CH 58

The Liu family committed a crime in those years, and implicated the Lu family, making her grandfather lose a large amount of money in vain. Now Miantang, with a different surname, comes back to be a freeloader.

Lu Qingying, like her mother, was not very happy when they thought of this.

Look at the two servant girls in Miantang’s yard. They are more ostentatious than the official Lady of the Lu family. For a moment, Lu Qingying was even more unhappy.

So when she got into the room, she looked around. When she saw the new quilt cover and the creased curtain, she felt that she had been taken advantage of.

However, Quan is slightly calm which is better than her daughter. She is just like her husband, Lu Mu, who is good at surface skills.

Therefore, when the Second Aunt came into the room and took Miantang’s hand, she asked her about her experiences in recent years with a face of feeling sorry.

Miantang’s experiences were all unspeakable. She just said according to her grandfather and uncle’s agreed version that she was seriously ill, had no clear mind, and could not remember many things. She asked to stay at a famous doctor’s home for the past two years to recuperate.

After evading her Aunt with a few words, Miantang had nothing to say.

The rest is to listen to her Aunt keeping her countenance asking how much money she earned from reselling things when she was in the Northwest before.

Miantang felt that these words were so tactful that it’s not what her Second Aunt could figure out and ask. It was probably her Second Uncle who wanted to know, so he sent her Second Aunt to ask.

She smiled and did not reveal the truth. Although her Grandfather scolded her and didn’t want her money, she was duty bound to revitalize the Lu Family Escort Agency. There were too many places that required money.

Yesterday, she came out of her Grandfather’s study to have dinner with everyone. She heard her Second Uncle mention briefly that he has started a tobacco business with a noble man, but he lacks some capital and can only stare at others to make money.

However, in accordance with the past practice, her Second Uncle should most likely clash with the God of Wealth and suffer losses most of the time than earning when doing business. If she revealed her total earnings in the Northwest and her Second Uncle opened his mouth to borrow money from her, she would not be able to evade it.

Her Second Uncle did not expect that after a few years of absence, Miantang became more and more cautious with her words. The 19-year-old girl was as steady as a woman in her thirties. Seeing that she is unable to open Miantang’s mouth for a moment, she explained the difficulties of the Lu Mansion and the hardships of having more people to eat.

Miantang took advantage of Quan’s sighing, handed the prepared envelope to Quan, and said, “Second Aunt, I’m staying in my Second Uncle’s yard now, and I have to spend money on eating and drinking. These are some money my mother left me in those years. They are not much, but there are also enough for my spending currently. In case everyone has trouble and frugally to have meat dishes for my return, please accept them, Second Aunt.”

After Quan took it over, she said Miantang was too outspoken, but her finger poked the envelope and took a quick glance. It was shocking when she saw it was a hundred taels of silver note.

Quan didn’t expect Miantang to be so generous, and she pushed the envelope back with a smile on her face.

Miantang had to follow her to make modesty. She has to only say that yesterday she heard that her Second Uncle was going to do business, and she can treat part of the money as an investment to become a shareholder before Quan accepted.

Miantang did not want to live as a freeloader, which surprised Quan and even her cousin showed a smile on her face.

However, no matter how Quan asked about the dividend of Northwest reselling, Miantang always talked about other things and didn’t answer.

When her cousin asked her if her marriage got any news, Miantang smiled again and said, “I just came home, and I want to be filial to my grandfather. The marriage is not urgent…”

After listening to this, Quan said, “How can you stop worrying? You are 19 years old. If you don’t marry, you will have no choice. But don’t worry. Your Big Aunt and I will also think about it. Let me show you better ones.”

After all, she is with a different surname. It’s always inappropriate to stay here. Quan, who is her Aunt, sincerely hopes Miantang can marry off.

Now that they talked about the marriage of the daughters, they naturally talked about the marriage that Lu Qingying wanted to see recently.

