novelraw Chapter 387 - 379: Admitting Fault
Chapter 387 - 379: Admitting Fault
Jingfu did not answer, but Mrs. Dong realized that she certainly had not managed to find out anything.
Mrs. Dong, with a stern face, said, "Do I really need to explain this simple matter? You just go to the Marquis Mansion, tell Madam that you saw Mr. Lin going to the East Mansion. The Marquis always has issues with the East Mansion, so even without us asking, Madam will return to the Lin Mansion and naturally find out what’s going on."
Jingfu dared not say more, quickly agreed, and had a young maid go to the Marquis Mansion to deliver the message.
Mrs. Dong was still upset about what happened with the old lady. Hearing a young maid outside saying her daughter had arrived, Mrs. Dong’s face showed displeasure. Until her daughter came to find her, it always involved speaking matters related to the old lady.
Jingfu hurriedly carried the young master downstairs and encountered her daughter at the door, quickly adjusting her posture, since it was at Yingshui Garden and coming to Madam’s side, aside from her daughter, there was no one else, so naturally, there was no need to call her Third Young Lady.
There were no other servants in the room. Sister Hui curtsied slightly before standing by her mother’s side, "I know Mother doesn’t want to see me now, but just now at Grandmother’s, Mother did act somewhat extreme. No matter what, it was in front of Father. What would Father think? I really don’t want to talk much about it. Mother knows everything in her heart, but I truly feel sorry for Brother Zong. From now on, aside from Mother and me, neither Father nor Grandmother will love him."
Sister Hui did not stay long; after speaking, she turned and left.
Mrs. Dong thought about her daughter’s words, feeling uneasy. But remembering the old lady always favored the East Mansion, she couldn’t stop the anger rising in her heart.
Moreover, the Marquis had already disregarded the rules, spending days at the East Mansion. If the Marquis could do that, why couldn’t she say anything? The old lady pretended ignorance, and if she said nothing, would it mean she was easy to bully?
Thinking about all this, Mrs. Dong felt slightly relieved.
Meanwhile, at the East Mansion, Gu Yifeng saw that Sister Ning had rested, and asked her to get ready as the carriage was prepared to take her out to see the lanterns.
Lin Youning was surprised and hurriedly asked Shanmoi and Hailan to help her get ready. The group got into the carriage after leaving the mansion, heading straight for lantern street.
Upon reaching the street entrance, the crowd was too dense to continue in the carriage, so they had to walk. Gu Yifeng held Sister Ning closely to protect her from being jostled. Following them were guards and hidden guards who came from the mansion, more than ten people following just the two of them on Flower Street.
With Gu Yifeng by Lin Youning’s side and guards blocking others, no one bumped into her. Besides, the street was full of lanterns and many people guessing lantern riddles. Seeing Sister Ning’s interest, Gu Yifeng would sometimes stop to guess the riddles with her.
Before long, Lin Youning had several lanterns in her hands. Near the end, unable to hold them all, she had Shanmoi and Hailan help her carry them.
In the crowd, a pair of eyes were fixed on Lin Youning; it was Gu Er.
Gu Er didn’t expect to encounter Sister Ning again while visiting the lanterns with Princess Yuanhua. He couldn’t remember how long it had been since he last saw Sister Ning. She seemed even more beautiful now, even though her face was covered with a veil, revealing only her eyes, but he could recognize her at a glance.
It was even the first time he saw the smile on his elder brother’s face. He always thought his brother was unwilling to shoulder responsibilities. Only now did he understand that his brother’s heart also loved Sister Ning.
Gu Er was fuming with jealousy, and the Princess Yuanhua beside him noticed her watching Lin Youning. She had been watching Gu Er closely after seeing Lin Youning, noticing the change in Gu Er’s expression.
After seeing the Marquis and Lin Youning leaving, Princess Yuanhua sarcastically said, "No need to keep watching, they’re already far away. If you really want to see them, just go greet them. Why stare from a distance, when they don’t even know you’re watching?"
"Elder brother and Sister Ning are enjoying their conversation. It’s not right for us to interrupt." Gu Er turned to her. "Do you still want to see the lanterns? If not, we can head back."
"Yes, of course. Even your cold brother came, how could we not?" Princess Yuanhua looked at him, "It’s rare for Second Young Master to be in a good mood to accompany me to see the lanterns. Why spoil such a good atmosphere?"
Princess Yuanhua understood that Gu Er deliberately mentioned his brother and Sister Ning to distract her. However, she saw clearly that Gu Er’s eyes had a murderous look when he saw the Marquis and Lin Youning.
Princess Yuanhua stayed silent and followed Gu Er as he walked. Neither spoke the rest of the way. Later, Gu Er said he felt tired, and they returned to the mansion early. Once there, Gu Er claimed he wanted to review accounts in the study and told Princess Yuanhua to rest. Knowing what was happening, she didn’t bother with him and left directly.
Gu Er did not stay in the front yard, but after wandering a bit, he left the mansion again, standing outside the East Mansion. Upon hearing the sound of a carriage, he hid behind a pillar. Shortly after, the carriage stopped at the entrance of the East Mansion. After some low murmurs, he saw his brother disembark first, then help Sister Ning down.
If it could be called helping, it would be more accurately described as carrying.
Sister Ning showed no sign of evasion in front of the servants, clinging to his brother’s neck, allowing their gazes. Gu Er watched from afar until they disappeared from sight, slowly emerging from the shadows.
Gu Er stared fiercely at the entrance of the East Mansion. He realized he was not mistaken, but rather his brother had long set his heart on Sister Ning. The matters with women outside had been orchestrated by his brother with Li Si. His brother had cleverly taken Sister Ning away, step by step.
Just thinking about his brother’s actions made Gu Er’s fists clench tightly, a surge of hatred rising from his heart. In that moment, he felt the reason he became such a mess, looked down upon by the people of the Capital, was all his brother’s doing.
No wonder his brother sent him to Jiangxi Camp; it was a deliberate scheme to keep him away from Sister Ning forever.
Unable to contain himself, Gu Er ran towards the Marquis Mansion, his foot fiercely kicking the main door. Hearing the commotion, the gatekeeper came out and smiled slightly at him. This visit marked the first time Gu Er had come to the mansion since the old lady and he severed their mother-son relationship.