Seeing the villagers pointing and whispering, Meng Yun'er's smile froze on her face. "What nonsense are you spouting! What 'last farewell,' 'execution,' 'exile'—I know you have a grudge against me, but saying such things is far too vicious..."
"Vicious?!" Mudfish Mother sneered. "No one in this village is as vicious as your Meng family. You kill to seize property, rob for money, and even harm unborn babies. How dare you call others vicious!"
Meng Yun'er's face darkened after being scolded, and she was about to retort when she suddenly realized something was wrong.
It's almost dark now, and she hasn't seen her family once in all this time. Given her father and brother's personalities, it's impossible for them to remain completely uninvolved throughout such a significant event as the Su family's investiture.
Moreover, what Mudfish Girl and the others said was something Su Sanhu had also told her at the Tangshan Prefecture Grand Restaurant six or seven days ago.
Could it be that something really happened to her family?
Thinking of this, the girl disregarded everything else and rushed out of the courtyard like an arrow.
Jun Qingcheng's eyes darkened, knowing that the idea of staying there was hopeless. She didn't want to make things awkward for herself, so she took light steps and followed them outside.
"Wait a minute, did you forget Princess Mingzhu's things?" Madam Su glanced at the congratulatory gifts on the table and her quiet daughter, her slanted eyes narrowing slightly. The Su family didn't want Jun Qingcheng's things; they were disgusting to look at.
Upon hearing this, Danfeng ran forward in a few steps and placed the gift box in Caidie's arms, saying, "Here, for you."
Having said that, without giving her a chance to refute, he shoved the gift box and the person out the door.
With the three bad apples gone, Su Bai waved her hand and said, "Everyone, hurry up and eat! We don't care about those nasty things. Today, there's plenty of rice, meat, and wine to drink. Don't be shy with us..."
Upon hearing the noise, the villagers cheered again, even more enthusiastically than before.
At the inner table, Qingdai glanced cautiously at her young mistress and asked softly, "Miss, should we keep these freshly sliced beef and mutton?"
Su Hua paused in her chopsticks. "Never mind, he's probably busy these days. Even if we keep it, the ice basin won't survive."
"Yes," Qingdai replied softly.
Azheng glanced at the master and servant, her hands still busy, "Xiaohua, come here, this piece of beef tendon is cooked just right, it's soaked in broth, it'll definitely be very chewy, you should try it. And this tripe, it's cooked just right after being dipped in and out seven or eight times. This lamb tripe slice is also delicious, wild goat is much more fragrant than domestic goat..."
Zhao and Su Sui kept putting hot vegetables into her bowl, while Su Dalang and his two younger siblings peeled two large eggs, placed them on a small plate, and pushed them over.
Su Hua stared at the two full bowls of rice in front of her, her lips twitching.
After this meal, I'm afraid I'll be heading towards my 250-pound weight again!
Outside the gate, the Jun family's master and servants listened to the incessant noise from the courtyard, and their expressions were not very pleasant.
Cai Die looked up and saw the golden plaque of "Family of Benevolence and Righteousness," and wished she could burn a hole in it. "Princess, you know perfectly well that the Su family won't let us stay here, so why bother coming here?"
Shanghe Village is full of troublemakers, especially the Su family, each one sharp-tongued and quick-witted. The anger they've suffered in the past half day is more than they've endured in the past ten years, and now their chests are aching with rage.
Not to mention their princess, who has been pampered since childhood and has never suffered such grievances!
The people in this village deserve to die!
Jun Qingcheng turned her head and glanced at the small wooden house at the end of the village. Seeing that no one had appeared for a long time, she then stepped onto the narrow path. "If I don't come here, how will I know if the Su family will be willing to let me stay?"
If Su Hua is willing, we will stay with her.
If she's unwilling, we won't lose anything; on the contrary, it will let Brother Zichen know something, won't it?
"What the princess means is that this performance is mainly for Young Master Xiao to watch..."
Cai Die's eyes lit up slightly as she spoke, "That's right, men from noble families, especially young master Xiao, who come from the military, hate petty and intolerant women the most."
The Princess and Young Master Xiao's families have been friends for generations, but Su Hua showed you no respect at all, charging exorbitant room fees for a place to stay. If Young Master Xiao knew about this behavior, he would definitely be dissatisfied!
Furthermore, despite the significant events of the Su family being personally bestowed an official title by the Emperor and Su Hua being granted the title of County Princess, Young Master Xiao never showed up, indicating that their relationship is currently nothing more than this.
If similar incidents happen a few more times, Su Hua's impression in Young Master Xiao's mind will definitely plummet.
"In your heart?" Jun Qingcheng glanced at her indifferently. "How could Brother Zichen's heart have anyone else in it?"
"Yes, Your Highness is right. I misspoke and said the wrong thing." Cai Die quickly corrected herself, laughing as she slapped her own mouth.
He joked, "In Young Master Xiao's heart, whether in the past, present, or future, there will always only be you, Princess."
Putting aside family background and talent, there is no one else in the world who could wait for ten years from the age of eight to eighteen.
If Young Master Xiao isn't a cold-blooded person, he'll know which choice to make.
"You! You're so good at talking nonsense." Jun Qingcheng blushed slightly and touched the jade pendant around her neck.
From meeting the Yu family guards at Tianyi Workshop, following them to Wuxi Prefecture, being robbed at the Black Shop, to being rescued by Meng Yun'er in Shanghe Village, it all seemed like it was all destined from the beginning.
Her relationship with Zichen was not only arranged by their parents, but also by fate.
However, now there's Su Hua standing in the way—
Before the imperial edict arrived, Su Hua and the entire Su family were completely disregarded by her. She assumed that her brother Zichen was simply being misled, since such things were common in the capital and that people could be driven away with a little money or some tricks.
Now, the peasant girl has become a county lord overnight, and a county lord with a fiefdom and contributions at that.
To completely remove this stumbling block, you need to be careful with your approach.
Cai Die covered her mouth and laughed, then looked up at the sky. "Princess, it's getting dark soon. Should we go to Cangwu Town to find a place to stay first, or go directly to the county town? The food there should be better."
As soon as the topic of accommodation and food came up, their stomachs started growling.
He had only eaten one meal in Wuxi Prefecture that morning, and hadn't had a drop of water the rest of the day. He was starving.
Jun Qingcheng shook her head and looked towards the center of the village. "No, the county and town are too far away. Let's go directly to the village chief's house."
Upon hearing this, Cai Die frowned slightly. "The village chief of Shanghe Village and the Su family are from the same lineage. I'm afraid he wouldn't be happy to let us stay here."
Shanghe Village seemed to be very poor. There were only three brick houses in the whole village. Of them, the Su family's house was no longer an option, Meng Yun'er's house had been taken away, and the only remaining house was somehow burned black.
The old village chief's house had only a bluestone foundation; the rest of the walls were made of yellow mud, making it even worse than the doghouse in the Prince of Yan's mansion.
Her family is of noble status, how could she live in such a dilapidated place?
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