Chapter 95: Timing, Location, and Harmony

Chapter 95: Timing, Location, and Harmony

Sun Zhiye had pieced together the sequence of events.

It was the most coincidental of coincidences.

Tian Dong, suffering from a stomachache, left the courtyard, and Chuan Bo was sound asleep, which allowed Qu Ying's plan to unfold.

"Where is Qing He?"

Sun Zhiye stared deeply at Qu Ying, his eyes dark and icy.

Qu Ying shivered, "She left the mansion."

Qing He helped her fulfill her wish, and she helped Qing He escape from servitude.

This was decided after discussions between her and Qing He.

Only when Qing He was no longer a servant subject to abuse would her cousin hesitate.

Therefore, the moment she stepped into her cousin's bedroom, she returned Qing He's deed of sale.

Sun Zhiye laughed bitterly in anger, his cold smile like a biting north wind.

There was nothing more to understand; Qu Ying had willingly become a pawn in someone else's game.

"Qu Ying, you've really outdone yourself!"

In the Sun household, where tension was high, the servants were no longer loyal, leading to leaks everywhere.

"Please spare my life, cousin. I am willing to serve you tirelessly."

Qu Ying was truly frightened.

When her throat was squeezed and she couldn't breathe, her cousin really wanted to kill her, to end it all.

"How can she serve like an ox or a horse?" Madam Sun scolded the servant boy blocking her path and barged in. "Qu Ying is a virtuous girl. This incident..."

When Madam Sun noticed the purple bruises on Qu Ying's neck, she was horrified and then flew into a rage, "You wanted to kill Ying'er?"

"Do you think the mansion isn't in enough turmoil?"

"The Taoist priest performing the ritual yesterday specifically warned against any killing within forty-nine days, or else evil spirits will haunt the Sun family forever, leading to its downfall."

"You unfilial son, do you want to drag the entire Sun family down with you?"

Madam Sun pulled Qu Ying to stand behind her.

"Shouldn't Mother already be on her way to the countryside estate?" Sun Zhiye gritted his teeth, yet he was helpless.

He even suspected that yesterday's grand ritual was orchestrated by someone.

But whether it was Qu Ying or his parents, they all jumped into the trap without hesitation, perhaps even feeling smug afterward.

Madam Sun said, "Your father and I must stay to have a cup of tea offered by Ying'er."

Madam Sun was eager to tie Qu Ying to her eldest son.

Her eldest son was cold and indifferent, disrespectful and unfilial to her, but Qu Ying was obedient, sensible, and very compliant.

"So, Mother, you're suggesting I marry Qu Ying?"

"A shameless woman who sneaks into bed at night, still dreaming of becoming my wife?"

Sun Zhiye felt he had heard the biggest joke in the world.

"Being a concubine would suffice," Madam Sun said with little confidence. "There must be some resolution."

"Mother, have you forgotten that I have already publicly declared Qu Ying as the fiancée you arranged for my second brother?"

Madam Sun glared, furious. "She has already shared your bed; she's lost her virtue. How can she still harm Peng'er?"

"This matter is settled. If you are unwilling to marry her, then make her your concubine."

...

Changxi Village.

"Mingchao, it's done," Xie Yan said, handing a densely written note to Lu Mingchao.

Lu Mingchao took the note, surprised. "So quickly?"

After all, this matter is as uncertain as Schrödinger's cat.

"With the right timing, setting, and people, it went smoothly."

"To be honest, I didn't expect Qu Ying to be so decisive," Xie Yan said with a smile, watching the children circling the horses in the stable.

A night had passed, and the children's fascination with the horses only grew stronger.

Lu Xin held a carrot in his hand, staring intently as the horse ate.

Lu Mingchao skimmed through the note quickly. "The right timing, setting, and people were also the result of our planning."

"Qu Ying refuses to go to the countryside estate. In fact, the eldest son of the Sun family added fuel to the fire."

Xie Yan smiled somewhat helplessly. "Perhaps it's better to say she has a sharp wit."

"No matter how Sun Zhiye handles this, the once-pure jade string has been tainted—it's a major setback."

"If others do not provoke me, I will not provoke them," Lu Mingchao said, throwing the note into a nearby charcoal basin, the flames instantly consuming it as she watched. "If others provoke me, I will repay them doubly."

"Life is fleeting, just a few decades at most. There's no need to endure hardship, believing in the nonsense that suffering brings fortune."

Xie Yan smiled. "Mingchao is direct."

Lu Mingchao accepted the praise with ease, sitting by the window, her elbow on the sill and her cheek resting in her palm as she peered out at the stable.

"Lu Xiaoxin!"

It was fine not to look, but when she did, it was startling.

Lu Xiaoxin was quietly pulling off something bold, snatching a carrot from the horse's mouth!

"Come here!"

Lu Xiaoxin quickly pulled her hand back, cautiously leaving the stable and standing under the eaves, separated from Lu Mingchao by a window. "Sister," she said meekly.

"Still stealing food from the horse's mouth, aren't you afraid the horse might get angry and bite off your little arm or hand?" Lu Mingchao chided Lu Xiaoxin with a glance.

Fortunately, the horse pulling the carriage had been trained to be gentle and non-aggressive by the stable workers.

Lu Xiaoxin cautiously lowered her head, occasionally stealing glances with the corner of her eyes. Her hands hung by her sides, tightly clutching the hem of her clothes as she bit her lips, yet she couldn't help but ask curiously, "Do horses bite?"

Changxi Village had never seen a carriage before.

Lu Xiaoxin grew up in Changxi Village, having seen plowing oxen and cart-pulling donkeys, but she had never seen a majestic horse up close.

"Not only do they bite, but they also kick," Lu Mingchao poked Lu Xiaoxin's fair and clean face, "Go wash your hands."

"You already fed the carrots to the horse. Why are you thinking of taking them back?"

Lu Xiaoxin's voice was barely a whisper, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "The horse was eating so deliciously."

"You want some too?" Lu Mingchao asked.

Then she sighed helplessly. "No matter how much you want to eat, you can't snatch food from a horse's mouth."

"Go wash your hands now!"

Lu Xiaoxin hung her head and shuffled off listlessly.

Footsteps seemed to approach from outside the courtyard wall, and Lu Mingchao frowned slightly, only to hear Xie Yan say, "One of them is your mother-in-law, Yunniang."

With hearing that sharp, there was no such thing as whispering.

Xie Yan stepped forward and opened the courtyard gate.

Behind Yunniang were two people, one was Feng Jinyu, and the other was tall, strong, and muscular.

Feng Jinmao? she wondered.

As soon as they entered the house, Feng Jinmao handed the things he was carrying to Xie Yan. He then bowed his head and clasped his fists towards Lu Mingchao, giving a deep salute. "You saved Jinyu's life. I may not be much, but I know how to repay a favor."

"Whenever you need me, just say the word, and I'll be there."

"I'll go through hell and high water for you."

Lu Mingchao thought: What a brother full of rustic spirit.

He was built like a tank, with round eyes and a booming voice.

He stood before her like a dark iron tower.

If he were guarding a caravan, his mere presence would be enough to scare anyone off.

Next to him, Feng Jinyu looked tiny and delicate.

"Big brother, keep it down," Feng Jinyu shot him an annoyed look. "Mingchao isn't one of those rough guys from the caravan, don't scare her."

"Have you ever thought about learning to read?" she asked.