After returning from Su Yi's yard, Mrs. Zhou followed behind the grandmother, seeming to want to say something but hesitant.
After returning to the house,
Mrs. Zhou came over and asked, "Could it be that the fourth young lady has been deceived by someone?"
Zhang Yao? Mrs. Zhou didn't think about it that way at all.
She said that this fourth girl was a complete fool. If she liked someone, she should have just reported it to the old lady. But she chose to imitate the talented scholars and beautiful women in the storybooks, hiding the secrets and dealing with sachets and letters, which gave others an excuse.
Mrs. Zhou was angry, "He is really brainless."
Wen Tang supported her forehead with her hand. It seemed that her sister-in-law was just trying to make things difficult for her.
The old lady and Concubine Song held her in their hands, pampering her. Years ago, she'd attended banquets hosted by noble ladies, and would return to criticize them, criticizing who had a dark complexion but wore heavy makeup, or who was timid and needed to learn some proper etiquette. She'd gossiped behind closed doors, but provoked by a few mischievous people, she'd spill all the bitter words, offending most of the ladies in the capital and leaving her home unattended.
Then she turned and threw herself into the old lady's arms, crying that she had only told the truth and that others were too narrow-minded to tolerate the truth. The old lady felt sorry for her granddaughter, but the blame fell on her, saying that she was the eldest sister-in-law and should be in charge. In the end, it was only when she organized the flower viewing banquet and prepared generous gifts that the matter was lifted.
Now something has happened again.
Wen Tang looked at Mrs. Zhou and said, "The Qin family has strict rules. As an unmarried girl, she has very few opportunities to meet men from other families. After all, the only chance is on the day of the master's birthday banquet."
"Bring her maid here, I'll ask her myself."
Several maids who were responsible for cleaning Qin Ruoyue's yard were brought in and questioned. They all looked confused and obviously had no idea what was going on.
Just as they were about to be dismissed, a maid named Ah Xi came in timidly from outside the door, her face pale and cold sweat on her forehead.
She was a servant born in the family and grew up in this deep courtyard. She had a reverence for rules etched in her bones, unlike Yinzhu, who was bought halfway and grew up in the market.
When Auntie Zhou heard Ah Xi tremblingly pour out all the details, she frowned and asked sharply, "How can you be so sure that man is Zhang Yao, the top scholar?"
Ah Xi hurriedly said, "It was Yinzhu! Yinzhu said it herself. She handed the sachet to Zhang Zhuangyuan personally."
"On the day of Master's birthday party?" Mrs. Zhou's voice suddenly rose.
Ah Xi nodded hurriedly.
Mrs. Zhou couldn't help but spit, a sneer on her face that said, "As expected," "That day, Zhang Yao, the top scholar, was not at the banquet at all."
Ah Xi was stunned, then retorted, "But, but Yinzhu has indeed been sending letters out these days. It's wrong once or twice, but so many times, it can't be wrong all of them, right?" She became less and less confident the more she spoke.
Mrs. Zhou also frowned.
Wen Tang had been listening in silence until he finally spoke up, "The fourth young lady wants to arrange a meeting with the other party. When and where is it?"
Ah Xi subconsciously avoided his gaze and pursed his lips, clearly trying to conceal something. However, when he looked up, he met the suddenly cold gaze of the grandmother. The usually gentle and kind grandmother now had a calm expression, which was more frightening than any harsh words.
Ah Xi only felt a chill running from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.
"Speak." Wen Tang only uttered one word.
"Grandma," Ah Xi almost cried out, "It's the day after tomorrow, at the largest new restaurant in the capital."
"Linjiang Tower."
Ah Xi no longer dared to hide anything, and leaned his forehead against the ground. "Grandma, it was your sister from your natal family who suggested this idea to the fourth young lady. She said that Linjiang Tower had just opened and often held poetry gatherings with both male and female guests. It would be very convenient for us to meet."
After saying that, Ah Xi prostrated himself on the ground, not daring to look up. After a long time, he heard the grandmother speak.
"Go tell the fourth young lady that I happen to be free the day after tomorrow. It's not appropriate for a young girl like her to go alone, so as her sister-in-law, I will go with her to experience a poetry gathering and a rare leisure time."
Ah Xi quickly replied "yes", and was then sent out by Mrs. Zhou with an expressionless face.
Mrs. Zhou cursed Wen Zhiyi inwardly for her ill intentions, then turned around and handed tea to Wen Tang. "After your warning, will the Fourth Miss still go there the day after tomorrow?"
"Of course I will go." If she doesn't go, she won't be Qin Ruoyue.
Mrs. Zhou was worried. "She's a troublemaker, and she's causing you so much trouble. You'll accompany her the day after tomorrow. Publicly, you're attending the poetry gathering to protect her reputation, but secretly, you're cleaning up her mess. She might even blame you for ruining her plans later. It's a thankless task."
