Chapter 72: Delighted Marriage

  After the grand ceremony of Princess Nafei, the next item on the agenda was the marriage between the South River King's Mansion and the Changshun Principality.

  Because the old Marquis Wang and the Emperor were eight-bai friends and founding meritorious officials, the Emperor gave the Su family the greatest courtesy. The wedding was fully supervised by the Imperial Household Department, and all expenses used the highest specifications of the same level.

  Compared to the busy and heated days of the two families involved, Chu Youyang's recent days in the East Palace had been exceptionally leisurely and comfortable.

  The snow on the sixth day of the first month fell straight through to the night of the eighth day.

  On the ninth day, Chu Yuening came early in the morning with tea-making tools and took the opportunity to let Chu Xiangyang taste her craftsmanship again.

  They say it's hard to refuse a generous offer, so Zhu Mo Yang had someone clean up the pavilion in the southeast corner of the garden and they went there together.

  After the heavy snow, the garden was still covered with a thick layer of snow that had not been cleared. Under the warm sun, the snowflakes sparkled with a hint of light, and instead of looking desolate, the winter scene took on a few shades of vitality.

  The two sisters were boiling tea and chatting in the pavilion, and it was inevitable that they would mention the grand wedding of Chu Lingyun.

  "Yesterday, on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, I heard that the Empress Dowager bestowed many gifts again, and An Le Tang's dowry was not limited to 128 sedan chairs if it weren't for fear of exceeding the ancestral rules." Chu Yue Ning sipped her tea with a small mouth, muttering to herself, her tone more sighs than envy.

  Chu Lingyun was treated differently by De Luo Huang Hou, and nine out of ten princesses in the imperial family had secretly harbored jealousy towards her.

  Chu Youyang didn't seem to take those women's petty squabbles and vying for favor seriously, but it seemed that Chu Yuening also didn't care about this.

  Chu Youyang smiled and said, "She is the only legitimate daughter of the South River King's Mansion. The queen will not give her less, and with the imperial court's promotion of the Su family and the empress dowager taking the lead, the gifts from the palace ladies in the past two days will not be few either. These are all reasonable."

  "That's true." Chu Yuening curled her lips, "Because the grand wedding is to be held in the capital, the two months of Longshun Wang's mansion in Beijing have also been renovated and decorated on a large scale. Isn't it said that after the grand wedding they will return to the south? They can't even live for a few days, it's really a waste."

  Chu Nanyang just smiled and didn't speak, the sparkles in his eyes flickered, merging with the faint light of the snow outside.

  Su Lin has been thinking of Chu Lingyun for many years, and now she finally wants to fulfill her wish. In terms of the wedding, she will definitely ask for everything to be perfect, and she doesn't want to let her beloved suffer any grievances.

  It's nothing much.

  But he didn't know if this grand wedding that was carefully prepared with full of expectations would end up being a disaster.

  Chu Yuening talked to herself for a long time without getting a response from Chu Jiu Yang, so she turned her head and asked, "Third sister, what are you thinking?"

  "Ah!" Chu Nanyang came back to his senses, holding the hot tea in his hand and taking another sip, before smiling and saying, "I was thinking that next May, our East Palace residence might also need some repairs somewhere?"

  As he spoke, he began to glance around him with an air of having something important on his mind.

  Chu Yuening was perplexed and furrowed her brow: "It's perfectly fine, what needs fixing?"

  Chu Youyang blinked her eyes, smiled slyly, and suddenly leaned in front of her, saying in a low voice: "Today, the great madam returned to the Academy's residence, shouldn't it be just for delivering New Year's goods?"

  Chu Yuening saw her mysterious smile, first stunned, then reacted, and suddenly blushed, coquettishly lowering her eyes and saying: "I don't know what you're talking about, Third Sister!"

  Chu Nanyang looked at her little red face and couldn't help but smile even more, deliberately speaking slowly, "Then just think I'm talking nonsense, however... yesterday when Madam and Father were talking, I happened to run into them, it seemed like they mentioned a certain Mr. Yao from the Yao family, and Father said..."

  She said, deliberately drawing out her tone.

  Chu Yuening was also young and couldn't help herself, she lifted her head, her expression shy and eager as she stared at his lips, while her hands were nervously fidgeting with her handkerchief, blurting out: "What did Father say about Brother?"

  Chu Nanyang saw her like this and couldn't help but burst out laughing again.

  Chu Yuening suddenly realized she was out of sorts, her small face red to the point of almost bleeding, and with a stomp of her foot, she deliberately turned her back and scolded: "Third sister, you're teasing me again!"

  "What's that? I thought you wanted to know!" Chu Nanyang smiled slightly, unconvinced, and poured himself another cup of tea, savoring it slowly.

  Chu Yuening waited anxiously for a moment, seeing that she didn't seem to have any intention of speaking up again. He couldn't help but turn back to her and called out, "Third Sister!"

  "Want to know?" Chu Nanyang smiled slightly and looked at her.

