After picking up the White Cut Black Prince

God knows, Wen Chu was simply afraid that there would be too many people coming today and he might run into someone he shouldn't meet, but how come it became like this in his mouth.

She said, "I said I would behave myself this time, so I will behave myself. Do you really need to speculate about me like this?"

Ever since she was arrested last time, she dared not act rashly without first finding a perfect opportunity.
She was afraid that if she was caught again, this beast in human form, Song Yusheng, would really hack her to death.

She had to tell her fortune and choose an auspicious day before taking action.

Seeing that she didn't seem to be lying, Song Yusheng's coldness in his eyes faded a little.

He said, "Just follow me. There's nothing to worry about. Besides, Chenxiang is right next to us, so you won't have the chance to do anything stupid."

Since Song Yusheng said so, Wen Chu could not refuse in any way.

The secret guard who followed him today was no longer Dongyue, as a secret guard had already taken over Xiahua's vacant position. In addition, Dongyue had been whipped ten times after returning that day, and now his whole body was itchy.

The new replacement, Xia Hua, looks much older than Dong Yue. Of course, he is also much quieter than Dong Yue, with a cold face. It is not difficult to tell from his facial features that this person is a very qualified killer.

Wen Chu was suddenly not used to having someone less to argue with, and the journey from Yuhui Hall to Rong'an Hall was quite far, making it quite boring.

If she had been walking alone in the countryside in the past, it wouldn't have been like this. At least she could have jumped around to kill time. But now, she could only hope that she didn't make any mistakes when walking.

It's really torture.

Wen Chu kept cursing in her heart the culprit who put her in this situation, but at this moment, a person came from the side path.

"cousin."

The person came with light footsteps, and each step was like a lotus. When Wen Chu heard this, he looked up and saw that it was the cousin of this mansion, Huang Ruotang, who had passed by Rong'an Hall that day.

She walked in front of Song Yusheng, bowed slowly, and said softly, "I didn't expect it to be such a coincidence that I could meet my cousin here. Are you going to Rong'an Hall? Can Tang'er go with you?"

Huang Ruotang lived in Suiyuexuan and would never pass by this place on the way to Rong'antang. She was waiting for Song Yusheng here on purpose.

Song Yusheng did not expose her, and had a faint smile on his face, which further shook Huang Ruotang's mind.

He said, "Since we've met, let's go together."

Several people walked towards Rong'an Hall together. Along the way, Huang Ruotang kept finding topics to talk to Song Yusheng, and he also chatted with her from time to time.

The topic Huang Ruotang discussed with Song Yusheng was naturally very boring. She started by asking Song Yusheng how his injury was recovering, and later on, she began to ask him questions about the Four Books and Five Classics.

Both of them were famous talents in Kyoto. They spoke eloquently and in a difficult to understand manner, quoting from scriptures from time to time. People who didn't know them would think they were giving lectures.

Even Chenxiang, who was usually calm and composed, showed a look of pain on his face.

After finally reaching Rong'an Hall, Mrs. Song saw the two of them coming together and couldn't help but be curious, "Why are you cousins ​​here so quickly?"

Huang Ruotang said: "Fang ran into my cousin on the road, so we came together."

The eldest lady nodded in agreement, but did not take the remark to heart.

The guests haven't arrived yet. Only the Song family is here. The ladies and masters from the second and third rooms, as well as the young masters and young ladies are also here.

Second Master Song Wen saw Song Yusheng coming, walked up to him, patted his shoulder and said, "My dear nephew disappeared a few days ago, I thought something happened, but now it seems that nothing happened, nothing happened!"

The second master didn't look as intimidating as the Duke. He had a smile on his face and looked quite approachable.

Song Yusheng's face showed no joy or dislike. After exchanging a few pleasantries with him, the two brothers from the second branch also walked over here.

The older one, who is older than Song Yusheng, has married and has a child. His name is Song Yuyuan. He is always trying to be better than Song Yusheng. He wants to compete with Song Yusheng in everything, but no matter how he competes, he can never be better. He is the oldest and his father is also the legitimate heir. If Song Yusheng is gone, the position of the Duke's Mansion's heir would naturally belong to him. Everyone thought that he would not come back after being missing for several months, but who would have thought that he was still unharmed.

The expression on his face remained unchanged, and he was still pretending to be relaxed as he greeted Song Yusheng.

Song Yusheng found his expression interesting. It was obvious that he wanted to eat his flesh and drink his blood, yet he still pretended to care about him.

