Chapter 63 I didn't expect you to see me first.
"Miss, you can't leave."
This girl, named Lüyao, grew up with Qiu Qingfang since childhood. She is very smart and extremely loyal. From childhood to adulthood, she has been responsible for countless times infuriating Miss Qiu and has come up with countless ideas for her.
“If we leave now, what will we say when people ask? We came here to celebrate Miss Liu’s birthday after receiving an invitation. Wouldn’t it be too impolite to leave now? There are so many ladies and young misses here today. If someone with bad intentions doesn’t want to see you doing well and exaggerates the matter, it will damage your reputation. Miss, you should just bear with it.”
That's very true, and Qiu Qingfang herself knew it too, but she had suffered such humiliation... so she stood with her head held high, her lips tightly pressed together, her eyes glistening with tears, and she didn't say a word for a long time, looking stubborn.
Green Jade felt sorry for him, looked around and saw no one, so she felt relieved and went over to him.
"What are your thoughts now, Miss? Are you still willing to form a marriage alliance with the Liu family?"
This time, Qiu Qingfang really cried.
Given the current situation, if she had any backbone, she should turn around and leave without hesitation, without giving anyone the chance to look down on her. "If you're heartless, then I'll leave..." Was Qiu Qingfang the kind of person to cling on? Were all the men in the world dead? But...
She truly loved him! She loved him, seeing only his good qualities. His kindness to that person proved he was good; his deep affection and warm embrace... that's exactly how she loved him when she loved someone else...
Even if there are countless good men in the world, she can't be content if she likes him but can't have him.
Lüyao was the one who understood her best. Even though she didn't answer, she already knew the answer in her heart.
"If you ask me, Miss, you don't need to worry at all. She's just a concubine. To put it bluntly, she's just a servant, a plaything. Even if Young Master Liu likes her, so what? Our master is a high-ranking official in the court, and the eldest master is the Provincial Governor of Jiangnan. As long as Miss says she doesn't like her, do you think the Liu family would make Miss unhappy for her sake? They would definitely send her far away so she wouldn't get in Miss's way."
That's definitely true, but it's just so heartbreaking!
When Qiu Qingfang returned to the group of young ladies, her expression was still not good.
Miss Yue was concerned, but dared not utter a word in front of her, knowing she must have overheard Liu Qi's words. Miss Yue also felt that there would be no other answer to those questions; Liu Qi must have said what they wanted to hear. She had deliberately asked those questions to make her friend happy, but she hadn't expected…
I really didn't know what to say. Just as I was getting annoyed, a pretty young girl came up to me and gave me a graceful bow with a smile.
Others might not recognize the girl, but Miss Yue Wu knew her well; she was Jing Chen, the maidservant who served her grandmother. Thinking her grandmother had something to say, she asked, "Why are you here?" She stood up as she spoke.
Jingchen said, "Replying to Fifth Miss, the Old Madam asked me to invite Miss Qiu over for a talk."
Hearing this, Miss Le Wu looked at her friend and saw that her friend had also stood up, her eyes fixed on her grandmother. Miss Le Wu suddenly felt relieved, thinking, "I was really out of my mind, worrying for nothing. What could possibly be wrong with this?"
He smiled and said to Jingchen, "Miss Qiu will be going now."
Having received this remark, Jingchen bowed and left.
Miss Yue took her friend's arm and said, "I'll go with you."
This is a true friend, and Qiu Qingfang couldn't help but feel grateful. She nodded gently and smiled slightly.
The two did not separate until they reached Madam Zhang, and each bowed to her.
Madam Wang was right next to Old Madam Zhang. When she saw her daughter coming, she went out and, when she reached her daughter, took her hand and led her to Old Madam Zhang.
"Madam, this is my girl, my Qingfang."
"What a kind person, and so beautiful! Madam, we can't compare to your good fortune!" she said, extending her hand. Qiu Qingfang quickly reached out her hand in return.
