Chapter 310 My Young Lady Wants to Get Married
Xie Xue'e did not ask her to leave.
But when she looked at Wang Lengran, who had a sheepish expression, even a fool could see the disdain and disgust in her icy, disdainful face.
Not to mention the shrewd and accomplished nobles and dignitaries filling the hall.
It was only because of the Xie family's upbringing and the family tradition of not publicly humiliating scholars that they did not react on the spot.
The banquet continued as planned.
However, since the birthday boy had already run off with someone else, the subsequent activities were just a formality, with Xie Xue'e comforting the guests and apologizing to conclude the event.
Wang Lengran sat at the table, feeling extremely uncomfortable, even though Xie Xue'e hadn't cast a single glance at him since she had stared at him with cold eyes for a while.
Even sitting among these prominent guests in Jiangnan, Wang Lengran still felt his face burning with embarrassment.
They lost face.
As things have unfolded, the words and reactions of the surrounding dignitaries and guests have already pieced together a fairly complete picture of the incident.
Wang Lengran knew perfectly well that Xie Xue'e's targeting and pressure on Ouyang Rong was a family matter.
From beginning to end, he was the only outsider jumping around.
Even Xie Xue'e's recent agreement to his suggestion to open and inspect Ouyang Rong's gift in public might have been a way to indirectly help Ouyang Rong clear his name of any corruption allegations related to "giving expensive gifts"...
Just thinking about how, not long ago, he, a dignified governor of a prefecture, was seen as a clown by the old nobles who knew about tonight's "Xie family's suppression of their son-in-law" incident, made him feel utterly ashamed.
Wang Lengran's face looked like an overripe, rotten eggplant, covered in bluish-purple patches.
Master Sihui asked cautiously, "Lord Wang, are you alright?"
"No...it's nothing."
"But why is your face so red..."
"Hahaha, the wine tonight is delicious, I've had too much to drink, too much to drink."
Wang Lengran forced a couple of laughs and made a flimsy attempt to smooth things over.
"laugh."
A few disdainful sneers seemed to come from the next table.
Wang Lengran's smile froze, a surge of blood rushed to his head, his fists clenched so tightly they trembled, yet he dared not turn around to look in that direction.
You even have to keep smiling.
Wang Lengran faintly heard the voice of Qin Bo, a veteran nobleman with deep ties to the military, coming from his side and behind.
The old man casually instructed the younger generation around him that in the future, for any banquets or celebrations related to the Qin family, they should not invite certain "idle people" from Jiangzhou.
Master Sihui, Daoist Qin, and other Jiangzhou luminaries, who were sitting at the same table with a certain "unrelated person," couldn't help but glance at him sideways.
Those who were about to offer words of comfort quietly fell silent.
Afterwards, they subtly moved a little further away from Wang Lengran, and some of the more cunning ones even turned to look at the gate, in the direction where a certain Jiangzhou Prefect had led the noblewoman of the Xie family away.
By now, everyone could see the underlying meaning behind the banquet that Madam Xie and the Xie family of Chenjun were hosting tonight:
Besides supporting the Xie family's daughter according to tradition and routinely "publicly humiliating" their own son-in-law, it also subtly supports Ouyang Lianghan, the handpicked new son-in-law.
Perhaps the Xie family of Chenjun will not interfere in the affairs of Jiangzhou, nor will they take a clear stand and get involved in the conflict between Liwei and Wei.
However, as the Xie family's new son-in-law, Ouyang Lianghan would not allow outsiders to insult him, especially in Jiangnan Province.
Even if, by some chance, he loses the struggle, everyone should still give him some face out of consideration for his status as the new son-in-law of this century-old aristocratic family, and not go too far.
It was almost a righteous declaration.
Of course, there was also the purpose of introducing Ouyang Lianghan to the old noble families of Jiangnan Road and bringing him into their circle.
Some circles cannot be joined simply because you have money or even power.
Let's not even talk about money. Look at Pei Shisan Niang, a wealthy salt merchant who was rolling in money, she still tried her best to please and befriend Ouyang Rong.
