Chapter 62 Are we only allowed to have affairs?
Zhao Qiuci glanced back and saw a loud crash coming from the study as cups and saucers fell to the ground and shattered.
I don't know what Yu He'an was talking about with Yu Zheng that made him so angry.
Zhao Qiuci withdrew her gaze and said coldly, "Let's go."
He Yin and Granny Liu both looked at her, waiting for her to make a decision, "Where to?"
If Old Madam Song were to invite him, even if Yu Zheng were present, he would agree.
"Let's go to Hexiang Courtyard together."
Granny Liu led them to Hexiang Courtyard. When they entered the courtyard, Granny Liu was supporting Old Madam Song, who was waiting anxiously under the eaves.
"Qiu Ci, what are you doing here?" Old Madam Song hesitated for a moment.
Despite their blood ties, the granddaughter, who was raised away from home since childhood, was not close to her.
Zhao Qiuci truly embodies the Yu family's character: cold and stubborn, with her own set of principles.
Even though she was clearly a lady of the Marquis's household, she still rode around the training ground every day. After returning to the Marquis's household, she wasn't particularly close to them. If they looked for her, she would come to pay her respects morning and evening. If they didn't look for her, she would just live her own life.
“I’d like to hear it too.” Zhao Qiuci stepped forward and stood a little distance away from her.
Unlike Yu Tan, he wouldn't come forward and affectionately take her arm, acting coquettishly.
The group entered the front hall and closed the doors tightly.
Madam Song sat in the main seat, while Zhao Qiuci sat below her, in the seat furthest away.
Madam Song gripped the armrest and said solemnly, "I suppose I made things clear when I came to find you. I invited you here only to discuss an old matter from back then. Now, if you explain what happened back then, you will surely reveal the truth."
What happened back then is like a thorn in my throat; I must figure out where it's stuck before I can pull it out.
Zhao Qiuci propped her head up and turned her gaze over: "Speak."
The seventy-year-old woman knelt on the ground in fear, first kowtowing twice, her chapped lips opening and closing: "Reporting to the old lady, I met Zhao Qingwu, Zhao Niangzi, back then."
When "Zhao Qingwu" was mentioned, Zhao Qiuci's cold expression softened slightly, while Old Madam Song's face turned cold.
After all, Zhao Qingwu was the mastermind behind this disaster.
Madam Song didn't know whether she wanted to find out the truth or whether hearing that Zhao Qingwu was the mastermind behind the plot to change the identity of the Marquis's wife would make her feel better.
The seventy-year-old woman's cloudy eyes darted around as she drifted into memories.
"It all started with a turmoil when bandits searched house to house."
Strangely enough, while robbers usually target young, unmarried women, this time they targeted a woman who was about to give birth.
We were so scared that we all kept our doors closed, fearing we might be in trouble. Fortunately, the bandits left without finding us and didn't cause us any trouble.
A few days later, one evening, a disheveled young woman appeared in my courtyard, looking like she was fleeing a disaster, with two swaddled babies tied to her body.
I originally wanted to kick her out, but she was just too pitiful. If she took a few more steps, she might die with those two children.
I had no choice but to lead her into the house, where she drank several bowls of water before she came to her senses and took off the two swaddles from her back.
The rope broke at its thinnest point. Both babies developed fevers, their little faces burning red. If they weren't treated soon, they would both die.
With two lives at stake, I had no choice but to take her to town to find a doctor. After much effort, we finally found a way to save her.
Both of her children were sick, and she had just given birth, making it a difficult time to take care of them.
I originally thought that the two girls were her children, until a few days later a woman who claimed to be a nanny from the Marquis's mansion came to my door.
The nanny held one of the baby girls. Zhao Niangzi was stunned for a while, then turned around and cried silently. At the time, I found it strange. She hadn't cried when things were at their worst, so why was she crying now that things were getting better?
Things got a little better later. They stayed with me for half a month before heading back to Bianjing.
Zhao Qiuci said, "It is the Marquis's family that has implicated my mother, and it is I who have implicated her."
