Chapter 19: Operation Escape from Marriage

The Prime Minister was shocked by her words. Having an affair with a man outside the marriage was no small matter.

But as his own daughter, he knew that Wanwan was proud and arrogant. Ordinary young men were not in her eyes at all, let alone an insignificant servant.

The Prime Minister frowned and said angrily: "Bring the maid up."

The maid knelt in front of the hall tremblingly. Before she opened her mouth to defend herself, the Prime Minister had already coldly ordered: "Fist of the cane fifty times and expel her from the mansion."

"This woman has evil intentions and spreads rumors. How can she stay with my daughter? Don't let her tarnish Wanwan's reputation."

Outside the side hall, the board fell heavily, and the maid's screams were mixed with pleas for mercy, each sound was harsh.

Ye Liyu listened to the slapping sounds and screams outside the side hall, and her heart was panicked. The development of the plan was beyond her expectations. She didn't expect that everything she had carefully planned would be hastily ended by her father.

The Prime Minister turned around, his eyes swept through everyone, and his tone was majestic: "Everyone in the mansion must be careful in what they say and do. If anyone dares to spread rumors and disturb the peace of the family, he will not let them off easily!" His voice echoed in the toilet hall with an imposing manner.

"Miss San believed the rumors and will reflect on her mistakes for seven days."

The Prime Minister was constantly scheming in the officialdom, and he didn't want to bring this atmosphere to the mansion. As long as he could maintain the surface peace, a small punishment would be enough. At the same time,

Qi Youan was also fined three months of monthly silver for failing to protect his master.

That would be worse than a caning... Qi Youan thought, I'm already poor as a slave, and I'm working for nothing for three months...

At the same time, the Duwei Mansion.

The night was as dark as ink, covering the high walls of the Duwei Mansion. Jiang Lingzhou held his breath, and under the cover of the night, he tiptoed over the wall lightly. As soon as his toes touched the ground, he was secretly rejoicing in his heart, when suddenly a dazzling candlelight lit up around him, covering him completely.

He subconsciously raised his hand to cover his eyes, and heard a cold scolding in his ear: "Rebellious son! You still know how to come back!"

Jiang Lingzhou's heart sank, and he looked up, only to see his father, the captain, standing with his hands behind his back, his face gloomy as iron, and his eyes as sharp as a knife. The fierceness of fighting on the battlefield for many years has left deep marks on his face, and at this moment he looks even more majestic.

Jiang Lingzhou's legs softened and he almost fell to the ground, thinking to himself: It's over.

The captain waved his hand, and the candlelight around him receded slightly, but the atmosphere became more depressing. Jiang Lingzhou was taken to the main hall and knelt heavily on the ground. The captain held a thick and hard hemp whip in his hand, his eyes were cold, and he whipped it down mercilessly.

"Snap!" The whip hit Jiang Lingzhou's back hard, and the burning pain instantly spread throughout his body. He could not help but scream out: "Father, I was wrong! Please forgive me!"

But the captain turned a deaf ear to him, and the whip in his hand became more and more fierce, saying: "You rebellious son! Every time I arrange a marriage for you, you disappear. It's like this at Tianchan Temple and the banquet at the Prime Minister's Mansion! How can you start a family and build a career if you are so useless?"

Jiang Lingzhou's forehead veins bulged with pain, but he still argued: "Father, I'm thinking about your reputation! Tianchan Temple is a pure place of Buddhism, how can it be tarnished by the love of children? Today's banquet at the Prime Minister's Mansion is to celebrate the eldest young master's success in the imperial examination. If I rashly propose to him, wouldn't it be a disgrace?"

The captain became even more furious when he heard this. He swung the whip hard, pointed at Jiang Lingzhou's nose and scolded: "You are so eloquent! You are full of twisted ideas! You are idle all day long, not making progress, and you dare to quibble!"

He took a deep breath, suppressed the anger in his chest, and said coldly: "You must choose one, the lady of the Prime Minister's Mansion or the Grand Secretary's Mansion! If you dare to refuse again, you will never leave the mansion in your life!"

This really stumped him. Although Ye Wanwan was beautiful and steady, they were like strangers after knowing each other for a short time. Although Song Ci and himself were childhood sweethearts, they were also big enemies who would quarrel with each other as soon as they met. What's more, the matter of marriage was not decided by him alone. The two of them would definitely not want to marry him...

Jiang Lingzhou's back was covered with scars, so he had to lie prone on the bed. He ordered the servant to bring pen and paper, and wrote two letters while enduring the pain.

The first letter was written to Ye Wanwan, the fourth daughter of the Prime Minister's family: "Dear Miss Ye: I am writing

to you with all my heart. My father has been pressing me step by step recently and ordered me to choose between you and Miss Song from the Grand Secretary's Mansion. I think about it every day and night and feel uneasy. I know that this matter concerns my lifelong event and I dare not act rashly. I am writing to discuss this with you. I hope you can make your feelings clear. If you have any good ideas, please give me some advice. I am waiting for your reply and hope to resolve this dilemma.

Sincerely, Jiang Lingzhou from the Grand Secretary's Mansion."

The second letter was written to Song Ci from the Grand Secretary's Mansion:

"A letter from Miss Song: My old man wants me to marry you or the daughter of the Prime Minister. If I refuse, he will beat me up. I am writing this letter to ask for advice from the smart Miss Song. It is urgent! Please help me! (If you must marry me, I can consider it) - the most handsome man in the world.

