Chapter 64 My Cousin's Thoughts
Upon hearing that familiar male voice, a hint of disgust flashed in Lu Zhaoying's eyes.
Jiang Heng asked in confusion, "Why is he still at your house? Wasn't he sent to another courtyard?"
Lu Zhaoying shook her head. "Mother arranged for him to study at another school. I haven't seen my cousin for quite some time now."
"You should go back first, so as not to worry your aunt." Lu Zhaoying took two steps back to create distance between them, and looked towards the front of the courtyard. "I'll go see if my cousin has something important to discuss."
Jiang Heng thought to himself, what important matter could he possibly have? A grown man like him is always putting on airs.
"Go ahead." Jiang Heng had no intention of leaving. Thinking of her cousin, she looked disgusted and decided to sit and wait to see what he was up to.
Unexpectedly, the moment his bottom touched the stool, Jiang Heng jumped up with a look of astonishment and his facial features flying wildly.
He grimaced in pain but couldn't utter a sound. He was thankful that Lu Zhaoying wasn't there, otherwise it would have been even more embarrassing.
Unable to sit, he could only listen with his ears perked up.
Lu Zhaoying arrived in the courtyard, curtsied, and said, "The imperial examinations are just around the corner, how come my cousin has the time to come to your residence?"
The maid stopped stopping the other party and retreated behind her mistress.
When Xu Chengqing saw Lu Zhaoying come out, the anxiety on his face turned into a gentle smile, which also revealed great relief. "Cousin, I heard that Uncle was arrested for committing a crime."
Upon hearing the word 'committed a crime,' Lu Zhaoying frowned slightly. The Emperor had not yet made a decision, yet these two words already sounded like a sentence had been handed down to her father.
Xu Chengqing took two steps forward and came to Lu Zhaoying. "Cousin, I've inquired about it. If your uncle commits a serious crime, he will be beheaded, and the women in his family will be sent to the brothel. If it's minor, they will be exiled."
Lu Zhaoying's expression changed slightly, and she asked anxiously, "Who said that?"
"I found out privately." Seeing her panic and unease, Xu Chengqing's eyes were full of heartache. "I rushed here as soon as I heard the news. I asked around a lot, and there is only one way to save my cousin."
Lu Zhaoying looked at him with hopeful eyes: "What method?"
Xu Chengqing replied without hesitation, "Marriage will not bring misfortune upon a married woman; only marriage can save you."
Lu Zhaoying shook her head repeatedly: "Then what about my mother and the others?"
“My aunt and uncle are husband and wife, and they are bound to be punished as a couple. We can only think of a way to deal with that later. Right now, we must save you, my cousin. Whether you are sent to the brothel or exiled, both are hellholes.”
As he spoke, Xu Chengqing took two more steps forward. Seeing the panic on her face, he bent down to take Lu Zhaoying's hand as he spoke.
His fingers touched the palm of her hand, startling Lu Zhaoying into pulling her hand back behind her back and taking two steps back uneasily. "Cousin?"
Xu Chengqing took two more steps forward. "Cousin, I've heard everything. Jiang Erlang broke off your engagement. He's an irresponsible man. He didn't protect you in your time of crisis. He's not worthy of being called a man. If you don't mind, cousin, I'm willing to help."
Lu Zhaoying pinched the web between her thumb and forefinger with her hand behind her back, and looked up innocently, asking, "Aren't you afraid of being implicated, cousin?"
Xu Chengqing said earnestly, "To save my cousin, I am not afraid of being implicated, as long as my cousin is safe."
"How does my cousin plan to help me? Will he marry me?"
Xu Chengqing's eyes flickered for a moment, "Yes. But it's not convenient for my uncle to have a big celebration while he's in prison. How about we pay our respects to heaven and earth first, and then hold the ceremony later?"
A sudden kick sent Xu Chengqing flying.
A gust of wind blew by, and Lu Zhaoying felt her hair fly forward from her temples. Then she saw Jiang Heng rush up and start punching and kicking Xu Chengqing.
Jiang Heng was furious. "Pah! You bastard, you're trying to steal people from me!"
She and her maid were both shocked.
The maid tried to pull the person away, but Lu Zhaoying stopped her by raising her hand.
While hitting him, Jiang Heng said, "Worship heaven and earth first? There's no betrothal letter, no betrothal gift, no marriage certificate. Is that how you marry someone? That's called illicit union without a matchmaker, that's called elopement. You're dreaming, aren't you?"
After they had been fighting for a while, Lu Zhaoying went up to pull them apart, saying, "Jiang Heng, stop fighting, stop fighting."
"Yingying, move aside! I'm going to beat this bastard to death today!" The man who used to grimace over the pain of climbing over a wall or sitting on a stool was now completely oblivious to his injured backside, only furious at having his woman stolen.
