CH 3.1

“I am afraid that he is not a good person, and the girl has made a wedding dress for others.”

Ruan Longling: “?”

If Ruan Longling’s close elders said that she could ask for the reason behind such words, but the man in front of her was not related to her, this was their first meeting, and with what identity did he have the right to point fingers at her marriage?

Ruan Longling’s engagement with Liu Chengji was a well-known matter in Yangzhou City. If someone asked a woman who was going to marry in the near future if she was making a wedding dress for someone else, wouldn’t it be extremely rude? ‘This man is really crazy!’

“This girl can rest assured that this matter is really not enough to talk to others about.” I will never talk about it when I leave this courtyard.” Li  Zhulin agreed to Ruan Longling’s request.

The one positive impression Ruan Longling had of the man vanished after hearing such offensive statements. She adjusted her expressions to appear normal because, as a merchant, she had learned to hide her true feelings from other people. The polite smile that had been on her lips had nonetheless vanished.

Ruan Longling and Liu Chengji were childhood sweethearts, and she was certain that Liu Chengji would not treat her as the man said. He was not a heartless person. But, Ruan Longling didn’t intend to say those words to the foreigner anymore. So now the only thing she did was hide her anger and thanked him, saying, “That’s it, thank you again, young master.”

After that, Ruan Longling turned her head and walked away since she didn’t want to continue to interact with this disdainful man.

With his head held high and his hands clasped behind his back, the man under the peach blossom tree watched her thin, emerald-green back fade away.

The green-clad figure moved smoothly through the shower of flowers while the pink petals waved in the wind. From time to time, she knelt down, leaned forward, and reached out to pick up the silver coins that were lying on the ground.

With every movement, the graceful curves of the young woman were revealed through the clothes. But such a good-looking woman stretching out her hands to pat the mud on the silver coins gave the feeling that a fairy had fallen from the sky, causing trouble in the mortal world.

The flowers fell into the mud, and the petals were stained.

Seeing the fragile appearance of the woman, Li Zhulin had the desire to protect her from the bottom of his heart. It was a feeling that he had never had for a woman.

Li Zhulin couldn’t help concentrating, and his eyes followed the graceful figure until she disappeared out of his sight after collecting all the silver coins and notes.

A sigh came from behind. It was Li Zhulin’s servant, Yunfeng, who sighed. “My lord, I don’t know if that girl understood your words. Isn’t she just making wedding dresses for others? Liu Chengji has been appointed by my lord to be an official at this time, and now he is very popular in the capital. And he is going to be the son-in-law of the Shangshu Mansion…”

Li Zhulin’s eyes fell on the chair in the courtyard, which was no longer beautiful.

“It’s about love. This girl is really miserable. Liu Chengji concealed his marriage contract and wanted to climb into the high branches of the Shangshu Mansion, while his aunt was tricky and mean, trying to deny the debt… Poor girl. She has no brother or father, and no one to stand up for her, and she has to face everything alone.” The servant’s mouth didn’t stop working. “My lord, our trip was in vain,” he said again.

The Young Emperor was too young to be in charge of the court, and all matters related to this year’s imperial examinations were handled by Li Zhulin, the chief assistant of the court.

Among the top three, he was quite impressed by Liu Chengji’s articles. Not only were his viewpoints vicious and novel, but they were written penetratingly and thoroughly.

It was rare for him to have the heart to support him, so Li Zhulin went to Liu’s residence to investigate. Who knew, he would run into the scene where Ruan Longling came to collect debts just now?

Li Zhulin: “People go to high places, but water flows to low places. If Liu Chengji wants to make achievements in officialdom, marrying a merchant girl will not help him.”

After the late Emperor passed away, everything turned upside down. The new Emperor was very young, so others were eyeing the throne. Li Zhulin, as the uncle of the young emperor, used thunderous tricks to support the young emperor born to his sister.