Song Ci took the letter, unfolded it, frowned slightly at first, and then couldn't help laughing. Although the words in the letter were a bit frivolous, they also revealed Jiang Lingzhou's helplessness and anxiety.

Her brother Song Qing saw her smile, frowned after taking the letter, looked at his sister and asked, "Are you interested in marrying him? "

Song Ci shook his head without hesitation

. Song Qing felt relieved for some reason when he heard that. It's better for his sister to stay with him.

Although he was at a loss for the moment, Song Ci still picked up the pen to write back. There were only four words written on the paper: It's up to you.

Now she can't protect herself. Although her mother agreed to cancel the marriage with Jiang Lingzhou under the persuasion of her brother, she is still anxious to find a good husband's family for herself. In the past few days, she has looked up the family background of the young masters of aristocratic families, fearing that her daughter will not be able to get married.

...

At the same time, the same sorrow. In order to avoid her father's questioning, Ye Wanwan had to pretend to be frightened and weak these days.

She was like a wilted white lotus, lying on the couch, fragile and untouchable. Her originally charming face was even more lovable at this moment.

"Miss, it's time to take the medicine. "Yun Ting said softly, carefully helping her up, the medicine bowl in her hand was steaming. She lowered her head and blew gently, then handed the medicine to Ye Wanwan's lips.

Ye Wanwan frowned slightly, closed her eyes tightly, held her breath, and drank the bitter medicine in one breath. As soon as the medicine entered her throat, the strong bitter taste instantly spread in her mouth, choking her and making her cough a few times.

Her haggard face was purely because of drinking this bitter medicine.

Yun Ting looked at the empty bottom of the bowl, and sighed in her heart: The young lady is really different from before. If it were in the past, she would have to be coaxed by everyone for a long time, and then paired with a few pieces of honey before she would reluctantly take a sip. But now she drank it all in one breath, without even frowning.

"Ahem... call Ergou over. "Ye Wanwan covered her chest with her hands. The bitterness of the medicine was still stuck in her throat, choking her voice and making it a little hoarse.

Qi Youan was the only one who knew that she was pretending to be sick.

When he pushed the door open, Ye Wanwan gently pulled aside the bed curtain, revealing a plain white nightgown. The thin fabric made her look even thinner.

Qi Youan's eyes did not dodge, but fell directly on her. Looking at the lovely woman in front of him who was like a fragile lotus, he secretly had an evil idea: he wanted to crush her.

When Ye Wanwan came in, she took off her weak disguise, sat up from the couch, crossed her legs, and asked, "How did father deal with the fact that we were trapped?" She listened to every word of their conversation that day.

Qi Youan told the story in detail. Ye Wanwan's eyes suddenly became sharp after listening and asked: "It was dark that day, and the maid's appearance was not clear at all. Why did you insist that she was Ye Liyu's personal maid?"

Qi Youan had expected her to ask this question. After the predicament that day, he clearly realized that Ye Wanwan in front of him was not as simple as she seemed.

He smiled calmly and said in a steady tone: "I helped the third lady move goods two days ago and had contact with her maid. Although I couldn't see her appearance that day, the maid's voice was quite familiar. Besides, if the master asks, if I can't explain it, I'm afraid I will be punished. I was panicked and spoke nonsense in a hurry. Please forgive me, young lady."

His answer was seamless and flawless.

Ye Wanwan narrowed her eyes slightly, examined him for a moment, and finally nodded, which was regarded as approving his explanation.

"Miss, there is a letter from the Duwei Mansion." The voice of the servant came from outside the door.

Duwei Mansion? The two people in the room were startled at the same time.

Ye Wanwan pretended to be weak again, and her voice became soft and weak: "Come in."

Ye Wanwan looked at Jiang Lingzhou's letter. She remembered that according to what was written in the book, she should have married Jiang Lingzhou by her parents' order. However, she had already fallen in love with the third prince. She ran away from home in anger, but was robbed by bandits on the way.

At the critical moment, Qi Youan stepped forward and showed his skills. Not only did he save the beauty, but also her feelings for him quietly warmed up. And that battle also vaguely revealed Qi Youan's hidden true identity.

But now, everything seems to have deviated from the original track. She met Jiang Lingzhou earlier, and even had correspondence. Will this sudden change affect the progress of the catastrophe? Ye Wanwan felt uneasy.

She sat at the desk and read the letter. She picked up the pen and pondered for a moment, and finally wrote on the paper: "My daughter already has someone she likes. I'm sorry that I can't help you plan."

It should be right to refuse with words like this, and then develop according to the trajectory of the cause of things.

She sealed the reply and asked Qi Youan to give it to the postman to deliver it to the Duwei Mansion.

However, Qi Youan did not leave the house immediately, but stood in the corridor, stroking the thin letter with his fingertips.

What is the whisper? He felt an impulse in his heart, and with a light flick of his finger, the envelope was torn open. He unfolded the letter and his eyes fell on the line of short words.

The one who likes... He stroked the handwriting that had not yet dried with his fingertips. He snorted coldly and thought to himself: Who can enter the eyes of this arrogant young lady? Flipping through the memories of the past, he thought of a person-the third prince who Ye Wanwan tried to please under the snow pavilion that day. Could it be that the one who likes him is him?