Realizing that Zhao Qiuci's mother was Zhao Qingwu, Old Madam Song's pupils contracted, her grip on the armrest tightened, and her lips trembled as she uttered a few words: "Since Zhao Qingwu saved the person first, it's still wrong to..." When the nanny of the Marquis's mansion apologized, she took advantage of the mistake and switched the lives of the two people.
"That's all I know." The old woman kowtowed again and turned to He Yin, asking for a reward.
The middle-aged doctor said, "I am the doctor from back then. I can testify that this matter is true. That woman was truly tragic. If she hadn't fallen off the cliff, she wouldn't have given birth prematurely."
That high fever was nothing to the full-term baby girl, but it's strange that the premature baby girl didn't survive.
When the two children arrived, the full-term baby girl's fever had almost subsided, while the premature baby girl was still burning up.
It looks like the premature baby girl was caught in the crossfire. It's already difficult enough for a premature baby to survive; I wonder if she's still alive.
The person the bandits were searching for back then was Ning Weiqing. Zhao Qingwu, who was six months pregnant at the time, was implicated and even had to save Zhao Qiuci.
Even the high fever that tormented Yu Tan in her childhood was caused by their family.
"What?" Old Madam Song could hardly sit still. She slumped in her chair and fainted. The nanny next to her quickly helped her to lie down on the soft couch.
The doctor got up and took Madam Song's pulse.
"The old lady is so angry that she has lost her mind. She's old enough to know her destiny, she should try to be more open-minded."
The doctor prescribed a medicine, and the maidservant hurriedly went to prepare it. Granny Liu led the two witnesses to settle them down, and a flurry of activity ensued.
Zhao Qiuci sat on a round stool beside the soft couch to keep Old Madam Song company. Two hours later, Old Madam Song finally woke up.
Where is Yaoyao?
Zhao Qiuci sat on the round stool in a daze, and after a while she came to her senses: "She went back."
"I want to see her." After saying that, Madam Song propped herself up and stood up. Zhao Qiuci quickly helped her up and sat back down on the soft couch. "Forget it, what face do I have to see her?"
Before Zhao Qiuci even returned to the mansion, he was already in a hurry to kick her out to make room for her.
Later, when he suspected that there was an affair between the siblings, he used the years of kindness he had shown her to force her to marry.
In the past, there was always an excuse: Zhao Qingwu had plotted against the Marquis's mansion, that they had ulterior motives, and that Yu Tan even dared to seduce Yu He'an in order to continue enjoying the wealth and luxury of the Marquis's mansion.
However, Yu Tan's attraction was feigned; it was Yu He'an who harbored ill intentions.
The moment the past was revealed, the bloody truth was exposed, and the two extremes were reversed.
It turns out that from beginning to end, it was they who owed them.
"Qiu Ci, Grandmother has really gone senile." What exactly did she do?
Madam Song pounded on the soft couch, venting her inner anger. In less than a quarter of an hour, her deeply lined face was covered with tears, and the candle flickered in the wind, its wax dripping down drop by drop.
What cannot be washed away has already been done.
Zhao Qiuci pursed her lips. When she first asked Yu He'an to help investigate the case, Yu He'an had told her not to make things difficult for Yu Tan, and she had pretended to be magnanimous.
She wasn't much better off; no wonder Zhao Qingwu wasn't replying to her letters—he must be angry with her.
She thought back to her days in Liangzhou. If only she weren't curious about Xie Ling's cause of death. Zhao Qingwu had told her she had let it go.
If she doesn't join the army, she won't have to return to the Marquis's mansion. Yu Tan can continue being the lady of the Marquis's mansion, and she can continue being Zhao Qingwu's daughter.
Madam Song sighed deeply, "We owe them."
Zhao Qiuci looked at the sky outside: "My mother has always been very good to me, better than you are to Yu Tan. I miss her so much."
She needs to find out where Yu Tan has hidden Zhao Qingwu; she needs to go find her.
