Chapter 845 Yan Xi’s Marriage
Shao Wanru took a step back and stared at Yan Xi in front of her in astonishment. In the last life, she only took a glance at him from a distance and felt that he was merely a good-looking man. But now when she looked at him carefully, she found that he had a heroic spirit in his eyes and eyebrows. He didn’t look like a Confucian scholar. If suited up in a campaign gown, he would look more like a general!
She looked him up and down with her watery eyes, seeming to be thinking of something. Shao Wanru had had slight sympathy for him since she knew that this Childe Yan once fell into someone’s trap. “Was it because of me that he was set up? Or for other reasons?”
It was not until now that she started to realize that there were secrets behind this mystery in her last life.
Yan Xi was also astonished. Summoned by Duke Xing, he had never thought of the possibility that he almost b.u.mped into someone when he arrived. It was a young Miss, who was not tall. What first came into his sight was a pair of bright and watery eyes. At first glance, they looked quite attractive. But after careful observation, he felt that they were crystal clear and extremely beautiful.
On her snow-white and tender face were her delicate facial features, as well as her long eyelashes, the fluttering of which made her eyes look as gentle as water. Her lips were as bright-colored as flowers with stamens, which made her a gorgeous beauty. “First Miss Shao?”
Although he was amazed, he immediately became clear-headed and denied the abrupt supposition. First Miss Shao had been in the palace now and it was said that she had become the Emperor’s Secondary Consort. “Then who was this girl?” He had never heard of other peerless beauty except for First Miss Shao.
He lowered his eyes and stepped aside, cupping his hands respectfully to Shao Wanru and no longer fixing his eyes on her.
He was a respectable and well-behaved person. When he saw her just now, there was nothing but amazement in his eyes. It was like that he caught sight of a cl.u.s.ter of flowers and then felt amazed. Nothing evil was in his mind. His eyes were very pure and his behavior was polite. It was hard to believe that such a disgraceful event had happened to him in her last life.
After making the above commons in her heart, Shao Wanru winked at Yujie, who understood it at once. She took a step forward with her hands on her hips and head up, pretending herself as a stroppy servant girl. Then she shouted, “Who are you? How dare you stroll around Duke Xing’s Mansion? What if you knock someone down?”
“I am a scholar lodging in the mansion because my father is an old friend of Duke Xing’s. I was summoned to come here by Duke Xing. I feel so sorry! I didn’t mean to offend you just now, Miss!” Yan Xi took a deep bow and said politely.
That made the little servant girl Yujie look very rude and irrational.
“The Duke is looking for you? Did he send a man to get you? It was our Miss who was the one he wanted to see just now!” Yujie was not convinced and rebuked, becoming more and more arrogant.
Such servant girls who bullied the weak and feared the strong existed in many mansions, especially those of first-cla.s.s, who were sometimes even more difficult than their masters.
In order to curry favor with their masters, they always spoke first on half of their masters in a rude and arrogant manner. Of course, they wouldn’t do that unless they were favored by their masters. At this moment, Yujie was a typical example.
Yan Xi felt quite helpless. He had seen some fine servants in Duke Xing’s Mansion before, so he didn’t expect to meet such an arrogant servant girl, whose question was even ruder than her att.i.tude. It sounded like that no one else but her Miss deserved to be summoned by Duke Xing.
Though displeased, Yan Xi didn’t intend to argue with a servant girl. He said calmly, “Duke Xing has sent someone to call me early before. He needed to talk to me. I should have come earlier, but I was delayed for a while. So I walked here in a hurry!”
Shao Wanru slightly narrowed her eyes, in which there was a trace of deep suspicion. If Yanxi had come earlier, she would have met him in Shao Jing’s study. Of course, it was possible that he had to come late and happened to come across her here!
“If that was the case, then what was that for?”
In the last life, she and this Childe Yan were tied up into a group, and neither of them had a good end. Then what about this life?
“Childe Yan, your father is an old friend of Second Uncle’s?” her watery eyes slightly raised as she softly asked.
On hearing Shao Wanru’s voice, Yujie stepped aside and made way for her.
Yan Xi raised his head and cast another glance at the elegant and charming Miss in front of him, with a little doubt in his eyes. Though he was amazed by her at the first glance, he didn’t have a good impression of Shao Wanru.
A servant girl was like her master. How good could a master be if her servant girl behaved like that?
But out of his expectation, Shao Wanru spoke in a soft and gentle voice, which was different from what he had imagined. After the glance at Shao Wanru, he lowered his eyes and said, “My father has always been related to Duke Xing’s Mansion!”
“Not only to Second Uncle but also to other people in our mansion?” Shao Wanru keenly grasped the point of his words. Her heart pounded wildly as an idea was coming into being in her mind.
“Yes!” Yan Xi said emotionlessly. He didn’t think he should talk more about this to a boudoir girl.
Shao Wanru blinked her eyes. She could see his indifference and understand that it was impossible to get more from him. She nodded slightly at him and left with Yujie.
They were still outside the door of Shao Jing’s study, which was not a good place to talk in detail.
Watching Shao Wanru go away, Yan Xi frowned, very surprised to find that the Miss was not as obstinate as her servant girl, which was really confusing! He didn’t suppose that it was so easy for him to get rid of the Miss, whom he had thought to be unreasonable.
