CHAPTER 23

Song Yuanzhi ran away after flirting, not giving Lu Shaoyou any time to react. After coming back to her senses, her heart felt like it was about to jump out of her chest, and then she said vehemently, “LLu Shaoyou was the one who flirted with her first, and she just fought back a little to prevent Lu Shaoyou from being deceived by her appearance and being misled by the beauty in the original novel. The miserable plot of the novel confused and distressed her; that’s why she took the initiative to hug him!”

Of course, if you ignore the blush on Song Yuanzhi’s face, this statement is still very convincing.

When Lu Shaoyou saw Song Yuanzhi running faster than a rabbit, he felt itchy in his heart. He wished he could hold her in his arms and tease her, so that she would understand that he was not someone she could hug and run away whenever she wanted.

However, Lu Shaoyou didn’t pursue her too closely. He knew that Song Yuanzhi was still a little resistant to him, so he didn’t press hard. Instead, he chuckled and carefully told the secret guards to protect her, and then led the guards away from Song Family.

As soon as Lu Shaoyou left, the servants of the Song Mansion were not strict-mouthed. Song Yan and Madam Liu were still in despair. The news regarding the embezzlement of the dowry from his original wife by his second wife, Madam Liu, and harsh treatment towards the eldest daughter left by the original wife spread throughout the capital.

By the time Madam Liu realized that she needed to silence her servant, it was already too late.

Everyone in the capital knew about Madam Liu’s so-called good deeds, and several ladies who had no dealings with her even came to her house to laugh at her. They started to talk about some common things and then started to poke her by mentioning the topic of the eldest daughter, saying that it was finally the end of all her hardships. With the Marquis of Zhenbei protecting her like this, she would have someone to rely on for the rest of her life.

“Who said otherwise? At first, everyone thought that Marquis of Zhenbei died in the battle, but when they heard about her marriage to the Marquis of Zhenbei, they were still worried. They felt sorry for her for a while. Now that Zhenbei Marquis has returned safely and is in good health. It can be seen that her mother’s soul in heaven is protecting her!!”

In the end, Madam Liu almost couldn’t keep the smile on her face, and her face turned ferocious for a moment.

When the other party saw this, she felt very happy and continued to rub salt on Madam Liu’s wounds. “Speaking of which, the matter between the eldest girl and the Marquis was just like what we see in the stories; one after another, it magically happened. That sentence—destined to be married—really came true. I wonder if we will be lucky enough to meet the future Madam Marquis today.”

Madam Liu said with a smile on her face, “The Marquis of Zhenbei cares about Zhi’er like a piece of his heart. Even the people serving Zhi’er now are all from the Marquis Mansion. As a mother, I can’t control her anymore. ”

The other gossiping woman thought, Why are you pretending here? You still want to trouble the eldest daughter of the first wife. You are truly a basin of unruly, dirty water! Who in the capital didn’t know that the Marquis of Zhenbei was so angry that Madam Liu had embezzled the dowry of his fiancée’s biological mother and treated her fiancée harshly? He also helped his fiancée count the dowry left by his mother-in-law one by one, which made Song Yan and Madam Liu’s lose their faces.

Now Madam Liu’s words indicated that Song Yuanzhi was restless and was flirting with Lu Shaoyou before marriage. Naturally, others couldn’t stand it. Comparing her feelings with their own, if their loved one was treated so harshly, they would likely appoint someone to guard them like the Marquis of Zhenbei did, lest that villain have bad intentions again.

After watching the scene in the Song Family, some people in the capital scolded Song Yan and Madam Liu for not being good people, while others felt that Song Yuanzhi was cruel and disregarded the overall situation and had embarrassed her family. It’s just a coincidence that the ladies went there were all first wives, and they all have legitimate daughters. They considered themselves in Madam Shen’s place and felt that Madam Shen’s life would not be in vain if they had a daughter like Song Yuanzhi, who dared to quarrel with her family for her sake.

