Chapter 39: The Resentful Baoshi
Chapter 39: The Resentful Baoshi
One tael?
Was this guy trying to rip him off?
"Lord Lu?"
Manager Cen gently prompted, a smile playing on his lips.
Lu Lingxiao suppressed the turbulent thoughts swirling in his mind. So that was why Lu Yuan had suddenly changed his mind; he had been waiting here for him.
"I don't have that much money on me." Lu Lingxiao stated.
Manager Cen chuckled, "It's no problem. Lord Lu can write an IOU. We are very reasonable here at the Governor's Mansion."
Lu Lingxiao nearly spat blood.
The least reasonable people in this world were probably those from the Governor's Mansion, and yet here he was, spouting such shameless words without a care.
Manager Cen continued, "If Lord Lu doesn't agree, then we have no choice but to..."
Lu Lingxiao gritted his teeth. "Bring me paper and ink!"
After writing the IOU, Lu Lingxiao followed Manager Cen to Ting Lan Garden to pick up someone.
As soon as they arrived in the courtyard, they heard Lu Linglong arguing with someone.
"It must have been you who set me up!"
"How could I have set you up when I wasn't even in the room?"
"Then it was your maid! She broke it and framed me!"
"How dare you accuse me, Tan Er? It was clearly you who broke it! You weren't sleeping properly, and when you turned over, you knocked over the vase! Wa'er saw it too, didn't you, Wa'er?"
Tan Er looked at Meng Qianqian and the baby, Baoshi, in her arms, her expression defiant and righteous.
Baoshi, with a serious look on her face, nodded vigorously.
"You... you... you..." Lu Linglong stuttered in anger, her body shaking. Turning her head, she caught sight of Lu Lingxiao, and her heart suddenly filled with indescribable grievance.
However, Lu Lingxiao's gaze was fixed on Meng Qianqian.
She wore a pink and white fur coat, her face free of makeup, resembling a flower in early spring or the morning dew, exuding the vibrant charm of a young girl. Yet, her temperament was tranquil, and her eyes, as she looked at the baby in her arms, were focused and serene.
In that moment, it felt as if time had stood still, and all was peaceful.
"Big brother!"
Lu Linglong quickened her steps and stood in front of him, blocking his line of sight.
Lu Lingxiao cleared his throat and asked, "Are you alright?"
Lu Linglong, on the verge of tears, complained, "They bullied me!"
Tan Er crossed her arms and retorted, "How did we bully you?"
Lu Lingxiao glanced at Meng Qianqian and then said to Lu Linglong, "Stop making a fuss. Let's go home."
Hearing this, Lu Linglong became unhappy. Pointing at Meng Qianqian, she said, "I'm not making a fuss! Today's events are all her fault! If she hadn't meddled, how could I have been implicated and knocked unconscious? It hurts so much!"
On his way here, Lu Lingxiao had already heard Manager Cen recount the incident—the Grand Governor had been recuperating in a small courtyard in the temple, and the nanny had taken the baby to the front Zen room to avoid disturbing him. But while the nanny dozed off, the baby had crawled out, and Meng Qianqian had found her.
Meng Qianqian had sent Ban Xia to look for the baby's parents and had taken care of the child along with the Old Madam and Lu Mu for an entire afternoon.
No matter how one looked at it, Meng Qianqian was blameless in this matter.
If he had been in her position, he wouldn't have ignored an innocent baby either.
But who could have imagined that this baby was Lu Yuan's daughter?
"And you have the nerve to say that? Your elder sister-in-law returned the baby, so what were you doing there?" Lu Linglong whispered.
"I... I saw them acting suspiciously, so I wanted to follow and take a look..."
"Enough!" Lu Lingxiao couldn't bear to listen anymore. "Let's go!"
Lu Linglong bit her lip and stomped her foot angrily before storming off.
The nanny carried Baoshi away, and Meng Qianqian also left the Governor's Mansion with Tan Er.
In the study.
Lu Yuan was fiddling with a few small weapons according to the records in an ancient book.
The nanny entered and placed Baoshi by Lu Yuan's side.
Baoshi sat cross-legged on her small meditation cushion, her small face serious as she stared at Lu Yuan.
After a while, she turned her head away and let out a sigh of resentment.
