CHAPTER 6

Madam Liu and Song Lilan were immersed in the joy of being able to marry into the Nan’an Marquis’ Mansion. Both daughters were able to marry into high-class families. Song Yan would even wake up with a smile in his dreams. Knowing that Madam Qin invited Song Yuanzhi to the Zhenbei Marquis’ Mansion, Song Yan was considerate in front of Song Yuanzhi for once. He personally ordered people to prepare the carriage, and the furnishings in the carriage were all appropriate. Before leaving, he earnestly reminded Song Yuanzhi, “When you get to the Zhenbei Marquis’ Mansion, don’t be petty. Just agree to whatever Madam Qin says.”

Song Yuanzhi rolled her eyes secretly. This snob was so good and natural. He showed off his presence whenever there was profit. He can show off his presence all he wants, but he was careless. He just arranged a carriage and immediately started preaching in a fatherly way. It was really disgusting.

Song Yan looked at his silent and docile eldest daughter with a satisfied look on his elegant face. He nodded again and sighed, “I never thought that you would be so lucky. If it weren’t for the death of Zhenbei Marquis on the battlefield, how could you have been the wife of Zhenbei Marquis? It really is true that everything is determined by fate. You were born to enjoy wealth and prosperity. Zhenbei Marquis… was also destined to have this disaster.”

There was a hint of relief in his words that Lu Shaoyou died in battle and that Song Yuanzhi got the chance to take advantage of the situation.

Song Yuanzhi frowned immediately. “These words can’t be spread out. The Marquis of Zhenbei just died for his country. If Madam Qin hears it.”

Song Yan knew he had said something wrong, so he shut up immediately. He was annoyed for a moment and glared at Song Yuanzhi as if he was about to explode, but then he slowly calmed down, a smile appeared on his face, and he nodded with satisfaction. “Since you are so cautious, I believe nothing should go wrong when you go back to Zhenbei Marquis Mansion. Remember, don’t annoy Madam Qin.”

Song Yuanzhi curled the corners of her mouth, feeling that there was no point in talking to this snob, so she nodded perfunctorily, turned around, and got into the carriage, leaving Song Yan standing there with his hands behind his back, looking self-satisfied. He felt that his future career would be bright, and he couldn’t wait to go to Opera to listen to some more songs.

The Zhenbei Marquisate was the empress’s maternal family, and several generations earlier had been civil servants. Madam Qin’s husband, Zhenbei Marquis Lu Shaoyou’s biological father, was even more talented and brilliant. He became the Grand Tutor just after he turned 40, but Grand Tutor Lu was in poor health and died a few years later. At that time, Lu Shaoyou was less than ten years old. Empress Lu had no children, but she loved her only nephew and often summoned him to the palace. He lived in the palace for half a year and went to school with the princes. Emperor Yongkang also favored him, and he was even more favored than the princes.

Lu Shaoyou himself was also very capable and talented in both civil and military affairs. At the age of 18, he joined the army to go on an expedition, and, as a deputy general, he led 10,000 soldiers deep into the enemy’s heart, annihilating 50,000 enemy troops. He became famous in one battle and was named Marquis of Zhenbei when he returned.

In the next two years, there were many wars on the border, and it was Lu Shaoyou who led his troops to fight the enemy. He won every battle, making the enemy terrified, and became the god of war in the eyes of the people of the Rong Dynasty.

The word “Zhenbei” is well deserved.

The mansion of such a young marquis who is so favored by the emperor and empress must be the best.

Song Yuanzhi’s carriage stopped at the side door, and a maid came forward respectfully to help her get off the carriage. A few steps away was a sky blue sedan chair. Four maids stood respectfully beside the sedan chair. They waited for Song Yuanzhi to sit in the sedan chair before they lifted it up steadily. The whole journey was smooth and steady. Among the group of more than ten people, only the sound of breathing could be heard. It can be seen that Madam Qin was very strict with her subordinates, and the servants in the marquis’s mansion all had a military style of disciplining people.

Madam Qin had been waiting for Song Yuanzhi in the main room. When she saw Song Yuanzhi coming in, she immediately stood up to greet her. She took Song Yuanzhi’s hand with a smile on her face and asked with concern, “How have you been at home these days? There are a lot of rumors outside. I’m afraid you’ll have a hard time at home, so I asked someone to invite you to the mansion to relax. Take a walk around the mansion today. If you feel it’s quiet and comfortable here, just stay here for a few days and talk to me.”

Song Yuanzhi was very happy about it, but although Madam Qin’s proposal was good, it was not right for the woman to move into the man’s house before the wedding. Although Lu Shaoyou was no longer around, Song Yuanzhi did not intend to get into arguments over these trivial matters, so she could only say politely, “It would be great to chat with Madam, but my sister’s marriage has already made my parents very worried, so I can’t just sit back and do nothing.”

Madam Qin knew the meaning of the song and said sarcastically, “The Nan’an Marquis’s Mansion has changed its temper this time and actually let Xuanyuan Yu make trouble. However, the people of the Xuanyuan family are all frogs. If this thing succeeds, your sister’s life will not be easy.”