Next, Lu Qingying took the lead and showed off to Miantang that her grandfather, the County Magistrate, arranged a marriage to connect her.

When it was said that the Su family would come to visit her in a few days, Lu Qingying blushed slightly and could not hide her excitement.

Miantang smiled and listened to the show-off between the mother and daughter, but she sighed in her heart.

No wonder the old people said to go to the outer world and take a look at the bigger world. It will changes the view of people and things differently.

She used to think that her Second Aunt could speak and understand, and be friendly. But now she felt that the official family members who have been promoted in the way are not as dignified as an old servant in the Royal residence.

It’s no wonder that Servant Li always looks at her unfavorably and wants to scold her when she gets the chance…

In Quan’s overwhelming show-off, Miantang was temporarily distracted.

The family chat ended when Quan suddenly remembered that the window paper in his yard had not been changed.

The future in-laws may arrive at some time. She has to command the old servant to change the window paper in front of the door full of distinguished guests. She then gets up and asks her daughter to go back.

However, there were so many things like changing window paper in her room that there was not enough staff. Finally, Quan asked for help from the two maids who were seconded to Miantang.

Bi Cao spoke straightly and asked Quan, “We are both gone. Who will serve the lady?”

Her words immediately aroused Quan’s angry eyes. Lu Qingying was also not very happy, “I just asked you to do some chores, not taking you forever. Shouldn’t it be that my cousin can’t pour herself a cup of water without you?”

Miantang smiled a little and said calmly, “Second Aunt doesn’t know. My hands and feet hurt a few years ago, so I can’t use my strength. It hurts so much that I can’t carry a jug of water. The servants around me know my problem… But it doesn’t matter if I don’t drink water for a long time. Just ask them to help you…”

Lu Qingying was hated. This time Miantang came back and somehow became much quieter. So that the Second Lady Lu almost forgot what kind of person she was actually.

When she was young, because she was jealous that Miantang wore the same skirt as her, but she was better looking, Lu Qingying encouraged her brother, Lu Zhifu, to bully Miantang and came out with the idea of throwing mud into her skirt.

At that time, Miantang just laughed as she does now. And then, she doesn’t know how Miantang makes it. She cheated her and her brother to the edge of the garden gardener’s pit where fertilizers for potted flowers were piled up.

An eleven-year-old girl poked both of them into the stinking flower pit with a bamboo pole and slapped her butt with a bamboo pole to prevent her from standing up.

It was not until the adults heard the crying that they came to their rescue. Miantang was also spanked by her mother. However, Miantang didn’t shed any tears even after being beaten and scolded by the adults. She still stared at them which make her have nightmares when sleeping.

However, since then, Cousin Liu has become more skilled in deceiving people, so that the children in both houses dare not provoke her for no reason.

Now, Lu Qingying was reminded of Miantang’s once similar smile and got a goosebump. She can only turn her words and said, “How can you do without drinking water for a long time…”

Miantang said so, and Quan couldn’t borrow both of her servant girls. So she left Bi Cao behind and took Fang Xie back to the courtyard.

When Quan and her daughter left, Bi Cao couldn’t help muttering to Miantang, “The Old Master said clearly at the dinner table yesterday that the young lady’s daily monthly expenses will be paid by the Old Master. Why did you bother to be so generous and give them so much silver, young lady?”

Miantang smiled and said nothing. Her Second Aunt was just a petty thief. She gave Quan some benefits in exchange for peace. Miantang thought it was a good deal.

However, Fang Xie didn’t come back until nightfall. She didn’t know how much work she had done in the yard of her Second Aunt. She was so tired that she asked Bi Cao to massage her waist.

Miantang asked her about the situation, and Fang Xie whispered, “The Second Madam has been changing her ways to ask about your affairs for the past two years. I only work in silence and did not reply to her. Maybe this action made the Second Madam angry so she asked me to do all the dirty and tiring work. Thankfully Bi Cao is absent, otherwise, she might have said something with her mouth that didn’t guard the door!”

