Chapter 143: Marriage Revisited
Seeing that more and more people were surrounding Xiao Yu and Xu Chuchu, Shao Zhi finally plucked up the courage to sneak out from behind a large white magnolia tree.
When she saw Xiao Yu coming just now, she was wondering why there was such a beautiful woman beside him?
After looking carefully for a long time, she found that it was her old acquaintance Xu Chuchu, and she was almost scared to death.
What was the relationship between these two people now? Not only did he bring her all the way to the capital, but why did he even bring her to such an important occasion as the emperor's birthday?
Also, what kind of magic potion did this woman take? Didn't she just come back from such a long journey? How did she suddenly become so fair and beautiful? She's almost unrecognizable. She rode in a carriage all the way and got a tan when she got back.
Now I heard that Xiao Yu’s illness has been cured, so wouldn’t all her advantages be gone?
All of Shao Zhi's plans were disrupted and she was very upset for a while.
At first, she didn't even dare to go out, fearing that Xu Chuchu would find out that the little snake in her body had been taken out and then attack her. Little did she know that Xu Chuchu had already forgotten about it.
She hid aside and observed secretly. When she saw an ice-blue figure walking out, she hurried to meet it.
"Sister Xia." Shao Zhi stopped in front of Xia Wanqing and said with a smile, "It's been a long time since we last met."
"Are you... Shao Zhi from the Shao family? Haha, I'm younger than you and can't bear to call you sister." Xia Wanqing recognized the person, but seemed unwilling to pay attention to her. She walked around Shao Zhi and continued to walk out.
Shao Zhi has a bad reputation in the circle of noble ladies in Beijing, and Xia Wanqing doesn't want to have much contact with her.
Shao Zhi's mental state was much stronger than before. She trotted over and followed, "That's 'Sister Xia'. Why are you so cold, sister? I'm here to give you a warning."
Xia Wanqing stopped and asked, "What exactly do you want to say?"
"Sister Xia, you should know that the emperor is planning to marry you off to that Young Master Xiao, right?" Shao Zhi whispered.
Xiao Yu was not the only official in the capital with the surname Xiao, but when someone mentioned "that young master Xiao", they were referring to Xiao Yu alone.
Xia Wanqing nodded slightly and said proudly, "I am the daughter of the Minister of War. How can I get news slower than your Shao family?"
Shao Zhi was rebuked for the second time, and the corners of her mouth twitched. "Don't be so harsh. I'm afraid you don't know that Mr. Xiao already has a beautiful woman in mind. If I marry her now, I'll definitely suffer. I'm just giving you a kind reminder. There's no need to be so sarcastic."
"What a kind reminder," Xia Wanqing said bluntly, "Who doesn't know that you, Shao Zhi, have been harboring evil intentions these past few years? You were flirting with the son of Lord Sun before, but he ended up marrying the daughter of Minister Ma, and now you're entangled with Young Master Xiao again. Aren't you tired of that?"
"That's my own business." Shao Zhi gritted her teeth. "You can't even protect yourself, yet you still care about others? I'm kindly telling you, that girl followed Master Xiao from Tailing County to the capital, and they were alone all the way. Even if Master Xiao recovered from his illness, do you believe that nothing happened between them for such a long time? I'm afraid she's already given herself to him and is pregnant. You can become a mother right away if you marry her!"
Her voice was not loud but very confident, and Xia Wanqing turned pale when she heard it.
"Of course I'm telling you all this with no selfish motives, but it's absolutely true," Shao Zhi said. "You and I are now on the same front. Whether you want to cooperate or not is entirely up to you. If you call off the engagement, it will be good for both of us, and I will help you."
Xia Wanqing sneered: "What about you, are you willing to marry him and become his mother?"
"This is none of your business." Shao Zhi said.
"Okay, okay." Xia Wanqing nodded vigorously. "What you said makes sense. I'll go and explain it to Master Xiao right away."
After saying that, he turned around and went directly towards Xiao Yu and Xu Chuchu.
Shao Zhi was overjoyed. She didn't expect that Xia Wanqing was so easy to fool. She was persuaded in just a few words.
Xia Wanqing is the general's daughter and is well-known throughout the capital for her strong temper. It would be best to let her make a big fuss and reveal all about Xu Chuchu. This would not only cancel the engagement but also discourage other noble ladies from having such an affair.
Maybe the emperor would get angry and deal with Xu Chuchu.
Men can have fun outside, but they cannot favor concubines and abandon their wives for promiscuous women. This is the basic consensus among these noble ladies in the capital.
At this time, Xiao Yu was patiently dividing the snacks on the table into small pieces, and then handing them one by one to Xu Chuchu behind him.
Of course he could just give her the big snack, but he just enjoyed feeding her slowly and watching Xu Chuchu eat it bite by bite like a little rabbit.
They were all sitting quietly waiting for the banquet to begin, planning to wait until the banquet was almost over before starting their investigation in the palace.
Because it was still in the preparation stage, there were many officials and palace maids coming and going in the palace, and rash actions would easily arouse suspicion. Wait until the banquet was almost over and everyone was relaxed before finding an opportunity to leave.
At this moment, Xiao Yu suddenly felt a shadow in front of him, and a figure in an ice-blue dress stood directly in front of his desk.
"Mr. Xiao." Xia Wanqing looked at him expressionlessly, "Please excuse me for a moment."
Xiao Yu didn't know Xia Wanqing's intention for a moment, and subconsciously glanced at Xu Chuchu before saying, "Miss, if you have anything to say, just say it here. It's inconvenient to borrow a step."
All of Xiao Yu's little movements fell into Xia Wanqing's eyes. A girl of this age would understand the meaning of his eyes. She knew that he didn't want Xu Chuchu to misunderstand her, and she felt envious and bitter in her heart.
"Then take this girl with you and talk for a moment, okay?" she whispered.
Xiao Yu frowned even more tightly, glanced at Xu Chuchu, and when she nodded, she agreed: "Please come in, Miss Xia."
In full view of the public, the three of them left the main venue together and went to the outside of the Imperial Garden, which aroused a lot of suspicion and discussion.
After making sure no one was around, Xia Wanqing spoke, "I heard that His Majesty mentioned our past marriage to Young Master Xiao a few days ago?"
Xiao Yu paused: "Not bad."
He was now extremely grateful that he had confessed his past to Xu Chuchu in advance, otherwise he would have been "attacked" by Xia Wanqing this time and he would never have been able to clear himself even if he jumped into the sea.
Xia Wanqing lowered her eyes and said, "For what happened that year, I apologize to you on behalf of my Xia family. I broke off the engagement and damaged your reputation."
"It's okay. I don't care about the past anymore." Xiao Yu said calmly, "Miss Xia, just speak frankly."
"Okay then." Seeing Xiao Yu's straightforwardness, Xia Wanqing also said frankly, "If the marriage is brought up again this time, my Xia family will reject it first. Please don't insist, Mr. Xiao. Because..."
She said calmly, "Because I am no longer a virgin."
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