Chapter 184 Aren't you feeling bad?
The two chatted over tea and snacks for half a day, finding themselves in a rare and congenial relationship. Shang Ruyi even invited Lei Yu to stay for a simple meal. By the time she got up to leave, it was almost dusk.
Shang Ruyi escorted her all the way to the door.
Lei Yu mounted his horse, ready to leave. After thinking for a moment, he turned back to look at Shang Ruyi and said softly, "I will soon be going to Hebei with my father to quell the rebellion. The outcome is still unknown. I'm afraid we will hardly see each other again in the days to come."
Shang Ruyi said, "You must be careful."
Lei Yu gave a wry smile, then looked at her, his eyes flickering, and said, "In such chaotic times, the little troops we have are what we rely on for survival. Your Duke's Mansion... should also be careful."
After saying that, he turned around, mounted his horse nimbly, and left.
Shang Ruyi watched her figure disappear at the end of the long street, and then pondered her words for a long time before slowly turning around and walking back.
As soon as she returned to her room, Changwan asked, "Young Madam, are you preparing dinner?"
Shang Ruyi thought for a moment and said, "Let the kitchen prepare for Father and Second Brother. I don't need to."
"yes."
Chang Wan responded and turned to leave.
As Shang Ruyi sat down, she glanced up at Chang Wan again. Chang Wan was very beautiful; it was rare to see such a fair-skinned and delicate maid. She had a graceful figure and walked with a delicate, swaying gait. Shang Ruyi also thought her back was beautiful.
Tushe'er glanced at it, then turned back to Shang Ruyi, looking hesitant and wanting to say something.
Sensing her hesitation, Shang Ruyi couldn't help but laugh and said, "Alright, just say what you have to say. I've been holding it in all afternoon, you're almost going to get sick."
Tushe'er was about to say something, but after thinking for a moment, she slowed down and asked, "Why did Miss choose her?"
Shang Ruyi raised an eyebrow slightly: "Hmm?"
"I heard that the Duke originally intended for Aunt Yun to serve Miss. She is reliable and good. Why didn't Miss choose her and instead chose Changwan?"
"What's wrong? Didn't you always say Chang Wan was a good person? Why don't you like her anymore?"
"It's one thing to say she's good, but it's quite another to say she serves the young lady and her husband."
Shang Ruyi smiled and looked at her: "How is it different?"
Tushe'er bit her lower lip and finally said softly, "This morning the young master got up early. Usually, the servants would serve him, but today, she rushed over to help him change his clothes and put on his shoes, not letting anyone else help her at all."
"..."
Shang Ruyi was slightly taken aback.
Tushe'er whispered again, "Especially when she went to dress the young master, the way she acted—so intimate."
Shang Ruyi remained silent for a moment, then smiled calmly and said, "Isn't this good? You've all been slacking off."
"No,"
Tushe'er pouted and said, "This servant isn't lazy. What's important is the way she does these things. It's like, it's like—" She hesitated for a long time before finally whispering, "It's like, the young master should belong to her..."
Tushe'er blushed a little after saying these words.
Shang Ruyi glanced at her.
After a long silence, she smiled and said, "You're usually slow-witted, but you're quite shrewd when it comes to this."
Tushe'er stared at her with wide eyes: "Miss, you mean—"
Shang Ruyi said, "Fool, are you really stupid or pretending? You can see that. Why can't you see that Changwan will be given to Yuwen Ye sooner or later?"
"...?!"
Tushe'er looked on incredulously.
Shang Ruyi sighed and said with a wry smile, "Have you forgotten what you said about Chang Wan when the people in the teahouse framed her? You said she was arrogant and proud, had studied for a few years, and her mother never let her do any manual labor."
"yes."
"Let me ask you, which royal or noble family would keep such a person?"
"..."
"My mother was a simple person who disliked crowds. The only person who could serve her personally was Aunt Yun. Why did she have Chang Wan follow her around, even though she didn't do any hard work? What was the reason?"
Tushe'er suddenly came to her senses: "Could it be...?"
As she said this, her face turned slightly red.
Actually, the reason is quite simple. If a young master from a noble family is still unmarried by the age of sixteen or seventeen, his family will definitely provide him with a maidservant. Firstly, to take care of his daily life, and secondly, to prevent him from being taken outside and learning bad things, or contracting some unclean diseases. Therefore, a mother will definitely choose a young and beautiful maidservant in advance to prepare for her son when he reaches the appropriate age.
This Changwan was clearly chosen by Guan Yunmu.
She just didn't know why she hadn't given it to Shang Ruyi even after Yuwen Ye got married. But this time, when Yuwen Yuan asked her how she would choose, he was obviously trying to get her to say something. And Shang Ruyi's choice of her was just going with the flow.
After a long silence, Tu She'er looked at Shang Ruyi again and said softly, "Miss, aren't you feeling sad?"
...
Shang Ruyi remained silent for a while, but at this moment, she wasn't focusing on the uncontrollable tightness in her chest; instead, she recalled the words Yuwen Ye had once spoken to her—
It was just a transaction.
Since it's a transaction, and the money and goods are exchanged, why feel uncomfortable? She was just doing her duty as the young mistress of the Yuwen family.
So he laughed and said, "What's so hard about this?"
Although Tushe'er knew it was best if she wasn't upset, hearing her say she wasn't upset made her uneasy for some reason. She stammered, "But you and your husband have only been married for less than a year. How can you say that Miss really doesn't feel anything at all?"
Shang Ruyi calmly replied, "No."
Seeing that Tushe'er was about to ask something else, she didn't want to listen to her anymore, so she interrupted her and said, "I am his wife, and more importantly, I am also the Duke's daughter-in-law."
"..."
"These are things I should do."
Tushe'er was taken aback: "The Duke's daughter-in-law?"
"That's right,"
Upon hearing this identity, Shang Ruyi's expression and even her conviction became even more resolute. She said, "As the daughter-in-law of the Duke, it's enough for me to fulfill this role. Any other feelings are superfluous. She'er, don't say such things again in the future. They don't sound good, understand?"
"..."
For some reason, the two of them had grown up together since childhood, and Tusheer knew very well how gentle and emotional her young lady was. But now, or rather, since she got married, she had become unusually cold and hard.
Although this may not necessarily be a bad thing, she was always worried about her.
But given the current situation, it wasn't appropriate to say anything more. Tusheer could only whisper, "I understand."
"Alright, go out and check how things are going in the kitchen. If Dad and Second Brother haven't come back yet, have them keep the food warm so they can have a hot meal when they get back."
"yes."
Tushe'er responded and turned to walk outside.
But just as she opened the door, she suddenly let out a startled gasp: "Ah!"
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