Chapter 7. He will pluck her feathers little by little.
Li Xu's voice was already tinged with sobs. In the past, Yu Tan would have tolerated it because of the sisterly bond, but now, hearing it again only made her head ache, and her entire chest felt filled with a sense of pent-up frustration.
Yu Tan turned her face away, not wanting to look again. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the carriage. The canopy was brand new, and the lanterns in front of the carriage had been replaced with a new batch of glass palace lanterns, with portraits of beauties drawn on the glass in vermilion ink.
The thought that the carriage had been repaired by Ji Yushang made Yu Tan feel disgusted, and she pursed her lips impatiently.
Lanxin quickly had the gatekeeper lead the carriage away and quietly disposed of it; Yu Tan certainly wouldn't want to use something so dirty.
Yu Tan had no intention of getting entangled with her any further, so she turned and left, saying, "Second Madam Li, the carriage has been delivered, so please return."
"Tan'er." Li Xu tried to follow her, but stumbled and fell. The maid beside her quickly helped her up.
The maid said, "Young Lady Yu, my mistress knelt in the ancestral hall all day yesterday. Now that she's able to leave the manor, she immediately brought your favorite set of jewelry to apologize to you. She hopes that you can cherish the sisterly bond."
Lanxin took two steps to the maid and raised her head, saying, "My mistress is extremely favored at home and has never knelt in the ancestral hall. I, as her servant, know this. If she had truly knelt all day yesterday, even an eight-foot-tall strong man wouldn't have been able to get down."
Li Xu's eyes were filled with tears: "Tan'er, what does this mean?"
The maid held the brocade box in one hand and lifted the lid with the other. Inside was a sapphire and kingfisher feather hair ornament. The maid said, "Young Miss Yu, look, my mistress has brought the headdress that you like."
Yu Tan adjusted her hair, and the gold-threaded hairpin gleamed. It was an item from Ruyi Pavilion, the best in Bianjing City. If she wanted something like that, she could easily get it.
"That day I only glanced at your hair ornament twice and thought it suited you well. I didn't mean to like it at all. I don't know where you got this misunderstanding from."
I made myself clear after the dinner. If Li Erniangzi didn't understand, I'll say it again: we are no longer friends, and we don't need to have any contact anymore.
Li Xu wiped away her tears, revealing a hint of embarrassment on her face. Although Yu Tan did not say it explicitly, her actions made it clear that she looked down on what Li Xu had brought, even though it was the best jewelry she could get.
Or perhaps Yu Tan never even noticed her from the beginning.
"Tan'er, I have tried my best to please you, are you really not willing to give in even the slightest bit?"
“I never wanted you to flatter me. Why should friends flatter each other? I intended to be friends with you before, but you were the one who first tried to harm me… Now we can no longer be friends.”
Yu Tan stared coldly at Li Xu, then left in a carriage with Lan Xin.
Yu Tan ripped away the last fig leaf, revealing that there was no affection left between them.
Li Xu dropped her pitiful act and roared behind her, "Yu Tan, you're always so high and mighty. Have you ever thought that one day you'll fall from this cloud?"
Yu Tan shook her head. So many people in this world were waiting for her to fall from power.
Even her gentlest smile was seen as contemptuous and mocking by Li Xu. Every move she made appeared arrogant, spoiled, and disdainful to them.
Those three men were Li Xuru.
That's why they all tried to kick her when she lost power.
There was only one person who, even after her identity was exposed, gave her the dignity to leave the mansion.
Yu He'an is truly a very good person, and thinking of this, her heart softened completely.
Yu Tan gripped her sleeve, thinking about her future situation...
She couldn't say.
She could only lie to her grandmother and Yu He'an, the two people who were best to her.
She insisted on maintaining her status as the daughter of a marquis for another year.
"My wife, don't be angry, it's bad for your health," Lanxin whispered behind her.
Yu Tan paused, "I'm long gone. Let's go. We have important business to attend to today."
"My lady wants to watch Ji Yushang be executed? That's fine, it'll be a good time to vent... I've had such bad luck these past few days." Lanxin stopped a step away from her.
Yu Tan was amused by Lan Xin: "Even if Ji Yushang were torn to pieces, he wouldn't be worth me even glancing at."
"My lady, why did you go out today?" Lanxin's cheeks flushed slightly, with a hint of shyness.
"Buy some things." And while you're at it, see if there are any other ways to make money.
