Chapter 6 Chapter 6 Your Excellency
When Du Zhiqi came back, the sun was hidden under the tall and short bricks and tiles of the imperial city. The night wind blew the newly lit lanterns, and darkness spread all around.
The old doorman Wenbo was slow to open the door, so he didn't shout or ask again. He let the servant lead the way and returned to the mansion quietly, staying in the outer courtyard.
Just as he came out of the clan house, he saw Ruan Gong riding a horse quickly towards him, but he had already sent his business card in first.
He was still afraid that he had almost reached the climax, but he also didn't want to embarrass himself by being dragged by his niece's steward in front of the clan residence, so he quickly got on the Gu family's carriage.
He followed the Gu family's carriage, and Ruan Gongzi could no longer move forward.
At this point, it is impossible to get the name card back. After that, the Shao family will ask the emperor to arrange the marriage and finalize the marriage between the two families.
But even though things were settled like this, it was contrary to what his niece had said before. Du Zhiqi was still afraid of her and would come to him to cry again.
After all, she is the only bloodline left by her eldest brother. Wouldn't it be embarrassing if the quarrel between the uncle and nephew became known to everyone?
He couldn't help but whisper to the servant, "What is the eldest girl doing?"
The servant replied, "The eldest girl is in the west courtyard."
"What did she do?"
The servant didn't quite understand, "The girl didn't do anything. The west courtyard is quiet and peaceful, just like the past two days."
Du Zhiqi was stunned.
Didn't she know everything? Was she just...acknowledging the situation?
*
Du Runqing held the empty medicine bowl in his hand beside the Second Madam's bed for an unknown period of time, his mind absent-minded.
The maid Ruixue's words immediately brought her back to her senses.
"Miss, the second master is back."
"Dad is back? Has the name card been delivered?"
Ruixue still didn't know, "I'll find out right away."
Before he finished speaking, a man walked in after lifting the curtain and said, "No need to ask. The invitation has been sent and the job is done." Du Runqing and Ruixue both looked over.
"Oh, is Nanny Guan here?" Ruixue hurried forward to support her.
Du Runqing couldn't help but feel happy, "Why is Mammy here?"
The person who came was none other than Nanny Guan, who was by Madam Wan's side and the old lady's most trusted confidant.
Du Runqing asked Ruixue to make tea. Nanny Guan first glanced at the Second Madam, and seeing that she was sleeping soundly after taking the medicine, she sat down next to the small lamp under the window.
"It was the old lady who asked me to come here. She said that the young lady was young and had never experienced such a thing. She must be sad if something went wrong this time, so she sent me here to comfort her."
The words made the small lamp flicker, and Du Runqing's tears suddenly fell.
Nanny Guan cried out and quickly took a handkerchief to wipe her tears, but Du Runqing's tears fell even more violently.
Originally, she just wanted to take advantage of her mother's sudden illness to invite her grandmother to come to the Du family.
The marriage between the Shao and Du families was arranged by my grandmother, but my father was persuaded by my eldest sister to go back on his word and did not want to mention it again. Not to mention that she was anxious to see the opportunity slip away, my grandmother was the first one who could not agree.
Grandmother then told her to stop giving her mother medicine for two days and sent the maids away. They had only wanted her mother to go out for a while, but who would have thought that her mother got frightened and fell down the stone steps, breaking her forehead... ...
Du Runqing's heart trembled when he thought of his mother's face covered in blood. At this moment, he couldn't stop crying and sobbed softly.
When Nanny Guan saw that what Madam Wan said was right, she quickly comforted her.
"What happened today was purely an accident. It was all because the servant got startled and frightened the Madam."
Du Runqing still covered her face and cried, "If I hadn't stopped my mother's medicine and sent her away, how could my mother have ended up in danger?"
She still blamed herself, but Nanny Guan said, "You are fine on weekdays, how could the young lady do this? In the final analysis, it is because of your eldest sister who caused trouble, first persuaded your uncle to mess up the rules, and then controlled the whole family so that they could not move. The old lady and the young lady resorted to this desperate measure."
