klisemfg Chapter 174 The Cui family wants to cancel my brother’s engagement?
Chapter 174 The Cui family wants to cancel my brother’s engagement?
After Princess Nanping returned to Jinling from the northwest, she attended banquets held by all the major famous families.
Although she wasn't as enthusiastic about these banquets as before, she had basically gotten to know all the girls from the aristocratic families. She immediately whispered in Li Qingluo's ear, "The one with the round face is Cui Shiyi Niang from the Cui family."
"The oval-faced woman standing next to her is your brother's fiancé, Cui Jiuniang."
"She just arrived in Jinling last month. Everyone is wondering if she was sent here to marry into your family."
That’s Cui Jiuniang?
The girls of the Cui family were ranked in a row, with all the girls from the eldest branch of the family lined up regardless of their respective courtyards.
However, the Cui family kept the news that Cui Jiuniang had arrived in Jinling secret so tightly that no one in the entire general's mansion knew about it.
Li Qingluo couldn't help but look at her.
This Cui Jiuniang has both excellent appearance and figure.
If she married Li Kechuan, wouldn't she be ruined?
It's like a flower stuck in cow dung, what a pity.
When Li Qingluo looked at Cui Jiuniang, Cui Jiuniang seemed to have noticed her gaze and cast a faint glance at her.
But after just one glance, Cui Jiuniang turned her head away again.
There was a flash of deep disgust in her eyes, and she seemed to hate everyone in the Li family.
Li Qingluo thought: It must be because Li Kechuan's reputation is too bad, so I was also implicated.
However, what did Cui Shiyi Niang mean by this?
Could it be that the Cui family has finally thought of canceling the engagement?
When he thought of this, Li Qingluo felt a little excited.
She had always left Li Kechuan some room for maneuver and had not completely defeated him, just to wait for him to be truly deserted by his friends and relatives.
Just die, it's too easy.
But if he was despised by everyone and the Cui family broke off the engagement, he would never have a career in politics again, and Li Chaojing would have other sons in the future, and he, the disabled legitimate son, would become dispensable. Then, living would be more painful for him than dying.
Liu Qingzhu was being pointed at and scolded, how could she bear it at this moment?
She was filled with anger. "You are really going too far! I was just passing by. Do you think I was responsible for the Cui family's horse dying?"
"Also, I'm jealous. What exactly am I jealous of Cui Jiuniang?"
"I have no grudge against Cui Jiuniang and we have never met in person. Why would I do this?"
"If you ask me, with so many women here today, everyone is a suspect. If you really want to catch a suspect, don't just go after me!"
As Liu Qingzhu spoke, her whole body began to tremble slightly.
Her face was pale, her eyes were red with tears, and she bit her lips with her pearly teeth. She looked stubborn and pitiful.
But everyone present today was a girl, and no one would fall for her tricks.
Especially Pan Li, she sneered "hehe".
"Others may not know, but I know it clearly! You once told me in person that your brother promised you that even if he married Cui Jiuniang in the future, the person most important to him would only be you, his sister. You were so proud of this, and you've said it to me more than once."
Liu Qingzhu immediately retorted: "You, you're lying! Cui Jiuniang, I didn't..."
She looked at Cui Jiuniang eagerly, wanting to explain herself, but Cui Jiuniang seemed to find it distasteful to even look at her. She just stared at Pan Li and asked, "Is everything you said true? If so, very good!"
After she finished speaking, she turned and left, leaving everyone else present feeling uneasy.
"What does Cui Jiuniang mean?"
"That's right, now that the horse is dead, she won't pursue the matter?"
"Also, Cui Shiyi Niang said the marriage didn't go through. Could it be that the Cui family is finally going to cancel the engagement?"
"If you don't cancel the engagement, are you still waiting to become the eldest daughter-in-law of the Li family? Although she will be a mistress in the future, Li Kechuan is already disabled. I heard that he even went crazy because of Liu Qingzhu."
"Haven't you heard the rumors about the brother and sister? They weren't clear at all."
"Tsk tsk, you Liu Qingzhu are too dirty..."
"From now on, let's stay away from those who came from the General's Mansion..."
Everyone unconsciously took a few steps back, and even didn't want to get close to Li Qingluo.
It seems that if you are close to her, your reputation will become ugly.
Only Nanping angrily hugged Li Qingluo tighter.
"Do you still have any sense of right and wrong? Sister Luo'er is the most innocent person. How can you isolate her because of Liu Qingzhu's scandal..."
Li Qingluo grabbed Nanping and stopped her from saying anything else.
In fact, she doesn't care at all whether she will be isolated and ignored.
She doesn't care how people in this world see her.
The reason she came here today was all because of Nanping.
Since Nanping didn't despise her and didn't stay away from her, she felt happy in her heart.
"Why don't we first investigate how the horse died?"
Li Qingluo looked at Liu Qingzhu, "Does this matter really have nothing to do with you? If so, then tell me, what were you originally planning to do when you passed by here alone just now?"
Liu Qingzhu hated Li Qingluo so much that she didn't want to answer her questions at all.
However, everyone was staring at her, as if if she didn't explain herself clearly today, she would be unable to escape and would never be able to clear herself of this injustice.
