Before coming to the tea party, Zhao Qin specifically inquired about it from Lady Zhang and learned that Liu Yushu would also come today. So, he took a bath and burned incense last night. When he lay on the couch at night, he even murmured Liu Yushu's name ten thousand times. He was so excited that he couldn't fall asleep all night.
In the pavilion, Liu Yushu was sitting on the stone bench, gently waving the fan in her hand. She was whispering and laughing with Zuitao. From time to time, she covered her lips with the fan and laughed behind it. She looked extremely charming. Without noticing, she once again captivated Zhao Qin's heart. Zhao Qin was so anxious that he wished he could jump out immediately, but he didn't dare. He was afraid that his abruptness would scare Liu Yushu.
Just as Zhao Qin was hesitating, a black figure appeared beside Liu Yushu.
"Long time no see." Wu Chunzhe strolled over leisurely. With his hands behind his back and his sharp chin slightly raised, he still looked as unruly as ever. He hooked the corner of his lips and smiled, saying, "Miss Liu Yushu, the legitimate daughter of Minister Liu."
Liu Yushu gave him a cold look, didn't answer, and got up to leave.
She thought to herself how she had run into this rude and shameless man again. During the heavy rain last time, he had slandered her in front of others, saying that they were on intimate terms. It was really abominable. She didn't want to have any more entanglement with him.
Suddenly, she remembered that his surname was Wu and his name was Wu Chunzhe. Could he be the youngest son of General Wu who had just moved to the capital?
"I've greeted you, but you actually ignore me. You're so impolite," Wu Chunzhe said, striding in front of Liu Yushu and pouting dissatisfiedly.
"Hello," Liu Yushu forced a fake smile that was awkward rather than polite. She pretended to bow and then walked around him quickly.
"Sir, you can't act like this. You'll make the girl dislike you," Kan Ning said persuasively with a wry smile.
Wu Chunzhe pouted and let out a "tut" sound. Looking at Liu Yushu's graceful figure, he said, "Dislike me then. Who cares if she likes me?"
Hidden in the dark, Zhao Qin clenched his hands into fists tightly. He stared at Wu Chunzhe with gritted teeth, looking as if he wanted to skin and dismember Wu Chunzhe.
You know, Liu Yushu was the goddess in Zhao Qin's heart, the purest and most flawless existence in the world. He would never allow any man to get close to Liu Yushu, for that would only defile her.
Wu Chunzhe turned around and left boredly. He murmured in a low voice, "It's not fun here at all. It's so boring."
He met Lady Zhang head - on. Lady Zhang greeted him with a smiling face. "It's my fault as the host that I've made Young Master Wu feel bored. Come with me to this side. There are more people here. The young ladies all want to see the son of the legendary General Wu."
Wu Chunzhe forced a perfunctory smile and had to go to the South Courtyard, though he was extremely reluctant. He had just come out of the South Courtyard because he found it boring there. He thought to himself that Liu Yushu knew how to find peace and wondered where she had hidden herself.
Lady Zhang spotted Zhao Qin with sharp eyes and called him to go back to the South Courtyard with them. Zhao Qin didn't dare to refute Lady Zhang's face, so he had to follow behind.
When Wu Chunzhe and Zhao Qin met, they glared at each other. These two already had a feud, and now it was like enemies meeting on a narrow road.
At a banquet before, other nobles had mocked Wu Chunzhe as a rustic brute, and Zhao Qin had joined in. As a result, Wu Chunzhe had overturned the table and punched Zhao Qin several times in public, making Zhao Qin lose face. Zhao Qin was determined to avenge this. He had spent a large sum of money to find a martial - arts master from the martial world to deal with Wu Chunzhe.
The master who had appeared during the heavy rain last time was the martial - arts master Zhao Qin had found.
When they arrived at the South Courtyard, the young ladies all showed shy expressions when they saw Zhao Qin and gathered together to whisper. When it came to Wu Chunzhe, the young ladies' looks turned cold and contemptuous. Some of them didn't even want to look at him. The treatment of the two was completely different.
Zhao Qin had a handsome appearance. Although he was the son of the Minister of War, he exuded a literati's aura and had a good family background, so he was naturally popular. While Wu Chunzhe's father had been promoted, their family had been unpopular since they moved to the capital. They came from the countryside, and the young ladies were all well - bred daughters from the capital. None of them wanted to be the daughter - in - law of a rustic family.
"Where's Rong'er?" Lady Zhang covered her face with a fan and asked the maid in a low voice.
The maid shook her head. "Miss Rong said she would come just now. Maybe she's gone to change clothes."
"Got it," Lady Zhang frowned slightly.
Lady Zhang had a son and a daughter, an elder son and a younger daughter. A concubine in the family had given birth to two sons, the second and the third young masters. This younger daughter, Geng Rong, was Lady Zhang's apple of her eye. She had been spoiled since childhood, being willful and domineering. She could do whatever she wanted in the Marquis's Mansion. No one dared to stop her except the Marquis.
Lady Zhang had taken a fancy to Zhao Qin this time and wanted her daughter to meet him. As for Liu Yushu, she was planning to let Liu Yushu be the legitimate wife of her son. Her son already had three concubines and children, but he lacked a legitimate wife from a noble family. Liu Yushu was extremely beautiful and had a good family background. Although she was a bit old at seventeen, she was still the best candidate.
In Lady Zhang's opinion, it was already a great honor for Liu Yushu that she was willing to let Liu Yushu marry her son as the legitimate wife. Otherwise, even though Liu Yushu was the legitimate daughter of the grand tutor, at most she could only marry an ordinary noble, which was far from being comparable to the Marquis of Xianping's Mansion.
Lady Zhang had good plans, but she didn't know that Liu Yushu didn't take a fancy to her son at all.
Zhao Qin looked around, eager to find Liu Yushu. He couldn't see anyone but Liu Yushu in his eyes and had no interest in those young ladies.
Wu Chunzhe turned around and left. He wasn't going to make a fool of himself here. As he left, he didn't give Lady Zhang any face at all. Lady Zhang glared at him angrily and murmured, "An ill - bred thing. If it weren't for the fact that your father is favored by the emperor, you, this good - for - nothing, would be daydreaming if you wanted to enter my house."
On the other side, Liu Yushu got lost.