Cheng Ying threw the used handkerchief to Xia Ning, then looked up and saw that there was still blood stain on Yu Jiao's slender fingers. She frowned obviously, with a hint of disgust in her eyes. She wanted to tease her a few more times, but lost interest for a moment.
When Cheng Ying told Xia Ning to leave, everyone in the hall breathed a sigh of relief. Liu Ci Fu stood up to see her off. When Cheng Ying walked past Yu Jiao, she paused but said nothing.
Yu Jiao was very smart in understanding what he wanted to say. She looked at Cheng Ying with her clear almond eyes and said seriously and calmly, "Yu Ning is just a little girl who stays in the inner house all day. She doesn't know anything and rarely goes out. You can rest assured, Governor."
Cheng Ying relaxed his brows with satisfaction. He had never come here with the intention of warning Yu Jiao. Even if those words in the back hill of Lianxi Temple were spread out, it would not be a big deal. Xue Rong's backer was only Shen Tian, and Shen Tian did not have the courage to break up with him because of those words.
He just wanted to test the girl's abilities on a whim.
Today's trip was worthwhile. The little girl had not only become braver, but also smarter. It was fun to tease her. Cheng Ying's thin lips curled up, but when she noticed the unwashed blood on the little girl's fingers, the curve dropped again. There was only one bad thing. The little girl was not clean, which was really a bad habit. Cheng Ying put her hands behind her back, leaving only her back with the wide sleeves embroidered with scarlet patterns swaying gently, and left happily.
As soon as Cheng Ying, the plague god, left, the guards from the East Factory who were guarding outside the hall also filed out, and the atmosphere in the mansion suddenly relaxed.
Yu Jiao asked Jianjia to send the woman brought back by Xia Ning, the Junior Chancellor of the East Factory, out of the house, and asked the servants to find a place to dig a hole and bury the cub taken out of the mother rabbit's belly.
The male guests in the hall had almost lost their appetite after witnessing the caesarean section just now. The banquet continued but no one picked up their chopsticks.
If Cheng Ying were here, he would definitely laugh at them. These self-proclaimed noble civil servants have been at ease for too long, and their spleens and stomachs have become weak. The fish and meat they usually eat are all obtained by killing animals. Roasted lamb, roasted pheasant, and braised salted duck all require cutting open the stomach. They usually eat with their mouths full of oil, but now they have a heart of mercy.
When Yu Jiao left the flower hall and walked towards the backyard, she heard the singing of actors coming from the back garden, and the beating of gongs and drums became lively again. Today was her coming-of-age ceremony, and if it weren't for the incident with Cheng Dugong, she should have gone to the back garden to accompany the guests.
Before Yu Jiao reached the gate of the garden, a maid came out. Her eyes lit up when she saw Yu Jiao. She stepped forward and saluted, saying, "Madam has heard about what happened in the flower hall. She asked me to tell you that if you are tired, you can go back to the courtyard to rest. You don't need to go to the garden to meet guests. She and the eldest lady can take care of you."
Liu Yaozhen also came back today. The young master of the Cui family accompanied her. Yu Jiao had only met her twice and they didn't even talk to each other. She was not as close as she was with Yao Yu.
Yu Jiao nodded, "Then tell the lady that I'll be there later."
It wasn't because she was tired, nor was it because she was afraid to meet those ladies, but because she noticed a figure walking towards her in the distance and she recognized the long gown.
After the maid left, Yu Jiao walked towards the figure. Before she got close, a smile appeared on her face. "Why are you here? I'll take you to see my yard."
Yu Qizhe looked at Yu Jiao, his eyes were somewhat deep, as if there were many emotions hidden in them.
He also knew that this was the backyard, not the place to talk, so he nodded and said softly, "Okay."
Yu Jiao led him along the alley in the mansion towards Yingyue Pavilion. Yu Qizhe walked beside her and looked at her with his eyes lowered. He really wanted to ask her if she was frightened in the flower hall just now.
But what can he do if he asked? Yu Qizhe couldn't help but smile bitterly. When she was embarrassed by that person, he was powerless to face that person and protect her.
Yu Jiao was still wondering if Cheng Ying's decision not to kill her this time meant that he would not intentionally cause trouble for her again because of this matter in the future.
Because his mind was completely focused on this matter, he did not notice Yu Qizhe's silence.
The two of them walked side by side quietly, with Bai Lu following behind them not too far away.
Before he reached the gate of Yingyue Pavilion, a voice came from behind him, "Yu Jiao!"
Yu Jiao was startled by being called by her name so suddenly. She turned around and saw that she had never seen Liu Ziqi with such an ugly expression. He had always been a gentle and kind big brother, but now he looked extremely angry.
She said with a guilty conscience, "Big brother, what's wrong?"
Liu Ziqi strode over. He didn't rush to get angry with Yu Jiao, but stared at Yu Qizhe with an unfriendly look, "Why are you in the backyard? You are a man outsider, and you followed my third sister back to the yard. How can people see you? Don't you care about Yu Jiao's reputation at all?"
Yu Jiao hurriedly said, "Big brother, I brought him to see my yard..."
Liu Ziqi interrupted Yu Jiao and said coldly, "You still want to speak for him?" He was really annoyed, and this annoyance was mixed with panic and anxiety. He couldn't help but speak harshly to Yu Jiao, "Yu Jiao, open your eyes and take a good look. What is there about this man that is worthy of your love? A weak scholar who can't carry anything on his shoulders or lift anything with his hands, and he comes from a poor family. Besides studying, what else can he do? Any passerby on Chang'an Street is much better than him!"
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