Do you want the scholar or me?
Qi Guanlan left the courtroom with a gloomy expression. A carriage was waiting outside, with a footstool already placed beside it. Without even hearing how the outcome would be determined, Wen Ruo hurriedly followed.
As if filled with immense anger, Qi Guanlan stomped his feet heavily with each step. The golden bells and jade carp ornaments strung together with bright yellow silk ribbons at the four corners of the canopy jingled crisply and melodiously in the wind, showing no fear of their master's cold face.
Wen Ruo sensed something was wrong. She turned around and quickly lowered her head. She had guessed before that once she told the truth, the first thing she would receive was not a reward or gratitude from a certain young master, but rather a reckoning.
Standing on the carriage, Qi Guanlan looked down at the woman. The more he looked at her docile and obedient demeanor, the more infuriating she became. He regretted praising her for being clever; it was all a mistake. He couldn't help but sigh in remorse.
"I take back what I said about you having good eyesight. You're completely blind. Don't you know who I am? How can you think I'm a heartless person? Giving advice, delivering messages, betraying your own people, you're really something else."
"You're so smart, how could you be so easily fooled by a scholar of unknown origin? You're even more blind than Xiao Shunzi. He's pretending to be blind, but you're really blind."
Qi Guanlan thought of Xi You again, realizing that he had been completely fooled by her. The thought made his heart sink, and he unconsciously raised his voice. Wen Ru coughed at the right moment, thinking that the young master was too talkative and seemed to have a lot of complaints. She looked at Xiao Shun, but Xiao Shun turned his head to the side, pretending that he hadn't heard anything.
Wen Ruo raised her head, a forced smile appearing on her face, and apologized repeatedly. In her heart, she gritted her teeth, thinking, "Young Master's scolding was really good. Pretending to be blind, Brother Shun is truly skilled."
Qi Guanlan paused for a moment, then said, "I'll forgive you this time. Let me make it clear beforehand that I'm more innocent than a virgin. If any woman tries to pin this on me again, don't blame me for being ruthless."
A burst of laughter erupted around them. Qi Guanlan glared at her before realizing that Wen Ruo hadn't spoken. He looked down at her for a moment, then asked, "Why is your face so pale? Did my mother really hit you? I'll have someone find you the best doctor. Don't worry, I'll pay for the medicine. Get in the car, I'll take you there."
Looking around, Wen Ruo saw that Young Master Qi's handsome face looked somewhat haggard. He must be feeling terrible, unable to defend himself. She took a step back, bowed, and thanked him, saying, "Thank you for your generosity, Young Master. The princess is waiting for you. I still need to go pick up my mother. I'm afraid she'll worry if I'm late."
Qi Guanlan waved his hand, and the two parted ways.
Wen Ruo pursed her lips slightly, feeling somewhat uneasy. These past two days had been heartbreaking for Shi Liu Niang, and she wondered how her leg was doing. It was a pity that she hadn't been able to find out the extent of Zhang Tingjia's involvement. At first, she thought he was that scholar, but the handwriting didn't match the letter. Could he really be innocent?
She had just stood at the door when she heard Shiliuniang's complaints and Cao Xi's voice. Her heart skipped a beat, realizing that she hadn't expected Cao Xi to help Shiliuniang.
"Pomegranate Mother, what happened to your leg?" Wen Ruo pushed open the door, her tone full of flattery. Pomegranate Mother immediately opened her mouth wide. She raised her right leg and tried to get out of bed, but Wen Ruo quickly ran over and pressed her down. "I'm not dreaming, Mother, I'm not dead."
"That petition?"
Shiliu Niang's eyes reddened, and she looked at Cao Xi blankly. Wen Ruo wiped away her tears. "We don't need the petition anymore, but we still thank the lawyer for his timely help. I will repay this great debt in the future."
"I am ashamed to say that I am not very knowledgeable and have not been of any help. Filing a lawsuit against the emperor is no small matter, and I must be very careful. Today I was interrogating Qi Guanlan and was thinking of making changes after the results were released. Now that Miss Wen has survived such a disaster, the outcome should be good. I wonder what the current situation is?"
Cao Xi put down her brush and stacked the petitions together. She had been engrossed in revising her petitions all day and hadn't left the house yet. There were many petitions piled up on the table where she had been writing and drawing. Now that she didn't need them anymore, she planned to burn them before leaving to avoid any trouble.
