Upon discovering that the book had been taken, He Yunxiao immediately suspected the girl who had the antidote.
When ordinary people steal books, they just grab them and run, without even burying them.
Those who are more meticulous will take the book and handkerchief together, then bury it in the ground to make it look like no one has touched it, thus making a slight disguise.
This kind of behavior—digging up the soil, taking the book, and then putting the handkerchief back at you—is clearly telling you: I took the book, but I don't want the handkerchief back. What can you do about it?
It must be her!
That antidote girl is such a cunning bastard!
So sly and mischievous!
How could you still hold a grudge against me?
All I have is one of her handkerchiefs.
Thinking of this, He Yunxiao suddenly felt something was wrong.
Given the girl's personality, there's no reason why she wouldn't ask me for the handkerchief after taking these books. Why didn't she mention it?
He Yunxiao put away the handkerchief, then dug several more layers of soil, but found nothing else.
After thinking for a moment, He Yunxiao went to another tree.
At that time, the antidote girl deliberately misled the situation, preventing the "fallen fruit from returning to its roots," and buried the bad fruit that had hit her head here.
He Yunxiao started turning over the soil, and after lifting only one layer, he was surprised to see an envelope.
Let's take it apart and see.
The very first thing he said was:
"He Yunxiao, how dare you! You actually dared to peek at me!"
He Yunxiao: ...
She found out.
He did indeed hide in the distance and secretly watch Li Qingmeng, the girl who had received the antidote, shake the fruit. He not only saw her being hit by the fruit, but also saw her mischievously burying the fruit, and even saw her get stuck in the fruit pit.
At that time, He Yunxiao was unwilling to show himself to meet her, but things didn't go as planned. She choked on a fruit, forcing He Yunxiao to show himself to save her.
Looking at the first sentence of the letter, He Yunxiao shook his head with a wry smile.
He himself had almost forgotten what happened back then, but he didn't expect that after several days, the girl who had the antidote not only hadn't forgotten, but also guessed what happened back then, guessed that he might have been spying on her before he took action to save people, and even planned to lure him out so that He Yunxiao would admit to spying.
That's outrageous!
Her little belly is full of bad ideas!
I saved her life, and she still tries to scheme against me for that!
Then, as expected, the letter read:
“I’ve taken your book. If you want it back, bring your handkerchief and come to Jinxian Courtyard in the west of the city to find me.”
"Considering you saved my life, I'll let it go for now regarding your peeping at me."
hehe.
Looking for you?
Books for handkerchiefs?
Just three decent martial arts novels.
What could be more important than a one-of-a-kind, limited-edition handkerchief signed by the Antidote Girl?
He Yunxiao is clear about what is more important and what is less important.
Judging from the fact that the girl who wanted the antidote went through such a long and complicated process to get the handkerchief, it was clear that the handkerchief was of great significance to her, and she absolutely could not give it to her easily.
He Yunxiao stuffed the letter back into the envelope, then put it back in its original place and buried it carefully, pretending that the place had never been disturbed.
We must use bad water to defeat bad water!
Hmph, I'll wander around the Jinxian Courtyard in the west of the city whenever I have free time, but I'll deliberately avoid mentioning martial arts novels and won't give her the handkerchief. I'll even have to constantly remind her that the handkerchief is in my hand. Sigh, just for fun!
...
The study of the He family mansion.
He Yuanhao and Zhang Jingxian sat side by side, studying a large red fold-out document.
This memorial is quite remarkable; it is even more exquisite than those submitted by ministers to the emperor.
The paper is made of bright red silk, framed in mahogany, and decorated with lotus flowers, twin lotus blossoms, and mandarin ducks playing in the pond, all painted with gold ink.
In the Qi people's folk wedding customs, generally, if one party is willing to marry, they will ask a matchmaker to act as matchmaker. After the matchmaker discusses the matter with the other party's parents, both sets of parents agree to meet, and after each meeting the other's children, if they feel they are a good match, the matter is considered settled.
After the engagement is finalized, an elder from the groom's family must lead him to the bride's home to present the betrothal gifts to her parents. Once the bride's family accepts the betrothal gifts, the matter is considered largely settled. Then, an auspicious day is chosen for the wedding ceremony.
Most newlyweds haven't met before their wedding night.
Some of the bolder ones would sneak a peek.
If the family was wealthy, they would also find a portrait and send it to the recipient.
This custom became even more complicated in the homes of emperors and nobles.
Putting aside everything else, the betrothal gifts that the He family presented to the Empress Dowager were certainly not casual gifts.
Marrying a princess has its own set of rules, with requirements regarding whether the bride is legitimate or illegitimate, and whether the bride is older or younger. Even if the He family were wealthy, it would be impossible for them to offer a lavish dowry.
If you were to marry Nanzhu today just to save face, and the dowry you would give would be higher than the dowry other families would give to Xiaoyue in the future, wouldn't that be a complete mess, with no regard for seniority or social status?
After discussing for a long time, He Yuanhao and Zhang Jingxian finally settled on the betrothal gifts required to marry the princess.
Land, servants, livestock, houses, calligraphy and paintings, farms, goldware, cash...
The entire large red envelope was filled with all sorts of writing.
He Yuanhao said, "This afternoon I will personally go to the palace to see the Empress Dowager, present the gift list, and check if there are any errors or omissions. If not, I will then discuss the betrothal gifts and the selection of an auspicious date with the Empress Dowager."
Zhang Jingxian instructed, "Master, you must control your temper. This concerns Xiao'er's lifelong happiness."
He Yuanhao laughed and said, "Am I such an impulsive person?"
Zhang Jingxian said resentfully, "Back then, who was it that came to my Zhang family with a big knife, asking to marry my sister?"
He Yuanhao picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said, "It's all a misunderstanding."
“My sister gets a cold shoulder from Father every time she comes home because of this.”
He Yuanhao smiled awkwardly, not daring to refute.
After a moment of silence, the topic returned to He Yunxiao.
"My lord, won't Xiao'er's marriage to Nan Zhu affect your standing with the Prime Minister?"
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