Blood sedge

Chapter 1184 Jealousy
Nothing happened that night, and the next morning...

In Danfeng Garden, at Lanzhi Pavilion, Chun Tao sat stiffly at the table, facing a table full of delicious food, yet she couldn't muster any appetite. She merely forced an awkward but polite smile.

The reason was that Yun Jianping, sitting opposite her, was squinting and looking her up and down with great interest.

"Eat up! These dishes were specially prepared for you. I heard you're from Huazhou, so you must really miss these local delicacies, right?" Yun Jianping pointed to the food on the table and asked sarcastically, "Why aren't you eating? Is it not to your liking?"

"Ahem!" Feeling like she was sitting on pins and needles, Chun Tao forced out a smile that looked more like a grimace, and said nervously, "Thank you for your kindness, Miss Yun, but... I'm not hungry at all, so please allow me to take my leave..."

"Why retreat?"

Before Chun Tao could get up in a panic, Yun Jianping slammed the sword on the table with a "bang," which startled Chun Tao so much that she trembled and obediently sat back down in her chair, not daring to move an inch.

"We've worked so hard to prepare this whole table of food, and you're saying you're not hungry? Do you look down on this food, or do you look down on me?"

"No! No!" Chun Tao's face changed, and she quickly retorted, "This servant is just a maid, how dare I compare myself to Miss Yun?"

"So you mean... that I'm bullying the weak?" Yun Jianping continued to nitpick.

"No...no..." Unaware of the situation, Chun Tao was already at a loss for words due to Yun Jianping's aggressive questioning. Even though she was filled with grievances, she dared not admit it. "It's because I'm new here and don't know the rules. If I've done anything wrong and offended Miss Yun, I hope Miss Yun will be magnanimous and not hold it against me."

"Oh dear!" Yun Jianping raised an eyebrow, displeased. "What a sharp-tongued girl! Are you implying that I'm deliberately making things difficult for you?"

"Um... this servant met Miss Yun by chance and truly doesn't know how I offended you..."

"When did I say you offended me? I just want to take good care of you and do my brother's duty as a host."

"This……"

In desperation, Chun Tao turned to Li Haitang, who had been standing silently to the side, not daring to even breathe loudly, hoping he could say a few words of justice for her.

“Miss Chuntao, Ping’er isn’t a bad person at heart, she’s just…”

Li Haitang finally mustered the courage to speak, but was immediately silenced by Yun Jianping's sidelong glare. Faced with Chun Tao's pitiful gaze, he could only turn his head away in frustration, pretending not to see her.

"Eat!"

After scaring Li Haitang away with her eyes, Yun Jianping personally picked up her chopsticks and placed a piece of crispy pork on Chun Tao's plate, saying sourly, "Your young master helped my brother, so we can't let him think we neglected you."

In the past, Yun Jianping called Wu Shuang "Brother Wu," but today she calls him "Your Young Master." Others may not know the inside story of this young lady's thoughts, but Li Haitang, who has been her childhood sweetheart since childhood, knows it very well.

This made Li Haitang, who had always admired Yun Jianping, feel extremely bitter. At this moment, his sourness was probably even greater than Yun Jianping's, who was consumed by jealousy.

"Miss Yun!"

Finally, Chun Tao could no longer withstand Yun Jianping's overbearing attentiveness, so she simply knelt down with a "plop" and said in fear, "If this servant has really done something wrong, please tell me, Miss Yun. I really... I really cannot bear such kindness from you, Miss, and I dare not involve the young master."

"You...what are you doing?"

Seeing Chun Tao kneel before her, Yun Jianping was caught off guard and panicked. She quickly reached out to help her up, saying urgently, "Speak up if you have something to say. Why are you kneeling? Anyone who doesn't know better will think I'm bullying you! Get up! Get up!"

In fact, under Yun Zhuiyue's pampering, Yun Jianping did have some spoiled and willful "young lady temper." However, she was not bad at heart, and even retained the innocence of a young girl due to her lack of worldly experience. She was happy when she was happy and angry when she was angry, and never hid it.