Why should the things left behind by the original wife be sold and used by the wives who come after her?

Since they put themselves in a Song Yuanzhi situation, they would not feel that Song Yuanzhi acted excessively. Instead, they felt that she had a clear distinction between love and hate and was a person they could relate to.

Besides, Song Yuanzhi will marry into the Zhenbei Marquis Mansion in two months and become a first-class marquis wife. Her rank is much higher than theirs. They are happy to please Song Yuanzhi while stepping on Madam Liu.

Therefore, as soon as these people came out of the Song family, they were full of praise when they mentioned Song Yuanzhi. When someone mentioned Song Yuanzhi, these people sighed, looking like they were speechless, and said in a low voice, “I pity her eldest daughter. ”

This is how a person’s reputation is accumulated. Song Yuanzhi has not gone out, and her original reputation of mixed praise and criticism has already become one-sided. Madam Qin expressed distressedly, “That child Ah-yuan has really suffered great troubles. Even though she has suffered so much, she didn’t tell me anything. No wonder His Majesty praised her for being kind and honest.”

Once these words came out, no one dared to accuse Song Yuanzhi of being cruel. They cannot afford to criticize those whom His Majesty’s decree praises.

In contrast, Song Yuanzhi’s reputation was very good, and Madam Liu, who bullied her, had a bad reputation and became synonymous with vicious stepmothers. The thoughtful scholar slightly modified the story between Song Yuanzhi and Lu Shaoyou and turned it into a story about a hero rescuing a kind-hearted female lead who was oppressed by a vicious stepmother.

Because there was a prototype, the story became quite popular.

Song Yuanzhi listened to what the scholar’s wrote:In the middle of winter, Miss Ah-rong was kicked out by her vicious stepmother Liu to buy melons and fruits. She happened to meet the young general sitting high on the horse after returning from victory. Ah-rong had not eaten any water or rice all day. The girl couldn’t hold on any longer and fainted in front of the general’s horse.” Thinking that the prototype of this story is herself and Lu Shaoyou, she couldn’t help but shudder.

What is all this mess? Can you please consider the reality? No matter how mean Madam Liu is, she still needs a face. With so many servants in the Song Mansion, why would the eldest lady, Song Yuanzhi, go out to buy melons and fruits in person in the winter? In addition, when the general returned in triumph, the people on both sides were naturally crowded. Miss Ah-rong bought a melon and fruit and fainted right in front of the general’s horse. Were the other people eaten by the horse?

Song Yuanzhi complained while listening, and Madam Liu was really angry about this. Over the years, she has always created the persona of a generous stepmother. No matter what she thinks in her heart, on the outside she treats Song Yuanzhi the same as Song Lilan. As a result, as soon as these words came out, she was instantly nailed to the pillar of shame of the evil stepmother, and she couldn’t even drag it down. It is said that the opera troupe has taken a liking to this story and is planning to rehearse and sing it.

If it really gets performed and this drama becomes more widely sung, she won’t be able to enjoy the treatment of officer wife and become the spokesperson of the evil stepmother.

How could Madam Liu not be afraid?

But she was not capable enough, and the Marquis’s family was adding fuel to the fire. She could not stop the troupe from singing, nor could she stop the storyteller from telling the story of Ah-rong and the young general.

Someone invited Madam Liu to a banquet and ordered the opera house to play the story in which a young general hero saves the beauty. On the stage, the vicious stepmother is sinister, the younger sister is unruly and domineering, and the beauty Ah-rong is miserable. Madam Liu, who was sitting below, felt the curious or contemptuous glances from the people around her, whether directly or indirectly. She rolled her eyes, fainted, and never dared to go out again.

Song Lilan was even seriously ill, and when she came to senses, she would curse Song Yuanzhi to death.

