Chapter 89: Calculating the Suitor and Beating Him Up

Chapter 89: Calculating the Suitor and Beating Him Up

The original owner had lived her life in confusion and died in obscurity.

Recalling this grudge, Zheng Jinyu's anger burned within her as if she had personally experienced it, not merely reading someone else's story.

She unconsciously clenched her fists and took a few deep breaths to calm herself down.

"Miss, what's wrong with you?" Chunmei asked, looking at her worriedly.

Zheng Jinyu had already regained her composure and instructed calmly, "Find out later what's going on with that Lord Lu."

Investigate Lord Lu?

As a competent maid, Chunmei didn't ask further questions. She promptly set out to inquire about Lord Lu.

It must be said that the servants' gossip network was efficient. Whether Lady Zheng had noticed anything or not, Chunmei was unaware; but the servants certainly had.

"Miss, that Lord Lu pretends to seek out Third Young Master for play, but he actually comes for Miss Eldest. The way he looks at Miss Eldest is quite different, I've heard they say his eyes are practically glued to her."

Indeed.

As in the original story, Lu Shen had taken a liking to Zheng Jinxiu, but Zheng Jinxiu held no interest in him.

Despite his decent family background, he was rather unremarkable in other aspects.

He was of average looks and talent, but most importantly, he already had several concubine servants at a young age, barely into his adulthood. Naturally, such matters were kept secret, known only to insiders; in the original narrative, Zheng Jinxiu accidentally learned about it from his sisters.

Though Zheng Jinxiu was a false lady of noble birth, she had been accustomed to being doted on by the Zheng family and genuinely believed herself to be extraordinary, resulting in exceptionally high standards.

The last person who had been betrothed to her was Xie Peiyu, so naturally, someone like Lu Shen wouldn't meet her approval.

However, this time, Zheng Jinxiu couldn't simply reject the marriage proposal herself. It would be interesting to see how she would turn down the match.

Zheng Jinyu secretly wished for the two to become irreversibly entangled. But at the same time, she was wary of Zheng Jinxiu using the rogue Lu Shen as a tool to undermine her, thus keeping a watchful eye on the situation.

Seizing the opportunity, Zheng Jinyu asked Xie Peiyu for assistance in keeping an eye on Lu Shen.

Xie Peiyu was puzzled. "Why do you want me to monitor Lu Shen?"

Zheng Jinyu struggled to find the right words. "His gaze towards me seems off. I'm afraid he might harm me."

Upon hearing that he could pose a threat to her, Xie Peiyu took it seriously and promptly arranged for his secret agents to keep tabs on Lu Shen.

At Jinxiu's Abode

If Zheng Jinxiu wished to stay in the capital, she would have to target one of the local aristocrats. She needed to charm her way into their hearts first.

Both Zheng Hongqi and Zheng Hongxu were aware that they had initially suggested this plan to her.

After considering various candidates, Zheng Hongqi commented, "Out of all these gentlemen, I think Lu Shen is the best choice. Although the Lu family is slightly inferior to the Cui family, Lu Shen is the legitimate eldest grandson and holds the favor of Grand Tutor Lu. If Jinxiu marries him, she'll become the head matriarch of the main branch of the Lu family, which would give her a status not much lower than marrying Xie Peiyu."

Zheng Hongxu nodded in agreement. "Indeed, Xie Peiyu only has the leverage of his mother being the Imperial Princess. In reality, his position in the Xie family is far less significant than his cousin's. Once his mother's generation passes, the imperial favor will fade, and Xie Peiyu's lineage will gradually become a side branch of the Xie family. By then, you'll see that Lu Shen would be a better match."

While she agreed with her brothers' analysis, the thought of Lu Shen's average appearance and ordinary education made her feel discontented.

Upon closer reflection, Lu Shen truly was the best option available to her.

Besides, Young Master Lu seemed to have quite a liking for her.

"Second Brother, Third Brother, let me think about it more."