The power of officials like the Chief Secretary of Jiangzhou, who appear glamorous, is also expiring; they cannot hold onto it for long and may lose power at any time.
Therefore, tonight, the veteran nobles from all over Jiangnan, as well as Xie Xue'e representing the Xie family, were able to give a cold shoulder to Wang Lengran, the governor of Jiangzhou, a powerful official, and even look down on him behind his back.
Circles similar to those of noble families, like old money, require a solidified class structure that has undergone a reasonable transformation. This is the only way to maintain lasting wealth and status, which is often referred to as the imperial nobility.
One of the simplest and most efficient ways to achieve identity recognition is through blood ties or marriage...
At this moment, he listened to the old nobles around him, such as Uncle Qin, talking about a young man in a white fox fur coat with great relish and good-natured smiles.
Without even looking, it's clear that from now on, the gatekeepers and servants of this Chief Secretary's residence will inevitably have to nervously receive invitations to banquets from various princes and nobles, and the attire for each banquet will likely become a minor headache for this Chief Secretary.
The local Jiangzhou scholars, including Master Qin, looked on with envy.
This is the glory and benefit of marrying a woman from a noble family. This doesn't even include the honor it brings to the family, or the various hidden benefits that will follow for the rest of one's life, bringing prestige to the individual and the family.
All of these are especially true for a poor scholar.
The governor of Jiangzhou understood all this, and his feelings of envy and regret were beyond words. A short while later, as soon as the banquet ended, he, feeling restless, hurriedly took his leave and left the hall where he had lost face.
After that, the governor of Jiangzhou was disgraced in the circles of noble families and gentry in Jiangnan, and even the attitude of the famous scholars in Jiangzhou towards him may have become subtle...
No one paid attention to Wang's dejected and sluggish departure.
Xie Xue'e maintained her smile, standing at the entrance of Xunyang Tower, seeing off the group of veteran nobles who had attended the banquet in the cool river breeze.
Suddenly, silver snakes began to crawl across the pitch-black night sky.
Boom—!
The thunder came late.
Water droplets fell onto the eaves above the heads of the people in front of the door.
The sound of rain outside the building changed from sparse to frequent and loud.
A few drops of rain, blown sideways by the river breeze, pattered on the hems of Xie Xue'e's and Qin Boyi's clothes as they were about to leave.
"Please go back, Miss Xie. You've worked hard tonight to help my niece... Oh, it's raining."
Uncle Qin took the umbrella from the younger man, turned around and smiled, saying:
"Your son-in-law's gift seems to have been prescient."
Mentioning a certain person and the gift, Xie Xue'e's lips twitched slightly, a helpless expression on her face.
"I apologize for making Uncle Qin laugh tonight."
"No, no." Uncle Qin waved his hand cheerfully, glanced at the rain curtain hanging from the eaves, and sighed:
"Ah, youth is wonderful. Flowers may bloom again, but youth never returns."
After speaking, the tall old man, accompanied by his younger attendants, left under an umbrella, not forgetting to chuckle and tease the noblewoman with the swaying hairpin before he departed:
"It's going to rain today, and my little sister is going to get married, hahahaha."
Xie Xue'e chuckled and shook her head.
After the guests left, she turned her head and glanced at the rain, her brows furrowing slightly.
"So, did we achieve our goal tonight, or not? Hey, how did it turn out like this? We didn't even manage to intimidate that kid at all."
The noblewoman with the hairpin showed a complicated expression.
Tonight, she and Madam Xie were clearly there to support Seventeenth Sister, to showcase their wealth and status, and to wake up that blockhead.
But it seems the blockhead has finally been woken up, but perhaps a little too thoroughly. He doesn't treat her like one of the others at all, and directly led Seventeen away in front of everyone. This is progressing far too quickly, although it's not entirely unacceptable...
But in the end, she lost everything and had to stay and clean it up.
