0p0 Chapter 864 [Splendid Heart 3]
Chapter 864 [Splendid Heart 3]
It was a sunny day with a gentle breeze. Eleventh Lady had to work very hard to sneak out of the heavily guarded mansion. She hurried all the way to the bustling pier.
At this moment, a graceful and imposing figure came into her sight - it was Lin Shixian, the son of the Lin family. Lin Shixian was wearing a white gown, holding a folding fan, with a handsome face and bright eyes. He looked very handsome.
Seeing Shiyi Niang appearing alone on the pier, Lin Shixian couldn't help but feel a little curious. So, he walked up to her with a smile and politely invited Shiyi Niang to sit in the tea stall next to her for a cup of tea. Shiyi Niang readily agreed and followed Lin Shixian to sit in front of the tea stall.
After the two of them sat down, Lin Shixian took a sip of the fragrant tea and asked, "I wonder why Eleventh Lady is here alone?"
Eleventh Lady lowered her head slightly and replied softly, "To be honest, I am planning to rent a boat to return to my hometown in Yuhang."
Hearing this, Lin Shixian's eyes flashed with surprise. He quickly said, "What a coincidence! I happen to be going south for work next month, and I will pass by Yuhang. If you don't mind, you can take my boat with me, so that I can take care of you on the way."
Eleventh Lady was delighted when she heard this. She looked at Lin Shixian gratefully, nodded without hesitation and agreed, and thanked him repeatedly. Then, the two began to chat happily. They talked about everything from the south to the north, from poetry and songs to life ideals, and time passed quickly without them noticing.
After a while, seeing that it was getting late, Shiyi Niang stood up and said goodbye to Lin Shixian. Before leaving, Lin Shixian and Shiyi Niang agreed to meet at Ci'an Temple on the first day of next month. At that time, he would bring his follower An Tai to welcome Shiyi Niang on board.
At the same time, in the Naluo Mansion, a conspiracy about family marriage was quietly unfolding. It turned out that Madam Jiang had long admired the second daughter of the Naluo Mansion and intended to marry her into her own Maoguo Mansion. Although Madam Luo loved Luo Erniang very much on weekdays, Luo Erniang was just a concubine of low status after all. In her opinion, nothing was more important than seeking greater benefits for Yuanniang's son Zhunge. Therefore, although she was a little reluctant, she finally decided to betroth Luo Erniang to Wang Yu of Maoguo Mansion.
When Luo Erniang heard the shocking news, her anger was instantly ignited. She was furious and believed that all this was caused by Shiyi Niang's secret trickery! The resentment and jealousy intertwined, making her lose her mind, and even determined to harm Shiyi Niang regardless of their years of sisterhood.
Therefore, the evil-minded Luo Erniang carefully planned a conspiracy. She took her trusted maid and quietly went to the romantic places where Wang Yu often went. When the time was right, Luo Erniang aimed at the target and suddenly pretended to fall to the ground accidentally. This fall was just right and successfully attracted Wang Yu's attention.
Wang Yu was a man who loved beauty. He was attracted by Luo Er Niang's beautiful face at first sight. However, Luo Er Niang was scheming at this time. She deliberately lied to Wang Yu and claimed that she was the eleventh lady of the Luo Mansion. At the same time, she also made up a lie that the second lady of the Luo Mansion was extremely weak, bedridden all year round, and would not live long.
Wang Yu was naturally unwilling to marry such a sickly woman when he heard this. He immediately changed his mind and happily planned to marry the "healthy and beautiful" Eleventh Lady in the Luo Mansion. Poor Eleventh Lady fell into the trap set by Second Lady Luo innocently...
On this day, Madam Jiang personally visited the Luo family. Unexpectedly, during this visit, Madam Jiang changed her tone and expressed her desire to marry Shiyi Niang. However, faced with such a sudden change, the Wang family showed an unusually firm attitude.
Yuanniang was extremely anxious after hearing the news. Because in her opinion, the most important thing at the moment was Zhun Ge's marriage. After all, only if the daughter of the Luo family married into the Wang family, Zhun Ge would have the opportunity to become in-laws with the Jiang family. After careful consideration, Yuanniang finally decided to cut the Gordian knot and directly betrothed Shiyi Niang to the Wang family, and Er Niang could naturally become her second wife.
At this time, Aunt Lu rushed over after hearing the news and hurriedly asked to see Mr. Luo. She earnestly and tearfully begged Mr. Luo to cancel the marriage between Shiyi Niang and Wang Yu. Seeing Aunt Lu's pitiful appearance, Mr. Luo couldn't help but waver in his heart, but he had no choice but to go to Mrs. Luo to discuss the matter.
