Union

Chapter 6 Interlude

An hour after the meal, everyone gathered near the carriage, ready to board and depart at any time.

To Yunying's astonishment, she also spotted Xiangling among them, who had a timid expression and doe-like eyes.

She guessed that Xiangling must have filled Xianglan's vacancy, but was it really a good idea to send such a timid and weak girl to the cannibalistic Zhaoyang Prince's mansion?

Just as I was in a daze, a hysterical scream suddenly came from behind me.

Several maids followed behind Xianglan, and they pounced on her to grab her and take her back, but Xianglan ran desperately toward Liu Mama.

"Mommy, take me with you. I'll be good, I'll always be good from now on..."

Xianglan's expression was mad, her face contorted in a ferocious grimace. Her once clear and melodious voice now became sharp and mocking, chilling like a demonic murmur.

Que'er, Jin Kui, and the others reflexively took a step back, but Yun Ying did the opposite, running forward two steps and standing in front of Liu Mama at the crucial moment.

"Get out of here! Get out of here!"

Yunying was suddenly shoved by Xianglan, and she stumbled and fell to the ground.

With Que'er's exclamation, Yunying's guqin flew in a sharp arc and landed directly on the carriage next to her. With a loud "clang," several strings were broken.

Everyone was stunned for a moment, then came to their senses and exclaimed in surprise.

Xianglan was finally subdued by the maids who rushed over from behind, and Liu Mama also suppressed the surprise in her eyes and walked to Yunying's side to help her up.

“You child, my old eyes were right after all. You are a kind girl who remembers kindness.”

Yunying didn't rely on Liu Mama's hand to get up; instead, she stood up on her own, supporting herself on the ground.

She fell and her tailbone ached. After standing up, she couldn't help but gasp.

Seeing this, Liu's mother sighed even more, "You child, why are you so stubborn? You don't even know to hide from danger, you just keep going in?" She sighed and helped Yunying brush the dust off her body. Then she looked at the guqin with broken strings not far away and said regretfully, "What a pity for that guqin. That thing has been with you for quite a while, hasn't it?"

Yunying said, "Things are inanimate, but people are alive. No matter how long someone has been with me, they are not as precious as a human life."

Mother Liu laughed, "You child, you are so kind-hearted. Never mind, your guqin was broken while saving me, I will find you a better one later."

"Thank you very much, Mom."

Yunying thanked Liu Mama and then walked to Jin Kui's side.

Jin Kui looked at her with a "you've made something of yourself" look. After Liu Mama turned to Xianglan, she lowered her voice and said to Yunying, "You're quite something, you've got some cunning. It's just a pity that the zither has been with you for six years and is broken like this. But it's worth it to have Liu Mama look at you differently."

Yunying gave a soft "hmm," without explaining that smashing the zither was her real purpose.

This wasn't the place to talk, so the two whispered a few words to each other before shutting up and looking at Liu's mother and Xianglan.

Xianglan's hair was disheveled, and the jewels on her head hung crookedly in her hair. Coupled with her snot and tears, her appearance was very unsightly.

Xianglan was still crying. "Mom, I was just too eager to stand out, that's why I had such wicked thoughts. Mom, I know my limits, I really didn't ruin my own reputation..."

Seeing her crying uncontrollably and with so many onlookers gathered around, Madam Liu knew that this matter was not going to end well and that she was also deliberately trying to teach the remaining girls a lesson. So Madam Liu said in a stern voice, word by word, "Do you think I'm preventing you from entering the Prince's Mansion because I suspect you've lost your virginity?"

Xianglan looked at her with an expression that seemed to say, "Isn't that how it is?" Liu's mother frowned even more.

"That's just one reason. What really made me harden my heart and not let you go to the Prince's mansion was that you're unscrupulous and have no bottom line when it comes to doing things."

If such a fragrant orchid were sent to the Prince's residence, she might resort to any means to gain favor, or even do dirty things to prevent others from standing up for her. When the Prince is enraged, the fragrant orchid will not fare well, and the Marquis's residence will also be implicated.

It's not to say that only innocent, naive girls could be sent to the Prince's mansion; that's unrealistic, as such girls wouldn't last long in the mansion.

Even if you are cunning and shrewd, you must hide yourself and not let anyone discover you or catch you red-handed.

As for Xianglan, her tail is exposed in broad daylight, she can't stand out, and she can't be allowed into the mansions of the powerful and wealthy.

After saying these words, Liu's mother had someone take Xianglan back.

The estate has now been taken over by the people she brought with her. Whether it's Chen Mama, Chen Ping, or Xianglan, they all have to wait for the Lady of the Marquis's decision.

Xianglan was able to escape once, but she can't escape a second time, otherwise it would be a dereliction of duty on their part.

After being glanced at by Liu Mama, the servants all felt a chill run down their spines and quickly assured her, "There won't be any more mistakes." Then they bowed respectfully and led Xianglan away.

This was a little incident that happened before everyone set off.

Once inside the carriage, Yunying, Qiuning, Jinkui, and the maidservant serving Jinkui all sat together.