Although Seventeenth Sister looked happy and content at the time, Xie Xue'e knew, of course, that her niece's silly expression meant she was satisfied with tonight.
But she, as the younger sister-in-law, was a little annoyed... This kid wasn't following her script at all.
Xie Xue'e couldn't help but turn her head to look at the rain curtain ahead, which was falling harder and harder and gradually becoming foggy, and frowned as she muttered to herself:
"Give her noodles? But it's windy and rainy outside, where is this kid taking my Seventeenth Sister?"
...
Leaving the lobby filled with heaters, as soon as I stepped out the door, a refreshing river breeze caressed my face, invigorating and invigorating.
But Ouyang Rong and Xie Lingjiang's hands, clasped together, gripped each other tighter and tighter.
The two held each other tightly, as if afraid of losing each other even for a moment.
Ouyang Rong strode ahead, holding her hand as they moved forward.
Xie Lingjiang, carrying a precious oil-paper umbrella in one arm, followed closely behind, her slightly dazed face and flushed cheeks growing even hotter.
The few passersby around stopped to watch the strange couple with curiosity.
Ouyang Rong paid no attention to the gazes around him and continued forward without looking to the side.
He didn't know where he was going; he just wanted to bring his junior sister out. After leaving the house, he didn't even bother to figure out which way to go and plunged headlong into the beautiful night scene along the Xunyang River.
Ouyang Rong felt that their palms, pressed together, were covered in sweat, and he couldn't tell if it was his junior sister's sweat or his own.
Her delicate hands were like tender shoots, soft and warm, like a piece of Hetian jade that could be squeezed to release water, making his heart flutter, and he couldn't help but pinch them... and pinch them again.
The stunning young woman behind him seemed to realize something, noticing the stares of passersby. Her cheeks flushed red, thankfully the darkness concealed her face, otherwise she would have been too embarrassed to show her face.
Ouyang Rong felt his junior sister's delicate hand pull back slightly behind him, and he struggled symbolically for a moment.
He still wouldn't let go, and even gripped it tighter.
Finally, they reached a secluded path, and Xie Lingjiang's weak voice drifted over:
"Let go for a moment, I'm tying my skirt. It's in the way when I walk. We'll hold hands later."
When it came to the words "holding hands," she was as thin as a mosquito.
Ouyang Rong stopped and turned around. Xie Lingjiang couldn't stop in time and bumped into his arms.
Ouyang Rong took the opportunity to support her shoulders, and was about to look into her eyes to speak when Xie Lingjiang immediately squatted down and hurriedly tied a knot in her skirt.
With her head down, Xie Lingjiang's face was flushed. The man's breath that had just hit her made her heart pound, and she almost thought that her senior brother was going to kiss her domineeringly.
But after shyly crouching down to hide, Xie Lingjiang suddenly regretted it, and the more she thought about it, the more regretful she became.
She looked up a little guilty, ready to explain, but saw that her senior brother had also squatted down and drawn a skirt knife from his waist.
The young man in the white fox fur coat lowered his head and cut off the long, trailing skirt of the stunning young woman.
But instead of casually tossing it away as Xie Lingjiang had predicted, he carefully rolled up the hem of the dress and stuffed it into his pocket, treating it like a precious treasure.
Stand up again and pull her up once more.
"Alright." Ouyang Rong calmly sheathed his sword.
Xie Lingjiang: "..."
Ouyang Rong asked, "Feeling sorry for me?"
Xie Lingjiang shook her head, then chuckled, her eyes sparkling as she looked at the bewildered man.
Ouyang Rong asked in surprise:
"What are you laughing at?"
Xie Lingjiang looked away and mustered her courage to curse: "I'm laughing at you for being such a blockhead."
Ouyang Rong thought for a moment and then smiled. Looking back, he realized he had indeed acted quite like a typical straight man, relying purely on intuition.
Ouyang Rong suddenly spoke up: "But doesn't someone just like being a blockhead?"
Xie Lingjiang blushed and looked away: "Whoever likes it, don't talk nonsense."
