"My lord!"
The head steward, with his sharp eyes, saw the Marquis as a savior, but then remembered Miss Wu's identity and didn't want the Marquis to get into trouble.
So he shouted at the top of his lungs, "My lord, please come into the manor quickly. There's a small matter here that this old servant can handle."
Before the Marquis could speak, Miss Wu also noticed him.
She quickly released the head housekeeper and hurriedly straightened her clothes and hair, trying her best to restore her former beauty.
The Marquis glanced at her, his brows furrowing even deeper, but he said nothing and led Li Lao Er inside.
Miss Wu was surprised that the Marquis would actually ignore her, so she became anxious and shouted, "My lord, I've come to see you!"
The Marquis stopped and asked calmly, "What do you want with me?"
The head butler tried to stop her, but Miss Wu, afraid she wouldn't have a chance to speak, blurted out, "I want to ask you why you don't want to marry me!"
"If you are willing to marry me, there will be no arranged marriage, and I won't have to marry someone else!"
The Marquis raised an eyebrow and carefully examined the girl before him. Although she was disheveled, her clothes were exquisite, and the rubies on her ears reflected the light of the setting sun, making them dazzling.
He then remembered whose daughter this was; needless to say, she had been pampered since childhood and knew nothing of the hardships of life.
Then think of the soldiers with missing limbs in the wounded and sick camps, and the cold corpses of those who committed suicide in despair.
They are just like the girl in front of them; they are all human beings, born of parents.
But while one side sheds blood and sacrifices for the country, and dies in tears, the other side is filled with vanity and love, wearing gold and silver and enjoying all the glory!
How infuriating!
How ridiculous!
He felt inexplicably irritable and violent, and he couldn't suppress it no matter what he did!
"What's so great about you that I should marry you?!" the Marquis retorted with a cold laugh.
Miss Wu was taken aback by the question, and hurriedly replied, "I am the legitimate daughter of the Marquis of Jiangning, and Her Majesty the Empress is my cousin. I... I am beautiful and gentle..."
"Hmph!" The Marquis snorted coldly and asked sharply, "So what about the Jiangning Marquis's Mansion? Tianwu has lost half of its territory and is barely surviving in the Jiangnan region. Every single member of the Jiangning Marquis's Mansion, besides indulging in a life of debauchery every day, has ever done anything for Tianwu?"
"The Empress is your cousin? So what! She's the Empress, not you!"
As the Marquis spoke, his disdain and mockery deepened. "Beautiful and gentle? That's even more useless! Do you think that if the barbarians from Jiangbei charged in, you would stop attacking just because you're beautiful and gentle? What a joke!"
Ms. Wu seemed to have her glamorous exterior stripped away layer by layer, and was criticized to the point of being worthless.
Her throat felt choked up, and her heart felt like it was burning with a piece of charcoal, both anxious and painful. Finally, tears streamed down her face.
Seeing her like this, the Marquis finally regained some of his rationality. He took a deep breath, suppressed his anger, and finally said, "Don't say I don't want to get married. Even if I were to marry one day, it would be an eagle that can soar with me through the sky and fight against the wind and rain, not a canary like you who only chatters and shows off its beautiful feathers!"
After saying that, he turned and went into the Marquis's residence.
Tears streamed down Ms. Wu's face as she cried out with all her might, "But I truly love you! I've loved you since I was ten. I'm not after vanity; I just love you!"
Unfortunately, the Marquis didn't stop walking at all, whether he didn't hear it or he heard it but didn't care.
Li Lao Er followed behind the Marquis, but glanced back and sighed inwardly.
This girl is really unlucky. She was born into the Wu family and chose this particular time to express her feelings. Isn't she just asking for trouble?
The Jiangning Marquis's family wanted to marry their daughter into the family because they valued the Marquis's military power and the Emperor's reliance on him!
The Marquis of Jiangning's family wanted to find a powerful backer for themselves and also to provide some assistance to the Empress.
