"Hmph... Humph!"
After a long while, Master Luo's voice finally rang out. The first sound was like a heavy panting, and the second was a heavy, cold snort. "I thought you were something special, but it turns out you just overheard some bits and pieces and tried to trick me. There are witnesses from everyone in the courtyard who broke Young Master Zhang's arm. You're lying through your teeth and trying to pin it on me?!"
Bai Fu's brother calmly replied, "Your Excellency speaks so clearly, then may I ask, what exactly happened in Little Willow Alley? Your Excellency dragged Lord Ji'an to the brothel with one hand, causing Lord Ji'an to be imprisoned, and with the other hand, you accepted the purse sent by the Marquis of Changxing's residence. Even if I'm lying, my eyes are sharp enough to see clearly. It was a large, bulging purse, and your Excellency's movements were incredibly swift; you slipped it into your sleeve with lightning speed. If I had been distracted even for a moment, I probably wouldn't have seen it—"
"You—shut up!" Master Luo gasped for breath, squeezing out a sharp shout from his throat.
Bai Fu's brother indeed fell silent. After a moment, Luo Erye's voice rang out again: "Good, good tongue! You've slandered me so well. If I don't teach you a lesson today, and word gets out, it will be me who has been bullied by this scoundrel and has lost face for me!"
Bai Fu sensed his ill intent and, in a moment of panic, tried to stand up. Xu Rong quickly reached out and pressed her down, shaking his head to signal her to calm down.
During this back and forth, Bai Fu's brother chuckled from next door and said, "Your Excellency is in a hurry again. There's no need for that. If Your Excellency wants to deal with me, you can just raise a finger. But why doesn't Your Excellency consider that I'm just a rascal who usually can't even show Your Excellency's face, let alone the first-class noble families like the Duke of Yingguo's Mansion and the Marquis of Changxing's Mansion? How did I manage to know about these things and even arrange to meet Your Excellency here?"
silence.
After a while, no one answered from next door.
Xu Rong smiled and took a sip of tea.
She knew she didn't need to listen anymore; it was done.
Bai Fu clutched her heart nervously. After hearing her brother pause, she continued, "I'm not afraid for you to know, but I am of lowly status and ask for nothing else, nor can I ask for anything else, except for wealth. You are willing to spend money to keep me quiet and to buy me from those who intend to harm you. Please think carefully about whether you are willing to do this deal."
"..."
Master Luo seemed to say something, but his voice was too soft, and Bai Fu couldn't hear it even when she pressed her ear against the wall of the next room.
Bai Fu's brother said, "Hmm? What did you say, sir? I didn't hear you clearly."
Master Luo's voice finally rang out: "I ask—who is it?"
"It's your grandfather!"
Bang!
With a deafening bang, not only was the door to the next private room kicked open, but even the door to Xu Rong's room trembled.
Then came a continuous, chaotic series of noises.
"Damn you! You've got some nerve, trying to scheme against me! I'll tear you to pieces today, or you won't even know who I am!"
Clap clap clap.
"Young Master, watch your hands, watch your hands, the servants will handle the rough work!"
Bang bang bang.
"Ah, ah—!"
Screams, the sound of tables being overturned, and curses filled the air.
Amidst the hustle and bustle, a heavy thud was heard.
"Hey kid, don't run away, stop right there—go after them, you two dead bodies, hurry up and chase them!"
“Young Master, no, if we brothers leave, you will be all alone. We snuck out today, and if anything goes wrong, the Old Madam will skin us alive.”
"What mishap could I possibly make? This piece of junk is no problem for me to handle. Hey, get on with it! You two are so disobedient, I'm not taking you out next time!"
Xu Rong stood by the window, turning her gaze away from the young man who had jumped down into the lobby and then scrambled back up and ran away. She then called to Bai Fu, "Your brother has escaped. Let's go too."
Bai Fu nodded excitedly.
Xu Rong put on a veil and walked briskly out the door.
This row consisted of separate private rooms. Her Ganlu room was on the far left, next to the Yuhua room where Brother Baifu and Master Luo were. Next to that was the room prepared for Zhang Weiling. She was about to quickly walk across this stage, stepping over the messy sounds, when she suddenly heard Zhang Weiling shouting angrily behind her: "Take this piece of trash back. I'm going to interrogate him properly!"
Xu Rong's back tightened. The Duke of Ying's Mansion, the Marquis of Changxing's Mansion, and the Marquis of Ji'an's Mansion were all related by marriage. She couldn't be sure if Zhang Weiling had seen her before. If he caught up and recognized her, although it wouldn't affect the overall situation, it might ultimately mean losing the advantage of being hidden in the shadows.
She grabbed Bai Fu's hand and quickened her pace.
The private room ahead has a sign that says "Pine Needle." Beyond this room is a staircase leading down.
The wooden door creaked open, and a hand with distinct knuckles reached out, gripped her shoulder, and pulled her inside.
Xu Rong had barely moved since she transmigrated, and her physical condition was extremely weak. She was completely unable to resist. With another creak, the wooden door closed, and she bumped into the closed door panel. A scream was stuck in her throat and she didn't even have time to shout.
"Ah," Bai Fu exclaimed softly.
A white gauze curtain swayed wildly before his eyes, and the boy's face was indistinct.
Xu Rong composed himself, removed his veil, and grinned at the person opposite him, "Young Master Xiao, you startled me."
Xiao Xin withdrew his hand, took two steps back, pointed to the table and chairs, and said simply, "Sit."