Her hands, white as jade, were held by Old Madam Zhang, who led her forward. "Good child, I liked you very much the moment I saw you. How about you stay with me and listen to an opera for a while? This is a new opera. I haven't heard it before, and I'm too old to remember it well. I don't know what it's about. Everyone says you're smart. After you listen, tell me the lyrics so I can also enjoy it."
So Qiu Qingfang sat down next to Madam Zhang and recited the opera lines to her. Later, when the banquet started, she still sat next to Madam Zhang.
So when Old Madam Zhang took her afternoon nap, Qiu Qingfang went with her, which was not strange to everyone.
Just as Madam Zhang lay down, a maid came to inform Madam Le, "Young Master is here."
Beneath her sleeve, where no one could see, Qiu Qingfang's little finger trembled violently.
"Quickly, call him in." Madam Yue called out lightly, naturally taking Qiu Qingfang's hand and turning her head to say to her, "I think you should meet, so why not now?"
As he spoke, Liu Min had already entered. Seeing that there seemed to be a stranger, he quickly lowered his head and asked respectfully, "May I ask what brings you here, Madam?"
Madam Yue smiled and said, "It is something, Lian Si, please raise your head."
A strange woman asked him to look up.
Liu Min didn't understand, so he didn't move.
Madam Yue grew anxious. "I told you to look up, why didn't you listen?"
Left with no other option, Liu Min had to raise his head.
The instant he looked over, Qiu Qingfang abruptly turned her face away. At that moment, her ears and neck were glowing red, and her cheeks were flushed. She was truly more beautiful than any flower.
Liu Min was taken aback. Not because of the beauty before him, but because of Lady Le's clearly stated purpose.
“This is the daughter of the Qiu Yunshi family. She is younger than you, so you should call her ‘sister’.”
Liu Min, of course, could not be summoned; he kept his head down and remained silent.
In Qiu Qingfang's eyes, this man was truly upright and honest, not at all frivolous, a real gentleman, and she grew to love him even more.
When men and women look at each other, this one aspect is enough.
Lady Yue felt the time was right, so she said to Liu Min, "There's nothing more to do here, Lian Si, you should go back now."
Liu Min listened, agreed, and turned to leave.
When Liu Min could no longer be seen, Madam Le turned to Qiu Qingfang, who was still blushing, and asked, "That must be Lian Si. Did you see her clearly just now?"
Qiu Qingfang didn't know how to answer this question, so her only response was a blush on her face.
Madam Yue understood immediately and said nothing more, leading her back to the table.
Shanlai was applying medicated oil to his body in front of the mirror when someone suddenly rushed in, nearly causing him to drop the bottle in his hand.
The person who came was Ziyu, who was frowning and staring at her intently, panting heavily.
Shanlai pulled his clothes back up and asked Ziyu, "What happened? Why are you like this?"
Ziyu didn't answer, but instead asked her, "How did you get those injuries?"
It's truly an injustice.
“A young lady who came to the banquet got lost and ended up in my room. I told her I would take her back to the garden. As we were walking out, I don’t know if it was her or her maid, but she bumped into me hard and I fell against the door frame.”
Ziyu knew that she was always delicate and fragile; even a slight bump would leave marks. Sometimes she couldn't understand how a girl from a farming family could be so fragile and easily hurt. How could someone like that survive in the village? Even if she had an unusual constitution, those large bruises... how much force must have been used!
What does she look like?
"Very beautiful, with red lips and a jade-like face, a full figure and a slender waist, and especially beautiful eyes, which are full of charm and affection..."
She was hit and hurt like that, and she still praised the person for being beautiful. With such a good temper, what will become of her in the future?
"What clothes should I wear?"
"A light red skirt and a pale yellow jacket, it seems so."
Then there's no way out.
Her gaze turned sorrowful; her sister, beautiful and intelligent, would not be tolerated by the mistress.
She remained silent, and with that expression, anyone could tell something was wrong, let alone Shan Lai.
