Chapter 36 The book doesn't have legs.
They searched everywhere, turning over the blankets, pillows, and sheets, but still couldn't find a trace of it.
Lili said, "That's really strange. When I was helping the young lady get up this morning, I didn't see any books next to her. Could they have just disappeared into thin air?"
Yang Qing probably already knew where it was. Wasn't there a living person who came yesterday?
She waved her hand: "Forget it, it's just a book, nothing valuable. If we can't find it, we can't find it."
Lili said, "Maybe it will reappear on its own when we stop looking for it."
Yang Qing thought to herself: That's probably impossible. Books don't have legs, so they can't just run away and come back on their own. But the person who stole the book does have legs.
But Yang Qing hoped that the book thief would simply forget about it and not mention it to her, since she didn't care about the book anymore.
Well, after all, the content in that book, while not exactly the most explicit and quite elegantly written, wasn't exactly something that young ladies from aristocratic families should read.
The lost book is called "The Story of Stealing Fragrance," and as the title suggests, it tells the story of a young woman's extramarital affair.
She could only hope that Li Shangxuan was too busy with his affairs to have time to open the book.
If he sees this, it will definitely cause more trouble.
Yang Qing casually picked up a copy of "Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art" and only read for a short while before feeling drowsy. When Liu Ye'er came to wake her up, she felt as if she had only slept for a short while.
Having gone through that ordeal, Liu Ye'er was much more composed than before. "You've been sleeping for an hour already, you'd better get up quickly, otherwise you probably won't be able to sleep tonight."
Yang Qing was startled. The drowsiness that had just gathered in her mind was driven away. An hour had passed, and she really couldn't sleep anymore.
While serving her face wash, Liu Ye'er asked, "Is Miss going to the Third Madam's place this afternoon?"
Yang Qing said, "I'm not going; there's no point in it anyway."
Those forced, overly enthusiastic words flattered her too much. They're all family, yet they talk like that. It's rather pointless. Yangqing doesn't have that kind of obsession with being fawned over.
She would rather things be the same as before, where people would exchange a few polite words when they met, saying more to those they were familiar with and less to those they weren't.
They clearly had nothing to say to each other, but forcing themselves together only made things awkward.
In the following days, when Yangqing went to visit Rongyue, she was turned away at the door.
The Third Madam's banquet this time invited almost all the noble ladies in the capital. Yang Qing was worried that her own courtyard might not be able to accommodate so many people.
The fact that the third wife's father was promoted again probably contributed to this.
People in this world, whether they look down on the lowly or not, will always worship the high.
With so many people around, Rongyue naturally wanted to steal the spotlight. This time, she also had the home advantage, so she was definitely thinking of overwhelming everyone.
The autumn air was crisp and clear, and the various chrysanthemums that the Second Madam had carefully cultivated were in full bloom, swaying gracefully in the wind.
Plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo, and chrysanthemums are the Four Gentlemen of Flowers, but Yang Qing didn't realize that there was anything extraordinary about ordinary plants. Those lofty virtues and unyielding spirits were mostly far-fetched interpretations by literati and poets. How could plants understand these things?
Just like these chrysanthemums braving the frost, their vibrant colors at this moment do not match the image of the recluse in the painting.
The second wife didn't really like the third wife's lavish banquets. She was usually a quiet person, but it was only for one day, so she just had to bear with it.
Not to mention that Rongyue's marriage is still undecided. She has always wanted to settle it before the New Year, and then go through the traditional wedding ceremony next spring. If it is delayed any longer, won't she become an old maid?
Unfortunately, while she was extremely anxious, Rongyue herself was not in a hurry. She had previously been able to put some effort into marriage and never declined matchmaking requests.
Ever since Mingmiao and He arrived, Rongyue's path has gone astray.
The two women fought fiercely for the title of the most talented woman in the capital, neither willing to yield to the other, and their desire to marry each other had been completely forgotten.
This made the second wife feel that she needed to consult a master again to see if the Ming family's daughter was inherently incompatible with her daughter.
First, Yang Qing's position as Crown Princess was suddenly in jeopardy, although she has now returned to power. Then, Rong Yue became like a demon, losing all her former aloofness and self-respect, and only thinking about fighting and grabbing.
Oh, if Yanyun were still at home, that would be wonderful. Although my second daughter isn't in good health, she has such a sweet tongue.
Rongyue was cold-hearted and cold-faced. Yangqing, that wretched girl, only came to her mother to act cute and playful when she needed her. A few days ago, when she couldn't find a maid who knew martial arts, she was careful and attentive every day. Now that she had found one, she didn't care about her anymore. She went to play with Chuying every day and didn't come to talk to her.
Although, she gets quite annoyed when she comes too often.
However, his slight dissatisfaction with Yang Qing quickly vanished amidst the compliments from the crowd.
The youngest daughter is much more capable than her father. Yangqing has earned the wealth and honor that her husband couldn't bring her over the years.
Look at these once haughty ladies and young misses, aren't they all saying nice things to her now?
Some say it's blatant, others say it's subtle, but both methods make the second wife feel comfortable and at ease.
