Lei Zi's feelings for Lianhua were so obvious that he could naturally sense them, and Lianhua knew it too, without even rejecting it.
And myself...
Lu Xiaoyang felt a pang of bitterness in his heart. If he hadn't made that mistake, he might still have a chance to compete with Lei Zi. But there's no going back in this world. The mistake had been made, causing harm to the entire clan. This sense of guilt would haunt him for the rest of his life.
He was a prisoner in the mud, while the lotus was the most elegant and sacred being. In this life, he was ultimately unworthy to stand at the same height as her, and could only ever look up at her from the mud.
Do you regret it? Of course you do.
But he wasn't jealous at all. He had done wrong, and the fact that he was still living such a life was a blessing from heaven. He didn't even have the right to be jealous.
He also felt that Lei Zi was the most suitable person for Lian Hua. Lei Zi was still studying and might even pass the imperial examinations in the future. Lian Hua's life would only get better and better with Lei Zi.
He understood everything perfectly.
Yet, he couldn't suppress the bittersweet feeling in his heart. Lei Zi could openly and honestly like her, while he could only bury all his feelings deep inside.
Protect her as much as possible while they're not really together yet.
Lu Baichuan went directly to Qingyin Garden to find Qin Jian, using the same old method: Qin Jian was neglecting his duties and not doing his job properly, so Lu Baichuan went to arrest him.
This time, Lu Baichuan brought two of his men with him, which made him look more formal. He barged directly into the backyard of the theater.
"Sir, outsiders are not allowed in our backyard. We can discuss this further..."
Lu Baichuan shoved the servant aside and demanded, "Where's Qin Jian? Tell him to come out and see me!"
The group acted like bandits entering a village, showing no respect to anyone and making a huge commotion. The crowd that had been listening to the opera in front crowded around the back gate to watch the spectacle.
"Second Master Qin, he..."
"Enough with the nonsense, get him out here! As the deputy commander of the Fire Cloud Division, what kind of person is he, holed up in this theater all day, not doing his job? If he doesn't like it, he should resign and go home to farm, and stop getting in my way!"
Lu Baichuan deliberately used very harsh language, completely disregarding Qin Jian's feelings. It was clear that he was intentionally trying to damage Qin Jian's reputation, showing that their relationship was truly strained.
Qin Jian was also in the backyard, but he was currently in Xinran's yard, accompanying Xinran as she exercised.
Yes, it's about exercising.
Since taking He Jiuniang's medicine, Xinran's body has become stronger and stronger, and she feels uncomfortable if she doesn't exercise every day.
Sometimes she really acted like a burly man. Several times, Xinran worried that her appearance would frighten Qin Jian, and then he would start to dislike and hate her.
But Qin Jian didn't think that way. Instead, he was happy for her, thinking that her physical condition was the best and that she would definitely live to be a hundred years old.
Not only that, Qin Jian accompanied her every day when she exercised. He was gentle and had a good temper, which made the other girls in the courtyard extremely envious.
Some people even tried to get Qin Jian's attention when she wasn't looking, but Qin Jian refused them all.
Men are inherently flawed; they rarely refuse women who offer themselves up. However, Qin Jian was able to refuse without batting an eye, which stirred up ripples in Xinran's heart.
Many times, she even fantasized that it would be great if things could continue like this forever.
Just as the two were deeply in love, a maidservant came in to report: "Second Master, Third Master Lu has come to our door with his men, and he looks very angry."
Qin Jian instantly became even angrier than Lu Baichuan, and asked, "Didn't I tell him not to interfere in my affairs? Why is he here again?"
The maid shook her head, thinking that Qin Jian seemed quite fierce at this moment.
Perhaps because he acted too gently in front of Xinran, he was really scary when he got fierce.
Even Xinran was startled.
"Second Master, Third Master Lu is only doing this for your own good. You've been here all this time, and the people below are bound to gossip."
He stepped forward with pleasure, trying to make his voice as gentle as possible, not so bold and rough.
"Good my ass! He just doesn't like me! I'm going out to check on him. You stay here and rest well."
In short, the first half of the sentence was full of anger, while the second half was overflowing with tenderness. Xinran was instantly overwhelmed by this contrast.
"To avoid gossip, Second Master, you should go back for a few days! Now that I'm in much better health, I can even perform on stage. If you have time, please come and support me. If you're busy, that's fine too. I'll gladly sing for you alone when the opportunity arises."
Qin Jian was instantly moved and said, "You're right. Then I'll go back for a few days. Once I've ousted Lu Baichuan, I'll marry you in a grand and glorious way!"
Xinran smiled shyly and nodded, watching Qin Jian leave.
Qin Jian appeared troubled, but inside he was overjoyed. He had long wanted to leave this den of wolves and enjoy himself for a few days, but he just hadn't found the opportunity.
But why would Lu Baichuan come looking for him out of the blue? Could something have happened?
With that thought in mind, he quickened his pace considerably.
After he left, the maidservant hurriedly stepped forward and said, "Something happened to the Zou family. Lu Baichuan just came over. I thought the Zou family had exposed us, but I didn't expect that they just came to ask Second Master to go back. It seems that the Zou family is still reliable."
"Don't worry, Zou Ming wouldn't dare to betray us easily; his parents are still in our hands."
Xinran sneered. How could they not have any leverage over the Zou family when they were cooperating with them?
Moreover, among the entire Zou family, only Zou Ming was in contact with them. Apart from Zou Ming, no one else knew anything. Even if they were all arrested, it wouldn't matter.
The maidservant then said, "Miss, you're really clever. Now Qin Jian is completely obedient to you. Why not use Qin Jian to silence Zou Ming? That way, we can save ourselves some trouble."
Xinran glared at the maid and said, "You don't need to worry about these things. Qin Jian still has a great use to him, so there's no need to use him now. He's just a mere Zou Ming; we can just send a few people to handle him."
"yes."
The young maidservant quickly agreed, no longer daring to joke around.
At this moment, a scout climbed over the wall and reported to Xinran: "Zou Ming committed suicide in the Huoyun Division prison out of fear of punishment. His body was sent to the mountains to be fed to the wolves by the Huoyun Division. I followed him the whole time and confirmed that it was Zou Ming without a doubt."
The maid's eyes widened in amazement. "Young lady, you're amazing!"
Xinran curled the corners of her lips and said, "It seems that Zou Ming is not too stupid. That's good, it saves us trouble."
"You are wise, young lady!"
The young maidservant hurriedly flattered her, realizing that all of this was within the young lady's expectations, and that she had just been showing off her limited skills.
"Alright, it's not convenient for me to go out with you. Go check on the situation outside and remember to come back and report to me."
He waved his hand dismissively to dismiss the maid and continued exercising in the courtyard.
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