Since Lu Lingxiao didn't take Lu Linglong's side, she started crying as soon as she got into the carriage, infuriating Tan Er to the point of almost wanting to hit her.
Meng Qianqian remained quiet.
Lu Lingxiao cleared his throat. "Were you... scared today?"
Meng Qianqian looked at the bustling street with its flowing river of people and horses. "I was scared. I was truly terrified."
Lu Lingxiao's expression relaxed. So that was it. She wasn't like Wan'er, a descendant of a military family. How could she possibly not be afraid? She had just been pretending to be calm.
"Has the Grand Governor caused you any trouble...?"
"Big brother! Sugar-coated fruit!"
Lu Lingxiao's words were cut off by Tan Er's incessant chirping.
Meng Qianqian asked the carriage driver to stop and took Tan Er down to buy some sugar-coated fruit.
"Sister! These flower lanterns are so pretty!"
"Which one do you want?"
Half an hour later, the carriage arrived at the Lu family residence.
Tan Er jumped off the carriage first, holding a sugar-coated fruit in her left hand and a flower lantern in her right, bouncing into the compound.
Lu Lingxiao got off the carriage and turned to help Meng Qianqian down.
Unexpectedly, just as he extended his hand, Tan Er flashed over, hooking her foot on the carriage step and placing it firmly on the ground.
Tan Er hummed, "Who are you trying to help improperly?"
Lu Lingxiao frowned.
This girl was so quick and agile. She had just entered the door a moment ago, so how did she manage to get back in front of the carriage in the blink of an eye?
Meng Qianqian got off the carriage, holding onto Tan Er's wrist.
Tan Er continued bouncing and humming a little tune as she entered the compound.
"You..."
Lu Lingxiao called out to Meng Qianqian.
Meng Qianqian asked, "Is there something my husband wishes to say?"
Lu Lingxiao looked at Tan Er's disappearing silhouette in the night and said to Meng Qianqian, "I heard that this girl was bought by you from the slave market. She doesn't seem like an ordinary martial arts-trained maid, and I also heard about how she injured someone. She's very dangerous. It's best if you send her away from the manor."
Meng Qianqian replied indifferently, "My husband should mind his own business first. Don't be a busybody!"
Lu Lingxiao furrowed his brows. "I'm just looking out for you! This girl's martial arts skills are very sinister. What if...?"
Meng Qianqian smiled faintly. "What if you come to my room drunk again? Will it be as easy as before? Is that what my husband is worried about?"
"You—"
Lu Lingxiao was so choked up that his face turned red. "That's all in the past. Why are you bringing it up again?"
Meng Qianqian said, "If I don't bring up the past, am I supposed to wait for my husband to add new grievances?"
"Meng Qianqian!"
Lu Lingxiao was furious. Every time he wanted to treat her better, she would pick a fight with him.
When he saw how she liked children earlier, he even had a fleeting thought: If she really wanted a child, it wouldn't be impossible for the two of them to have one.
But look at her now, always acting so petty.
Meng Qianqian said calmly, "If my husband has nothing else to say, I'll take my leave and rest. My husband should remember to repay the debt of ten thousand taels to the Grand Governor's Manor soon, or else I'm afraid the debt collectors will come knocking and ruin your little sister's and your reputations."
Lu Lingxiao's head hurt!
Shen Yan walked over. "Young Master, you owe money again? How are you so good at racking up debts?"
Lu Lingxiao roared, "If you don't speak, no one will mistake you for a mute!"
Early the next morning, the whole family knew about Lu Linglong breaking the antique vase. If it had been someone else, they would have reported it to the officials.
But the other party was Lu, the Grand Governor. Who would dare to accuse him of extortion? Wouldn't that be asking for death?
Lu Lingxiao had already compensated Meng Qianqian with silver, and his pockets were cleaner than his face. He truly didn't have any money to spare.
Now that Madam Lu was in charge, she didn't want to be the one shouldering this loss either.
The Second Madam applied eye medicine to the old madam and said, "Mother, why don't you talk to Qianqian and ask her to return the silver? She just received ten thousand taels from Lingxiao. She has the money!"
The old madam glared at her. "Go ask her yourself if you want the money!"
(End of Chapter)
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