Chapter 970 Meeting an Old Friend Again
“Princess Chen!” When Zhang Qilan saw Shao Wanru, she bowed respectfully. Shao Wanru pulled her up with a smile and teased, “I will call you sister-in-law in the future!”
Even though she was never a timid girl, Zhang Qilan’s face still flushed. She threw her handkerchief at her and said, “See whom I’ve brought here!”
Zhang Qilan stepped aside and revealed a delicate girl behind her. She had a delicate face and looked very thin. When she looked at people, she looked a little shy. Her shy face looked inexplicably familiar. Shao Wanru rolled her watery eyes and couldn’t help but show a surprised expression.
She knew her! She was Luo Xiaowan, the daughter of the wife of Duke Yangqu’s son!
“Greetings, Princess Chen!” Luo Xiaowan took two steps forward and saluted Shao Wanru.
Shao Wanru hurriedly reached out to help her up and said excitedly, “Sister Xiaowan, is it really you?”
“It’s me!” Seeing Shao Wanru’s intimate att.i.tude, Luo Xiaowan breathed a sigh of relief. With a trace of smile in her eyes, she nodded.
“Great. I haven’t seen you for a long time. I heard that you are recuperating. Why don’t you go out all the time?” Shao Wanru was really grateful to her old acquaintance in Jiangzhou. At this time, she couldn’t help asking.
“I’m not feeling well... That’s why I’ve been taking good care of my health!” Luo Xiaowan lowered her head and said vaguely.
Zhang Qilan said, “the incident is long past now, and it’s not your fault. You don’t have to feel embarra.s.sed!”
There seemed to be something hidden behind her words. Shao Wanru asked, “What’s wrong? Did anything happen?”
“Do you still remember that you met the wife of Duke Yangqu’s son in Jiangzhou three years ago?” Zhang Qilan did not have so many scruples and asked directly.
“Qilan...” Luo Xiaowan stamped her feet and said with a red face.
......
“Let’s go in and talk!” Shao Wanru looked at the people who served them on both sides and said. Just now, in order to welcome Zhang Qilan, she specially came to the gate of the courtyard.
At this time, when they were talking at the gate of the courtyard, they were surrounded by a large group of old maids and servant girls waiting by the side.
“Oh, I didn’t notice it. I was so eager to talk just now. Let’s go in and talk!” Zhang Qilan immediately understood what was happening. This place was indeed not a good place for chats.
They entered the main room and sat down one after another.
After the servant girls served the tea, Shao Wanru waved her hand, and Yujie left with a group of servant girls and old maids, leaving only three of them in the room.
“What’s going on?” Shao Wanru asked.
“Princess Chen!” Luo Xiaowan wanted to say something but stopped. She bit her lips and lowered her head, twisting the handkerchief in her hand. She did not know where to start.
Zhang Qilan spoke up for her. “Three years ago, the wife of Duke Yangqu’s son took Xiaowan to a blind date. It was an engagement with someone who was related to them in some way. The two families made the engagement for them since they were little. Though the boy’s family moved out of the capital, their engagement still worked. The wife of Duke Yangqu’s son loved Xiaowan very much, so she took her to look for the boy. Unexpectedly, they found out something!”
“What did you find?” Shao Wanru raised her watery eyes and asked suspiciously. It seemed that it had something to do with her.
However, Luo Xiaowan, busy rubbing the handkerchief in her hands, still didn’t look up. It was obvious that she was quite worried.
“They planned to spend one night in Jiangzhou and went to the place where they were going to meet the boy’s family. It had never occurred to them that they would see Princess Chen there. When such a thing happened, the wife of Duke Yangqu’s son became much more watchful. When you were in Jiangzhou, Madam Di had a good reputation, but in fact, she was a wolf in sheep’s clothing. She even wanted to sell you, merely because you blocked her daughter’s way.”
“The family that Xiaowan had engaged to is very nice. Someone pa.s.sed the message, saying that her husband-to-be was a perfect man. The wife of Duke Yangqu’s son was very satisfied with the family. She took Xiaowan there simply for them to meet each other. Their marriage would be settled without a doubt. However, no one had expected Madam Di to be a master of disguise. The Princess especially hurried up and arrived at the place one day earlier!”
Zhang Qilan paused when she said this.
Shao Wanru remained silent, but her serious expression clearly showed that she was listening carefully.
She had indeed listened to all of this attentively. In her past life, Luo Xiaowan had not been happy. The family she had chosen turned out to be an ungrateful person. She did not know if it was the same family that Zhang Qilan was talking about.
Judging from Luo Xiaowan’s dress, she was still unmarried. Thus, even if something happened, it was still not too late. She could not help but let out a sigh of relief.
Ever since she entered the capital, she had never seen Luo Xiaowan and did not know what had happened to her. Therefore, even if she wanted to remind her, she couldn’t do it.
“That family wasn’t that nice at all. The wife of Duke Yangqu’s son went to that place one day earlier and happened to see the young master buying accessories with his two delicate concubines. It was evident that he wasn’t a decent man. The wife of Duke Yang Qu’s son slapped the young master in anger and then went back to the manor furiously. She wanted to break off the engagement, but the wife of Duke Yangqu didn’t agree, so their engagement stayed in stalemate for three years!”
