HLnovel Chapter 235 I'm Not Free
Chapter 235 I'm Not Free
Duke Sheng patted Sheng Yunzhu on the shoulder, and after saying that, he was silent for a moment before continuing, "Don't overthink it. I've always told you that you are a daughter of the Duke's mansion, and that has always been the case. Just focus on getting better, and no one can get past you."
Then he said to Sheng Yunzhu's maid, "Take your young lady to rest."
The maidservant hurriedly came over and helped Sheng Yunzhu up. Whether it was because she was too tired or something else, Sheng Yunzhu fainted before she could even get up.
There was another burst of chaos.
Still unwilling to give up, Madam Li asked Duke Sheng, "Such a perfectly good box of pearls, just like that, was given away?"
She was heartbroken.
Duke Sheng pinched the bridge of his nose. He had no mind to care about the Eastern Pearls now. He looked at his mother, who was haggling over a box of Eastern Pearls, with a headache. If she could have handled Sheng Yunzhu's coming-of-age ceremony properly, this whole mess would have happened. He didn't lack money, but now his huge Duke's mansion didn't even have anyone in charge.
In the past two years, Lan Shi has almost avoided seeing him whenever possible. Her second sister-in-law is very shrewd and holds onto the power in the kitchen, but she doesn't get involved in the household affairs at all. Her mother can make decisions, but she is reluctant to spend money. It's not that he wants to embarrass Sheng Yunzhu on such an important occasion as her coming-of-age ceremony. He just has no other choice. It wouldn't be good if he had to find an outside help for such a small matter in the household.
Before Lu Yangyang came to the Duke of Sheng's mansion, he, as the Duke, had never worried about matters in the inner quarters. Only now did he realize that matters in the inner quarters were so troublesome.
Although Madam Lan's health has been poor in recent years, as a daughter of a prominent family, she has always managed the household affairs very well. Now that she is no longer involved in Sheng Yunzhu's affairs, he is truly struggling and unable to make any progress.
Sheng Junyi stood up. "Father, Grandmother, I'm going back now."
"Wait a minute," Duke Sheng called out to him, his face grim. "You need to pay more attention to Yunzhu's coming-of-age ceremony. She was wronged today. You have a good relationship with her, so go and comfort her and put her mind at ease."
Sheng Junyi, unusually direct, refused: "Sorry, I'm busy."
After saying that, he turned and left without caring how ugly the Duke of Sheng's face was.
"Damn it!" Duke Sheng cursed angrily as he watched Sheng Junyi's retreating figure.
Of his sons, he was most pleased with his eldest son, who was intelligent from a young age and made him very proud. However, he and Sheng Junyao were incompatible, and by the time he realized that Sheng Junyao had been taught by his father-in-law to have many ideas that were contrary to his own, it was too late.
He had no choice but to cultivate his second son as his confidant to work for him. And indeed, Sheng Junyi had become his most useful tool all along. But now, even Sheng Junyi was disobeying him more and more often—it was simply outrageous!
Duke Sheng was furious, and Madam Li grumbled unhappily, "Why are you scolding A-Yi for no reason? He's a boy, what's the point of him worrying about such a domestic matter as his coming-of-age ceremony? Even if you favor Yunzhu, you can't make things so difficult for A-Yi. Speaking of which, A-Yi is of marriageable age, and none of you parents seem to care about his marriage. You should put some effort into it and find him an official position. What's the point of making him run errands for you every day!"
Duke Sheng had no time to care about Sheng Junyi. "He himself doesn't care about the imperial examinations, what can I do! The fourth prince even came back as a Juren, but what about him!"
Duke Sheng was extremely annoyed. He glanced at the direction of the inner room and sighed, "I'll send someone to deliver a letter to my sister, asking her to come back and help out. No matter what, we must make sure Yunzhu's coming-of-age ceremony is done properly."
“But…” Old Madam Li still had something to say, but Duke Sheng only uttered three words in secret, which shut Old Madam Li up.
Inside the room, Sheng Yunzhu lay on the bed with her eyes closed, listening to the sounds outside. She only opened her eyes after they had all left.
"Girl, you're awake?" Dianmo asked with concern from the side.
Sheng Yunzhu stared intently at the top of the tent, her hands clenched tightly under the covers. No one could stand in her way, no one could!
……
Lu Yangyang left the courtyard with your box of pearls, glancing at the sky; the sun would soon be setting.
She hesitated for a moment, but still took the box of pearls and went out the door, riding her horse straight to Xianyin Pavilion.
She often went out and knew the location of Xianyin Pavilion.
Although Xianyin Pavilion received a big order today, it will still be open as usual in the evening. As soon as Lu Yangyang got off her horse, a servant came up to greet her: "Please come in, young lady. There are still seats available in the private rooms upstairs. Our Xianyin Pavilion not only has excellent opera performances, but also superb tea and snacks. You must try them."
"Is there someone here named Mingruo?" Lu Yangyang handed him the reins and asked casually.
The servant was taken aback for a moment, then immediately nodded: "Young Master Ming is the top performer of our Xianyin Pavilion. Many people have come to inquire about him today. However, he will not be performing tonight. If you want to see him sing, you will have to wait until the day after tomorrow."
“Your young master Ming left something at the Qing’an Prince’s residence today. I’m here to deliver it to him. Please take me to see him,” Lu Yangyang said.
Upon hearing that it was the Prince of Qing'an's residence, the servant immediately became respectful, bowing and scraping as he led Lu Yangyang directly to the backyard: "Young Master Ming lives in that small courtyard on the west side. I'll take you there right away."
The backyard of Xianyin Pavilion was quite large. The servant found someone to tie up Lu Yangyang's horse and personally led her inside. Along the way, they met people who enthusiastically introduced the place to Lu Yangyang. After passing through the backyard, the servant smiled and pointed to the innermost courtyard, saying to Lu Yangyang, "That's where Young Master Ming lives. He likes quiet, so he lives a bit far away."
Lu Yangyang glanced at the layout of the backyard and asked curiously, "Does the top courtesan of your Fairy Music Pavilion live in a courtyard all by herself?"
This is the capital city, and living in the capital is not easy. How can a theater like Xianyin Pavilion have someone living in a whole courtyard? That's quite luxurious.
“Of course not all are like that, but Young Master Ming is different. He is the one our shopkeeper values the most.” The servant said, leading Lu Yangyang inside.
At this moment, a middle-aged man walked out of Mingruo's courtyard. The man lowered his eyes and his hair on both sides covered his face, making it difficult to see his face clearly.
The servant greeted the man: "Uncle An, are you going out? Is Young Master Ming resting? This nobleman is from the Prince of Qing'an's residence. He said that the young master left something behind and brought it to him."
Uncle An paused slightly, glanced quickly at Lu Yangyang, then lowered his head and replied softly, "Young Master hasn't rested yet. I have something to attend to, so I'll head out first."
"Take care, Uncle An." The servant nodded and went to knock on the door.
Lu Yangyang turned her head and glanced at Uncle An, puzzled.
After knocking on the door, the servant saw Lu Yangyang looking at Uncle An's back and whispered to her, "Uncle An is a relative of Young Master Ming from his hometown. He came to stay with us a few days ago. Don't let his age and poor health fool you; I heard he used to be a scholar."
Before Lu Yangyang could reply, Mingruo opened the courtyard gate.