lcionline Chapter 379
Chapter 379
Thinking of this, and then listening to what the Marquis' wife said, she only raised her lips and smiled faintly - what kind of affection could there be between her and Lu Chaochao? It was nothing more than mutual calculation. Naturally, she would not say these words to the Marquis' wife. At the moment, she only said: "Aunt is right. Sister Zhao's Lu family has deep roots in Ping'an County. The uncles and aunts in the clan will certainly not treat her badly. Aunt, please don't worry."
Seeing her trying to comfort herself, the hidden meaning in her words made the Marquis slightly embarrassed. Luo Shuiyao didn't know the true situation, but she knew it—Lu Zhaozhao's return to the Lu family would most likely result in a hastily arranged marriage, to a family familiar to the Lu family. With her pride, how could she willingly accept such manipulation? But how could she say these words to Luo Shuiyao? She could only nod lightly and force a faint smile, but it was inevitably a bit forced.
Luo Shuiyao observed her expression but feigned obliviousness. She found the original novel's heroine's departure from the capital quite baffling, but since the Marquis's wife had been so frank, she assumed she had no intention of deceiving her. As her shock subsided, she gradually relaxed, though a lingering suspicion remained: Given Lu Zhaozhao's scheming and scheming, how could she willingly submit to an order to return home?
When she was reading the novel before she traveled here, she was so focused on the heroine's rising career that she didn't consider why she chose to stay at the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery's mansion despite having her mother's family. Now that she was in the middle of the situation, she naturally had to ponder it more. Although she didn't know the details, she could guess a few things: Lu Zhaozhao's mother must have had a rift with her mother's family or her husband's family, forcing her to entrust her only orphan daughter to the care of a so-called close friend. Since Lu Zhaozhao had rushed to the capital after her mother's death, it meant that her father's family could not tolerate her. Now that she had been deported, who knew what the outcome would be?
Come to think of it, it shouldn’t be much better.
Seeing that she had said everything she needed to say, the Marquis's wife looked out the window at the sky, then stood up and said, "It's getting late. There are still matters to be dealt with at the mansion, and it's time for my aunt to go back."
Luo Shuiyao hurriedly stood up to see her off. The Marquis' wife didn't stop them, and the two of them left the house together. Aunt Sang had already been waiting outside with a group of maids. Luo Shuiyao looked up and saw that the maids were all holding things in their hands. Her eyes flickered slightly, but she looked at the Marquis' wife with a puzzled expression: "Aunt, what is this?"
The Marquis's wife seemed to have just remembered this and said with a smile, "Look at your aunt's memory. She even forgot something important." Then she waved her hand and the maids filed in. In an instant, they filled the table in the room with objects. This scene left Luo Shuiyao no chance to refuse. She felt even more suspicious and just waited silently for the Marquis's wife to explain.
The Marquis's wife watched the maid put away the things before turning to her and saying, "These are the jewelry that my aunt collected in her early years, as well as two sets of bright headwear, just right for your age. There's also a lot of material, which I brought along along with the items you returned earlier."
Seeing that Luo Shuiyao didn't say anything, she hurriedly said, "Aunt knows that you are resentful towards me, but I was also deceived at that time. You have always been generous, so let's put the past behind us. Today, all of this is my aunt's apology, you must accept it, and don't let me down." She spoke quickly like a machine gun, fearing that Luo Shuiyao would refuse.
The Marquis's wife winked at Nanny Sang, who understood and said hurriedly, "Madam, please return quickly. The housekeeper is urging us to submit the bill."
Upon hearing this, the Marquis's wife hurriedly waved her hand, lifted her skirt, and walked out, not caring about her proper manners. The maids and servants followed closely beside her. As she walked, she said, "There's something going on in the mansion. Yaoyao, there's no need to see me off. I'll treat you to tea another day when I'm free." Before she finished speaking, the group had already hurried out of the yard.
Luo Shuiyao stared at the backs of the people as they left in a hurry, then looked at the piles of brocade boxes on the table, feeling both amused and confused.
She was used to seeing the Marquis's wife act with either affability or authority, but this panicked, childish demeanor was a new one. It wasn't that she didn't want to refuse, but her actions today clearly left her no room for refusal. She had assumed she was genuinely disdainful of her, or perhaps, rather, looked down on her status as a commoner, but her eagerness to offer gifts only made her even more baffled. Unable to comprehend the reason, she simply shook her head, not bothering to ponder.
Everyone was stunned. The once bustling courtyard was now empty. Only then did Aunt Zhang close her mouth, tiptoeing to peek inside the room. She whispered, "Miss, these things..."
Luo Shuiyao waved her hand and said, "Keep it safely and don't touch a single cent. Once I find out what Madam wants, I'll send it back when I have the chance."
She didn't believe the Marquis's actions were without ulterior motives. However, no matter what the request was, if it endangered her, she would not agree, and she would never accept these things. She was only keeping them temporarily, and one day she would return them all.
Upon hearing this, Nanny Zhang nodded, and looked at the table full of treasures with a hint of reluctance in her heart - it was not that she was greedy, but these items were simply too valuable. The young lady worked so hard every day, and if she accepted these things, it would greatly ease the burden on her.
Although he thought this in his heart, he still quickly called Chunxing and Chuntao into the house and helped lock all the things in the cupboard, for fear that anything might go wrong.
Luo Shuiyao, oblivious to the others' thoughts, watched as everyone packed up their belongings and headed back to her room. She grabbed the schedule she'd been writing for the past few days from her desk and started ticking off each item. When she came to the item "Bringing my aunt back to the capital," her pen paused. Now that Qingyu Tower and the academy were getting back on track, it was definitely time to put this on the agenda. She'd been in the capital for some time now, so it was time to go back and take a look.
Thinking of this, she couldn't help but worry: I wonder if Niu Dali has ever treated my aunt harshly? Since her first month in Beijing, she has asked the post station to send a letter to Qingshui Town, but she has never received a reply. If it weren't for the complicated affairs and staff shortage in the capital, she would have sent someone back to visit. Thanks to Chuntao's persuasion, saying that my aunt might be illiterate and unable to reply, although she thought it made sense, she still felt uneasy - how could she feel at ease without seeing her in person?
With this in mind, she wrote another letter, intending to have Chun Xing deliver it to Yang Wei later, asking him to select a few skilled fighters for rigorous training to accompany her to Qingshui Town. After finishing the letter, she listed the necessary items to bring with her before setting it aside. Since she was leaving Beijing for Qingshui Town, she also needed to hand over the upcoming affairs of Qingyu Tower and the academy to Fang Yueniang and the others. So, she bent her head over her desk, pouring out her thoughts on paper.
.........
Before I knew it, the night was already dark.
After Ye Yunzhou waited until late at night, he and Ye Yi and others changed into night clothes and then dispersed to their respective positions.
The atmosphere in the Zhou Protectorate's mansion had been extremely low for the past two days. The servants kept their heads down, afraid to look or listen, each one silent and trembling. The tension was palpable because the mistress of the household had, for unknown reasons, been disdained by the master, who had ignored her cries and cries and confined her. The eldest daughter had also suddenly fallen ill and hadn't left the house. The situation was tense, and the servants, fearing the possibility of being implicated, dared not speak.