Xiao Yanran was young and spoke without reservation. “Brother, are you going to make this sick woman my sister-in-law? If she goes mad, will she hit Yanran?”
“Don’t talk nonsense.” Xiao Yu was only three years older than his sister, but he still had to put on the air of a little adult. “It doesn’t matter that this woman is a lunatic. I’m just afraid she harbors ill intentions. Otherwise, why would she take the initiative to marry you?”
The moment the words left his mouth, Xiao Yu realized he had misspoken and looked at Xiao Jue, his face full of guilt. “Brother, I’m sorry.”
“Let’s go.”
Xiao Jue withdrew his gaze and replied faintly.
Over the years, his image as a cripple had become so deeply ingrained in people’s minds that even his closest family members never suspected a thing. He had long grown accustomed to such words; outsiders could be even crueler.
However, Xiao Jue didn’t take it to heart. The Zhen Guo Duke Manor was in a precarious state, and all he wanted was to protect his younger siblings and nephew and keep them safe until they grew up.
As for this woman, he would not have her.
At this thought, Xiao Jue subconsciously glanced back at the woman squatting by the pond, and a strange feeling colored his heart.
Liu Gugu searched Yu Hua Yuan for a long time before finally finding Xie Qingran. She began to scold her unhappily, “What is the matter with you, Eldest Miss? Why didn’t you go to the front hall? Do you expect everyone to wait for you?”
“Is this the attitude you take when speaking to me?”
The moment she saw Liu Gugu, all expression vanished from Xie Qingran’s face, leaving only a cold severity.
“You!”
Liu Gugu was about to retort instinctively, but the fiery sting on her cheek made her force the harsh words back down her throat.
“Eldest Miss, this way, please.”
Liu Gugu spoke in a strange, sarcastic tone as she walked ahead, practically grinding her back teeth to dust.
Although today’s Begonia Flower Banquet was mainly for Xiao Jue and Xie Qingran to meet and assess each other, the superficial formalities were well-executed. Not only were all the prominent young masters and ladies of the capital invited, but there were also many activities, such as poetry composition, flower arranging, pitch-pot, and ball-hitting—all sorts of amusements were available.
The entire He Hua Ting was bustling with excitement. Xie Qingran followed Liu Gugu until she reached Wang Shi’s side and lowered her head. “Mother.”
“So you know to show up?”
“Running off the moment you leave the manor. Have you no manners? You are simply bringing shame to the Xie Family, you…”
Wang Shi was about to say more, but she suddenly remembered that Xie Qingran was the main focus of the day and immediately shut her mouth.
“Don’t you often say you want to go out for a walk? Now, go and play whatever you wish.” Wang Shi changed her tune, starting to push Xie Qingran to display her talents.
Even after being here for so long, Xie Qingran had not seen any sign of Xiao Jue. But she knew he must be watching her from somewhere she couldn’t see.
Ever since she had decided to marry this man, Xie Qingran had carefully inquired and investigated him. This man was no ordinary man, nor did he like the delicate young ladies of the inner chambers. After all, the current Zhen Guo Duke Manor was a tangled mess. Above him were a widowed sister-in-law and a nephew, and below him were a younger brother and sister. To top it all off, Xiao Jue was a cripple who could not build a career or achieve merit. The Zhen Guo Duke Manor had an empty title with no real power, and its future was uncertain.
Under such circumstances, what Xiao Jue wanted was definitely not a young lady from a noble family who composed poetry. He would want a girl with means and cunning, one who could support the prestige of the Zhen Guo Duke Manor and fight alongside him.
Since that was the case, Xie Qingran naturally had to cater to his preferences.
She did not choose poetry, nor did she choose the zither, chess, calligraphy, or painting. Instead, she went to the racecourse.
On the racecourse were mostly young masters from noble families, trying to tame a wild horse. But the horse was fierce and utterly untamable, having already thrown off several of them.
“This horse is truly a fine steed, but its temperament is just too wild to tame. Even the horse trainers from the palace couldn’t manage to break it!”
Someone commented, and before their voice had even faded, the horse threw another person off and began to frolic wildly around the racecourse.
“Xie Qingran, what are you doing here!”
“Don’t tell me… you… Shameless! To marry me, you would truly stop at nothing?”
When Lu Jinzhi saw Xie Qingran behind the crowd, his expression changed instantly. He strode over, grabbed her sleeve, and berated her.
Xie Qingran quickly pulled her hand back and looked at him coldly. “Young Master Lu, please have some self-respect!”
“You! What kind of game of playing hard-to-get is this? I’m telling you, even if you chase me all the way here, I won’t give you a second glance, let alone marry you. Just give up on that idea!”
Lu Jinzhi’s voice attracted the attention of everyone around. They all looked over, and upon seeing it was Xie Qingran, they began to point and whisper, the sound of their discussions unceasing.
“I’ve long heard that the Xie Family’s Eldest Miss is desperate for Young Master Lu, but I never thought she would be so thick-skinned.”
“She was raised on a country estate, after all. She’s never seen the world and doesn’t know that face is the most important thing for a young lady of a noble family.”
“What good can a woman who talked back to a noble consort at such a young age be?”
Faced with these discussions, Xie Qingran’s expression remained unchanged. She didn’t even spare Lu Jinzhi a glance, her eyes fixed on the frolicking horse.
Sure enough, after a short while, the horse suddenly flew into a rage and charged straight toward them.
Lu Jinzhi was startled and quickly dodged aside, but Xie Qingran seized the opportunity and grabbed the horse’s reins.
“Xie Qingran, do you have a death wish? Let go!”
“Don’t think you can make me look at you twice by doing this!” Lu Jinzhi shouted, his every word dripping with disdain for Xie Qingran.
In the next instant, Xie Qingran deftly swung herself onto the horse, gripping the reins tightly. The horse, accustomed to its freedom, was naturally unwilling to be restrained and began to gallop even more frantically.
Xie Qingran was completely unafraid. She lowered her body, pressing herself tightly against the horse, and no matter how it struggled, she remained unshaken.
The horse began to buck and leap wildly, trying desperately to throw Xie Qingran from its back.
Xie Qingran’s face was grim. She drew a dagger from her boot and stabbed it fiercely into the horse’s rump.
“Hiss!”
The horse let out a long neigh and began to run wildly again.
Unflustered, Xie Qingran’s eyes were resolute as she pulled hard on the reins, giving the horse no room to breathe, only relentlessly suppressing it!
Finally, the horse felt itself suffocating. Its strength gone, it could only slow its pace, trotting around the racecourse twice with a docile, lowered head.
“This… this… How is this possible?”
“The Eldest Miss of the Xie Family actually knows how to tame a horse?”
“What kind of young lady knows how to tame a horse? How utterly improper!”