Golden Branch

Chapter 127 Left Shake
Lu Jialan's face changed.

What does this fat guy mean?
Don't recognize her?

Lu Jialan believed that Wang Heng was his lifelong enemy, and would rather give up returning to Beijing and stay in Yizhou just to relieve the resentment in his heart.

As a result, she seemed to have forgotten herself?

Is there anything more infuriating than being ignored?
If Lu Galan himself hadn't changed much, she wouldn't be so angry.

But...

"Nine Lady, don't you recognize her? This is the daughter of Lu, the convicted official who was convicted four years ago for colluding with bandits and assassinating the Prince of Qi."

Just as shame and anger flashed in Lu Jialan's eyes, Zheng Shisan hurried over carrying a food box.

She spoke before Wang Heng could, speaking softly on the surface but actually speaking directly to her.

Deliberately glancing at Lu Jialan's slightly rough, tanned face, Zheng Shisan sighed softly, "Alas, no wonder Jiu Niang didn't recognize you. Miss Lu, how come you've become so, so 'plain' after not seeing you for a few years?"

There was a glint of pity in Zheng Shisan's pitiful eyes.

She didn't say anything about being black or ugly, but the word "simple" was undoubtedly a satire on Lu Jialan's dark skin, like that of a pariah.

Upon hearing this, Lu Jialan's face turned even darker.

When Wang Heng "failed to recognize" her just now, she, sensitive and suspicious due to her low self-esteem, couldn't help but wonder:
Is Wang Heng pretending not to be recognized, or has she really changed so much?

Four years of exile and torture left marks on her body and mind, even though she struggled hard.

Not to mention anything else, the skin alone has lost its former whiteness and tenderness.

Even when she was in Lingnan, she managed to get married, stopped working hard, and started recuperating, but she could not recover as before.

Firstly, the foundation was damaged, and the recuperation time was too short to fully recover.

Secondly, the conditions in Lingnan are limited. Whether it is the local climate, materials, or the man she married, none of them can give her a truly pampered life.

She wanted to make an ancient whitening recipe, but she couldn't even gather the ingredients!
She returned to Yizhou and came to her cousin's governor's mansion. With the help of a skilled doctor who inherited secret recipes, she was able to obtain skin conditioning ointment for internal and external use.

Unfortunately, the time I spent back was still too short, and my skin was not completely healed!

Lu Jialan was ashamed and angry because Zheng Shisan had hit his sore spot, but he couldn't just show it.

In Lu Jialan's opinion, Zheng Shisan is different from Wang Heng, the fat guy who was abandoned by his family.

Zheng Shisan is a daughter of the Zheng family and also Lou Yu's cousin.

These days, when Lu Jialan was inquiring about the news, he also heard that Lou Yu seemed to have fallen in love with Zheng Shisan.

They are cousins ​​and have developed feelings for each other. It is possible that Zheng Shisan will marry Lou Yu.

A few years ago, Lou Yu was the little bully of Yizhou.

Now, Lou Yu has become a disciple of a famous scholar, and Lou Jin in the capital is highly regarded by the saint. Even his cousin, the governor of Yizhou, thinks highly of Lou Yu, a young man.

Lu Jialan knew that Lou Yu should not be provoked.

Unlike Wang Heng, she was not tolerated by her stepmother and was not loved by her biological father. Her whole family moved to the capital, leaving her alone in the countryside of Hedong to fend for herself.

In other words, he was lucky and good at clinging to others. When he was young, he clung to Lou Yu and followed Lou Yu, and then he became Mr. Shen Du's disciple.

Despite such good luck, Wang Heng did not cherish it.

At the age of thirteen, he is still the same as when he was eight or nine, eating and playing foolishly, and having no ambition to make progress.

Apart from being fat, he is not proficient in any of the arts, such as music, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, or songs. It is such a waste of such a famous teacher as Shen Du.

If it were her, she would have become a world-famous talented woman long ago.

Lu Jialan insisted on staying in Yizhou and "returning" to Dongshan Academy, of course she had her own obsession -

When she was exiled, she was in Yizhou and was a female student at Deyin Hall.

After four years, she returned to Yizhou and re-entered Deyin Hall, as if she had never left in the past four years.

She was not a lowly exile, nor was she a divorced woman. She was still the carefree girl from the Lu family who was surrounded by people.

In addition, Lu Jialan also wanted to contact Shen Du through Dongshan Academy.

I have been exiled and married before, so these are all stains on my life.

If she wanted to cover up her crime, relying on her cousin who was a provincial governor was not enough. She needed a more glamorous and honorable identity - Shen Du's second female disciple.

Oh no, she doesn't want to be "second".

If she could squeeze out Wang Heng, she would be the only one.

Lu Jialan's feelings towards Wang Heng are not only due to old grudges, but also due to current conflicts of interest.

But Wang Heng didn't know all this.

Wang Heng: ...I’m too lazy to explore.

Zheng Shisan, the little follower, is still giving his all.

She deliberately pretended to be distressed, and then seemed to suddenly realize that she had said something wrong, and quickly apologized: "Oh, Miss Lu, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it!"

"I, I was just so surprised. I didn't expect that after not seeing you for a few years, you would become so dark."

"You must have suffered a lot in the past few years..."

Wang Heng & Wang Mian: ...good tea!
It's almost as if "Sister, I feel sorry for you" is written on her face.

