Chapter 88: The Culprit Who Harmed Zheng Jinyu Has Appeared

Chapter 88: The Culprit Who Harmed Zheng Jinyu Has Appeared

Xie Peiyu sneered and lashed the donkey with a whip, causing it to bolt away in a frenzy.

Cui Yongnian's face paled in fright, letting out a piercing scream before gripping the reins tightly.

Satisfied, Xie Peiyu reined in his whip and urged his horse to follow.

Zheng Jinyu lifted the curtain and peered ahead, "I hope he won't hurt my cousin. I'd have a hard time explaining to my mother."

The princess frowned and sighed, "Why is Yu'er being so mischievous now? Teacher, please hurry up."

Zheng Jinyu looked at the princess in surprise, not expecting such a description of Xie Peiyu from her.

So warm and doting.

She envied Xie Peiyu for having such a caring sister.

After arriving at the temple, the princess led them through the proper rituals of offering incense and praying for blessings. Once that was done, she excused herself to rest in a meditation room, leaving the two of them alone on purpose.

Xie Peiyu was relentlessly bothered by Cui Yongnian's inquiries about music theory, causing him immense irritation.

Although he was indeed well-versed in musical arts, he genuinely had no knowledge of the zither piece from that particular day.

Moreover, Cui Yongnian was an accomplished expert himself, making it difficult to deceive him.

Thus, Xie Peiyu resorted to putting on an aloof demeanor to distance himself.

In Cui Yongnian's eyes, such aloofness and eccentricity were characteristic of someone of high stature, making them naturally hard to approach.

Despite being despised, he remained undaunted.

Having shaken off Cui Yongnian, Xie Peiyu encountered Zheng Jinyu in the woods behind the temple.

Upon seeing her, he couldn't help but complain, "Why did you bring your cousin along?"

Zheng Jinyu replied, "It wasn't me who brought him along; he insisted on coming and made it clear to my mother that he was here to seek your guidance on musical knowledge."

Recalling Madam Zheng's words, she chuckled again, "My mother also said that true friends are hard to come by, and she hopes you two can develop a tale as beautiful as the friendship between Bo Ya and Ziqi."

"Huh, it was you who played that zither piece that day."

Zheng Jinyu raised an eyebrow. "Do you regret it?"

Regret?

Absolutely not. It was better for him to be the one entangled than for his fiancée to be in such a situation.

"He can be quite persistent, Jinyu. You must keep it a secret. Don't let him know it was you playing the zither."

"Rest assured, I won't."

If Cui Yongnian were to cling to her like he did with Xie Peiyu, how could that be? He was the husband-to-be chosen by Lady Zheng for Zheng Jinxiu.

Zheng Jinyu asked, "You summoned me today under the Duke's daughter's name. Is there something on your mind?"

Xie Peiyu replied with a mild smile. "Nothing much, I just wanted to see you."

Zheng Jinyu: "..."

Gazing into his smiling eyes, she found herself puzzled.

Could it be that this guy has fallen in love?

She had assumed that to Xie Peiyu, she was merely someone he didn't despise enough to call off the engagement. Perhaps, as they spent more time together, his heart had been swayed?

Did she possess such irresistible charm?

But she was only fifteen.

Mid-thought, Xie Peiyu playfully tapped her forehead. "What are you thinking about? Your eyes are rolling around."

Uh...

How awkward.

Zheng Jinyu turned her face away, feeling embarrassed.

Xie Peiyu gently took hold of her chin and turned her face back towards him.

Both of them froze in their tracks.

Xie Peiyu realized his actions had overstepped boundaries and promptly released her hand.

"I apologize, I was momentarily carried away."

On the surface, Zheng Jinyu appeared to be a startled young lady of noble birth, but inwardly, she was delighted.

She thought to herself, He really does have feelings for me. In this game of love, whoever falls first is at a disadvantage; it can lead to a disastrous defeat.

Call me despicable or shameless, but Zheng Jinyu had resolved to make full use of him.

Zheng Jinxiu, if you refuse to take the path to success yourself, don't blame me.