Song Yuanzhi did not expect that the subsequent development would be so magical. Of course, seeing the miserable situation of Madam Liu and her daughter, Song Yuanzhi’s mood did not fluctuate at all. They are pitiful, but is the original owner not more pitiful? The original owner was forced to die by them. No matter how hard it is for them now, aren’t they still alive? And because Song Yan is here, they live better than ordinary people.

Song Yan was also the source of the original owner’s suffering. If he had shown some concern for the original owner, the original owner would not have died.

Now there are already censors who are trying to impeach Song Yan. A court official is someone who cultivates himself, manages his family, governs the country, and brings peace to the world. Song Yan can’t even cultivate himself and his family, so how can he talk about governing the country and bringing peace to the world?

Therefore, Emperor Yongkang happily demoted Song Yan’s position and ordered him to reflect at home.

Song Yan also wanted to come to Song Yuanzhi to play the emotional card and ask her to say something nice in front of Lu Shaoyou. After all, the Song Mansion was her natal family. If her natal family lost power, she would not be in a good position.

Song Yuanzhi chose to ignore all of this.

Since Song Yan could ignore the original owner’s grievances at the beginning, Song Yuanzhi can naturally ignore Song Yan’s predicament now.

Every cause must have its effect. Song Yuanzhi felt that she was the retribution for Song Yan and the others.

Regarding her cold-heartedness, Song Yuanzhi did not hide it from Lu Shaoyou and even joked with him, “I am such a cold-blooded person. Do you regret asking for a marriage with me?”

Lu Shaoyou nodded seriously and sighed. “It’s just that I was young and didn’t know you well. Now, alas, the imperial edict has been issued; let’s just live with it.”

Song Yuanzhi couldn’t help but kick him; her pretty face was tense, and her lips were almost pressed into a line. Lu Shaoyou knew at a glance that she was angry, so he coaxed her with a playful smile, “Who asked you to spek such questions? Once I call a person as mine, I will never change it in my life. Whether it is a shrew or a cold-hearted and ruthless person, I don’t care. It’s till death do us apart.”

After saying that, Lu Shaoyou looked around, stretched out his arms, hugged Song Yuanzhi, and said happily, “Ah-yuan, how can you be cold-hearted and cold-blooded? If you are, then I can warm you up too!”

Song Yuanzhi kicked him, “Behave; someone can be watching!”

Lu Shaoyou persisted; his lips were close to Song Yuanzhi’s white ears, and his hot breath was sprayed on Song Yuanzhi’s ears. Soon Song Yuanzhi’s white ears turned pink. Lu Shaoyou’s heart trembled; he resisted the desire to kiss her and teased her in a hoarse voice, “Last time you hugged me and ran away, this time I want to hug you back.”

Song Yuanzhi was held tightly in his arms. In the middle, the hot masculine breath hit her face, and Song Yuanzhi subconsciously wanted to hide. However, Lu Shaoyou had been practicing martial arts for many years, and he had a body that looked thin when dressed but muscular when stripped off. Although his arms were not thick, after wrapping around Song Yuanzhi, she couldn’t break away at all.

Song Yuanzhi was so ashamed that she stretched out her hand to twist the fat around his waist angrily. It’s a pity that Lu Shaoyou has a slim body shape and doesn’t have any fat around his waist. It was summer, and the summer shirt he wore was light and thin. Song Yuanzhi could not twist out the fat, but she could feel Lu Shaoyou’s abdominal muscles. They were hard, well defined, and felt very good. Song Yuanzhi subconsciously touched them for a while.

Then Song Yuanzhi felt Lu Shaoyou’s body stiffen, and his muscles tightened instantly. He took a low breath, and then the breath he exhaled was even hotter. He looked at Song Yuanzhi with a deep and hot gaze, which made Song Yuanzhi dare not look directly.

Song Yuanzhi inexplicably felt a little guilty, and then she felt something was wrong, so she immediately became defensive and accused Lu Shaoyou first, “You did it first.”

However, Song Yuanzhi felt guilty, and her accusing voice was a bit sweet, which fell in Lu Shaoyou’s heart. It felt like a cat scratching its paw; it feels sweet and itchy.