He didn’t expect that she would ask such a question and then leave without hesitation! Surprised, he couldn’t help looking back at her distant figure again and suddenly got an idea. “Second Uncle? If she calls Duke Xing Second Uncle, she must be the Miss of the first branch, who has been lost in the outside world before. She is the granddaughter of Rui’an Great Elder Princess! After being recognized, she spent three years in observing mourning for her parents in the nunnery, which made her have a good reputation.”
Or in other words, she was the future Princess Chen!
“If my supposition is right, then everything that happened just now would make sense!”
“She is a decent master while her servant girl relies on her power and bullies people. It’s said that she lives a difficult life in Duke Xing’s Mansion, so that’s why she had such a servant girl to protect her?”
“Childe Yan!” seeing he was deep in thought, the following servant reminded him of the time. It had been late since they got here.
“Let’s go!” Yan Xi nodded. Stopping thinking about Shao Wanru, he turned around and strode toward the study of Duke Xing.
In the study, Shao Jing was sorting out the books with his head down. Receiving the servant’s report, he nodded to show his permission of letting Yan Xi come in.
After entering the room, he bowed to Shao Jing and stepped aside with respect.
“Sit down, please! My dear nephew,” Shao Jing said politely. After Yan Xi sat down, he said again with a smile, “Your father sent a letter saying that he would like to arrange a marriage for you in the capital city. After all, you are not naive anymore. If you can pa.s.s the imperial exam and then find a partner suitable for yourself this time, your father will no longer worry about you!”
Shao Jing, with a smile, showed him a letter by waving it in his hand.
Yan Xi had just received a letter from his father too. So obviously Duke Xing’s letter was delivered together with his. Thinking for a while, he stood up, cupped his hands toward Shao Jing, and said, “Anything you say, Uncle Shao!”
Shao Jing waved his hand, asking him to sit down. Then he said with a smile, “The marriage will be a good alliance between two families. But I haven’t found out a suitable family in the capital city for your marriage. However, it has always been the case that parents are keen to get a candidate as their son-in-law. If you pa.s.s the imperial examination and become an official in the future, I a.s.sure you that many families will ask for marrying their daughters to you. How about I pick one for you at that time?”
“Your wish is my command, Uncle Shao!” Yan Xi said gently. Masculine though he was, he looked very mild when smiling, leaving a good impression on others.
In addition, he didn’t intend to refuse Shao Jing’s kindness at all. Before he left home, his father had told him that he needed to ask for a marriage in the capital city. However, with two weddings to be held, Duke Xing’s Mansion was so busy dealing with them that it indeed had no time to help Yan Xi with his marital affair now.
“But if you take a fancy of some girl, you tell me! I’ll ask around for you!” Shao Jing said.
Yanxi did not answer immediately but kept silent for a moment. He seemed to be hesitating.
“Might it not be true that you do fall in love with a Miss?” Shao Jing asked with curiosity.
Yan Xi remained silent for a more while. Then he shook his head and denied, “No, I don’t fall in love with any Miss. I just suddenly remembered something my father has said before!”
He sounded very depressed and frustrated. He had been in the capital city for a long. And he hardly went out for a trip because he had to prepare for the exam. It was not until now he was reminded that he hadn’t seen his father for a long time.
“Provided that you pa.s.s the exam and become an official in the future, you will have to live in the capital city. Even if your father can’t stay with you, he will surely be proud and happy for your achievement,” Shao Jing comforted him and then changed the topic, “I heard that you are good at martial arts. But you choose to strive for the position of a civilian official, which is actually against your father’s wish, right? However, your father is a reasonable man who will never force you to join the army!”
“In fact, my father did want me to be a military general at the very beginning.” Yan Xi said, “It’s just that I do like studying, so he made a concession.”
“Your father is rational,” Shao Jing sighed with relief, “You’ll be a civilian official, and your father is a martial one. Both will bring out the best in each other perfectly.”
“I’ll have to trouble you this time, Uncle Shao!” Yan Xi stood up and took a deep bow once more.
Shao Jing smiled and said, “You are too polite, my dear nephew! If you need anything in the mansion, just tell me, or ask for help from the housekeeper to whom I have already given the instruction. Don’t worry about anything but your preparation for the imperial exam. I hope that you can get a good mark and achieve your goals this time, which will also make your father rest a.s.sured!”
“Thanks for your luck words, Uncle Shao!” Yan Xi said respectfully.
“Then you can leave now. Remember that just tell me if you are in need! Don’t stay up late, and it is good to go out for a walk sometimes!”
“You have my permission!” Yan Xi nodded and became more respectful to Shao Jing. Before Yan Xi came to the capital city, his father had said that he did not know much about Duke Xing’s personality and asked his son to be cautious and not to be reckless there. Now as he was living in Duke Xing’s Mansion, he found that Duke Xing was a kind person who always took good care of him.
But it was confusing for Yan Xi that such a good person had a sinful wife and an unfilial daughter.
Yan Xi left the study with such confusion in mind. He stood still outside the study and looked back at it. He thought that though Duke Xing was really a good person, he was somehow a little odd.
“Childe, are we still going out today?” the servant asked. They had been delayed before because of it!