Chapter 23 Mu Han's cold gaze shifted upwards, settling on the bamboo...
*
The garden is filled with scattered scenery, winding and secluded, disappearing into the distance around every bend.
As the figures in pink and green disappeared into the distance, the boy in blue emerged from his hiding place and stood in their previous spot for a long time, lost in thought.
He left the garden when the wind picked up again.
Inside the main hall of the Marquis's residence, the guests had already left, and Ning Shi and her daughter-in-law Jiang Yingshui were talking. They had just finished listening to the maid's report, and they looked at each other thoughtfully.
Jiang Yingshui sighed and said, "Uncle Jiu values Ah Lin, and Ah Lin asked him to intercede on his behalf. He couldn't bear to refuse, so he thought of letting us meet him. Now that we've met him, he really is still mentally impaired; he can even get lost while strolling around the garden..."
“Grandmother, Mother.” Mu Lin lifted the curtain and went in, saying solemnly, “Miss Ali didn’t run away on her own. Miss Yu had to leave and asked her to wait. She waited for a long time but didn’t see Miss Yu, so she thought of going to look for Miss Yu and that’s when she got lost.”
"What could Tang'er possibly be doing in the Marquis's mansion?" Madam Ning frowned and glanced at the maid.
The maid shook her head, indicating that she did not know.
Jiang Yingshui frowned, her gaze towards her son filled with helplessness. "Back then, the Demon King harmed his own brothers, and His Majesty was nearly killed by him. He deeply hates him. The Su family is a henchman of the Demon King. Even if that child has the surname Yu, he carries the blood of the Su family. It's one thing to live a life of ignominy, but if he really marries into the Marquis's mansion and attracts His Majesty's attention, how will my Mu family face the consequences?"
"Ninth Uncle..."
“Ah Lin, your Ninth Uncle dotes on you, but you can’t be so insensible as to put him in a difficult position. It was just a one-time encounter; you only saw her once when you went to the Yu residence and mistook her for Tang’er. But you also saw Tang’er; how can you not recognize her?”
Ning listened and nodded repeatedly.
“When I arrange a marriage with the Mu family, I don’t care about social status, but I do value character and a clean family background. That child is mentally challenged and is the daughter of a disgraced official. She has neither of these qualities and is not a good match for me.”
She said it was true that the Mu family did not value social status when it came to marriage, because Jiang Yingshui came from a merchant family.
Jiang Yingshui looked at her with respect and gratitude, but when she looked at her son, she felt a headache coming on. "Ah Lin, if you really didn't like Tang'er, you didn't need to go through all this trouble. It's just that there's no engagement, so the marriage can be called off."
"I..." Mu Lin's voice lowered, "I really didn't take a liking to Miss Yu."
Upon hearing this, Ning's brows furrowed even more.
"I think Tang'er is a really good child. She's well-educated, reasonable, sensible, and steady. Her mother has raised her very well. Ah Lin, do you want to think about it again?"
Mu Lin shook his head firmly, said some words of apology and excuse for his trouble, and then took his leave in a bad mood.
Passing through the garden and winding through the bamboo grove, the sound of the zither grew louder as it approached. The melodious tune of "High Mountains and Flowing Water" suddenly soared, like a torrent rushing into a canyon, sometimes turning and sometimes surging, its turbulent roar striking straight to the heart.
He hesitated, not wanting to disturb them.
Suddenly, the music stopped abruptly.
A moment later, the door opened from the inside, and the steward invited him in.
He immediately spotted the person standing before the bamboo forest painting, dressed in snow-white robes, so serene and calm, as if the music he had just heard was an illusion.
Mu Hanshi had his back to him and didn't turn around.
"I met Miss Yu today, and you two are truly a match made in heaven."
"Ninth Uncle!" Mu Lin never expected to hear such a statement. "I have no feelings for Miss Yu whatsoever. She is Yu Jingliang's sister, and I only regard her as a sister..."
"Sister?" Mu Hanshi turned around, his aura suddenly turning icy. "You have never known her, never spent time with her, how do you know you only see her as a sister?"
Mu Lin had never seen him so emotionally expressive before, and it took her a long time to recover. "Uncle Jiu, I... I should know my own feelings..."
“You don’t know!” He lowered his eyelids, as if winter snow was about to fall. “Sometimes people are too attached to their original intentions and deceive themselves. Ah Lin, you and she may be destined for each other in a past life. Cherish it and don’t let unimportant people or things mislead your judgment.”
“Ninth Uncle, Miss Ali risked her life to shield me from an arrow. You saw it with your own eyes. She is not an insignificant person, she…”
“Ah Lin, you must remember that before your verbal engagement with Miss Yu is officially dissolved, all other women are irrelevant to you. As for that Yu Li, she is the daughter of the Demon King's henchman and is of no benefit to the Mu family. Do not provoke her again.”
A cool breeze swept in through the half-open window, its chill penetrating to the bone and seeping into the very core of the young man's being, cooling his most vigorous passion and emotions.
After a long pause, Mu Lin responded softly, "Nephew understands."
