Chapter 202: Meeting a Foreign Man
Suddenly a light rain came, dripping down from the eaves, taking away most of the heat.
"The weather is getting hotter and hotter. Now I'm actually praying for rain." Cai Lian leaned over and handed the porcelain plate to her master, saying softly, "Miss, here's some freshly cut melon."
Su Cheng raised his hand and rubbed his forehead, frowning slightly, "How is the Lin family's matter settled?"
"Over eighty members of the Lin family were exiled, and all their wealth was turned over to the national treasury. I heard that Concubine Zhe went to see the Empress Dowager but was turned away. She also sent many invitations to Lord Zhang in the name of a Lin family member, but received no response."
Qing Shuang stood beside the couch, gently waving the palm-leaf fan in her hand. "No one dares to plead for the Lin family now. A family that has been a family for a hundred years collapsed overnight. They must have committed a crime. Those people will know it at a glance."
Su Cheng flipped through the book in his hand, his expression calm. "The Zhao family has been quite quiet lately. Only Zhao Sheng'er is still making trouble. Once I get rid of her, I'll go back."
Qingshuang paused fanning herself, and Cailian no longer dared to steal the melon, staring blankly at her master.
Su Cheng noticed something was wrong, looked at the two of them, frowned and asked, "What's wrong with you?"
Qing Shuang came back to his senses and laughed dryly, "Nothing..."
But as he spoke, the speed at which he fanned himself slowed down unconsciously.
Cai Lian pouted and lost interest in the melon. She stood there listlessly, looking pitiful.
Su Cheng was a little puzzled, but the two of them didn't want to say more, and she had no interest in asking more questions, so her attention returned to the storybook.
But within an incense stick of time, Su Cheng was too sleepy to hold his eyes open any longer. He threw the storybook aside and said softly, "Clean up and go to bed."
“Miss…Miss!”
Just as the two maids were about to tidy up the small table, they heard shouting outside.
Qing Shuang reacted faster and hurried out to greet the newcomer, frowning at him. "It's so late, why are you making such a fuss in front of Lixiang Garden? You've disturbed the young lady's rest, so watch your skin."
"I dare not offend the young lady, but the master of the house sent me to pass on a message, asking the young lady to go to the Yanzheng Hall immediately!"
The little girl who came to deliver the message lowered her head. She was just a maid sweeping the front yard. This was her first time setting foot in her master's yard, so she was naturally very scared.
There were no maids or servants in Lixiang Garden, only young servants. Su Cheng, wearing only a thin gauze, leaned against the door, the sleepiness on her face long gone. "Why are you calling me over at this hour? What happened?"
"Yes... yes..." The little maid stammered and couldn't say a complete sentence for a long time.
"Just say it!" Cailian, who had a hot temper to begin with, immediately lost her temper when she saw her being so coy. "I asked you to come over and tell me something, but you can't even speak clearly!"
The little maidservant closed her eyes, as if she had given up, her face flushing red. "It was Miss Sheng'er from the eldest house. She was having a secret meeting in her own courtyard with... with a man from outside the family. They were having a great time, and the master of the house happened to pass by and overheard them. They're now being held in the Yanzheng Hall. The master is furious, but it's inconvenient for him to interfere in his daughter's affairs, so he had no choice but to send the young lady over."
"Zhao Sheng'er...having a secret meeting?" Su Cheng restrained his expression, turned around, put on his clothes, put his hair in a bun, and hurried to Yanzheng Hall.
When Su Cheng arrived, Yanzheng Hall was in chaos.
Zhao Sheng'er knelt on the ground, her suppressed crying echoing in the hall. She was only wearing a thin gauze that could reveal her skin. Perhaps she was in too much of a hurry and hurriedly put on an autumn and winter coat. Her lipstick was also smeared on the corners of her mouth and cheeks. It was not difficult to guess what had just happened.
Zhao Chen was drunk as a wretch, his face flushed red as he held the hand of the foreign man, calling him his good son-in-law.
Zhao Hu was sitting at the top with his brows pinched. When he saw the figure outside the door, he immediately breathed a sigh of relief and waved at her, "Ah Cheng, come in quickly."
Hearing this, Zhao Sheng'er shuddered and lowered her head even lower.
Su Cheng walked slowly into the room, his eyes swept over the people one by one, and then he asked with a smile, "Father, the hall is so lively, what happened?"
"Your sister Sheng'er—" Zhao Hu paused, not knowing how to start. What Zhao Sheng'er had done was something that even a rough man like him was ashamed to talk about. "Alas."
Su Cheng raised his eyebrows slightly and looked at the three people below with interest. The foreign man also acted like an ostrich, lowered his head, and dared not see anyone.
"If you're a man, you should show us your face and let us take a good look." Su Cheng held his forehead and spoke slowly, "Now that things have come to this, it's useless to escape, right?"
The man's body stiffened, as if he was measuring things. After an unknown amount of time, he slowly raised his head, revealing his rather handsome face.
"Zhou Qi?"
It was too dark when they first met, and Zhao Hu couldn't see clearly. When they arrived at Yanzheng Hall, he refused to look up and show his face. Only then did Zhao Hu see his appearance clearly, "You...how could it be you?"
"Miss." Qing Shuang leaned close to her master's ear and whispered, "This Mr. Zhou Qi is the grandson of the Minister of Personnel. He is a playboy and has a very bad reputation."
Su Cheng raised his eyelids slightly, and a hint of amusement flashed in his eyes.
"How did you get into the Zhao family?" Zhao Hu stood up suddenly, his face grim. "Does your grandfather know about you and Zhao Sheng'er?"
Zhou Qi tilted his head back. He looked quite handsome, but unfortunately he was in such a mess. Two buttons on his chest had been pulled off, and there was a girl's lipstick on his lips. When he heard what Zhao Hu said, his face turned even paler. "I...Uncle Zhao, I know I was wrong."
"You're not wrong!" Zhao Chen, drunk, suddenly pounced on him, the stench of alcohol wafting through his nose as he spoke. "Son-in-law, you're perfect in every way. Who dares to say you're wrong... who dares to say!"
Zhao Chen was drunk and his speech was unclear, but he still grabbed Zhou Qi's clothes tightly and shouted the word "son-in-law".
The veins on Zhao Hu's forehead bulged, and he couldn't bear to watch any longer. He signaled Su Cheng to speak, while he hid behind and acted like a hands-off boss.
He had never been a husband, let alone a father, so when faced with something like this, he could only stand aside stupidly, unable to get a word in.
There are some things that are better for a girl like Su Cheng to ask.
"Mr. Zhou, you broke into a private residence and committed lewd acts. If our Zhao family takes you to court, do you know what charges we will bring against you?" Su Cheng glared at him, a sarcastic smile hidden in his eyes. "The Zhao family is no ordinary family. Once we face off in court, even if you are someone's legitimate grandson, it will be useless."
Zhou Qi's face was as pale as paper. He poked the soft flesh in his cheek with the tip of his tongue but did not respond.
In contrast, Zhao Sheng'er's reaction was even greater. She suddenly raised her head, glared at Su Cheng fiercely, and shouted, "Master Qi and I have already made a lifelong commitment. We will definitely get married. Since we are going to be a family, why would we talk about trespassing?"
"It's you, Su Cheng." Zhao Sheng'er's face turned pale. She shielded Zhou Qi behind her like a hen protecting her chicks, and raised her little face. "You are being sarcastic and even bringing up the law to make a fuss. You are just jealous that I found a good husband!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
