Volume 1: Hanyang Chapter 6: Pingfu

  Lu Xuan looked around where she fell but didn't come to any conclusion, then turned and walked back home. However, by this time, the sky had already darkened.

  Lu Yue saw her brother standing in the courtyard, holding a book and shaking his head as he read. He would read a few sentences, then look up at the road for a moment, before reading a few more sentences and looking up again.

  He is waiting for himself to go home.

  Lu Yu's heart warmed up, and her eyes felt a sourness.

  She quickened her pace and saw her brother walking towards her, his face pale, and said in a cold voice, "Why are you back so late?"

  As he spoke, he glared at her with a pair of eyes that were extremely similar to Lu Xuan's, his bright and piercing gaze fixed on hers. His pale and handsome face was also filled with anger.

  Lu Xuan knew he was worried about himself, and with a smile, she said softly: "I just went to the Xuan Yuan Temple, so I'm late." As she walked into the house, she said: "Are you hungry? There's bone soup for dinner tonight."

  Lu Yun originally wanted to sulk for a while, but as soon as he heard the three words "bone soup", his stomach couldn't help but rumble. However, he didn't respond to Lu Yue, and instead turned around, letting out a heavy hum from his nose, saying coldly: "I'm not hungry!"

  When Lu Xuan heard her brother's insincere reply, she just smiled and said while busy with her work: "Today we were lucky to meet a noble person who asked for directions and gave us some money. Ayun, tomorrow we can pay off your tuition fees for this year."

  It wasn't until a while later that Lu Xuan heard her brother hum softly in response.

  At this time, Lu Xuan lowered his voice and said while igniting the fire in the mud stove: "A Yun, after getting injured this time, I seem to have understood many things."

  "Alright."

  "My heart has become much harder."

  "Alright."

  “……”

  "It's dark outside, come by the fire and read a book."

  "Got it."

  As her brother leaned over, Lu Yue moved back a bit and tilted her head, gently resting it on her brother's back. Feeling the warmth behind him, Lu Yun first stiffened, then quietly leaned in closer to her.

  ……

  The next day, the whole town of Hanyang was talking about Ah Jiao's affair. In this not-too-big-or-small street town, such a thing that had just sworn an oath and then got immediate retribution was still very rare.

  Rumors in the world are always exaggerated, but after two days of effort, Ah-gong in the story became a vicious and poisonous woman. Some things that had nothing to do with her were also dragged into her. Even Er Biao's husband was turned into a foolish man who was deceived by an evil woman. There were even rumors that he had colluded with the poisonous woman long ago and was just waiting for an opportunity to divorce his wife. Some people said that this pair of adulterers originally planned to poison Ping-yi.

  These years, Ping Yi has been treating Wu's family like this, and everyone has seen it. At this point, Wu Lang was scolded by others to the point where he didn't even dare to go out. Even so, he was still beaten up by several of Ping Yi's brothers who came to his door. The Pings also sent someone to count all of the Wu family's property, and then under the auspices of the Wu clan elder, it was all transferred to Ping Yi's name. At this point, if Ping Yi were to divorce, the Wu family would be left with nothing.

  On the third evening, when Luoyue heard the news of Ah Jiao's hanging herself, she found that she had only paused for a moment and then returned to normal.

  She didn't seem to be nervous at all!

  With her own hands, she ended a life. No, it was two lives - the child in Ah Jiao's belly. How could she not feel uneasy or panicked? When did her heart become so ruthless?

  Lu Xuan was startled by herself, although she had always known that she was a cold and indifferent person, guarded and dismissive of many people and things, with a hint of ruthlessness deep down. But she really hadn't expected that after being ill for a while, she would no longer value even her own life?

  That night, after a moment of deep reflection, Lu Xuan picked up the "Zhongyong" and got up very seriously. Needless to say, this sage's way can calm people's minds, and in less than half an hour, Lu Xuan had put Ah Jiao's affairs behind him.

  Another fine day. In this beautiful spring, the bright sunshine always brings a kind of melancholy to young men and women. Lu Xue got up early, she looked at the pink flowers not far away, and her lips curled up after a moment of distraction. She turned around and walked towards the Ping family's mansion.

  Not yet close to the Ping family's courtyard, a burst of girls' laughter came from inside the wall. Looking up, I saw a swing flying high, and at the same time, a pink figure was also thrown into the air.

  These were her cousins, living under the protection of their parents, they were pampered and proud, their hands had never been as rough as hers.

  The corners of her mouth twitched, and Lu Xuan thought again: However, they have never tasted the kind of joy and freedom that I am now enjoying with my brother.

  At the side gate, the woman guarding the door saw Lu Yue approaching and exclaimed, "Oh, Miss is back so early!" She clicked her tongue a few times, "If you were any later, it would have been past noon."

  Facing the woman's sarcastic and mocking expression, Lu Xuan slightly curled up the corner of his lips as if smiling, then lowered his head and walked straight past her into the courtyard.

  This woman was named He Shuo, a house-born slave in the Ping Manor. As her family had been slaves for three generations, she had some influence. He Shuo and Lu Xue had never had any conflicts before; she just didn't like Lu Xue because of her always calm and collected face, as well as her nature that would never learn to fawn or flatter. Humph! What was she pretending to be so noble about? She was just a fallen family, did she really think she could stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the young masters of aristocratic families?

  Lü Yu walked past a corner and arrived at the outside of a small garden. In the garden, maidservants were coming and going, and from time to time, the sound of young girls' laughter could be heard. From afar, seeing her approach, a plainly dressed young woman smiled gently: "Ah Yue has come to pay respects? I heard that last time you were injured very badly. Ai, how can this child be so careless?"

  Facing this young woman, a hint of smile flashed in Lu Xuan's eyes, and she called out softly: "Good sister Qing."

  "Qing jie replied softly, 'You've recovered from your injuries, why did you delay until today to come and pay your respects? Your third aunt mentioned you just yesterday.'"

  These three aunts' families have power and status in the Ping government, and on ordinary days, Lu Ying has some fear of them.

  However, in this world, there is only fear when there are desires. Ping Fu gave very little to her sister and brother, but she could manipulate their marriages. She herself had easily resolved the marriage contract with Zeng Lang, and it was likely that if she were to remarry, Ping Fu would also have a say in it. Among those in Ping Fu who might interfere with her and her brother's marriage, the most likely person was this Third Aunt. No, she must think of a way to get rid of her.

  Just as Lu Xuan was lost in thought, a few giggles came from not far away. "I've never seen such a handsome and elegant young master." "He even smiled at me, ah, my heart skipped a beat when he smiled."

  "Didn't you hear? The young ladies from the Yang household all dressed up to meet that noble, and our third, fifth, and sixth sisters also went." "The fifth sister went too?" "Of course, she was dressed beautifully. I heard from Ah Luo that this noble is a prince with a fiefdom, and he might even become the new King of Shu. Moreover, he hasn't engaged to be married yet. If any of our sisters catches his eye, even if it's just as a personal maid, they can bring honor and prosperity to our family."

  Upon hearing this, Lu Xuan was slightly stunned: Ah Yin also went? That what Wang Sun is really so good that she would be deeply honored to be a concubine or servant? Suddenly, Lu Xuan discovered that her cousin, whom she considered a close friend, seemed to have thoughts that were vastly different from her own.