Pei Cheng withdrew from Third Master Jiang’s arms immediately. He coughed twice and took the lead in breaking the embarrassment, saying: “Third Master… Third Master, how come you have time to come back now?”
Logically speaking, Third Master Jiang had to deal with a lot of official documents and cases at the government office of the prefectural magistrate every day. So, usually Third Master Jiang would stay in the government office during the day and would not go back to the Jiang family easily.
Third Master Jiang took a step back, unable to hide his embarrassment, and said, “I came back to get something. Why is Second Sister-in-law here alone?”
Pei Cheng did not say his true purpose. He turned his head and glanced at the broken branches of flowers in the front yard. He said ambiguously, “It’s already winter, and there are no flowers.”
“They will bloom again in Spring next year.” Third Master Jiang took it on casually without any precautions.
Pei Cheng’s expression changed, he glanced sideways, and said: “Will they continue to bloom in Spring next year?”
Third Master Jiang didn’t know there was another layer of meaning hidden in Pei Cheng’s words, so he laughed and said: “Many flowers in the front yard were moved here a few years ago. They start to bloom these years. If there is nothing special, they should still bloom next year.”
“Where were they taken from?” Pei Cheng asked tentatively.
Third Master Jiang was not on guard. Perhaps he did not expect that this casual chat would be proof that Pei Cheng would confirm something else. He said: “This was three years ago. Big Brother brought these back from the imperial capital on purpose. These flowers grow well and fast, and he happened to bring a lot of them back, so he sent some to each yard.”
At that point, Third Master Jiang seemed to have remembered something, he continued with a smile: “I remember there are also some in the Eastern Courtyard. Why, Second sister-in-law is interested in this flower?”
Pei Cheng said: “Well, I think it is… very special.”
Third Master Jiang did not doubt him, “If you like it, just ask the servants to move a few plants back.”
After saying that, Third Master Jiang didn’t wait for Pei Cheng’s answer. He hurriedly said: “There are still things waiting at the Yamen, so let’s not talk about it for now.” After saying that, Third Master Jiang quickly walked through the front yard and headed towards the direction of the gate.
Pei Cheng glanced at Third Master Jiang’s back, pursed his lips, and returned to the Eastern Courtyard thoughtfully.
Something was quietly changing in Pei Cheng’s mind.
That night, after Pei Cheng finished dinner, he immediately ran to Jiang LinZhi’s yard, but unfortunately, he made the trip for nothing.
Pei Cheng was a little surprised.
The servant hurriedly explained: “Second Master has just gone out. I’m afraid he won’t be back for a while. Madam, is there something urgent? If there is nothing urgent, why don’t you just wait.”
Pei Cheng couldn’t hide his disappointment, but he didn’t say much. He sat on the chair and watched the servant pour him a cup of hot tea, and then said: “Where did Second Master go?”
“It seems that someone from Western Courtyard came to look for him.” The servant saw Pei Cheng looked ugly, thinking that he was worried about Jiang LinZhi’s illness, so he explained: “Second Master went there after taking medicine. Madam, please don’t worry.”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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Pei Cheng waved his hand and signaled the servant to stop talking, “Go out and wait. I will wait for Second Master here.”
The servant bowed and went out.
After closing the door ajar, Pei Cheng stood up. He walked to the bookshelf, looked around with his hands behind his back, and finally locked his eyes on the green book cover on the third row near his left-hand side. He stretched out his hand and took out the book.
After flipping through it, Pei Cheng found that the contents of this set of books were a bit obscure and difficult to understand. He frowned and put the book back casually, feeling inexplicably depressed.
Although he had been reading books over the years, the books he read were basically story books, and the contents were easy to understand. He thought it was nothing in the past, but now after seeing the books Jiang LinZhi usually read, he suddenly felt an unspeakable irritation. “Creak” The door of the room was pushed open from the outside, and there was a sound of footsteps.
Jiang LinZhi took off the cloak from his shoulders, and then sat on a chair. He looked at Pei Cheng’s half-drank tea, and said lightly: “Why are you here, Madam?”
Pei Cheng walked back and looked down at Jiang LinZhi. But after being ignored, he sat down calmly, looked at Jiang LinZhi at eye level, and said, “I have nothing to do, so I come and take a look.”
“Oh?” Jiang LinZhi seemed to be in disbelief. There was nothing in his eyes, he played with the teacup in the tray, with a smile on his lips, but the smile did not reach his eyes at all. He said casually: “Just now, the Old Lady asked me to go to the Western Courtyard for a while. Madam, do you know why?”
Pei Cheng was at a loss for words, wondering why Jiang LinZhi became so eccentric, he said: “I don’t know. Could it be that something happened?”
Jiang LinZhi looked at Pei Cheng fixedly, as if to see something from Pei Cheng’s face, “It’s not like something happened. It’s just that I’m about to make a fool of myself.”
Pei Cheng was very bad-tempered today. He didn’t want to hear any more of Jiang LinZhi’s eccentric words. He said with a sullen face, “Oh.”
Jiang LinZhi said to Pei Cheng with a faint smile: “The Old Lady asked me to take care of my backyard. Madam, do you know what this means?” Pei Cheng sensitively heard that something was wrong. He frowned and said: “Your backyard? Me?”
What kind of mistake had he made?
Jiang LinZhi said lightly: “Well. What did you and Third Brother say in the front yard today at noon?”
Pei Cheng looked at Jiang LinZhi blankly. What did he and Third Master Jiang say in the front yard today?
