Xu Huazhang slid down the tree while hugging it.
When he first landed, he acted obediently, shuffling over to Xu Rong, looking somewhat timid as if he had been caught doing something wrong.
Xu Rong said to him, "Come with me and apologize."
Xu Huazhang raised his head and immediately became defiant again: "I'm not going. They started it by talking about people first, why should I apologize?"
"I didn't tell you to apologize to them," Xu Rong said calmly. "Your antics have startled His Highness the Crown Prince. Aren't you going to apologize?"
"...Huh?" Xu Huazhang's eyes widened, then he realized what he meant and grinned, "Oh!"
He walked with his head held high and chest puffed out, looking more like he had won a great victory than like someone going to apologize.
As he passed by the noble ladies, he even gave them a disdainful look.
Chang Shuyin finally couldn't hold back any longer. She was the only one in the group who was married and related to the Duke of Ying's family, so she had to step forward and say, "Second sister-in-law, your brother has done something wrong, is this how you indulge him?"
"that is!"
"How can you be so protective of your own!"
"What kind of upbringing do you people from the Marquis of Ji'an's household have—"
"In short, it's not good manners to wander around someone's house and cause trouble for the host." Xu Rong stared at one of them and interrupted her without mercy, then smiled and said, "I think you have a lot of experience with this, why don't you teach me?"
The girl, feeling both ashamed and angry, blushed and said, "You...you're talking nonsense! Your brother wandered off too, why don't you teach him a lesson!"
Xu Rong laughed and said, "Oh, you mean you're just like my brother? Then why criticize his upbringing?"
Xu Huazhang, even more energetic, exclaimed, "That's right, eldest brother, don't talk about second brother!"
Girl: "..."
She burst into tears.
She might not be so fragile on ordinary days, but with the Crown Prince just ten steps away, she had lost face badly, and she couldn't bear the pressure.
The remaining girls, realizing the danger of losing each other, instinctively kept quiet.
The woman across from us is already married, and she's married like that. She's not ashamed, but they are.
Xu Rong slowly glanced at them all and said, "You all admire the Crown Prince and wish to pay your respects; there's nothing wrong with that—"
The girls were taken aback, and several of them calmed down from their anger.
They certainly understood whether "peeping at men" sounded better or "respecting the crown prince" was more acceptable.
If the former's reputation were to become true and spread, they would be unable to face anyone, and they would be unable to explain themselves back home.
Xu Rong continued, "However, it's best to be sincere and focused. Instead, you gossip about me and let my brother hear it. There's nothing wrong with him standing up for me."
Xu Huazhang's eyes sparkled, and his chest rose even higher.
The girls' eyes darted around, wanting to refute but hesitating and not daring to—if they were to overturn this statement, they would be completely overturned, and wouldn't they have to turn back and take the blame for "peeping at men"?
In the silence, Chang Shuyin's heart skipped a beat, and she blurted out, "Second sister-in-law, you're being too protective! According to you, your brother is not only innocent, but also meritorious?"
“I didn’t say that.” Xu Rong didn’t look at her, her gaze still sweeping among the girls. “But you should all ask yourselves, since I wasn’t traveling with you and haven’t offended you, why bring me up?”
They were usually noble ladies, and among the young girls were some who already knew Xu Rong, and some who had conflicts with her. But as she said, everyone was going to "respect the Crown Prince" together, so their minds should have been on the Crown Prince. Why would they think of gossiping about someone who wasn't even there?
...
The girls' gazes gradually began to converge in the same direction.
Xiao Shan, who was about to stand up straight, let out a soft moan and fell back onto Chang Shuyin's shoulder.
Chang Shuyin had nowhere to lie down or hide, so she could only lower her head slightly, her face turning pale.
Xu Rong ignored their squabbling and only glanced at Xu Huazhang, who obediently followed her.
He was used to fooling Madam Xu. When he arrived in front of that group of people, he knelt down on the outer edge, his shoulders hunched, his hands digging into the ground. He looked nothing like the arrogant person he had been riding on the tree. He spoke obediently: "Your subject is naughty and has startled His Highness the Crown Prince. Please punish me, Your Highness."
A clear voice descended from above: "Are you the Marquis of Ji'an from the Xu family?"
Xu Huazhang honestly replied, "Your Highness, it is I."
“I remember that when your father was alive, he was the most composed person, and even the Emperor praised him. How come you are completely different after inheriting the title?”
Xu Huazhang tapped his fingers on the ground: "This is probably because my father passed away early and didn't have time to teach me properly."
"Pfft."
It was the girl in the apricot-colored dress who laughed out loud not far away.
