Chapter One Hundred and Sixty-One
"You're always so glib. Look at your son—aside from having a face just like yours, he's as silent as a gourd. I wonder who he takes after," Huo Yunyao sighed, voicing her thoughts.
"Now, now, my lady, don't talk nonsense. Maosheng didn't just inherit his father's looks; he certainly has your cleverness too. He's just shy around strangers," Zhu Yunxian murmured in a low voice as he leaned close to Huo Yunyao's ear.
"Stop fooling around. The other ladies and young misses will be arriving soon," Huo Yunyao said shyly, pushing Zhu Yunxian away, her face flushed.
She had already forgotten her earlier displeasure with Zhu Maosheng.
"My lady, when will you give me a daughter who looks just like you?" Zhu Yunxian, however, did not let her off the hook as she wished.
Instead, he continued whispering by her ear.
"Husband, please stop," Huo Yunyao felt her heart flutter from his teasing. If it weren't for the guests she had to receive later, she likely wouldn't have held back.
After all, wasn't the reason she married into the Zhu family precisely because Zhu Yunxian suited her fancy?
He provided her with emotional value.
"Then I'll wait here for my lady to return?" Zhu Yunxian blinked, looking at Huo Yunyao with a teasing expression.
Mofeng Courtyard
"Young Master, the Second Young Lady is hosting guests at the villa today. Would you like to go and see?" A servant approached Huo Yunxuan and asked cautiously.
"She's hosting guests? Why not do it at the Zhu residence? Why come here?" Huo Yunxuan frowned.
He wondered if his second sister was trying to arrange another matchmaking event for him.
The thought gave him a headache.
He had no interest in that Meng Xin'er whatsoever, yet his eldest and second sisters were enthusiastically trying to pair them up.
"The Second Young Lady said the flowers at Jiyun Villa are in full bloom, so she invited the ladies and young misses from Lijia County to come and admire them. I heard she also invited the Li family young miss," the servant said, sneaking a glance at Huo Yunxuan when mentioning the Li young miss. These were also the words the Second Young Lady had instructed him to say.
"She's coming too?" Huo Yunxuan hadn't expected Li Zhiwei to attend. He had been in the capital for some time and had accumulated a lot of work. He had been busy lately and hadn't had time to see Li Zhiwei.
The thought stirred a sense of longing for the beauty in his heart.
Thinking that she would soon be arriving at the estate, Huo Yunxuan could no longer sit still. "I need to find a change of clothes. You go check if she has arrived yet?"
The servant watched his master's unusual haste with astonishment. This was the first time he had seen his master so eager to see a young lady.
It seemed his master truly fancied that Li family young miss!
With this thought, the servant dared not delay and hurried off to the place where Huo Yunyao was holding the gathering to look for Li Zhiwei.
Li Zhiwei arrived late, bringing Xu Qingshi with her. Seeing the Li family carriage, Shen An'an rushed forward without a second thought.
"Zhiwei, you're finally here," Shen An'an said, relieved.
"Pretty Auntie, I'm not Zhiwei! The pretty sister is behind me," Xu Qingshi cheerfully popped her head out and said to Shen An'an.
"Qingshi, you came too?" Seeing Xu Qingshi, Shen An'an's face lit up with joy, but then, thinking of the potential dangers today, she couldn't understand why Li Zhiwei had brought Xu Qingshi along.
"Yes! What's wrong? Auntie, you don't seem to welcome me?" Xu Qingshi noticed the change in Shen An'an's expression and asked, puzzled.
"Of course not!" Shen An'an forced an awkward smile. She was just worried something might happen to the child.
"Alright, let's get off the carriage now!" Li Zhiwei, following behind, said somewhat helplessly.
Shen An'an looked at Li Zhiwei, swallowing back the questions she wanted to ask. After all, some topics weren't suitable to discuss in front of a child.
"Young Miss Li, you've arrived. My mistress is waiting for you."
As soon as Li Zhiwei stepped down from the carriage, a maid approached and spoke to her.
Shen An'an hadn't expected Huo Yunyao's people to arrive so quickly.
Li Zhiwei, however, patted Shen An'an's hand reassuringly.
She had come fully prepared.
Xu Qingshi was extremely curious about everything in Jiyun Villa.
"Moyu, stay close to your young mistress. I'm going to meet the Second Young Lady Huo." Li Zhiwei didn't want to take Xu Qingshi to see Huo Yunyao, so she instructed Moyu to protect Xu Qingshi.
"I..." Shen An'an wanted to say she would accompany Li Zhiwei inside.
"Please help me look after Qingshi for a bit. I'll go in alone," Li Zhiwei quickly said before Shen An'an could offer to accompany her, asking her to watch over the child.
Shen An'an had no choice. She also wasn't comfortable leaving Xu Qingshi alone in the estate, so she agreed to watch over the child for Li Zhiwei first.
Although she didn't know Xu Qingshi's identity, since the child was with Li Zhiwei, she must be someone very important to her.
The maid led Li Zhiwei through many twists and turns before reaching a courtyard.
Fortunately, Qinghua and Qingyue followed Li Zhiwei closely every step of the way, and several hidden guards were also secretly trailing them.
"Young Miss Li, my mistress is inside this courtyard. You'll see her as soon as you enter," the maid said to Li Zhiwei.
Looking at the courtyard, Li Zhiwei wondered what traps Huo Yunyao had laid for her inside.
Qinghua and Qingyue quickly took antidote pills themselves and secretly slipped one into Li Zhiwei's mouth as well.
"Is that Young Miss Li?" Another maid walked out from the courtyard, smiling as she looked at Li Zhiwei.
"Young Miss Li, my mistress and the two other young ladies are all waiting for you inside. Please come in," the maid said, smiling at Li Zhiwei.
Li Zhiwei raised an eyebrow. She hadn't expected all three Huo sisters to be present.
Li Zhiwei stepped into the courtyard.
"You two young ladies, my mistress doesn't like outsiders entering her courtyard. Please wait outside for a moment," the maid said with a smile, blocking Qinghua and Qingyue.
"Wherever our young lady goes, we go."
Qinghua frowned, thinking it was impossible for them not to follow.
After all, the other party clearly had ill intentions. If they didn't accompany their mistress, wouldn't that give them an opportunity to harm her?
"My apologies," the maid insisted.
"In that case, I won't go in either. After all, I am also an outsider," Li Zhiwei said upon hearing this, then turned with a smile, preparing to leave the courtyard.
She had no interest in playing games with the three of them.
"Ah..." The maid was dumbfounded. She hadn't expected the Li young miss to react this way!
Anyone else would have rushed in eagerly.
If the Li young miss left, she wouldn't be able to explain it to her own mistress.
"Young Miss Li?" A servant's voice sounded from outside the gate.
Hearing this, the maid's expression changed.
A sense of foreboding struck her.
She recognized the voice—it was Jixiang from the Young Master's courtyard. But what was Jixiang doing here?
Li Zhiwei also looked puzzled at the servant by the gate. She didn't know this person.
"Young Miss Li, you really are here! My young master has been looking for you!" Jixiang said excitedly upon seeing Li Zhiwei.
The maid's face grew even more unpleasant. This Jixiang was only good at ruining her plans.
"Brother Jixiang, the three young ladies are still waiting to see Young Miss Li," the maid said to Jixiang with an ingratiating smile.
"But, aren't the Eldest Miss, the Second Miss, and the Third Miss in the flower hall? I saw them there just a moment ago," Jixiang said, puzzled.
