan's winking expression, Ruyi immediately realized that the other party had misunderstood, and quickly explained, "Good sister, you can't say things like that. How could you call it saving me? With my skills, I could have easily dodged it myself!"
"Moreover, the Zhou family is a very important business partner of our family. Naturally, I hope that the Zhou family can continue to live a stable life. Besides, the Zhou family has been doing good deeds and accumulating virtue for so many years, and has done a lot for the people of Huaishan County. It would be a pity if something happened to such a good family."
Seeing Cheng Ruyi's sincere expression, Guo Qinglan couldn't tell if she was telling the truth or not. Out of concern for her good friend, she asked, "I noticed that Master Zhou's attitude towards you seems unusual, and he seems quite reliable. Aren't you sure you don't want to consider it?"
"What's there to think about? In this world, you never know what tomorrow will bring. Things could get chaotic at any time. I just want to live well with my family. I have no time to worry about anything else."
Cheng Ruyi didn't know how to explain her true thoughts to them, since once a worldview is formed, it is indeed difficult to overturn.
Guo Qinglan was about to say something when she suddenly heard Luo Xian's voice outside, and for some reason, she lost interest.
In the courtroom, Luo Xian was delivering his final verdict. As he finished speaking, Ruyi finally received the system notification again.
"Ding-dong! Congratulations on completing one main quest, three side quests, and two hidden quests."
Task Details:
Main Quest: Defend Our Homeland (Completion Level: A)
Side Quest 1: No Family Members Injured (Completion Level: A)
Side Quest 2: Uncover the Truth Behind the Incident (Completion Level: A)
Side Quest 3: Capture the bandits from Wolong Village (Completion: A)
Hidden Mission 1: No villagers in Lishan Village have died (Completion Level: A)
Hidden Mission 2: Find the defense map of Wolong Village (Completion: A)
Note: Both side quests and main quests will have a significant impact on the future, so please approach them with caution.
"Main quest completion: A, reward: 10 spiritual points."
"Side Quest 1 Completion: A, Reward: 5 Spirit Points"
"Side Quest 2 Completion: A, Reward: 5 Spirit Points"
"Side Quest 3 Completion: A, Reward: 5 Spirit Points"
"Hidden Quest 1 Completion: A, Reward: 10 Spirit Points"
"Hidden Quest 2 Completion: A, Reward: 10 Spirit Power Points"
Current spiritual power level: 57
Great! Cheng Ruyi's spiritual energy, which had been nearly depleted due to the two spiritual rains, has finally returned to the 50 mark. Looking at this number, she couldn't help but smile happily. It was definitely worth doing the mission!
Several days passed, and Ruyi still hadn't seen Zhou Yin at Lingyun Pavilion. She became worried about the Zhou family's situation, wondering if something had really happened. So she specially sent an invitation, saying that she wanted to thank the Zhou family patriarch for his help and hoped to send some gifts as well as visit him while he was sick.
That day, to show respect, she wore a very dignified, simple and elegant plain-colored dress and arrived at the Zhou family's gate early in the morning with You San Niang.
Come to think of it, she's been here for two years now, and this is her first time entering the Zhou family's residence. She's still quite excited, wondering just how magnificent the Zhou family's mansion, which is known as the richest family in Huaishan County, will be.
Unexpectedly, the entire Zhou family mansion was very rustic. From the walls and bricks to the plants, there were traces left by a hundred years of history everywhere. It was full of stories at a glance, as if it had witnessed the rise and fall of this family over several generations.
The two followed the Zhou family servant deeper into the area. When they reached a corner, a woman suddenly rushed out and crashed straight into them.
Just as Ruyi was about to dodge, she didn't expect that the woman was also a martial arts practitioner. With a feint, she was thrown out as if she had been hit, and the large red coral ornament she was holding was smashed into pieces.
Wow~~ This scene... isn't this the kind of framing and slander that often happens in novels during palace intrigues? How did she manage to run into this? Looks like it's time for her to show off her acting skills.
Sure enough, the young woman in the yellow silk cotton-padded jacket and pomegranate-colored skirt pointed angrily at Cheng Ruyi and shouted, "Don't you even watch where you're going? You bumped into someone and didn't even apologize. You're really rude and vulgar!"
The woman remained seated on the ground, showing no intention of getting up. Seeing that Cheng Ruyi had no reaction, she assumed the other woman was terrified and became even more aggressive, "Do you know that this is a hundred-year-old red coral transported all the way from Wanze Kingdom in the south? It's priceless! Now that you've damaged it, can you afford to pay for it?"
The commotion quickly attracted the attention of servants passing by, who gathered in small groups to watch.
Cheng Ruyi hadn't reacted at all until she heard the name Wan Zeguo, at which point her eyes lit up.
The Kingdom of Wanze is a country that can only be reached by crossing the Qin Dynasty in Vietnam. Considering the current level of transportation, it is indeed very far away. At least, she had been wandering around the antique shops in the capital city for so long and had never seen a single item from the Kingdom of Wanze. If it were real, it would certainly be a rare treasure.
