Full House Spring

Chapter 59: Not Fighting is Fighting

Xia Li's eyes lit up when she heard that, like the bright stars in the summer night. She said briskly, "Miss, I'm inside."

Lu Qinghe, who was outside the door, heard the noise and came in with a food box. As soon as she entered, she said with disdain:
"Grandma's Buddhist temple always looks dark. What good would it do to light a few more lights? It's too economical."

Xia Li said leisurely: "The Buddhist temple is used to recite scriptures, chant Buddha's name and reflect on one's past. It doesn't need to be blindingly bright."

There were no tables or chairs in this Buddhist hall. After Lu Qinghe came in, she could only put the food box on the ground. She also took a cushion and sat on it.

Xia Li looked at the food in the lunch box, and his stomach made a sound at the right time. Lu Qinghe laughed and urged, "If you are hungry, eat quickly, don't just look at it."

Xia Li hesitated and said, "I am being punished. If the old lady knew about this, would she be unhappy?"

Lu Qinghe reached out and stuffed the white flour bun into her hand, scolding:

"The old ancestor didn't punish you to starve you to death. I came here openly to deliver food. She saw it but didn't say anything. You can eat without worry."

Xia Li finally felt relieved. She lowered her head and took a delicate bite of the steamed bun. Lu Qinghe helped her tear off a roasted chicken leg and handed it to her.

"It's not enough to just eat the steamed buns. This chicken leg tastes good. Eat it with the steamed buns."

Xia Li was so hungry that she was about to have hypoglycemia. She didn't have time to talk to her and the first thing to do was to fill her stomach. While she was eating, Lu Qinghe sat on the futon and watched her.

Although she was extremely hungry, Xia Li did not eat voraciously. She looked quite pleasing to the eye. When she had almost finished eating, Lu Qinghe spoke:

"In addition to receiving a reward from Consort Shu today, I also had an audience with her in the palace. Princess Yongxin had a high fever last night, and the medicine that kidnapper fed her was very harmful to her body. Fortunately, the dosage was light, otherwise it would have almost affected her offspring."

Xia Li swallowed the food in his mouth and sighed softly, "It's great that the princess can return to the palace safely. There is no shortage of imperial doctors in the palace. With proper treatment, there should be no problem."

Lu Qinghe nodded and said in a low voice, "This time when I entered the palace, Concubine Shu's attitude towards me changed a lot. She praised me openly and secretly, saying that I was courageous and had the demeanor of a lady from a noble family. I felt guilty when I heard it."

Xia Li put the chicken leg bones into the food box, wiped his hands with a towel, and said calmly:

"Why do you feel guilty, girl? Even if I wasn't there, you would have risked your life to save the princess. You might have hesitated and been afraid for a while, but the final result would have been the same."

Lu Qinghe blinked his eyes and asked with a complicated expression: "Do you really think so? Why?"

Xia Li smiled slightly and said in a gentle voice: "The eldest girl dared to hit people when she was young. How could she be soft-hearted when she really encountered trouble?"

After hearing this, Lu Qinghe said unhappily, "Are you praising me or insulting me? Which maid is as bold as you? Aren't you afraid that I will bear a grudge against you?"

Xia Li shook his head gently and said sincerely, "The girl has already vented her dissatisfaction with me. There is no need to hold on to it. People should look forward more."

Lu Qinghe sighed lightly and said in confusion:

"I don't know if this move of mine is right or not. The Third Prince was so concerned about Yao Dizhu before, but he just abandoned her without any feelings. It can be seen that he is a heartless person. If I am no longer useful, the result will be the same."

Xia Li knew that she just wanted to talk and had not really changed her mind, so he said calmly:

"You are not after the Third Prince's affections, so why should you be anxious? Besides, nothing has been decided yet. It is still unknown who will be the Third Prince's wife. Princess Zhaohua is not someone who can be manipulated by others. It depends on how she makes the choice."

Lu Qinghe immediately became alert upon hearing this and said hesitantly, "Shufei is so cold to Yao Dizhu, could it be that she is going to take the initiative?"

Xia Li chuckled and said, "She doesn't need to rush. The eldest princess has a deep relationship with His Majesty. She can directly bypass Concubine Shu and ask His Majesty to issue an order to grant the marriage. She doesn't even need to consider the Third Prince's wishes."