Yu Tan got off the carriage and walked along Moxue Lane. A little further ahead was the Imperial College.
There are many shops along the street, selling breakfast, clothing, fabrics, wine shops, and bookstores.
When Yu Tan passed by the third study, she stepped inside. It was much more luxurious and grand than the previous two, with two floors and quite a few women to choose from.
She wandered around downstairs but couldn't find anything suitable. Unwilling to give up, she climbed upstairs and finally found one that caught her eye at the corner on the second floor.
A rosewood desk, deep black in color, with fine grain, exudes a noble and elegant air. Even the matching chair has exquisitely beautiful carvings.
The shopkeeper was a middle-aged man around forty years old, dressed in a scholar's robe and wearing a hat. "Madam, you have excellent taste. This is one of our latest batches of top-quality goods. This desk is made from a single piece of sandalwood. The tree is over a hundred years old, which is believed to bring longevity to the family. Most importantly..."
The shopkeeper deliberately kept everyone in suspense.
"Another meaning is that Jinke High School is a rare gem."
Yu Tan was genuinely interested upon hearing this. "It's indeed very good. Shopkeeper, how much is it?"
The shopkeeper remained expressionless: "Not much, not much, two hundred taels."
Her monthly allowance was only ten taels, and even with the money she earned from doing business outside, it was only sixty taels.
The best hairpins at Ruyi Pavilion cost only eighty taels.
She wasn't so satisfied with the desk anymore; the patterns were all messed up. She walked around the desk a few times, hesitated in front of it, and was just about to reluctantly buy it when she decided to do so.
The servant rushed over and whispered a few words to the shopkeeper. The shopkeeper was taken aback for a moment, then burst into laughter.
Yu Tan frowned in confusion, fearing that someone else might appear and try to take the desk from her.
She waited for a long time with a cold face.
The shopkeeper walked up to her, tapped his head with his folding fan, and smiled obsequiously, his entire face a mass of fat.
"My lady, look at my memory! I was mistaken. This desk only costs twenty taels of silver."
Yu Tan exclaimed with delight, "It's true!"
The shopkeeper smiled broadly and said, "Of course, of course."
"Wrap it up, I'll take it."
Lanxin went to the counter to pay the money, took the receipt, and carefully instructed the shopkeeper to send the desk to the Marquis's residence.
*
Yu Tan stood outside the study; the sun was high in the sky, and it was almost noon.
She was delighted to have found a suitable desk, and her steps were light as she walked back to the Marquis's residence.
What made her fall asleep yesterday at noon wasn't that book, so what was it? She needs to find out.
After a good night's sleep, her energy level is noticeably higher today.
She wanted to find something to help her fall asleep as soon as possible, otherwise she would be driven crazy by nightmares and exhaustion before the plot drove her crazy.
She was lost in thought and didn't see the person coming from in front of her.
"Young Lady Yu, what a refined taste you have."
Two burly men carrying a sedan chair approached and met Yu Tan in the narrow alley.
Ji Yushang lay on the sedan chair, his face pale, his forehead and nose covered in cold sweat from the pain. His blue robe on his back was soaked with blood, which dried into black bloodstains that stuck to his body. There were also several tears in his clothes, revealing bloody flesh.
Looking at him pitiful and disgusting, Yu Tan turned her eyes away and said coldly, "It seems the punishment wasn't severe enough to teach you a lesson, and you're still spouting nonsense."
Ji Yushang still had that carefree attitude, his voice tinged with pain: "I've learned my lesson. I won't be able to get out of bed for a month or two. But seeing Miss Yu makes the wound hurt less."
Yu Tan pretended not to hear the second half of the sentence and smiled. At least she wouldn't have to worry about being harassed by Ji Yushang for the next month or two.
"Miss Yu, could you come a little closer? I have something I want to say to you..." Ji Yushang stared at Yu Tan. He had only been beaten ten times, but Yu Tan was so happy that the corners of her lips and eyes turned up slightly. The mole under her lip was extremely red, as if it was glowing.
That arrogant look, as if he were trampling others underfoot, was extremely attractive.
But what I really wanted was to pull her down from that high place, drag her into the mud, and see her with tears in her eyes, pleading desperately.
"I have nothing to say to you, let's part ways here." She didn't want to get involved in the story with Ji Yushang, so Yu Tan turned her face away, not wanting to look at him again.
