Allure of a Country Maiden
Chapter 969 - 967_1

Chapter 969: Chapter 967_1

"Mother, you don’t have to worry. Do you not know Brother Ri’s temperament? They will be happy." Actually, Xiao’er was also worried in her heart. But Yun’er and Brother Ri had grown up together since childhood, their feelings for each other were even deeper than that between their siblings. Even now, Brother Ri would write a letter to Yun’er every two or three days, updating her about his life. A couple with such deep feelings for each other could not be easily separated, moreover, the wedding date was already set. It was not possible to call off the wedding now."

Luckily, Brother Ri grew up with them, so they knew his temperament well. Moreover, Brother Ri was very intelligent and had his own way of dealing with things. He was not someone who would easily fall into others’ schemes.

As for their future: May the world remain unpredictable, while true love stays constant!

"Brother Ri is a good young man, but you can never predict life! Alas, it’s better not to think too much about it. It’s too late for regrets now!" Mrs. Liu knew that worrying now would not help, and she simply regretted not being heartless in the first place!

"When our eldest brother gets married, will Brother Ri come?"

"The letter he sent last month said he has already left, so he should arrive soon!"

"By the way, Princess Ranhui’s wedding is also coming up. Shall we go together to add dowry in a few days?"

Xiao’er and Mrs. Liu continued their casual talk. Having not seen each other for more than a year, mother and daughter had a lot to catch up on.

However, halfway through the conversation, a maid rushed in: "Madam, Madam, the Second Young Master and Young Master from our extended family are back, and they have brought back an injured girl."

"An injured girl? What happened?" Hearing this, Xiao’er and Mrs. Liu quickly got up and headed outside.

The flower hall in the front yard was filled with people. Jinghao, Liu Zhiwen, Liu Zhiwu, and Liu Minhong were all soaked through their clothes.

A woman dressed in damask purple silk was bowing her head and wiping her tears. Beside her, a girl in pink clothes was lying on the couch, her clothes completely drenched, and the back of her clothes stained red with blood.

Seeing the woman’s back, Xiao’er felt a sense of familiarity and an ominous feeling rose in her heart.

When her gaze fell on the young girl’s face, Xiao’er had a sense of inevitability.

Fang Wanping’s face was pale, her hair drenched, and there was a piece of green leaf stuck to her head. Her appearance was quite ragged and pitiful. She lifted her head and looked towards the door.

She saw a lady walked in, dressed in magnificent clothes, exuding a noble aura. Behind her followed a young woman who looked somewhat similar to her in terms of eyes and facial shape. She was dressed very refreshingly, but her noble aura was even stronger than the woman in front. Even though she was half a step behind, she immediately drew everyone’s attention.

Upon meeting Xiao’er’s gaze, Fang Wanping quickly lowered her head. Xiao’er’s gaze was too piercing, as if it could see through her disguise. She dared not meet Xiao’er’s gaze.

Everyone in the room paid their respects as the two women entered.

"Mother, sister."

"Greetings to the Princess and to Madam."

Mrs. Fang noticed someone coming in, and when she turned her head and met Xiao’er’s gaze, her heart jumped and she instinctively lowered her head, pretending to wipe her tears. But her panic was evident: wasn’t Princess Rui in Nanyue Prefecture? Why has she come back? It seems she could run into her anywhere.

Xiao’er looked at the two of them and then withdrew her gaze. She took in everyone’s expressions in the room, then turned her gaze to Jinghao: "Hao’er, what happened?"

Jinghao, after hearing this, first glanced at Fang Wanping.

The girl’s face was pale, her brow furrowed, and she was gently biting her lower lip as if she was enduring great pain.

Seeing Jinghao’s glance, Fang Wanping immediately feigned weakness: "Mother, I am in pain."

Zhiwen became even more anxious after hearing this. He looked at the door anxiously: "Where is the doctor? Jinghao, do you really not have any Jinchuang ointment?"

This thin girl with such a severe wound, it was commendable that she had held back her tears and only now let out a whimper of pain. Thinking about it, Liu Zhiwen felt as if his heart was being squeezed.

Seeing Liu Zhiwen’s reaction, Xiao’er’s heart sank. If Zhiwen fell for Fang Wanping, their family would likely witness tumultuous times in the future! It was quite possible that even Marquis Shengping’s Mansion might get dragged into it.

Once entangled with someone like Fang Wanping, it would be difficult to extricate oneself.

Seeing Zhiwen’s reaction, Jinghao also frowned slightly. He grew up in the Imperial Capital and, although he hadn’t seen the shady affairs of the inner court with his own eyes, he had heard plenty of rumors from his peers. He suspected that Miss Fang had ulterior motives.

Xiao’er walked to Jinghao’s side: "What exactly happened?"

"I was fetching Grandfather Zeng and them. On the way back, the rain started getting heavier and caused a mudslide at the foot of Sanger Mountain. The road was blocked and impassable, so we took a detour. The small path was muddy due to the rain, and the carriage wheels got stuck in a puddle and we couldn’t get them out.

Zhiwen, Zhiwu, and I had to get off the carriage to help push. Just then, a lightning bolt struck and split a tall tree by the side of the road. A section of the branch broke off and came crashing down towards the three of us. Miss Ruan rushed over to shield Zhiwen, saving his life from the falling branch."

Jinghao didn’t mention that he had clearly felt that the girl was trying to throw herself at him. Since he was trained in martial arts and had fast reflexes, he had quickly avoided the branch and pulled both Zhiwen and Zhiwu along.

If the girl had not rushed over, they wouldn’t have been hit by the branch. He had a feeling that it had been done on purpose by the girl.

But he was worried that his intuition might be wrong, so he decided to observe a little longer before making any decisions.

So Fang Wanping became Zhiwen’s lifesaver? What a twist! Why was this Fang Wanping always crossing paths with his close ones? But wait,

"Miss Ruan?" Xiao’er glanced at Fang Wanping. This person was surnamed Fang a few months ago, so why did she become Miss Ruan now?

"This is Mrs. Ruan, the concubine of Master Ruan, and this is Master Ruan’s daughter." Jinghao explained seeing Xiao’er’s doubt.

At this time, Mrs. Fang showed an awkward expression, but she quickly spoke to prevent Xiao’er from saying anything unfavorable: "I used to be in love with Master Ruan, but his family was opposed to our relationship. I didn’t want to put him in a difficult situation, so I left by myself. Little did I know that after a month of leaving, I discovered that I was pregnant with his child. Out of desperation, I married Master Fang as his concubine. Wanping is Master Ruan’s biological daughter. On the way back to the Imperial Capital, we happened to run into Master Ruan, who recognized Wanping as his daughter at first glance, saying she looked just like him, so..."

Mrs. Fang didn’t finish her sentence, but everyone understood.

Mrs. Fang deliberately chose words that were advantageous to her. She didn’t mention how she had engineered the whole situation, tricked Master Fang into having a relationship with her, and lied about the child being his.

"Oh!" After hearing her explanation, Xiao’er answered with a long tone before asking, "So, you tricked Master Fang into marriage?"