  Chu Yuening's face was pale, biting her lip tightly without making a sound, but her expression was anxious and nervous.

  Chu Youyang smiled slightly and said: "Father said..."

  Her voice deliberately made a turn, and then saw Chu Yuening's face flush with heat, before she continued to say: "Father said that the young master of the Yao family - actually not bad!"

  Chu Yuening heard this and slowly put down the hand that had been clenched tightly on his chest.

  Chu Songyang saw her expression like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders, and he couldn't help but laugh again, teasingly saying: "This time you're really relieved?"

  Madam Yao's temperament is calm and quiet, and she also does things in a very steady and down-to-earth manner.

  Other people's daughters are either used to climb high branches or to build relationships, just like Lei Ce Fei, who sent her eldest daughter to Ping Guo Gong Fu without regard for anything, and Yao Shi, from the beginning, chose a mother-in-law's family for Chu Yue Ning, which was her own cousin.

  Mr. Yao is a knowledgeable and learned man, considered one of the great Confucian scholars of his time. After the founding of Western Yue, he was appointed to the Imperial Cabinet and enjoyed a period of great prestige, earning the emperor's esteem and trust. However, more than ten years ago, he took early retirement and returned home to live out his days in quiet contentment.

  The young master Yao that Chu Yunyang was talking about is the eldest son of the Yao family, named Yao Jin Xuan. He was also the one whom Chu Yue Ning married in her previous life. Although Chu Yun Yang didn't have much interaction with him, they met once at a wedding and he left a good impression. At first glance, he seemed like a refined and elegant young master from a noble family, with good looks and demeanor, and a humble personality to boot.

  Now that Old Master Yao has stepped down, the Yao family's influence in the imperial court over the past decade has waned to almost nothing, and there is even a trend of being gradually forgotten. For those women in the inner house who are always thinking about climbing up through intrigue and struggle, it is already quite remarkable that Madame can persist in forming this alliance.

  Chu Nanyang was born in March, Chu Yuning is one month younger than her, and next April she will be old enough to wear a hairpin. The madam means that after the new year, they can settle the marriage, and when Chu Yuning comes of age, they can start preparing for the wedding early.

  Yao Jinxuan and Chu Yuening are cousins, so they have met before. Although they are siblings from the same family, being teased by Chu Youyang like this also made them blush.

  Chu Yuening was so embarrassed that she couldn't bear it, and she simply broke out in a loud voice: "Third sister, you can laugh at me now, but the wheel of fortune will turn around, and someday... there will be a day when I'll get my revenge!"

  Chu Youyang shrugged indifferently, not taking her words to heart, but his gaze inadvertently caught a glimpse of a red plum blossom peeking out from behind the wall in the distance, and his thoughts drifted back to the man in crimson clothes standing quietly in the snow that day.

  That day he said ——

  Chu Youyang was slightly distracted, then heard a sharp and delicate female voice laugh and say: "Hey, two sisters are so enthusiastic, why are you brewing tea and admiring the snow here without inviting me?"

  It goes without saying that this is naturally Chu Yu Yan.

  Chu Youyang's thoughts returned, and he slightly averted his gaze without making a sound.

  He Zhuoyan, nowadays doesn't even bother with superficial courtesy.

  Chu Yuening didn't like Chu Yuyan either, but she couldn't bear to hit someone who was smiling at her. She had no choice but to stand up and greet them, "We're just casually sitting down."

  Feeling that the atmosphere between them was not quite right, he added another sentence: "I'm just about to get ready to go back, would you like to come and sit at my place, Fifth Sister?"

  Chu Yu Yan walked into the pavilion, glanced at Chu Mo Yang and then pulled Chu Yue Ning's hand, smiling and saying, "I was originally looking for you, fourth sister. I went to Ya Ting Ju, they said you were out, so I came to find you."

  Chu Yuening was taken aback: "Looking for me?"

  "Yes!" Chu Yu Yan said, smiling and holding her arm, wanting to say something, but when she saw Chu Xuan Yang sitting beside her, she immediately let out a cold hum and said, "Let's go, we'll talk more at your place!"

  Then he dragged Chu Yuening out of the pavilion without saying a word.

  Chu Yuening was pulled by her, with a difficult expression, she turned back three times in one step.

  Chu Xiangyang smiled slightly at her, indicating that it was okay, and then saw the two of them chattering away as they walked off into the distance.

  Qīng Téng stood behind, coldly snorting: "No need to be overly polite!"

  Chu Youyang curved his lips and raised an eyebrow, casting a sideways glance at Qing Luan with a hint of meaning.

  "Yes, County Master!" Qing Luan responded, and with a flash of her body, she chased after the two in the direction they had just walked.

  Chu Youyang sat in the pavilion, motionless, and slowly brewed a cup of tea to sip while gazing at the snowy scene. He didn't let Qingteng clean up until nearly noon before heading back.

  Soon after returning to Jinhuatang, Qing Luan also hurried back.

  Chu Youyang put down the book in his hand and looked up: "How is it?"