Unfortunately, while the idea was good, it was like a louse on a bald man's head—everyone could see it clearly.
Neither the Emperor nor the Marquis will let them have their way!
Today, the Marquis is troubled by the wounded soldiers, and now Miss Wu has come to block the door. It would be strange if things didn't end well for them.
If this girl were truly vain and her scheme had failed, she would at most be disappointed and angry. But now it seems that she actually has some genuine feelings.
This is terrible...
The head housekeeper stretched out his arm to stop Miss Wu from rushing in, feeling extremely troubled.
There are so many girls in Kyoto who like the Marquis. If they all came to his door, he wouldn't have anything else to do; he wouldn't even have enough time to guard the gate every day.
Fortunately, the people from the Marquis of Jiangning's residence finally arrived.
It's unclear which master of the Marquis's mansion led the group, but perhaps seeing that there were too many onlookers, they didn't even get out of the carriage. Instead, they directly ordered the nannies and maids to rush forward, help the weeping young lady, and leave.
Miss Wu, whether she gave up or was too heartbroken, stopped struggling and let them help her into the carriage, where she quickly disappeared from sight.
The onlookers, having watched with great satisfaction, quickly turned and ran away.
The head steward, tugging at his disheveled clothes, sighed and cursed, "What kind of world is this? Women shouldn't even be so reserved!"
In the backyard academy, the Marquis took off his long robe and threw it aside, then sat by the window with Li Lao Er and drank tea.
The tea was bland, and his brows furrowed even more deeply.
Fortunately, the head butler came in shortly after and brought two glasses of passion fruit drink with ice.
After downing a glass of cool, sweet fruit drink, the two of them let out a long sigh of relief, feeling much more relaxed.
Li Lao Er thought for a moment and then said, "My lord, that girl just now said she has known you since childhood, perhaps she is somewhat sincere..."
The Marquis waved his hand and said, "I must have seen her a few times when I went in and out of the palace before. She's just a child, so I didn't pay much attention to her. Her sincerity or insincerity doesn't matter. What matters is the schemes of the Marquis of Jiangning's family. The Emperor will definitely not allow it. A girl's wishes can't change anything."
"Moreover, although I am unwilling to be entangled in the schemes of the Marquis of Jiangning's family, I am not so sure that I would ruin a young lady's future. Although the heir of the Duke of Zhenguo's family is incompetent and mediocre, marrying into his family would still provide a peaceful life for a woman, making it a good place for her to settle down."
"As for the Marquis of Jiangning's family, if they don't restrain themselves, they will definitely not have a good ending. This girl's marriage is a way of protecting herself."
After saying that, he changed the subject, "I plan to open a few workshops to house wounded soldiers and help them support themselves, but I haven't decided yet what to produce."
Li Lao Er's eyes lit up. "I was just thinking about this too. Fu Niu'er is a very quick-witted child, and she knows a lot of novel things. For example, this fruit drink looks very simple, but no one else can think of it."
"Don't underestimate this stuff. Just Luo'an Academy alone makes over ten taels a month. And Xiankelai sells hundreds of cups a day!"
"If Fu Niu'er really has a good idea, opening a workshop, not hoping to become rich and powerful, just seeking to make a living, it shouldn't be difficult."
The Marquis was deeply moved by what he heard. He got up, put his clothes back on, and said, "Let's go home for dinner!"
Li Lao Er also stood up with a smile, "I was originally planning to try the cooking of the Marquis's chef, but that's out of the question again!"
The head butler had just finished arranging dinner in the kitchen when he returned to find his master walking out, his face more bitter than a bitter gourd.
But he couldn't stop him, so after seeing his master off, he muttered under his breath, "It's all that damned girl from the Wu family's fault. If she hadn't come and made such a scene, the Marquis would have stayed in the manor."
Meanwhile, the Wu family is also cursing the Marquis's mansion!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com