The Fourth Lady didn’t feel well and almost fainted when she was taking a walk in the garden. When Qu Qiuyan heard the news, she pressed her lips into a straight line – this was nothing new for her. Disdainfully, she said to Yu Qingmeng, who was showing a long face, “Don’t be so upset. Didn’t Xu Lipeng promise you that he will marry an incompetent wife? You can just get rid of her later when everything is settled.”

Yu Qingmeng covered her belly with her hands, lowering her head. She clearly knew that she was not pregnant, and sooner or later, Xu Lipeng would be aware of it as well. “Father is furious…that I will become a concubine.”

“So what? Are you going to give up because of this? I heard Marchioness Yongning is a tough one. You should worry about yourself more!” Qu Qiuyan’s tone was arrogant, “You don’t have a good reputation right now. But after you become Young Master Yongning’s wife, who will still care about all of this?”

“I’m afraid that Marchioness Yongning won’t approve it.” Yu Qingmeng was still sitting listlessly. She hadn’t solved the matter with Xu Lipeng, and now, Marchioness Yongning even blamed everything on her. Although she could finally marry the one she loved, Yu Qingmeng didn’t feel delighted as she expected, confronted with this dilemma.

Moreover, her instinct was alerted by something else.

“Marchioness Yongning will approve. As long as you give birth to Xu Lipeng’s first son, everything else will work out immediately. Besides, if it weren’t for that accident, you would definitely be qualified to marry him as his first wife with your status and family background.” Qu Qiuyan mocked, despising Yu Qingmeng in the heart. As she thought that Master Yongning’s Mansion was inferior, but Yu Qingmeng was still willing to marry into the family as a concubine.

“My lady, Lord Jing was asking about you just now.” A maid rushed in.

“What did he ask? How did he ask?” Hearing this, Qu Qiuyan put on a smile and straightened up. This was why she left quietly on purpose when she saw Lord Jing coming over from a distance.

She wanted to be Lord Jing’s wife, but she couldn’t let him think that she was an easy girl whom he could meet whenever he wanted. So, she avoided Lord Jing deliberately.

“Lord Jing sent you a gift,” the maid presented her a delicately wrapped box.

Qu Qiuyan’s eyes lit up. She took the box and opened it immediately. It was a pair of jade earrings handcrafted artistically as the raw material was extraordinary with naturally-formed patterns hidden inside.

“It’s gorgeous!” After Yu Qingmeng moved closer to take a look, she exclaimed with admiration.

“Tell Lord Jing that I’m happy to see it, and I will join them to watch the opera performance after my guest leaves.” Feeling overjoyed inside, Qu Qiuyan still kept the calm look on her face.

Her mother always told her that she shouldn’t treat a man too well, or he would think she was just an easy girl to get. Yu Qingmeng was the best example since she never hid her feelings and showed up whenever Xu Lipeng came to the mansion. Look at how much respect she got right now. No wonder she ended up being just a concubine!

Qu Qiuyan allowed her to come over today only because it was still possible that Yu Qingmeng would become Young Master Yongning’s wife. Otherwise, she couldn’t find any proper reason to meet Lady Yu at all.

“Yes, my lady!” The maid turned around to leave.

“Wait. Send the lord this box of desserts and tell him I made them by myself. If Lord Jing asks where am I meeting my guest, then you can tell him my whereabouts.” Qu Qiuyan pointed at a delicate food box next to her. The desserts on the plate looked exquisite, which were made by a pastry chef hired by Yu.

Playing hard-to-get would have a better effect!

“Yes, my lady!” The maid took the box with her and left.

“Qingmeng, it’s time for you to leave. It will be inconvenient if Lord Jing sees you here when he comes!” Qu Qiuyan’s tone was nearly rude.

Yu Qingmeng was planning to say something, but hearing her cousin’s words, her face turned red. She wanted to vent her rage but didn’t dare to, only faking a flattery smile. “I am about to talk to my aunt about something. I’ll take my leave first.”

No matter how much Yu liked Yu Qingmeng, Yu Qingmeng was her niece, after all. If it were Yu’s daughter Qu Qiuyan, Yu wouldn’t even think about Yu Qingmeng.

Qu Qiuyan was a spoiled lady with an aggressive personality. She rudely asked Lady Yu to leave because she didn’t care if they were cousins or not and felt free to do so.

Previously in the mansion, Yu Qingmeng was Qu Qiuyan’s follower, helping her bully others. She never found it embarrassing until it was her turn to get bullied.

“I suggest you not go to talk to my mother. She should be occupied right now and has no time for chitchat. You’d better check on Xu Lipeng. If he marries a shrew, your life will be hopeless.”

Qu Qiuyan mocked her.

Yu Qingmeng’s fake smile froze on her face as she felt even angrier. She tried hard to force another smile, “Alright, then I’ll take a walk somewhere…”

Qu Qiuyan’s mind was fully occupied by Lord Jing right now, and she ignored Yu Qingmeng directly. Before Lady Yu finished her words, Qu Qiuyan already waved at her, urging her to leave.

Yu guaranteed her that Lord Jing would show up after she sent the dessert. Her going to meet him and him coming to meet her were two totally different situations.

Now she only needed to take her time and wait for Lord Jing to come.

Among all the guests today, Lord Jing had the highest position in terms of nobility. If he left for a walk, no one would dare to stop him.

Qu Qiuyan couldn’t hide the joy in her heart. She hurriedly drove away Yu Qingmeng, waiting for Lord Jing’s arrival.

However, she was meant to miss him today.

Because Lord Yun was here…

“What? Who were you talking about?” Qu Zhizhen hurriedly put down his teacup and asked. He couldn’t believe the words he heard and almost dropped the cup on the ground due to both shock and fear.