  "Chu Yu Yan has been going to Ya Ting Ju to ask the Fourth Miss for embroidery lessons, and just left." Qing Luan said, her eyes deepening, with a hint of icy sarcasm at the corners of her lips, continuing, "Before she left, she borrowed a pouch that the Fourth Miss always wears on her person!"

  "What's in the bag?" Chu Nianyang stroked the neat handwriting on the book with his fingers, savoring a smile.

  "Yes!" Qing Luan nodded, emphasizing deliberately, "Not a new one, but the one that the Fourth Master has always carried with him personally!"

  Chu Yuening was a talented lady brought up by Mrs. Jingda, proficient in playing the zither, chess, calligraphy and painting, and also skilled in needlework and embroidery, so it would not be unusual if Chu Yuyan really wanted to ask her for advice on something.

  "Got it!" Chu Nanyang thought for a moment, then shook his head with a faint smile. After a brief pause, he came back to himself and asked again, "Has there been any unusual activity around Chu Lingyun recently?"

  "There's nothing special." Qing Luan shook her head, "Our people have been secretly keeping an eye on her, and after she left the palace that day, she hasn't come out of the Wang Fu again, she's been preparing for marriage in peace."

  Chu Yu Yan was jumping up and down, but now the one who should be anxious and flustered, Chu Ling Yun, had a calm and composed demeanor?

  When things go against the norm, it's ominous!

  It seems that the long-awaited good show is finally about to begin.

  "Alright, keep an eye on her then." Chu An Yang smiled and waved his hand at Qing Luan.

  Qing Luan didn't say much either, nodded and retreated.

  The next few days were still calm and peaceful.

  On the sixteenth day of the twelfth lunar month, a lucky day according to the Yellow Calendar, Princess Anle, the most beautiful woman in the capital city, got married.

  The two royal mansions were decorated overnight, and the next morning, the people of the city found that the entire street where the wedding procession had to pass was covered with red carpets. The doors of the civilian houses and wine shops on both sides of the road were adorned with uniform red lanterns, stretching for miles. The whole scene was filled with a festive atmosphere, decorating half of the capital city.

  Chu Lingyun got married, and as a member of the same clan, the East Palace naturally had to offer congratulations. As her older female cousin, she couldn't help but go to her boudoir to chat and make merry for a while.

  Chu Lingyun sat in front of the mirror, wearing a bright red wedding dress, as a group of bridesmaids helped her with her makeup. The bright red wedding dress was embroidered with a flying phoenix pattern, dazzling and eye-catching, luxurious and unmatched.

  Chu Yu Yan's eyes lit up as soon as she saw the clothes, and she couldn't help but walk forward to touch them. She said enviously: "I remember that this fabric seems to be from a batch of Shu brocade tribute goods sent into the palace two years ago?"

  "The young lady has a great eye for things." The maid, Zixi, who was serving beside her, said with a hint of pride and boasting, "This batch of fabric was made by one of the best weavers at that time, and this particular pattern is only available in two pieces. Even the Empress Dowager wanted it, but the Queen Mother didn't want to give it away, so she specially kept it for our young lady as her wedding dress."

  The output of Shu brocade is scarce, and only a few pieces are presented as tribute each year. Moreover, due to the special nature of this fabric, the dyeing and printing techniques in Xiyue are also very limited, and those with good coloration are even more rare. The wedding dress on Chu Lingyun's body can be considered a top-grade product.

  "The Empress Dowager still favors Eldest Sister the most, after all." said Chu Yuexian, her words were complimentary, but her tone was clearly sour.

  Chu Lingyun smiled slightly, her smile was warm and bright, but not showy.

  Then, suddenly, a slightly discordant female voice laughed and said: "No matter how beautiful the wedding dress is, it can't compare to this wonderful marriage bestowed by the Emperor. Elder sister and Su Shi are a perfect match made in heaven, with talent and beauty. This clothing, no matter how luxurious, is just adding flowers to brocade."

  The one speaking was a delicate and pretty young girl in pink, her face somewhat similar to that of Chu Lingyue. Although she wasn't as stunningly beautiful as Chu Lingyue, she was still exceptionally lovely, a beauty in the making.

  She was the Second Princess of Nanhe Wangfu, a two-year-younger concubine daughter named Chuxi Lingxu.

  The atmosphere in the room was momentarily stagnant, and everyone's expression was slightly strange.

  Chu Youyang's hand paused slightly as he poured tea, and he subconsciously glanced over.

  Others were unclear, but she saw clearly, Chu Lingyun's originally smiling face stiffened slightly.

  Chu Youyang couldn't help but smile to himself, thinking that Chu Lingxiu was just being sour and jealous. But the next moment, he saw the woman's eyes flicker with a sly glint as she continued, "You say it isn't so, big sister?"

  The last two words seemed to be a tender and affectionate rebuke, but the tone was deliberately raised at the end, clearly conveying a provocative meaning to Chu Jiu Yang.

  Chu Youyang's heart moved slightly, and he couldn't help but raise his eyes to look at her again.