*
Yu Tan hurriedly ran away from behind the artificial hill, running quite a distance before stopping at the entrance of Lanfang Courtyard, where she finally came to her senses.
Her right palm was still red and numb, which showed just how much force she had used.
She was furious that Yu He'an had kissed her right under the nose of the Marquis's mansion, even though she knew that Yu He'an wanted to maintain peace and put Old Madam Song at ease.
She was even angrier at herself for having no resistance and always being led astray.
She had planned long ago that after resolving everything, she would go to find Zhao Qingwu and start a new life in Huizhou, but she was always led astray by Yu He'an.
She stood in front of Lanfang Courtyard for a while, the heat gradually dissipating, and her heartbeat returning to calm.
She then remembered her promise to He Sheng that she would go to find him after she finished everything, so she hurried towards the library.
The library and study are next to each other. The study is where Yu Zheng handles important military affairs. Yu Zheng is stationed on the border for many years and does not return to the Marquis's mansion. Yu Zheng is not as indulgent towards her as Old Madam Song is towards her, and Yu He'an is not always by her side. She admires Yu Zheng, but is not close to him.
On her way to the library, she deliberately avoided the study.
She was afraid of running into Yu Zheng, afraid of running into Yu He'an, and even more afraid that Yu Zheng would run into her and Yu He'an.
Fortunately, she took a detour to the library and did not run into them.
The old servant guarding the attic smiled and led her up to the second floor. After bringing her there, the old servant tactfully went back downstairs.
He Sheng sat at a small table by the window, his head leaning against the windowsill. The setting sun shone through the window lattice onto his head. His face was expressionless as he was engrossed in a book, displaying a casual and relaxed demeanor that he never showed in front of her.
She tiptoed to He Sheng's side.
"Young Lady Yu, you've arrived. Have you finished everything? Let's go." He Sheng's gaze was still fixed on the book. He quickly finished reading that line and reluctantly closed the book.
"It's all taken care of. You can watch it a little longer if you want."
"After finishing this book, I always want to read the next one. Greed is endless. Let's forget it and go." He Sheng scratched his head sheepishly.
Yu Tan glanced at it; there were only a few pages left in the book, at most half an hour.
"If you can finish reading this book today, then you can read it. I'll be waiting for you."
After saying that, Yu Tan got up and went to the other side, leaning against the window to look at the scenery. He Sheng felt embarrassed to refuse again, so he thanked her and continued reading.
She leaned against the window, where she could see the eaves of the study. The setting sun cast a warm, yellowish glow on the glazed tiles.
In less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, He Sheng had finished reading the remaining pages, his face beaming with undisguised satisfaction and pride.
He felt a little embarrassed to ask Yu Tan to wait for him, and after a pause, he said, "Actually, I had read the first half of this book before, and I have been thinking about it ever since. I never expected to see the complete book in the Marquis's mansion. It can be considered as fulfilling my regret."
Yu Tan nodded: "Let's go."
By the time they left the library, the sun was already setting in the west, with a bright red sun hanging in the sky.
He Sheng looked at the sunset and grinned foolishly: "The sunset in my hometown of Fengzhou is very beautiful, especially in late autumn. The sunset and persimmons hang on the branches together, all red. When I was a child, I always liked to sit in front of my house and count the persimmons on the persimmon tree. After autumn, I would feel a sense of satisfaction that I would no longer go hungry."
"If there is an opportunity in the future, Miss Yu can go to Fengzhou for a visit."
She recalled Yu He'an mentioning the sunset in Liangzhou. Liangzhou and Fengzhou were not far apart, so the sunset in Liangzhou must be this beautiful.
She looked away, pretending not to notice the tips of her ears, which had turned slightly red in the setting sun.
She had previously thought Liangzhou was Zhao Qingwu's hometown, and she was filled with curiosity about it. Zhao Qingwu was Zhao Ziyin's daughter, and Quzhou was their true hometown. Quzhou was adjacent to Huizhou, and her journey was south, no longer north.