Surely not? Wasting such a valuable treasure just to get her? Who's going to be so extravagant?
While Ruyi was still pondering, a large group of people walked in from not far away. The young woman at the head of the group had a beautiful and refined appearance. Her small, palm-sized face and delicate features made her already fair and flawless skin appear as translucent as porcelain under her dark green cloak.
The young woman went straight to the woman who had fallen, gently helped her up, and asked with concern, "Zhiyuan, what happened? And why are you sitting on the ground?"
"Greetings, Madam!"
"Greetings, Madam!"
As soon as the woman appeared, all the servants of the Zhou family hurriedly bowed.
Seeing this scene, Cheng Ruyi understood everything. It seemed that this was Zhou Yin's wife. So... did she hear some unreliable rumors and couldn't help but come to test her?
"Greetings, Madam Zhou." Ruyi decided to remain calm and wait for the situation to unfold, so she followed everyone else in bowing.
Tang Wushuang glanced at Cheng Ruyi, then gestured for everyone to disperse. "Is this Madam Cheng? I've long admired your name. Would you mind if I asked you a few questions in the side hall?"
“Of course.” Cheng Ruyi readily agreed, her attitude being extremely cooperative, which surprised the other party.
So the group walked through several corridors and came to a courtyard with exquisite and beautiful decorations. Although the outside world was covered in snow, there were still many flowers in bloom in the courtyard.
Ruyi looked up and discovered that the courtyard's ceiling was covered with a layer of translucent glass, keeping out the wind and snow. Upon closer inspection, she also noticed that the carved pillars supporting the ceiling in the four corners of the courtyard were actually fireplaces, currently burning brightly and providing a continuous source of warmth. No wonder she felt so warm as soon as she entered; look at this! The wealthy really know how to have fun!
Upon arriving at the side hall, Ruyi immediately felt the heat emanating from the soles of her feet; in just a short while, her body was almost sweating profusely.
Fortunately, a maid led them into an inner room, where they took off their heavy, warm cloaks and put them away before being led back to the side hall to sit down.
Although the Lishan Villa also has underfloor heating, in order to save firewood and to allow their bodies to adapt to the cold weather, they rarely use it during the day. They only light it at night when eating and sleeping. Therefore, she has never experienced the luxurious feeling of being warm and cozy inside while it is freezing outside during the day.
The Zhou family is so generous! If I had known this would happen, I should have made excuses to visit the Zhou family more often!
Cheng Ruyi took a sip of the flower tea handed to her by the maid and immediately felt incredibly refreshed with a lingering fragrance. It was truly a fine tea! It was a flavor she had never tasted at Lingyun Pavilion or Zhiwei Pavilion, so it was probably from the Zhou family's own collection.
Ruyi was still thinking of having a few more sips when Madam Zhou, having changed her clothes, walked out from behind the gold-threaded sandalwood screen and slowly sat down in the main seat. With a smile, she said to Ruyi, "Madam Cheng, you've been waiting for a long time."
After removing her cloak and coat, Madam Zhou appeared petite and delicate. Her sky-blue long dress paired with a gentle moon-white pearl-embroidered long shirt made her look incredibly pure and beautiful, like a lovely white lotus in the water.
The beauty was still very pleasing to the eye, especially since the other party was being polite. Ruyi naturally reciprocated with a friendly attitude, saying, "Madam Zhou, you are too kind. This place is not only warm and spring-like, but also has fine tea and beautiful scenery. If I have some free time, it wouldn't be a problem for me to stay here alone for a whole day."
Tang Wuyou sat quietly in the main seat, looking at this celebrity she had heard about frequently over the past year. Upon closer inspection, she could only be described as above average in appearance, not particularly beautiful. Not to mention compared to herself, even Zhiyuan was prettier than her!
However, this person had a very special temperament. Every move he made was incredibly calm and composed, giving people a sense of composure in the face of adversity. Instantly, he appeared dignified and imposing, making him someone not to be underestimated.
Rumor has it that this Lady Cheng is intelligent, brave, and chivalrous; she was originally quite keen to befriend her, but...
"Madam Cheng is joking. By the way, Paper Kite, what exactly happened just now? Please tell me the truth."
"Yes, Madam." The young woman named Zhiyuan answered respectfully, then handed over the broken red coral, saying aggrievedly, "This century-old red coral was brought back from Wanze Kingdom by Madam half a year ago as a birthday gift for Master. Now that Master's birthday is not far away, I thought I would take it out of the storeroom in advance to clean it and properly scent it with incense. Unexpectedly, on the way, I suddenly... collided with this Madam Cheng. Madam Cheng probably didn't mean it, but her size is much different from mine. The collision made me dizzy and I fell to the ground, and the coral in my hand was broken..."
As she was speaking, Zhiyuan suddenly knelt down, "It's all my fault, please punish me, Madam!"
Cheng Ruyi: "......"
It's one thing for you, young lady, to accuse her of hitting someone, but why do you seem to be implying that she's fat? That's a personal attack!
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