  Chu Lingxiu looked at Chu Lingyun, with a radiant smile that illuminated everything around her.

  Chu Lingyun's gaze turned cold for a moment, but in the end, she didn't say anything and just smiled faintly as she shifted her line of sight.

  She is dissatisfied with this marriage and doesn't even want to pretend to agree.

  Then the phoenix coronet was brought out, and everyone couldn't help but flatter again.

  Chu Nanyang sat far away from her, sipping tea and watching the commotion in the new house with a faint smile, without any intention of joining in.

  Chu Lingxiu was left standing aside, biting her lips secretly, then quickly put on a smiling face and joined in.

  Chu Yuening stepped out of the crowd and sat down beside Chu Xiangyang, saying in a low voice: "This Chu Lingxiu's mother is favored, but the Princess of Nanhe doesn't like them, mother and daughter. Because Anle, the elder sister, has not married yet, she uses her seniority to suppress them, never mentioning the proposal of marriage. The younger daughters are still young, so it's okay for them, but Chu Lingxiu was delayed!"

  In a noble family in Western Vietnam, girls are generally around 13 or 14 years old when they start arranging marriages, and after coming of age, they have to take care of wedding matters.

  Chu Lingxiu will be seventeen this New Year's.

  At the age of two, for a girl, it is already considered precious and rare, no wonder she would have deep resentment. Probably also hard to get an opportunity, this can not help but come to add trouble to Chu Lingyun on this happy day.

  Thinking of Chu Lingyun's expression just now, Chu Mianyang's eyes seemed to be a little deeper, and he smiled, but didn't say much.

  Here, Chu Lingyun still had many things to prepare, and after making a fuss for a while, everyone took the initiative to bid farewell.

  Chu Youyang blended into the crowd and walked out, while Zi Xuan took Ya Tou to collect the tea cups from the table next to them.

  Just now everyone was talking a lot, and the tea was mostly untouched, but I don't know what happened. The little girl holding the tray suddenly exclaimed and lost her balance, and with a flick of her arm, she sent the tray flying forward.

  A group of people next to me were rushing out in a hurry, the place was narrow, and it was too late to avoid them.

  Chu Youyang gazed in the direction where the teacup had flown up.

  Not towards himself, but instead in the direction of Chu Yuening.

  Of course, Chu Yuening was not the only victim. Several girls were also splashed with dirty water and the room suddenly erupted in a chorus of shocked cries.

  That little girl knew she had made a mistake and hastily knelt down, repeatedly knocking her head: "I deserve to die! I deserve to die!"

  "Shut up! On such a happy day, what nonsense are you talking about!" Auntie Gu, who had come over to help out with the wedding temporarily, scolded.

  That girl's face turned pale and she hastily shut her mouth.

  They came out to attend a wedding banquet in high spirits, but encountered such an event. Several women with stained clothes were furious and yet unable to vent their anger.

  Mrs. Gu came over with a smile to apologize, saying: "This little girl is so careless, I'm really sorry, Ziyu, you take the guests to the side room to change their clothes."

  Usually when attending such banquets, each family's young ladies would bring spare clothes in their carriages for emergencies.

  The South River King's Mansion is currently holding a wedding celebration, and it would be inconvenient for everyone to investigate further.

  The aunt saw off the crowd and turned back to scold the little girl: "What's going on?"

  "Slave - slave - " The little girl wanted to confess her mistake, but was afraid of being rude, so she just tearfully said, "The slave also doesn't know, there were many people in this room just now, it seems like someone stepped on the slave's skirt."

  "Mother Gu, let's just drop it for today. Send her away and have two more agile ones come over to serve."

  When getting married, there are taboos everywhere, and Auntie Gu didn't say anything, just waved her hand to dismiss the person.

  Taking advantage of Gu's mother being distracted, Zi Xiu quickly gave Chu Lingyun a signal.

  Chu Lingyun turned back in front of the copper mirror, and slightly shook her head almost imperceptibly.

  Zi Xuan was stunned for a moment and couldn't react for a while.

  Chu Lingyun spoke up, "Auntie Gu, there's nothing much for me to do here, why don't you go ahead and help the Empress Dowager receive the guests? There are a lot of people visiting today and she can't handle it all by herself."

  Gu's mother thought that there was nothing else to do here for the time being, so she agreed.

  As soon as she left, Chu Lingyun supported her forehead with a somewhat listless expression and waved her hand, saying, "I've been sitting for half a day now, I'm a bit tired. It's still early, I'll take a nap for half an hour, you all come back later."

  The bridesmaid naturally wouldn't go against her wishes, so after saying some auspicious words she took her leave and exited the room.

  Zi Xiu immediately came up and anxiously said: "Young Mistress, the guest room has been arranged, are you going to give up halfway?"

  "Hmph!" Chu Lingyun let out a cold laugh from her nose, her red lips curved up even more, making her look even more seductive and mysterious. She said coldly, "I've thought about it, taking action over there would be easy to startle the snake in the grass, I'd better choose someone else!"

