Du Zhiqian bowed and then left.
Lan Qin nearly fainted from shock. She'd botched her matchmaking attempt today! If it weren't for Du Zhiqian's past kindness to her, she would have been furious. That bookworm actually rejected her! What was wrong with Si Hua?
"My lady, don't let me upset you!" Si Hua came out from the inner room and saw Lan Qin standing there with her hands on her hips, panting.
"Sihua, if that bookworm Du Zhiqian dares not to comply, let the Prince send him to a remote place so he won't have to see him!" Lanqin immediately comforted her.
"Master! I'll be right back. Please don't be angry about what happened to me," Si Hua said.
Then, without waiting for Lanqin to speak, she turned around and left.
"Hey! Where are you going..." Before Lanqin's voice could be heard, the painter had already left the courtyard.
After leaving the south courtyard, Du Zhiqian slowly walked towards the front courtyard of the Fourth Master along the path he had come in. Since he had been led there by a servant, but now that he was out, he didn't quite recognize the way, so he walked slowly all the way.
"Du Zhiqian!"
Suddenly, a woman's voice came from behind!
Du Zhiqian turned around and saw a woman dressed in a green bamboo-colored jacket and trousers. She had slender shoulders and a high waist, bright eyes and a beautiful face. It was Si Hua.
He suddenly remembered the woman before him; she seemed to be the same woman he had ridden in a carriage with many years ago. His robes had been torn by the carriage's shaft hook, and she had quickly mended them for him. Back then, he had felt a certain attraction to her, but alas, he was merely a poor scholar. Although he had passed the imperial examination, he was truly destitute. Having already ridden in her carriage, how could he possibly be interested in her maid?
"You are Si..." Du Zhiqian didn't expect that Si Hua was the woman in front of him who had once stirred his heart, so he asked.
"What makes you so great that you angered our master so much! I'd rather marry a cat or a dog than marry you. I, Si Hua, will never marry, and you don't need to go back and think about it. Just go back to being your official!" Si Hua shouted angrily at Du Zhiqian. She wanted to shout out all the feelings she had for Du Zhiqian over the years so that she could forget him and stop suffering.
Si Hua felt much better, as if the huge rock in her chest had been pressing down on her chest. She took a few deep breaths and then turned to walk back.
"Si Hua!"
The man behind her refused to let her go, and in one swift step caught up with her, grabbing Si Hua's arm.
"What are you doing!" Si Hua forcefully shook off Du Zhiqian's hand, turned around angrily and glared at him, "Didn't you look down on me? Why are you pulling and tugging at me?"
Seeing that even a woman could be so upright and honest, while he himself was timid and hesitant in front of the person he liked, lacking any of the demeanor a man should have, Du Zhiqian felt even more ashamed.
"Si Hua, I..." Du Zhiqian felt as if his tongue had been twisted off.
"How about that? Didn't you reject my master outright? I'm just a maid, I'm not worthy of someone like you in official robes. So even if I, Si Hua, remain an old maid for the rest of my life, I will never have any feelings for Lord Du again," Si Hua said angrily.
After saying that, Si Hua forcefully shook off Du Zhiqian's hand and turned to leave. Her heart ached when she said those words.
"Si Hua, I do!" Du Zhiqian finally broke through his inner hesitation and shouted loudly at Si Hua's back, "I am willing to marry you, but are you willing? I have a two-year-old daughter."
Si Hua stood there stiffly; when the man had just said "I do," her heart had almost jumped out of her chest.
“Si Hua, actually, I had these feelings for you when we were in the same car that time, but I didn’t dare to say them at the time. I didn’t expect to make you wait for so long…” Du Zhiqian walked behind Si Hua, reached out and grabbed her hand, turning her body around.
Si Hua couldn't help but shed tears. She had waited so long for these words, and now she finally got them.
When the two returned to Lanqin, she was completely dumbfounded by this plot twist.
"Consort, I have long harbored feelings for Sihua, but I have never dared to harbor any romantic thoughts. Just now, I was being presumptuous. I beg you to grant my wish," Du Zhiqian said, bowing deeply to Lanqin.
Lanqin stared at him dumbfounded, then looked at Sihua, only to see her nodding emphatically. Now she understood.
Cough cough...
Lanqin coughed a few times, then curled her lips into a smile and said, "Alright, then I'll reluctantly agree to betroth my sworn sister to you. If I find out you haven't treated her well in the future, I won't let you off easily! You'd better go back quickly, prepare the betrothal gifts and dowry, and choose a date. Nothing can be omitted, lest she suffer."
"I will never let Si Hua down, please rest assured, Consort Du," Du Zhiqian immediately said, bowing.
"Alright, then I'll trust you. Go back now. Follow my instructions exactly, without the slightest carelessness. Go!" Lanqin stood up and said cheerfully.
Du Zhiqian bowed again, then secretly glanced at Si Hua before leaving.
After Baoqin and Yuxiao saw him leave, they immediately surrounded Sihua and asked her what had happened. Just a moment ago, that bookworm refused to agree, but in such a short time, the plot had completely reversed.
Lanqin was also curious, and walked up to Sihua, saying, "I'm curious too. Tell me quickly, what exactly happened?"
"I just caught up with him and said some harsh words to him, saying that even if I never married, I would never look for him again," Si Hua said, blushing. "Who knew that when he heard this, he seemed to remember something and suddenly started to confide in me again."
Lanqin stared wide-eyed at Sihua, then gave her a thumbs up and said, "Well done, you're worthy of being my maid."
When Baoqin and Yuxiao saw that Sihua was so bold as to chase after her without caring about what others thought, and say those words in broad daylight, it was truly shocking!
However, seeing Lanqin happy, they should be happy too, after all, Sihua had waited seven or eight years, and it was not in vain.
Soon after, Du Zhiqian first hired a matchmaker to arrange the marriage, then held the betrothal ceremony, and finally married Si Hua. Lanqin prepared a substantial dowry for Si Hua and also took her in as her sworn sister, treating her far better than any ordinary maid. After all this, all the servants in the mansion were deeply grateful to Lanqin; no mistress had ever treated her maids like this before. She was truly being treated like a young lady. Not only that, Lanqin also gave Si Hua a contract of indenture, allowing her to leave the household and manage the household properly for Du Zhiqian.
After Si Hua left, Yu Xiao and Bao Qin became Lan Qin's top maids. Yue Lan and Liu Xu were also promoted to first-class maids, and the four younger maids were also promoted to second-class maids. Seeing that Si Hua, who served Lan Qin well, had such a good result, they worked even harder.
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