Du Runqing paused in crying after hearing this, and Nanny Guan touched her shoulder.
"Don't cry, young lady. Anyway, this matter has been resolved. The old lady said that young lady was very patient and did not panic even though something went wrong. She is truly a woman who is about to reach the age of marriage. She is different now."
The praise from her grandmother finally stopped the little girl's tears. Ever since her mother's accident, she felt like the sky had fallen. Fortunately, her grandmother had someone bring her mother to Beijing and took care of her and taught her in every way.
She stopped crying, and Nanny Guan looked at her red eyes and made a joke.
"Let alone other things, the sight of you crying is really heartbreaking. When you get married after reaching the age of 15, I don't know how much love you will receive from your husband. Even a strong person will become soft as silk."
Du Runqing's face turned red instantly.
"What is Mammy talking about? How old am I?"
Madam Guan laughed even more, "Don't you have someone you like, young lady?"
Du Runqing didn't know what to do with this question. He kept lowering his head and his neck turned red.
Nanny Guan laughed so hard, but she stopped teasing her and sighed instead.
"This is the right path for a girl. But look at your elder sister, who is guarding the dead and refusing to remarry. Now that her parents are gone, she should listen to her uncle, but she is arguing with him. Is this the way a girl should be?
"Son-in-law is the same. Such a big thing was really stopped just because of my niece's request. Do you think the marriage that Shao wants to arrange is a joke?"
Nanny Guan recalled that when Madam Wan mentioned marriage in her carriage, Master Du said it was nothing but a trivial matter and that there might be many problems with this matter.
The old lady couldn't help but scold him.
"You are so stupid! You are the one pushing the Shao family's money just because you want to. Why don't you just hit them in the face? Let the whole city of Beijing watch you hit the Shao family in the face!"
Mr. Du turned pale and said that he didn't mean that. But the old lady ignored him and asked someone to bring out the prepared writing brush and ink. She watched him write the name card and took him to the clan house in a carriage.
This is how the matter was finally accomplished.
Du Runqing was stunned, but he also asked Nanny Guan, "What if my eldest sister makes trouble again?"
Nanny Guan laughed, "The old lady said, no matter how capable your daughter is, can she go to the palace to get the name card back? Or can she get her father, the old man, to come back to life and protect her?"
"No." Nanny Guan snorted and laughed. "At most, she would just make a scene at home and cry a few times, but she can't turn the tables. This is the capital, not a place she can stir up trouble."
The nanny left soon. Du Runqing sent the nanny back and went to the west courtyard to listen.
There was no movement in the West Courtyard, so quiet that it seemed as if no one knew anything.
Du Runqing felt a little uneasy, but what the nanny said was right. What else could his sister do?
*
West courtyard.
Qiulin sat on the bed with her arms folded, crying angrily. She didn't want to cry out loud in order to let others hear her and make fun of her own daughter, but the tears just kept flowing down.
"The eldest master treated the second master well when he was alive. He never thought of him and even bought a house for him. But he is so bad. It has only been a few years since the eldest master passed away, and he is bullying his own niece like this?"
Ruan Gong sighed and took a handkerchief to wipe her tears, only to hear her speak angrily again.
"And the Second Young Lady, I really underestimated her. How could she go to such lengths to act like this? No wonder she was crying so hard. Didn't she expect the Second Madam to have her head broken? Now that the Second Madam is injured again, will she and her grandmother blame our Young Lady for not following the Second Master's wishes, causing this situation? Shouldn't we still feel sorry for them for being wronged and comfort them?"
Ruan Gong looked unhappy. "In the final analysis, it was because we were careless."
Qiu Lin said that it was true, "It's all your fault. We are the only two of us around the girl, and you didn't consider everything for her. At the beginning of the year, you even promised her that she would find a good match again, saying that we could get married once she was settled. Now that the girl's name card has entered the palace, she can no longer decide on her own!"
