Pan Heng, holding the branch, immediately looked at Ye Qingxue.
Ye Qingxue didn't expect Yun Zhuo to pull this stunt.
Since she couldn't marry Pan Heng anyway, she thought Yun Zhuo's idea was excellent, so she nodded in agreement.
"What my guard said is exactly what I wanted to say," Ye Qingxue said. "I do admire strength. If someone is weaker than me, I will not consider marrying him."
Pan Heng was taken aback again, realizing that he didn't know enough about Ye Qingxue.
Which girl would openly admit to admiring someone strong?
Ye Qingxue was surprisingly direct.
But upon closer reflection, this seems to be in line with her usual style.
Ye Qingxue added, "Young Master Pan, rest assured, even if we lose, only the three of us will know, and this matter will definitely not be publicized."
"All you need to do is find a reason to tell your parents that I can't marry you."
Pan Heng laughed and said, "Miss Ye, do you have so little confidence in me?"
A gentle breeze rustled the leaves as Yun Zhuo and Pan Heng stood facing each other on the garden path, each holding a tree branch.
Pan Heng moved, and the tree branch in his hand seemed to transform into a long sword, piercing straight for the opponent's throat.
However, Yun Zhuo's figure flashed, and the branch wrapped around his branch like a serpent. With a gentle flick, he deflected the branch in his hand.
Pan Heng was shocked and quickly changed his move, with tree branches raining down like raindrops.
Yun Zhuo remained calm and composed, his branches weaving through Pan Heng's attacks like a dragon, lightly tapping and sweeping, defusing each of Pan Heng's offensive moves.
After an unknown amount of time, Pan Heng finally exhausted himself, and the branch slipped from his hand and stuck into the ground.
He was suddenly startled; was he really going to lose?
With a gentle wave of Yun Zhuo's hand, the tree branch coiled around Pan Heng's wrist like a serpent, and with a light pull, Pan Heng was brought to the ground.
"You've lost, Young Master Pan," Yun Zhuo declared decisively.
Pan Heng's face was pale. He looked at Yun Zhuo, then at Ye Qingxue.
Although the match just ended abruptly, he knew clearly that he was no match for his opponent, and even if they fought for several more hours, he would only lose even more miserably.
In the current situation, it's clear that the other party has backed down.
Pan Heng wiped the sweat from his face, stood up, and looked at Ye Qingxue with a stubborn expression:
"In martial arts, I have indeed lost to this gentleman, but in literary talent, I may not be inferior to him! Miss Ye, you can look back at my performance in the examinations and officialdom. If you think it's acceptable then, I, Pan, will come to propose marriage again. I apologize for disturbing you today!"
He bowed to Ye Qingxue and Yun Zhuo, then turned and strode away.
Ye Qingxue saw that his back was ramrod straight, which showed that although he had lost in martial arts, his spirit was not.
She didn't call out to Pan Heng to say anything.
Perhaps this was the last time she would see Pan Heng. The next time Pan Heng heard news of her, she would probably already be a corpse.
His stubbornness will dissipate then.
It's true... some people see each other for the last time without even realizing it, but at that time, many people are still unaware.
Turning her gaze away, Ye Qingxue said to Yun Zhuo, "Let's go back."
She didn't need to go to the front hall; Pan Heng would persuade his parents, and it would only be awkward for her to go and say it herself.
It was somewhat unexpected that she was able to leave so easily; the old lady hadn't interfered.
The sky was overcast, dark clouds rolled in, and thunder rumbled.
Ye Qingxue said, "There might be a storm tonight. By the way, why did Young Master Ling come to the front?"
Yun Zhuo said, "Since he is your guard, he should naturally solve your problems anytime and anywhere."
"How do you know this is trouble for me? Marrying the eldest son of the Minister of Rites is a good match, and Young Master Pan is a handsome and refined gentleman who is also serious about me."
Yun Zhuo paused, remaining silent for a moment before saying, "I'll go and call him back for you, and tell him you're very keen on this marriage?"
He turned to leave, but Ye Qingxue hurriedly grabbed his sleeve, saying, "Don't!"
His clothes were black, Ye Qingxue's fingers were white, and Yun Zhuo quietly watched her hand that was gripping his clothes, his Adam's apple bobbing.
Ye Qingxue withdrew her hand and walked towards Guanju Courtyard: "I'm about to die, what's the use of agreeing to marry him? I wanted to tell him the truth just now, but I was afraid he wouldn't believe it and it would cause a lot of unnecessary trouble, so I used your method."
It's not that she doesn't want to marry Pan Heng, but that marrying Pan Heng is useless! Yun Zhuo understood this from her words.
But he just pursed his lips and didn't say anything, though the atmosphere around him seemed much more subdued.
Ye Qingxue thought of something else and said, "With such a noble status, why would you be willing to call yourself my guard?"
Last night, she really couldn't think of how to introduce Yun Zhuo to Granny Xing, and at the same time, she wanted to provoke him, so she deliberately spoke that way.
Yun Zhuo stopped, stared into her eyes, and said, "I came to see you last night to tell you that being a guard is a good job."
It made it easy for him to hide and also easy for him to move around.
Ye Qingxue immediately understood what he meant: "That's right. It seems I've gotten away with something unexpected. Do you have a clear plan for the future?"
Yun Zhuo said, "I need to go out for a bit. Give me your personal handkerchief."
"What?" Ye Qingxue thought she had misheard: "You want me to give you my personal handkerchief?"
"Yes, just in case." Yun Zhuo's tone was serious and earnest, not like he was talking about anything romantic.
Judging from his tone, Ye Qingxue thought the two were discussing matters of the court and the common people, but what he asked for was... a handkerchief for his body?
"What do you need?" Ye Qingxue took off the handkerchief and gave it to him.
Yun Zhuo clenched the handkerchief in his hand: "It might be able to save my life in a critical moment."
After putting the handkerchief away, he suddenly leaned closer. Ye Qingxue instinctively stepped back, but he pressed down on her shoulder.
He whispered something in Ye Qingxue's ear, and a look of surprise flashed in Ye Qingxue's eyes. So that's how it is.
Yun Zhuo stepped back slightly and said to her in a normal voice, "The old lady didn't intend for you to marry into such a prestigious family as the eldest son of the Minister of Rites, but she still summoned you to the front hall. That's probably the reason. Tonight, Guanju Courtyard is fraught with danger. Can you handle it?"
"If I say no, can you stay and help me instead of going out?"
After a moment of silence, Yun Zhuo said, "You are a dying man; they are no match for you."
Ye Qingxue: "..." Is she saying that she's barefoot and not afraid of those wearing shoes?
After Yun Zhuo left, she slowly walked back to Guanju Courtyard and thought about the matter of the white bones and the old lady again, her thoughts becoming much clearer.
She felt she had grasped the whole truth.
As evening approached, Ye Qingxue returned to Guanju Courtyard.
By this time, she was mentally prepared to hear what Granny Hu had to say and the truth about Ye Cunsi and Ye Yabing's background.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com