Chapter 674: 281 Not Willing_2
Mingzhu shook her head and said, “I’m not going anymore; the weather has been stuffy and hot recently. I’ll go after it rains. Yueyao, to speak of it, you really have a calm temperament. Word has spread throughout Capital City that one of your paintings is worth one thousand taels of silver. If it were me, I’d already be so happy I’d fly up to the heavens, yet you can be so composed.” Mingzhu got this news and hasn’t calmed down since then.
Yueyao laughed and said, “This is just following the trend; it will be alright once this craze passes.” Her paintings still couldn’t sell for one thousand taels now; it was all hyped up by Prince Duan and his Princess Consort.
Yueying waited for four days, and on the night before her wedding, she still hadn’t received a reply from Yueyao. She crumpled the handkerchief in her grip. She just couldn’t understand why Yueyao was unwilling to help her, whether it was regarding the three thousand taels of silver or her marriage now. Yueying’s agitation startled the newly arrived maid.
On the second day, Yueying got married, and the questions from the guests at the banquet were very intense, causing Lian Dongfang great embarrassment. And he knew if Yueyao did not return to the Lian family, this embarrassment would continue. But making Yueyao leave was easy; getting her to return to the Lian family was not.
Compared to Lian Dongfang, Madam Peng was much more relaxed. She wasn’t very clear about the affairs of the Lian family, and the visiting ladies couldn’t make things difficult for a bride who had just been married for a little over a month.
In the Small Buddhist Hall, Lady Mo was having a tough time. Ever since she learned that one of Yueyao’s paintings could sell for one thousand taels of silver, she felt as if her heart had been carved out. Lady Mo asked incredulously, “Is this true? Impossible, right? How could this be?” A famous person’s painting is worth at most six or seven hundred taels of silver; how could that young girl’s painting sell for one thousand taels?
A creamy white mist spread through the air, enveloping the distant woods with a burning scent. Many dull, hazily outlined clouds floated leisurely in the pale blue sky, slowly crawling by; and strong, withering gusts kept sweeping through, but could not drive away the summer heat.
These days, Yueyao had been capturing the scenery in these woods; she felt there was a different kind of beauty to this view, but she always seemed unable to paint something that satisfied her.
Xiang Wei wiped the sweat beads on her forehead with a handkerchief, “This damn weather; it’s been almost half a month without rain, we’re all about to suffocate.” The weather wasn’t particularly hot, but the absence of rain for half a month made it extremely stuffy.
Yueyao sighed lightly, “I really hope it rains soon; if it doesn’t rain, this year’s autumn harvest will surely be greatly affected.”
Unexpectedly, just as Yueyao was about to leave the house, the sky suddenly turned an ominous dark. Xiang Wei looked at the full sky of dark clouds and let out a long sigh of relief: “It’s finally going to rain.”
Rain in the summer is usually quick to come and quick to leave, but this rain continued to fall for half a day.
Mingzhu had never suffered like this before; in the past, no matter how hot it was, there would always be ice blocks in the house. Now, she had to hide in the shade when it got too hot. And yet Yueyao even said it was to let her experience the hardships of life—is this suffering, not experiencing life, okay?
Yueyao took an umbrella and went out. Mingzhu followed her out as well.
Yueyao walked through the fields, watching the rain land on the trees, on the fields, and into the stream, the pitter-patter sound very pleasing to the ear.
The rain poured down for half the day, filling up the parched ditches with water. The villagers from the mountain estate came out, too, starting to drain the fields as they became overwhelmed with water. Birds flew out of their nests, chirping crisply, as if reminding everyone not to forget about their existence.
Mingzhu pointed to the sky and laughed, “Yueyao, look, a rainbow!”
A vibrant, colorful rainbow hung in the sky, so dazzling that it was hard to take your eyes off of it. At that moment, Yueyao stared at the rainbow, her eyes moving but the rest of her appeared frozen in place.
Everyone was used to such oddities, and when Mingzhu didn’t get a response, she turned to take another look before continuing to admire the beautiful rainbow. The sounds of children’s laughter from a nearby village carried over, making the noon feel extraordinarily joyous.
While Yueyao and Mingzhu were in high spirits, others were not. A rumor sprung up from nowhere, claiming that Heir Ning Lixuan of Duke Ning’s Mansion and the talented lady from the Capital City, Mu Qinglian, were secretly in love. It was said that due to the obstruction of the Lady of Duke Ning, who was fiercely against their match, the star-crossed lovers could not be united.
This rumor spread with incredible detail; it even specified when and where they met and the tender words of love they exchanged. The rumor suggested that wherever the talented lady appeared, Heir Ning would surely be there too. But because the Lady of Duke Ning disapproved of the talented lady, she disciplined Heir Ning with family rules. Poor Heir Ning’s sincere love resulted in him lying in bed, unable to rise, in a pitiful state.
The rumor quickly disseminated throughout Capital City. The city’s greatest pleasure was gossip, especially stories of romance involving talented men and beautiful women. Whether in ancient times or modern, the more melodramatic, the more the public enjoyed it.
Duke Ning and Lady Zhao were so infuriated by the rumor that they were jumping with rage, but no matter how much they investigated, they could not find the source. All the while, they could hear Ning Lixuan grinding his teeth in his room, saying, “It must be that wicked woman who spread the rumors.” Naturally, he was referring to Mingzhu.
Duke Ning and Lady Zhao were dumbfounded. If Mingzhu knew, how could Luo Shao not know? The stoic Prince Luo Shao was not one to be trifled with, and they feared how he might retaliate. The thought sent involuntary shivers down their spines.
The Mu family was also inadvertently caught in the crossfire. Upon hearing the rumor, Lord Mu immediately pressured Mu Qinglian for answers, and Mu Qinglian nearly took her own life to prove her innocence.
Madam Mu cried woefully, “Old Master, don’t you know your daughter’s character? How could she ever do such a thing? Old Master, someone must be plotting against our daughter. You must find out who is behind this and seek justice for Qinglian.”
Lord Mu did not doubt Mu Qinglian; it was just that the rumor seemed so convincing. Now that he saw his daughter was even ready to die to assert her innocence, he sighed deeply, feeling as though calamity had struck out of nowhere. Lord Mu then asked Madam Mu and Mu Qinglian, “Have you offended someone you shouldn’t have recently?”
Both of them shook their heads, leaving Lord Mu clueless.
Yet Qinglian suddenly looked up and said, “Father, could it be that the Ning family offended someone and I am being implicated as a result?” Recently, Qinglian had not made any enemies or even had minor conflicts. Her first suspicion fell on Luo Mingzhu, but she knew she could never share such thoughts with her father, for the blame would inevitably fall on her.
Lord Mu and Madam Mu also felt it was possible that she was being implicated by association. After they left, Qinglian’s fingernails dug into her flesh. With her reputation ruined, how could she ever hope to find a suitable marriage? Filled with indignation, she clenched her teeth and muttered, “Luo Mingzhu, I hope this has nothing to do with you, for if it does, I will not let you off easily.”