Chapter 109 Are you born to like men?
Coincidentally, today is the birthday of one of the He sisters. Because they helped the manager of the Jiaofang Bureau a few days ago, they got a chance to have a small gathering.
Everyone was celebrating the sister's birthday and talking about the past when the He family was still in existence. Looking at the current situation, it really seems like a lifetime ago.
Ever since the He family fell from power and they fell into disgrace, they have seldom smiled sincerely. Over the years, they only smiled quietly when several noble families met with misfortunes one after another.
It is the same today. The Chen family was destroyed by the Cui family, which is very similar to the He family back then.
The Li family, the Chen family...the murderers who persecuted the He family back then have all received their retribution. How can they not be happy?
But even at this moment, they did not dare to celebrate openly and wildly. From the beginning of the party, they did not mention a word about the Chen family. The whole time they talked about the past and the present, themselves and the future.
Some people laugh and then cry, some people laugh and then get drunk.
This was supposed to be a gathering of the He sisters, but there was a person from another family present, and that was Ning Yue.
Ning Yue came specifically to give a birthday present to the girl from the He family. After hearing the news about the Chen family's disaster, she thought the girls from the He family might have something to discuss, so she wanted to find an excuse to leave. Unexpectedly, He Yan asked her to stay.
Ning Yue just sat in the corner, eating her food in small bites, occasionally staring blankly, trying her best to reduce her presence.
Fortunately, although the girls from the He family were happy, they knew their limits and did not say anything they shouldn't, so as to avoid embarrassing her if she heard it.
Seeing that it was getting late, Ning Yue was about to get up and say goodbye, but He Yan, who was originally chatting with her sisters, suddenly stumbled over to sit next to her with a glass of wine in her hand and put her arm around her shoulders.
The woman's body was soft, and along with the aroma of wine came the light scent of makeup.
"Xiaoyue, I'm so happy today..." He Yan rubbed Ningyue's face and grinned foolishly.
Ning Yue supported her and said softly, "I know."
It is natural to feel happy when revenge is achieved.
He Yan asked again: "Xiao Yue, are you happy for me too?"
Ning Yue said: "Of course, we are friends."
"Friends..." He Yan repeated, whispering softly, "Come to think of it, we have known each other for several years. Time flies."
Ning Yue recalled the interactions with the He sisters over the years, and her eyes softened involuntarily. However, when she thought of the purpose of her approaching them, the smile on her lips froze immediately.
If the truth comes out one day, I wonder how they will view themselves as liars?
"Why aren't you talking?" He Yan tilted her head to look at her, and Ning Yue quickly restrained her expression.
He Yan frowned, "Do you think I talk too much?"
Ning Yue shook her head and made up an excuse: "No, it's getting late, I should go back."
He Yan turned her head and glanced out the window, then nodded blankly. With a flushed face, she smiled and said, "It's time to go back, or you won't be able to go back during curfew. Come on, I'll take you out."
As she spoke, He Yan tilted her head back and drank the wine in the glass clean. Then she put the glass on the table beside her, picked up Ning Yue and walked towards the door.
The other girls from the He family politely asked Ning Yue to sit for a while, and some even jokingly tried to pull her over, but were blocked by He Yan.
When they reached the door, the two of them turned their backs to the other girls. Ning Yue was just about to tell He Yan that she didn't need to see them off and should go back to accompany her sisters.
Unexpectedly, He Yan suddenly grabbed her waist, pulled her into her arms, and kissed her lips in her surprised gaze.
Ning Yue was so frightened that she stood there in a daze, until she met He Yan's eyes, which did not show any sign of drunkenness at all. Then she suddenly woke up, pushed He Yan away, and took a few steps back.
He Yan did not make excuses saying that she was drunk or joking, but directly asked: "Xiao Yue, do you understand my feelings?"
Ning Yue's mind was in a mess. She didn't give He Yan any response. She turned around, opened the door and trotted out.
He Yan did not stop her from leaving. She only heard Ning Yue's maid shout, "Miss, why are you walking so fast?" Then the footsteps of the two people gradually became lighter and lighter and disappeared.
After standing there for a while, He Yan closed the door and walked back.
