All Hail Cousin Brother

270 Grasshopper After Autumn

Upon hearing this, the Marquis of Changxing’s wife finally felt a little better. “Madam, you understand me…”

Yu Jianjia asked Hui Xiang and Ai Ye to support her from both sides. She stood behind Yang Shuwan and hunched her shoulders weakly. She did not even dare to breathe loudly, afraid that she would attract the attention of others.

Her feet, which were hidden under her skirt, were in so much pain that she couldn’t help but break out in a cold sweat. The thin layer of inner clothes inside was already drenched. The cold clothes clung to her body, and even her body was cold. Her thin figure also trembled slightly.

Was it pain or cold?

Or both?

She had originally planned to reveal that she had sprained her ankle while Yu Youyao’s reputation was ruined.

This way, everyone would naturally blame Yu Youyao for her sprained ankle. That was why she had endured the pain in her feet.

However, at this point, she did not dare to show it.

Which of the young misses present wasn’t precious? It wasn’t a small matter for her to be injured in someone else’s house. After Cao Yingxue and Yu Youyao’s incident, the Marquis of Changxing’s Residence was already embarrassed enough. If others found out that she had been injured in the Marquis of Changxing’s Residence just now, wouldn’t it make people feel that the Marquis of Changxing’s Residence hadn’t treated their guests well and had lost their manners?

In that case, she could only endure it herself.

However, the young miss who had been raised in her own room had never suffered such pain. The more she felt that it was unbearable, the more she did not want to stay in the Marquis of Changxing’s Residence for another moment.

Yu Jianjia was in even more unbearable pain. The Marquis of Changxing’s wife suddenly held her hand and said gently, “Eldest Madam Yu, you’re really well-mannered. Look at Jia Jia. She’s really obedient and sensible. Even at the Flower Festival, she’s rarely so well-behaved and quiet. She’s not like Seventh Sister, who was pampered by me.”

As she spoke, the Marquis of Changxing’s wife took off the armband on her wrist that was inlaid with red gems. Without any explanation, she put it on Yu Jianjia’s wrist.

“Madam, this, this is too expensive. You can’t…” Yu Jianjia’s face was pale. When she reacted, she quickly reached out to take off her armband and return it to the Marquis of Changxing’s wife.

After letting Yu Youyao cause such a commotion, it was not good for her to accept anything from the Marquis of Changxing’s wife anymore.

The Marquis of Changxing’s wife held her hand and said kindly, “Children look good in gold and silver. You can’t be too plain.”

Since the Marquis of Changxing’s wife insisted on sending her off, how could Yu Jianjia continue to refuse?

Suddenly, she remembered that day at the Precious Peace Temple, when she had hit Old Madam Song’s wrist and put on the suet jade bracelet on Yu Youyao’s wrist. She immediately felt that even her feet did not hurt so much anymore, and her eyebrows couldn’t help but curl up slightly.

Yang Shuwan looked at Yu Jianjia and quickly said, “Hurry up and thank the Marquis of Changxing’s wife.”

A shy smile appeared on Yu Jianjia’s lips, but her face was a little pale, making her look sickly. “I can’t refuse a gift from an elder. Thank you, Madam!”

The Marquis of Changxing’s wife glanced at her expression and looked away.

She felt a little regretful. After being tortured for a while, Third Miss Yu looked at her pale face. It seemed that her body was indeed a little too weak. No matter how good her body was, noble families did not want to risk having such a body that might not be able to have good children.

What she usually thought was that there was also a group of madams who were secretly paying attention to the Marquis of Changxing’s wife. She had to take a closer look at the personalities of the young misses since they were young so that she would have a better understanding in the future. Be it on good terms or marriage, she could understand it in her heart and not be fooled easily.

It was a pity that her body was so weak.

—-

At some point, a gray cloth carriage had stopped in the alley at the back door of the Marquis of Changxing’s Residence. It looked inconspicuous from the outside, but it was very big inside.

It would take at least two hours to get from The Precious Peace Temple to the capital.

However, Zhou Linghuai asked the secret guards to carry him down the mountain. The carriage also specially chose a shortcut, saving time for most of the journey. They arrived at the capital in an hour.

There was a small table in the carriage. There was a small charcoal stove on it to brew tea. The fresh and mellow tea was accompanied by wisps of medicinal fragrance that filled the carriage.

Zhou Linghuai was dividing the tea with his eyes lowered. He was very familiar with his techniques, and his every move revealed his deep interest.

Not long after, the patterns on the tea surface surged and condensed into the word “Yu”. However, it disappeared in an instant. Before he could blink, it condensed into the word “You” and instantly changed into the word “Yao.”

There were probably not many people in the world who could do this.

The secret guards were proficient in some verbal skills, and he imitated the conversation between Yu Youyao and Cao Yingxue.

Zhou Linghuai took a teapot and poured a portion into a teacup. The Ru Kiln teacup with azure crab claws had smooth and golden tea. It was clean and transparent, like amber.

He lowered his head to smell the tea. His eyebrows were slightly furrowed, and his eyebrows were pressed down like a sharp knife. He listened to the secret guard’s report word by word.

“But we didn’t let them humiliate us for nothing.”

The secret guard heaved a sigh of relief.

“However,” Zhou Linghuai put down his teacup and knocked the bottom of it against the small table, making a thud. “This teacup shouldn’t be splashed. It should be smashed.”

He emphasized the last word with a hint of ruthlessness.

The secret guard’s heart immediately beat wildly like a teacup. It was raised high and placed down heavily, making a loud thud. He almost dropped it head to the ground.

He thought to himself—

After all, Eldest Miss Yu was also a young miss of a wealthy family. To splash tea on someone’s face was already a little out of line. If the teacup had been “smashed”, even if it was Cao Yingxue’s fault, it would inevitably make people feel that she had been too ruthless.

“I originally didn’t plan to care about the grasshoppers after autumn and let them jump up and down. However,” Zhou Linghuai picked up his teacup and poured out the cold tea in it. He picked up the teacup again and poured a cup of tea. “If they jump too much and make me unhappy, I’ll have to break their legs first so that they won’t be able to jump up.”

The secret guard’s heart skipped a beat.

Zhou Linghuai picked up his teacup and lowered his head to take a sip. “Send the news of the flower festival to the palace.”

The secret guard quickly lowered his head. “Yes!”

The air also became quiet, and the tea smoke on the small table rose meticulously.

After a while, a deep voice came from the carriage. “Let’s go!”

The coachman pulled the reins of the horse and lowered his head to snort at the black horse. Immediately, he raised his head and neighed softly. Then, he turned around and walked out of the dark alley.

Zhou Linghuai heard the sound of wheels and lifted the curtain.

A carriage passed by. The window was open, and the carriage shook slightly. The curtain inside was lifted, and one could vaguely see the corner of Yu Youyao’s red eyes—

They were soft and delicate!

Zhou Linghuai suddenly clenched his fists tightly. With a faint crack, the Ru Kiln teacup in his hand shattered, and the soft sound was short and sharp.

A disturbing aura slowly flowed through the car…

It wasn’t until the carriage beside him was getting further and further away that Zhou Linghuai retracted his gaze. “To the dining room.”