Bi Cao was not convinced, “Why would I leak it? Are you the only one who got the true biography of Servant Li and I don’t understand anything?”

The two girls bickered and didn’t know anything about the rules.

Miantang is too lazy to care about them. She leans on the couch and eats soft and glutinous yellow peach with crystal sugar. However, she sigh with emotions that if Servant Li were here, the two little girls would have to kneel at the head of the well to scoop water and place it on their head heads as punishment

From servant to master, Miantang can’t help but lose her mind for a moment, thinking that whether the Military Master Cui is still camping in the wild or patrolling in the city…

In fact, Military Master Cui was more comfortable than Liu Miantang thought.

There are many barbarian tribes, but they are not monolithic. They are not only stubborn fighters but also eager to make friends with the Great Yan Army and pull down Agu Shanyu.

Cui Xingzhou is now at a banquet held by barbarians to connect the feelings of the tribe.

It was said that the banquet was held in the territory of barbarians. In fact, the desert grasslands around were already in Cui Xingzhou’s hands.

Although this place is not a place where Han people live for a long time, Cui Xingzhou has to prepare some tender strategies to win people’s hearts.

Therefore, Cui Xingzhou is tolerant and friendly to the tribes who do not want to depend on Agufan.

To welcome this distinguished guest, the Barbarian Chaxi Tribe gathered a group of young women from the tribe to dance with the drum beat of the Huqin.

They all wore thin skirts, narrow sleeves, and short clothes, showing a slim waist, and danced beautifully and charmingly.

These days, the Great Yan soldiers of Cui Xingzhou can’t even see any female pigs. Suddenly, there are so many young women in front of them. They really can’t take their eyes off.

However, as the Mashal of Northwest, his visions were a little blurred. He sat on the back of the cowhide chair, and his eyes seemed to go beyond the dancers in front of him…

The accompanied Chaxi leader observed his words and expressions for a long time. Some of them could not hold the mind of this Marshal.

It is reasonable to say that in the Changxi counterattack battle not long ago, the Marshal exterminate 10000 people left over by Agufan in one fell swoop, laying a solid foundation for him to pacify the Northwest. He should be happy.

Now the tribal leaders who wanted to fight for peace with him formed a line, but why did he not smile at such a festive banquet? His eyes looking at the women didn’t even have a slight temperature than the barbecue on the table…

To ingratiate himself with the great general, the leader of Chaxi had done enough homework. He suddenly remembered that he had the reputation of “integrity and strong will”. It suddenly occurred to him that Prince Huaiyang did not deserve a false reputation. He was indeed a master that is hard to please…

However, the leader of Chaxi wanted to try again, and he was still unwilling and said, “The Grand Admiral has been working hard recently. I wonder if you would like to take a bath and have a rest after the banquet. These dancers are young women in the tribe. They are as pure as fresh flowers on the grassland without rain and dew. You can see if you want to pick some to serve you in the bath and have a rest?”

When he said this, the leader of Chaxi was ready to be rejected by Cui Xingzhou.

Unexpectedly, Prince Huaiyang, who was bored staring at the wine glass, suddenly looked up at the girls who smiled at him generously and slowly pointed to one of the slim, plump women with bright features.

Seeing that Cui Xingzhou had not rejected his offer, the leader of Chaxi was also very happy. He immediately asked the girl to come forward and accompany Prince Huaiyang to enter the tent and serve later…

And Mo Ru, who was waiting on the side, also breathed a sigh of relief.

As he said, where isn’t there plenty of fish in the sea?

The Prince was a little freaky a few days ago. He doesn’t play with sandbags anymore. In addition to discussing the military situation with the generals, when he’s alone, he can not talk all day.

Others may not feel anything. But Mo Ru has been around The Prince every day, he is just like a master made by ice for thousands of years and he didn’t have a slight warm temperament.