“I-It’s Lord Yun. He already entered the mansion,” the servant sounded flustered since Lord Yun was notorious in the capital.

“Hurry…! I need to go there!” Qu Zhizhen yelled out loud. He lifted his long rope and rushed toward the entrance.

“Mr. Qu, let me go with you!” Lord Jing, who just got the desserts from Qu Qiuyan, stood up as well.

Qu Zhizhen had no time to wait for him, nodding while rushing outside. After a few turns, he finally met Lord Yun’s group.

Pei Yuanjun was walking at the front. The bright smile on his noble, handsome face somehow made him even look scarier. Feeling a chill down his spine, Qu Zhizhen hurriedly walked over and bowed, “It’s a great honor to see you, Lord Yun.”

“Mr. Qu, I heard you are holding a celebration today. Having a drink sounds good to me right now, so I came without an invitation. Hope I didn’t bother you, Mr. Qu,” Pei Yuanjun said lazily, with his hands behind his back.

He was wearing a blue brocade robe with a pattern of blooming irises on the waist. The blue color brought out an aura of purity that weakened his aggression. Those downturned, long eyes were the most memorable part of his face, and the smile he wore almost looked warm and genuine, totally different than his usual expression.

However, no matter how warm his smile was, Qu Zhizhen found it frightening anyway. He lowered his head, quickly calmed himself down, and managed to force a smile, “My lord, your presence is a great honor for me. I’m sorry that I didn’t know you would come before. Otherwise, I would wait for you at the entrance long ago. Please forgive me, my lord.”

It was hard to tell Lord Yun’s mood from his face, which was very unsettling for Qu Zhizhen. He couldn’t understand why Lord Yun lowered himself to attend a celebration held by a vice minister.

“Uncle Yun!” Lord Jing arrived, bowed to him, and greeted.

“Good to see you here, Lord Jing. What a rare coincidence! Let’s go inside and get a drink from Mr. Qu,” Pei Yuanjun raised his brow and said in a flat tone.

“Sure, Uncle Yun!” Pei Yusheng stepped back, and his eyes fell on the young lady next to Lord Yun.

She was wearing a dress of the most trendy palace style, popular among all the ladies in the capital. When Lord Jing noticed Qu Qiuyan for the first time, her dress was similar to this one.

The lady had a slim figure, and the dress made her slender waist stand out more. As she walked, the long layers on her dress moved with her walking pace smoothly, showing the noble education she received. The veil on the hat hung down to her chest, covering her face. She stood not far from Pei Yuanjun quietly, with two maids following behind, looking obedient.

It was unbelievable that a woman showed up together with Pei Yuanjun, and it was a young lady. Lord Jing couldn’t be more surprised. Who was this lady? Why did she come together with Lord Yun?

Pei Yuanjun’s group started to move forward. The first one who passed by Lord Jing was Pei Yuanjun himself, and then it was the young lady. She bowed to him politely, turned back to the front, and continued to follow Lord Yun under Pei Yusheng’s shocked gaze. From her behavior, he only felt proper respect for a lord but no fear or even shyness. She was completely different than those young ladies who looked at him with a blushed face, being too shy to talk to him.

But apparently, she had the same hairstyle as those ladies.

Who on earth was she?

Which lady in this city did dare to approach Pei Yuanjun, or to be more precise, could get close to Pei Yuanjun in the first place?

When Lord Jing’s eyes met Qu Zhizhen’s, who was too shocked to talk as well, the two men both realized it was not a good time to think about it right now. They hurriedly followed Pei Yuanjun and headed to the garden.

The opera performance had already started, and the part they were singing right now was requested by the Old Lady herself. However, her attention was far drawn to the pavilion on the other side, same for the other madams and young ladies.

They were all sitting on the flat floor of the pavilion, high above the ground. Previously, everyone noticed that Qu Zhizhen left in a hurry, followed by Lord Jing, the most popular young man among all the attendees. Now they came back with a large group of people. At the very front was a young man who looked around the same age as Lord Jing.

But he seemed even more handsome.

Especially when his affectionate eyes ran over the young ladies, many of them blushed immediately. They couldn’t help but exclaim inwardly that such a handsome man existed in the world. His appearance could be described as beautiful. It was not exaggerated to say he was even more beautiful than many women. Who was he? Who was the man looking more dignified and charming than the well-reputed Lord Jing?

He had an aura of extraordinary dignity as if he was born like this!

What was his identity? Why did Mr. Qu and Lord Jing go together to welcome him?

A small turmoil was caused among the female guests. They started to ask around, but no one knew him or heard of an attractive man like him in the capital. All the young ladies whispered to each other, peeking at the handsome man with their faces blushed.

The Old Lady didn’t recognize him either, feeling surprised. Although Pei Yuanjun came to the capital before, he only stayed for a few days before returning to the border and never attended this kind of event. Even the Old Lady hadn’t met him.

Pei Yuanjun sat down on the top seat in the middle of the front line, and at the same time, the expression on the Old Lady’s face changed suddenly. She grabbed the corner of the table hard and almost stood up in shock. That seat belonged to Lord Jing before, specially prepared for him. It was unbelievable that Lord Jing gave his seat to the strange man and sat down next to him without hesitation.

Except for the Crown Prince, only one man in the capital could make Lord Jing act this respectfully.

“Hurry, call the Second Master over! I need to talk to him!” the Old Lady whispered to Granny Wu behind her, with a stern look on her face. Her hand holding a handkerchief was trembling.

Was he that jinx in the rumors? What was he doing here? Was he here to punish them and kill them all? Maybe her son did something wrong in his job…

The Old Lady’s heart was filled with fear. Meanwhile, Qu Zhizhen literally couldn’t sit tight on the opposite pavilion, feeling cold sweat on his back…