novelaction Chapter 246 Turmoil
Chapter 246 Turmoil
Chapter 246
The noble ladies exchanged glances, their eyes filled with hesitation and disapproval. After all, first-rank officials are few and far between, and even fewer are close to the Right Prime Minister's residence. Those currently in this courtyard were mostly the wives of second-, third-, and fourth-rank officials. Although Luo Shuiyao was originally a village girl, now that she had been brought into the Marquis's mansion as a cousin, she had the support of the Marquis's family. Even if some held her in deep disdain, they still had to be cautious.
Despite this, there were inevitably a few who were confused about the situation. Seeing Luo Shuiyao being embarrassed, they were tempted to take advantage of the situation and take advantage of it. But then, Zhang Wan'er mentioned that Luo Shuiyao had been personally praised by His Majesty, and everyone stopped in their tracks. After all, this was a matter of imperial power. No one knew how His Majesty knew this village girl, or why he treated her with such respect. If she were to be offended, who knew if His Majesty would intervene on her behalf?
So at that moment, no one dared to act rashly, and those who originally wanted to take the opportunity to embarrass her also stopped.
Luo Shuiyao glanced at everyone in the field, and looking at their expressions, she could roughly guess what everyone was thinking. She looked at Lu Zhaozhao, and she knew in her heart that if it weren't for her, Lu Zhaozhao would be the one being ostracized by everyone. But now Lu Zhaozhao pushed her out, letting her be the first to come forward, while he himself shrank behind, trying his best to weaken his presence and not let everyone notice him. This idea was really well-planned and calculated. But don't worry, since you want to hide, then I want to see if you can hide safely and thoroughly. Thinking about it, Luo Shuiyao decided to put aside her previous thoughts. Since she had already made such a splash, it seemed that it would not be a problem to make some more splashes next time.
With this in mind, she bowed to Zhang Wan'er with full courtesy and a smile on her face. She said, "Indeed, it was a coincidence that I was praised by His Majesty personally. It was pure luck that caught His Majesty's eye. This matter is naturally not worth mentioning. Since this lady wanted me to participate in the game, it must be to help me better integrate into your group. I am naturally grateful. If I meet Your Majesty again in the future, I will definitely mention that there is a woman like you who admires him."
"you……"
Zhang Wan'er frowned at her. Seeing her so flattering and adoring, she should have been pleased. But for some reason, just hearing these words made her feel particularly awkward and unhappy. She wanted to get angry, but she didn't know where to start. Then she listened to the tone of her words, as if she could see His Majesty again. And what did she mean by admiring His Majesty? She didn't want to enter the palace as a concubine, so how could she admire a man? Even if the man was of noble status, it was not allowed.
But how could she say this in public? She might be gossiped about and accused of disrespecting His Majesty. Zhang Wan'er had no choice but to suppress her dissatisfaction and anger, not daring to embarrass Luo Shuiyao on this matter.
Seeing this, Luo Shuiyao curled her lips slightly. She calmly glanced at Lu Zhaozhao, who was leisurely watching the show nearby. Then she said to Zhang Wan'er, "Sister, you must be the Grand Tutor's legitimate daughter, right? I've heard from my sister Zhao a long time ago that the Grand Tutor's legitimate daughter is tall and cheerful, and is no less attractive than a man. I must have been referring to you, sister. Seeing you today, it's indeed true. Looking at your demeanor, I really thought you were some elegant young man who acted so generously."
At first glance, these words sounded like a compliment, but upon closer inspection, they were practically saying that she didn't look like a woman at all, but rather had the appearance of a man. How could a noble lady be mistaken for a man? Her face immediately darkened, and when she heard Luo Shuiyao say that Lu Zhaozhao had told her, her expression darkened even further. She turned and glared coldly at Lu Zhaozhao.
Lu Zhaozhao was originally watching the show with great interest. When she heard this, she was suddenly startled. She pointed at Luo Shuiyao and said in a lost voice: "Sister Yao, when did I ever tell you this?"
Luo Shuiyao seemed to be startled by her and took two steps back involuntarily. She pretended to be afraid and whispered, "Sister Zhao, did I... say something wrong?"
As she spoke, she looked at Lu Zhaozhao embarrassedly, then glanced at Zhang Wan'er, whose face was extremely gloomy, and then she whispered with her lips moving: "You didn't say that, it was me... I said it myself." Although the voice was not loud, everyone nearby could hear it clearly.
Seeing this, Lu Zhaozhao became even angrier. But before she could lash out, Zhang Wan'er scolded her, "Do you really think you can deny this? If you hadn't said so much, how would a country girl like her know who I was the first time she saw me? Lu Zhaozhao, I treated you like one of my own and stood up for you, and this is how you repay me?"
Lu Zhaozhao couldn't help but panic upon hearing this, but she still had some sense, knowing that in times like this, she couldn't let her emotions show. She clenched her hands slightly, her nails almost digging into her palms. The slight pain forced her to calm down quickly: she had to stay calm now. In this situation, she couldn't let this village girl say anything harmful to her.
Thinking of this, she gritted her teeth, took two steps forward, and forced a trace of apology on her face. She said, "I'm sorry, Sister Zhang. I really think you have a cheerful personality and I really like you, so I shared it with Sister Yao like that. Who knew that Sister Yao misunderstood my meaning and ended up saying such words in this situation. Isn't this... isn't this going to break my heart!"
When she said this, tears welled up in her eyes, which was rare, and she cried out in grievance.
Seeing her pitiful appearance, Zhang Wan'er's anger instantly dissipated a little, and she couldn't help but hesitate. Her eyes wandered back and forth between Lu Zhaozhao and Luo Shuiyao, her brows furrowed tightly, and she wondered in her heart, who should she trust in this matter?
Deep down, she looked down on both of them.
But Lu Zhaozhao was, after all, the daughter of the Lu family of Ping'an County, her father a true son of an aristocratic family. For unknown reasons, Lu Zhaozhao had been living in the Marquis's residence since she was brought to Kyoto, never visiting her maternal grandfather's home. Every household in the capital knew of this, and while the reasons were unclear, they speculated that perhaps her family and her maternal grandfather's family were not on good terms. Even so, Lu Zhaozhao's family background certainly didn't indicate she was of humble origins.