  "What?" Zi Xue was shocked and couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat. "At this time, where are you going..."

  "This is none of your business!" Chu Lingyun coldly interrupted her words, "You go and call back Zi Wei first, lest you stir up unnecessary trouble."

  "Good!" Zi Xue knew her temper, once decided, she wouldn't change it. She walked two steps and suddenly turned back, saying, "What's that up ahead..."

  "We won't intervene, let them make a scene on their own!" Chu Lingyun said, "The more noise they make, the more beneficial it is for me."

  Zi Xiu didn't understand what she was up to either, but knew that time was of the essence and quickly went to deliver a message to Zi Wei.

  After she left, Chu Lingyun closed her eyes and rested for a while before calling in Xi Niang to continue making up and dressing her.

  Chu Youyang and his group were led out by Zi Wei from Chu Lingyun's place.

  Chu Yuening shook off the tea stains on her skirt, with a worried look on her face, just about to instruct her maid to go get clothes from the carriage, when Chu Yuyan saw this and came over, smiling, "Fourth sister, you'd better keep your maid by your side to attend to you, I'll help you get it."

  Chu Yuening felt an inexplicable closeness and subconscious vigilance, just as she was about to refuse, Chu Jiong had already taken her hand and said, "I'll accompany you to the guest room and wait for you!"

  Chu Yuening furrowed her brow and endured it silently without making a sound.

  A cold glint flashed across Chu Yu Yan's eyes——

  She knew that Chu Nanyang would be with Chu Yuening together, and indeed it was as expected.

  Ziwei led the group to a courtyard in the southwest corner of the garden, where four ladies had accompanied them. Among them, Chu Yueling's status was the most noble, so she pointed to the house and said: "The two young ladies, please come this way!"

  Chu Yuening didn't think much of it, just about to take a step forward, when Chu Xiangyang smiled and said, "I won't go in after all. There's a pavilion at the corner of the garden where I came from earlier, I'll wait for you there!"

  Ziwei's eyes flashed, but quickly dropped down, hiding the emotions at the bottom of her eyes.

  Chu Yuening nodded and entered the house with Ya Tou's hand in hers.

  Zi Wei pinched her palm with force and calmed down, then led the other three ladies into the house one by one.

  Chu Youyang smiled slightly and turned to leave with Qing Luan, but as soon as they stepped out of the gate, she slowed down her pace and glanced at Qing Luan sideways.

  Qing Luan nodded, snapped his fingers, and a figure emerged from behind the nearby shrubs, it was Lu Yuan who stood beside Chu Yi'an.

  "Go into that courtyard and stare at the fourth sister!" Chu Jinyang instructed, his footsteps continuing forward without stopping.

  Lu Yuan responded with a sound, and his figure flashed and disappeared behind a courtyard next door.

  Chu Youyang took Qingteng into the pavilion.

  In the courtyard, Zǐ Wéi was pacing back and forth with some anxiety.

  They had calculated that Chu Mianyang was overly cautious, and in order to prevent Chu Yuening from getting into trouble, they would definitely follow her into the room. However, they never expected that when it came down to it, the other party suddenly changed their mind, and judging by Chu Mianyang's reaction as he was about to leave, he had already become suspicious.

  Ziwei's heart was uneasy, and she didn't know whether to continue with the plan or not. After some thought, she realized that they had already taken action, and it was too late to turn back. Just as she was about to give a secret signal, Ziyan rushed into the courtyard, grabbing her arm.

  Zi Wei was startled and didn't relax until she saw clearly that it was her: "How did you get here?"

  "The princess said she wouldn't care about things here anymore." Zi Xue said.

  "Why?" Zi Wei let out a low, disbelieving cry, and immediately looked around the room as if there were people everywhere. She quickly covered her mouth with her hand and pulled Zi Xiu two steps to the side, saying "Everyone has already gone in, what's going on?"

  "The princess's meaning, never mind, let's go!" Zi Xue said, and without saying another word, she pulled her wrist and left.

  Chu Yu Yan didn't go to get clothes for Chu Yue Ning, instead she just took a stroll around the garden and when she came back, there was a tall and thin man wearing a moon-white brocade robe by her side.

  The two were originally walking this way with spirit and vigor, but unexpectedly saw Chu Youyang and his servant in the pavilion in the distance. Chu Yuexuan reacted a bit faster, hastily pulling the man to hide behind the fake mountain beside them.

  The man was perplexed and suspiciously asked: "What's wrong?"

  Chu Yu Yan frowned and gazed at the distant pavilion, gritting her teeth in anger, "That dead girl is really cunning, she didn't go in!"

  The man heard and followed her line of sight to look over.

  A girl in a snow-white cloak left only her back in sight, unable to see her specific figure and appearance. Next to her stood a maid in a green dress with a slender figure, vaguely visible with a few hints of elegance.

  The man's eyes flickered, and then he dryly laughed with some trepidation, "In that case, let's just forget it. You also know the Crown Prince's temper, if we were to offend him..."