Her younger sister, He Yi'er, the girl Ning Yue had saved that year, came to He Yan's side, looked at her expression, and whispered, "Sister, you've kept it a secret for so many years, why can't you hold it back today?"
He Yi'er saw what He Yan did to Ning Yue just now.
He Yan said calmly: "It's nothing, I just don't want to endure it any longer."
As early as when she was still a daughter of the He family, He Yan realized that she was different from most women. She did not love young men and only fell in love with women who were the same as herself.
So when the He family fell from power and the young women in the He family were sent to the Jiaofangsi, she had no choice but to force herself to accept men. Her different sexual orientation made her suffer even more.
Originally, she was the only one who knew that she liked women, and her family had not noticed it for so many years until she met Ning Yue, a woman who brought a ray of light into her dark world.
She fell in love with Ningyue not long after she met her, and the love in her eyes cannot be hidden. Soon her sister He Yi'er discovered that something was wrong with her.
He Yi'er was shocked that her sister actually liked a girl, but when she thought about their current situation, it seemed that there was no need to worry too much about anything other than life and death.
He Yan has been secretly in love with Ning Yue for many years, but because their identities are so different, and she knows that Ning Yue is different from her and loves a man, she has always pretended to only treat Ning Yue as a friend, so that she can continue to be close to her smoothly.
Perhaps it was because she was drunk today, or perhaps He Yan had long been unable to control her love for Ning Yue, but without any preparation, she openly confessed her love to Ning Yue.
He Yi'er said anxiously, "You are too reckless. What if Sister Ningyue gets scared by you and never comes to see you again? What will you do then?"
He Yan shook her head and said firmly, "She won't give up on me. She will definitely come again."
Because He Yan knew that Ning Yue approached her in order to obtain evidence of the crimes of Cui Chen and other noble families, and she has not succeeded yet. Even if she struggles in her heart, she will still come back in the end.
Over the years, the Cui and Chen families have used all kinds of threats and inducements to test whether the head of the He family has left any evidence for them, but none of the girls in the He family were fooled.
The reason why Ning Yue became their friend was that He Yan took the initiative to let her into her circle. Otherwise, after repaying her life-saving grace, she would no longer have any contact with Ning Yue.
As the top girl in Qingqiu Pavilion, people from both aristocratic families and royal family have had ties with Ning Yue. He Yan can't tell who she belongs to, but this does not prevent her from keeping Ning Yue by her side.
The longer they spend together, the more He Yan understands Ning Yue.
She knew that Ning Yue was a kind person, and she felt guilty more than once for approaching them with a purpose.
But strictly speaking, He Yan felt that she was much worse than Ning Yue. In order to keep her beloved by her side, she not only pretended to be innocent, but also used the evidence of the family's crimes as bait to tug at Ning Yue like fishing. For such a long time, she didn't even let her smell it.
He Yan did not feel guiltless, but selfish thoughts made her indulge herself again and again, just to keep the only ray of light in her second half of life.
…
The Cui family and Zong Zhengxiao simultaneously sent people to look for Master Chen, but there was no news after a long time.
Rong Yin was feeling a little depressed, so she brought her classmate Xiao Ai and the little beans to Qingqiu Pavilion to play. The dogs were taken away by the maids, so Rong Yin stayed to chat with Ning Yue.
"Where do you think Young Master Chen will go? How come he hides so deeply that no one can find him?" Rong Yin propped his chin up and sighed, but found that Ning Yue did not respond to him. Turning around, he saw Ning Yue staring at the handkerchief in her hand in a daze.
In fact, Rong Yin noticed that Ning Yue was not feeling well when she came in just now. She didn't look well, with some dark circles under her eyes. Even with makeup on, she couldn't hide her haggardness.
Rong Yin didn't intend to ask at first, but seeing that Ning Yue's condition was not good, he was worried, so he waved his hand in front of her eyes, and after she came back to her senses, he asked carefully: "Ning Yue, have you encountered any troubles recently?"
Ning Yue clenched the handkerchief tightly and looked at Rong Yin's worried expression. She knew that if she told Rong Yin the truth, Rong Yin would definitely not let her get close to the girl from the He family again.
