Seeing Ruan Jiu looking startled, Xie Jingchu couldn't bear to tease her anymore.
He curved his lips into a faint smile and then let her go.
"There's some hangover soup on the table. Drink it and then take a nap."
After saying that, Xie Jingchu got up and left.
Ruan Jiu shyly hid under the covers. She only peeked out with one eye until she heard the sound of the door closing.
However, the shyness in her eyes was gone.
Her expression was complex.
The Fourth Master was as noble and pure as the moon in the sky. She mustn't have any improper thoughts.
The wine in the governor's mansion was really intoxicating.
-
Since the night Ruan Jiu got drunk, Xie Jingchu felt as if she had changed.
When he was discussing matters about the cloth - making workshop with Su Cheng, she said she was going shopping with Su Wan.
When he asked her to accompany him to Xin'an Village, she said she was going to Zhaojue Temple with Chun Tao to get a talisman for good luck.
For days on end, he couldn't even catch a glimpse of her.
It was as if she was deliberately avoiding him.
Something was wrong. Seriously wrong.
On the other hand, Xie Jing from Qinzhou somehow got the news.
It was said that Xie Jingchu and Ruan Jiu were on bad terms.
This was a great opportunity to win Ruan Jiu over.
So he quickly called Xie Yanchuan.
"Ah, I'm not going!"
Xie Yanchuan looked impatient. Huaizhou was no match for Qinzhou. He didn't want to go there at all.
"You should know that if we can win Ruan Jiu over at this time, with her help, our branch of the Xie family can also get a share of the cloth - making workshop in Huaizhou in the future."
"Ah, I don't understand all these twists and turns."
"Yan'er, just listen to your father. Go to Huaizhou this time and build a good relationship with Ruan Jiu."
In the end, after much coaxing, Xie Jing managed to persuade Xie Yanchuan to agree by promising to increase his monthly allowance by 3,000 taels of silver.
-
When Ruan Jiu saw Xie Yanchuan getting off the carriage, she looked puzzled.
"Don't look at me like that. I didn't want to come."
"Then why are you here?"
Ruan Jiu really couldn't figure out why this playboy, who didn't even know how many shops his family had, was interested in the cloth - making workshop.
"To build a relationship with you." Xie Yanchuan said with a naughty smile.
Ruan Jiu couldn't help rolling her eyes.
Build a relationship?
Even if a chicken and a duck could fall in love, there would be no sign of affection between them.
Xie Jingchu, standing beside them, felt a pang of jealousy when he saw them whispering to each other.
He immediately stepped forward and stood between them.
Just then, Su Wan came out. Seeing a strange face, she couldn't help asking Ruan Jiu, "Who is he?"
Before Ruan Jiu could answer, she heard Xie Yanchuan's voice.
"I'm her fiancé, Xie Yanchuan."
Ruan Jiu thought to herself that things were going badly. She quickly glanced at Su Wan, who was glaring at her with a gloomy face.
So Ruan Jiu quickly pulled Su Wan into the room. After making sure there was no one around, she closed the door tightly.
"I thought I could count you as a friend, but I didn't expect you to be sitting on the fence!" Su Wan scolded angrily.
Ruan Jiu forced a bitter smile.
What should she do? She shouldn't have agreed to the Fourth Master to pretend to be his sweetheart in the first place.
Then she rolled her eyes, drooped the corners of her mouth, and there was an indescribable sadness in her eyes.
"It's a sad story. I'm actually a distant relative of the Xie family. I grew up in the Xie family. But I fell in love with the Fourth Master.
But the Fourth Master is the future head of the Xie family. Grandfather thought I wasn't good enough for him, so he betrothed me to Xie Yanchuan."
To cover up her previous lie, she had to make up a cheesy story.
"No wonder you asked me before which was more important, social status or love." Su Wan suddenly realized.
Ruan Jiu nodded and then continued, "I originally thought that since the marriage was arranged, I would marry Xie Yanchuan properly. But I didn't expect that he actually wanted to bring a brothel woman he kept outside back to the mansion."
Saying this, Ruan Jiu took out a handkerchief from her bosom and wiped away her tears.
"How outrageous!" Su Wan slapped the table angrily.
Ruan Jiu glanced at her guiltily.
"I'll go and scold him right now. See if he still dares!" Su Wan looked indignant and was about to go and scold Xie Yanchuan.
Seeing this, Ruan Jiu quickly stopped her. "Wanwan, don't go. Xie Yanchuan and I have no feelings for each other. It's normal for him to do this. Besides, my relationship with the Fourth Master is not proper. We mustn't let others know."
"I think the old master of the Xie family is really muddle - headed. Xie Jingchu is impotent anyway. Is he still such a good catch?"
Hearing this, Ruan Jiu quickly covered Su Wan's mouth. "You can't say this to others. It's a man's private matter after all."
"Ruan Ruan, you're just too kind. You're still worried about Xie Jingchu like this."
Ruan Jiu was sweating. She wasn't worried about Xie Jingchu. She was afraid that Xie Jingchu would hear what she said.
Finally, Su Wan promised again and again that she would never tell anyone about her and Xie Jingchu's relationship.
Only then did Ruan Jiu breathe a sigh of relief.
-
Xie Yanchuan's arrival wasn't a bad thing for Xie Jingchu.
Now that Xie Yanchuan was here, it would be hard for Ruan Jiu to refuse to go to Xin'an Village with them.
It's just that Xie Yanchuan's presence was a bit of an eyesore.
The mulberry trees in Xin'an Village were the most lush and the mulberry leaves were the tenderest after they had been in Huaizhou for so long.
So they chose Xin'an Village as the location for the cloth - making workshop.
But just a few days ago, when the craftsmen had just started work and all the materials had been transported there.
The villagers in Xin'an Village had been causing trouble every now and then. Today, they even surrounded all the craftsmen in the cloth - making workshop.
"Stop shouting!"
With Qin Yuan's roar, the villagers all turned their eyes towards them.
Seeing that these people were dressed in expensive clothes, they must be the people in charge of the cloth - making workshop.
The villager Li Daniu stepped forward and said to them, "This is our territory in Xin'an Village. What right do you have to build these strange things here!"
"This is the official document approved by the government. We've paid all the required silver. Now this place belongs to the cloth - making workshop." Ruan Jiu unfolded the document in her hand.
"I can't read. Anyway, you have to move these things out right now!" Li Daniu turned his head to the side.
Good grief. They hadn't said anything about moving out before. Now that all the materials were here, they wanted them to leave.
"If you don't move, that's okay. There are 137 people in our village. Give each of us 100 taels of silver." Li Daniu continued.
"Yes! 100 taels for each person!"
It seemed that they were after the money.
Actually, the Xie family could afford the money. But if they gave in this time, the villagers would surely ask for more money in the future.
This couldn't go on.
Xie Yanchuan also understood their intention. He immediately pointed at them and scolded, "You bunch of hooligans. Have you never seen money before? Do you believe that I'll call the government to arrest you all!"
Ruan Jiu couldn't help putting her hand on her forehead. Was there only paste in his head?
Sure enough, as soon as he said this, there was an uproar. The villagers showed their dissatisfaction and anger.
The scene immediately turned into a chaos.
Just then, someone shouted.
"Then you're not going to leave here either!"
A man in coarse cloth ran straight towards Xie Yanchuan.
"Ruan Jiu!"
"A Jiu!"
With two exclamations, Ruan Jiu slowly fell from Xie Yanchuan's arms. There was a dagger sticking out of her back.
Blood gushed out. It was extremely terrifying!