Chapter 41, Chapter 19 (Bonus Chapter with Nutrient Solution): The Heir Apparent's Wife of the Marquis's Mansion...
The imperial examination, held in the spring of the following year, was also known as the Spring Examination.
There are still a few months to go.
Xu Qingzhou didn't push himself too hard. During this time, besides studying, he spent his time around Yu Wanwan.
His frequent appearances in front of her were driving her crazy.
Seeing Xu Qingzhou appear beside her once again, Yu Wanwan put down the ledger in her hand and could barely maintain her smile.
"Young Master, don't you have anything to do?"
Why don't you go to school, or go out to make friends and expand your network? What are you doing hanging around her all day?
Yu Wanwan carefully recalled the plot.
In the story, he treated Xi Qingyao very well, giving her the respect and affection she deserved, and granting her a lifelong commitment to one person that most men in this era could not do.
Besides that, there wasn't much else; it wasn't nearly as bothersome as it is now.
Where exactly did things go wrong?!
Xu Qingzhou was already used to her disdainful look and didn't take it to heart.
"Madam, please change your clothes quickly, I'll take you somewhere!"
Yu Wanwan turned her head away and continued to look through the ledger.
"No, I'm busy."
Xu Qingzhou sighed, stepped forward to cover the ledger so she wouldn't see it, and pulled her arm with one hand.
"Alright, I'll take a look at the ledgers now. Will you come with me for a bit?"
Yu Wanwan's gaze darted between the ledger and him.
After thinking for a moment, I finally decided to go out with him.
Let's go.
"Aren't you going to change your clothes?"
Yu Wanwan glanced down at her clothes and raised an eyebrow.
"What, is there something wrong with what I'm wearing?"
Xu Qingzhou dared not admit it!
Besides, the reason for asking her to change her clothes was that, in this era, it seemed that women from official families would change their clothes before going out.
He shook his head, which was quite perceptive.
"How could that be! Madam is naturally beautiful; she looks good in anything!"
Yu Wanwan chuckled, too lazy to argue with him.
The place Xu Qingzhou took her to was in the suburbs outside the capital.
As soon as the carriage stopped, Xu Qingzhou grabbed her wrist, preventing her from getting off.
Yu Wanwan turned around in confusion, but as soon as she turned her head, he covered her eyes with a soft strip of cloth.
"..."
She instinctively reached out to pull him, but he grabbed her hand instead.
"Madam, don't move."
"..."
What's going on?
He carefully tied the cloth strips around her neck before taking her hand and gently leading her off the bus.
"Don't peek!"
"..."
If she still doesn't understand what he's trying to do by now, then all these years of her life have been wasted.
Yu Wanwan rubbed her fingertips together a few times, but in the end she didn't take off the strip of cloth. She silently followed his guidance and walked forward.
Despite her obstructed view, she remained calm and walked steadily.
Gradually, the sound of pattering water came to my ears, and a gentle breeze blew by, carrying the fragrance of flowers.
Xu Qingzhou finally stopped, turned around behind her, and untied the strip of cloth from her.
Light returned to my eyes, and when I opened them, I saw a garden full of vibrant colors.
Winter has arrived, and the capital city had its first snowfall a few days ago.
There was still some snow on the ground that hadn't been swept away.
Above the white carpet of blossoms, wintersweet was in full bloom, and further to the side, there were some camellias.
The place where they stood was a pavilion, and outside the pavilion were pots and pots of colorful chrysanthemums.
Looking at the garden full of beautiful flowers, Yu Wanwan felt complicated and didn't know what to say.
Xu Qingzhou, unaware of her complex emotions, stood behind her and spoke softly.
“During that horse race, Yanhe lost a rare book to you, but I’ve been thinking about what I should give you in return.”
He tentatively reached out to take her hand, and seeing that she didn't pull away, he immediately took advantage of the situation and held her hand even tighter.