  "It's come to this, and you want me to back down?" Chu Yuexian glared at him angrily. "Brother-in-law, my mother is your aunt, and now she's having a hard time. You're just standing by and won't even lend a hand with this small matter?"

  The young man was the second son of the Taichang Temple, Lei Jia's family, Chu Yuexian's uncle, Lei Xuyue. He often fought cocks and walked dogs, a typical example of an idle rich young master who didn't learn or work.

  "I didn't say I wouldn't help." Lei Xu's expression was awkward, and he rubbed his hands together in distress, "But this Junyang County Master..."

  Chu Youyang was Chu Yi'an's eyeball, and this tiger whisker, he still didn't dare to pull it out casually.

  "Hmph!" Chu Yuexian snorted, a cold smile spreading from the corner of her lips. "Don't worry, with this kind of scandal, even if it's just for the sake of that dead girl's reputation, Father won't pursue it. And you didn't do anything wrong, you were just trying to save someone. Father can't blame you for that. After all, our two families are related by marriage, and we have to consider each other's face."

  Lei Xu still hesitated a bit.

  Chu Yu Yan coldly said, "You lost the deed to our land in a gamble last time, and it's still in my mother's hands. Brother, you don't want me to tell Uncle about this, do you? If he finds out that you wasted one night at the gambling den and lost one-third of the Lei family's property, how do you think he'll deal with you?"

  thunderstruck

  His own father would have reacted in a certain way, but as for his grandfather, he must have been furious and would have broken his leg and expelled him from the family.

  Now he is being driven by Chu Yuanyan like a duck on the shelf, but as soon as I think of Chu Yi'an's character, my heart still has lingering fears.

  Chu Yu Yan pinched his handle and wasn't afraid that he would regret it, she just said: "You wait for me here, I'll go lure her into the yard."

  Lei Xu's face turned pale and he gritted his teeth in response.

  Chu Yu Yan tidied up her clothes and walked out.

  Fortunately, she had prepared early and had already deceived Chu Yuening's personal belongings in her hands.

  Lei Xu's mind was struggling fiercely, thinking thrice and still feeling that he couldn't rush onto Chu Yi'an's knife tip, his heart made a decision and he quickly turned to leave, but before he could even turn around, he felt a numbness at the back of his neck, followed by his body going limp and fainting.

  Chu Yu Yan made a gesture as if she had just come from that direction, and walked quickly towards the pavilion.

  Chu Youyang heard her footsteps and turned around, but didn't say a word, simply gazing at her with a leisurely expression.

  "Ah, you're here!" Chu Yuanyan said, not minding her attitude and directly entered the pavilion. She pulled out a handbag from her sleeve and handed it over: "Here, this is Fourth Sister's handbag, I just forgot to give it to her earlier. I have something else to attend to, so I'll leave first, you go return it to her!"

  But he was calm and composed, with no guilt in his heart.

  Chu Youyang glanced at the purse.

  Qing Luan's eyes flashed with a cold light beside him, just about to say something, Chu Sunyang had already spoken up and said, "Qing Luan, put it away first!"

  "Yes, young mistress!" Qing Luan's heart was filled with worry as she carefully accepted the bundle.

  Chu Yu Yan's gaze swept over him again with a hint of mystery, then she puffed out her chest and turned to leave with an air of confidence.

  "It was she who borrowed it from the mistress of the four counties a few days ago!" As soon as she left, Qing Luan immediately turned cold and said that he wanted to check the bundle.

  "Ah!" Chu Nanyang raised his hand to stop her, also keeping a respectful distance from that thing.

  The master and servant both had their guard up, so after taking out the pouch from Chu Yuexian, they held their breath and remained silent.

  After a moment of contemplation, Chu Youyang suddenly flipped his hand and tossed the package to the top of the pavilion's horizontal beam, putting it away in a high loft.

  "Go ahead and take a look, Lord Yanling should also come to congratulate today, please invite him for me." Chu Jiu Yang said, shaking open her skirt and sitting down on a stone bench, instructing, "Remember not to disturb the others!"

  "Yes, I understand!" Qing Luan replied cautiously and had just turned around when she heard a muffled groan from behind the fake mountain not far away.

  Qing Luan suddenly withdrew her attention, gathered her internal energy and sprinted several steps forward. She raised her hand and chopped towards the figure behind the fake mountain.

  He didn't want that person's movements to be faster than hers, and before her palm wind approached, he first used his arm to block her palm force.

  Qing Luan's heartstrings tightened suddenly, and he was about to add another move when the person didn't intend to flee, but instead suddenly flashed out from behind the rocks.

  She was a woman dressed in a servant's uniform with a bun on her head, completely unremarkable.

  Qing Lian was afraid she would be unfavorable to Chu Muyang, so she raised her hand and went to grab her shoulder.

  But then the woman's voice was calm and called out: "Young Mistress!"

  Chu Liuyang arrived soon after, and with a slight glance, she recognized her. With a swift motion, she raised her hand to stop Qing Luan's action: "Halt! It's one of us!"