Ruan Gong and Qiu Lin were betrothed by their parents when they were young, but after Mr. Jiang San passed away, Qiu Lin couldn't bear to see his daughter being alone, so he was reluctant to get married and just wanted to be with his daughter.
Ruan Gong said that. Now Ruan Gong sighed, "It's my fault. I won't talk nonsense again."
But now that things have come to this, the more Qiulin thinks about the current situation, the angrier she gets and the more she cries. But she says she can't cry anymore. Wouldn't it make people laugh more if she cried until her eyes were swollen?
She wiped her tears and got down from the bed. "The girl has been repairing ancient books in her room and hasn't eaten for a whole day. She needs to eat something, right?"
She took the snacks and went to Du Lingjing's room.
"Miss, would you like to eat something? I asked Ruan Gong to buy this white rice cake from the White Pagoda Temple. Didn't you like it?"
She saw the girl sitting under the window repairing an ancient book. The leaves of the book were broken like broken leaves. The girl picked them up gently with bamboo tweezers and put some rice paper underneath to make out the blurred words on them.
The girl didn't answer her until she came closer with the cake, then she looked up at the sky.
"Has Acorus returned from Cangzhou?"
The girl's voice was a little hoarse, but Qiu Lin didn't get the news, so he shook his head sadly, "Miss, eat something first. He might have been delayed on the way."
Du Lingjing didn't touch the white rice cake on the table, but just looked at the sky and frowned.
"Today is the third day."
Today is August 12, the third day since Changpu went to Cangzhou to look for Hu Tingjun, and in three days it will be the Mid-Autumn Festival.
How could Qiulin not know that the imperial decree for marriage would come down as soon as the Mid-Autumn Festival was over? But Changpu had not returned yet.
However, at this moment, Ruan Gong took a step closer to the door.
"Girl, Calamus is back!"
Du Lingjing immediately called Changpu in.
Changpu had just got off his horse and his legs could not even stand straight. Du Lingjing asked if the letter had been delivered, and he gasped and shook his head.
"No, girl, it wasn't delivered..."
Du Lingjing frowned, and Ruan Gong couldn't help but kick him.
"What's wrong with you? Tell me quickly?"
Seeing that he was really thirsty, Qiu Lin poured him a bowl of water and gave it to him to drink. "Okay, don't keep the girl waiting for you, speak now!"
Acorus took a deep breath and said this.
"Girl, something happened in the Hu family!"
He said that when he arrived in Cangzhou, he went straight to the home of Mrs. Hu Er. Unexpectedly, Mrs. Hu Er and her husband Guo Ting had left home a month ago and never came back. The two did not say where they were going. In the first half of the month, they sent back verbal messages to report their safety, but later there was no news at all.
Since Hu Tingjun and his wife were missing, there was naturally no way to deliver the letter.
The reason why Chang Pu came late was "because I went to the home of Master Hu again."
Hu Tinglan was originally an official in the capital, but was temporarily transferred to Zhending a few months ago for some reasons.
Du Lingjing asked in a deep voice, "How is the situation at Brother Hu's home?"
She asked, but Acorus just shook his head.
"Uncle Hu's house is now deserted. He left more than a month ago. According to the neighbors, the Hu family left in a hurry, disappearing almost overnight!"
The brothers and sisters of the Hu family all disappeared without any warning.
The air in the room stagnated.
Shao Boju and Hu Tinglan had been friends for more than ten years, and they had been through thick and thin together, even to the point of being willing to risk their lives for each other. This was known to everyone.
Now that the Hu family is missing, does he still have the time to remarry?
Qiulin saw Du Lingjing sitting in deep thought, not knowing what he was thinking about.
But the next moment, the girl suddenly looked up and called Ruan Gong.
"Take my invitation and go invite Shao Tanhua to meet you at the Zhenyue Tower."