Xu Rong walked over and readily sat down.
Xiao Xin sat down opposite her, raised his eyes, and said with a cold and deep gaze, "Miss Xu, I need an explanation."
He's only asking now, which shows he's been very patient. Xu Rong nodded, "Okay."
She began to explain slowly.
The fight was interrupted once, not by Xiao Xin, but by a waiter in the teahouse who, seeing that the fighting upstairs had temporarily subsided, finally dared to come up and inquire about what had happened. The two sides argued for a few words outside, and Zhang Weiling naturally won. He led his guards and dragged the beaten-up Master Luo away.
"Miss Xu, you have quite the skills," Xiao Xin said solemnly.
"No, no, I wouldn't dare," Xu Rong said modestly. "It's all thanks to my girl's brother's skill; I never expected to be able to do it so cleanly."
Not only did he trap Master Luo, but he also managed to escape unscathed, making his mission almost perfect.
Bai Fu smiled a little shyly: "It's because you taught me so well, Miss."
“I didn’t teach your brother to use a behind-the-scenes person to lure Master Luo, nor did I teach your brother to jump off the building to escape. It was all your brother’s good performance.”
Bai Fu bit her lip and blushed.
The master and servant flattered each other, enjoying themselves immensely.
Xiao Xin: "..."
He wanted to say something, but he couldn't. Even Xu Rong's own personal maid didn't find it strange. How could he, an outsider who didn't know Xu Rong at all, say that there was something wrong with Xu Rong?
His slender fingers moved slightly on the table, and he could only ask, "Miss Xu, what are your plans next?"
"Not for now," Xu Rong readily replied. "Let others take action first. Once they've done that, we'll see what happens."
She added, "If all goes well, we might not need to do anything else."
The reason for her absurd marriage with Xiao Xin was Xu Huazhang's imprisonment. Now that it has been proven that a third party interfered, the chances of Xu Huazhang's release have greatly increased. Naturally, Madam Xu no longer needs to force her to sacrifice herself to save her brother.
Xiao Xin paused for a moment, then said, "Not necessarily."
Xu Rong raised an eyebrow: "Hmm?"
My wife will not admit it.
“Of course she won’t admit it,” Xu Rong agreed. “To save face for her son, she used her younger brother as a bargaining chip to get herself involved. If I were her, I wouldn’t dare admit it either. But,” she laughed, “so what? Let them sue for what they want, we’ll just wait. Anyway, we’re still engaged, so if we need to contact each other, we’ll have a reason.”
Xiao Xin: "..."
His face instantly darkened, his mouth moved as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he didn't, he just glared at her.
Xu Rong guessed that she had probably overstepped her bounds again, after all, he couldn't even stand the idea of being "on the same page." She suppressed a laugh and said, "Alright, this is only temporary. It won't happen in the future, so you don't need to worry."
Xiao Xin lowered his eyes and said sternly, "You go first."
Xu Rong understood that it was inconvenient for them to leave the same private room at the same time. Because Bai Fu's brother had done a really good job, she was in a good mood. After standing up, she smiled and said, "Then I'll go first. Don't think too much about it. Go back and study hard. Don't let it interfere with your important business."
In her opinion, Xiao Xin was probably a high school student, or even close to his senior year. When adults met a teenager of that age, they would inevitably ask about his grades and then try to persuade him to study. She had learned her limited social skills from the older generation around her, and she naturally put them to use at this moment.
She thought it was just an ordinary remark, but then she saw Xiao Xin turn his head away and mutter dismissively, "What's the point of reading books? Mind your own business."
These words were probably not meant for Xu Rong to hear; they were his own rant. But since Xu Rong heard them, he stopped walking and said tolerantly, "You practice martial arts? Then practice hard too."
"..." Xiao Xin showed her an unruly yet rounded back of the head.
Xu Rong chuckled. To be honest, she wasn't really that concerned about Xiao Xin. Since her politeness wasn't appreciated, she simply pushed open the door and left.
The wooden door was closed again.
Xiao Xin stared at the table for about the time it takes to brew a cup of tea. Then, he stood up, went downstairs to pay the bill, and left.
**
The Changxing Marquis's Residence.
Previously, Xiao Xin had been living in the east wing of his birth mother Wei's courtyard. Because he was going to get married in place of his elder brother, Madam Xiao vacated a separate small courtyard for him.
The small courtyard was located in the remote northeast corner, next to the back building. Xiao Xin had only moved there a few days ago, and his belongings were in a mess. He hated the meaning that the small courtyard represented, and he didn't want to tidy it up, nor did he allow the servants to do so. Most of his belongings were still piled up haphazardly in boxes.
He went inside, sat on the bed for a while, and expressionlessly pulled a box out from under the bed.
A rumbling sound followed, and the building overturned.
Cai Die, the head maid who had come with the Wei family, stood by the door and tentatively asked, "Second Master, what are you looking for? Let me help you."
Xiao Xin refused her in a muffled voice: "No need, get out."
This man was known for his unruly nature in the manor. Even though Cai Die considered herself one of their own, she didn't dare to provoke him. She could only say "Oh" and turn to leave.
Xiao Xin finally found what he needed.
It is a copy of the Analects.
The book is both new and old.
The book is new because the pages are straight and it has hardly been turned. It is old because there are several gray marks on the cover, indicating that it was not well preserved.
Xiao Xin stared at the cover, both new and old, for a good quarter of an hour, his brows furrowed into a knot. Finally, he reached out and turned to the first page.
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