The Xu family is celebrating today, for no other reason than the Yan family came to accept the prize.
Xu Anren and Sun entertained guests in the middle hall.
The servants in the mansion were all overjoyed to have received the reward, and they were whispering to each other about the protagonist of the marriage - Qiniang from the West Courtyard.
"It's hard for our eldest lady to be so generous! This hundred dollars is enough for half a month's worth of my little one's monthly income."
"I have relatives who work in the Yan family. I heard that the Yan family has prepared a betrothal gift of this amount. Qiniang is at home now. If the betrothal gift falls into the hands of the eldest lady, she has to peel it off before taking it out. Of course she is generous. "
"No wonder, it's just that the husband of the Yan family has a bad reputation. Why is the second husband willing to marry Qiniang?"
"Hey, Erlangjun is far away in Chang'an. Do you know that we are still talking about it? This marriage is the decision of the eldest husband and the eldest lady."
"Be careful what you say. Your nobles' affairs have nothing to do with us. Don't say the wrong thing and be punished by the lady in charge."
After saying this, everyone lost interest in chatting and dispersed to do their own things.
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The whole house was celebrating, but the desertedness of the west courtyard was out of place.
"These are all the money we got from selling our little lady. The eldest lady is really bad." Xia He said angrily.
"Little lady, when are we leaving?" In contrast, Qiu Lu was much calmer.
"It's not time yet, it'll be a few days. Have you got the key to the back door?" Xu Chengyue asked.
"My servant gave me a key and gave it back to Aunt Huang." Qiu Lu said.
The last time I went out with Mr. Sun, Qiu Lu saw a carriage and horses on the road.
After returning, Xu Chengyue told Qiu Lu to establish a good relationship with Aunt Huang, who was in charge of buying food in the kitchen, and often asked her to buy things from outside, which of course gave her a lot of benefits.
After getting acquainted with her, Qiu Lu even helped Aunt Huang buy groceries when she had something to do, and she got the key to the back door after a quick visit.
The reason why it is the back door is because there is a long distance from the west courtyard to the middle gate and then to the front gate. There are also several doors in between. The female family members and maids cannot get close to the middle gate unless they go out for something.
The last time Xu Chengyue and Sun went out, they took an ox cart directly from the middle gate.
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After settling a major matter in her heart, Mrs. Sun has been walking much more briskly in recent days, and she doesn't want to be as harsh on the servants in the house as before.
The people below had a much better life, and the entire Xu Mansion was peaceful and peaceful.
One night, at 4 o'clock or 5 o'clock, there was still more than half an hour before the curfew was lifted.
It was dark and I couldn't see my fingers.
A head peeked out from the gate of the west courtyard, looked around, and then retracted.
Immediately afterwards, the courtyard door slowly opened a gap that allowed only one person to pass through. The person who poked his head came out, followed closely by two more people.
"Little lady, be careful of the steps and walk slowly." Qiu Lu reminded in a low voice.
Xu Chengyue specially chose this time. Today, when Xu Anren takes a rest, everyone will get up later than usual.
They didn't dare to turn on the lights and walk in the dark. Qiu Lu walked this road many times during this period and even drew a route map under Xu Chengyue's guidance.
Even if you can't see clearly, it doesn't matter.
The hearts of the three of them were tense, fearing that something unexpected would happen and wake up everyone in the house.
Slowly walking to the back door, Qiu Lu picked up the key and opened the door, trying to be as gentle as possible.
After they went out, the lock inside could not be closed and the door was left ajar.
However, Aunt Huang was too lazy and would often get up and go out only after the fifth wave of morning drums had been played, and by then they had already left.
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After walking out of the door, the three of them breathed a sigh of relief.
Then he remembered that this was just the beginning. The curfew was not over yet, and there were still Wuhou patrolling the square, so he had to be careful to avoid it.
They didn't dare to walk openly on the road. If they saw any fire along the way, they would avoid it and hide in an alley closer to the gate.
As soon as I walked in, someone suddenly spoke in the distance.
"Hey, that guy over there, what are you doing at night, when the curfew hasn't been lifted yet?" a big man said angrily.
Xu Chengyue thought about it and thought about how to get through it. She didn't know if money was useful.
"Marquis Wu, forgive me. Your Majesty called me to buy soup cakes. I will punish you if you are late. I was thinking about it, but I remembered the wrong time and you came early."
"Okay, okay, go back quickly and don't do this again."
"Thank you, Marquis Wu."
In a false alarm, cold sweat broke out on Xu Chengyue's forehead, and then she reached out to wipe it off.