The Crown Prince paused for a moment: "—You are quite honest."
“That’s right.” Xu Huazhang chuckled, tilting his head back. “I have many flaws, but this is my only advantage, which Your Highness saw through at a glance.”
"..."
The Crown Prince lowered his head, and Xu Huazhang quickly composed himself—he had practiced in front of a mirror, and this was the most sincere way to appear, making it especially easy to pass Madam Xu's test.
A girl in an apricot-colored dress walked over. She seemed to be from a different group than the other girls, but she appeared to be familiar with the Crown Prince's group. To avoid suspicion of being an assassin and to maintain proper decorum between men and women, Xu Rong still kept a distance while bowing. She walked over on her own, and the guards around the Crown Prince did not stop her. They let her approach and said in a sweet voice, "Brother-in-law Crown Prince, don't blame Marquis Ji'an. He did nothing wrong. I heard it all the way here. Those people were indeed saying bad things about his sister. They said she had broken her head and that she had married badly. Marquis Ji'an only threw insects and not stones. He was already showing mercy."
Xu Huazhang nodded quickly: "That's right, my sister's head isn't badly injured at all, it's clearly become smarter from the fall, she just married someone a little less than average—"
Xu Rong: "Cough."
Xu Huazhang immediately changed his tune: "She married very well! My brother-in-law is studious and ambitious, an outstanding person! They must be jealous of my sister to talk nonsense!"
He actually remembered Xu Rong's warning to him, but he couldn't stop himself and went off on his own again.
The girls, who had just calmed down, glared at him again—who was jealous? Her husband had been demoted from the crown prince to a concubine's son who couldn't inherit the title. What was there to be jealous of!
Xu Rong met their gazes and looked back at them one by one.
The girls: "..."
Gradually, they looked up at the sky, then at the ground, and some even turned back to steal glances at Chang Shuyin and Xiao Shan.
Strangely, she didn't seem fierce, yet for some reason, she possessed an inner aura of intimidation that made the delicate young ladies dare not provoke her easily. This frustration needed an outlet, and thinking about it now, Xu Rong's words seemed increasingly reasonable. If she hadn't been brought up, Xu Huazhang wouldn't have been provoked. Without Xu Huazhang, they would still be dignified noble ladies, and wouldn't have lost face like this…
"You still have the nerve to plead for others." The Crown Prince said to the girl in the apricot dress at this moment, "If we're talking about being naughty, you and Marquis Ji'an are equally mischievous. Your sister mentioned yesterday that you're such a grown-up, yet you're still running around outside all day. She said you should be assigned an aunt to teach you needlework and rein in your temper."
The girl was horrified and took two steps back: "What are you going to learn needlework for? I already told my older sister that my eyesight is bad and I can't thread a needle!"
"It's no use talking to me, go talk to your sister."
The Crown Prince put his hands behind his back, glanced at Xu Huazhang again, and said, “Get up. Your father passed away early, and you have been acting rashly, without thinking ahead or behind. But you are still kind at heart. In the future, you should support your elder sister, change your impulsive temper, and make the family well-off.”
Xu Huazhang hurriedly replied, "Yes, Your Highness, I will follow your instructions!"
The prince said nothing more, and without even glancing at the girls, he walked away.
The girls immediately became lively.
First, someone questioned Xiao Shan: "Stop pretending to be dizzy, I saw you blink! Tell me, didn't you bring up your second sister-in-law first?"
Xiao Shan: "..."
She tried to hold on, but Chang Shuyin couldn't wait for that sound and slowly but firmly pushed her away.
Unable to bring herself to fall to the ground, Xiao Shan could only open her eyes with a wronged expression: "Sister-in-law, I did it all for you—"
Chang Shuyin suppressed her anger and categorically denied it: "Young lady, are you out of your mind? What nonsense are you talking about?"
Having just listened to her mother's teachings, how could she possibly speak ill of Xu Rong outside? At most, she simply didn't stop others from talking about it.
"Stop pushing it away. It's your family's business anyway. You can't push it away from anyone else."
"Exactly, why are you dragging us into your own domestic disputes?"
"That's not quite right. It was clearly Marquis Ji'an who carelessly threw the insects away—"
Some people also spoke up for Chang Shuyin and Xiao Shan. According to Xu Rong's observation of her position, she was probably already on good terms with Chang Shuyin. As for Xiao Shan, she rarely went out and had almost no close friends, so she was always the first to be questioned.
Xu Huazhang heard this too, his narrow eyes squinted, and he said in a drawn-out voice, "I was climbing the tree just now and saw two more fat, big bugs, but I didn't have time to catch them—"
bass.
