Chapter 122 [VIP] Lifesaver (9)
It is imperative to cancel the engagement.
Since that day when Jin Xinli made those harsh words, he never saw Li Nanyan again. On the seventh day of October, the day after the Autumn Hunt in Shanglin Garden was completely over, Jin Xinli really came to cancel the engagement.
In addition, Jin Shili ignored everyone's opposition and re-engaged with Miss Li Er.
As soon as the news came out, it really caused a huge uproar in Yanyun City. How could this be possible? Didn't Lord Jin like the eldest daughter of the Li family? In the past, he even invited the wife of the Duke of Guo to marry him. How could he change the bride at this critical moment? Moreover, it was already October. It was said that the two would be able to get married in less than a month.
But suddenly such a commotion happened!
Are you kidding?
Isn't this completely discrediting and slapping someone in the face?
Moreover, what on earth did Miss Li do to anger Mr. Jin so much that she was broken off from engagement at this critical moment?
And the second daughter of the Li family is really resourceful. She climbed to the top by relying on the reputation of being the legitimate daughter, and even managed to snatch the fiancé from the engaged eldest daughter. This cannot be simply explained by her deep scheming.
From that day on, the eldest daughter of the Li family instantly became the laughing stock of the entire Yanyun City.
Almost everyone was discussing the deeds of the two sisters in private. There was sympathy but also ridicule. Some scolded Miss Li Er for being shameless and snatching her own sister's fiancé, while others praised her for standing up for the illegitimate children.
But without exception, everyone hated Miss Li for not fighting for her. After sympathy, most people laughed at her. After all, she couldn't even keep her own fiancé. Even if such a woman really married into an official family in the future, she would not be able to manage the household. What's the point of marrying such a woman?
This caused many mistresses of officials and princes to instantly tighten their control over their illegal children.
Moreover, I don't know what happened to Miss Li. She seemed to be a strong-willed person on weekdays, but she turned out to be a paper tiger. After suffering such a big loss this time, she never went to the Jin Mansion to make trouble again, and just endured it silently.
After that, she locked herself up in her house like a huddled turtle, never going out again, not attending parties, going shopping, or buying rouge and jewelry. Her old girlfriends also refused to see her anymore, and I wonder if they would be upset.
…
On the other hand, the servants in the Jin Mansion have not been having an easy time recently.
I don't know what happened these days?
The adult in their family had a worse and worse temper, and his expression became colder and colder. Sometimes he would even lock himself in the study room and not come out all day and all night.
I don't know if it's because of the broken engagement? He exudes a gloomy aura, but isn't that the adults' own choice?
Sometimes the servants in the mansion couldn't help but talk in private, "Hey... did you see it?"
"The lady's temper has been getting weirder recently. Sometimes, the look in her eyes is as cold as a knife, almost suffocating people. This was never the case when the young lady was in the mansion before."
Someone beside him immediately echoed, his voice low, "Who said it wasn't true? I don't know what the master is thinking. Miss Li is such a lively and generous girl, why did she cancel the engagement for no reason? And if you want to cancel it, then you can do it, but you turn around and ask to marry someone else's sister. What the master did is really unkind."
As they were talking, a round-faced maid in a green skirt suddenly came in and interrupted, "You guys don't know this, but there is actually something behind this."
Hearing this, everyone who had gathered looked up at her at the same time. The round-faced maid looked around and made sure there was no danger around before whispering, "Do you remember the time when the master was seriously injured and blinded?"
"Didn't the master go missing for a while? When the master was injured, it was not the eldest lady of the Li family who saved him, but the second lady of the Li family."
At this point, the round-faced maid's voice instantly lowered, "It's just that the eldest daughter of the Li family relied on her status as the legitimate daughter to snatch the token that the master left for the second daughter, and then deceived the master!"
"Otherwise, how could you think that the spoiled and willful eldest daughter of the Li family would not even dare to ask for justice after suffering such a great loss? That's because she herself has a guilty conscience!"
The person who said this was the maid who served Li Qingrou in the tent. She knew more about the inside story than most people. In addition, Li Qingrou had a gentle personality and received many rewards, so the maid became loyal to her and treated her as her master.