Lu Shaoyou stared at Song Yuanzhi for a long time, then sighed and said in a hoarse voice, “It would be better if the Mid-Autumn Festival arrives as early as possible.”

The marriage day calculated by the Qintian Supervisor was August 15th, the Mid-Autumn Festival, which is a good time for family reunion. On that day, Song Yuanzhi was about to get married. But for her, being able to get married and leave that family was a happy event.

Song Yuanzhi’s cheeks turned red at the sight of Lu Shaoyou’s burning eyes. She glared at him, but her eyes were full of joy. Seeing this, Lu Shaoyou felt love and pity in his heart. He just wished that the Mid-Autumn Festival would be tomorrow and he could marry her early.

Song Yuanzhi was shy and embarrassed. She looked at the servants around her who were looking down. The blush on Song Yuanzhi’s face that had subsided was beginning to creep up again. She quickly shook her head and changed the subject to talk about serious matters. “Madam Qin said you built the martial arts arena in the Marquis Mansion. Let’s compete someday.”

When Song Yuanzhi mentioned the martial arts arena, she remembered the happy battle with Madam Qin that day. She was very excited and looked at it expectantly. She said softly and coquettishly, “Can you take some time out to practice with me?”

When the beauty beside him said softly and sweetly, Lu Shaoyou couldn’t resist, so he complied in a daze.

Song Yuanzhi immediately cheered and started to calculate happily, “There are still some weapons that I haven’t finished using that day. This time I want to try them all. If I don’t know some of them, you have to teach me. ~ I can learn the moves very quickly. Madam Qin praised me that day!”

Lu Shaoyou was tricked by Song Yuanzhi without even knowing. He went from flirting with Song Yuanzhi to engaging in martial arts fighting with her. This gap… made Lu Shaoyou dumbfounded.

Song Yuanzhi was still mumbling aside, her bright red mouth opening and closing, all praising Madam Qin.

Lu Shaoyou couldn’t help but feel angry. When this girl didn’t know his identity before, she was praising him as a great hero. But why has she never praised him again now? Isn’t his martial arts better than his mother’s?

Lu Shaoyou resolutely refused to admit that he was jealous. When he saw Song Yuanzhi’s little mouth was still chattering, Lu Shaoyou impulsively leaned over and bit Song Yuanzhi’s lips.

Song Yuanzhi was immediately stunned, and Lu Shaoyou was also a little embarrassed. Thinking of the soft touch on his lips just now, Lu Shaoyou’s eyes couldn’t help but fall on Song Yuanzhi’s lips; his throat moved slightly, and he felt a little thirsty.

Song Yuanzhi’s lips were soft and numb, and there was a faint stinging pain. She was so angry that she stepped on Lu Shaoyou’s foot and went to twist his waist fiercely, but Lu Shaoyou wrapped his arms around her. His laughter shook her chest, shocking Song Yuanzhi. There was also a bit of numbness on her face.

Lu Shaoyou slowly leaned over, his face almost touching Song Yuanzhi. Looking at Song Yuanzhi with a smile, his eyes were deep, and his smile flowed in his words, “Don’t be angry; I will let you bite me back.”

Song Yuanzhi grinded her teeth and stared at Lu Shaoyou’s delicate and handsome face while saying in a low voice, “Don’t regret it!”

Lu Shao you looked helpless. “When did I regret it? Let me see, does the corner of your mouth still hurt?”

When Song Yuanzhi was teased like this, just like a cat whose tail was stepped on, she opened her mouth and bit Lu Shaoyou’s face without any time to think, leaving a faint toothmark.

Song Yuanzhi regretted it as soon as she finished biting it. Looking at the toothmark, she felt guilty and shy. She warned Lu Shaoyou fiercely, “Don’t tell others where the tooth mark came from!”

Lu Shaoyou smiled and promised, “Don’t worry, I won’t tell others that this was done by you.”