The girls all backed away, some even turning pale, presumably recalling their horrific memories.
Only the girl in the apricot-colored dress chuckled again and said to Xu Rong and Xu Huazhang, "Sister Xu, Lord Xu, the Qingming Festival is in half a month. Our family has decided to go out for a spring outing. Are you going? We can play together. Ever since my eldest sister got married, I've always been alone, and it's quite boring."
Before Xu Rong could speak, Xu Huazhang flatly refused: "I don't play with girls."
And as if afraid that the girl would cling to him, he said to Xu Rong, "Sister, everything's alright here, let's go quickly."
Xu Rong: "..."
She glanced at the bewildered girl in the apricot-colored dress, whose round, apple-shaped face was fair and rosy, pretty and full of life. She could only smile and say, "I don't know if I should go or not. I'll go back and ask my elders. If I do go, I'll have someone send you a message. May I ask where your household is, young lady—?"
"Ah, I forgot to mention!" The girl suppressed her surprise and slapped her forehead. "My surname is Luo, I live in the southern part of the city, and my father is the Earl of Cheng'an—"
Well, this is unreliable too.
Xu Rong maintained his composure, smiled and noted it down. He then made an appointment with her to send her a message as soon as possible. The young woman did not hold a grudge against Xu Huazhang's rude refusal and left happily after finishing the conversation.
...
Xu Rong then took Xu Huazhang to see Old Madam Zhang.
She didn't feel the need to apologize to the ladies, but she should still give an explanation to the host family.
This hurdle was surprisingly easy to overcome, because by the time they arrived, Zhang Weiling, the youngest son whom Old Madam Zhang doted on the most, already knew about the matter and had come to plead for them in advance.
Madam Zhang simply smiled and said, "Since the Crown Prince doesn't seem to mind, it's nothing serious. They're just children; none of them were ever naughty."
He then sent them away and instructed Xu Huazhang to tell him that Zhang Weiling was entertaining guests at the banquet over there and to go there quickly.
Xu Huazhang had nothing on his mind and ran off excitedly.
Xu Rong walked out of the door and rubbed his forehead.
A shadow fell over from the side.
Xu Rong looked up, slightly startled, then suddenly understood: "Second Young Master, what are you doing here? Did you go to see Young Master Zhang?"
Xiao Xin nodded and said, "I heard the shouting and went to check it out."
After discovering what had happened, he knew that his intervention would be useless, so he quickly went to find Zhang Weiling. If the Crown Prince reprimanded him, Zhang Weiling could plead with Old Madam Zhang, and Old Madam Zhang could then plead with the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince would eventually give Old Madam Zhang face—of course, in the end, the situation wasn't that complicated, which was still a pretty good outcome.
Xu Rong breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, "Second Young Master, thank you."
It feels really good to have someone working behind you.
Xiao Xin looked at her inquisitively: "Did your maternal grandmother say anything about you?"
He saw that she looked a little downcast when she came out.
“No, it’s Brother Zhang.” Xu Rong shook his head, then couldn’t help but press his forehead, and told him about Xu Huazhang’s rejection of the girl’s invitation. Then he asked him in puzzlement, “Second Young Master, do you think Brother Zhang is missing a screw? He’s sixteen years old. It’s too early for him to get married, but he should at least know about Mu Shaoai by now.”
They actually refused outright!
He was quite flustered when he went to find Zhang Weiling just now.
Xiao Xin remained silent. He wasn't very familiar with Xu Huazhang and didn't feel comfortable commenting.
He simply looked at Xu Rong and then said, "I heard what they were saying."
Xu Rong: "Hmm?" Realizing what was happening, she said, "It's just some idle gossip, Second Young Master, don't take it to heart—"
Xiao Xin ignored her and interrupted her: "One day, I will never let you hear these words again."
Xu Rong: "..."
Even with her slow-wittedness, she could tell that Xiao Xin seemed to be making a promise. Although his words were simple, it was precisely this simplicity that revealed his direct and undeniable sincerity. However—
She'll probably be gone by then. Even if she doesn't leave the capital, she'll definitely leave the Xiao family.
Xu Rong asked uncertainly, "Second Young Master, aren't you getting a little too into character?"
Promises are beautiful, but it seems like they shouldn't have anything to do with her.
He was probably upset because the girl had spoken ill of him behind his back.
"..." Xiao Xin said, "You just said that your brother seems to be missing a screw?"
Xu Rong didn't know why he brought up going back, but she nodded anyway.
"Isn't that normal?" Under the warm spring sun, Xiao Xin's voice was as cold as a blade. "Whatever you say."
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