Along the emerald green railings of the long corridor, Xu Lingwan's begonia-red cross-collar robe stood out, its cuffs not particularly large, revealing a section of her fair and slender wrist.
A hair tie adorned her bun, cascading down the back of her head. Her voice was as arrogant as ever. With her back to Xu Yunci and hands on her hips, even without seeing her expression clearly, one could guess how smug she was.
“I was just saying it casually, and you reacted like this. You and your mother are both just putting on an act.”
Xu Lingqing stood in the corridor to her left. Although she was older than Xu Lingwan, when the two stood together, Xu Lingqing could not tell that they were that much older.
She wore a lake-blue, front-opening robe, over which a high-waisted ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) covered the girl's still-developing figure, revealing her delicate collarbone. Her eyes carefully examined Xu Lingwan's face.
As she raised her hand, the handkerchief tucked between her fingers fell along her forehead, contrasting with Xu Lingwan's proud demeanor and giving her a touch of delicate fragility.
“It’s my fault. I’m clumsy with words and have upset my tenth sister. But I didn’t say anything wrong. My cousin is now the Princess of Yichang County. Even my aunts and mother have to call her Your Highness. Even if my tenth sister has a grudge against my cousin, she shouldn’t talk about people like that behind their backs.”
"If you ask me, I'd say you're too stubborn, insisting on dwelling on what happened before. Your cousin didn't hold it against you, did she? Why don't you come with me to find your cousin later? She's forgiving and won't hold a grudge about what happened before."
Xu Lingwan rolled her eyes at Xu Lingqing without any politeness, and put her hands behind her back before Xu Lingqing's hand touched her, as if she was afraid that Xu Lingqing would touch her.
Xu Lingqing looked embarrassed. She was, after all, a proper young lady and the mistress of the Duke's mansion. Even if she and Xu Lingwan had some disagreements, she had never been so openly disliked in front of the servants. It was as if her face had been crushed to pieces.
Xu Lingwan didn't care whether her expression was pleasant or not. She was used to being free and was pampered by Liu Shi. She was even more annoyed with the people of the fourth branch of the family: "Don't touch me! You're just putting on an act. I don't need your fake kindness."
Ignoring Xu Lingqing, he turned and left.
The maid behind Xu Lingqing looked indignant, feeling both sorry and aggrieved as she said, "Why is Tenth Miss like this? You're doing this for her own good. Besides, you're the elder and she's the younger one. How can you just let yourself be like this?"
Xu Lingqing already had a quiet appearance, but now she looked dejected, as if her beloved toy had been snatched away. She looked like a wronged rabbit, so pitiful that it made people feel sorry for her.
"Never mind, Shi Niang has always been like this. I just hope I'm overthinking it. Ever since my cousin entered the manor, Shi Niang has been targeting her. Now that my cousin is a county princess, I just hope Shi Niang won't do anything foolish again."
After saying this, she led her maid out of the corridor, and after walking along the cobblestone path and passing a bush, she saw Xu Yunci, who had been standing there for a long time.
Xu Lingqing was stunned, seemingly finding Xu Yunci's presence utterly unbelievable. After a long while, her lips twitched, and she was about to speak when she saw Xu Yunci's older brother, who had been arriving late, behind her.
Xu Yunyao didn't receive a glance from her younger sister. When she saw Xu Yunci, the warmth and respect in her eyes left no room for Xu Lingqing.
"Second brother, you're here too."
Xu Yunyao always took his elder brother Xu Yunci as his role model. This burly man was as docile as a quail when he saw Xu Yunci.
He was younger than both Xu Yunyang and Xu Yunbo, and they had fought a lot when they were young. Even when the Duke of Rongguo brought the family law, the young master still stood his ground. As long as Xu Yunci appeared, Xu Yunyao would obey.
It's been like this since he was little. Whenever Xu Yunyao sees his older brother Xu Yunci, he can't see anyone else, not even his own mother.
Xu Lingqing felt so angry she was about to explode, as if she had a whole vat of air stuck in her chest. Especially since Xu Yunyao was late, and the person who had been listening to her and Xu Lingwan talking earlier was Xu Yunci!
She seems to have messed things up, and messed them up at her maternal grandparents' home in Yangzhou!
If Xu Yunci's gaze hadn't been so icy, Xu Lingqing would have been furious and wanted to ask her own brother what he was up to. She had painstakingly arranged this scene today; if her brother heard and showed up, she could incite Xu Lingwan to make a scene.
Then my cousin would know that my brother was protecting her, and she would definitely develop a good impression of him. But now, all her carefully planned schemes have gone down the drain.
Hearing her silly brother's words, Xu Lingqing was so angry that she almost lost her balance. But when she met Xu Yunci's gaze, her heart skipped a beat, and she straightened her limp legs.
Xu Yunyao seemed to be just seeing his own sister and was about to speak when Xu Lingqing's eyebrows twitched and she spoke first: "Second brother, you just arrived too?"
With a hint of caution in her eyes, Xu Lingqing's heart was practically in her throat. After all, this second brother in front of her was not as easy to fool as her own foolish older brother.
Xu Yunci looked at her intently: "No, I've been listening for a while."
Xu Lingqing's smile froze instantly. She thought Xu Yunci would say no, or that he had just arrived, but he readily admitted it.
She listened for a while, but how much of it did she hear—all or half? Her heart pounded like a cat gripping her throat, and she couldn't help but feel nervous. Even her gaze towards Xu Yunci became hesitant.
Xu Yunci looked at her calmly: "Some things are your own business, what do other people's business have to do with you?"
Xu Lingqing's lips moved, about to explain something but before she could speak, she heard Xu Yunci say something. Her heart seemed to be put back into her chest, but because of nervousness, she could hear her own heartbeat so strong.
It seemed Xu Yunci hadn't thought much of it, only assuming she was interfering in the relationship between Xu Lingwan and Li Shiyue. She couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, and when she looked up, her eyes held a hint of fear: "Second brother is right, it was my fault."
Xu Yunyao looked puzzled and asked Xu Yunci, "Second brother, has Ninth Sister done something wrong? She's always so engrossed in reading that even Mother says she's losing her mind. If she really did something wrong, please be lenient, second brother."
You're not clever at all, your whole family is not clever.
Xu Lingqing's smile froze again. She really had nothing to say about her silly brother. She had been so kind as to plan a good marriage for him.
"It's nothing, Shi Niang is clever, she'll understand what I mean. What are you doing here?"
Xu Yunci didn't intend to delve into the matter and turned to look at Xu Yunyao. The latter scratched his head: "I came to find Jiu Niang, but seeing Second Brother made me forget something."
"I still need to find Sixth Sister, you all go ahead." Xu Yunci had important matters to attend to, so she strode towards the back courtyard.
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