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Aunt Huang was late for grocery shopping several times, so she only bought leftovers from other people's picks, and the vegetable leaves were all wilted.
I was scolded by the lady in charge of the kitchen and fined half a month's salary, so I never dared to get up late again.
She yawned and finished washing, and secretly scolded the lady in charge for meddling in other people's business. She was just a paid slave, and she was trying to show off her dignity as a noble.
"Bah." She spit on the ground and rubbed it away with the soles of her shoes.
Take the back door key and go shopping with a basket.
"Who opened the door?" Aunt Huang exclaimed when she saw the lone lock hanging on the door.
Just when I was about to shout that I had been robbed, I suddenly remembered that I forgot to lock the door last time.
Could it be that she forgot to lock the door again yesterday?
Aunt Huang is getting older and her memory is getting worse. She really can't remember whether she locked the door yesterday or not.
I felt guilty, afraid of being blamed by the lady in charge, and also afraid of telling anyone, in case a thief really happened and she would be blamed.
Aunt Huang simply ignored it.
When we arrived at the gate of the square, many people had gathered, but there were still few people today, so the officials took a break.
Normally, there would be more people.
Aunt Huang thought proudly, the lady in charge can't blame her anymore today.
She got up early today, and the old sisters who were shopping for groceries with her haven't come out yet.
Looking around aimlessly, he suddenly saw three young ladies with curtains, vaguely headed by the one in the middle.
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As soon as Aunt Huang came over, Qiu Lu discovered it.
She clenched her fists tightly, breaking into a cold sweat and trembling faintly.
She leaned close to Xu Chengyue's ear and said in a tight voice: "Little lady, the one in blue is Aunt Huang. Did she find that the door was unlocked and knew that we escaped?"
Xu Chengyue was also panicked, her body did not move, and her eyes drifted away.
"Don't panic, she is carrying a basket and must be going to buy groceries."
Qiu Lu breathed a sigh of relief when she heard this, but her heart tightened when Aunt Huang looked over.
Xu Chengyue was also nervous, but she was the backbone of these three people and could not let go, so she managed to calm down.
Qiu Lu focused on Aunt Huang and was always paying attention to her reaction.
But I heard her snort, looking very disdainful.
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Aunt Huang became curious and looked at them carefully, secretly guessing the identities of the three people.
The two at the back should be maids, and the one in the middle - which young lady is she?
wrong. Aunt Huang denied this speculation. How could a young lady go out so early in the morning with only two maids and not even ride in a bullock cart?
Could it be that he came out of that kind of place and was invited by a noble man to keep him company and spend the night with him.
Aunt Huang looked more and more like her, her eyes became more and more contemptuous, and she let out a cold scolding in her nose to show her disdain.
Finally, the morning drum sounded and the gate of the square opened.
Everyone filed out.
Xu Chengyue went straight to the West Market, not caring about attracting attention, and the three of them walked quickly.
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Old Man Wu was in the business of buying and selling carriages and horses. It couldn't be said to be a big deal. It was just buying and selling to make money to support his family.
A few days ago, a young lady came to his horse and carriage shop and said she wanted to buy a horse.
But don't buy the horse yet, pay half of the deposit, wait three days, and pick up the goods in the early morning of the fourth day.
That deposit is a golden hairpin.
Old man Wu was quite surprised and actually agreed.
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Although Xu Chengyue intended to exercise, she had been sick for a long time, and she really couldn't keep up with ordinary people for a while.
By the time she arrived at the West Market, she was out of breath, her throat was sore, and the sweet smell of blood overflowed.
The doors of the shops in the West Market are all closed. After noon, when the market drum sounds, these shops will open.
Xu Chengyue knew this rule, so she let Qiu Lu sneak out to say hello in advance.
She took a deep breath and arrived at the carriage house, but saw that the double doors were still closed.
"Little lady, go around that way and come to the back door." An old man opened the window and said.
Xu Chengyue followed his direction and walked into an alley, bypassing the back door of the carriage house.
The old man was waiting at the door.
"Do you want to choose your own, little lady?" Old Man Wu asked.
"Old man, please help me choose one. It should be sturdy and able to run long distances." Xu Chengyue didn't understand this. She didn't have time to choose carefully.
This old man was not greedy for her money, so he was a reputable person, and Xu Chengyue trusted him.
"How about this one?" Old Man Wu pointed at a horse with smooth fur and thick and muscular limbs.
"Okay, this will pay for the rest." Xu Chengyue took out a gold hairpin.