But although she was very panicked after returning from the Jiaofangsi, she never thought of giving up halfway.
Therefore, in response to Rong Yin's questioning, she had no choice but to lie.
She smiled and said, "I caught a cold a few days ago and didn't sleep well at night. I feel much better today. Thank you, Boss Rong, for your concern."
"Is that so?" Rong Yin believed her words, but still advised: "But if you really encounter any trouble and need my help, don't be polite to me. Although I am not talented, the person behind me is quite capable."
Ning Yue was fed dog food again. She smiled and suddenly thought of something. After rubbing her handkerchief, she asked casually, "Boss Rong, I'd like to ask you a question. Are you and your wife born to like men?"
The two were friends, and Rong Yin didn't think the question was presumptuous, so she answered honestly, "Neither of us had ever liked anyone before we met each other, so it's hard to say whether we were born to like the same sex or just happened to like men. For me, I didn't seem to have any idea about men or women before. Maybe I just liked him, and it had nothing to do with gender."
What Rong Yin said was all true, but it really had no reference value to Ning Yue. She silently wrote down Rong Yin's words and started talking to him about other things.
In the afternoon, not long after Rong Yin left, Ning Yue's maid came in with a food box and said to her, "Miss, this is from Miss He Yan. It contains your favorite date cake, and it's still warm."
The maid put down the food box and brought the plate of date cake to Ningyue.
Ning Yue picked up a piece with chopsticks and put it into her mouth. The familiar aroma of dates quickly occupied her taste buds. She could taste it. It was He Yan's craftsmanship.
Putting down her chopsticks, Ning Yue sat quietly for a long time, then said to the maid, "Tomorrow, please help me take something to Miss He Yan."
The give and take was a way of expressing his feelings to He Yan, and their relationship would not be severed because of the last incident.
Two months later, Young Master Chen still hadn't been found, and Rong Yin's initial anxiety turned into indifference.
He said optimistically: "The bad news is that we didn't find it, the good news is that the Cui family didn't find it either, and Young Master Chen must hate the Cui family now, and he might be secretly causing trouble for the Cui family, so the Cui family should be the most afraid."
Zong Zhengxiao confirmed his statement: "Our people have also changed their strategy. We only need to follow the Cui family. If the Cui family can't find him, everything will be fine. If the Cui family wants to take action against him, we can stop them in time."
"I know." Rong Yin answered enthusiastically, "This is called the mantis stalks the cicada while the oriole is waiting behind!"
Zong Zhengxiao chuckled: "That's right."
Rong Yin laughed while eating fruit, "The Cui family must be in a panic now. They thought they could eradicate the problem completely, but it ended up prompting the Chen family to retaliate. I'm afraid Old Cui must be so angry that he's about to vomit blood."
Zong Zhengxiao raised his eyebrows and followed the others to gloat over the misfortune, "It is indeed possible."
“Waste!!!”
With a roar, several books hit the manager's head in front of the desk. The manager dared not say anything and could only shrink and lower his head.
"I gave you so much authority that you wanted to send out all the guards. But a few months have passed, and you haven't even found Chen's whereabouts, let alone caught him. What use do I have for you?"
The head of the Cui family was so angry that his face turned red, his chest heaved violently, and his eyes were so fierce that it seemed as if he wanted to kill someone.
The steward admitted his fault in a low voice: "It is my fault that I am useless. Please punish me, Master."
Patriarch Cui was still angry and spoke harshly, "If I could find Chen by punishing you, I would have beaten you to death long ago. You are not the one to talk nonsense to me here."
The manager didn't dare to say a word to defend himself. Apart from admitting his mistake, there was nothing he could do.
Seeing his expression, Patriarch Cui also got angry. He held his forehead and said, "Forget it. Continue to send people to look for him. He must be brought to me whether he is dead or alive. He must not fall into the hands of the royal family."
The steward answered yes and turned to leave, but when he reached the door, he was stopped by the head of the Cui family.
"By the way, ask the servant to call the third brother to come to the study to see me. I have something to say to him."
"Okay, sir."
When the steward heard this, he thought that the Third Young Master was probably here to get scolded again.