Even at her age, she still can't hide anything on her face; her happiness is written all over her face.
However, in this situation, it was hard for her not to be happy. She pretended to be modest and said, "Actually, my Yangqing is just ordinary. I can't find anything outstanding about her. I don't know how she got the favor of the higher-ups. I was worried that she wouldn't behave properly and would cause me trouble."
Immediately, a lady chimed in, "Oh dear, what are you saying? If someone as beautiful and virtuous as Yangqing is considered ordinary, then my girl would be mortified. Xianyi, don't be so modest. You've raised such a lovely daughter; if she weren't from the royal family, even I would want to take her as my wife."
The second wife's eye twitched, and her smile stiffened for a moment. She thought to herself, "That's unnecessary. Your son is a complete gambler and womanizer; I wouldn't even consider him. If I really had a son-in-law like that, I'd rather stay home and be an old maid for life."
However, it was all just polite talk. Everyone exchanged a few polite words, and that was the end of it.
The lady who was looked down upon by the second wife was just being polite, but some people really thought that way.
Mrs. Mu, standing in the crowd, sighed inwardly. She wished she had made the arrangements earlier. She had originally intended to take things slowly, since the children were still young and there was no rush.
She was also torn between telling her son or her nephew.
Although her nephew was a distant relative, his parents had died early, and he had been raised by her side since childhood, which added an extra layer of pity to her feelings.
Now there's no need to worry anymore; a crown prince suddenly appeared out of nowhere, and everything was lost.
Jiang Xianyi's third daughter was not bad either, but the girl was obviously proud and arrogant. Although her own nephews and nieces were all decent, they were clearly not top-notch and did not meet the girl's standards.
She herself preferred lively and charming girls, but unfortunately her youngest daughter, Han Jing, was a quiet and reserved person. She didn't want to marry a wife who was full of bitterness and resentment. It can be seen that life is full of disappointments.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Mu Hanjing was talking to Yang Qing.
The girl frowned; she didn't look like Madam Mu at all, but probably took after her father.
"Sigh, I originally thought you could be my sister-in-law."
Yang Qing pouted: "Who would have thought?"
She handed the cat in her arms to Xiang Jing, saying, "Let's not talk about this anymore, look at my kitten."
Han Jing noticed the kitten as soon as she arrived; girls always have a special fondness for fluffy, soft things. She carefully took it from Yang Qing's hands. The kitten wasn't afraid of people at all; it wasn't scared at all by being held by a stranger, and instead rubbed against her hand.
Han Jing almost screamed, but held back for fear of scaring the kitten. "So cute!"
Yang Qing said proudly, "Right? It's so well-behaved. I heard that its fur will grow longer and cuter when the weather gets colder."
Han Jing rubbed the cat's head, a genuine smile spreading across her face. "It's not afraid of people at all. Where did it get that from?"
Yang Qing paused for a moment, "It was a gift from my older sister when I visited her house a while ago."
Mu Hanjing stroked it again and again, clearly quite fond of it. "So cute. When I get back, I want to raise one too."
Yang Qing smiled and said, "Okay."
Mu Hanjing then asked, "Have you seen the big wolfhound that my second brother keeps?"
Yang Qing asked, "What dog?"
She had been to the Mu residence many times, but she had never even heard a dog bark.
Mu Hanjing snorted, "Luckily you didn't see it, or you would have been terrified. That dog was fierce; it could jump as high as a person."
Yang Qing exclaimed in surprise, "A person that tall?"
She saw many dogs in the capital on a daily basis. Most of the dogs kept by ladies and young women were only a little bigger than cats, kept very clean, and easy to hold.
Then there are the hunting dogs, each one thin and long, just skin covering bones. Although they are excellent hunters, they always make people look down on them, thinking that they are so thin that they would probably fall over if the wind blew them down.
As Mu Hanjing said, she had never seen a dog that could jump as tall as a person.
Although Mu Hanjing was petite, she was still seventeen or eighteen years old; that's how big a dog she must be.
Mu Hanjing said, "That's right, it's almost taller than me. I really don't know why my second brother keeps such a fierce dog. None of us in the family dare to go near his room, for fear of being bitten by that dog. Several of the maids in my room said that this dog is so big and so fierce, it might even eat people."
Yang Qing didn't quite believe it. She had met Mu Xiangwen a few times and remembered him as a very refined and polite person. How could he possibly let his dog eat people?
She just felt that Mu Hanjing was exaggerating on purpose.
People always have some quirks. For example, she likes cats. She also knows that Li Shangxuan likes to collect ancient zithers, Rongyue likes ancient books, her mother likes rare flowers and herbs, her father likes fine tea, and as for Chuying, she likes even more things. She likes anything beautiful.
It's not surprising that Mu Xiangwen likes majestic dogs.
After saying this, Mu Hanjing paused for a moment before hesitatingly saying, "I always feel that my second brother is a bit strange. Yangqing, do you feel the same way?"
Yang Qing asked curiously, "Strange? What's strange about it?"
Mu Hanjing shook his head and said, "None of you feel that way. Maybe I'm just overthinking it."
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