“But after observing you for a long time, I couldn’t find anything you were interested in. You only liked to play with flowers and plants. At that time, I thought you must like these things. Just then, when I came of age, my mother gave me an estate, so I turned the estate into a garden and found these flowers and plants to plant.”
Even though he had prepared the lines in advance, Xu Qingzhou felt inexplicably nervous when he actually said them to her.
Despite the biting cold wind, his palms were covered in sweat.
"I wonder if Madam still likes this belated prize?"
Yu Wanwan pursed her lips and remained silent.
The longer she remained silent, the more uneasy Xu Qingzhou became. He unconsciously tightened his grip on her hand, his peach blossom eyes fixed on her without blinking.
Yu Wanwan sighed only when Xu Qingzhou was on the verge of fainting from anxiety.
"I do like it, but..."
For her, plants are the origin.
She can "see" anything clearly as long as someone is nearby, without needing to use her eyes.
It could be said that she knew more about the plants in the estate than he, the one who arranged it himself, did.
Can a surprise that is known in advance still be called a surprise?
Yu Wanwan glanced at Xu Qingzhou, whose expression was gradually darkening, and after thinking for a moment, decided not to tell him the truth so as not to hurt him too much.
"Actually, you don't need to do these things."
All he needs to do is live well, nurture her fragments, and return them to her when he dies.
Xu Qingzhou pursed her lips, wanting to change the subject with a smile, just like she always had.
But he just couldn't manage a smile.
He knew very well that his mindset was not right and he didn't want to lose his composure in front of her, so he had no choice but to let go of her hand and quickly turn his back.
"Well, since it's already done, you can keep it."
He didn't linger, afraid that staying any longer would reveal some inappropriate emotions. He placed the land deed of the estate on the stone table and left the pavilion first.
"I suddenly remembered that I still have some things to do, so I'll head back now."
Looking at his unsteady back, Yu Wanwan was a little confused.
No, she already chose not to tell the truth to hurt him, so why is she still reacting like this?
I don't understand.
Dao Guo had previously expended his power and was still asleep, so she had nowhere to ask.
Yu Wanwan sighed, too lazy to think about what was wrong with him. She sat down at the stone table, propped her chin up, and gazed at the brightly blooming flowers.
To be honest, she actually quite liked this estate; she felt very comfortable staying there.
Since it's so comfortable, let's stay a few more days.
After Yu Wanwan made her decision, she did not go back that night. Instead, she sent someone to the Marquis's residence to inform the Marquis's wife and the others, and then stayed at the manor.
After Xu Qingzhou composed himself and returned to Chengruixuan, he learned that she had not come back and had stayed at the manor.
Xu Qingzhou was at a loss for words.
Didn't her behavior during the day suggest she disliked that estate?
If you don't like it, why stay there?
Yu Wanwan stayed for almost half a month without returning even once.
If she weren't the Crown Prince's wife, who couldn't stay outside for too long, she probably could have stayed even longer.
During her time at the manor, the account books that were originally supposed to be reviewed by her were all handled by Xu Qingzhou.
When Lady Hou learned of this, she didn't say much, nor did she take back the account book to look at it herself.
When they met again, neither of them mentioned what happened that day.
Yu Wanwan had long forgotten about it, while Xu Qingzhou didn't want to bring it up, afraid of hearing some hurtful answer.
They resumed their previous way of getting along. Although they were husband and wife, sharing the same bed and room, they each did their own thing and did not interfere with each other.
Because Yu Wanwan and Xu Qingzhou rarely went out, Xiaotang never had a chance to get close to Xu Qingzhou.
Having not seen her for so long, Yu Wanwan had completely forgotten that such a person existed.
It wasn't until she went out of the manor with Lady Hou to check the accounts and passed by Zuixianlou that she saw her again and remembered this person she had long forgotten.
It was already noon, and a large crowd had gathered outside the Drunken Immortal Pavilion. The noisy group blocked the Marquis's carriage.
The scene was so similar to when Yu Wanwan first came into this world.
Lady Hou had no fondness for Zuixianlou, and now that her path was blocked, she couldn't help but feel annoyed.