He left dejectedly, like a pine tree bent under the weight of frost and snow. Though it had grown up, it was still somewhat immature and unable to withstand the sudden blizzard.
"His Majesty has always valued the young master the most, and he was thinking of granting his wish. Why has he changed his mind?" The steward stepped forward and draped a cloak over Mu Hanshi's shoulders.
The navy blue cloak complemented the snow-white color perfectly.
Mu Hanshi adjusted the collar of his cloak. "It's rare that he likes it, and I originally wanted to give him my blessing. But after seeing that Miss Yu today, I realized that his liking might not be that important."
The steward was surprised, "Our master actually treats that Miss Yu with such special regard, she must have something extraordinary about her."
“Some people are nothing special; their mere existence is their salvation.” Mu Hanshi’s cold gaze moved upwards and settled on the bamboo forest painting. “Perhaps it’s because she catches my eye.”
*
The atmosphere inside Ruian Residence was somber.
Madam Xie sat upright, staring sternly at Qiu Lu kneeling on the ground.
Qiu Lu's eyes were swollen, and she lowered her head, choking back sobs, "This servant deserves to die. I was thinking of going out to visit someone, so I put some newly bought lily dew on myself. Who would have thought that my hand would slip and I would spill it all over myself? I never expected to offend the Lady of the Marquis..."
As she spoke, she stole glances at Shen Qinglu.
Shen Qinglu looked completely bewildered, as if she had no idea what she was talking about.
"Madam, it is all my fault, please punish me." She bowed her head and sobbed softly, but inwardly she breathed a long sigh of relief.
The sharpness in Xie's eyes gradually faded, finally turning into a sigh, "Get up, this matter is ultimately not your fault."
If even the masters don't know these taboos, how would the servants know them?
Shen Linlang frowned, looking ashamed. "I've known her for many years, and I didn't know she couldn't stand the smell of lilies. It was my oversight."
“Mother, how can this be your fault? It’s just that Madam Mu kept it a secret all these years without letting a word out. It shows how deep her scheming is.” Yu Liuzhu seemed to be comforting her, but she was actually venting her own anger.
The subtle conflict between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law was completely shattered after she was neglected by Mu Lin. She could never forget Jiang Yingshui's feigned concern in public, but her cold indifference towards her in private, her words like knives, each one cutting to the bone.
They said she was unworthy of using the Marquis's property, unworthy of using charcoal for heating, unworthy of eating well, and unworthy of occupying the position of the Marquis's heir's wife. Her self-respect and pride were completely trampled underfoot and wantonly crushed.
"It has always been Old Madam Mu who has been interested in the marriage, but Madam Mu is probably unwilling at all..."
Yu Qingxue's voice came from outside the door, and after she lifted the curtain and came in, she walked towards Shen Qinglu with a worried expression and asked, "Was the trip to the Marquis's mansion today successful? Did Ali cause you any trouble?"
Shen Qinglu ignored her completely, not even glancing at her.
She was furious and annoyed, especially after seeing Yu Liuzhu's clothes and attire, which made her look pale in comparison, which fueled her hatred.
"Mother, Mother, has Tang'er's marriage been arranged?"
Upon hearing this, Xie Shi and Shen Linlang's expressions both darkened.
During today's meeting, neither Ning nor Jiang Yingshui mentioned marriage at all, not even a single word.
Several times, Madam Xie couldn't help but try to steer the conversation toward marriage, but Madam Ning seemed not to understand. Jiang Yingshui then said something quite intriguing.
She said, "Ah Lin has been gone for three years, and I have been unable to find peace of mind. Now that he has returned home, I am thinking of taking care of him personally for a few years to make up for it."
A mother wants to take care of her son herself. It doesn't seem wrong at first glance, but if you think about it more deeply, the implication is that she wants her son to get married a few years later.
Madam Xie knew her daughter's thoughts best. Faced with Yu Qingxue's expectant gaze, she could only shake her head helplessly. "Neither Old Madam Mu nor Madam Mu mentioned it."
Yu Qingxue's eyes changed, filled with anger and resentment, yet she forced herself to suppress them, as if to comfort Shen Linlang, "Sister-in-law, don't worry. You've always been on good terms with the Marquis's family, so what you agreed on will definitely not change."
Shen Linlang felt quite helpless.
The daughter suddenly doesn't want to get married, and it's obvious the Marquis's family has changed their minds. This marriage might...
She couldn't figure out why the Marquis's mansion wanted to see Shen Qinglu. Looking at that face that seemed to know nothing but was exceptionally beautiful, she felt a mixture of speculation and pity.
"I know about Tang'er's situation. Ali is also of marriageable age. If there is a suitable family, I will help to find one and properly marry her off."
"I won't get married!" Shen Qinglu suddenly spoke up, muttering as if she didn't quite understand, "I can only be a concubine."
"Ali! What did you say?" Madam Xie was shocked, then suddenly realized that this child would never know what a concubine was, and must have come from somewhere unknown. "Did someone tell you something?"
Shen Qinglu nodded emphatically, pointing to Yu Liuzhu, whose face had changed, "She said it."
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