"Alright, take your time, but don't ponder too long. Who knows how long Cui Yongnian will stay in the capital? Before he leaves, Father and Mother will surely give him an answer."

At the mention of Cui Yongnian, Zheng Jinxiu sighed again.

Cousin Cui was indeed handsome, but unfortunately, he was from a collateral branch of the Cui family. Moreover, she truly didn't wish to marry far away from home.

The capital was where she belonged; she would lose everything if she left it. That period when she was in Xingyang had emphasized this feeling particularly strongly.

Forget about Cui Yongnian, even if it were Xie Peiyu who asked her to leave the capital with him, she would decline.

"Don't worry, I'll avoid him. As long as he's not foolish, he'll understand that I'm not interested."

"Understanding is one thing, but what if he pretends not to know? Jinxiu, you're likable, and if he insists on having you, won't he put on a thick skin and act clueless?"

Zheng Jinxiu disdainfully stuck out her tongue and then, with a tinge of grievance, inquired, "What should I do then? If he mentions our betrothal to Mother, she will likely find it hard to refuse."

Zheng Hongxu rubbed his hands together, seething. "He dares? A good-for-nothing scholar with no practical skills dares to harbor illusions about our Jinxiu? Just wait until I knock out his teeth."

"Ah, Third Brother, how can you speak thus? He is, after all, our cousin. We cannot resort to brute force in this matter. Let us first attempt to make him realize the difficulty of his position. If he is wise enough to withdraw gracefully, then there will be no issue. But if he remains obstinate, we can afford to be more forceful later."

"Very well, I'll follow Second Brother's advice. How do we make him realize the difficulty and retreat gracefully?"

"After all, we're related to him. It wouldn't be proper for us to take action directly," Zheng Hongqi pondered and suggested, "Why don't we do this? Doesn't Young Master Lu have a liking for Jinxiu? We can reveal this matter to him and let him deal with it. Then, it won't have anything to do with us."

Zheng Hongxu and Zheng Jinxiu both broke into laughter.

"Second Brother is indeed clever. Alright, we'll do it just like that. I'll invite Mister Lu out for a drink tomorrow and use the opportunity to tell him about it."

The next day, Zheng Hongxu arranged a drinking session with Lu Shen. When they were both slightly drunk, he seized the chance to portray his distress.

As a good friend, Mister Lu inquired, "Is it because of Miss Wang San? I accidentally overheard that your mother seems to dislike Miss Wang, playing the role of the villain who separates lovers."

Zheng Hongxu was taken aback, wondering how could Mister Lu be so obtuse? After all the hints he had dropped, the conversation had somehow circled back to himself.

"Not really. My matters are still far off. I'm worried about Jinxiu's marriage."

"Jinxiu? What's wrong with Sister Jinxiu?"

"Sigh! Mother is considering marrying her off to the Cui family of Qing River. Our cousin who's studying in the capital is actually there because of Jinxiu. Though he looks decent, he's nothing but an incompetent good-for-nothing who hasn't even passed the county examination. Jinxiu doesn't have any affection for him at all. Yet, he's lingering in our house, and as relatives, we can't be too harsh with our words. This sort of entanglement isn't good for Jinxiu's reputation. I truly fear that Mother might agree, leaving Jinxiu in a terrible situation."

Lu Shen was taken aback.

Zheng Hongxu continued to lament, "As you know, Jinxiu is our most beloved sister. How could we bear to see her married far away, especially to someone she doesn't like?"

After saying this, he pretended to be distressed and slumped onto the table.

One day, Cui Yongnian returned with injuries all over his body, several bruises marring his handsome face.

During dinner, he entered wearing a veil.

Wasn't this like openly admitting something? It successfully drew everyone's attention.

"Yongnian, what happened to your face?"

The veil did little to conceal the prominent dark circles beneath his eyes.

Zheng Jinyu had previously learned from one of Xie Peiyu's covert agents that Lu Shen had arranged for someone to assault him. As such, she suspected that his current behavior might be deliberate.