"What's going on outside?"
"Reporting to Madam, it is Madam Ye..."
Lady Hou was taken aback.
"Madam Ye? Which Madam Ye?"
"The one from Academician Ye's family at the Hanlin Academy."
Lady Hou was now completely bewildered.
The Ye family were a group of upright scholars, and the men of the Ye family were known in Beijing as good men who never took concubines even when their wives had children.
Why would Madam Ye cause a scene at Zuixianlou?
Could it be that one of the men in the Ye family has also become intoxicated by this gentle embrace?
Yu Wanwan's eyes lit up.
Academician Ye?
Isn't that the family that cheated on the young master in the storyline where Xu Qingzhou didn't come?
When Madam Ye appeared here, Yu Wanwan instinctively felt that she was related to Xiaotang.
She smiled gently and soothed the Lady Hou in a soft voice.
"Mother, we're not in a rush, why don't we wait a bit?"
It's going to be lively!
Of course I have to take a look!
Lady Hou hesitated for a moment, then opened the window a crack and glanced outside.
The area in front of the carriage was already packed with onlookers, so even if someone wanted to leave, it wouldn't be so easy.
Left with no other choice, Lady Hou had to agree.
"Take down the banner of the Marquis's residence."
Their family hasn't officially entered the civil service yet, so it's best not to offend the Ye family at this time.
Yu Wanwan smiled and didn't refute, looking out the window with a smile.
Through the crowd, she could see Xiaotang's slender body being pressed to the ground by a strong and robust old woman.
Her face was covered in tears, and she looked pitiful as she cried.
“Madam Ye! I’ve already said it! Last night was just an accident, and I never intended to use it to pin it on Young Master Ye. Why are you being so aggressive?”
Despite being the matriarch of the Ye family, Madam Ye was not a weak or frail person.
She stood firm, coldly staring at the stubborn yet delicate Xiaotang, a sneer playing on her lips.
"An accident? As far as I know, Xiaotang, as the top courtesan of Zuixianlou, the dress you wear was specially made by Yunjinfang, which Zuixianlou commissioned. Who in the capital doesn't know that the clothes made by Yunjinfang are ingeniously crafted with every stitch, woven with peacock feather threads and hidden patterns? Even if you wear them for ten or eight years, the cuffs and collars will not fray. Many noble ladies in the capital have their clothes made here. How come so many noble ladies wear them without any problems, but when you wear them, the belt breaks?"
Madam Ye spoke in a clear and orderly manner, at a slow pace, yet with a subtle air of authority that left Xiaotang unable to get a word in edgewise.
"What? Or are you saying that Yun Jin Fang is just going through the motions at Zui Xian Lou, taking your money but using inferior materials to fob you off? If that's really the case, then I'll have to go and have a good talk with Yun Jin Fang!"
Xiaotang's face paled. Before she could retort, Mama Hua, the manager of Zuixianlou, couldn't sit still any longer.
Yunjinfang was the best clothing shop in the entire capital, and with powerful backers, she dared not offend them easily.
Madam Hua glared at Xiaotang, a hint of malice in her eyes, but when she looked at Madam Ye, she put on a smiling face.
"Madam Ye, what are you saying? How could Yun Jin Fang do such a thing!"
Madam Ye was too lazy to waste words on someone like Mama Hua, so she simply pretended not to hear and stared straight at Xiaotang.
“My Ye family has been a scholarly family for generations, and we value the integrity of gentlemen above all else. We would never resort to such evasive or deceitful tactics. However… although my Ye family is not exceptionally wealthy, we will not allow others to manipulate us at will! This old woman served in the Imperial Household Department for decades and is most skilled at discerning the origins of women. You should have her examine her. If she is truly innocent, my Ye family will take full responsibility!”
Author's Note: Wow! 100 nutrient solutions! Thank you all for your support! Bonus chapter! Hehehe [sprinkling flowers][sprinkling flowers][sprinkling flowers]
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