Thinking of this, the smile on his face deepened, and even a hint of mockery filled his eyes.

Song Yuyuan understood the sarcasm in his eyes and couldn't even pretend anymore. His face turned very ugly and he left in a huff.

Song Yuyuan's younger brother Song Yuxi was puzzled and looked at Song Yusheng with a puzzled look, "What's wrong with my brother?"

Song Yuxi was only seventeen years old, not yet a grown man, and much shorter than Song Yusheng. He never cared about these twists and turns and conspiracies, but in his eyes, his second brother Song Yusheng was as gentle as jade, while his eldest brother was moody and easily lost his temper, like a madman.

Just like just now, Song Yusheng had been greeting him with a smile, but he was still unhappy. Thinking of this, he felt that the elder brother was an expert at making trouble unreasonably.

Song Yusheng smiled faintly, "You are still young and ignorant now, so you don't understand, but you will understand in the future."

Song Yuxi refused to listen and muttered, "You all said that. I celebrated my birthday when you were away. Now I am already seventeen. What is there to not understand?"

Song Yusheng didn't want to talk to him about this, so he changed the subject, "I left home in February, and that's when you took the county exam, and then the prefectural exam, and the imperial exam. Which level did you pass, or did you fail any of them?"

As soon as Song Yuxi saw him start asking about homework, he felt overwhelmed. For some reason, it was fine if someone else asked, but when Song Yusheng asked, he felt guilty for no reason.

He stopped talking and quickly changed the subject. He noticed Wen Chu behind Song Yusheng and said, "Second brother, you went on a long journey and brought back a little maid? This person looks unfamiliar. I have never seen her before."

Song Yuxi noticed Wen Chu at a glance and was shocked by her appearance, so he looked for an opportunity to pull her out to block the sword.

Song Yusheng didn't want to say more about this matter. He just raised his eyebrows and said, "What? Is it not possible?"

Even if Song Yuxi had ten times the courage, he couldn't say no. He just sighed and said, "Second brother, what a good life you have on weekdays."

Before he could finish his words, he was interrupted by someone. It was Song Liqing.

"Brother, you are busy today, please lend me Sister Chu."

Before Song Yusheng could say anything, Song Liqing was afraid that he would not agree, so he pulled him away.

Song Yuxi, who was not aware of the situation, scratched his head and asked, "Sister Chu? Why did Xiaoqing call her like that? Is there something I don't know?"

Many guests have come to the outside of the main hall one after another, and they no longer chat here.

Before entering the cabinet, Prime Minister Song had served as a chief academic officer in the Imperial College for several years. Many people were his disciples. Even Huang Ruotang's father, Huang Jian, had been taught by him before he won the third place in the imperial examination. It can be said that his disciples were scattered all over the world.

When the Crown Prince and Song Yusheng were studying in Wenhua Palace, he was the main teacher.

Many of the people who came today were his former students.

Huang Ruotang's mother, Huang Jian's wife, also came here early in the morning, but Huang Jian, as his disciple, did not come. It was really hard to understand.

Before the banquet started, Lady Song brought her sister in from outside. Seeing that her brother-in-law didn't come, she became upset and said, "He is so arrogant. How come he doesn't even want to come to my old lady's 60th birthday? Is there anyone like him? He was my father-in-law's student in the past. He is even more impressive than the one in the palace."

She had always looked down upon Huang Jian, and now seeing him acting like this, her words were full of resentment.

Madam Huang, the eldest lady's younger sister, said, "Don't you know him? He thinks highly of himself because he has a little knowledge in his head. He doesn't take anyone seriously. He is already so old, but he hasn't made any achievements. It's a pity that my Tang'er has such a father. Even if he wants to find an in-law, he won't look down on you, a fifth-rank official!"

When she talked about the sad things, she started to wipe the tears from the corners of her eyes with her handkerchief, and from time to time she looked at her daughter who was standing next to Song Yusheng.

Seeing her sister like this, Madam Song dared not mention Huang Jian anymore. She just changed the subject and said, "Our mother passed away early. Before she died, the only thing she was worried about was you. She couldn't let you marry such a man. I, your aunt, will help take care of Tang'er's marriage. You can just put your mind at ease."

After hearing this, Mrs. Huang felt a little relieved.

The two walked inside, but saw Song Liqing pulling Wen Chu into a corner, talking about something, with excitement all over their faces.

Mrs. Song was furious when she saw her hanging out with that questionable man again.