The situation of the Cui family at this time was that the head of the Cui family believed that the eldest son of the Cui family was not smart because of the affair with Li's concubine. Otherwise, how could he be deceived by a woman? Therefore, the head of the Cui family would not train him to be his heir.
Cui Xin died without an intact body, the second young master Cui committed suicide, and several illegitimate sons were also useless. The only one left was the third young master Cui who had little presence.
The Third Young Master is a very conventional person in every aspect. He knew that he had no chance, so he never participated in the competition for the position of heir and just wanted to be a playboy.
Therefore, he never offended the Second Young Master Cui, and until he committed suicide by drinking poison, the Second Young Master Cui never touched him.
In addition to the fact that he was indeed innocent, the second young master Cui did not kill him because he knew that even if the third young master trained him, he would never be able to become a qualified family heir.
Rather than killing him, leaving him behind to annoy the head of the Cui family is more in line with the second young master Cui's idea of revenge on the Cui family.
And his plan was indeed very successful, because the Third Young Master was neither as ruthless as the Second Young Master Cui, nor as smart as Cui Xin. If compared with ordinary people, he was still okay, but in front of so many outstanding brothers, he was no different from a blockhead.
Basically every time he came to see the head of the Cui family, he would be scolded to death, without any exception.
As a result, he is now extremely afraid of seeing the head of the Cui family, and even hearing his name will make him tremble with fear.
In fact, the servants in charge are the same. Perhaps because of the great changes he has encountered, the temper of the head of the Cui family has become more and more irritable. Where is the calmness and wisdom of the former master?
The steward sighed, and with sympathy for himself and the Third Young Master, he sent a servant to invite the Third Young Master over.
The Third Young Master has been learning to manage the family business recently. He was just confusedly listening to the accountant teaching him how to read the account book when a servant came running over and said that the master of the house wanted him to come over.
Upon hearing this, the Third Young Master showed a painful expression on his face, but he had to disobey his father's order. If he was late, he would be scolded again. So the Third Young Master had no choice but to bite the bullet and go to the study.
After arriving at the study, Patriarch Cui asked the Third Young Master to close the door. He looked at him with eyes as cold as ice and asked, "How have you been doing in learning business management these days?"
The Third Young Master smelled the light fragrance in the study, swallowed his saliva, and replied, "Not bad, the master has already taught his son to read the account book."
Patriarch Cui frowned, looking very dissatisfied: "It's been such a long time, and you're still learning to read the account books. You need to learn more than just business. At this rate, I'm afraid I won't even see you finish your apprenticeship when I die."
The Third Young Master thought to himself, "I didn't want to learn it in the first place, but you forced me to learn it." However, considering that he might be beaten to death if he said it out loud, he had to hold back his temper and whispered, "My son will definitely work harder to learn how to be a housekeeper."
Looking at his third son who was hanging his head and looking miserable, Patriarch Cui took a deep breath and felt inexplicably angry.
"Man, why are you talking like a mosquito? Straighten your back and answer louder. Why are you so afraid of me? Can I eat you?"
The Third Young Master trembled when Patriarch Cui yelled at him, and his legs became weak in fear. However, under the pressure of Patriarch Cui's power, he could only raise his head and chest with difficulty. He looked at Patriarch Cui with a pale face and raised his voice to reply again: "My son will definitely try his best to learn how to be a housekeeper and not let you down, father."
The Third Young Master thought that as long as he did what his father said, he could at least satisfy his father a little. But when he met his father's eyes, he still saw disappointment and anger.
The head of the Cui family sighed: "It's really not possible..."
Hearing his words, the Third Young Master felt a sharp pain in his heart and silently clenched his teeth.
Patriarch Cui seemed extremely tired for a moment. He waved his hand, asked the Third Young Master to leave first, and sat back in his chair. He looked up at the beam above his head, his eyes filled with bloodshot.
Patriarch Cui had to admit that Young Master Cui was indeed the first heir he had chosen. His temperament and work style were very similar to his.
Leaving the third child behind gives him a little hope, but also slowly drives him into despair. This is called murder and heartbreak.
Even after his death, the second young master Cui was still plotting against this family and against him, and he succeeded.
