Chapter 1 What she wants, her cousin, must be taken from Xiao Yunqi
My cousin ran away again and again by Gouzhu
First release, thank you for supporting the original version!
It is mid-spring, and a thin shadow covers the green outside the window.
A beam of warm sunlight peeked through the window, illuminating the girl holding a book at the desk.
She was born with a gorgeous and beautiful appearance, her skin was fair and shiny, her figure was graceful and exquisite, she was dressed in plain clothes and had no makeup on her face, but she was still eye-catching.
This is Xiao’s cousin, Xue Zhiying.
"At fifteen, a girl is considered jigui (a traditional Chinese wedding dress) and can discuss marriage, but this is the only stage of discussion. At eighteen, when her body and mind have gradually matured, she can accept the bride price and ask for her name, and then enter into a marriage contract. She must not enter into a marriage until she is twenty, when her body and mind are mature, before the six ceremonies can be performed. Forced marriage before this age is prohibited by law."
Xue Zhiying carefully read the contents of the book, with a look of serious thought on his face.
The maid Chuntao was sitting on a small stool in the yard, spinning thread.
The whole courtyard was quiet, with only the occasional spring breeze rustling the leaves.
Squeak——
The silence in the courtyard was broken by the sound of a door being pushed open.
Chuntao looked over when she heard the voice and saw that the person coming was Nanny Wang, who was in charge of the upper room. She quickly stood up and saluted.
After Nanny Wang nodded, Chuntao hurried into the house.
"Girl, Mammy is here."
Xue Zhiying paused, hid the book in the drawer under the desk, and then stood up to greet him.
"Madam, please come in."
Nanny Wang stepped in and glanced around the room with a serious expression.
The room was bright and clean, without a speck of dust, the bed was tidy, the dressing table was spotless, the pens, ink, paper and inkstone on the desk were neatly arranged, and the needlework basket was placed on the low couch under the window, with all kinds of silk threads and fabrics neatly stacked in it.
"Greetings to Madam." Xue Zhiying bowed with a standard posture that was impeccable.
"Well, the girl's manners are good, and the house is clean."
Xue Zhiying raised her eyes and stole a glance at Nanny Wang's expression. Her pupils were dark, but her eyes were bright, revealing a bit of pure spirit. Seeing that Nanny seemed satisfied, she lowered her eyelashes and looked quiet and well-behaved again.
Nanny Wang did not leave immediately after completing her routine examination.
She said, "Young lady, the eldest son has returned home. The old lady has ordered a family dinner tonight. You should be careful and dress early. Don't miss the time."
Xue Zhiying looked up suddenly: "The eldest master has returned?"
As soon as these words came out, Nanny Wang glanced at her.
Xue Zhiying immediately realized that she had said too much and quickly lowered her head: "Yes, Madam, I understand. I will start preparing now."
Only after watching Nanny Wang's figure completely disappear in front of the courtyard gate did she hurried back to the desk and take out the book she had just hidden.
Chun Tao saw that she seemed anxious and tilted her head in confusion: "Miss, what's wrong with you?"
Xue Zhiying hugged the book in her arms. Although her movements were urgent, her tone was nonchalant: "I'm fine. I need to go out for a while. You get ready first. I'll be back soon."
After saying that, she smiled at Chuntao, then started to walk out. When she reached the gate of the courtyard, she stopped and looked around cautiously. When she saw nothing unusual, she started again.
Inside the Xiao Mansion, a slender figure walked quickly along the corridor.
The air is filled with the cool scent of agarwood, an aroma that has been passed down from a century-old family. It is solemn, noble, and also carries an invisible sense of oppression.
The Xiao family is a top family in the Great Zhou Dynasty, with generations of nobility and profound heritage.
When Xue Zhiying was ten years old, his father passed away and his mother remarried.
Her mother had some old relationship with the late Mrs. Xiao, so she sent her to the Xiao Mansion.
The Xiao family accepted her kindness and made her their cousin, arranging a place for her to live and taking care of her daily needs.
Xue Zhiying understood that her mother was worried that if she lived with the rich businessman, she would have a hard time without support and might even suffer a tragic fate.
But her mother didn't know that she still couldn't get a good future in the Xiao family.
In the year she came of age, no one arranged a marriage for her, and the following year her marriage was handed over to Xu from the second branch of the Xiao family.
Xu chose many husbands for her, but they were either concubines or second wives, and almost none of the husbands she chose had young men of marriageable age.
She also heard Xu secretly calculating which family to send her to that would bring the greatest benefit.
Xue Zhiying never intended to let her life be limited to choosing between bad and worse.
If she had enough ability to leave the Xiao family, she would be able to break free from all constraints.
While I was lost in thought, a figure appeared faintly through the gaps in the treetops.
Xue Zhiying paused for a moment and swiftly dodged to the side behind a bush.
He is here indeed.
She slowed her breathing and cautiously looked over again.
From a distance, I saw Xiao Yunqi standing by the window.
The sunlight outlines his tall figure and outstanding face, with dark eyebrows, deep eyes, a straight nose and red lips. His whole body has a cold and calm temperament, like a sharp blade hidden in its sheath. Although he knows its sharpness, he can't help but be attracted by the gorgeous sheath.
The eldest son of the Xiao family is also the real pillar of the Xiao family.
He was upright, aloof and noble. He won the top spot in the imperial examination at the age of seventeen and was appointed as the Minister of Revenue when he was still a young man. He was outstanding in the court, had remarkable political achievements, acted calmly and steadily, and was highly praised.