Madam Huang beside her also noticed that something was wrong with her. She looked at Wen Chu with a puzzled look on her face and said, "Isn't she just a little maid? Why is sister so angry?"

When Madam Song heard them asking this, she recounted everything Wen Chu had done on the first day he arrived at the Duke's Mansion.

Madam Huang was shocked and said, "There is actually such a troublemaker. Qi An only asked her to be a maid and that was considered a punishment? This offended the Duke's wife. She should be beaten to death!"

The two people over there were talking while holding hands, while Wen Chu didn't even know that he had become a troublemaker.

After Song Liqing knew that Wen Chu could tell fortunes last time, she had always wanted to ask her for a fortune-teller. Today, she finally found the opportunity and pulled her aside to beg her for help.

"Sister Chu, you must be very good at fortune-telling, please tell me your fortune!"

Wen Chu was pestered by her and asked helplessly: "Okay, tell me what you want first."

Song Liqing asked, "Can you tell me when my brother will get married?"

Wen Chu was stunned. She thought she wanted to calculate something for her, but she didn't expect it was Song Yusheng. She looked a little embarrassed and said, "Miss San, please don't embarrass me. How dare I calculate these for the prince! If I get caught, I will be beaten!"

Song Liqing said, "What are you afraid of? My brother is busy with socializing now and can't see us."

Wen Chu looked in the direction of Song Yusheng, and saw that there were many people gathered around him. It seemed that he really didn't notice this place.

Song Liqing even added fuel to the fire, "Nothing will happen. Besides, isn't it just a marriage for him? It's not a big deal. Even if he's discovered, what can happen? He's already 22 years old! How old is he? I'm really curious, dear sister, just satisfy my curiosity!"

Indeed, most men marry at the age of 18. Song Yusheng is already 22, which can be considered old.

For some reason, when Song Liqing said this, Wen Chu always felt that Song Yusheng seemed to be able to hear it, and she felt a sense of weakness in her heart. But she quite agreed with what Song Liqing said. She counted on her fingers and found that he was six years older than her. When Wen Chu could hardly understand a word, Song Yusheng was already sitting in Wenhua Palace with his brother.

She agreed in a low voice: "What you said is indeed not wrong, but you have to hurry up, otherwise you will be late when you return, and I am afraid that the prince will be unhappy."

Song Liqing took the man's hand and walked to an empty corner, saying, "I think what my brother did was really wrong. You are his savior. The money to save his life was earned by you with great difficulty. He should treat you well." Wen Chu was used to carrying three copper coins on her body. She took out the coins and squatted in the corner.

Song Liqing was curious and squatted down quickly following her.

The two had no idea that someone was approaching from behind.

Wen Chu concentrated his mind, closed his eyes, and dropped three copper coins from his hand. Then he heard a sharp shout from behind him.

"What are you doing sneaking around here?!"

The person who spoke was Nanny Xing who was beside Madam Song. They had just discovered that these two people were sneaking around, and they didn't know what they were doing. As a result, when they followed them, they found out that they were secretly doing these shady things here.

The two were frightened by the sharp sound. Wen Chu thought something was wrong and quickly picked up the three copper coins on the ground. However, just as she was about to hold the money in her hand, Madam Song saw that she was still trying to hide it and gave Nanny Xing a look. Nanny Xing immediately understood what Madam Song meant and tried to snatch the thing from her hand.

"Still hiding?! We all saw it!"

Wen Chu was afraid that someone would notice the commotion here, so he didn't dare to argue with her, and in the end, the thing in his hand was taken away by her.

Nanny Xing showed this thing to Madam Song. Madam Song saw three copper coins and her face turned ugly. She scolded, "How dare you do such a mess in the Duke's Mansion? You dare to bring things from outside in here. On this sixtieth birthday, who do you want to bring bad luck to!"

After all, she had been the mistress of the Song family for so many years, and she was also very good at bluffing people. Song Liqing felt that her mother was just as good as her father. She was so scared, but she still said, "Mother, don't blame her. It was me who insisted on pestering her. If you want to scold her, just scold me."

Song Liqing is not very courageous and likes to stir up trouble, but he still has some responsibility.

However, Madam Song had long disliked Wen Chu, so how could she let go of the opportunity today?

She said in a cold voice: "I know that you are the one who instigated this. She is also a fool to make trouble with you. How dare you bring these fraudulent things into the Duke's Mansion?"

Song Liqing retorted, "But I clearly remember that those people from Chaotian Temple held a three-day fasting ceremony in Kyoto, and my mother was there for three days to enjoy the fun. Why are you saying it's a scam now?"