After all, judging from the attitude of their family's masters, Miss Li II is the one with a promising future, so she naturally has to protect her a little so that she can get a position as a personal servant in the future.
Hearing this, the maids and servants gathered together in the mansion nodded and shook their heads, as if they knew the inside story, but someone still couldn't help but retorted,
"But even if that's the case, it's the eldest daughter of the Li family who has been with our master for such a long time! Feelings can't be faked, and the eldest daughter really likes our master. Haven't you noticed that since the eldest daughter came to the mansion, the master's temper has become much milder?"
"The number of times I scold people has become less, especially last time I accidentally broke a teacup. The master was going to punish me, but it was the eldest lady who said a few words and the master spared me. You all know the master's temper and personality. How can ordinary people persuade him?"
“That’s right…”
"Although the eldest daughter of the Li family was wrong to deceive the master, it is better to make the best of a bad situation. Besides, our master doesn't dislike the eldest daughter at all. Who knows how loving they would be if they really became a couple? Besides, the life-saving grace can't be repaid only by marrying her. The master can obviously repay the favor in other ways. Why bother to cancel the engagement with the eldest daughter?"
"Your Excellency is really too impulsive. How can Miss Li go out and meet people in the future? Moreover, a girl whose engagement is broken off will have her reputation ruined. How can she find a good marriage in the future..."
Before he could finish his words, a cold cough was heard from behind. The old butler with gray hair was staring at them expressionlessly with a pair of large scissors in his hand, which frightened the maids and servants so much that they knelt down and begged for mercy.
This steward holds a high status in the entire Jin Mansion. Apart from the masters, the steward has the highest status. All matters, big and small, in the mansion are handled by him.
The old man who usually looked kind, now had a stern face, looking like a hung ghost. Especially when he heard them talking about the master behind his back, he couldn't help but scold them.
"What are you talking about?"
"You are all tired of living, aren't you? You dare to talk about your master behind his back. Only slaves like you can talk about the officials of the dynasty? You are ignorant and fearless, you don't care about your own life!"
"Do you still want to do this? If you really don't want to do this, I will find human traffickers to sell you all out tomorrow! You are all troublesome people, what are you still standing here for? Why don't you leave quickly to avoid being annoyed by the adults?"
These maids and servants were severely reprimanded, and they were all trembling with fear for fear of being sold out. Now, after hearing these words, they retreated in a hurry as if they had been pardoned.
Until the group of people disappeared.
The old butler then turned his back, shook his head and sighed softly. In fact, he also felt that what his master did was not right.
well……
The master of their family has always been very stubborn, and his heart is cold and hard. The eldest daughter of the Li family has been with him for so long, and it took a lot of effort to soften his heart. The two of them clearly had feelings for each other, but in the end they still broke off the engagement.
This thing was done too impulsively. The person in front of me doesn't know how to cherish him. I'm afraid that the adult will regret it in the future. In the end, I might be the only one who gets hurt.
...Oh, why bother?
Is the second daughter of the Li family really that good? She is just a life-saving favor, but she is so good that they have never been together. Does the master have to marry her?
…
As for the Li Mansion on the other side, the atmosphere in the mansion has been obviously a bit anxious and depressed recently. Ever since the day when Lord Jin came to cancel the engagement and change the one, their eldest daughter has not left the yard for three or four days, and has been locking herself in the room. Although meals are still delivered, she refuses to see anyone.
Everyone knows that the eldest lady is really sad this time. Never have they seen her so aggrieved. Not only did the second lady use tricks to ruin her reputation in the past, but now even her fiancé has been snatched away. Look at what the eldest lady has become because of what she has done to him.
The little maidservant was guarding the door, and from time to time she could hear some faint sobbing coming from the lady's room. It sounded so pitiful and really heartbreaking.
But the truth was that Nan Yan hid in the quilt and read strange stories for half the night. She didn't dare to laugh, and in the end she could only bite the quilt and let out a soft laugh, which was heard from time to time by the maids serving outside, and the rumor spread like this.
In fact, she had been eating and drinking well these past few days, and had eaten a lot of various fruits and snacks. In addition, she had been staying indoors and had not gone out. Her little face had become much rosier, and she did not look heartbroken at all.