Lu Qinghe felt a strong sense of crisis in her heart, and she said seriously:

"With Yao Dizhu's temper, she is capable of doing such a thing. Tell me, should I remind the Third Prince?"

Xia Li sneered and said, "What's the use of reminding the girl? It has no meaning other than exposing your thoughts and showing that you are impatient."

Lu Qinghe was distracted and said, "Can I just wait?"

Xia Li nodded and said directly:

"If you want to achieve what you want, you need the right time, right place, and right people. If you force it, you will only fail miserably. Do what you can, and let the rest take its course. Sometimes not fighting is fighting."

Although Lu Qinghe did not fully understand this sentence, she believed that Xia Li would not harm her. She was no longer at the age where she could not care about anything. The life in the ancestral temple for several years had also calmed her temperament. Now she had more patience when encountering things.

She raised the corners of her lips and chuckled, "You're right. If I do more and make more mistakes, the Third Prince will look down on me. I'll leave it to fate. Let's not talk about me anymore. When my brother went to look for you last night, did you go back?"

Xia Li looked bewildered and said calmly, "I didn't see the prince last night. Did he come to look for me?"

Lu Qinghe raised his eyebrows slightly, his eyes flickered and he said:
"My brother was worried about your safety and must have gone to the back alley to look for you. Or maybe he saw you got home safely and didn't want to disturb your rest late at night, so he didn't show up in front of you."

Xia Li hesitated for a moment, then said with a half chuckle, "Maybe. The prince is a serious and prudent person. This seems to be his style."

Lu Qinghe looked at Xia Li's expression carefully and saw that there was no shyness or discomfort on her face, as if her brother was just an ordinary person to her, nothing special about him.

Lu Qinghe did not expose the ambiguity between the two, lest Xia Li become more disgusted, she changed the subject and said: "Obviously you saved the princess and it was a good thing, why did the ancestor punish you?"

Xia Li didn't want to reveal too much to her, and said carefully: "Maybe the old lady felt that I was acting on my own and didn't want you to get involved with the royal family, so she was angry."

Lu Qinghe frowned slightly, a hint of irritation creeping up her brows. She said unhappily, "The old ancestor just can't stand me being the Third Prince's consort. From the beginning, she wasn't happy with me entering the palace to get close to Consort Shu. I don't know why the Third Prince doesn't please her. She clearly knows that the Second Sister used tricks to become the Consort of Prince Hui, but she doesn't seem to be dissatisfied. To put it bluntly, she is partial to me." Xia Li said, "How is it possible? You are more noble than the Second Miss, and the old lady looks at you like an eyeball. It's just that there are too many people watching the Third Prince, and he is involved in the fight for the throne. If you are not careful, it will bring trouble to the mansion, so she has some concerns."

Lu Qinghe lowered his head and said nothing. After a while, he spoke:

"She should understand that wealth and honor can only be achieved through risk. The Duke's Mansion cannot stand forever. Doesn't my father also have high hopes for the Third Prince? She is just too worried."

Xia Li didn't want to say anything beyond the rules, so he just said softly:
"The old lady just punished me to reflect on my mistakes here. I will be out tomorrow. You don't have to worry too much."

Lu Qinghe raised his chin and said, "If she doesn't let you out tomorrow, I will come and bring you food. There are beddings in the closet. If you get cold at night, you can take them out and use them. Don't worry too much."

Xia Li nodded in agreement and said calmly, "I understand. It's getting late. You should go back and rest."

Lu Qinghe stood up, straightened her dress, and said calmly, "Then I'll go back. If you run into trouble, come find me. What I said always counts."

Xia Li smiled and said softly, "I've made note of it. Thank you for your concern, young lady."

Xia Li bowed, and Lu Qinghe raised his hand to signal her to stand up. He wanted to say a few good words for his brother, but he didn't know where to start, so he turned around and left.

After her figure disappeared, Xia Li turned around and continued to kneel on the futon. She reviewed Lu Qinghe's words in her mind and guessed that she might know what the prince was thinking. As for why she didn't ask, she might have her own considerations.

Xia Li felt a little irritated. The more people knew about this, the more disadvantageous it would be for her. She had to get rid of her slavery and leave the house. It would be terrible if she was labeled as Lu Lingchuan.