"I've disliked you for a long time. I knew you were up to no good, and you actually did it. You tricked Yingying and ruined her reputation. I'll beat you to death, you rotten person."
Lu Zhaoying wanted to applaud him, but pretended to pull him away, saying, "Jiang Heng, stop hitting him, or you'll kill him."
Jiang Heng turned his head and raised an eyebrow at Lu Zhaoying, "Don't worry, I avoided the vital points."
Lu Zhaoying almost burst out laughing, but she couldn't let the beating continue. Xu Chengqing was, after all, a scholar. "...You, you stop, don't hit him anymore."
Lu Zhaoying blocked Jiang Heng's way, forcing him to stop. "Yingying, move aside."
"Enough!" Lu Zhaoying said sternly, while giving Jiang Heng a meaningful look.
Xu Chengqing was helped up by the maid. When he saw Jiang Heng there again, he pointed at Lu Zhaoying and Jiang Heng and said, "Cousin, why is he here again? The Jiang family is disregarding your reputation and forcing you to break off the engagement. Why are you still involved with him?"
"I am her fiancé, why can't I be here? On the contrary, you, an outsider, come to her yard and distort the truth. What do you want to do?"
Xu Chengqing covered her face and waist, her hands busy, everything aching. "I'm distorting the truth? Dare to say it wasn't you who came to the Lu family to break off the engagement and ruin my cousin's reputation? How can she get married after being rejected? Someone has to save my cousin."
"Ha, so your 'salvation' is just to deceive people into not needing the traditional marriage ceremony and not even going to the government office to get a marriage certificate before you marry them?" Jiang Heng kicked Xu Chengqing in the stomach. "Do you think anyone can't see through your filthy intentions?"
Xu Chengqing retorted, "Then why don't you marry her openly and honestly?"
Seeing Jiang Heng stunned, Xu Chengqing laughed disdainfully: "You, a proud young master from a noble family, have gone through all the proper formalities, but you should at least bring her home in a grand sedan chair."
"My engagement with Yingying is not off. When she comes of age, I will personally welcome her into my family."
"Do you believe that? Your father broke his leg in a fall from a horse because he broke off your engagement, and they say he's paralyzed in bed now. Would you dare disobey your elders and marry her?"
Jiang Heng clenched his fists so tightly they cracked, but his lips remained pressed together.
"Cousin, stay away from him. He's already ruined your reputation once. Do you want him to ruin it a second time?"
"Didn't my cousin say that it was precisely because my engagement was broken off and my reputation ruined that you were able to trick me into becoming your concubine?"
Xu Chengqing's face turned pale. "No, it's not..."
“Cousin, even if I am exiled, I will not become someone’s concubine. You should leave and never come to the Lu family again.”
Since my father went to prison, my mother has fallen ill, and my brother has been busy taking care of her.
However, the Lu family did not stop giving Xu Chengqing things; the maids around her mother would send her quite a lot from time to time.
But she overheard him secretly plotting with others to trick her into going through with the wedding ceremony, so that without a marriage certificate, she would only be considered a concubine.
When she heard the maid's reply, she didn't believe it, but she didn't expect him to actually come to her door.
Xu Chengqing opened his mouth and said, "Cousin, I really want to help you."
"Get out! If you dare say another word, I'll break your legs." Jiang Heng raised his fist, his eyes blazing with barely suppressed anger.
Xu Chengqing pursed her lips and limped away.
Jiang Heng took Lu Zhaoying's handkerchief and wiped her hands inside and out. "You are my fiancée. No one but me can marry you."
Lu Zhaoying scoffed, "Then you're so domineering."
Upon returning to the Jiang family home, Jiang Heng packed his luggage and headed back to the city guard camp ahead of schedule.
By the time Zhao Xian found out, he was already standing in front of her.
Jiang Heng: "Mother, can't your son marry Yingying ahead of time?"
Zhao Xian propped her chin up with a book. "Why don't you wait? After all, your father just used your name. If you insist on marrying Yingying, it won't be good for her or your reputation. Once you're accused of being unfilial, it will be hard to recover."
No matter how powerful the whitewashing techniques are, in ancient times, where filial piety was highly valued, being labeled as 'unfilial' was a fatal blow.
"My son understands."
Jiang Heng still went to the city guard camp, still injured.
Three days after he left, an incident occurred at Zuimanlou. While several students were reciting poems on the second floor, one of them was accidentally pushed off the stairs and fell to the ground.
The restaurant wasn't on a high floor, so he wasn't seriously injured, but he accidentally broke his thumb and can't hold a pen anymore.
After this incident, many students who were going to participate in the Spring Examination stayed at home, fearing that they might injure their hands at the crucial moment and be unable to take the exam.
After all, if we wait until next time, it will be three years.
