Chapter 668: 278 Beating Up the Scumbag (Part 1)
Bai Yi had always thought Ning Lixuan was inappropriate, but the girl wouldn’t listen to her, instead, it was Yueyao’s words that the girl heeded. Therefore, Bai Yi thought it would be better if Yueyao handled this matter.
Yueyao laughed,”Doesn’t he want to meet? Then let him. It just so happens that Mingzhu has been holding a grudge, might as well use this chance to let her get it off her chest.”
Bai Yi was a bit hesitant,”Miss, is that really okay? What if that person speaks a few nice words, and the miss softens her heart…” Bai Yi was worried that Mingzhu might be swayed by Ning Lixuan again, rendering their previous efforts useless.
Yueyao laughed dismissively,”You’re overthinking it. Mingzhu is too annoyed to even consider going back. I have a good grasp of this situation, so don’t worry about it.” If Mingzhu was so foolish, she wouldn’t intervene anymore.
Yueyao found it strange, why did Bai Yi have so little faith in Mingzhu? That was really odd, oh well, it was also because Mingzhu had been overly protected by Bai Yi that she easily fell for Duke Ning’s tricks. Yueyao said,”Mingzhu mentioned she likes making delicious food, you should support her in the future and avoid saying anything discouraging. Understand?”
Bai Yi opened her mouth,”Mmm, I’m not against it, I will encourage the miss.” Liking to cook is certainly better than her previous reckless behavior.
That very day Yueyao said to Mingzhu, “We’re going fishing in the river tomorrow, what do you think?”
Mingzhu naturally had no objections; she was quite confident in her fishing skills lately. Xiang Wei had said the fish in the river were tricky to catch, so tomorrow she would catch plenty of fish to leave Xiang Wei without a word to say.
Since the river was quite far from where they lived, they prepared fully, bringing maids, the old nanny, and servants for the fishing trip.
The weather was also good that day, the sun was mild, and white clouds drifted slowly in the sky. Along the roadside, groups of farmers worked diligently.
The carriage ride to the destination took about a half-hour. Bai Yi had scouted out a fishing spot the previous day. She found a relatively flat area and instructed the servants to clear the surrounding weeds and thorny bushes.
When Yueyao and her group arrived following Bai Yi, seeing the surroundings she laughed and said, “You really know how to find a spot; you’ve found such a perfect place.”
Next to the grassland, there was a willow tree with its tender branches hanging low. They could sit under the willow tree to fish.
Yueyao said with a smile, “You fish, I’ll paint.”
Mingzhu laughed, “Okay, once I catch the fish, we’ll have fish soup tonight.” It was only recently that Mingzhu found out Yueyao quite liked fish, especially fish soup.
Yueyao laughed,”Why wait till evening? We can have grilled fish at noon.” With that, Yueyao had someone fetch the grilling equipment.
Mingzhu sat under the willow tree and fished for quite some time before catching two small fish, each weighing about two or three taels, which left Mingzhu somewhat disheartened.
Xiang Wei, unusually, complimented her,”The old fishermen who often fish here catching four or five jin of fish in a day is already very impressive. For you to catch half a jin of fish in just this short time is quite good too. This river is different from a lake; not to mention that lakes have more stocked fish, but this river water is alive, and the fish roam everywhere, sometimes you might not catch a single fish all day.”
Mingzhu looked at Xiang Wei skeptically and asked, “What do you mean by that?” Complimenting her all of a sudden, she must be up to no good.
Seeing Mingzhu’s guarded expression, Xiang Wei couldn’t help laughing, “I mean your skills are quite good; we can make a fish soup with these two fish for lunch. If you try a bit harder, we might even have grilled fish for lunch. I’ve already had someone bring the equipment; don’t disappoint me.”
After thinking for a moment, Mingzhu said, “There’s another fishing gear nearby, you fish too! Then everyone can have grilled fish.”
Xiang Wei didn’t decline and picked up the fishing gear, looking around for a spot to start fishing.
By noon, Mingzhu had caught five fish, the largest weighing about four or five taels. Yueyao praised, “Not bad, really not bad.”
Over there, Xiang Wei also finished and brought over a basket of fish. Mingzhu stretched her neck to see that Xiang Wei had caught seven or eight fish, though they were all small, weighing about one or two taels each. Xiang Wei didn’t mock Mingzhu, instead, she smiled and said, “Now we can have grilled fish. Mine will make a fish soup, and we can make a fish stew with the bigger ones in the evening.”
The people below were already preparing to make a stove for cooking. Mingzhu said cheerfully, “Cooking outdoors, eating in the open air is a first for me.”
Xiang Wei then said, “Let’s have the grilled fish first, then cook the rest!” Mingzhu didn’t object, and Yueyao didn’t mind either. As long as there was food, she was not picky about anything else.
Everyone was busy when Bai Yi approached Yueyao and said, “Miss, Ning Lixuan has arrived and our people have stopped him outside.”
Yueyao shared the news with Mingzhu.
Fire almost shot from Mingzhu’s eyes. “What is that bastard here for?” she raged. She had let him off easily last time due to her anger, but now he dared to come to her door of his own accord. If she didn’t dispel the evil air in her heart this time, she would rename herself in disgrace.