Song Yuanzhi originally just wanted to see Song Lilan jump into the fire pit. She didn’t care whether her life was easy or not, but was curious about Madam Qin’s wonderful metaphor, “Frog?”

Madam Qin smiled heartily, “They both have their eyes on top of their heads; don’t you think they look alike?”

Song Yuanzhi couldn’t help laughing, “Madam, your metaphor is so true!”

Madam Qin treated Song Yuanzhi very well. She took her hand and walked around the Zhenbei Marquis Mansion for most of the way. Finally, they came to the large martial arts arena. Looking at the empty martial arts arena, she sighed, “When AhJi was here, the martial arts arena was so lively. But in just two or three months, even the martial arts arena in the mansion has become deserted.”

Song Yuanzhi was afraid that Madam Qin would be saddened by the scene, so she quickly smiled and said, “I’ve heard that the guards of the Marquis’ Mansion are all elite soldiers in the army, and one can defeat a hundred. I wonder if I will have the honor to see them today.”

“Of course!” Madam Qin instantly became interested. “Look next to the martial arts arena. There are all kinds of weapons. I’ll have the guards come up and demonstrate them to you one by one.”

After Madam Qin gave the order, a team of guards jumped onto the martial arts field in a short while. They were all young men eight feet tall, with broad shoulders and narrow waists and lean bodies. They had serious faces and focused and cold eyes. They wielded various weapons with great vigor. Each of their moves was crisp, neat, beautiful, and particularly practical.

Song Yuanzhi was fascinated by the performance. This is the charm of traditional martial arts!

Madam Qin looked at Song Yuanzhi’s expression with a genuine smile in her eyes. When Song Yuanzhi got closer, she asked her in a low voice, “Do you want to go up and practice?”

Song Yuanzhi’s eyes lit up, and she looked at Madam Qin expectantly, “Is it okay?”

Madam Qin raised her eyebrows. “Why not?”

Pulling Song Yuanzhi to the martial arts arena, Madam Qin pointed at a circle of weapons and said domineeringly, “Which one do you want to play with? I’ll teach you.”

At this moment, Song Yuanzhi’s expression froze a little, and her tone was slightly hesitant. “You…you will teach me?”

“Of course!” Madam Qin picked up a long gun and made a beautiful gun flower. “Why do you think I can’t teach you?”

“Of course not; I’m just surprised that Madam also knows martial arts.” Song Yuanzhi was not a shy person; she stepped forward and took a spear, imitating Madam Qin’s movements just now, using her forearm to exert force, and also produced a beautiful gun flower.

“Beautiful!” Madam Qin couldn’t help but applaud loudly. She glanced at Song Yuanzhi’s lower body and praised, “Your stance is good.”

Song Yuanzhi raised her eyebrows proudly and said, “Thank you very much.”

Madam Qin laughed again.

Song Yuanzhi learned grappling and fighting techniques, which are quick ways to defeat the enemy. She does have a good foundation in these techniques, but she has never been exposed to traditional martial arts and doesn’t know much about swords, guns, sticks, and clubs.

It happened that Madam Qin was an expert in this art, and all kinds of weapons seemed to come alive in her hands, with incredible flexibility. Song Yuanzhi was amazed by what she saw, so Madam Qin slowed down her movements and taught her one move at a time.

Song Yuanzhi was very intelligent and did not need Madam Qin to teach her the same move a second time. She wielded the crescent-shaped sword very flexibly and followed Madam Qin in performing a set of sword techniques to defeat the enemy.

Madam Qin was extremely happy to meet such a clever and quick-learning disciple. She became interested and showed Song Yuanzhi the weapons one by one.

The two of them were having a great time in the martial arts arena, but the expressions of the servants guarding outside the arena were hard to describe.

Think about it: Madam Qin is elegant and dignified, and she always behaves in a noble and elegant manner in front of outsiders. Now, she is holding a crescent-shaped sword weighing thirty or forty kilograms, making it so powerful that the sound of it breaking through the air can be heard even outside the martial arts field.

That’s fine. After all, over the years, the servants in the Zhenbei Marquis’ Mansion have become accustomed to the huge contrast between the mistress of the house and the ordinary people.

But they were surprised when they saw the new guest, the future wife of Marquis Zhenbei, looked frail, but she was actually of the same style as Madam Qin!

What’s more, Song Yuanzhi has the looks of a top-notch little white flower, and her pitiful temperament coupled with her frail physique makes the contrast even greater than that of Madam Qin.

The servants in the Marquis’ Mansion had wooden faces and couldn’t help but wonder: Could it be that only a person with such a huge contrast could enter the Marquis of Zhenbei Mansion and become the mistress of the house?

Momo Qin, who served Madam Qin personally, had an even stranger expression on her face. She looked at the future mother-in-law and daughter-in-law who were having a great time in the martial arts arena, and from time to time she turned her head to look at the small attic in the northeast corner of the martial arts arena. For a moment, she didn’t know what to say or do.