As Yu He'an passed by the study, he heard the sound of cups and saucers falling to the ground. The person inside seemed to be very angry. Yu He'an quickly walked out of the study.
Along the path and covered bridge, oleanders climbed the entire trellis, their clusters of flowers, white or pink, swaying in the breeze, beautiful yet deadly.
Yu He'an and the others passed by, expressionless, with half-closed eyelashes, making it impossible to discern their emotions.
"Brother He'an." He Sheng bowed politely, then looked up and saw Yu He'an's face, his eyes widening.
Yu He'an nodded and turned his gaze over. Yu Tan immediately straightened her back and became defensive, like a cat about to puff up its fur.
Fortunately, his gaze lingered for a few moments before he turned away without a word, passing by without pausing, as if he had only seen two unrelated people.
Yu Tan was so nervous that her palms were sweaty, but he didn't make a move or say a word to her until Yu He'an's figure disappeared.
Once outside the Marquis's mansion, the atmosphere became more relaxed, and the two walked back along the streets and alleys under the setting sun.
He Sheng finally asked the question that had been bothering him: "Brother He'an, there seems to be a handprint on your face. What happened that made Lord Yu slap you?"
She paused, realizing the commotion was coming from the study. He Sheng assumed it was Yu Zheng hitting Yu He'an.
She was baffled by Yu He'an's attitude and didn't have time to think about what had happened in the study. Surely Yu He'an couldn't just confess to Yu Zheng directly.
Thinking of this possibility, she hurriedly shook her head. Considering Yu He'an's attitude just now, it seemed more like this slap had destroyed all affection, and he was so cold that he didn't even recognize his brother and sister anymore.
Her fingertips dug into her palm, causing a slight sting, which brought her back to her senses. This was for the best.
After having dinner, she let her hair down, lay on her canopy bed, and looked at the account books.
Lanxin brought out the calming soup, placed it on the side table, and lowered the silver hook that held the gauze curtain.
"My lady, do you still not want me to keep watch tonight?"
Yu Tan was holding the ledger and doing calculations when she reached out and drank the calming soup in one gulp. It was so bitter that she frowned. Lan Xin then handed her a cup of tea, and after drinking a few sips, the bitterness in her mouth was washed away.
She hasn't been troubled by the nightmare of imprisonment for a long time, but she still has difficulty falling asleep and her sleep doesn't last long. Eventually, she will return to normal.
Huixin contacted Zhao Qin a few days ago to plan a business route in Huizhou, and they will be setting off soon.
She looked up and said, "No need. Go and rest. Keep watch until Qiaoxin comes back. When you leave, close the windows tightly and fasten the latches on them."
Lanxin put away the porcelain bowl and hesitated, saying, "Wife, won't it be stuffy if we close it completely? Let's leave a crack and sneak out."
"No, go ahead."
Lanxin had no choice but to bolt the window shut as instructed. In the dim candlelight, Yutan did some calculations for a while. She rubbed her eyes to drive away the stinging sensation.
As the third watchman's clapper sounded, sleepiness crept in. She got up, put down the lamp, blew out the candle, and drifted off to sleep.
The intense pressure felt like a large rock was pressing on her chest, making it hard for her to breathe.
The heat enveloped her from all sides, and she was trapped in a giant steamer, sweating profusely.
The nightgown clung to her body, feeling like she was wearing another layer of skin, which was very uncomfortable.
She resisted, haphazardly tugging at her collar in an attempt to feel some coolness.
She finally saw the scene from her dream clearly. She panicked and fled the courtyard where she was imprisoned, with someone chasing after her.
In her panic, she bumped into a honey stall, getting covered in honey. With someone chasing her, she had no choice but to hide in a dark corner.
In the darkness, she saw a pair of brown eyes glowing. As she got closer, she realized it was a large guard dog. Upon seeing her, it pounced on her, sniffed her neck, and seemed to smell a scent it liked, wagging its tail happily.
It pressed its two paws against her shoulders, buried its head in the side of her neck, and stuck out its tongue to lick the honey off her body. The real touch of its tongue made her scalp tingle.
