Chapter 216 He Jiu's Thoughts
At the residence of the late Prefect Liang Yuanxing of Nanjiang City, the mourning clothes on the gate have not been completely removed. Since the passing of Prefect Liang, the people in the residence have stayed indoors. Prefect Liang's son, Liang Qiao, used to drink and dine with prostitutes every day. Even on the day when the floodwaters entered the city and everyone was looking for a place to hide, he was still drinking with a new male prostitute at Chufeng Pavilion and did not return home all night.
When news of Prefect Liang's death arrived, Liang Qiao was still in that male prostitute's bed. On the day of the funeral, people noticed that several handsome young men had joined the procession. They were all silent, but their faces showed little sadness.
I heard that Madam Liang fell ill afterward, and that she was so angry that she got sick. Even Miss Liang spread rumors that she wanted to get married during the mourning period. It wasn't that Miss Liang was unfilial, nor that she was too old to wait for the next three years. It was just that Liang Qiao was too absurd. The strange men who appeared in the farewell procession that day were all his lovers.
While Prefect Liang was alive, there were still people who could keep him in check. But after Prefect Liang died, Liang Qiao completely let himself go, showing a tendency to squander the Liang family's wealth and reputation. That's why Miss Liang was in a hurry to get married, fearing that if the Liang family fell into ruin in the future, she would not be able to find a good husband and would have to marry into a peasant family.
According to Miss Liang, she would rather die than marry into a peasant family.
Miss Liang is well-educated, beautiful, and intelligent. She is a good manager of the household, and the neighbors all pity her. However, no one has actually introduced her to a good family. The Liang family was not particularly prominent to begin with. When Prefect Liang was alive, she had the title of "Prefect's Daughter," and she could choose any prominent family in Nanjiang City. Now that Prefect Liang is gone, and her only brother is so dissolute, her family seems unreliable. They should just stop taking advantage of her family and not expect any help from them.
So, which respectable family would even consider her? Even those from humble backgrounds started to compare. They had originally thought that even a broken boat has three pounds of nails, so the dowry shouldn't be small. But once the absurd story of Liang Qiao came out, these small families gave up the idea of marrying her. Instead, quite a few people thought of taking her back as a concubine.
The place Zhou Mujiao was pointing to on the map was the Liang residence.
Upon seeing that Zhou Mujiao was referring to the Liang residence, He Jiu immediately recalled the scene before Liang Zhifu died when he wanted Zhao Yunjing to take Miss Liang as his concubine. At that time, Zhao Yunjing refused in public. Now, instead of falling into the water, he had entered the Liang residence on his own initiative. For a moment, He Jiu even suspected that Zhao Yunjing was not deliberately entering the scheme, but was going there for Miss Liang's sake.
So his first reaction was that he didn't want Zhou Mujiao to go.
He Jiu greatly respected Zhou Mujiao's talent, ability, and character. Therefore, if his guess was true, he was unwilling to let someone as noble as her face such a disgusting scene and be put on the spot, forced to do things against her will.
He Jiu thought that she should be free and unrestrained, like the wind, which could be a comfortable spring breeze that people like, or a biting cold wind that people fear; like the rain, which could be a gentle rain that nourishes all things, or a rain that destroys people's homes.
Young Master Chen glanced at He Jiu, a smile appearing in his eyes. He patted the other man on the shoulder and said with a smile, "He Jiu, don't have any doubts about Zhao Yunjing. Once we become suspicious and our trust is no longer solid, his situation will be dangerous."
He Jiu suddenly realized what was happening and gratefully thanked Young Master Chen. Young Master Chen gave him a meaningful look, a look that immediately revealed the deepest part of He Jiu's heart, exposing all his innermost thoughts.
These days, as he searched for Zhao Yunjing day and night, there were fleeting thoughts that crossed his mind: if something really happened to Zhao Yunjing, he hoped he could be the man who took care of Zhou Mujiao. For her, he was willing to give up his official position and never take any risks, just to be by her side forever.
She's so wonderful, she deserves it.
When he came to his senses, he cursed himself inwardly. Of course she deserved his pity, but he had no right to pity her!
He Jiu thought he had hidden it well and no one could find out, but he didn't expect that Young Master Chen would almost expose him today. This person was also his classmate, so this person knew his secret all along but never said it and secretly watched him make a fool of himself.
Young Master Chen added, "A person should know their own limitations, otherwise they would end up like me, with the Chen family line dying out."
He Jiu is the only son in the He family. His mother and grandmother are still waiting for him to get married and have children to carry on the He family line. If he really puts all his heart into Zhou Mujiao, then he really won't be able to see other women. If he can't see other women, how can he get married and have children?
The group quickly arrived at the Liang residence's gate, only to find it tightly shut. He Jiu turned to Zhou Mujiao, changing his form of address: "Sister-in-law, should we just barge in, or—"
"Kick the door."
Three or four people stepped out from behind Zhou Mujiao, and with a bang, the door of the Liang residence opened.
The commotion at the Liang residence was heard by all the neighbors, who came out to check. They were all puzzled by the situation. One aunt whispered, "Judging from this, I'm afraid they're going to catch the adulterers in the act."
Besides Madam Liang, the only other people in the Liang household are Liang Qiao and Miss Liang. If these people come to catch someone in adultery, whose adultery are they catching? Madam Liang rarely leaves the house, so it can't be her. Liang Qiao is a homosexual, so it can't be him either. That leaves only Miss Liang.
While still a young woman, she was already flirting with a married man. Was Miss Liang's previous manners mostly just an act?
In an instant, Miss Liang's reputation plummeted to the dust. If word got out, even peasant families would probably be unwilling to marry her.
"Do you recognize her? Whose lady is that?"
"I can't recognize him, but the men around that lady are all officials from the capital. Look, the tall one at the very back is Xie Jiang. He's the heir of the Duke of Dingguo's mansion."
"It's one thing for a prince to be a servant to a woman, but he can only be ranked at the back and can't even become a confidant. You can imagine how noble that woman's status must be! It seems that the man that Miss Liang has offended is also of very high status."
"I heard that the Crown Prince personally led the disaster relief efforts. Perhaps he entered the city first, met Miss Liang, and took a liking to her. This woman might just be the Crown Princess, the future Empress?"
“...There is another possibility.” A middle-aged man said slowly, “Besides the Emperor, the Crown Prince and other princes in the palace, and the elders in their families, there is only one person in the whole world who can make Prince Xie and Prince Song willingly submit to his orders.”
"Which one?"
"Zhao Yunjing, the top scholar."
"So, Scholar Zhao has taken a liking to Miss Liang, neglecting even the disaster victims and only indulging in his pleasures? Indeed, no official is any good. They talk about sharing the people's suffering, but it's all just talk. They live a carefree life!"
"This top scholar's wife is a hundred times prettier than Miss Liang, and she also seems quite imposing. She even managed to get Young Master Xie and the others to do her bidding. It seems Miss Liang is about to be torn to pieces!"
Ignoring the chatter of the onlookers, Zhou Mujiao strode into the house and met the eyes of the Liang family members who had come out to check after hearing the commotion.
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