Ji Yushang chuckled lightly, giving him that look that made him feel disgusted even if he looked at him for even half a glance.
Ji Yushang raised his voice and said, "Young Lady Yu, don't you want to know who ordered me to wait for you in your room?"
Yu Tan paused in her forward steps, her smile vanished, and she stared coldly at Ji Yushang.
Ji Yushang's lips curled up, his charming eyes full of calculation as he threw out a bait, seemingly certain that she would be interested.
Yu Tan said fiercely, "I know who it is... You don't need to use this to get close to me."
Ji Yushang's grin widened even further: "Young Lady Yu, who do you think you know? Could it be Li Xu?"
Yu Tan frowned slightly, her lips pressed tightly together.
Ji Yushang coaxed, "Young Lady Yu, Li Xu is just a concubine's daughter of the Li family. If she didn't have anyone backing her up, she wouldn't have the guts to mess with you. And there is someone... Don't you want to know?"
And some people are completely unaware that she has annoyed so many people.
"My lady, let's go." Lanxin tugged at her sleeve, afraid that she would fall for Ji Yushang's tricks.
She stared at Ji Yushang and said coldly, "Tell me... who else is there?"
She wants to take advantage of this year to clean up these troubles.
"Come closer, I'm injured and I don't have the strength to speak loudly... If you come closer, I'll tell you." Ji Yushang supported himself with his hands and actually sat up halfway, raising his chin to look at her at eye level.
Yu Tan did not move, her gaze sweeping over Ji Yushang.
Ji Yushang continued to press the issue: "What does Miss Yu mean? Is she really so magnanimous that she won't pursue the matter with the people behind the scenes?"
The plot unfolded in her ears, and the powerful narrative compelled her to walk step by step to Ji Yushang's side.
"My lady, my lady." Lan Xin called anxiously beside her, but she couldn't budge her an inch. There was no other way out for her to choose from; this world had directly made her a part of the plot.
Ji Yushang gripped her right wrist tightly, with such force that it felt like a shackle trying to hold her firmly in place.
The sounds of the story unfolded in my ears, overlapping with Ji Yushang's voice.
After parting at the Li residence, the two met again in a small alley. The difference in their social status became an obstacle between them. Yu Tan did not want to provoke Ji Yushang again. When she passed by him again, she couldn't help but glance at him. Her proud eyes were actually mixed with tenderness.
Ji Yushang gripped Yu Tan's wrist tightly: "Young Lady Yu, since you provoked me, there's no reason for you to back down. Our fate doesn't end here."
Ji Yushang grabbed her wrist, pulled her hand to his cheek, and the smell of blood filled her nostrils, making her feel nauseous.
Half a moment later, the plot effect finally dissipated.
Yu Tan was finally able to move on her own, and suddenly raised her hand, "Ji Yushang."
Ji Yushang's face was twisted to one side from the slap, and a trace of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth. "Just now, Miss Yu was so close to me, flirting with me. How come you turn your back on me like this?"
“I have heard that the Ji family rose to prominence along the coast of Chuting. They started by selling fish. It took the Ji family a hundred years to travel the road from Chuting to Bianjing to build their current fortune.” Yu Tan took a half step back, his face grim. “Ji Yushang, the rise and fall of a family often depends on a single thought.”
Ji Yushang's smile vanished, his peach blossom eyes narrowed, and a ruthless glint appeared in his eyes.
"Let's go." Yu Tan led Lan Xin past Ji Yushang's sedan chair. Even though they were only an arm's length apart, Ji Yushang dared not make any further moves.
Lanxin quickly followed behind Yutan, "You're right, Madam. As long as the Marquis's mansion prospers, even if Ji Yushang climbs to a higher position, he won't dare to touch you in the slightest. The way he acted just now... was too offensive."
Yu Tan rubbed her fingertips and softly hummed in agreement.
She knew the Marquis's mansion would surely prosper for a hundred years, but she didn't.
Ji Yushang stared intently at Yu Tan and her servant. The servant's temperament was very similar to that of her master. Even the maidservant beside Yu Tan had an arrogant demeanor. The two of them looked like two proud peacocks, happily shaking their magnificent tail feathers.
He will pluck her feathers little by little.
He'll definitely make her beg him.
A note from the author:
Thank you to the roadside slacker for the nutrient solution! [Lop-eared rabbit head][Lop-eared rabbit head][Lop-eared rabbit head]
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