The moisture trickled up her neck, seeping into her lips and seeping in, making her breathless.
This dog was disgusting. She struggled desperately, but her limbs felt like they were filled with lead, and she couldn't move.
She broke free from the dream and finally escaped the big dog's clutches.
The sky was just beginning to lighten, and the doors and windows were tightly shut, with no sign of anyone entering.
She clutched the blanket tightly; this was just right.
For more than ten days in a row, she kept the doors and windows locked, and no one climbed in through the windows anymore.
Just as she had predicted, Yu He'an, such an arrogant person, severed their strange relationship with that slap.
But then another bizarre thing happened.
She started having frequent nightmares again. In the first few days, she always dreamed that big dogs or bears were licking her chest and neck, and even imitating human gestures to lick her lips.
Lately, it's gotten even worse; she's started having those erotic dreams again.
"I hope this Gu worm won't have any aftereffects." She rubbed her temples and lit the incense she had previously put away to suppress the love Gu, filling the room with a strong floral fragrance.
That night, the doors and windows were tightly shut, but the male ghost ignored them and walked straight through the door.
He sat on the edge of her bed, staring at her menacingly for a long time.
He grabbed her chin and stirred her breath. She resisted fiercely, but her body was aroused.
Even though the male ghost was just a dark shadow, she felt that he was mocking her.
The male ghost pried open her knees and, using his hands or mouth, pulled her to the highest point, where she helplessly cried out, "Brother."
Lifting her knees, Yu He'an's face was clearly visible, with the slap mark from her hand still visible on her face.
"When Yu Tan was moved, why did she call me? Yet she dared not openly acknowledge me? She wouldn't admit she liked me, only asking me to be her lover. Does that mean we can only have an affair in secret?"
When I woke up in the morning, my silk trousers were damp again.
Recently, Yu Tan has been taking more baths every morning, which Lan Xin takes for granted as Yu Tan's fondness for cleanliness during the hot and humid summer.
She was soaking in the bathtub, feeling a little lost. She scooped up a handful of water and splashed it on her face; something was wrong with her body.
They've gone mad.
If Yu He'an found out, she would verbally reject him, saying she wanted to revert to a sibling-like relationship, yet in the darkness of night, her body would harbor desire for him. She simply dared not think further...
Fortunately, only she knew about these strange and beautiful dreams.
She changed into a simple dress, took a carriage, and headed to Linsang Street in Bianjing.
He Sheng didn't want to stay at home, so he found a job as an accountant. It took three hours to get from his residence to Lin Sang Street by carriage, but the shopkeeper offered three times the usual pay, so He Sheng took the job.
He Sheng has been gone for almost ten days. Yesterday, he asked someone to pass on a message, asking her to have someone send some clothes over.
Adhering to the principle of going all out, she packed her things and personally delivered them to He Sheng.
He Sheng worked at a three-story restaurant. She got up late and arrived at noon. He Sheng was busy calculating with his abacus. She stood in the corner of the corridor with her package, waiting for him to finish.
Just then, they saw the Marquis's carriage parked across the street. Yu He'an, dressed in a white robe, stepped down from the carriage. People from the restaurant across the street quickly came out to greet him. This figure was strangely familiar.
It seems like I've seen her somewhere before?
The young man in the brocade robe smiled and spoke to Yu He'an, pointing at her. Yu He'an turned her gaze over, nodded to her with a faint expression, then turned back and entered the restaurant with the young man in the brocade robe.
Cold and distant.
It seems that Yu He'an has always treated people this way.
She turned and walked into the restaurant. Just then, He Sheng, who had a moment of free time, came to look for her in the corridor, fearing that she would wait too long.
"Young Lady Yu, why did you come to deliver it in person?"
She felt that eerie gaze again, as if a male ghost had run into the sunlight and was standing behind her, watching her.
Author's Note: Thank you for the nutrient solution [Lower-eared Rabbit Head] from Embrace Bright Moon Rice Cat Iron-Blooded BG Warrior Xiha Yeze.
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