"It's not about preserving her reputation, it's about preserving the reputation of the Qin family."
If this matter were brought directly to the attention of the old lady, the outcome would be obvious. She would certainly raise her hand and then gently lower it. In the end, the punishment would fall on her mother-in-law, who would be accused of not disciplining her stepmother properly. If you indulge her once, there will be a next time.
Qin Gong was the face of the Qin family, surrounded by political enemies at court, and countless eyes were fixed on the Qin family. For example, the Second Prince, the current emperor, had harbored hatred for Qin Gong for a long time. During the Lunar New Year holidays, when she accompanied Qin Gong to the palace, she instinctively felt resistance and avoided him upon seeing him, but she didn't mention this to Qin Gong. Now, Wen Tang didn't want him to be busy with official duties away from home, and then give his political enemies an opportunity to attack him because of his naive sister.
"Go to the list of candidates the old lady gave me last time and pick one out. First of all, look at their character, family tradition, and then their family background." Wen Tang finalized, "Once you've chosen, go directly to report to the old lady."
Mrs. Zhou's expression brightened. "This is the best way. This is the family that the old lady carefully selected. Before, when the fourth young lady was dissatisfied, the old lady could still let her do whatever she wanted. But now that this has happened, if you go and report to the old lady, she will definitely agree."
"You don't have to worry about the fourth lady's marriage anymore. This is very good." said Mrs. Zhou.
When Mrs. Zhou thought that this troublemaker was finally going to get married, she felt much better.
Wen Tang pushed another cup of tea toward Mrs. Zhou, asking her to drink some to cool down her temper. Then he said, "Send someone to Linjiang Tower right now and reserve a private room in my name. It should be facing the street with a good view."
Mrs. Zhou nodded, and half of her troubles were solved, and she felt much more relaxed.
Then she lowered her head and said, "Fourth Miss, your vision is really wrong."
Wen Tang raised his eyes, the corners of his lips seemed to bend slightly, but it seemed not to be, "Look at what you said, he is praised by thousands of people outside, and if you say he is not good, people outside will not agree."
Mrs. Zhou looked at her with a teasing expression as she spoke of the man who grew up with her, and shook her head.
Wen Tang stopped talking and turned to ask, "Did you take the safety lock away this morning, Master?"
"Yes, Baochun said, it is tied around the waist, and it looks very open."
Wen Tang lowered his eyes, looked at the tea, and said nothing.
--
That night,
Under the eaves, lanterns lit up one after another, casting a hazy light and stretching the shadows of the flowers in the courtyard into slender ones.
Wen Tang came out of the shower and changed into soft pajamas, her hair still damp with moisture. As she reached the door to the inner room, she heard a humming sound coming from outside.
She leaned over to look.
Then I saw the dog...the man walked in with the small lock hanging from his waist.
He strode in, and the thing that had just appeared in his arms came out again.
Wen Tang frowned. Is this a dog?
Qin Gong naturally noticed her gaze as soon as he entered the room. He walked to the small table and put down the trembling little thing in his arms with a not-so-gentle gesture.
A light yellow puppy curled up into a ball, almost becoming a small ball of fur.
After a long time without her asking, Qin Gong opened his mouth and said, "Keep it."
Wen Tang didn't say anything, but just asked, "How come you have the leisure time to raise a little pet today?"
The other party was silent for a while before uttering three words, "I'll raise you."
Qin Gong was born with a cold face and an imposing temperament. He was also taciturn. The moment he first entered the room, his aura was enough to make anyone feel that he was in a bad mood and they would not dare to talk to him easily.
When Wen Tang first got married, she was often frightened by his devilish appearance. Now, with two children, she has gradually understood his reserved nature.
Wen Tang glanced at the yellow puppy. It looked very similar to Da Huang, whom she had raised for more than ten years. Naturally, this puppy was very much to her liking.
Qin Gong had already gone to the side to change his clothes. He stopped halfway through unbuttoning his shirt. His wife, who was supposed to be serving him, had her attention attracted by the puppy.
For two days in a row, she didn't come up to him with a smile to help him undress and serve him tea. He frowned, and the air around him seemed to be even colder.
"Master, the day after tomorrow morning, I will accompany the fourth young lady to Linjiang Tower to watch the poetry reading."
Qin Gong said "hmm" coldly, which meant he understood.
Wen Tang originally just wanted to inform him and then wanted to sit down to rest. Just as she was about to touch the edge of the couch, she felt a subtle sense of being watched and paused. She looked up and found Qin Gong looking at her. After meeting her gaze, he looked away and said calmly, "I want to take a shower."
"Yeah." Wen Tang said.
Qin Gong stood there and waited for a while, then several maids came in to help him undress.
He raised his head, but his eyes passed over the maid's head and turned to the figure who was still teasing the puppy.
The dim light outlined her gentle face.
But just because I left her alone for one night, she became so angry.