Horse-drawn carriages are usually specially built by someone at home, and carriage and horse shops do not sell them. Seeing that they were in a hurry, Old Man Wu gave them his own carriage.
After everything was done, the three masters and servants got into the car and wanted to leave.
"Old man, I want to ask you something. If the lady just pays half of the money, aren't you afraid that the old man will take the money and leave?" Old man Wu asked.
"If the old man wants to grow his business, he must pay attention to credibility. Besides..." Xu Chengyue smiled bitterly, "I can only take a gamble."
Old man Wu stepped back, watched them enter the carriage, sit down, and set off on their way.
He cupped his hands and clasped his fists, and said calmly: "I wish you a happy journey, little lady!"
Xu Chengyue lifted the curtain on the car window and smiled calmly, "Thank you, old man!"
The carriage moved forward quickly, the sound dissipated in the wind.
A little bird breaks out of its cage and flies to the mountains and rivers far away in the sky. Its story has just begun.
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At this time, the servants in Xu Mansion and the main courtyard were as silent as cicadas.
"A living person can disappear out of thin air. Are so many people in the house dead?" Xu Anren was so furious that he threw the tea cup in his hand and tore off his usual honest and gentle face.
Sun's face turned blue. She never expected that Qiniang, who was gentle, dignified and observant of etiquette, would have the courage to run away.
"Now is not the time for Mr. Lang to get angry. Hurry up and send someone to look for it! You still have to report it to the official. Just say that the royal relic brought back by the second brother in the mansion was stolen by a humble maid." Mrs. Sun said anxiously.
She was the one who facilitated the marriage between Qiniang and the Yan family. If something went wrong in the process, she would not be able to escape the involvement.
"What kind of official position should I apply for to make my colleagues laugh? It would be great if I really get married. Now that I am lost, what can I explain to my second brother." Xu Anren was furious.
Mrs. Sun forgot that Xu Anren's reputation was as high as the sky. She gritted her teeth and said to the steward: "Go down and quickly send someone to guard the west city gate. Be sure to bring Qiniang back."
"No, we have to send people to the other three gates. Go quickly." Sun's mind changed and he added.
Qiniang is so smart that she can pretend to be under her for such a long time, so she may not act according to common sense and take the west gate in the direction of Chang'an.
This little bitch ruined her son's marriage. Let's see how she deals with her when she is caught.
She really wasn't well-raised. If she hadn't given her food and found a doctor for her, she would have died of illness long ago. Give her some face, she really thought that her aunt was easy to get along with.
Mrs. Sun sneered, and in her heart she cut Xu Chengyue into pieces with a thousand knives.
"Mr. Lang, write a letter to your second brother, saying that we will serve Qiniang well with good food and drink, and will not be dissatisfied with whatever she wants. However, she listened to the slanderous words of the traitor and thought that we were going to harm her, so she ran away secretly. This engagement has been agreed. , now I can’t explain to the Yan family, if Qiniang goes back, let him send Qiniang back.”
Her father would not protect her, and she would have to get married even if she returned to Chang'an.
Do you really think you can live well without the protection of your family? Too naive.
Those who have not been abducted and sold in brothels are all good.
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The servants of the Xu Mansion rode quickly to the four city gates.
Mrs. Sun was right. Xu Chengyue was going through the North City Gate. She didn't want to go to Chang'an either. That would be the sheep entering the tiger's mouth.
By the time a group of people arrived at the North City Gate, Xu Chengyue's carriage had already mixed in with the group leaving the city.
"Little lady, are we going back to Chang'an?" Qiu Lu said confused.
"If we don't go back to Chang'an, we'll go to Luoyang."
If she can't go back to Chang'an, with the virtue of the original owner's father, she will definitely be pressured to get married.
If Xu Chengyue wants to return to her old profession, she can't go to some remote place. Luoyang is the best choice.
After finally escaping from the small house where she was trapped, Xu Chengyue looked at the scenery along the road in a good mood. She felt that the flowers and herbs were green and the air was fresher than in Xu Mansion.
She secretly planned her future life.
First, rent a house in Luoyang. She doesn't have much money, so she definitely can't afford it.
Then she wrote her book. She didn't ask for much. She just wanted to be able to support herself. She had already thought about what to write for the first book, so she wrote "The Miracle Doctor and the Poisonous Concubine".
It's not that she has a soft spot for gory novels, but that the gory subject matter itself can strongly stimulate people's senses.
Even in the post-development era of online novels, they still remain popular and occupy a place, but they just need to be changed according to the taste of readers.