Having known Wen Ruo for a while, I couldn't bear to watch her beloved mother die and her family be destroyed overnight. So I volunteered to be a lawyer. I discovered that for lawyers, no matter how good your handwriting is, it's not as good as having every word a gem and a clear and logical argument. I always felt there were some oversights in what I was doing, but it wasn't exactly a lie.
This was her first time writing a petition, which sparked a bit of her competitive spirit. However, in the past few days, she had come to see the suffering of the common people and realized that Wen Ruo was truly rare. Apart from her, no one else dared to help a common woman sue the emperor's own sister, fearing repercussions later.
Wen Ruo poured her a cup of tea. "Young Master Qi is innocent, and Yang Cong has already confessed. However, Yu Niang and the scholar have not yet been found, so Miss Zhou's marriage is probably off."
Cao Xi took a sip and said quietly, "I used to think Miss Wen was bold, but I was short-sighted. Miss Wen is truly kind-hearted. I wonder how much Miss Zhou has contributed?"
“Miss Cao is more generous.” Wen Ruo smiled and snatched the neatly arranged petition from her. “Don’t praise me like that, or I’ll get arrogant. I’ll keep these exquisite paintings to study.”
"You know each other? Why don't we go home, prepare some good wine and food, and thank Miss Cao?" After listening for a while, Shiliu Niang began to get impatient. Lawyer Cao had come to help, so how could she ask her to pay? Staying here for a day would cost several taels more, and Wen Ruo was still there. How could she bear to go bankrupt?
Wen Ruo helped her into the carriage. "Mother, Miss Cao is going home. If you really want to thank her, why don't you do some research on the good unmarried men in the capital and help Miss Cao vet them, so that she doesn't end up in trouble like she did today?"
Pomegranate's mother nodded: "Okay, I'll tell Juanlan."
"Cao Xi!"
Qi Guanlan's voice rang out, his words slurred: "You're actually that lawyer? What deep-seated grudge do you hold against me?"
"Of course it's because I don't like you!" Zhao Heng walked out of the inn, his voice full of regret. "How could Yang Cong be so useless? He can't even handle an idiot like you."
"Zhao Heng, are you in cahoots?"
"Didn't Qi Guanlan go home?" Wen Ruo looked at Cao Xi apologetically. Cao Xi rubbed his head, finding the two of them quite annoying. "We just stayed at the same inn and bumped into each other by chance."
Zhao Heng snapped open his folding fan and said smugly, "Even if that's the case, what can you do to me?"
"Young master, the princess is waiting for you to come home. You've just been cleared of your crimes, it's not good to cause trouble." Xiao Shunzi said in a panic, pulling him aside. "Young master, the princess prepared wine and food early this morning. If you don't go back soon, they'll probably get cold."
Today, he suffered another great injustice and was just looking for someone to vent his anger on. But Zhao Heng was so foul-mouthed that before Xiao Shunzi could finish speaking, he jumped down and started hitting Zhao Heng.
Cao Xi didn't want to talk to the two of them. "I have something to do at home, so I'll head back first."
This place is not safe to stay any longer. Wen Ruo jumped onto the carriage, raised her whip, and was about to run away when Qi Guanlan, as if he had grown ears that could hear the wind, suddenly turned around and shouted, "Wen Ruo, you dare to run away!"
A tacit groan came from inside the carriage. Wen Ruo secretly pinched her thigh, her eyes reddening as she said sadly, "Young Master, my mother's leg ailment has flared up. I need to go and fetch a doctor. I'll apologize to you another day."
Wen Ruo clasped her hands in a fist salute again, "Young Master and Miss, I shall take my leave now."
"drive!"
The two carriages passed each other, and Qi Guanlan chased after Zhao Heng like a madman. Zhao Heng was obviously no match for him in martial arts, and his eyes almost touched Qi Guanlan's fist. Fortunately, there were two red wooden pillars at the entrance of the inn, so he had to run around them in circles. Even though he was in a critical situation, he still remembered to maintain his image and used his fan to cover his scratched eye.
"Cao Xi, save me."
Once Qi Guanlan got stuck on his own ideas, no one could stop him. Cao Xi stood at a distance, not intending to lend a hand. The two were fine when they were young, but who knew that one would become a spoiled brat and the other a prodigal son when they grew up? "How can I save them? I'm not capable enough to interfere in the affairs of the two young masters."