Even her mother, Madam Li, did not see it this time. She thought her precious daughter had suffered a great deal and was in great pain. She wanted to seek justice but knew she was in the wrong. After all, she knew what her daughter had done. Besides, a higher-ranking official can crush a person to death, and that Jin was more than one level higher than her father.
She wanted to go into the house to comfort her, but was stopped outside and couldn't go in. Finally, she wanted to vent all her anger on the concubine in the backyard. She asked herself that the concubine had never treated her badly since she became the head of the family, and she never thought that she was still ambitious. But now, the concubine has been engaged to the powerful Lord Jin. Although she has agreed verbally, she can no longer bully her openly, otherwise there will be another dispute in the future.
In the end, she was left with no other choice but to vent her anger on her incompetent husband. It was all his fault. Her pampered daughter had her face humiliated and her reputation ruined in this way. What else could the old man do except shake his head and sigh?
He agreed on the spot when the man surnamed Jin proposed a marriage exchange. Wasn't it because he was attracted by the man's power? Bah! This old man used her daughter as a stepping stone. She couldn't deal with outsiders, so why couldn't she deal with this old man to vent her anger!
So the Li Mansion was in a mess for a while. The couple quarreled every other day. The old man was scolded by his wife and dared not say a word in return. In the end, he moved out of the main courtyard and lived in the study.
This is truly a fight between gods and the suffering of mortals. Even these maids and servants are trembling with fear, fearing that the lady will be in a bad mood and take action against them one day.
It was at this time that Xiao Feihe came to Li's house.
At first, he came to the Li Mansion under the pretext of drinking tea and appreciating paintings with Lord Li. Unfortunately, Lord Li had to go out for a while for something. When he came back, Prince Xiao was nowhere to be seen. Lord Li did not think much about it, and guessed that Prince Xiao could not wait any longer, so he left early. However, he did not have time to appreciate the newly collected high-quality calligraphy and painting.
Lord Li couldn't help but feel a little sorry, he really didn't have the chance to see her! He had heard that Prince Xiao was also a vulgar man who loved wine and women and was fond of romance.
Xiao Feihe came to the Li Mansion mainly to see Li Qingrou. He had heard that the Li Mansion had been in a mess recently and knew that Li Qingrou was not having a good life, so he couldn't help but worry about her and came to see how she was doing.
Of course he came secretly, just like before, and went straight to the courtyard where Qingrou lived along the path. The location was quite secluded, and there were few maids and servants passing by, so it was not easy to be discovered. In addition, her personal maid also recognized him, so she generally would not stop him.
However, the closer he got to her yard, the more complicated and sad Xiao Feihe felt.
In fact, when he was in Shanglinyuan some time ago, he looked for her many times, but was turned away every time.
At first he really thought that she didn't want to see him, until later he found out that she had been with Jin Lili all this time, and even the misunderstanding between the two had been completely resolved.
When Xiao Feihe heard the news, he couldn't tell what he felt in his heart for a moment. He just felt a tightness in his chest and some discomfort.
In fact, he had always known that the person Qingrou really liked was Jin Linli. From the moment he was attracted to her, he would often pay attention to her every move unconsciously. Later, after a long time, he knew this.
He also knew that he had a bad reputation and was not worthy of a good woman like her, so he was willing to silently guard her from behind. He originally thought that as long as he silently guarded her, maybe one day he would be able to wait for her...
Unfortunately, when he heard that Jin Lili came to the house the next day to cancel the engagement and asked to marry the second daughter of the Li family again,
——He knew that it was probably impossible for him to do so.
He knew that he was a playboy who had spent his life in debauchery and had a bad reputation. He did not know that after he truly fell in love with a woman, he would worry that she would look down on him. He did not know that after he fell in love with a woman, he would become inferior and worry that he was not worthy of her.
After all, he has achieved nothing except the status of a prince. Which parent from a good family would be willing to marry their daughter to a playboy like him?
In fact, Xiao Feihe has always been very conflicted. He misses her in his heart, but he is afraid of disturbing her and afraid that if he visits her too often, people will gossip about him.
She may never know that he has always loved her, to the extent that he dare not even say it out loud, for fear that his terrible reputation will affect her reputation. Only one person kept this feeling secretly in his heart.