"By the way, how are the people we sent to Fang Village faring?"

Xie Peiyu replied, "Their ancestors have lived in Fang Village for generations, so it won't be easy to convince them to leave and rely on a daughter they've never met. We'll need to employ some tactics."

Zheng Jinyu nodded gently.

Even if the Fang villagers were somewhat despicable or malevolent, they weren't fools.

They would naturally weigh the pros and cons of such a move.

Unless they were pushed to the brink of being unable to remain in Fang Village, or there was an irresistible temptation here with a virtually guaranteed success, who would be willing to undertake a long and perilous journey in this age of inconvenient transportation?

"By all means, invite them to come. If Zheng Jinxiu makes them feel insecure, include me in the invitation."

Xie Peiyu was slightly taken aback. "Include you?"

"Mm-hmm. After all, they raised me for fourteen years. Now that I've prospered and express my longing for them, wouldn't they come?"

Xie Peiyu looked at her with an unreadable expression. "This..."

Zheng Jinyu smiled and suggested, "How about sending them some silver, saying it's from me?"

Xie Peiyu gazed at her intently for a moment before he asked, "Do you harbor a deep grudge against them that you wish to eradicate them all? Including Zheng Jinxiu?"

This was her personal secret, and she didn't feel that her relationship with Xie Peiyu had developed to the point where they could share everything.

Zheng Jinyu looked at Xie Peiyu with a hint of a smile. "What nonsense are you talking? They raised me for fourteen years, so I merely want to repay their kindness. As for Zheng Jinxiu, as long as she doesn't cause trouble for me, why would I provoke her? It's nice to have an elder sister."

Xie Peiyu replied with a skeptical look, "… Do you really expect me to believe that?"

Although she wasn't entirely honest with him, he still decided to help her with this matter.

...

One day, as Zheng Jinyu passed by the garden, she noticed Zheng Hongxu engaged in a lighthearted conversation with a young nobleman. When she heard the man address Zheng Hongxu as Lord Lu, she abruptly stopped in her tracks.

Chunmei, her maid, asked in confusion, "Miss, what's wrong?"

Zheng Jinyu, who had been standing in the middle of the corridor, turned back to see Zheng Hongxu and the unfamiliar nobleman walking further away from her.

Perplexed, Chunmei explained, "Miss, that is the eldest grandson of Minister Lu, Lord Lu Senior."

"Well, what could he possibly be here for?"

"This... This servant doesn't know. But I've heard that recently, Young Master Lu has been spending more time with Second and Third Young Masters. Perhaps he's come to play with them."

Play with them or come for Zheng Jinxiu?

In the original story, this Young Master Lu was Zheng Jinxiu's devoted admirer. Relying on his grandfather's influence, he attempted to forcefully marry Zheng Jinxiu. Unable to refuse the marriage, Zheng Jinxiu told Lady Zheng that she would offer this prestigious match as compensation to the original owner of her body.

The one who should marry into the prestigious family was Zheng Jinyu, the legitimate daughter. Only she was worthy of the eldest grandson of Grand Tutor Lu.

At that time, Lady Zheng praised her for her understanding. After all, the original owner was her biological daughter, and she wanted to reserve the best marriage for her offspring. Thus, she consented.

However, Young Master Lu discovered that the bride wasn't who he expected. He subjected the original owner to countless humiliations, and soon, rumors spread that she had been beaten to death by her husband's family.

Zheng Jinxiu wept bitterly, claiming ignorance and stating that she never imagined it would end like this. She only wanted to give the best to the original owner but unintentionally harmed her instead. Her self-blame led to fainting, provoking the sympathy and comfort of the Zheng family. No one blamed her; instead, they all condemned Young Master Lu for his monstrous behavior.

When they sought an explanation from Young Master Lu, he accused them of deception. He claimed he was meant to marry the legitimate daughter of the Zheng family, not some village girl they sent to deceive him.

The Zheng family, in order to preserve Zheng Jinxiu's status as the legitimate daughter, dared not even clarify that Zheng Jinyu was actually the true legitimate daughter of the family.