Xiang Wei gleefully added, “Duke Ning’s Mansion doesn’t even hold a ceremonial post, possessing only a hollow Nobility Title. The Duke Mansion is simply a facade, hollow inside. Intending to marry you to use Marquis’ household’s power to gain influence and secure a place in the Capital City, they never expected the Marquis’ household to reject this marriage proposal, so any further ambitions of theirs are just wishful thinking.”
Mingzhu’s face turned very unpleasant. “Are you saying Ning Lixuan came here to get me to agree to this marriage?” If so, this man really was disgusting to the extreme.
Xiang Wei assumed a Zhuge Liang-like manner. “It’s very likely.”
Mingzhu laughed furiously and said, “Let him come. I want to see if he really dares to ask me to marry him.” No matter what, Mingzhu had truly liked Ning Lixuan before and sincerely hoped he wasn’t so despicable. If that were the case, Mingzhu even wanted to gouge out her own eyes for being so blind.
Soon after the old nanny went out, she brought back two people. One was Ning Lixuan, and the other was his close servant.
Ning Lixuan wore a Gem-Inlaid Purple-Gold Crown and a Bright Blue Robe with Folded Branch and Camellia Pattern and Shiny Gauze Collar, fastened with a Gold and Jade Belt with Silk Brocade Floral and Bird Pattern. Broad-shouldered and narrow-waisted, the Jade Belt cinched his waist. His features were pale and his face handsome and distinct. Holding a fine ink-colored landscape folding fan, he strolled leisurely and carelessly, his demeanor dashing and suave, his eyes brimming with laughter.
Ning Lixuan stood there, waving the landscape folding fan in his hand, looking so dashing and debonair that even the birds in the trees couldn’t help but gape at him.
This performance at Ning Lixuan’s was out of place. If there were young ladies here, they would have been swooning with nosebleeds. Unfortunately for him, in Yueyao’s eyes, he looked like nothing more than a jumping clown, and she disdained even to watch him.
If it had been before, seeing Ning Lixuan like this would have made Mingzhu’s heart flutter. But now, it only sparked an urge in her to kick him.
Ning Lixuan was confused too, having thought that only Luo Shao was against the marriage and that Mingzhu must have been deeply distressed, crying her nights away. But now, the Mingzhu he saw was nothing close to distressed. Far from appearing sad or mournful, she was, contrary, radiantly spirited.
Concealing his inner shock, Ning Lixuan smiled and said, “Mingzhu, I was just passing by and learned you were here, so I came to see you.” As he spoke, he looked at Mingzhu with eyes so tender they seemed about to drip water.
The first to crack was Xiang Wei, who broke into laughter upon hearing this. Was there ever someone so foolish? The Ma’s Mansion’s courtyard was more than five Shichen Chinese Time by horseback from the Capital City. Reaching here was literally the end of the road, beyond which were only high mountains. To say he was just passing by was sheer nonsense. Even if he wanted to coax her back, he should have put some effort into it, instead of making such a half-hearted attempt, still treating Mingzhu as if she hadn’t grown any wiser. Of course, the old Mingzhu was not that far from foolish.
Mingzhu simply responded with an “Oh” and asked, “Where were you heading?”
This question caught Ning Lixuan off guard. He had come due to pressure from Lady Zhao, thinking that if he met Mingzhu and sweet-talked her a bit, she would joyously agree to marry him. But now everything was different from what he had imagined.
Ning Lixuan didn’t beat around the bush any longer and said directly, “Mingzhu, there are some things I want to talk to you about.” With so many people around, those things were difficult for him to express.
Without even blinking, Mingzhu replied, “If you have something to say, say it. I’m busy!” She still had to go fish, and had no spare time to deal with him.
Although Mingzhu initially harbored a lot of resentment, seeing Ning Lixuan’s exaggerated behavior somehow diffused it completely. Regardless, she had seen his true colors. She had been blind before, but at least she had come to her senses in time. Marrying such a man would have been the misfortune of a lifetime.
Ning Lixuan’s face turned red with urgency as he said, “Mingzhu, I really need to talk to you alone.” Saying in front of everyone that the Luo Family refused to let Mingzhu marry him would be too embarrassing.
Xiang Wei whispered into Mingzhu’s ear, “Just treat it like watching a monkey perform; it’s actually quite amusing.”
Mingzhu glanced at Xiang Wei and chuckled, “Alright, everyone else step back but Xiang Wei stay.” Mingzhu felt Xiang Wei’s sharp tongue was just the right weapon to handle Ning Lixuan. She was truly afraid that if Ning Lixuan said something disgusting, she wouldn’t be able to keep herself from stomping him to death.
Yueyao didn’t try to persuade her; with Xiang Wei there, Mingzhu wouldn’t suffer any loss. Xiang Wei was not Bai Yi; not only fiercely articulate, she was also not one to suffer quietly. Not to mention that with the advantages of time, place, and people, Xiang Wei wouldn’t miss such a perfect opportunity to make things difficult for Ning Lixuan. So Ning Lixuan was definitely in for bad luck.
Since Xiang Wei was present, Bai Yi had no worries. He ordered the servants and maids to step back. ‘Stepping back’ meant only about seven or eight meters away, and the crowd could still see everything.