She clenched her fists in humiliation. "I'm not alone. Is there anyone willing to team up with me? Now that you're all avoiding me, even that bitch Pan Li treats me like this, I'm not alone. Who else can I team up with?"
"I just wanted to go over there and take a look at the horses. I didn't bring any with me today, but Princess Qinyu asked me to pick one of the horses she brought so I could go for a run and have some fun!"
"What on earth did I do wrong?!"
She cried so aggrieved that some soft-hearted people actually sympathized with her.
"If that's true, then she was indeed wronged..."
"Pan Li shouldn't have done this, after all. They used to be close friends. They've been best friends since childhood, and now she's just changed her mind. Does that mean she's right?"
The situation seemed to be about to reverse. Pan Li was angry and anxious, and she wanted to tear Liu Qingzhu's crying face apart.
Li Qingluo then said, "Why did Cui Jiuniang's horse die? I suggest we report it to the authorities!"
When the girls heard this, they all disagreed.
It was just a horse, and they didn't want to cause trouble for the government investigation.
"Maybe there's something wrong with her horse itself?"
"Yes. And we're trying so hard to help her find out the truth, but you see, Cui Jiuniang herself doesn't care. Why should we do this?"
"That's right, the Cui family has all gone into hiding. I think we should just disperse."
Everyone was afraid of trouble, so they really dispersed.
When Liu Qingzhu was wiping her red eyes and preparing to leave, Luying beside her looked at Li Qingluo deeply.
Li Qingluo understood instantly.
It seems that Liu Qingzhu is not without evil intentions.
Cui Jiuniang's horse may really have nothing to do with her, but her own horse may not be the same.
Everyone dispersed. Princess Qinyu, who had been watching from a distance, fixed her eyes on Li Qingluo and slowly raised the corners of her lips.
"This daughter that the Li family found is quite interesting."
"He has a calm and dignified temperament, is reserved and shrewd, and is much smarter than that idiot Liu Qingzhu."
A maidservant asked, "Doesn't His Highness value Liu Qingzhu very much? His Highness Prince Yun dotes on her so much that even His Highness was asked to carry her sedan chair today."
Qin Yu snorted coldly: "It's just a new love, how long can it last?"
"Liu Qingzhu is now just a commoner's daughter from a commoner family. To her cousin, the Fourth Emperor, she is just a toy and can be discarded at any time."
"I'm giving my cousin the Four Emperors a favor. What's wrong with making him happy?"
"Furthermore, if Liu Qingzhu was smart, would she have allowed herself to be transformed from the eldest daughter of a general into a concubine in the harem? She's as stupid as a pig!"
The maid nodded, agreeing with this statement.
Qin Yu: "It is indeed a surprise to me that Cui Jiu Niang would appear here today."
"She must have long hated this General's Mansion, but she was just a girl and couldn't decide her own marriage."
Maid: "Yes, just now I saw that she was unwilling to talk to the eldest daughter of the Li family."
Qin Yu smiled coldly: "The Cui family is a century-old family. They didn't cancel the engagement because of Li Kechuan's broken leg because they cared about their own reputation."
"But later, scandals continued to ripple out of the General's Mansion, yet the Cui family remained silent. But Cui Jiuniang, knowing full well what a den of wolves this was, would never have been willing to marry into it."
"And from what I know, she secretly left Fujian on her own, and brought her retainers and servants with her, enduring many hardships along the way before arriving in Nanjing."
"She came here to cancel the engagement with the Li family."
The maid was curious: "Will the Cui family agree?"
The head of the Cui family, the second master, and some of their talented younger generations now hold official positions in the court. Although the Li family has had many scandals, nothing so major has happened that the Cui family cannot tolerate and is willing to betray their reputation.
Therefore, the Cui family must have not agreed, otherwise Cui Jiuniang would have come to Jinling on her own.
She wanted to persuade the head of the Cui family to make the decision for her.
But whether it can be accomplished depends on her ability.
"The wedding is almost here, in just over three months...it all depends on how she pulls it off."
"If she can really accomplish this, then this Cui Jiuniang will really have some admiration for me."
By then, recruiting Cui Jiuniang under my command might be of great help.
When we were eating roasted whole lamb, the two sisters of the Cui family did not come out.
Princess Qinyu asked the servants to deliver a leg of lamb directly to them in the tent, along with hot milk and some hot meals.
When it was finally taken out, they ate it all.
However, because of this incident, everyone lost interest in playing.
After dinner, the girls from each family prepared to go home.
After all, they were in the suburbs, and the way back was not short. The road was a bit slippery due to the melted snow. So although Nanping felt a little disappointed, he still asked the palace soldiers to send everyone out safely one by one.
Each family also brought their own servants and maids, and after getting ready, they set out in a mighty procession.
Li Qingluo deliberately fell behind, and when she got on the carriage, she suddenly turned her head and looked at Nanping.
"Your Highness, would you mind if we rode in the same carriage?"
Nanping was naturally very happy, and the two of them held hands and got into the princess's carriage together.
When Liu Qingzhu saw this scene, she was so angry that she almost shook the wooden frame of the carriage apart.
But then she sneered again: "It's okay, even if you hide in the carriage of the princess's mansion, so what? I wonder if you will be spared if you implicate Princess Nanping today!"
She had personally experienced rape and knew it was not a pleasant feeling.