eurekapd Chapter 218 Anxious and Distressed
Chapter 218 Anxious and Distressed
Chapter 218 218 Anxious and Distressed
"Xuan'er, it's you. Where are you going?" A voice that made Jingxuan shudder came from behind him. He was so frightened that he didn't dare to breathe, and his heart seemed to beat faster.
No, I can't panic. I can't let my fourth uncle see anything!
Jingxuan silently said this to himself. He composed himself, turned around, widened his eyes, and said with feigned surprise, "Fourth Uncle, what are you doing here!"
Ha, what a good actor, but unfortunately he saw right through her.
Chunyu Jing's lips curled up slightly as he said, "Of course I've come to the Marquis's residence as a guest. This Marquis's residence is really something, leaving you here all alone without anyone to look after you. What if something happens to you?"
Jingxuan chuckled and said, "It was my fault for not letting them come along. They were so long-winded and noisy. Well, Fourth Uncle, if there's nothing else, I'll take my leave!"
"Wait a minute." Chunyu Jing held onto the back of his collar and wouldn't let go, asking, "When did you arrive? Where is Third Brother right now?"
Jingxuan's heart skipped a beat. He rubbed his sweaty little hands on his clothes and said, "Father is in my sister's courtyard. The two of them were whispering to each other, but I didn't want to listen, so I ran out by myself."
Chunyu Jing's brows furrowed instantly. He unconsciously tightened his grip on Jingxuan's hand and chuckled, "Oh, really? I was just about to go find Miss Ye. This is a good opportunity to say hello to Third Brother as well."
Chunyu Yang wasn't at the Marquis's residence; Jingxuan had actually sneaked out! He was momentarily at a loss for what to do, and could only stammer as he tried to change the subject: "Oh... um... why does Fourth Uncle want to see my sister?"
"My fourth uncle has been unwell lately. Hearing that Miss Ye has become an apprentice of Mr. Green Ivy and has learned excellent medical skills, he would like to ask her to take a look at me," Chunyu Jing said calmly.
"Is Fourth Uncle feeling unwell?" Jingxuan asked, tilting his head back. "Father said that autumn has truly arrived, and winter will soon follow. It is the easiest time to catch a cold at this time, so Fourth Uncle should be careful."
Chunyu Jing released Jingxuan's collar, then grabbed his hand and, without a word, pulled him toward Lanxin Courtyard:
"I didn't expect Xuan'er to care so much about Fourth Uncle. Don't worry, Uncle will take care."
After this conversation, the two fell into an awkward silence. Jingxuan was extremely nervous, constantly thinking about how to deceive Chunyu Jing, while Chunyu Jing was focused on suppressing the pain in his heart and had no time to pay attention to him.
As Lanxin Courtyard drew closer, Jingxuan grew increasingly nervous. Chunyu Jing noticed that his palm was damp, chuckled softly, and said:
Why are Xuan'er's palms so sweaty?
Jingxuan: "No, no... I just feel a little hot."
"Oh, really?" Chunyu Jing said casually. "Xuan'er, your fourth uncle has always wanted to ask you, why do you call Miss Ye 'elder sister'?"
Jingxuan cautiously looked up to peek at his expression and said, "Kang Kang calls her 'elder sister,' so I'll follow suit and call her 'elder sister' too."
"I see," Chunyu Jing said. "Xuan'er seems quite familiar with the Marquis's residence."
Jingxuan said, "Father, Father often takes me to the Marquis's residence to see my elder sister!"
"It seems that Third Brother is quite fond of Miss Ye," Chunyu Jing said casually.
Jingxuan quickly chimed in, "Yes, yes, Father loves Sister very much. He's going to marry her and make her his queen!"
A surge of intense jealousy instantly overwhelmed Chunyu Jing, making him feel even more tormented: "Princess Consort of Beiwu?" He scoffed, as if the title was a huge joke.