He thought that he had been tyrannical for decades since he became the head of the Cui family and had used countless conspiracies and tricks, but he never expected that now he could not even defeat his own dead son.
Second brother, you really hate the Cui family to the core.
But you are already dead. Even if you have made the most thorough plans, can you still be as flexible as I am, a living person?
You can win for a while, but can you win for a lifetime?
The look in the Cui family head's eyes gradually changed from bitter to fierce. He clenched his fists tightly, as if he wanted to strangle something to death in his palms.
He said in his heart: Don't worry, I will not let any of those who bring harm to your family go.
Master Cui stayed in the study until midnight before leaving. After he left, the maid who was in charge of the incense burner came in and skillfully poured all the ashes into the bucket without leaving any. She also brushed it several times with a brush and cleaned it thoroughly.
A few days later, the secret guard came to report some news to Zong Zhengxiao.
Li Chu's mother went out to attend a chrysanthemum-viewing banquet hosted by the ladies of the rich and powerful two days ago. She fell for unknown reasons and broke her leg. During the treatment, her old illness was triggered and she is now lying in bed unable to get up.
The cloth that the Li family transported to various places for sale was robbed by robbers many times, causing great losses.
The side courtyard where the head of the Li family lived accidentally caught fire. If the servants hadn't discovered it in time, the fire would have spread to the entire Li Mansion due to the dry weather recently.
Also, these days, people often come to the Li family's store to cause trouble. The trouble lasts for the whole day and it has caused the family to lose business.
After hearing what An Wei said, Zong Zhengxiao seemed to be thinking about something. He asked An Wei, "Is there no one from the Cui family who can help?"
The secret guard said, "Yes, but it seems more like they are there to stir up trouble. They are far less careful than they were at the beginning."
In the evening, Zong Zhengxiao told Rong Yin about this. Rong Yin thought about it and asked, "Did this situation start after the death of Cui Ershao?"
Zong Zhengxiao said, "Yes."
Rong Yin raised his head and looked at Zong Zhengxiao. He said, "In fact, Your Majesty has already guessed it. The head of the Cui family found out that it was Li Chu who instigated the second young master Cui to take revenge on the Cui family."
Zong Zhengxiao said, "After Cui Laoer died, the head of the Cui family would definitely investigate him thoroughly. It's not surprising that the relationship between Li Chu and Cui Laoer was discovered. I'm afraid that even our cooperation with Li Chu can't be kept secret for much longer."
Rong Yin was silent for a moment, then continued to ask: "Then Your Majesty, will you go to help the Li family? After all, you promised Li Chu that you would help him take care of the Li family."
"Of course I will." Zong Zhengxiao smiled meaningfully, "A promise is worth a thousand gold, not to mention that I am the emperor, so I must fulfill my promise."
Rong Yin stroked his chin and teased, "Your Majesty, do you know that you look evil when you smile at me? Are you going to play a prank on me again?"
Zong Zhengxiao hugged Rong Yin and said coquettishly, "A Yin slandered me, but I am a righteous man, how could I tease anyone?"
Rong Yin smiled falsely: "Haha, Your Majesty, I'm afraid even you don't believe what you said."
Zong Zhengxiao was indeed a man who kept his promises. The next day, he sent a royal doctor to treat Madam Li, and also sent several guards with high martial arts skills to protect the head of the Li family and Madam Li. Several thugs who often went to the Li family's store to cause trouble were also arrested by the government on the pretext of something.
Even for the escorts who delivered the goods, Zong Zhengxiao found a new group of more reliable ones for the Li family.
He simply took the saying "helping others to the end and helping them to the end" to the extreme, leaving no room for criticism.
His actions were half-hidden and not aboveboard, but if someone wanted to investigate, they could easily find out that he was the one who did it.
After Mrs. Li felt a little better, she learned about everything Zong Zhengxiao had done for her Li family. She pondered for a long time alone, and finally wrote a letter of thanks and asked the imperial physician to pass it to Zong Zhengxiao.
Zong Zhengxiao looked at the words in Madam Li's letter that were explicitly and implicitly pleading for Li Chu and the Li family, and thought that this woman was worthy of being the one who raised a son as smart as Li Chu, and she actually understood his intentions so quickly.
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