When Mr. Luo finally mustered up the courage to mention this to Mrs. Luo, Mrs. Luo did not change her mind at all. She said confidently: "This marriage is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our Luo family! It is really a blessing for Eleventh Lady to marry into the Duke of Mao's mansion in her previous life! Besides, I have my own way to make Eleventh Lady willingly marry Wang Yu." After saying that, Mrs. Luo looked at Mr. Luo confidently, as if she felt that the matter had been settled.
Mrs. Luo took the embroidery of Eleventh Lady from the Fairy Silk Pavilion in a threatening manner and came straight to Eleventh Lady. The embroidery was exquisite and the needlework was delicate. It was obvious that it was made by a master.
However, at this moment, Madam Luo's face was frighteningly gloomy. She threw the embroidery in her hand onto the table and asked sternly, "Eleventh Lady, someone reported that you sold these embroidery privately! Is this true?"
Eleventh Lady was startled, but soon calmed down. She knew that she had a deep friendship with Master Jian, and if she really had to confront him, she would not be afraid of not being able to explain herself.
So, she answered frankly: "My dear mother, I did not sell embroidery privately. These embroidery pieces were all given to Master Jian by me. As for why they appeared in Xianling Pavilion, I really don't know."
Aunt Lu and the maid Dong Qing were frightened when they heard this. They knew Mrs. Luo's temper very well. If this matter got out of hand, Shiyi Niang would definitely be punished.
Dong Qing rushed to say, "Madam, please calm down. This is all my fault! I secretly sold the embroidery without the young lady's knowledge. Please punish us, Madam!"
Seeing this, Eleventh Lady was extremely anxious. She hurriedly said, "Mother, this matter has nothing to do with her. It is all my daughter's fault. I hope you can understand!"
However, Madam Luo was not willing to listen. She waved her hand and shouted, "Come here, give her twenty heavy slaps! Let her remember this lesson!"
As the crisp sound of the board rang out, Dong Qing screamed in pain. Eleventh Lady's heart was broken, she rushed to Madam Luo and kowtowed to admit her fault: "Mother, please forgive her! All the blame is borne by my daughter, and I will never dare to do it again!"
Mrs. Luo looked at the begging Eleventh Lady in front of her, and her expression softened a little. She stopped the thugs and said coldly: "Eleventh Lady, considering that this is your first offense, I will forgive you this time. But if you dare to cross the line again in the future, don't blame me for being ruthless!" After that, she turned away.
After Mrs. Luo left, Shiyi Niang quickly got up to check on Dong Qing's injuries. Seeing her wounds, Shiyi Niang felt so distressed that she couldn't stop crying...
When Aunt Lu heard that Shiyi Niang was going to marry Wang Yu, she was very dissatisfied and firmly opposed it. She knew that Wang Yu was not a good match, and she was afraid that Shiyi Niang would suffer in the future if she married him. So Aunt Lu secretly planned a plan - go to Wang's house and lie that Shiyi Niang had a cough, and use this as an excuse to cancel the marriage.
However, Aunt Lu also knew that doing so would definitely offend Mrs. Luo. After all, this marriage was carefully arranged by Mrs. Luo. Once the matter was exposed, she would definitely not escape punishment. But seeing that Eleventh Lady's happiness was about to be ruined, Aunt Lu could not care less.
At this time, Shiyi Niang noticed what Aunt Lu was thinking and took the initiative to tell her her true intention. It turned out that Shiyi Niang had already had the idea of escaping the marriage, and she would rather take the risk to escape the cage of this marriage than commit herself to Wang Yu.
Aunt Lu was shocked when she heard that Shiyi Niang had such a bold and adventurous idea. She had never thought that Shiyi Niang, who had always been docile and well-behaved, would do such a shocking thing. However, after a brief surprise, Aunt Lu quickly understood and supported Shiyi Niang's decision. Compared to forcing Shiyi Niang to marry Wang Yu, Aunt Lu was more willing to accompany her niece to bravely face the unknown future.
After some discussion, the two finally decided to return to their hometown in Yuhang on the first day of next month. There, they might be able to find new opportunities and hope. Although the road ahead is full of variables and difficulties, both Eleventh Lady and Aunt Lu firmly believe that as long as they rely on each other and move forward courageously, they will be able to get rid of the predicament and usher in a beautiful life that belongs to them.