Allure of a Country Maiden
Chapter 392 - 390 (Third Update)

Chapter 392: Chapter 390 (Third Update)

Zhao Youwei saw Shangguan Xuanhao and quickly said, "Second Prince, come quick and see, Miss Li has fallen into the lake due to a misstep and now she’s unconscious."

She fell into the lake by accident in the middle of the night? Who would believe that?

Shangguan Xuanhao sneered inwardly but still approached, "Put her down and let me have a look."

Although he was angered by his cousin’s actions, the Li family was renowned for their loyalty and sacrifice for their country. He couldn’t ignore the descendants of his country’s meritorious servants - it was all about giving regards to the Buddha for the sake of the monk.

Zhao Youwei set her down and remembered the thin, damp clothes clinging to her figure, revealing her form. He quickly picked up a cloak that had fallen on the ground and covered her with it.

The other men present also knew better than to step forward anymore. After all, as the old saying goes, don’t do to others what you wouldn’t want done to you.

Perhaps Zhao Youwei’s earlier efforts were effective. The recently laid-flat Li Mingfang started to lift her head a little, coughed out the water that had choked her, and then regained consciousness.

"What happened?" Li Mingfang felt chilled to the bone as she woke up.

"You fell into the water." Zhao Youwei let out a sigh of relief seeing her awake.

Shangguan Xuanhao, seeing this, rose from his seat, "Miss Li is awake now, everything is fine. You can go and instruct the kitchen to prepare some ginger soup to help her dispel the chill later."

Shangguan Xuanhao glanced at the scattered patches of snow on the ground and frowned, "Take her back to her room. It’s chilly out here, you wouldn’t want her to catch a cold."

Zhao Youwei smelled trouble; did he mean that he should carry her?

He unconsciously glanced at Di Shaowei who stood not far away, staring into the distance with a pensive look on his face. What was he thinking?

The others’ gazes shifted between him and Li Mingfang, their expressions ambiguous.

This was a predicament he couldn’t get out of, even if he jumped into the Yellow River!

At this moment, Li Mingfang on the ground sneezed.

Shangguan Xuanhao’s eyebrows furrowed even more, "Why are you still standing there? Do you want her to freeze to death? Won’t you have to take the blame then?"

The crowd: "..." What had gotten into the Second Prince?

Zhao Youwei quickly glanced in Xiao’er’s direction, only to see her looking worriedly at Di Shaowei.

Damn him! Why did he have to sit by the lake in the middle of the night?

He closed his eyes, resigned to his fate, squatted down, scooped up Li Mingfang, and hurried towards the front yard room.

The post station’s servants were also now awake. As Zhao Youwei passed by an old woman, he instructed, "Come and help Miss Li change her wet clothes. And arrange a bowl of ginger soup to help her dispel the cold."

The old woman quickly nodded in agreement.

Li Mingfang was feeling a mix of emotions. She had jumped into the water in a moment of impulse, hoping the lake would numb her senses. She had no intention of committing suicide, she could swim. The only reason she had drowned was due to water grass ensnaring her foot underwater.

Now, rescued by Zhao Youwei, thinking about her soaked clothes clinging to her body, revealing her form to him, made her blush, even despite her normally thick skin.

But at the same time, she couldn’t help but feel a hint of joy. Perhaps this was a turning point in their relationship...

Zhao Youwei carried Li Mingfang back to her room, turned around, and without any hesitation, walked away briskly.

"Brother Zhao..." Li Mingfang couldn’t help but call out to him. She didn’t even know why she was stopping him.

Zhao Youwei paused, "Don’t worry. If your marriage with Shaowei doesn’t work out, I’ll take responsibility."

This day was perhaps his day of disaster!

And the day his leg was healed, would mark the beginning of both the luckiest and the most devastating time of his life. Lucky because he got the chance to meet such a woman, devastating because although he had fallen for her, he couldn’t have her.

If he was destined not to marry the woman he loved in this lifetime, then it wouldn’t really matter who he married, would it?

Just let it be! He didn’t care anymore!

Li Mingfang was both hurt and perplexed, "I..."

She wanted to say that wasn’t what she meant, but she could not find the words to say it.

Forgive her for being selfish...

The sky was gradually brightening, and after snowing half the night, the world in sight was all wrapped in a silver outfit.

Feng Yang was reporting to Shangguan Xuanyi on his investigation results about the men in black, which turned out to be fruitless.

Shangguan Xuanyi nodded.

Whether or not they could be investigated didn’t matter as there were only two people who could have sent someone to assassinate them.

The group continued their journey, heading straight for the Imperial Capital.

Shangguan Xuanyi invited Di Shaowei to his carriage to play chess with him.

Shangguan Xuanyi wasn’t good at comforting people, but having traveled together for years, he knew how to distract Di Shaowei from his worries.

So, three of them huddled around a small table in the carriage to play Landlord.

After Shangguan Xuanyi and Xiao’er almost made Di Shaowei lose all he had, Di Shaowei couldn’t stand it anymore!

He threw the playing cards onto the table, "You two are doing this on purpose, isn’t there a shred of sympathy in you? Are you trying to wipe me out?"

Oh God, he had lost 100,000 taels just like that, even losing his wife wouldn’t cause him such unbearable pain!

He thought that they invited him to play Landlord in the carriage and even let him be the Landlord was an excuse to give him some silver to make up for the pain of losing his wife!

Who would have known that these two heartless fella would add insult to injury, causing him both emotional and financial loss!

He shouldn’t have had high hopes for them!

Thinking that he had lost 100,000 taels this way, he couldn’t help but wail: "Girl, I’m still grieving over my lost wife, how could you be so cruel as to cut off my flesh!"

The pain of losing a wife? Xiao’er twitched her mouth.

What wife did he lose?

"Brother Di, when you were studying, didn’t your teacher always have the urge to beat you up?" Xiao’er asked curiously.

"How did you know that?" Di Shaowei looked at Shangguan Xuanyi: Did you tell her? That’s not fair revealing my secrets!

Shangguan Xuanyi gave him a look that said you’re an idiot.

Di Shaowei really wanted to pull him out of the carriage to ’exchange feelings’!

"Brother Di, there are plenty more fish in the sea, why fixate yourself on one?" Xiao’er changed the subject as he brought it up himself.

"You also know whether I have a green hat on or not. Such a big green hat, I’ll be green like a spring wheat field! Where should I put my face?" Di Shaowei didn’t hold back in front of his good friends.

Pfft! Xiao’er couldn’t help but laugh! To be green like a spring wheat field! Such a genius!

"Girl, you are indeed heartless!"

"No, I’m actually quite concerned about you. We originally invited you to the carriage to cheer you up with a winning streak in gambling, to hearten you a bit! Who would have expected your luck to be so poor! We were all deliberately holding back!"

So that’s what they called holding back! Did they really think his eyes were covered by the green hat?!

"If you’re so concerned about me, then just give me back the 100,000 taels, and I’ll be overjoyed!"

Xiao’er: "..." She was wrong; she shouldn’t have cared about him.

"Ahem, well, you must abide by your gamble, how could there be a principle of returning it?"

"Girl, I just lost 100,000 taels out of the blue, I’ll be unable to think straight!"

Xiao’er: "We were just afraid you would overthink, so we made you unable to think!"

Di Shaowei: I’m lost in despair! I decide to go crash into some tofu!