Logically speaking, Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism are three in one. Although the Song family advocates Buddhism, they do not shy away from Taoist things, such as Feng Shui, the Five Elements, birth dates and so on. However, when people think about the fact that this foolish emperor favors the Taoists so much, and those Taoists become arrogant because of this favor, it makes people feel disgusted for no reason.

Although Madam Song said that she disliked them, after the Taoists really held the fasting and prayer ceremony, she could not help herself and joined them for three days.

When Song Liqing wanted to bring up this matter, Madam Song interrupted her before she could finish her words.

"How can they be the same? No matter what she looks like, she is from Chaotian Temple. What is she? A country woman, without a father or a mother, the most shameful person! She learned something and swindled people everywhere. If you don't come over, you'll get married tomorrow! Let me see whether you recognize her or me as your mother?"

Song Liqing felt that her mother was extremely unreasonable. She turned her head to look at Wen Chu who was being scolded, but she saw that she looked numb, as if she was not the one being scolded. She even smiled and comforted her, "I'm fine. Your mother is right. I'm not a good person. Go ahead."

What was wrong with her scolding? Although she had a father, it was better than having no father at all. Aren't people who are trampled on by thousands of people wantonly the most shameless people? She was a worthless life, and no matter how many ways she tried, she couldn't kill her desire to survive. No matter whether it was a knife or a sword, she couldn't be tortured to death.

Speaking of death, Wen Chu used to want to die, but now he won’t even think about it anymore.

Before his father Wen died, he once said to her: The three flowers gathered in the cauldron, the five qi converged to the origin, they are all illusions. If you can't save yourself from suffering, who can save yourself? It is a great blessing for you to be alive. We dare not ask for anything else. If no one accompanies you and no one saves you in the future, you have to save yourself.

He was afraid that if no one was with her, she would no longer live.

But Wen Chu couldn't die even if it was because of how hard her father Wen worked to raise her.

Song Liqing refused to leave, and Madam Song was so angry that she wanted to ask someone to pull her away. Just as she was about to speak again, someone walked towards them.

Wen Chu looked up.

The man had broad shoulders and a narrow waist, and his dark uniform made his figure look even taller. It was Qi Ziyuan.

There are few guests coming here, but I don't know how he discovered that several people were arguing here.

The Qi family had been generals for generations, and at least the empress and the crown prince of this dynasty were from this family. Even though there were serious factional disputes now, the crown prince was legitimate after all, so the Song family had to maintain good relations with the Qi family.

The Duke even had the idea of ​​forming a marriage alliance with the Qi family. After all, General Qi was very successful at a young age, but he had not yet arranged a marriage. Yesterday, Old Madam Song also casually praised Qi Ziyuan. I wonder if she also had this intention.

Qi Ziyuan stepped forward and bowed to the two ladies. When Mrs. Song saw that it was him, she calmed down and returned to her usual dignified demeanor. She nodded as a response to Qi Ziyuan's greeting, then smiled and looked at him and asked, "My dear nephew, you came so early today. I didn't see you outside just now. Why did you come here? Are you going to look for Qi'an? He is outside."

After he finished speaking, Song Yusheng appeared here, and Huang Ruotang, who had been following him, also went to his mother's side.

Qi Ziyuan ignored Song Yusheng who suddenly came over, and just nodded slightly as a greeting.

He walked towards Wen Chu and said, "I was passing by here on my way to the cemetery this time, and I didn't run into anyone under Madam's supervision. I don't know where my servant went to be lazy, and no one helped me to carry the wine glass. Little maid, although I didn't help you last time on the street, but this time I am your guest, you should help me to look after it."

As he said that, he reached out and handed the wine glass to her.

Wen Chu cursed inwardly. Qi Ziyuan brought up the incident of her escape that day again. Song Yusheng had finally forgotten about it, but he had to bring it up again in front of everyone. Besides, was there no table here that could hold his cup?

However, if Qi Ziyuan hadn't shown up, she would have been harassed by the eldest lady. Thinking of this, she stretched out her left hand to take the cup, but she heard Song Yusheng beside her suddenly say, "General Qi, you should just find a long table to put it down. This little maid is so timid, I'm afraid she will neglect you."

After Song Yusheng finished speaking, he looked at Qi Ziyuan, but for some reason, the latter was suddenly stunned and stood there, staring at Wen Chu in a daze.

