Deliberately making things difficult
On his second day here, Lin Yi finally pushed open the door of the West Courtyard and took a proper look at the world in the book for the first time.
The sunlight outside was perfect—that was Lin Yi's first thought. But after she clearly saw the scene in the courtyard, she couldn't help but wonder: Is this really the Marquis's residence?
Large chunks of gray plaster have fallen off the walls, and the tiles on the eaves are incomplete, mixed with the wall dust and lying on the ground, yet no one has cleaned them up.
The plants in the yard are growing too vigorously; such a pleasing growth rate would take at least three to five years.
It's supposed to be the season of renewal, but the old sycamore tree in the courtyard is so gnarled and bare, with only branches and trunk remaining, not a single bud or leaf. When the wind blows, its bare branches sway in the breeze, creating a truly desolate scene.
As Lin Yi entered the courtyard, he thought to himself, "This Qiu Qing is really too unscrupulous in her pursuit of revenge against the male and female protagonists. Given her pickiness about food, clothing, and shelter, it's astonishing that she could tolerate marrying into such a mansion. Indeed, hatred can completely change a person. No matter how noble and precious a young lady is, once she is tainted by hatred, she becomes like someone blinded by lard."
"Miss Qiu, you're up."
Lin Yi turned around in surprise upon hearing this. This person must have excellent martial arts skills, yet she hadn't heard a single footstep.
"Who are you?"
"Your subordinate, Cang Xie, is the young marquis's bodyguard." Although Xie Chengnan had instructed him to call him marquis, he had not yet been formally conferred the title, and besides, he was not used to calling him that, so he privately added the word "young" to his name.
Fearing that Qiu Qing might also misunderstand, he explained, "It's Young Master Xie..."
Before he could finish speaking, Miss Qiu nodded and commented, "Your residence is decorated quite uniquely."
Cang Xie's face flushed instantly: "The manor is busy with affairs and there are not enough people. It is all being handled by the young marquis. I will go and clean up in a while."
Lin Yi waved her hand, "No rush." She then moved a little closer. She was curious whether that 'medical index' was really useful. The guard in front of her was tall and muscular, yet quite handsome.
Whether it was because his physical condition was too good and he had no illness to treat, or because the modern forensic medicine books that Lin Yi had read were not very useful on living people, she looked Cang Xie up and down for a long time but couldn't figure it out.
Lin Yi sighed. Perhaps it wasn't the right time yet.
Upon seeing this, Cang Xie's face turned even redder, as if it were about to bleed. She even forgot the form of address Xie Chengnan had instructed her to use: "Madam, is there anything else? If not, I will take my leave..."
"Oh, where are my dowry maids?"
"You mean Miss Xueya? She went to buy fish for Miss."
"Buying fish?"
“Miss Xueya said that you love to eat freshly cooked live carp. Seeing that you are in a bad mood and may not have an appetite, she went to the market to buy some.”
Lin Yi thought about it and realized that there was indeed such a thing. Qiu Qing also loved to eat fresh fish and often sent people to buy it. Sometimes, if she couldn't buy any, she would have her servants catch fish from the river. It was really not easy for those who served her. They were scolded and exhausted all day long, and they also had to know how to catch fish, how to coax people, and how to help poison fish. If there were a decathlon award, her servants would probably all be on the list.
"Madam?" Cang Xie asked cautiously, observing her expression.
"Oh, nothing else, you can go ahead and do your work."
Cang Xie left, but after a short while, he came back in with his head down, followed by Xie Chengnan.
"So you've finally decided to get up, young lady?"
Xie Chengnan actually has a very handsome face, with fair skin and a very refined appearance. His high ponytail further accentuates his flamboyant youthful charm.
To be honest, this person was Lin Yi's type, but she had seen this face too many times in reincarnation, and most of them were filled with malice and cruelty, which made her somewhat resistant.
She bowed slightly, offering a perfunctory greeting, and said, "Thank you, young master."
Xie Chengnan narrowed his eyes but said nothing. Instead, he turned his head to look at the desolate courtyard.
"Why hasn't the yard been cleaned yet? The grass is almost taller than a person."
Actually, the grass didn't even reach his waist. Cang Xie, who was standing beside him, said, "I'll go now." After saying that, he actually went to get the tools.
Xie Chengnan raised his hand to stop him: "This courtyard is so big, how long will it take you to clean it all by yourself? There aren't enough people in the manor right now, so the master should do it himself."
Cang Xie looked up at him in confusion. Could it be that the young master wanted to do it himself?
It's obvious he's overthinking it.
Xie Chengnan turned his gaze to Qiu Qingye, his eyes gentle and kind: "I still have some official business to attend to, so I'll trouble you, Madam, to help me with the chores in the manor."
Lin Yi frowned: "You want me to pull the weeds for you?"
"Madam is unwilling?"
After a moment's thought, Lin Yi surprisingly agreed: "No problem."
Xie Chengnan's smile deepened: "Has Madam had her meal? You won't have the strength to work on an empty stomach."
"I've already eaten." Lin Yi smiled at him. "I'll work with Cang Xie to clear these weeds out. My lord, you should go and attend to your business."
Xie Chengnan was quite satisfied with her attitude, and his steps became much lighter. He left in no time. It wasn't until he returned to his study that he realized—how could Qiu Qingye be so easy to talk to? There must be a trap!