Mo Ru knows that The Prince’s unusualness must have something to do with the Lady Liu who left.

But in Mo Ru’s opinion, although Lady Liu is beautiful, with her background and experience, being the concubine of The Prince is also considered out of her league.

A handsome and talented man like The Prince, even if he is arrogant in nature, he should be able to recover soon after being defeated by Lady Liu!

Unexpectedly, with the gradual advance of the Northwest Army and farther from the Jinjia Checkpoint, The Prince’s sense of depression became more and more intense.

Just yesterday, when he was washing clothes for The Prince, he carelessly ruined a piece of intimate innerwear. In fact, he can’t be blamed for his strength. It’s really the person who sews the clothes. His hands and feet are too clumsy. The thick stitches can leak rice particles. It can be seen that it was made by Lady Liu.

Mo Ru thought that it was just a piece of rags and it won’t matter. Anyway, he brought a lot of innerwear for The Prince when he packed his luggage.

But the next day, when The Prince changed his clothes, he saw that he had brought new clothes and asked where the old clothes were. When he said that it was ruined when washing, he was so angry that he almost kicked himself into the wild and fed the wolf.

Mo Ru went to the stream skulkingly to find the clothes he threw away and present them to The Prince.

However, The Prince’s temper came and went quickly. He just stared at the shabby innerwear and said after a long time, “Since it’s broken, just throw it. Why do you pick it up?”

His Master is God, and the thunder and rain are all the kindness of the Master. Mo Ru naturally dared not say more. However, he felt that the anger and moodiness of The Prince should be over soon.

Today, at the banquet, he actually picked a beautiful woman. Mo Ru felt gratified. He only thought that once the lotus and brocade tent has been built, when The Prince has been comforted by the soft jade fragrance in other places, everything about Lady Liu can pass without trace, right?

So when The Prince doted on a woman, it was as if he were about to enter the bridal chamber, expecting and nervous.

The candlelight flickered in the Marshal’s tent, and the light didn’t go out all night.

Mo Ru admired The Prince’s physical strength, which was like the endless waves of the River.

On the second day, Mo Ru got up early to boil water and prepared a handkerchief for The Prince to call.

To his surprise, the Lady cried and swollen her eyes, rubbed her hands and wrists, and came out of the tent haggardly.

Mo Ru stared at her for some reason, looking up and down. For a moment, he didn’t know what happened to The Prince yesterday.

The girls in the grassland are somewhat uncivilized and tough. The girl dared not breathe in front of Cui Xingzhou, but she leave no mercy for a servant boy like Mo Ru. She just held her wrist and said, “What are you looking at? Are you going to teach me to write characters for the whole night too? You Han people… Are really… Sick!”

Mo Ru was confused to be scolded. When he entered the tent with a water basin, he found that the desk was full of waste papers. And The Prince lay on the bed with his clothes on, looking straight at the leakage of the tent.

At this moment, he finally understands the meaning of the barbarian woman’s words.

Because they are barbarians, they can’t write Chinese even if they speak it fluently. But looking at the paper on the ground, The Prince taught with great care. The strokes were vigorous in style.

But being forced to write for a whole night… It’s too pitful… No wonder that girl cried till her eyes were swollen…

Mo Ru suddenly understands why The Prince chose that girl. Just because of the girl’s size and nose, she is very similar to Lady Liu. But when The Prince taught Lady Liu to write before, they were lovey-dovey, filled with sweetness. There isn’t a time when The Prince forces people to write to swollen wrists!

How could he have known that The Prince was not better, but was more “ill”.

However, it was hard for a servant like him to say anything. He can only worry.

At this time, Fan Hu, who escorted Miantang back to the State of Xi, came back and said that Miantang had returned to her hometown in the State of Xi.

The Prince called Fan Hu to the Marshal’s tent and listened to Fan Hu’s detailed account of all the wanton and unthinkable actions after Miantang left.

