Chapter 5: Conflict
For the next ten days or so, even Bao'er was carried into the Chen Mansion by people arranged by the old lady to serve Mr. Chen San.
Jiang Xueqing felt even more aggrieved and came to Qinyuanju every day to complain about Liu Yu.
Just then, Liu Yu put away the last stitch on the handkerchief, and Jiang Xueqing stepped into her yard again. She thought that Jiang Xueqing would only say some sour words this time, and she had no intention of responding. She put away the sewing basket, turned around and prepared to go into the house.
Jiang Xueqing stepped forward and stopped her.
"What are you going to do?" Liu Yu looked at Jiang Xueqing's almost distorted face and asked without emotion.
Jiang Xueqing hated Liu Yu's aloof look. She gritted her teeth and asked:
"Lian Bao'er is so favored now, aren't you worried that the Third Master will forget you? Will you end up wasting your life in this small courtyard?"
Liu Yu hoped that no one would remember her and that she could live here quietly until her old age.
Seeing Liu Yu deep in thought, Jiang Xueqing thought that Liu Yu cared as much as she did, but just didn't show it. She looked down on Liu Yu even more in her heart, and said with temptation:
"Based on how favored Lian Baoer is, I estimate that she will be carried into the Chen Mansion soon. You go and tell Lian Baoer to beg the Third Master to take us in as well." As long as she entered the Chen Mansion, she would have a way to make the Third Master put her at the top of his heart.
"Why don't you say it yourself?"
How could Liu Yu not know what Jiang Xueqing was thinking? With a cold expression, he walked around her and went into the house.
Looking at Liu Yu's back, Jiang Xueqing stamped her feet unwillingly. Of course she had told Lian Baoer about it, but that damn girl refused without a second thought, saying that she had not seen the Third Master either.
It was obvious that the damn girl didn't want to help her.
Lian Baoer liked Liu Yu so much that as long as she asked, Lian Baoer would definitely agree, so she shouted at Liu Yu's back:
"Liu Yu, do you really think you can just sit back and watch?"
Liu Yu seemed not to hear anything and did not even stop.
Realizing that this sentence had no effect, Liu Yu was about to close the door.
Jiang Xueqing suddenly rushed forward, raised her hand and placed it between the two doors that were about to close, and smiled sarcastically: "Aren't you afraid that I will reveal to your Pingnan Mansion what you said to the old lady in Chen Mansion last time? Do you think you can still stay out of it like you are now?"
She saw that the doorman had received several letters from the Pingnan Marquis' Mansion. At first, she wondered why the girls from the Pingnan Marquis' Mansion were willing to be concubines. She even went to inquire about it and only then did she realize that there was such a secret.
She believed that Liu Yu's current situation was definitely not what the Pingnan Marquis' Mansion wanted to see.
Liu Yu just raised his eyelids and glanced lazily at Jiang Xueqing outside the door, then raised his hand and closed the door with an indifferent expression.
Fortunately, Jiang Xueqing reacted quickly and retracted her hand. Looking at the closed door, she made a decision on the spot. She left a sentence "Liu Yu, you asked for this" and turned around and quickly walked out of Qinyuanju.
Liu Yu came back to the room, put the sewing basket in his hand on the table with a bad look on his face, walked to the bed, picked up the three letters under the pillow, thought for a while, took out paper, ink and pen, wrote two letters, put them away, and called Bai Wei.
"Send these two letters to Prince Qi's mansion and Lord Yuan's home, and hand them over to Sixth Sister and Second Sister personally." Liu Yu handed the letter to Bai Wei and instructed.
Bai Wei was alert: "What did the girl write to the Sixth and Second Girls?"
"We sisters have to report some of our private conversations to each other?" Liu Yu waved her hand tiredly:
"If you're worried, just show it to your grandmother!"
This was Bai Wei's original plan, but Liu Yu suddenly pointed it out. Seeing Liu Yu's concerned look, Bai Wei felt that there was no need for it. It was not an important thing, and running back and forth was too troublesome and tiring.
"No way, young lady. How could I possibly give it to the old lady? I'll go and give you the letter right now." Bai Wei bowed and walked out.
Staring at the door that had closed again, Liu Yu thought to herself, I hope it's not too late! She really didn't want the Liu Mansion to disrupt her peaceful life.
Backfired.
Early the next morning, the doorman ran into Qinyuanju and told Liu Yu that Pingnan Mansion had sent a nanny to take her back to the mansion for a short stay.
Liu Yu could only let Guyu change her clothes and take Bai Wei out of the villa.
Before coming to the villa, the Liu family had already gone to the Chen Mansion to inform Old Madam Chen.
When Old Madam Chen found out about this, she naturally couldn't stop them. Not only did she agree to the Liu family's request, she also specially sent a nice carriage to pick them up.
Liu Yu heard about this from Guyu, so she was not surprised to see the carriage at the door.
Liu Yu knew that aristocratic families like the Chen family were very concerned about their reputation, so she had specially asked Guyu to put some makeup on her. Normally, she didn't wear any makeup in Qinyuanju.
"Fifth girl."
The old woman who was waiting outside the courtyard came forward and bowed.
Liu Yu asked Bai Wei to help her up, and told Bai Wei to give the woman a piece of silver before getting on the carriage.
It was half an hour later when the coachman arrived at Yanjing City. They entered the city from the South Gate and were going to pass through the South Market, one of the most prosperous areas in Yanjing City. Looking at the crowded streets, Liu Yu lifted the curtain and told the coachman:
"I'm afraid we won't be able to get through this Nanshi neighborhood in a short time. Let's take another route! The farther the better!"
The coachman was sent by the Chen family, so he naturally listened to Liu Yu and turned his horse around immediately.
At this moment, a ragged old man standing on the right side of the carriage suddenly rushed up and hit his head directly on the wheel of Liu Yu's carriage.
Liu Yu, who was sitting in the carriage, was shocked. When she stabilized herself, the sound of an old man groaning in pain was heard outside.
"Ouch! The carriage hit someone! My head!"
"What's going on?" It was difficult for Liu Yu to go out on this pedestrian street and she couldn't see what was going on outside, so she could only ask the coachman through the curtain.
The driver was trembling, his voice almost crying: "Madam, I think I hit someone."
"Are you sure you hit it?"
"I...I don't know..."
Liu Yu frowned. She clearly only felt the carriage move a little, so how could it hit someone? Listening to the old man's cries of pain outside, which were getting louder and louder, she knew that asking the coachman would not give her the reason.
This is the Chen family's carriage. He was afraid that it would bring a bad influence to the Chen Mansion, so he said to Bai Wei: "Go out and take a look."
"Yes, young lady." Bai Wei lifted the curtain and got off the carriage.
Soon Bai Wei returned to the carriage with an ugly look on her face. She said to Liu Yu:
"The old man wants one hundred taels of silver in compensation."
Hearing this, Liu Yu's expression changed a little, and then she realized that this was extortion.
This money cannot be given.
She said in a deep voice: "Bai Wei, go out and tell the old man that it is impossible to pay him money. I can take him to see a doctor."
Bai Wei got off the carriage again, but after a while, there was a commotion outside the carriage.
A group of people claiming to be the old man’s family members rushed into the crowd and shouted:
"You are from the Chen Mansion, right? You hit someone but you don't want to pay compensation. We are going to Shuntian Prefecture to sue you for bullying others by taking advantage of your power."