Chen Yuancheng said nonchalantly, "Maybe something happened on the way that delayed us."
After complaining for a while, Chen Yuanyao felt much better and started to find excuses for her friend: "That's right, there's been a lot of rain lately, so the roads might be bad and it might have caused a delay. I'll forgive her once I see what dowry she brings me and she's satisfied with it."
They didn't see Zuo Qingzhi until five days later.
At this moment, Zuo Qingzhi seemed like a different person. She took off her women's dress and changed into men's clothing. She came with a maid and four guards.
She came and went in a hurry, delivering the belated dowry, staying at Xiao Yunying's place for two days before leaving again.
Upon receiving news of her departure, Chen Yuanyao, feeling dejected, went to talk to Chen Yuancheng again.
"Big brother, do you know why Qingzhi is dressed like this?"
Chen Yuancheng didn't take it to heart: "You two have never been bound by etiquette since childhood. What's wrong with dressing up as men? You're capable of doing the same thing, so why criticize her?"
"No, brother, she ran away from home!"
Chen Yuancheng then raised his head: "Why?"
Chen Yuanyao then told her what Zuo Qingzhi had told her a couple of days ago.
The man who was originally engaged to Zuo Qingzhi was discovered by Zuo Ningyuan to have been keeping a mistress outside, and that mistress had even given birth to a boy.
If you count the days, the child was conceived after their engagement, but still during the period of national mourning.
That's incredibly audacious!
If this gets out, it will be a matter of life and death; it could even lead to the extermination of three generations of one's family.
Minister Zuo did not make a scene about the matter, after all, the marriage between their two families was arranged during the period of national mourning.
Although they could deny that the engagement took place during the national mourning period, and since there was no evidence, they were afraid of upsetting the emperor and leaving a bad impression.
The two families quietly broke off the engagement, ending the half-finished process, citing incompatibility in their birth charts as the reason given to the public.
It would have been better for everyone if this matter had just ended there.
Who knew that the man seemed to be a bit dim-witted. While drinking with some friends, he somehow brought up the topic and blamed Zuo Qingzhi entirely for the annulment of the engagement.
To say that she is unruly and lacks composure makes her unfit to be the head of the household; judging by her face, she's more like a pampered concubine.
It is said that he didn't like Zuo Qingzhi, so he broke off the engagement.
These words are truly insulting.
That day, there were seven or eight young men who had gone out for drinks together in the large private room. There were prostitutes accompanying them, some playing the zither and dancing, and others serving tea and water. In short, there were many people and a lot of people around, so it's unclear who spread the word.
Rumors spread very quickly, and by the next morning they had reached Zuo Qingzhi's ears.
She knew the real reason for breaking off the engagement, and she was already disgusted by that man's behavior. Now, after hearing these words, she immediately led more than a dozen guards to storm that man's house.
They stormed into his yard, dragged him off the bed while he was still hungover, and beat him on the ground.
As Zuo Ningyuan caught up, he pretended to stop Zuo Qingzhi while simultaneously feigning an accident and breaking the man's leg.
A piercing scream echoed through the courtyard, and Zuo Qingzhi finally stopped, quickly turning around and leaving with her guards and Zuo Ningyuan.
Because Minister Zuo used the fact that his mistress had become pregnant and gave birth during the national mourning period to control the other party's parents, and since it was their son's fault to begin with, the parents not only did not dare to cause trouble, but also had someone carry the man with the broken leg over to apologize to Zuo Qingzhi.
Between one's life and one's reputation, one's life is more important.
Regardless of the outcome for the two families, Zuo Qingzhi's act of leading people to attack their homes, while satisfying her anger, also successfully damaged her reputation.
Chen Yuanyao took a sip of tea to moisten her throat: "Qingzhi is constantly nagged by her parents at home, and she's also forced to go out and find a husband. She really can't take it anymore."
Chen Yuancheng turned a page of his book: "So she ran away from home in a fit of anger?"
Chen Yuanyao said worriedly, "If she keeps making a scene like this, it will be even harder for her to get married in the future."
After reading the last page, Chen Yuancheng closed the book and put it down: "Women don't only have marriage as their path..."
He paused at this point.
How could he say such a thing?
Chen Yuanyao said, "Big brother, what you said is the same as Sister Yunying's. But the problem is that not everyone can be as capable as Sister Yunying in making their own achievements, living well without relying on men, and not caring about other people's opinions and gossip. Not to mention anything else, just getting past Qingzhi's parents is not easy."
Chen Yuancheng got up, put the book back on the shelf, picked out another one, and sat down: "You're not her, how do you know she can't be like Yun Ying?"
"I know what kind of person she is." Chen Yuanyao curled her lips: "She said she was going to travel all over the country and experience the scenery of the four seasons. To put it bluntly, she's just going out to have fun. What great things can she possibly do?"
Chen Yuancheng then guessed what his sister was thinking: "You've said so much to me because you feel resentful that she didn't take you with her on her travels, right?"
Chen Yuanyao slammed her hand on the table twice in anger, complaining while worried, "I asked her what her plans were for the future, and she said she'd take it one step at a time. I thought she'd stay with Sister Yunying for a few days and then go back to the capital. I didn't expect her to go out and have fun without even telling me, and without taking me with her. She just left a letter. What kind of friend is she? She doesn't confide in me at all!"
Chen Yuancheng sighed helplessly. His younger sister, even after getting married, still had this childish personality.
Chen Yuanyao complained for a long time until she felt her anger had dissipated before returning home.
Only then did Chen Yuancheng calm down and start thinking about his future.
Zuo Qingzhi's story inspired him, and he made a decision about his future, which had previously left him feeling lost.
He shouldn't be confined to a particular place.
If even a girl has such courage, perhaps he too can go out and travel around this beautiful land.
It seems that Xiao Yunying once said that if she had the chance, she would definitely travel all over the world.
Having made up his mind, he put it into action and began planning his next steps.
After moving all the properties to the capital and handing them over to his parents, and after giving Chen Yuanyao all the necessary instructions, he took Ling Qi on a journey of travel.
Before leaving, he told Xiao Yunying about it. He saw the reluctance in Xiao Yunying's eyes and was already very content.
Xiao Yunying also told her that she planned to travel in the future, and that they might bump into each other on the road.
On the morning he left Donglin City, he sat in the carriage, lifted the curtain and looked at the city gate getting farther and farther away, feeling a strange and indescribable feeling in his heart.
It's a feeling of reluctance to leave this place, as well as anticipation and longing for the future.
Ling Qi, who was driving the carriage, asked, "Young master, where are we going first?"
"Let's go see the sea first."
She had said before that the sunrise and sunset at sea were beautiful, and he wanted to see them and appreciate the scenery she had praised so highly.
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