"What’s wrong with you?"
"I'll take you to see someone."
After saying that, he pulled the person and walked outside.
The medicine hadn't been finished applying, and she didn't really want to go out, so she asked, "Who are you going to see?"
"Someone you absolutely must meet."
Who is the person I absolutely must meet? Shanlai couldn't figure it out.
As they entered the garden, they encountered a large crowd. Ziyu's gaze swept quickly through the throng, then she suddenly pointed to a spot. "Is it her?"
Who is it?
Before the stage, she wore a pale yellow jacket, a light red skirt, green hair and a rosy face, with a charming smile and beautiful eyes.
"She's the one who hit you, isn't she?"
Indeed, but what can be done? Can we ask her to apologize? Shanlai couldn't understand Ziyu's purpose in bringing her here.
"She is the future grandmother, our mistress."
It was a very simple sentence, delivered in a very calm tone.
“Yuqiong told me, and I knew about it, so I thought I would tell you as soon as possible. I didn’t expect you to see it before me.”
What are your thoughts?
Good intentions are best left unsaid.
Ziyu sighed softly and continued, "She's not one to tolerate people. She's already injured you before you even entered the house. What will you do if she really comes over? Think of a way quickly. We can't let her get away with this. Go tell the young master everything that happened today, so he knows she's a bad woman and he can't have her."
it's useless.
Because he can't make the decision either.
When Liu Shen returned from his shift, the guests had long since left, leaving only the lingering scent of perfume in the courtyard. He disliked the smell and ordered someone to quickly pour water to mask it. When he entered Yihe Hall, Madam Le did not greet him; she simply slumped in a round-backed chair, clearly exhausted. However, she still went over to help Liu Shen change his clothes.
Liu Shen grasped her outstretched hands and said with a smile, "Madam, you've had a hard day. Please rest. These are just small things; I can handle them myself."
However, Madam Yue preferred to undress him because only she could do it; without her, he would do it himself and didn't want anyone else near him. She loosened his belt, expressing her refusal with her actions. Liu Shen knew her temperament best, so seeing this, he said nothing more and let her help him change into a clean set of clothes.
After changing, he sat down and asked Madam Yue, "Where is Fei Luo now?"
Madam Yue didn't know either, so she turned to Yuqiong and said, "Go and call Miss over."
Yuqiong agreed and was about to leave, but Liu Shen called her back: "Call the young master over too."
Liu Qi arrived first. When she arrived, she neither bowed nor spoke, but just stood there with a smirk.
Liu Shen asked her, "Why do you look angry?"
Liu Qi snorted through her nose, but remained silent.
"Isn't today my birthday? Why..."
"So my father knew it was my birthday today. I thought he didn't remember!"
She spoke in a loud voice, her voice heavy with resentment, her neck stiff, her face turned to the side, refusing to let her father see her.
Madam Yue was displeased and stood up, scolding him sternly: "Who taught you to speak to your father like that!"
Liu Shen wasn't angry at all. He stood up, walked to his daughter's side, and smiled as he gently patted her head, just like he did when she was little. "How could your father forget your birthday? I've prepared a very generous gift. You'll definitely like it when you see it."
Why "later"? Because Liu Shen's gifts included not only ordinary items like writing brushes, ink, paper, inkstones, jewelry, silk, and food, but also a white lion dog.
The dog was pure white, without a single blemish, its fur glossy and smooth. It had just been washed and smelled wonderful. It lay quietly in the girl's arms, not making a sound, just staring around with its round eyes, its tail wagging incessantly.
"Do you like this? How does it compare to your second aunt's jade ball?"
"I love it! It's even better than Jade Ball, I'm going to call it Snowball!"
That's how Minister Liu soothed his daughter.
The husband and daughter were both smiling, and Madam Le was smiling too, her gentle gaze falling on the father and daughter who were standing close together.
When Liu Min entered, he was greeted by this harmonious and joyful scene.
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