Qi Guanlan tried her best to stop him but failed. Anger burst from her mouth, and she said, word by word, "You have three days to bring her to me."
"Although we met by chance, we are practically confidants. I, Zhao Heng, would never do anything to displease a beauty."
"And Qi Guanlan, this is not how you pursue a woman. A beauty is won over by protecting her. Look at what you've done! She's already backed away to this extent, and you still don't know when to back down."
Zhao Heng hid behind a pillar, peeking out halfway, a wicked smile on his lips. He shook his head with disdain, seemingly looking down on this newbie. His gaze swept over Cao Xi, his slightly reddened eyes occasionally pleading for help, "Miss, could you do me the honor of taking me home? I'm afraid this rascal will try to trick me on the way."
Cao Xi: "Men and women should not touch each other. He will naturally stop after he has vented his anger."
“You’re actually siding with him? He is…” Zhao Heng grumbled. “Forget it, last time it was your little errand boy who was talking nonsense. Instead of going to her, you came to me. It’s only because I’ve been practicing Buddhism and cultivating my mind that I’m not arguing with you.”
"Why don't you hand me a cup of tea? I'll take you on as my apprentice and give you a hand."
Qi Guanlan laughed as if he had heard the biggest joke in the world, "You cultivate your character and have a mansion full of beauties, yet you haven't caused a single death. Tell me, what can I say to you!"
Zhao Heng spat and flung his fan at the foul mouth, saying, "Young Master Qi is a virgin, you shouldn't say such things, you wouldn't understand anyway."
Cao Xi found it both funny and exasperating, while Xiao Shunzi was extremely anxious beside him, "Young Master, let's go home and change your clothes. You're dressed worse than a beggar in the capital. Her Highness the Princess will be heartbroken."
Qi Guanlan blocked with his arm, the fan grazing his cheek, the scratch throbbing slightly. "Three days. If no one comes, this young master will rid the women of the capital of this menace."
Zhao Heng smoothed his hair and looked at Cao Xi. "A menace? Me? He's talking about himself, isn't he?"
A scourge can last a thousand years, and Qi Guanlan is no exception. I should have made Qi Guanlan suffer more. When Wen Ruo returned home, she straightened the overturned tables and chairs. The more she cleaned, the angrier she became. She squatted down in front of Shiliu's mother and shook her legs, saying, "Mother, let's move. The city is safer."
Shiliu's mother glared at her angrily, then twisted her ear and said, "How did you offend Qi Guanlan? He's a little tyrant. And this time, I haven't even settled accounts with you yet. Do you know that in just these two days, half a year's worth of household expenses have been gone? Last time you came back covered in injuries, I was soft-hearted and didn't say anything to you. This time you even dared to fake your death. I think you're going to fly to the sky."
Wen Ruo quickly straightened up and rescued Shi Liu Niang's ear from her grasp. "It's not that Young Master Qi is so generous. He could probably earn back the cost of running errands once, let alone half a year's worth. For others, getting a reward is harder than climbing to heaven."
"Let's go to the temple to pray tomorrow."
Wen Ruo immediately moved a stool over and sat down beside her. "Mother, you don't still want to go see the scholar, do you? Where did you pick him up from? Do you want him or me?"
Shi Liu Niang's smile vanished, and she stammered, "I was just checking on him casually. He was just being used. Once winter is over, I won't bother with him anymore."
"If you still pay attention to him after the spring imperial examinations are over, I'm running away from home." Wen Ruo got up angrily, went inside to change the bedding, helped her lie down, and seeing her listless expression, Wen Ruo paused, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes, and couldn't help but tentatively ask:
"Mother, is he related to that Miss Yue from back then?"
Shiliu Niang turned over, clearly not wanting to say anything more. Wen Ruo covered her with the blanket, sighing, "How could it be such a coincidence?"
When did her mother find out? She had been keeping it from her all along, which is why her attitude changed so drastically and she asked Aunt Juan to find Yang Shen for her.
Wen Ruo sat alone for a while. This time, she caused Yang Shen to leave the Yang family directly. She wondered if her deal with Yang Shen was complete.
Zhou Xuanyan's wedding has been called off. Let's find an opportunity to settle things between Xi Ruo and Qi Guanlan. What's the point of keeping harping on this?
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