The two practiced for more than an hour before they stopped panting. They looked at each other while breathing heavily and burst into laughter again.

Madam Qin stepped forward and patted Song Yuanzhi on the shoulder, laughing and saying, “What a delight! No wonder I felt so drawn to you the moment I saw you. It turns out we are the same kind of people!”

Song Yuanzhi also found it very satisfying. After practicing for an hour, she felt that all the depression she had felt since she entered the novel had disappeared. She praised Madam Qin earnestly, “Madam, you are very skilled!”

“Of course!” Madam Qin did not refuse and raised her chin proudly, “I grew up in the frontier army and even fought on the battlefield!”

Only then did Song Yuanzhi know that Madam Qin was the daughter of a deputy general of the frontier. After she came to Beijing to visit her relatives, she was noticed by the then Grand Tutor Lu, which led to the creation of a beautiful story.

Lu Shaoyou’s talent in military operations was half gifted by nature and the other half inherited from Madam Qin.

Song Yuanzhi looked at Madam Qin with even brighter eyes and praised her from the bottom of her heart: “Madam is really a female lead, a role model for women!”

Madam Qin was in high spirits and wanted to say something, but Momo Qin beside her suddenly coughed. Madam Qin looked up and seemed to remember something. Her face suddenly froze, and she felt guilty for some reason. Her voice became much lower. “Ahem… It’s not a big deal. We have been practicing for more than an hour, and we are sweating. Come, let’s go wash together. I’ve asked someone to prepare the clothes!”

After taking a bath, Song Yuanzhi did not see Madam Qin. Saying that she had an urgent account to check, Madam Qin hurriedly tidied up and went to check the account book, leaving Momo Qin to accompany Song Yuanzhi for a walk.

Momo Qin was Madam Qin’s personal maid. She had served Madam Qin since she was a child and held an extraordinary position in the mansion. She was born with a kind and amiable round face, kind eyes, and a very friendly manner. As if she had forgotten how fierce Song Yuanzhi had been just now, Momo Qin smiled and suggested to Song Yuanzhi, “The flowers in the back garden are in full bloom now. If you are interested, you can go and have a look.”

After Song Yuanzhi came to her senses, she felt that she had gone too far. She coughed lightly, decided to save her image, and followed Momo Qin’s suggestion to go to the back garden.

The garden was huge, with flowers of all colors blooming beautifully. However, Song Yuanzhi was a layman and knew nothing about flowers. She couldn’t tell what varieties they were. She just thought that every flower was exceptionally beautiful, so she slowly calmed down and strolled among the flowers.

As they walked, Song Yuanzhi came to a bamboo forest. The bamboo forest was cool and shady in this weather, which was a good place to go. Song Yuanzhi walked in without thinking.

However, after walking a few steps, an acquaintance appeared in front of Song Yuanzhi. He was as tall and straight as a pine tree, with a smile on his face and an indescribable spirit. His smile made people feel that the whole world became brighter.

Song Yuanzhi immediately laughed, “Brother, it’s you! Last time I saw you, you seemed injured. Are you healed now?”

The young man coughed softly and said with a smile, “Thank you for your concern, young lady. I am fine now.”

Song Yuanzhi was still curious. “Aren’t you a secret guard? Can you show up now? Or were you originally guarding this bamboo forest? Did I disturb you?”

What kind of strange thoughts are these? A helpless look flashed in the boy’s eyes, but he was in a very happy mood. He leaned back with his arms folded leisurely, leaning against the green bamboo and looking at Song Yuanzhi leisurely, with long eyebrows and smiling eyes. “I listened to your advice and changed jobs when I came back. Now I only work as a guard in the mansion.”

“Madam is really kind-hearted!” After spending time together just now, Song Yuanzhi has automatically become Madam Qin’s little fan girl and would find any opportunity to praise Madam Qin.

The young man froze, pursed his lips, and suddenly asked Song Yuanzhi, “Why do you want to marry the Marquis of Zhenbei? I heard that the son of the Marquis of Nan’an also proposed marriage to the Song Mansion. They are both marquisates, and the son of the Marquis of Nan’an is also good-looking. In the eyes of the world, it is better than being a widow alone in the Marquis of Zhenbei Mansion.”

“Who said that?” Song Yuanzhi raised her eyebrows. “Marquis Zhenbei is a young hero, a man of integrity. We can live in peace now, all thanks to Marquis Zhenbei and the frontier soldiers. Is the son of Marquis Nan’an worthy of being mentioned in the same breath with Marquis Zhenbei? I am happy to be a widow!”

After saying that, Song Yuanzhi looked at the young man unhappily and frowned. “You are a member of the Zhenbei Marquis’s Mansion after all; why are you speaking for the Nan’an Marquis’s son?”

Could it be that this man was deliberately trying to trick me for his master? What a deep mind!

The young man’s face showed the same strange expression he had when they parted that day. She didn’t know what he was thinking about, but the corners of his mouth curled up unconsciously. He was obviously in a very good mood. He tried hard to suppress his smile and said, “Miss, you are so kind.”