If Yun Jianping hadn't heard that Chun Tao and Wu Shuang had a "close relationship," she would never have been so rude to a complete stranger.

“If Miss Yun doesn’t explain clearly, I’d rather kneel here and die.”

"Kneel here to die?" Chun Tao's resolute decision shocked Yun Jianping, who stammered, "You... what kind of nonsense is this, kneeling here to die? Get up..."

"Unless Miss Yun explains herself clearly, this servant will not rise!"

"What are you trying to tell me clearly? Li Haitang, say something!"

This time, it was Yun Jianping's turn to look to Li Haitang for help, but Li Haitang repeated her old trick, still pretending to be stupid, suppressing her laughter and silently turning her head away, deliberately avoiding her gaze.

This scene infuriated Yun Jianping so much that she wanted to tear Li Haitang's head off to vent her anger.

"As the saying goes, 'If you want to find fault, you can always find a reason.' Yu'er, you were wrong this time. You scared Miss Chuntao."

Just as Yun Jianping was caught in a dilemma, a mocking rebuke rang out from outside the door. Immediately afterward, Liu Xunyi, accompanied by Tang Afu and Pan Yuyin, slowly walked into Lanzhi Pavilion.

"Brother Liu, you've finally arrived!"

Upon seeing Liu Xunyi, Li Haitang couldn't help but beam with joy and hurriedly stepped forward to complain, "Ping'er is acting strangely today. Is it really worth it for a fickle Wu Shuang..."

Although Li Haitang spoke casually, Liu Xunyi could still detect his dissatisfaction and bitterness. Liu Xunyi's gaze swept lightly over the uneasy Li Haitang, then turned to Yun Jianping, who was filled with shame and indignation.

"elder brother……"

Knowing she was in the wrong, Yun Jianping's earlier arrogance vanished instantly. Her eyes darted around, avoiding Liu Xunyi's gaze, and she timidly tried to explain, "I was just... just entertaining her..."

Liu Xunyi extended her right index finger and gently tapped Yun Jianping's fair forehead to show her reproach. Then she bowed to Chun Tao and apologized, saying, "Miss Chun Tao, my little sister was willful and ignorant. I apologize to you on her behalf!"

Just as Liu Xunyi was speaking, the intelligent and kind-hearted Pan Yuyin quickly stepped forward and helped Chun Tao to her feet.

"Young Master Liu, what exactly is wrong with Miss Yun?" Chun Tao asked, feeling both aggrieved and confused. "I can't figure it out no matter how hard I try."

"This……"

Liu Xunyi glanced at Yun Jianping, who had lowered her eyes but was still jealous, and for a moment she didn't know how to speak.

"What else could it be? It's Wu Shuang, of course!" Liu Xunyi's appearance emboldened Li Haitang, who bluntly expressed his displeasure. After all, he was the one most intolerant of Yun Jianping's lingering feelings for Wu Shuang.

"Li Haitang, what nonsense are you talking about?" Yun Jianping blushed as her thoughts were exposed, feeling both ashamed and annoyed. "Who said I did this for Wu Shuang..." At the mention of Wu Shuang's name, Yun Jianping became even more shy, her voice barely audible.

"Look at yourself now, and you still dare to say it's not true?" Li Haitang became angrier and angrier, and felt more and more sorry for Yun Jianping. "You already know that Wu Shuang likes to flirt around and is not a gentleman at all, so why are you still so stubborn?"

"I……"

"Young Master Li is extremely rude! My young master has no grudge against Young Master Li, so what right do you have to slander him?" Before Yun Jianping could speak, Chun Tao, fiercely protective of her master, suddenly glared at him, her gentle demeanor completely changed, and angrily retorted, "Which eye of yours saw my young master flirting with women? And which eye saw that my young master is not a gentleman?"