-Lu Family-
The maid returned from the other courtyard, her face full of anger: "Miss, that young master insists that the young master hurt his finger. The young master has been at the city guard camp for several days and is not in Jin'an, yet he still insists on blaming the young master. It's really despicable."
Lu Zhaoying glared at her and scolded, "What son-in-law? If you keep talking nonsense, I'll punish you by making you sweep the yard."
The maid immediately corrected herself: "It was Young Master Jiang, I misspoke."
Lu Zhaoying lifted the lid of the casserole and said to the maid, "Alright, go get the soup bowl. It's time to serve the medicinal meal I made for Mother."
Since my father went to prison, my mother's mental state has deteriorated.
Therefore, Xu Chengqing did not tell her mother what she was thinking, for fear that her mother would worry unnecessarily.
As for his hand injury preventing him from going on the scientific expedition, what does that have to do with the Lu family?
--
On the eve of the imperial examination, Li Lianniang went to the outer courtyard with the things she had prepared.
"These are dry rations and knee pads. Although it's the beginning of spring, the air is still quite cold. Brother, please remember to wear them properly and don't catch a cold."
Li Linsu's expression was aloof, and he nodded slightly. "Thank you."
The smile on Li Lianniang's face gradually faded: "Is my brother still angry with me?"
Although Li Linsu was shaking his head, Li Lianniang could still see his displeasure.
Although he didn't say a word of blame after the Lang siblings left, his dissatisfaction was palpable.
He was angry that she had disrespected Miss Lang.
"Brother, aren't you going to ask me how I came to know that Miss Lang?" Li Lianniang sat down on the stool and continued, "Your classmate is visiting the Jiang family for the first time, but that Miss Lang isn't?"
“That’s no excuse for you to be rude to people.” Li Linsu looked at his sister, his words tinged with nostalgia: “Lianniang, you used to be so gentle and sensible, never so aggressive.”
Li Lianniang felt as if her chest was blocked, and she felt suffocated. She forced herself to ask, "Brother, where did you see that I was being aggressive?"
“Servants follow their masters. If it weren’t for your orders, would Danruo have had such audacity?”
Li Lianniang gripped her embroidered handkerchief tightly. "Brother, is this how you think of me?"
It would have been better if he hadn't mentioned it, because bringing it up filled Li Linsu with rage.
He picked up the poetry collection on the table. “Do you know how famous Brother Lang is in Jin’an now? This Mingxuan Poetry Collection is his work. If it weren’t for our friendship as classmates, I wouldn’t have been able to invite him at all. I originally wanted to discuss the contents of the poetry collection with Brother Lang, but a maidservant drove him away.”
As he spoke, Li Linsu put down his hand, gently tossed the poetry collection back onto the table, and sighed: "It's my fault for being away studying all this time and knowing so little about you. I only thought that Danruo was a lively and bold maid, but I never imagined she would be so shrewish."
Li Lianniang's eyes were slightly red. Although she was talking about Danruo, her words were alluding to her.
She tried her best to keep her tone calm and said, "Brother is wrong. Danruo is straightforward, but she only acts this way when she's protecting me. On the contrary, it's you who scolded me without even asking what happened."
“You are the host. Even if the guest is wrong, you should tolerate it. Why are you so disrespectful to him?” As he spoke, Li Linsu said with considerable disappointment, “You weren’t like this before.”
"What is that? Waiting for my brother to come back like a mute. When you're in a good mood, you pat my head and praise me for being obedient and sensible. When you're in a bad mood, you pretend you don't see me?"
Seeing Li Linsu frown, he was about to speak again.
Li Lianniang stood up, chuckled softly, and said goodbye, "Tomorrow is the imperial examination, brother, you should rest early. I won't disturb you any longer."
Watching the departing figure.
Li Linsu frowned. "Why is his temperament so sharp?"
He couldn't help but think of his obedient and sensible younger sister who never talked back to him.
Do people change after getting married?
--
Zhao Xian found several local chronicles on the bookshelf in Jiang Liangxu's study. Each place had its own customs, and each one was written differently.
She has been reading these local chronicles every day lately, and can't help but feel a longing to go and see if the customs of those places are the same as those recorded in the books.
Peony knocked on the door and announced, "Madam, the young mistress requests an audience."
Zhao Xian put down her book, got up and went outside. She immediately noticed that Li Lianniang's eyes were a little red. "What wronged you?"
As soon as she finished speaking, tears began to stream down Li Lianniang's face, like a burst dam.
Zhao Xian opened her mouth, realizing she had truly been wronged.
That shouldn't be the case. There aren't any major plot points before or after this. Oh, right, there's a sad moment about her birthday, but that hasn't happened yet, has it?
To be honest, ever since Cui Tingyue and Jiang Wei were on the same family tree, the plot of the tragic novel hasn't been tragic for a long time.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com