met free Chapter 96 A talented man and a beautiful woman
Chapter 96 A talented man and a beautiful woman
"impossible?"
Xie Longqing sneered, "What else is impossible? Now that things have come to this, do you still want to make excuses for that good-for-nothing son? Did someone kidnap him to a casino and force him to gamble?"
"That's not what I meant at all."
Xie Zhongchang explained, "What I meant was that Erlang wouldn't dare to gamble with our family's land deed. Although he used to go to casinos often, he only ever lost so much that he had to write IOUs to pay off debts. He never stole anything from our house."
"Moreover, Mother has always kept all the land deeds in our house very well. Even you and I don't know where they are. And there are always many servants coming and going in Mother's yard. How did Erlang get the ability to avoid so many eyes and ears and accurately find the land deeds that Mother hid?"
Although he felt that there was some truth to what his second son said, Xie Longqing did not have the energy to delve into the reasons behind it. He only felt that Xie Zhongchang was making excuses for his son.
"The die is cast, what's the point of telling me all this now?"
Xie Longqing said impatiently, "Do you think that once you find out the reason, our house will be back? Instead of wasting time thinking about these things, you should think of a way to make a good impression on Prince Ning!"
"According to the information Mother received, Prince Ning's trip to the south of the Yangtze River is about to begin. If I can perform well in front of him, I might be able to get my official position back! If you don't want to continue living in this shabby house, you'd better think of a way!"
After saying this, Xie Longqing immediately turned and left. Xie Zhongchang stood there watching his back recede into the distance, and spat in his direction.
"So what if he got lucky and got an official position? What's there to be proud of!"
Jiang Yuyue, on the other hand, made an excuse to go check on the shop. As soon as she pushed open the door to go out, she saw a familiar face.
"General Pei?!"
Xiaoliu was somewhat surprised, "What brings you here?"
Pei Jingchuan looked at Jiang Yuyue with a pained expression. "Yuyue, may I speak to you in private?"
"If you have anything to say, just say it here."
Jiang Yuyue rejected his suggestion quite decisively. Her relationship with Pei Jingchuan was already a source of speculation, and if others saw her alone with him, it would probably cause some trouble. It was better to avoid suspicion.
Seeing this, Xiao Liu wisely withdrew and went to a slightly farther place to keep watch for Jiang Yuyue. Pei Jingchuan, seeing Jiang Yuyue's indifferent tone, didn't have time to worry. Looking at the dilapidated environment she was living in, his tone was full of heartache.
"Although I was impulsive last time, what I said wasn't just drunken ramblings..." He gazed into Jiang Yuyue's eyes, "and it was all my true feelings!"
“I’ve investigated everything that’s happened to your Xie family these past few days. Xie Erlang is a good-for-nothing and deserves his fate, but how can you stay in this place and suffer with them? I’m returning to the capital today. If you’re willing, we can…”
"General Pei, please be careful with your words."
Before Pei Jingchuan could finish speaking, Jiang Yuyue interrupted him directly, "I don't want to go with you, and I'm sure I've already made my position clear. As the saying goes, there are plenty of fish in the sea, why be hung up on just one? Besides, I've already married into another family, so why is General Pei clinging to this withered flower?"
Hearing her straightforward refusal, Pei Jingchuan's tone became somewhat anxious, "Yue'er, if you were happy, I would never bother you, but haven't you seen through the true nature of the Xie family yet?"
“They couldn’t even protect their own family business, and now they’ve fallen to living in places like this. You still won’t let go? I feel sorry for you and don’t want to see you suffer like this!”
Faced with Pei Jingchuan's advice, Jiang Yuyue sighed silently.
She knew perfectly well that Pei Jingchuan was thinking of her, but the more Pei Jingchuan acted this way, the harder she had to be. After all, she knew that Pei Jingchuan was the type who wouldn't turn back until he hit a wall, and she couldn't let him waste his best years on her.
"I've already said I'm unwilling, how many times do I need to say it, General Pei?"
Jiang Yuyue glanced at him with a distant expression and replied, "Whatever kind of life I live is my own choice. Who is General Pei to me? What does my business have to do with General Pei?"
Pei Jingchuan was stunned for a moment by such cold words, as if he could hardly believe that the gentle and considerate Yue'er of the past would say such heartless things.
"It seems that I am too sentimental."
Pei Jingchuan's lips curled into a self-deprecating smile. "Sorry to bother you."
After saying these words, Pei Jingchuan turned around, mounted his horse, and cracked the whip as if venting his anger. Recalling what Jiang Yuyue had just said, his heart was filled with bitterness.
Oh, moon, why are you so determined to do this?
Memories of his past interactions with Jiang Yuyue flooded his mind. Pei Jingchuan couldn't understand how their childhood friendship had deteriorated to this point. If only...
Pei Jingchuan gripped the reins tightly. If he had been more resolute back then, how could Yue'er have ended up marrying into the Xie family and suffering such a tragic fate?
As Xiao Liu watched Pei Jingchuan ride away, she hurried forward. Noticing the unfriendly expression on her young mistress's face, she cautiously asked, "Miss, General Pei came to see you for...?"
"nothing."
Jiang Yuyue softened her expression. "It was just a casual greeting. Let's go to the shop."
Xiao Liu had a rough idea of what was going on, but she didn't dare to say it outright. Seeing General Pei leave in disappointment, she knew that he must have been rebuffed by her young mistress again.
Feng Ling witnessed their conversation and immediately reported it to Xie Jinglan.
"Your Highness, Pei Jingchuan came again just now. He probably wanted to persuade the eldest young mistress to leave the Xie family and go to the capital with him, but she refused and left."
Upon hearing this, Xie Jinglan paused slightly in his grip on the pen.
At this moment, Jixiang beside him couldn't help but mutter softly, "He's here again?"
After saying that, she immediately covered her mouth and stole a glance at Xie Jinglan's expression.
Ji Xiang was even more surprised than Xie Jinglan, as she knew quite a bit about Pei Jingchuan's deeds.
Xie Jinglan could see right through his thoughts at a glance. He put down his pen and said calmly, "Speak your mind."
Under the seemingly indistinct, dark gaze of his master, Jixiang braced himself and said, "As far as this servant knows, the eldest young mistress... Miss Jiang and General Pei were childhood sweethearts. The Jiang family should have favored General Pei, but because of her ancestors' connection with the Xie family, she married into the Xie family. Otherwise, the person Miss Jiang married would have been General Pei."
At this point, he became somewhat emotional, failing to notice Xie Jinglan's gaze deepening.
If it weren't for the Xie family's relentless pressure, Jiang Yuyue probably wouldn't have become the ruthless person she is today.
"Miss Jiang is already married and pregnant, yet he still comes to see her every few days, trying to win her back. Good men like him are rare these days! If they were truly together, they would be a perfect match, and besides, General Pei has only been in the army for a few years but has already begun to distinguish himself; surely, in the future…"
As Ji Xiang was talking, he noticed that Feng Ling was giving him a meaningful look. He was startled and quickly looked at Xie Jinglan sitting next to him. When their eyes met, he was so frightened that he almost jumped.