A certain "old love talk assassin" smiled, extended his palm, and tilted his head slightly, gesturing to her.
"snort."
Xie Lingjiang silently raised her hand halfway, then pulled it back slightly, tilted her head back, puffed out her cheeks, and asked:
"You blockhead, tell me first, what's our relationship now?"
Ouyang Rong raised his hand and gently brushed aside a few strands of hair that had fallen across her forehead, tucking them behind her delicate right ear.
Then, unable to resist, he pinched Xie Lingjiang's rounded chin with two fingers; it was chubby and plump.
The young man in the white fox fur coat remained silent, carefully stroking her hair while looking at her with gentle eyes.
Everything is understood without being said.
A sweet feeling suddenly welled up in Xie Lingjiang's heart, a sweetness that came after hardship.
She took his hand.
Where are we going?
Ouyang Rong thought for a moment: "Let's go back to Huaiye Lane first. I was in too much of a hurry and forgot to call a carriage. But we're already halfway there, so let's just walk back."
“That works too,” Xie Lingjiang immediately replied.
Ouyang Rong led her along the road, but after only a few steps, a clap of thunder suddenly sounded overhead.
Immediately, a torrential downpour began.
"Oh no, it's raining."
Where's the umbrella?
"oh!"
An oil-paper umbrella was opened, and the two people squeezed shoulder to shoulder under it.
She held the umbrella handle with her left hand.
He held the soft hand and the umbrella handle in his right hand.
Ouyang Rong quietly stepped aside, giving up half a shoulder's width of space.
A delicate figure under the umbrella moved silently, offering half a shoulder in return.
As a result of this "completely uncoordinated" act of courtesy, both of them ended up getting half of their bodies soaked.
The rain grew heavier and heavier, and suddenly a strong gust of river wind, mixed with rain, swept towards the two of them. The bamboo oil-paper umbrella creaked and groaned, and the ribs began to buckle.
Ouyang Rong and Xie Lingjiang were instantly soaked.
The latter cried out, but Ouyang Rong suddenly burst into laughter, looking up at the rain: "Hahaha, what's the point of using an umbrella? It's the same as not using one at all. Forget it."
He threw the oil-paper umbrella, worth eight thousand taels, into the wind and rain.
Hold onto the important people in your life and run forward.
"Oh, my umbrella!" Xie Lingjiang turned around, her beautiful eyes wide open.
"You're so silly. Don't use an umbrella. Let's go and find somewhere to shelter from the rain."
Despite the wind and rain, he continued to speak loudly:
"If you like, I will make you an umbrella every day from now on to shield you from the wind and rain."
Xie Lingjiang turned her head blankly, and amidst the thunder and torrential rain, she shouted:
"Fine! You said it, Ouyang Lianghan, you can't lie to me!"
After a pause, the stunning young woman's wet, pretty face hardened as she earnestly gave her instructions:
"And you're not allowed to renege on your debt to my longevity noodles either."
Ouyang Rong nodded helplessly: "Alright, alright!"
Xie Lingjiang's stern face immediately broke into a smile, her lips curving up sweetly, and she obediently followed him forward.
Wherever her senior brother went, she followed, not even afraid of getting wet in the rain.
A moment later, the two turned a corner and saw a temple standing in the rain ahead, its warm lights shining brightly and its doors open.
Ouyang Rong turned his head: "We can't make it back to Huaiye Lane in time. Let's go into the temple first to shelter from the rain and warm ourselves by the fire. Temples in the city should have guesthouses for guests to stay overnight."
"good."
The two of them ran over quickly. They knew they would be faster if they let go of each other and ran separately, but they awkwardly held hands and wouldn't let go.
Before long, they finally rushed into the temple.
A short while later, the monks on night watch in the main hall of the temple saw two soaking wet figures rush into the hall through the rain.
The handsome couple stared at each other, oblivious to everyone around them, both panting with their hands on their knees. When they saw each other soaked to the bone, they both laughed like idiots.
The monks were taken aback.
Let's call the next chapter a short story after the rain.
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