The other four chosen women did not bring any maids, so they all rode in one carriage, which was just right. Because Qiu Ning, whom Yun Ying wasn't very familiar with, was also in the carriage, she didn't say much. Jin Kui, whether tired or worried about her future, also remained silent.

The carriage was silent, and in this silence, before nightfall, the group finally entered the gates of the capital and arrived at the Chang'an Marquis's residence.

The group entered through the back door, turned through a series of corridors, and circled around a series of pavilions before finally stopping in front of a somewhat remote courtyard.

Although the courtyard was secluded, it was decorated in a very elegant manner. Everything was neat and tidy, showing that someone had taken great care in cleaning and arranging it. I wondered if it was a place specifically for people like them.

Mrs. Liu told them to stay there without worry, and after briefly explaining the rules, she let them go in and tidy up.

She left the courtyard and hurried to report to the Lady of the Marquis.

After Liu Mama left, Yunying and Jin Kui, guided by the maid, entered the room assigned to them.

This was an unfamiliar place, and everyone was cautious in their words and actions, no one daring to take an extra step or say an extra word.

After dinner, everyone washed up properly and went to bed to rest.

After a long journey, and with their anxieties about their future, they hadn't had a proper rest for quite some time. Now that things were settled, they could finally get a good night's sleep.

Yunying usually has trouble sleeping in unfamiliar places, but perhaps because her body hasn't fully recovered, or perhaps because she was too exhausted from the day, she soon fell into a deep sleep, breathing evenly.

The courtyard was quiet and peaceful, but the atmosphere in the Lady of the Marquis's room was somewhat oppressive.

When Liu Mama came to report, the heir apparent's wife was there with her two grandsons, who were keeping the Marquis's wife company.

Later, the Lady of the Marquis invited the Lady of the Heir Apparent and her two grandsons to have dinner together.

After the three left, Lady Hou washed up and tidied herself up; it was already this late.

While combing Lady Hou's hair, Liu Mama recounted all the events that had transpired on the estate.

Lady Hou listened with her eyes closed, remaining silent. Even when she heard that Xianglan had conspired with Chen Ping to bully other girls in order to stand up for her, she showed no reaction. It wasn't until she heard from Liu Mama that Chen Mama had done nothing after learning about these things, but instead deliberately indulged her son's evil deeds, that she finally couldn't bear it any longer and let out a cold laugh.

"I haven't paid any attention to it for days, and they really think that estate is their own. Human nature is truly something that can't withstand the test. Thinking back to a few years ago, the Chen family was always diligent and conscientious in their work. When did they ever dare to be so lax and arrogant?"

Liu's mother naturally shared the same indignation as Lady Hou, and she also scolded her, "They've become too arrogant and can't be taught anymore."

Then he added, “When I returned, the Chen family even knelt down and kowtowed to me, begging me to say a few good words for her in front of the madam. They also said that she had looked after the estate for the madam all these years, and even if she hadn’t done anything meritorious, she had worked hard. They hoped that the madam would forgive the mother and son this time, considering that she had done her job quite diligently all these years.”

"If I spare them, but these girls who have been bullied by them stand up for them and beg the nobles to speak up for them, it will bring trouble to the Marquis's mansion. Do you think the Marquis will spare me then?"

Lady Hou calmly said, "They are not ignorant children. They should have known when they committed their evil deeds that if things were exposed, they would not have a good outcome. But they still did it. Why? Did they think I wouldn't punish them, so as not to disappoint the elders around them? Or did they think I couldn't do without them, that the estate couldn't function without them?"

Lady Hou let out a soft sigh. "The estate can no longer afford to employ them, and to rashly kill them would likely chill the hearts of the elders. In that case, let's send them to Yongzhou to look after the house. This way, they won't have to be separated. Consider it my way of expressing my gratitude for their many years of hardship and giving them this favor."

Mrs. Liu sighed and readily agreed to the matter.

This can be considered retribution for that mother and son.

Yongzhou is a thousand miles away, not much better than Lingnan. There is a lady's dowry estate there, but it has not been properly managed for many years and is always in debt.

In addition, Yongzhou is bitterly cold, so going there would truly be a hardship.

Moving from a wealthy and comfortable home to a harsh and desolate place all at once is a shock that Chen's mother and son may not be able to easily accept, and their future days will be difficult.

But they deserved it.

Thinking back to when Xianglan and Chen Ping's affair was exposed, Chen's mother knelt before her, weeping. She said she had been blind, mistakenly believing Yunying had seduced Chen Ping, never imagining that it was Xianglan who had truly seduced him…

It was only then that Liu's mother understood why Chen's mother had repeatedly tried to prevent Yunying from taking the lead; it turned out she wanted to settle a personal score.

But she was also foolish; she sought revenge on the wrong person.

Of course, this does not mean that if Yunying and Chen Ping had a secret affair, Chen's mother could suppress Yunying at her own will and ignore her life and death.

Every girl in that village was more valuable than the mother and son.

Moreover, she felt that as long as those girls were not blind or blind, who would be interested in Chen Ping, who was short and ugly?

Mother Chen must have known this principle, but she pretended not to hear it and blamed all the blame on the girls, while turning a blind eye to her son's increasingly arrogant behavior.

Now, her retribution has come.

(End of this chapter)