After the wrong flirtation, I became the villain's favorite

Walk across the covered bridge and walk around a peach forest, and you will reach the edge of Qing Lake. It had just rained, and the air by the lake was fresh with a faint fragrance of earth. Song Nihuan and Mrs. Wei walked slowly along the bluestone path by the lake.

"Be careful." Madam Wei supported her. "The gaps between the bricks are not filled. If you walk unsteadily, water will overflow. Be careful with your embroidered shoes."

Song Nihuan looked down and saw that one side of her shoe was wet, so she told Handan, "Bring me another pair of shoes."

Handan nodded yes and turned away.

Madam Wei looked at Handan's back and said, "She is still young. She can stay for a few more years. Once she is trained well, she can take the position of the head maid."

Handan is thirteen years old this year, which is the best time to be useful. Usually maids are proposed for marriage at the age of sixteen or seventeen, and married at the age of eighteen or nineteen.

"Linglong and Molan in your courtyard will be nineteen next year. If they stay, others will think that our Xie family is not respectable and does not arrange marriages for servants." Madam Wei said, taking out a handkerchief to wipe the stones by the lake and sitting down. "Xie Ming has been with the young master since he was a child. He is one year older than Linglong. The two of them grew up together and know each other well. They are both for the young master. I think they are a perfect match."

Xie Ming is the first person around Xie Yunji, and can be considered half a master. I don’t know how many maids like him. If he falls in love with Linglong, the two of them will be a perfect match.

Thinking of this, Song Nihuan said, "Madam, you reminded me well. I was negligent. The girls' marriages should be put on the agenda. Xie Ming is steady, practical and capable. She always travels with the young master. Her horizons are much broader than other servants. But it depends on whether Linglong is willing. Although Linglong and Molan serve me, they are actually trained by the young master. Their marriages still have to be decided by the young master."

"What do you know, gentlemen? Which girl would have the nerve to talk about her marriage in front of the young master? When a girl grows up, she must be married off. If she is kept, she will only become an enemy." Mrs. Wei said.

"Then why is it Linglong? What about Molan?"

"Naturally it was Xie Ming's mother who came to me to mediate. I guess Xie Ming himself fell in love with Linglong. His mother is also an elder in the mansion. Her son has been in Danzhou with the young master for more than half a year. She was thinking of arranging a marriage for him when she came back, and she was anxious to have a grandson." Mrs. Wei said.

Molan is indeed not as gentle and graceful as Linglong. Molan doesn't talk much, and she is always cold and indifferent when she looks at people. Before the earthquake, Linglong served in the other courtyard in the suburbs of Beijing. No wonder Xie Ming took the job of the other courtyard.

"Molan, you can stay for a few more years. She is different from Linglong, she..." Madam Wei hesitated and whispered in her ear, "Don't blame me for being nosy. When Molan was sold to the Xie Mansion, she was no longer a virgin. It is said that she was abused by her stepfather. This girl is also a pitiful person. She wanted to become a nun after having her hair cut off. There is no rush for her marriage. If she wants to stay in the Xie Mansion for the rest of her life, it's fine. She serves you well anyway. You can keep her when you are used to her."

Song Nihuan was stunned for a moment. She didn't expect that Molan had such a past. She nodded and said, "Okay, I'll take Linglong's marriage seriously. When the young master comes back, I'll tell him that Xie Ming is indeed a good match. Since he is interested in Linglong, it would be a good thing for them to be together."

The two of them sat by the lake and whispered something, but a figure quickly disappeared in the peach forest nearby.

After a while, Song Nihuan asked curiously, "What's wrong with Handan? Why haven't you sent the shoes yet?"

"It seems that she still needs to be taught. She is young and may be distracted by something and forget her job. It is better to use Linglong and Molan." Madam Wei said, "Before the maid gets married, she needs to teach the younger ones more. By the way, after Linglong leaves, there will be one less person in your courtyard. Do you have a maid you like and want to promote?"