  Qing Luan was taken aback, although he withdrew his hand in time, but his heart remained on guard.

  Because the Nanhe Wangfu was also heavily guarded, Chu Jiu Yang, although he had asked Lu Yuan to stay by his side with Chu Yi An, did not dare to openly arrange too many people to ambush, let alone ——

  She also didn't know when Chu Yi'an had such a top-notch female dark guard by his side.

  Qing Lian took a step forward, and suddenly asked: "Ying Zi?"

  "County Master!" Ying Zi nodded slightly to her, and directly said to Chu Sunyang, "My master was worried that something would happen today, so he ordered us servants to sneak in two days ago to respond, just in case."

  Yanling Jun's arrangement?

  It's all thanks to him that he thought of it, and I reckon he calculated it accurately. In order to prepare for this grand wedding, the Nanhe Wangfu must be in an uproar, with no time to spare for anything else. Indeed, on this day, disguising two inconspicuous maids or young servants to sneak in would not be easily detected.

  Chu Mo Yang slightly raised an eyebrow and gave her a questioning look.

  Yingzi Huiyi, with a flash of her body, led him behind the fake mountain.

  Lei Xu and Chu Yu Yan both had been knocked down by her and were unconscious.

  "These two people are sneaking around here with ill intentions!" Ying Zi said.

  Chu Youyang's gaze swept across the two of them, and he already had a general idea in his mind.

  Chu Yu Yan suddenly brought a strange man over, the purpose is self-evident.

  Ying Zi saw her silence and hesitated for a moment before saying, "If it's inconvenient for the young mistress, I can handle this matter!"

  Is this considering Chu Yu Yan and what is she exactly to her?

  "No need, I'll handle it myself!" Chu Nanyang raised his hand to interrupt her, thought for a moment and asked, "Will your master be coming over today?"

  "Yes!" Ying Zi said.

  "That's just right, I have a bit of a problem here that only he can solve. Go and ask him to come over for me." said Chu Jiu Yang.

  Mingzi did things without asking for a reason, and with just a slight nod, she disappeared into the depths of the garden without saying another word.

  Qing Luan gazed at the two people lying on the ground, her eyes rising with a surge of murderous intent. She spoke coldly: "County Princess, how should these two be dealt with?"

  This Chu Yu Yan really doesn't know how to live or die, actually using such a despicable trick.

  Chu Youyang smiled calmly and said, "This place is not bad, let them sleep for a while, we'll go take a look at the courtyard first."

  Qing Luan cast a disgusted glance at the two of them before following Chu Muyan back to the courtyard.

  At that time, the other three ladies in the courtyard had already changed their clothes and left.

  Chu Youyang stepped into the courtyard, his footsteps hesitating for a moment. Lu Yuan had already descended from behind the roof, and with a casual flick of his wrist, he tossed a small figure to the ground.

  That man had an unimpressive appearance, with a sly brow and beady eyes. He was wearing the attire of a servant from the South River Wang Manor, gagged and bound into a ball by Lu Yuan. With a terrified expression, he stared at Chu Sunyang, making whimpering sounds as if wanting to say something.

  "He was caught behind the house!" Lu Yuan explained.

  Chu Nanyang didn't ask further and instead walked past him to look at the door behind him: "What's going on inside the house?"

  Someone in the house has been drugged with a powerful anesthetic, the Fourth Mistress has fainted, but she's all right for now! said Lu Yuandao.

  It's obvious, if she followed him in, it would be no surprise that they would both end up on the ground together. Then Chu Yuexia brings Lei Xu over and makes some noise, and no matter what happens, it can't be explained?

  But if he was just being true to himself, how could it be directed at Chu Yue Ning?

  Moreover, she didn't even enter this room afterwards. If it were Chu Lingyue's doing, she shouldn't have just stood by and done nothing!

  Chu Youyang's brow furrowed slightly as he asked Lu Yuan again, "Are the other rooms okay?"

  "No!" Lu Yuan shook his head.

  "Alright..." Chu Mo Yang nodded his head and thought for a moment before saying, "You two go move Fourth Sister to the house next door first."

  "Yes!" The two of them took orders and helped move Chu Yuening and the fainted maid to a room on the side.

  The young master didn't idle about either, and just then walked over, removing the tattered cloth tied around that person's mouth.

  That man was terrified, trembling with fear, and stuttered: "Spare my life! M-mistress, spare my life!"

  Chu Youyang suddenly smiled and said with a warm and gentle smile: "Do you recognize me?"

  The man was startled and suddenly realized he had misspoken, his face turned deathly pale, and his eyes darted about in embarrassment, unsure of how to respond.

  He was terrified and thought quickly about how to come up with an excuse to get out of trouble.

  Then Chu Zhenyang didn't ask a single word and just waited patiently with great endurance.

  It wasn't long before Lu Yuan and the others had settled in, and Chu Yueling returned.