Jingxuan noticed that Chunyu Jing was gripping him tighter and tighter, and a sense of unease grew within him. Fortunately, he had been practicing martial arts daily lately, and his strength had increased considerably. He immediately struggled to break free, slipped into Lanxin Courtyard, and called out to Chunyu Jing:
"Uncle, please wait outside for a moment. Xuan'er will go and tell Father and Sister that Uncle has arrived!"
After saying that, she rushed into Ye Pianran's courtyard as if she had seen a ghost, anxiously calling out in a low voice, "Sister, sister, are you there?"
Lingyi and several maids were cleaning Ye Pianran's house when they heard Jingxuan's call. Lingyi quickly put down the feather duster and went out to greet him.
"Young Master, what brings you here?"
Jingxuan recognized Lingyi. Upon seeing her, he felt as if he had found a lifeline. He immediately disregarded their differences in status, grabbed her sleeve, and said urgently:
"Lingyi, where is my elder sister? Is she inside?"
Lingyi shook her head and said, "Miss left an hour ago. Does the young master have something important to discuss with her?"
Jingxuan's face turned red with anxiety: "It's urgent, extremely urgent! Where did my sister go? And what about Yue'er? Is Yue'er here?"
Lingyi led him into the house and said softly, "Yue'er isn't here; she went out with Miss."
"They're nowhere to be found! What are we going to do?!" Jingxuan was on the verge of tears. "Lingyi, do you have any way to contact them? This is extremely urgent... cough cough cough!"
He spoke so quickly that his saliva got into his throat, causing him to cough violently.
"Alright, alright, young master, don't rush, speak slowly." Lingyi quickly poured a cup of warm tea and handed it to Jingxuan so he could drink it and calm down. She gently patted Jingxuan's back and softly comforted him. "This servant guesses that Miss should have already left the city by now. If we want to contact her and Yue'er, I'm afraid it will be difficult."
Jingxuan took a couple of sips of tea, finally recovering somewhat. His eyes were red as he said:
"Do you have any way to inform my father at the palace without going through the outer gate?"
“This…” Lingyi frowned in distress, “I’m afraid there’s no way out. There’s only one path out of Lanxin Courtyard…”
She paused for a moment and then asked, "Why is the young master in such a hurry to see Miss and the Prince?"
Jingxuan pursed her lips and looked up at the other maids in the room. Lingyi understood and said to the other maids:
"You go down first."
The maids curtsied and then quickly left Ye Pianran's room.
Lingyi closed the door tightly before walking back to Jingxuan, squatting down and saying, "Please rest assured, young master, Lingyi is loyal to Miss and would never do anything to betray her."
Having spent so much time together, Jingxuan naturally knew who Ye Pianran could trust. He said:
"Today, as usual, we went up the mountain for our morning exercise. I don't know what Father did wrong, but he angered my sister, and she won't speak to him anymore. I wanted to plead for Father, so I secretly ran away. Who knew I'd run into my fourth uncle at the Marquis's residence? My fourth uncle told the Marquis he wanted to marry my sister! I was terrified! I just wanted to tell my sister as soon as possible, to tell her not to marry my fourth uncle, and I also wanted to tell Father so he could immediately go to the Emperor to have the marriage decreed. But... but..."
But with his elder sister and Yue'er not around, how could he stop this in time and bring the news back to the Northern Martial Prince's Mansion?
At this moment, Jingxuan not only regretted his decision to sneak out.
To everyone's surprise, Lingyi didn't seem troubled like Jingxuan. She smiled and said, "I thought the young master was in a hurry. Don't worry, young master, we can ask the madam if anything happens!"
Yes!
Lady Gongsun is the mother of my elder sister and Kang Kang, and also the wife of Marquis Anshi. If she were to step in, she could definitely hold off Fourth Uncle! However, if she did so, it seems that the fact that my elder sister goes out every morning to cultivate with him and Father will soon become a secret...
No, I don't care anymore! I'm going all in!