Although Qi Ziyuan knew that Li Zhaoxi had met with an accident, he couldn't help but test Wen Chu because he saw that he looked so much like Li Zhaoxi.

Li Zhaoxi used to have a habit that she was not even aware of - she always used her left hand to receive things.

Just now he deliberately passed the cup with his left hand. If it were an ordinary person, it would be more convenient to use the right hand to receive the cup when two people were face to face.

But Wen Chu stretched out his left hand.

This action was like a hammer hitting Qi Ziyuan's heart, catching him off guard, and the hand that was handing him the wine glass just remained still in mid-air.

Wen Chu was in a dilemma for a moment, not knowing what to do. His hand was half out, whether to move forward or backward. He didn't know what was wrong with Qi Ziyuan, who suddenly seemed like a different person. Fortunately, he quickly came to his senses and withdrew his hand.

He smiled stiffly twice and said, "Your Highness is right, just find a place to put it."

The look in his eyes when he looked at Wen Chu changed again and again, but he still refused to believe it. He didn't believe why she was alive. What he couldn't believe even more was that he was right in front of her, but she refused to recognize him.

The guests' voices were very noisy, which made Qi Ziyuan even more confused.

Song Yusheng ignored Qi Ziyuan's sudden weirdness and just said to Madam Song, "This is not a big deal. Today is my grandmother's 60th birthday. Forget it."

He was entertaining guests at the front when Xia Hua whispered to him that Wen Chu was in trouble again. He learned the whole story on the way and knew that she was the one who wanted to tell fortunes in this room and was caught.

Song Yusheng's voice was very light when he said this, and he didn't sound angry. Wen Chu secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Since this maid is ignorant, I will discipline her myself when I go back tonight. Mother doesn't need to worry."

After hearing this, Wen Chufang breathed a sigh of relief again.

After he finished speaking, he said to Aunt Xing, "Give her back the thing you have in your hand. After all, it's what she used to save my life."

The guests outside were toasting and chatting loudly, but this place was as quiet as a cicada, and fell into deathly silence for a moment.

Nanny Xing glanced at Madam Song.

But since Song Yusheng said so, what can Madam Song do?
His words were undoubtedly a reminder to them that Wen Chu was his savior.

Nanny Xing understood what the eldest lady meant, and handed the three "confiscated" copper coins in her hand back to Wen Chu.

Wen Chu reached out and took it.

Still the left hand.

Qi Ziyuan's figure shook slightly.
She is Li Zhaoxi, she looks very similar and has exactly the same habits.

But she seemed unwilling to acknowledge him.

Qi Ziyuan's throat was slightly choked, and he asked Song Yusheng: "Since she once saved the prince, why did you make her a maid?"

Song Yusheng and Qi Ziyuan were just acquaintances before, and it was because of the Crown Prince. The two were not very close, and Qi Ziyuan's words were really beyond the line of interfering in other people's family affairs.

Song Yusheng looked up at him and said, "General Qi spent some time in the army when he was young, so he must understand the distinction between rewards and punishments. Since she made a mistake, why can't I punish her?"

"No, that being said, the grace of saving a life is greater than heaven, how can the clear distinction between rewards and punishments apply to this?"

Seeing him being so persistent, Song Yusheng showed no dissatisfaction on his face. He looked at Wen Chu with a smile and said, "Whether it is suitable or not is still up to General Qi to decide. Wen Chu, I just want to ask you if it counts."

This happened at the Song family. When Song Yusheng asked her this, did she dare to say it didn't count?

She lowered her eyebrows and said: "Of course it counts."

He said that he accepted Song Yusheng's words, but his words sounded quite reluctant.
God damn it, who wants to be someone else's maid? Being a maid is tiring, and being Song Yusheng's maid is even more tiring.

When Qi Ziyuan heard Wen Chu's words, the last line of defense in his heart was broken. He strode towards Wen Chu regardless, bent down and leaned close to her ear, and said in a voice that only the two of them could hear: "I know you are forced by his power. As long as you want to leave, I will do my best to take you away today."

Since Xiaoxi was unwilling to recognize him now, he would not expose her, but he wanted to take her away.

Even if it meant going against Song Yusheng, he didn't care.

Wen Chu was also distracted for a moment, she knew that Qi Ziyuan recognized her. He was not like this last time, but now that they met again, he seemed like a different person.

She didn't even know where she had been exposed.

While she was in a trance, Song Yusheng walked up to her side without her knowing when and pulled her behind him.

(End of this chapter)