Thinking of this, Xiao Feihe had already arrived at Li Qingrou's yard. He thought that she had got what she wanted and should be happy, but he never thought that Li Qingrou was still in a depressed mood at this moment.
She was sitting in the yard. No one knew what had happened to her, but she looked listless, her face looked pale, and even her chin was much sharper than before.
Xiao Feihe's chest stagnated slightly, and for a moment he didn't care about the difference between men and women, he went up to her and held her shoulders, "What's wrong with you, who bullied you again? Didn't you make an engagement with Jin Lili? Why do you still look so depressed, do you not like him? Tell me, if you really don't like him, I will definitely help you solve this problem..."
Before he could finish his words, the man in front of him burst into tears, crying silently. Xiao Feihe felt that all the words he wanted to say were stuck in his throat, and he suddenly became a little powerless. "Okay, okay, I won't say this, okay? Don't cry, don't cry first!"
He wanted to reach out and wipe away her tears, but he couldn't do it because of the difference between men and women. He could only stand there at a loss. Finally, he sighed and said helplessly, "You have to tell me, who bullied you? Was it the servants in your Li Mansion? Or your spoiled elder sister? You have to tell me the reason, so that I can help you solve the problem."
"Qingrou, stop crying, okay?"
When he said this, his voice suddenly became much gentler, and his cynical look was restrained. His expression became very serious, "I told you before, you can tell me everything that is not going well for you. Although I don't have much ability, it is still easy for me to help a little girl like you get justice. Okay, Qingrou, can you tell me now, what happened?"
Li Qingrou looked up at him, her eyes quickly filled with mist. Perhaps because someone was comforting her, all the grievances and sorrows in her heart instantly found an outlet, making her want to confide in him, "Have you heard the rumors recently? People in Yanyun City are blaming me, scolding me for stealing my elder sister's fiancé, but they don't know that from the beginning, the person he was looking for was me!"
Xiao Feihe looked at his sweetheart and clenched his fingers unconsciously. He moved his lips, but didn't know how to comfort her.
It is indeed difficult to tell who is right and who is wrong in this matter. If you really want to count, all three of them are responsible. One of them kept silent, another one mistook her for someone else, and the other one was the most excessive.
But now, the marriage of the one who went the furthest has been called off. No matter what, she is a victim in the eyes of outsiders, so naturally there is more sympathy than criticism.
He also didn't know what Jin Xinli was thinking?
Perhaps out of guilt, he was quite lenient towards Li Nanyan, and even did not make public what she did in private, which led to everyone shifting the blame to Qingrou.
Nan Yan naturally knew about this.
After all, this is not the original plot, where Jin Lili blames all the faults on her. Now Jin Lili even feels guilty about her, so he naturally won't do these things again. He even ignored Li Qingrou during this period of time.
That's why Li Qingrou felt disappointed.
She shook her head slightly, her voice gradually lowering, "Actually, I don't care about those rumors. As long as he knows the truth and knows what kind of person I am, I don't care about those things at all."
Her voice was soft and hoarse, and she choked with sobs, "But, since he came to cancel the engagement and changed it last time, he hasn't come to see me once."
"Obviously, when he was with Li Nanyan before, he was not like this. He would often come to the Li residence to accompany her..."
"What should I do?" Tears on Li Qingrou's face kept falling like beads from a broken string. "Fei He, I'm really worried now. What if he finds out that the person he likes is Li Nanyan and wants to break off the engagement with me and ask Li Nanyan to marry him instead?"
Xiao Feihe felt a little heartbroken when he saw her misty eyes.
He could vaguely understand her worries. After all, he had been with Li Nanyan for such a long time. Even if he had liked Qingrou before, it didn't mean that he didn't have feelings for Li Nanyan.
Listening to her helpless crying, he also felt a little uncomfortable in his chest. He subconsciously reached out and rubbed his chest, but he touched a square mahogany plaque. He took it out and saw the name carved on the plaque. Suddenly, an idea came to his mind...
"Qingrou, I can help you."
…
After saying this, Xiao Feihe left.
Li Qingrou looked at his gradually receding back, feeling mixed emotions for a moment. She subconsciously clenched her fingers, bit her lips, and ultimately said nothing.