*
On August 13, one day before the Mid-Autumn Festival, fruits and mooncakes for the moon worship were placed all over Kyoto.
The streets were crowded with people, especially the Lantern Street in front of the Zhenyue Tower. The tall lanterns were hung in advance, shining brightly and attracting people from all over the city to come like water.
As the largest teahouse on Dengshi Street, Zhenyue Tower is always crowded with people. Under the bright lights, the whole building is as bright as day, and people are constantly coming in and out.
Du Lingjing hadn't been to such a noisy place for many years. She was squeezed so hard that she couldn't get in. Instead, she heard the tea drinkers around her talking animatedly.
"It's weird. Something weird happened in the Zhenyue Tower today. First I saw Shao Tanhua coming to honor us, which is not unusual. Then guess who I saw?"
They all leaned over to look, only to hear that person still looking as if he couldn't believe his eyes.
"Just now, I saw the Marquis of Yongding, Lord Lu!"
His words caused everyone to be surprised.
Everyone knows that these two are now at loggerheads with each other in the fight for the crown prince position in the capital. Not to mention appearing in the same teahouse, who else can allow these two to appear in the same place except in the palace?
Some people said he was mistaken. "It's impossible. Shao is here, so Lord Lu can't come. You must be seeing things. How can Zhenyue Tower be so confident?"
Indeed, there was only Shao's sedan chair outside the door, but no horse of the Marquis.
Du Lingjing didn't care whether the marquis came or not. She just heard that Shao Boju had arrived, and she felt relieved.
She walked through the bustling lobby and saw that the main staircase in the middle of the lobby was full of people, so she had to turn to the dim and remote corner staircase.
There were fewer people here, and the noisy noise was blocked by a row of tall lights like a wall. Ruan Gongxian stepped forward to clear the way for Du Lingjing, and she walked towards the private room on the third floor.
When the stairs turned to the second floor, she deliberately looked down the corridor to avoid bumping into anyone.
Who would have thought that just as she retracted her gaze and took a step forward, two boys suddenly rushed down the corridor. They rushed forward and Du Lingjing had no time to dodge. She was pushed backwards by them and her foot, which she had just raised, fell backwards in an instant.
She gasped and hurried to grab the handrail when a gust of wind suddenly blew behind her.
Someone stepped behind her, and before she could react, the person had already supported her body, with his palm resting on her waist.
The Zhenyue Tower was still bustling with noises of people and music mixed together, and the tall lights were shining brightly, illuminating the entire building.
Du Lingjing saw the person supporting her from behind.
The man's eyebrows were slightly frowned, and there were two shallow scars across his tall and straight nose. His eyes were like ink stone, and his lips were lightly pursed at this moment.
"Did you sprain your ankle?" the man's voice was hoarse and sharp.
Du Lingjing had never heard such a voice before. As for his face, for a moment she thought she had seen it before, but she couldn't remember it clearly.
She didn't reply to him for a moment, but she felt a subtle warmth coming from the hand that was resting on her waist, along with his slightly increasing strength.
There was an inexplicable control hidden in that strength, and an unexplainable intimacy implied in the question just asked.
It seemed that her relationship with him was much more than that.
Du Lingjing was startled, then immediately pulled herself out of his hand.
The man was standing on the step below her, but a little closer than her. His eyes flickered slightly in the residual light of the high lamp.
Seeing that she was fine, he just looked over and whispered something in a hoarse voice.
"There are too many people in Zhenyue Tower these past two days, causing inconvenience everywhere." He paused and spoke again, his eyes gently falling on her eyelashes, and his voice seemed to be even lower.
"There are no good people here, so it's better not to come."
The noisy voices and music made the lights in the corridor flicker. Du Lingjing saw the dark red light swaying in his ink-stone pupils, making his eyes seem soft, as if he was waiting for her to listen to his advice, and then turned and left without seeing Shao Boju.
Du Lingjing was in a trance for a moment.
But the next moment, her brows slightly frowned.
"Excuse me, do I know you?"
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