“Hasn’t it been solved yet?” Shao Wanru’s heart skipped a beat and she asked.
“Not yet. The wife of Duke Yangqu wants so much to marry the family that she doesn’t care about Xiaowan’s opinion at all. It’s useless for the wife of Duke Yangqu’s son to say anything. We can only drag it on like this. Recently, the family has sent a letter saying that they must marry Xiaowan, which made the wife of Duke Yangqu’s son very angry!” Zhang Qilan sighed. Anyone who encountered this kind of thing would fall into a filthy mood.
Luo Xiaowan was never a strong-willed woman, and this matter made her even weaker.
“I haven’t seen you for three years. Is it because of this matter?” Shao Wanru blinked and asked.
“I was not in the mood to hang out. My mother also told me to keep it a secret. Whether I quit the engagement or not, it’s not a good thing for a woman!”
The rims of Luo Xiaowan’s eyes were red when she talked. Even after three years, she could still remember clearly how s.l.u.tty he was. At first glance, she could tell that he was not a good person. Yet, he was praised as a good lover. She would rather die than marry someone like him!
“Why didn’t the wife of Duke Yangqu agree to break off the engagement?” Shao Wanru thought of the key point. Since he was not a good match, why didn’t she care about her granddaughter at all?
“This marriage has something to do with Marquis Xing’s Mansion,” said Zhang Qilan.
“What do you mean?” Shao Wanru became increasingly curious.
“In fact, this marriage was arranged by the Old Madam of Marquis Xing’s Mansion. When I was little, the two families had begun to discuss it. Grandma said if I gave it up now, I would bring disgrace upon the Old Madam!” Luo Xiaowan spoke up this time. She raised her head and looked at Shao Wanru with a pleading face. “Could you please help me and persuade the Old Madam of your manor?”
“Is she the matchmaker?” Shao Wanru was stunned. The matter that had involved so many people turned out to be so closely related to her. Sometimes, the fate between people was really magic.
“Even if the Old Madam was the matchmaker, the marriage could be broken up. Why haven’t you ended it?”
This matter sounded more and more mysterious. In her last life, Shao Wanru had never met the wife of Duke Yangqu’s son in Jiangzhou, and she did not see Madam Di send someone to harm her either. Of course, she would not have doubts about the family who was engaged to Luo Xiaowan because of this. Then, they would arrive at that place at the appointed time and would certainly not witness the rake’s ugly behavior.
The engagement went on well. It didn’t take long for Luo Xiaowan to marry into their family and start a miserable life. The marriage was actually a tragedy.
Now, did her rebirth change Luo Xiaowan’s fate? As a result, Luo Xiaowan had not gotten married yet, and it seemed that this marriage would not happen at all.
She had met the wife of Duke Yangqu’s son that day and knew that she was a nice lady who was brisk and neat in handling matters. Since she had been able to delay the marriage, she had made up her mind not to let Luo Xiaowan marry him. In her mind, it was better for Luo Xiaowan to be a single older woman than to become a wife simmering with resentment.
In this case, why couldn’t they break up the engagement? Her grandmother, the Old Madam of Marquis Xing’s Mansion, couldn’t be that competent!
“In fact, it was the idea of the Old Madam of your mansion and the Empress!” Zhang Qilan said discontentedly, “This was originally a small matter. I don’t know how that family got contacted with the Empress who invited the Old Madam of your mansion to be a matchmaker.”
If it was just a simple marriage related only to the two families, they could give it up when Luo Xiaowan could not accept it. However, as long as the Empress was involved in this matter, it was no longer an ordinary matter. If the marriage was broken, it would embarra.s.s the Empress. The wife of Duke Yangqu didn’t dare to do that. After all, she wasn’t as courageous as the wife of Duke Yangqu’s son.
This matter dragged on and on. This was also the reason why Luo Xiaowan did not show up in front of others. No one was in the mood to have fun when being entangled in such an annoying thing. Luo Xiaowan, who was weak in character, could do nothing but cry all day long.
For some reason, Shao Wanru felt that Luo Xiaowan was very like her in her past life. So, she could not help but feel pity for her.
“I a.s.sume that’s why you’re over here, right?” Shao Wanru’s eyes flashed slightly as she asked.
“Please... Please help me, Princess Chen...” Luo Xiaowan stood up and was about to bow to Shao Wanru. However, Shao Wanru stopped her and said sincerely, “don’t be so courteous. When we were in Jiangzhou, the wife of Duke Yangqu’s son helped me. Besides, you and I are like old friends from the start. Now that we have met again, you don’t have to be so polite. I will definitely think of ways to help you!”
When she was in Jiangzhou, she owed the wife of Duke Yangqu’s son. Later, when she came to the capital city, the wife of Duke Yangqu had also helped her.
“Many thanks, Princess Chen!” Luo Xiaowan choked out, feeling deeply touched in her heart. She was no longer as anxious and fearful as she was on the road.
She had had a great conversation with Shao Wanru three years ago. But now, Shao Wanru’s ident.i.ty had changed dramatically. She thought that it might not be useful to recall their past.
Shao Wanru raised her eyes, looked at them, and said, “tell me what the wife of Duke Yangqu was thinking about? In her opinion, how can we minimize the harm of this matter?”
These questions were essential. She had to figure them out first...