Meanwhile, Nan Yan heard the maids gossiping in private and mentioned that recently, Prince Xiao always likes to come to the mansion to appreciate flowers and paintings with the old master! It is said that Prince Xiao is the nephew of the current emperor. If it were not for his bad character, he would be a good match for her daughter just by his appearance... But she couldn't say this casually. Everyone knew that Prince Xiao was a playboy and a beauty. He was good-looking, but how could she marry such an unreliable man?
Hearing the maids talking in unison, Nan Yan rubbed her arms and legs, and almost understood that it was time for her to get up and work.
She has been lying at home for so many days. If she doesn't go out, I guess everyone in Yanyun City will forget about her. She should at least give the second male lead a chance to get promoted, right?
So, she adjusted her mood and made her face a little paler. Just like that, Nan Yan, who had been stuck in the house for nearly seven or eight days, finally left the yard.
For a moment, the servants serving in the mansion became a little cautious, fearing that they might say something wrong and make the young lady unhappy.
After all, anyone with a discerning eye could see that the young lady still hadn't let go of the matter of breaking off the engagement, and her face had turned quite a bit paler.
Nan Yan ignored them and went directly to the back garden of Li's mansion to relax, without even bringing a maid.
The weather today is really good, especially the morning sunshine is not that bright, the morning glow greets the white dew, and many begonias in the garden are in bloom. The petals are covered with morning dew and curling tenderly inwards, which is quite tender and touching.
Nan Yan found a stone bench and sat down, looking calmly at the flower petals not far away, but her eyes seemed to be covered by something, making it impossible to see the emotions in her eyes.
This was Li Nanyan like this when Xiao Feihe arrived. To be honest, he had never thought that he could see the words gentle and beautiful on this young lady.
At this moment, Li Nanyan was sitting under the crabapple tree, her face was beautiful and delicate in the dim morning light. She lowered her head, but her eyes were round like almonds, and a little coquettish, as if filled with a pool of clear and soft spring water.
Xiao Feihe was a little hesitant for a moment, but as soon as he thought of Qingrou crying helplessly, the slightest hesitation and guilt in his heart disappeared without a trace in an instant.
Xiao Feihe took a deep breath and suppressed all those complicated thoughts deep in his heart.
After adjusting his mood, he put on his usual lazy and unfocused expression, then took out the sugar man he had prepared long ago from his sleeve and handed it over.
"Hey, the eldest daughter of the Li family whose engagement was rejected, do you still remember me?"
He smiled casually at her, his two beautiful and long eyebrows slightly raised, with narrow and long eyebrows at the ends. There was a sense of elegance and nobility between his eyebrows and eyes, and he sat down directly opposite her.
Nan Yan's gaze paused for a moment, then fell on his face. She felt that this man looked familiar. Then her gaze fell on the candy man he handed over. Her gaze paused for a moment, as if she just remembered who he was.
But she just didn't want to pay attention to him!
Nan Yan pursed her lips and turned away without listening to what the bastard said. Who would start a conversation by poking at someone's sore spot? Did he think she wasn't sad enough?
Seeing that she still had a reaction, Xiao Feihe was happy and continued to ask, "Are you very unhappy? Do you know that people outside are saying that you are not motivated? They blame you for the breakup, mock you, belittle you, and some people even say that you will never get married in your life. What can you do?"
Nan Yan's reaction was even more intense at this moment. She turned her head and glared at him. Finally, she couldn't help but curse, "You will never get married in your life. You can't spit out ivory from a dog's mouth!"
Xiao Feihe couldn't help laughing when he heard this. He held his head with one hand, looking nonchalant, "Miss, you are really capable. You can even spit out ivory from a dog's mouth. I just don't know how you spit it out. Miss, can you teach me?"
Nan Yan became even angry now, her face turned red, and she slapped the person directly, but unfortunately she missed him and was grabbed by the wrist by him instead.
He didn't hold it very tightly, but he just couldn't get away.
Xiao Feihe raised his eyebrows slightly, then slowly stopped smiling, and then came over to ask her, "Are you angry, Miss? Do you want to vent? Do you want to go out for a walk with me?"
How to say it?
Nan Yan thought to herself, this guy is indeed a love fox. No wonder he could even coax the original owner, who was heartbroken, around and finally succeeded in falling in love with someone else.
It seems that this person is really good at making people happy!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