It must be said that Zheng Shisan's cowardice and humility are absolutely relative. When facing an "external enemy" like Lu Jialan, she showed no sign of retreat; on the contrary, she was incredibly lethal.

But her soft voice, delicate and timid nature formed a sharp contrast with the "arrogant" Lu Jialan.

Anyone who saw this scene would conclude that Lu Jialan was bullying others, and Zheng Shisan was the poor little guy who was bullied for no reason.

Lu Jialan: ...Black? This bitch, is she really calling me black?
It's a pity that things are different now. Back then, the Zheng family's legitimate daughters would flatter her, but now -

After all, she is not her cousin's daughter, so she lacks confidence.

Lu Jialan was somewhat embarrassed.

She wanted to denounce Zheng Shisan's "offense", but was afraid of offending Lou Yu.

She wanted to give up, but she couldn't let go of her pride.

It’s still Zheng Shisan, a beautiful and kind-hearted person. Although he scolded Lu Jialan, he really “pitied” someone.

"Miss Lu, you suffered a lot in the past, but fortunately the saint is merciful and has granted amnesty to the world, allowing you to return."

"Now that you're back, take a good rest. By the way, you still need some whitening ointment. Our Jiu Niang has a maid who specializes in conditioning. I'll give you some when the time comes."

Zheng Shisan had elevated Wang Heng to a new level, a level higher than himself and even higher than Lu Jialan—

Humph, he thought that his cousin had replaced Jiu Niang's father and became the official of Yizhou. How dare Lu Jialan, a pardoned exile, show off in front of Jiu Niang?
Ridiculous!
No wonder he is so miserable. Not only does he have a scumbag father, but he is also stupid as hell!
Zheng Shisan appeared sympathetic, but in reality, he was once again publicly exposing Lu Jialan's scars - an exile! Although he was pardoned, he still had a "criminal record".

The few young girls who gathered around Lu Jialan because of the Governor's Mansion couldn't help but waver after hearing Zheng Shisan's barrage of words: This little girl from the Lu family is not that noble!
After all, she was just the niece of Governor Lu, and from a different family.

If the eldest of Governor Lu's biological daughters was not only a few years old and not old enough to study or socialize, it would not be Lu Jialan's turn to show off in public.

Furthermore, Zheng Shisan repeatedly mentioned the fact that Lu Jialan was exiled, which made the girls think about why the Lu family was punished.

Changes in the Yi River!

On the night of the Yi River Incident, all the nobles from various families in Yizhou were on the pleasure boats and were swept up in it.

The little nobles were fine, most of them were just "frightened".

The real casualties were the followers and servants of the minor nobles.

Those people seem to be my "lessons learned".

This girl from the Lu family doesn't seem to be a "good master" either, she's a total scumbag!
Lu Jialan hadn't noticed the reactions of the crowd yet. After hearing what Zheng Shisan said, she felt humiliated again.

Have I, Lu Jialan, not yet fallen to the point where I have to beg Wang Heng for things?
"...No need!"

She squeezed out two words from between her teeth.

However, Zheng Shisan's words finally gave her a way out.

After saying "No need", she flicked her sleeves and turned away.

The little girls following her hesitated for a moment, but finally followed.

However, compared to the crowd just now, these people now were obviously not as eager and attentive.

"Really? Miss Lu, you don't have to be polite. Our Ninth Lady is the most generous, the most tolerant, and the most blessed—"

What happened to being fat?
Jiu Niang is fat, she is blessed!

Unlike some people, who are not only stupid themselves, but also bring disaster to the family like a jinx.

Zheng Shisan dared to bet that the young master would definitely know what happened today, and he would definitely punish him.

At the very least, only Lu Galan will be punished.

In serious cases... Humph, the Lu family just never learns their lesson. One Lu Huaixin died, and now here comes Lu Huaijin.

Do you really think that Yizhou is something that their Lu family can get their hands on?

Here, the surname is Lou!
"Jiu Niang, let's go!"

After Zheng Shisan pushed Lu Jialan away, he habitually took two steps back and served Wang Heng respectfully.

Wang Heng curled her lips, Zheng Shisan was really experienced.

Where is she anymore the timid and self-deprecating little concubine girl from back then?
"Poor" is still "pitiful", after all, this is Zheng Shisan's most perfect disguise.

But, it is extremely aggressive!
Wang Heng nodded and walked into the classroom.

Wang Mian followed closely to her right, with no unusual expression on his face, but in his heart, there was a fight between two villains.

A little man was a little depressed: This is the difference in status.

Faced with Lu Jialan's provocations, and being Wang Heng's sidekick, Zheng Shisan, with his innocent face, could fight like a fierce "tough girl" for Jiu Niang.

But Wang Mian can’t!
It’s not that Wang Mian doesn’t want to, but that he can’t!

No matter how humble or unpopular Zheng Shisan was, she was still surnamed Zheng and came from a noble family, a member of the same "aristocratic" class as Lu Jialan.

No matter how capable Wang Mian was, or how much Wang Heng valued her, she was still just a peasant girl, a commoner, at the bottom of society.

Although the gentry had declined, there was still a huge gap between them and the common people.

If Wang Mian had spoken just now, Lu Jialan would have been able to accuse her of being "disrespectful" based on her identity.

If the matter goes to court, Wang Mian will be in the wrong.

If one thing goes wrong, even Wang Heng won't be able to protect her...

(End of this chapter)