  Lu Yuan thought she was interrogating the man, so he said: "I've already asked him, but he won't say anything. However, judging from his attitude, it's likely that someone arranged for an insider to send a signal to lure people over."

  His heart skipped a beat and his face turned several shades whiter.

  Chu Youyang didn't ask anything else and simply stretched out his hand towards Lu Yuan: "Do you have any equipment on you? Lend it to me for a bit!"

  Lu Yuan was taken aback, but still instinctively pulled out a dagger from his boot and handed it over.

  Chu Youyang crouched on the ground, flipping the dagger in his hand, and smiled with a benevolent expression.

  That man was stared at by her like that, and involuntarily swallowed two mouthfuls of saliva, stuttering: "Young lady, I-I-I say-"

  "Hush!" Chu Nanyang, however, lightly waved her hand to interrupt him, and smiled warmly, "What role you play for others, I don't want to know. But now, I need to use you a bit, bear with it..."

  Before his words had fallen, he turned over and inserted the dagger downwards.

  "Ah——" The man let out a blood-curdling scream, causing the eaves of the house to tremble and even the unmelted icicles to quiver.

  "What's going on?" A man and a woman who had been waiting behind the bamboo forest in the backyard exchanged a glance, "Didn't we say to take the girl's shout as a signal?"

  "This is the Nanhe Wangfu, it's unlikely that anything will go wrong!" The woman's gaze sank, and she thought for a moment before saying, "Follow the plan, you go first!"

  The man weighed it briefly in his mind and also felt that nothing was likely to go wrong, so he swung the wine cup in his hand, flipped up the corner of his robe, and rushed towards the courtyard where the miserable cry came from with two close servants.

  He walked very quickly, and with a pre-calculated timeline, but in the blink of an eye he had already rushed into the courtyard.

  He could have taken another step forward into the courtyard, but instead he stood there in a daze.

  The yard was empty and roughly as expected, but in the middle of the yard lay a man in casual clothes, with a pool of blood under him, still gushing out from the top of his thigh.

  The doors of several rooms inside were all closed tightly, and for a moment it was really impossible to distinguish what had happened.

  The young man vigilantly took a deep breath, and the little servant beside him had already gone forward to check the man's injuries. Just as he bent down, he heard a clear and crisp female voice behind him laugh and say: "No need to check, just lost some blood, too timid, fainted!"

  The man suddenly turned around with a buzz in his head.

  But then he saw Chu Ziyang walk in with a smile, wiping the bloody dagger in his hand with a handkerchief.

  The man's face sank, and he almost stumbled backward a step, with countless question marks piling up in his mind, blurting out: "How did you end up here?"

  "The Second Young Master of Dingbei Manor!" Chu Jinyang slowly exhaled, "Although I didn't expect to meet you here, but since you've come all the way here, isn't it precisely for... an 'encounter' with me?"

  She deliberately emphasized the pronunciation of "chance encounter", two words steady and powerful, as if they were knocking on people's hearts.

  The second son of Dingbei Gongfu, Zhang Yunjian, is also a useless and uneducated young master. However, compared to Lei Xu, he is at least superior in terms of family background. If something really happens, even the emperor may not be able to refuse. Moreover, Zhang Yunjian's appearance is quite good-looking, so even if he has been indulging in romantic affairs for years, outsiders would only laugh and say that he is young and charming.

  Whether it was Chu Lingyun's intention or Su Wei's arrangement, they had both put in a lot of thought.

  Zhang Yun Jian was just a spoiled brat, and when Chu Mo Yang blocked his way, he couldn't help but panic. He stammered: "I don't know what you're talking about, I just happened to be walking nearby and heard someone screaming, so I came over to take a look. Since it's the county princess here, then I won't disturb her."

  He said, and was about to rush out of the door.

  Chu Youyang smiled and raised his hand, the dagger in his hand had a sharp blade, Zhang Yunjian almost rushed forward in an instant.

  "What are you doing?" Zhang Yunjian was blocked by her, with a gloomy gaze.

  "May I ask for your help!" Chu Nanyang said.

  "What can I help you with?" Zhang Yunjian's heart was racing, he just wanted to leave quickly and impatiently said: "I've already explained very clearly, I'm just passing by occasionally, what else do you want to do?"

  "Coincidence?" Chu Yan Yang's eyes turned cold, as if the good temper from before had vanished in an instant. Suddenly, his tone changed and he said in a cold voice, "There are thousands of coincidences under the sky. Since you coincidentally fell into my hands, then it can only be considered bad luck for you!"

  Zhang Yun was shocked for a moment, and before he could react, the next moment he heard Chu Youyang suddenly shouting: "Take him down for Ben Gong!"

  Digression

  Covering face, it's already the second day and I'm even later, today I'll post an extra thousand words, please forgive me~

  Then, there are a bit too many people involved in this bureau's war, and the relationships are a bit complicated. It hasn't been fully explained yet, to be continued next chapter~

  P.S: That little monster who always secretly comes to subscribe and vote, come out and play when you have time, I thought I was abandoned wuwuwu~