“Ping’er, look at how fiercely she defends Wu Shuang. How dare she say there’s nothing between them?” Li Haitang ignored Chun Tao and relentlessly listed Wu Shuang’s crimes to Yun Jianping. “Has Wu Shuang ever mentioned a single word about this girl to you? Why is he keeping it from you? He’s clearly trying to have his cake and eat it too…”

"You're not allowed to talk about him like that!" Yun Jianping said angrily. "Seeing is not necessarily believing! Besides, I haven't even heard his explanation yet, how can I make a judgment so hastily?"

"What... what kind of talk is this?" Li Haitang stared at Yun Jianping in astonishment. "If even seeing isn't necessarily believing, then what is true?"

"I don't know! I don't know! I don't know!" Frustrated, Yun Jianping covered her ears tightly with both hands and shook her head repeatedly like a rattle-drum. "In short, I don't believe he's the kind of person you're describing!"

"What I said? How could it be me? It was clearly you who just..."

"Oh! I see!" Hearing this, Chun Tao finally realized, "So it's because Miss Yun is in love with my young master, and therefore misunderstood me and my young master..." At this point, Chun Tao didn't continue, but instead pointed at Li Haitang and mocked, "It's your business if you have a crush on Miss Yun, why do you have to slander my young master?"

"Does your young master need others to slander him? I..."

"All right!"

Liu Xunyi, whose head was already pounding with worry, couldn't stand the three of them arguing pointlessly any longer, so she had no choice but to bite the bullet and step in to smooth things over.

However, when he hoped that Tang Afu would agree with him, he was ruthlessly rejected: "Don't look at me, I know nothing about these lovey-dovey things."

“As far as I know, Brother Wu saved Miss Chun Tao’s life, so it’s only natural that she would protect him. Before we get to the bottom of things, no one should make baseless accusations,” Liu Xunyi advised earnestly. “Yu’er, stop making things difficult for Miss Chun Tao. She has no idea that you and Brother Wu know each other. As for Haitang… don’t add fuel to the fire. You should know that some things should be left to nature, rather than being changed by human effort.”

Chun Tao mustered her courage and walked up to Yun Jianping. She gently removed Yun Jianping's hands from her ears and patiently explained with a sincere expression, "Miss Yun has really misunderstood the young master. I am well aware of my own status and know that the young master saved me out of a single act of kindness, without any other intentions. Therefore, I would never dare to have any improper thoughts towards the young master. I only wish to serve the young master by his side, serving him tea and water, to repay the kindness of being given a second life."

"you……"

"Don't worry! If Wu Shuang dares to be fickle and abandon his lovers, I will castrate him myself!"

Before Yun Jianping could speak, a cold voice suddenly rang out, and Yun Zhuiyue's figure appeared outside Lanzhi Pavilion.

Upon seeing Yun Zhuiyue, Liu Xunyi's expression darkened slightly, and her originally gentle gaze gradually turned cold.

“When you’re in the martial world, you’re not in control of your own destiny. You don’t need to look at me like that. When disaster strikes, you’ll do the same thing.” Yun Zhuiyue stood with her hands behind her back outside Lanzhi Pavilion, calmly looking at Liu Xunyi. “I’ve come to tell you some news. This morning, the Luoyang General’s Mansion was covered in white, and they were holding a large-scale funeral. I suspect it’s related to you.”

"Zhang Xiong is dead?" Liu Xunyi was secretly startled, and subconsciously looked at Chun Tao, who had an innocent look on her face, and murmured, "Could it be Brother Wu..."

"Who told you that the dead person was Zhang Xiong?"

Liu Xunyi was taken aback by his words, and in her haste, she couldn't quite make sense of what he meant: "What do you mean?"

“It is true that someone was beheaded at the General’s Mansion in Luoyang last night,” Yun Zhuiyue said calmly, “but the person who died was not Zhang Xiong.”

"What?" Liu Xunyi's pupils narrowed, and she exclaimed in astonishment, "It wasn't Zhang Xiong who died? Then who was it?"

"General Guo Xian of Luoyang!"

……