Song Nihuan thought for a moment and said, "Hmm... I really didn't notice this. What's so clever about this? Madam, please make the arrangements."

*

When the Chinese New Year was approaching, Xie Yunji's letter was finally sent back. According to the time the letter was on the way, when Xie's family received the letter, he should have been on his way back from Danzhou.

Ever since she received the letter, Song Nihuan has been counting the days on her fingers. She is extremely happy and her anticipation is evident in her words. When everyone was reading the letter together in the main hall, she couldn't help but curl up the corners of her mouth.

Everyone was certain that Xie Yunji would come back before the New Year. New Year's Eve was a day for family reunions and also a good day for those away from home to return home.

But on New Year's Eve, what awaited him was not the traveling son, but the cold and silent orders from the yamen runners.

"Hanlin Xie has accused the Sixth Prince Xiao Shen of corruption in the construction of the canal. He has now been imprisoned and is awaiting trial. Our prefect is familiar with you, Master Xie, and he has sent me here to ask you to pack some clothes for replacement."

Everyone present was dumbfounded.

Even though Master Xie had been an official in the court for many years, his expression changed. After all, he was his only son. He calmed himself down and ordered, "Daughter-in-law, go pack some clothes for Zi Che. Pick out some simple and easy-to-change clothes and give them to this official."

Song Nihuan nodded blankly, but did not move.

He sighed and asked the officer, "Does your master have anything else to tell me?"

"Our master said that Master Xie, please do not worry and wait for the Holy Judgement for everything."

Mr. Xie pondered for a moment, nodded, and said to Song Nihuan: "Why don't you go quickly?"

Suing a member of the royal family is no small matter, let alone suing the royal family.

What's even more strange is that Xie Yunji and Xiao Shen originally got along best.

But after all, they had seen a lot of ups and downs, so no matter how anxious they were, the Xie family calmed down after a brief panic.

Xie Yunji has always been a cautious person, and he must have his own reasons for doing this. Just wait quietly for the three courts to hold a trial.

According to the procedure, a case of this level would have been tried on an expedited basis, but unfortunately the emperor drank too much at the New Year's Eve banquet, and after a night of drinking, he had a stroke when he woke up early the next morning.

The imperial physician’s acupuncture didn’t help much, his eyes and mouth were crooked, so he had to stop seeing patients for a few days.

Since the emperor was like this, Xie Hanlin's case against the Sixth Prince for corruption had to be shelved. After all, no one dared to try a case of this level privately without the emperor's authorization.

The second prince is temporarily acting as regent, assisted by the cabinet.

The Second Prince is the son of the Queen, and has always been a playboy. This time, as regent, he only wants to avoid trouble and not seek credit, so naturally he has to avoid suspicion in trying his own brothers to avoid giving people a chance to criticize him.

After all this, the case was shelved and no one dared to pursue it.

This year, the Xie family lived in gloom and sorrow.

Most of them are able to remain calm, not to mention that the people involved in this case are in too high a position. If they want to do anything or mediate, it is better to just sit back and wait.

Song Nihuan didn't know how many times she cried, but she only dared to cry behind people's backs, for fear that people would say she was unable to help and was causing trouble.

In the candlelight, her wrists were terribly thin.

No one noticed these days, and the young lady was in so much pain that it seemed like she was wasting her life.

From eating less to almost going on a hunger strike, she suffered from the fact that she could do nothing. The only strength she had was to cover up her cowardice and panic. She would appear in front of the Xie family in the daytime without making a sound, maintaining the demeanor of a lady of a noble family.

Just like when Xie Yunji went directly to Danzhou without saying a word.

It seemed all she could do was wait.

But this kind of waiting is driving people crazy, and the night becomes tense and lonely.

Linglong was silent for a long time, then said quietly, "If Madam wants to help the young master, she can go find Junior Chancellor Pinga."