Mao Gong stroked his beard and laughed heartily. He was kind when he wasn't laughing, but when he laughed, he was even more amiable.
"Haha, Lord Marquis is just the same as before."
Xie Yuancheng started telling him my faults, praising Consort Ji to the skies, saying how wonderful she was, and even making up stories that didn't exist.
"Indeed, Your Majesty is truly blessed." Mao Gong sighed in conclusion, "We came here today to meet this extraordinary person."
His personality was very similar to the shopkeeper's, so he was very approachable. Later, Xie Yuancheng said some things to him that I couldn't understand. They were probably talking about something like national affairs, so it was better if I didn't listen.
I was completely confused listening to this. They didn't disperse until noon. The carriages outside were ready, and Maogong just turned around, gave some instructions, and then got into the carriage and left.
Xie Yuancheng and I stood by the roadside until the carriage disappeared from sight, then we tugged at him and asked, "What were you talking about just now?"
"Ying'er~ Men need secrets sometimes too, you know. You're too strict with me, I'll rebel~"
Xie Yuancheng started joking around again, and I wanted to teach him a lesson, but in the end I decided against it; I figured I'd find out eventually anyway. In the end, he dragged me to Zuixianju, and I specifically refused any alcohol.
But Xie Yuancheng insisted on ordering two more jugs. I drank one jug with him, and then I started to drink too much. In the end, I finished all three jugs of wine.
I lost consciousness, and all I remember is Xie Yuancheng carrying me home. When I woke up, I was already in bed, my clothes had been changed, and Xie Yuancheng had even kindly given me a bath.
"Ying'er~ You've gone too far!" Xie Yuancheng came again. I glanced at him a few times and then closed my eyes to rest.
"Ying'er~ wake up, I'm so bored, and you're still sleeping~"
He had been sick once before, and he would sometimes act foolishly, so I didn't argue with him and just closed my eyes to sleep. My head was still spinning, and I didn't have the energy to comfort him.
Luckily, I woke up early the next day, and Xie Yuancheng hadn't gone out either. I leaned on his shoulder affectionately, saying, "Yuancheng~ Chengcheng~"
Xie Yuancheng didn't even flinch. I blew on him, and he remained perfectly still. So, I started to slip out of bed, and that's when he woke up.
"You didn't even try to coax me a little more~" He looked at me with a wronged expression. I agreed to all his requests, and Xie Yuancheng finally smiled.
He's less busy these days and often stays at the mansion, so we didn't get up until the afternoon. I soaked in the bathtub for a while before getting up to comb my hair, and Xie Yuancheng started watching from the side again.
"If you look at me again, I'll kick you out!" His gaze was so intense that I couldn't concentrate on drying my hair.
"No way~ Ying'er is the best to me, how could she bear to see me sad and upset, and even send me out to sleep."
I'm speechless. He definitely knows my weakness. Now he's acting cute and charming without it feeling out of place at all. I even think it's normal for him.
I didn't eat lunch; I just had some snacks and porridge, which will be my meal for the day.
We were playing chess in the yard. Xie Yuancheng didn't know how to be courteous at all, and he kept trying to entangle me with his feet. In the end, I lost five games in a row!
"You guys actually know how to get up~" Li Ruowei came over carrying Yan'er, and I was finally able to catch my breath. I sat down next to her with Yan'er in my arms.
Bizhu went out this morning and came back to serve us tea and water. Yan'er is especially cheerful now, and she was very happy to see Xie Yuancheng, but unfortunately Xie Yuancheng didn't look at her.
Yan'er blinked her big eyes at him, and Xie Yuancheng occasionally smiled at her. Li Ruowei said he was too cold-hearted, and only I could control him.
"Madam, the last troublemaker has been sent away today." After finishing her business, Bizhu started gossiping with me.
"Did you go with a group of soldiers?" I reached out and patted Yan'er. She was having fun, so I let her hit me as she pleased.
"Yes, everyone went to see what was going on in the morning. Her hands were hanging down, her smelly feet were dangling in the air, and her eyes were full of tears. She looked so pitiful. Some families went to ask if they could adopt her so that she wouldn't have to suffer outside."
As a result, she found that those people were dressed in coarse linen clothes, and they all drove her away with insults, saying that she was destined for wealth and telling those poor wretches to stay away from her. The onlookers cursed her as a shameless scourge and started throwing rotten leaves and rotten eggs at her, making her look even more pitiful than a beggar.
Upon reaching the city gate, the usual inspection began. Her clothes were stripped off, revealing needles and small daggers, which were destroyed on the spot. Her hair was shaved again, and a new character for "criminal" was stamped on her neck.
Bizhu spoke with great enthusiasm, saying that back then, the brat, dressed in rags, would call any well-dressed couple "father" and "mother," and that she was very obedient and would be filial to them, etc.
Some poor and ordinary people who tried to talk to her were kicked away, spat on, and had their faces stomped on with their stinky feet. They were immediately scolded and cried out for their parents, and had several broken parts of their bodies. Their stinky feet were also unbearable to look at.
After leaving the city, upon hearing the prisoners lament the suffering of exile, she immediately began shouting that she would go with whoever gave her food, and was willing to eat from everyone's homes. Those people had long since seen through her plight and were heartbroken; no one pitied her anymore.
Li Ruowei and I sighed and told Bizhu to stop talking, saying we didn't want to hear any more news about them.
"Madam, Miss, I won't say it anymore, so as not to upset you~" Bizhu stood to the side holding the wooden tray. I told her to do as before, and the atmosphere eased a bit.
"It's better to just live a normal life. Let bygones be bygones. Now that the last oddball has been sent away, things in Linyang can finally come to an end."
After I finished speaking, I went to see Xie Yuancheng. He definitely knew that I was going back to the capital to see the little ones, and he had to agree.
"I understand, sis, hurry up and place your pieces," Xie Yuancheng urged, and Li Ruowei then began to place her pieces again.
The match was about to be decided, but the two siblings were playing tricks on us. Yan'er and I got bored, so Bizhu and I took Yan'er to run around the mansion.
When Su Ling and Xi Zhi come over, they will be very happy. They are the same age and play together, chatting all day long, they can probably talk for half a day.
They played chess until evening, only stopping when it was time to eat. They were definitely talking about something. If Xie Yuancheng doesn't take me back, I'll break up with him.
Yan'er had a particularly happy dinner. She can now hold her bowl and spoon and eat her food; she's so well-behaved. I miss the little ones even more; I wonder if they eat well too.
The teacher knows that Lingwu ran away with Lu Fengjun, so he went to the deep mountains to find the precious girl. It will be a while before he comes out. Linyang is relatively stable now.
A few days later, seeing that Xie Yuancheng still hadn't made a move, I secretly slipped out of the mansion to go for a stroll. I remember when I first came to Linyang, I liked to take some silver and go for a walk.
My memory was hazy back then, so I always looked forward to leaving. I went back to that street again, but all the girls there were different, and even if they hadn't, I wouldn't recognize them.
They came to sell things early in the morning, but I walked all the way and didn't see anything I liked.
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