The next second, Pei Cheng immediately realized what he meant. Pei Cheng said coldly: “Could it be that Second Master suspects that I have an affair with Third Master?”
Jiang LinZhi’s mouth curled up, “That’s not what I said.”
Pei Cheng stood up immediately. He turned around and forced himself to calm down. After taking several deep breaths, he spoke: “But Second Master still doubts me.”
Jiang LinZhi poured a cup of tea and took a sip lightly. He then took the tea cup and wiped it with his fingertips. Without knowing what he was thinking, he raised his head and drank the tea in one gulp.
“I said, it’s not that I doubt you.” Jiang LinZhi said to himself, “The Old Lady in the Western Courtyard knows about this. Pei Cheng, you know what I mean.”
Pei Cheng said firmly: “I don’t understand.”
There was silence in the room.
After a long time, Jiang LinZhi sighed slightly, seeming to be compromising, but more out of helplessness, “Pei Cheng, this is the Jiang family. It doesn’t matter whether you do some things or not, as long as the people in the Western Courtyard believe it, then it means you did it.”
Pei Cheng sat on the chair in frustration. His mood hit rock bottom. He was still thinking about why the perfectly fine Old Lady asked Jiang LinZhi to go to the Western Courtyard, but now…
Jiang LinZhi said: “Now the Old Lady thinks it’s you… Eastern Courtyard will not be peaceful for a while.”
Pei Cheng felt that he had caused trouble, but when the words came to his lips, he didn’t know where to start. So, he could only keep a straight face, sitting on the chair without saying a word.
Jiang LinZhi continued: “People from the Pei family are here to look for me today. We will pack up tomorrow and set off the day after tomorrow.”
“But it will be my father’s birthday in three days.” Pei Cheng frowned and asked the question reflexively.
Jiang LinZhi: “The Pei family means that we should arrive one day early.”
“Did you agree?” Pei Cheng was stunned for a while before reacting, “Why didn’t you refuse?”
“Pei Cheng, you and the Pei family will always be together. It’s impossible to completely break off the relationship.” Jiang LinZhi narrowed his eyes and looked at Pei Cheng, and only said that sentence. Pei Cheng nodded, not sure whether he heard it or not, but the regret on his face kept deepening.
Because he was thinking that they have to go to Pei family before auspicious time the day after tomorrow, Pei Cheng did not realize that something was wrong with Jiang LinZhi tonight —— it was absolutely impossible for Jiang LinZhi to talk so much in the past.
Jiang LinZhi stood up and said, “It’s getting late, go back and rest.”
Pei Cheng looked at Jiang LinZhi’s back and wanted to say something, but in the end he said dryly: “Yes. Second Master, I’m going back first.”
Jiang LinZhi walked towards the inner room without looking back.
After Pei Cheng left, not long after, Dong Lai walked in with a chill.
Dong Lai walked into the inner room and knelt on the ground to pay respect, and said, “Second Master, the new kid in the Eastern Courtyard has been dealt with.”
“Have you found out what I asked you to check?” Jiang LinZhi’s voice was full of coldness.
Dong Lai hesitated for a moment, then said: “Yes.”
After a pause, Dong Lai continued: “There was no one in the front yard during the day, so I can’t find out what Madam and Third Master said.”
“Bang” The book was thrown heavily on the ground.
Jiang LinZhi said coldly: “Since no one saw what they were saying or doing, then how did Western Courtyard know about it?”
Dong Lai panicked, fearing that Jiang LinZhi would blame him, so he hurriedly added, “I don’t know specific details, but no one really saw Third Master and Madam when they were in the front yard.”
After stopping for a moment, Dong Lai continued: “QiuYi just happened to pass by the front yard today and saw Third Master and Madam came out one after another.”
“She didn’t see anything. How dare she talk nonsense in front of the Old Lady.” Jiang LinZhi lowered his eyes, suppressing the storm in his eyes.
The calm before the storm is always scary.
A layer of cold sweat broke out on Donglai’s back, he said: “QiuYi told the Old Lady what this slave had especially ‘relayed’ to her two days ago. In addition, today madam and Third Master met again in the front yard, so…”
Dong Lai didn’t say anything about the next words, but Jiang LinZhi probably knew what they meant.
“Isn’t QiuYi one of Hu XiaYun’s people? How could she go beyond Hu XiaYun and tell the Old Lady?” Jiang LinZhi frowned.
Dong Lai explained in a low voice: “QiuYi has not been favored in the Western Courtyard recently. I think this is why she went over Hu XiaYun and told the Old Lady.”
Jiang LinZhi: “Mn, you can leave.”
Dong Lai got up from the ground and left the inner room cautiously.
Western Courtyard.
Suddenly there was a harsh sound of a teacup breaking in Hu XiaYun’s yard.
“Drag her down for me, you clumsy one!” Hu XiaYun looked at the servant who was being dragged down coldly, her anger getting bigger.
ChunYi swallowed her saliva, took the initiative to come up and comforted: “Madam, don’t get angry with that servant, and take care of your health.” Hu XiaYun’s breath was barely calm, but when she thought of what QiuYi had done today, she suddenly became angry. Her face turned dark, “QiuYi, this b*tch, how dare she go against me! See if I still let her go in the future!”
The smile on ChunYi’s face deepened. She cleared her throat and continued to comfort Hu XiaYun.
It’s been too long and I lost the thread of what’s happening…
Thank you for the update.
Thank You for the new chapter (｢･ω･)｢♥
Thank you for the chapter!