In a few years, he developed water conservancy, abolished tax malpractices, ensured the safety of the people, and managed the circulation of taxes throughout the country, increasing the national treasury by one million taels each year. Now he is the youngest chief minister in the history of the Great Zhou Dynasty and a true child of destiny.
Speaking of which, the bad situation Xue Zhiying is facing now is somewhat related to Xiao Yunqi.
Xiao Yunqi was past the age of marriage. The Xiao family had introduced him to several women, but he rejected them all. He was only obsessed with state affairs and seemed determined not to marry for the rest of his life.
Xue Zhiying had always been under the supervision of the old lady in the Xiao Mansion, but the old lady was so worried about Xiao Yunqi's marriage that she had no time to care about her cousin, so she handed her over to Xu from the second house.
Xue Zhiying also thought that if it weren't for Xiao Yunqi, she would not have become a pawn used by the Xu family to exchange for benefits, and the old lady would have been able to spare some time to choose a proper marriage for her.
But Xue Zhiying didn't blame him. This was not what she wanted anyway.
And what she wanted had to be taken from Xiao Yunqi, so she couldn't blame him.
Xue Zhiying rarely meets Xiao Yunqi at the Xiao Mansion.
Xiao Yunqi was busy with official duties and was not allowed to move frequently between the inner and outer courtyards. Except for looking at him from afar when the whole family gathered together, she had almost no chance to get close and talk to him.
A month ago, Xue Zhiying asked the old lady for permission to go to the library to borrow some local customs and geography books. Coincidentally, Xiao Yunqi was also there to read classics.
The pavilion was quiet. She walked forward to greet him, said a few words, picked up a copy of "Da Zhou Lu Shu" and left.
Afterwards, she wanted to ask someone what book Xiao Yunqi was reading in the library that day, but unexpectedly, she heard that Xiao Yunqi was looking for the "Da Zhou Lu Shu" in her hand.
Xue Zhiying wanted to return the book as a godsend, but unfortunately, Xiao Yunqi went out on business the next day and did not return for half a month.
But it doesn't matter. He will return home sooner or later, regardless of whether he still needs this "Da Zhou Lu Shu" at that time.
Xue Zhiying hugged the book tightly in her arms and was about to leave.
Suddenly, Xiao Yunqi raised his head and glanced sideways, as if he had noticed something, and looked straight in the direction where she was hiding.
Xue Zhiying squatted down suddenly, and her hasty movement caused the bushes to shake.
In the study.
Xiao Yunqi slowly withdrew his gaze from the window.
The flickering green in his eyes then disappeared, leaving only another annoying figure in front of him.
As Xiao Yunqi looked over, the man fell to his knees with a thud.
"Sir, I am innocent. I swear to heaven that I did not embezzle the military pay. Someone must have framed me. Please investigate. Please save me!"
Xiao Yunqi casually moved the papers on the table without saying a word.
The man knelt forward eagerly, and with trembling fingers he grabbed Xiao Yunqi's trouser leg.
Xiao Yunqi lowered his eyes, and just one glance frightened the man so much that he instinctively retracted his hand in his excitement.
His hand fell to the ground, and he immediately knelt down, crying and shouting, "Sir, what this humble servant said is absolutely true. This humble servant has always been loyal, how could he dare to touch the military pay? It must be that the clerk who handled it was dishonest, or there must have been a mistake in the handover at the Ministry of War. You know, my lord, I am a coward and would never dare to do that!"
No matter how this person begged, the man sitting leisurely at the table remained unmoved.
There were three dong dong dong sounds, and the man kowtowed three times to the ground.
Xiao Yunqi looked down at the man and finally spoke.
But he said calmly: "Get out."
The man's back trembled. "Your Excellency, please understand! The evidence must have been fabricated. Someone is trying to kill me. Please help me. You have great connections and can definitely uncover the truth. Please save me. I will work like a slave to repay you!"
Xiao Yunqi looked away expressionlessly, his patience clearly running out.
At this moment, the tightly closed door was slowly pushed open from the outside.
The scene inside the house came into view, accompanied by Xiao Yunqi's cold voice.
"go out."
Xue Zhiying met Xiao Yunqi's sharp gaze, as if she heard him say: I'm talking about you.
She paused, and her right foot, which had been raised to move forward, slowly retracted.
For a moment, the already depressing atmosphere in the room completely stagnated.
The surroundings fell into dead silence.
Xue Zhiying's eyelashes trembled, and most of the blood color faded from her face, making her look weak and pitiful.
Xiao Yunqi glanced at the stiff girl in front of the door, his stern expression faded, but he frowned slightly.
Until the person curled up on the ground moved his body tremblingly, and after trying very hard, he still couldn't stand up completely, and finally crawled away.
It turns out that they wanted him to go out.
Xue Zhiying waited until he was far away before explaining, "I'm sorry, I was abrupt. I came to return a book. I wanted to knock on the door, but it was ajar. I just touched it lightly and it opened."
Her voice was soft and light, almost as if it was floating and powerless, like a feather tickling her ear.
Xue Zhiying rarely spoke in such a tone, and she was somewhat worried, wondering if her husky voice would make Xiao Yunqi tell her to get out as well.
Then, Xiao Yunqi said calmly, "Come in."
Xue Zhiying's eyebrows relaxed, the corners of her eyes raised, and she stood in front of the door and saluted him politely. Finally, she felt relieved and said softly, "Thank you, cousin."
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