Chapter 13 Trying to curry favor with our Marquis's Mansion
"Are you going to slander me now?" Ye Wanning said.
"Alright, stop arguing!" Ye Chengjing said. "I'll go check the Red Leaf Pavilion; maybe it fell there."
After he finished speaking, he walked towards Ye Wanning's room. Ye Jingshu's eyes lit up, and she followed. Ye Wanning also followed, inwardly sneering.
Ye Chengjing searched the room and finally found the jade hairpin in the dressing box.
"What is this?" Ye Chengjing held the jade hairpin and looked at Ye Wanning with an unpleasant expression.
Ye Jingshu immediately said, "Big brother, you see! I told you so!"
Ye Wanning looked at the jade hairpin, feigning surprise: "This...how did this get in my dressing case? I didn't take it!"
"You still want to deny it now?" Ye Chengjing roared. "Ye Wanning, I really misjudged you! I thought you were just a country bumpkin who didn't know any rules, but I never expected you to be so dishonest, stealing Jing Shu's things!"
"I didn't!" Ye Wanning said. "Someone must have deliberately placed it here!"
"Who would deliberately place it here?" Ye Chengjing asked. "Besides you, who else would come here?"
"I know!" Ye Wanning said, as if remembering something. "When my sister came yesterday, she stood in front of my dressing case for a while. Maybe she accidentally dropped it in!"
"You're talking nonsense!" Ye Jingshu said, "I didn't even go near your dressing case!"
"I'm not lying! Chun Tao can vouch for me!"
Chuntao quickly replied, "Yes, yesterday the young lady seemed to have stood in front of the dressing table for a while."
Ye Chengjing looked at Ye Jingshu, a hint of disbelief in his eyes.
Ye Jingshu became anxious and hurriedly said, "Big brother, don't believe them! They're in cahoots!"
"Enough!" Ye Chengjing interrupted her impatiently. "From now on, you will stay in your courtyard and reflect on your actions. You are not allowed to run around without my permission!" After saying that, he turned around and left without looking back.
Ye Jingshu watched his retreating figure and burst into tears.
Ye Wanning looked at her indifferently, without the slightest pity. This is just the beginning. Everything you did to me in my past life, I will repay you in full.
The once bustling Hou mansion became much quieter after Ye Jingshu was placed under house arrest.
Every day, Ye Wanning would either go to Zhou's house to learn etiquette or stay at home reading or tending to the flowers and plants in the Red Leaf Garden with Chun Tao.
Life was peaceful, but beneath the surface, a turbulent undercurrent was brewing.
That day, Ye Wanning was sunbathing in the courtyard when Xia He rushed in, flustered: "Miss, there's a scholar named Xue Lin'an at the gate requesting an audience. He says he's an old friend of yours!"
Xue Lin'an? Ye Wanning's cold eyes suddenly turned icy. Why is he here again?
“I won’t see him!” Ye Wanning said.
"But he said... he has clues about how you were abducted back then."
Ye Wanning sneered inwardly; this excuse was just as cliché as it had been in her previous life.
"Tell him to get lost!" Ye Wanning said.
"yes."
Xia He had just left when Ye Chengjing arrived.
“Ningning, Xue Lin’an is here, why don’t you see him?” Ye Chengjing asked.
“I don’t want to see him,” Ye Wanning said.
“But he said he has clues about your abduction,” Ye Chengjing said. “Perhaps he can find out who the human traffickers were back then.”
Ye Wanning looked at him: "Big brother, do you think what he said is true?"
Ye Chengjing was dumbfounded.
“Don’t you know what kind of person he is, brother? Last time at the gate of the manor, he tried to curry favor with our Marquis’s family, but Father kicked him out. This time he comes back saying he has leads on me. What do you think his intentions are?” Ye Wanning said.
Ye Chengjing fell silent. He felt the same way, but he still wondered what if he really did have a clue?
“Brother,” Ye Wanning said, “some people will do anything to climb the ladder. We can’t easily trust them.”
Ye Chengjing nodded: "You're right. Then I'll go and chase him away."
“No need,” Ye Wanning said. “I’ll go see him.”
"You're going to see him?" Ye Chengjing asked, somewhat surprised. "What if he tries to harm you?"
"No need to worry, with my elder brother here, he wouldn't dare do anything," Ye Wanning said. She wanted to see what tricks Xue Lin'an was up to this time.
Ye Wanning followed Ye Chengjing to the door, where she saw Xue Lin'an standing there, dressed in a faded blue cloth robe and carrying a cloth bag. His eyes lit up when he saw her, and he quickly went to greet her: "Ningning! I've finally seen you!"
Ye Wanning took a step back, dodging his hand: "Did Young Master Xue want to see me about something?"
“Ningning, don’t treat me like this,” Xue Lin’an said. “I know I was wrong last time; I shouldn’t have talked nonsense at your gate. I’ve come this time to apologize.” As he spoke, he handed over the cloth bag in his hand: “These are some snacks I bought for you; please try them.”
Ye Wanning didn't accept it: "I appreciate Young Master Xue's kindness, but I don't need it. If you have nothing else, please leave."
“Ningning, I have a clue for you,” Xue Lin’an said. “I know which human traffickers abducted you back then!”
"Huh? Which one?" Ye Wanning feigned curiosity.
“It’s… a man named Zhu Laosan,” Xue Lin’an said. “I only heard about him by chance. He’s currently in that small town near the capital.”
Ye Wanning smiled bitterly to herself. Zhu Laosan? She had never heard of this person before. Xue Lin'an probably ran out of ideas and just made up a name to fool her.
"Really? Thank you so much, Young Master Xue," Ye Wanning said. "I'll have my elder brother send someone to investigate. If they find out, I will definitely reward Young Master Xue handsomely."
“Ningning, don’t be so polite with me,” Xue Lin’an said. “I’ll do anything to help you.” As he spoke, a strange light appeared in his eyes.
Ye Wanning turned her head away in disgust.
"I appreciate Young Master Xue's kindness," Ye Wanning said. "Brother, see the guest out."
Ye Chengjing nodded and said to Xue Lin'an, "Young Master Xue, please."
Xue Lin'an wanted to say something more, but seeing Ye Chengjing's unfriendly gaze, he had no choice but to swallow back the words he was about to say and leave unwillingly.
Watching his retreating figure, Ye Wanning's face turned cold. Xue Lin'an, you'd better not provoke me again, or don't blame me for being impolite.
Back at Red Leaf Pavilion, Ye Chengjing asked, "Ningning, do you think what Xue Lin'an said is true? Should we send someone to investigate?"
“No need,” Ye Wanning said. “What he said is definitely a lie. He just wants to curry favor with our Marquis’s family.”
"Then why did he do that?" Ye Chengjing asked, puzzled.
"For fame and fortune," Ye Wanning said. "He's just a poor scholar; if he wants to gain some status in the capital, he needs a powerful backer, and the Marquis's mansion is his best backer."
"So it was him after our Marquis's mansion's power." Ye Chengjing seemed to understand somewhat. "No wonder he kept bothering you. I'll keep an eye on him from now on and won't let him bother you anymore."
"Thank you, brother."
"You should also take care of yourself and stop getting entangled with him."
Ye Chengjing sat for a while longer before leaving.
After leaving the Marquis's residence, Chuntao said, "Miss, that Young Master Xue is too wicked; he actually tried to curry favor with our Marquis's family."
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