Meanwhile, Cang Xie didn't know how much of their conversation was true and how much was false, but he didn't dare to actually ask Miss Qiu to condescend to weed with him.
"husband……"
"Don't call me Madam."
“Miss Qiu, you don’t need to lift a finger, just rest on the side. I’ll do the heavy lifting.”
Lin Yi had already squatted down and reached out to grab a few weeds: "If he really wanted you to do this kind of work, he would have cleared all the weeds long ago. He's after me."
Cang Xie was clumsy with words and didn't know how to persuade people, so he went to the woodshed and got two sickles. He worked quickly and soon cut down a group of people.
Lin Yi picked up another one and examined it closely in the sunlight.
The blade was extremely sharp; a light touch against the grass stem severed several blades. If the roots were thick and robust, it required considerable force to cut the entire plant. The sensation of the sickle slicing through the grass was vastly different from the feeling of a scalpel cutting through skin, yet Lin Yi breathed a sigh of relief, finding a bittersweet humor in the thought—at least this wasn't the intricate network of the human body, so he didn't have to worry about cutting through subcutaneous tissue.
She learns quickly and happened to be in a relaxed mood, so she was able to chop the grass quite well in no time. The two of them worked together and were very efficient, estimating that they could clear most of the weeds in the yard before sunset.
But after a short while, Xie Chengnan called Cang Xie away again.
Young Master Xie leaned against the archway, watching the two of them squatting comically in the grass for a while, and said, "Xie Chengfeng is causing trouble again, Cang Xie, go and take a look."
Cang Xie stood up, still holding the sickle covered in mud, and said with difficulty, "Young...Lord Marquis, Miss Qiu can't be left to clear these weeds alone..."
Before Xie Chengnan could speak, Lin Yi interjected, "It's alright, I can manage by myself, you go ahead."
Cang Xie was not giving up and turned to see Xie Chengnan's reaction.
Young Master Xie looked down at the weeds that were above his ankles, his eyes hidden by his wispy hair, making them difficult to see. All that could be heard was him saying, "Did you hear that? She can do it herself. Go quickly."
Cang Xie knew that his young master was deliberately making things difficult for him, but he could do nothing about it. Before leaving, he glanced at Qiu Qingye again and saw that the young lady, who was of noble birth, was already quite skilled at cutting grass with a sickle in her hand.
Cang Xie went to the East Courtyard to see the eldest young master, but Xie Chengnan didn't rush to follow. He stood there for a while longer. After all, opportunities to see the young lady cutting grass with her delicate hands were rare.
Lin Yi noticed the gazes behind him but didn't care and continued weeding.
Xie Chengnan, however, lost his composure first and said in a deep voice, "You've changed."
“In the past, Qiu Qing would not have done such a thing.”
Lin Yi paused in her grip on the knife, but did not answer. Of course, she knew that Qiu Qing would not do such a thing. The reason she was cooperating was mainly to test the extent to which the system restricted her.
The system instructed her not to deviate from the plot, and she wanted to determine whether this "plot" referred to the key plot points that affected the overall direction of the story, or everything related to Qiu Qingye. The former only required her to complete the plot tasks, while the latter required her to strictly adhere to Qiu Qingye's character setting and do everything that conformed to Qiu Qingye's established behavior.
Now, she has done something that Qiu Qing would never have done, yet the system hasn't intervened. Does this mean...?
She couldn't continue guessing when the system voice suddenly sounded in her mind. Although the mechanical voice was flat and monotonous, Lin Yi could hear a hint of warning in it.
[Host, your speculation is extremely dangerous. Please stop thinking about it immediately. Also, please do not try to exploit any loopholes.]
"Are you saying this because there really is a loophole?"
[...]
It seemed he had guessed correctly. Lin Yi wanted to ask a few more questions, but then he suddenly remembered that there was another living person standing next to him.
Xie Chengnan tapped his toes on the ground, his lips twitching slightly, his impatience barely concealed. Of course, he didn't intend to hide it.
He walked to Lin Yi's side, his shadow completely enveloping the petite Miss Qiu. He looked down at her for a moment, then suddenly squatted down. Even when he was squatting, he was still a head taller than Lin Yi, despite his already slender and upright stature.
Xie Chengnan lowered his eyelids, his expression inscrutable: "What exactly are you planning?"
Lin Yi looked up and silently gazed into those eyes, and then she finally realized that Qiu Qingye truly had no feelings for the person in front of her.
Those eyes were clear and sharp, like the sharpest blades, their light concealed, as if ready to strike at any moment, piercing the heart. There was genuine incomprehension, doubt, and a kind of indifference that made you completely unconcerned, but no love whatsoever.
Lin Yi suddenly realized—so, these two people were just using each other.
It's conceivable that Qiu Qing's marriage was merely a hasty attempt to force the Crown Prince into a hasty union, hoping to make him regret his decision. If she were more cunning, Xie Chengnan, who has always been at odds with the Crown Prince, might join forces with her to sabotage him.
What exactly does Xie Chengnan want to get from Qiu Qingye?
Why would a down-on-his-luck young master from a noble family marry a noblewoman from Mingzhou?
It's all about power and influence. But is this seemingly carefree and arrogant young man really like that?
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