When he was listening, especially when he heard that Miantang used people as sheep to fight against the bandits with lesser people, his handsome face, which had been frozen for a long time, slowly overflowed with some thought-provoking laughter.

At first, it was a very shallow smile, but then he could not restrain himself and suddenly burst into laughter.

This is the first time The Prince smiles these days, and it is still such a pleasant and clear laugh. Seeing The Prince’s laughter without etiquette, Mo Ru and Fan Hu were at a loss. They didn’t know whether it was a good thing or a bad thing.

After a moment of self-laughter, The Prince gradually stopped laughing, his eyes became calm and deep again, and said to Fan Hu, “Take a break today, and go back to the State of Xi tomorrow morning and keep your eyes on Liu Miantang.”

Fan Hu thought that he could finally unload the burden and relax his nerves that has been tight for a long time when he came back. But unexpectedly, he still had to carry on without taking a breath.

If Fan Hu was alone, he actually wanted to cry bitterly. It’s a pity that he was stared at by The Prince’s fierce eyes and could only grit his teeth and accept the task.

But he was a little confused. He used to keep watch on Liu Miantang to follow the vine and catch the villain, but why now? So he carefully asked The Prince what he was looking for when he returned this time.

The Prince did not seem to have a good idea. He just silently looked at the lines of the carpet in the Marshal’s tent.

What is he looking for assigning the task to watch over Miantang? After she left him, she did not eat any lesser, slept less, and still made a fortune.

Now that she has returned to the State of Xi, with family protection, and will not be short of food and clothing.

It seems that Liu Miantang doesn’t even think about him at all.

What about himself? It was still better when he was separated from her in the beginning, but during the night, he remembered her sweet smell and softness, and he couldn’t sleep.

After a while, he will be fine.

However, after a long time, he didn’t feel anxious at night anymore. But his mind was like playing a scene and kept recalling the daily life with Liu Miantang.

However, every time he recalls the little things he had with Lady Liu, he becomes more and more aware of the fact that he had completely broken off contact with her and had nothing to do with her ever since. The warmth, like the washed clothes, can’t be mended anymore…

Yesterday, he asked the woman to his tent. He wanted to have a good vent with her. For women, except for some differences in facial features, which one is not the same?

He always thinks of Liu Miantang. It’s really because he doesn’t taste enough beauty. However, Cui Xingzhou immediately felt wrong when the woman came close to him with a sycophantic smile.

The smell of the powder is too strong, not sweet enough, the smile on the face is too flattering, not devoutly warm, and the voice calling him is too rough, not like the charming and slightly hoarse tone…

In a word, everything didn’t agree with Cui Xingzhou’s taste, which made him lose the slightest interest. Fortunately, the woman had a nose that could barely satisfy his eyes.

So Cui Xingzhou asked her to sit at the table, just looking at her side face, and asked her to take a brush and write at the table…

At that moment, Prince Huaiyang felt as if he was back in the North Street Courtyard of Lingquan Town. The apricot flowers in the courtyard were in full bloom. He sat by and watched Miantang write by the porch window with a brush. She smiled with pink cheeks and bushy hair on her temples. From time to time, she looked up at him and whispered, “Do you think my handwriting is good, Husband?”

Cui Xingzhou clenched his hands. He suddenly felt inexplicable anger. Why did he think about her so much, but she seemed to forget about him!

Is she suffering from amnesia again? There are too many unsettled accounts between him and her. Don’t think of leaving like this, and live the rest of her life carefree!

Thinking of this, Prince Huaiyang slowly told Fan Hu, “You should keep an eye on Liu Miantang, and never allow her to rush to get engaged and married before my triumphant return!”

Fan Hu is now as tough as bamboo after thousands of blows. After hearing The Prince’s unimaginable order, he continued to ask in a deep voice, “If Lady Liu insists on getting married… do I need to tie her up to see Your Highness?”