Xia Li stayed alone in the Buddhist temple all night. She slept wrapped in quilt at night. No one came to disturb her until noon when someone came in to call her.

The person who came was Xiangru, who had not been seen for a few days. She was wearing a brand new crabapple-colored jacket and a silver hairpin in her hair. She looked rosy and happy. As soon as she appeared, she smiled and said, "Xia Li, how are you? Were you cold last night?"

Xia Li sat on the futon and said lazily, "It's OK. I didn't freeze to death. Are you here to laugh at me?"

Xiangru said angrily, "How could that be? I was ordered by the old lady to let you go. I was not on duty yesterday and I don't know what you did wrong. Why didn't Aunt Xie help to plead for mercy?"

Xia Li said nonchalantly, "It's just a small matter. The old lady won't do anything to me. Grandma, don't worry about it. Since the old lady has spoken, I can leave now."

Xiangru nodded and said, "Of course you can go out. I've brought your breakfast for you. It won't be too late to pay your respects to the old lady after you eat."

Xia Li waved his hand and said nonchalantly, "No need, so as not to keep the old lady waiting for too long. There is food in my room, you can have breakfast by yourself."

Xiangru raised a bitter smile and said in a depressed tone, "Do you have to be so distant with me? Is our friendship of so many years just going to be wasted?"

When Xia Li saw her like this, she was reminded of Zhu Da's disgusting face. She said coldly, "I treat you the same as other sisters. I can't help it if you think too much about me. I have something else to say to you."

Xia Li left cleanly and decisively, without noticing the resentment in Xiangru's dark eyes. Xia Li had a good reputation in front of the old lady, and his ability was far superior to Xiangru's. It was not worth falling out with her at this moment. At least the two of them could get along on the surface.

Xiangru did not go back to work after coming out of the Buddhist temple. She was not a maid, nor was she a close servant of the old lady, so it was not a problem for her to go out for a while occasionally.

Last night she received a note from Master Yan San, asking her to meet him in the front yard storehouse today. The place had been renovated after Zhu Da died there, but people in the mansion thought it was unlucky and almost no one went there.

Privately, Xiangrui didn't want to have any contact with Master Yan San, but she was just a maid and Master Yan San had a handle on her. After seeing his cruelty, she really couldn't think of resisting and had to follow his orders.

After Xiangru came out of Leshou Hall, she walked around for a long circle before going to the warehouse. She looked around stealthily, making sure that no one else was there before she raised her hand and gently knocked on the door.

I only heard Master Yan San in the room say in a deep voice: "Come in~"

Xiangru's heart trembled. She pushed the door open and walked in. When she looked up, she saw Lu Lingyan in a dark blue uniform, looking at her with a smile. Xiangru said with trembling lips, "I greet the Third Master. I wonder what the Third Master wants me to do for you."

Lu Lingyan raised a contemptuous arc at the corner of his mouth and said sarcastically:

"You've been keeping an eye on the prince for so long, why haven't you taken any action yet? Are you planning to wait until Xia Li becomes the prince's concubine before you take action?"

Xiangru straightened up and said anxiously, "What do you mean, Third Master? What concubine? The prince will never break the rules of the mansion."

Lu Lingyan sneered, "For a mediocre girl like you, there is really no need to make an exception, but Xia Li is different. You don't have to question my words. On New Year's Eve, the prince personally came out of the house to bring her food. Did you know that?"

Xiangru's eyes flashed with a blazing flame, as if they could devour everything. "It's impossible. The prince has to stay at home on New Year's Eve. It's impossible for him to..."

Lu Lingyan felt that his stupidity was about to strike, and he said sinisterly:
"When is it your turn to question my words? If you have the ability, quickly climb into the prince's bed and use me in the future. Otherwise, I will expose all the good things you have done and see if you can save your life."

Xiangru's pupils widened, and he said with a look of resentment, "Third Master, have you forgotten that it was you who strangled Zhao Xiaohui and hung her on the beam that day, not me!"

Lu Lingyan sneered, "You are the mastermind. You were too weak to strangle Zhao Xiaohui to death. I was just a helper at best. I have no grudge against Zhao Xiaohui, so why did I want to kill her? If they tell others, will they believe you or me?"

Xiangru's hands were shaking uncontrollably. Her palms were sweating. She clutched the corner of her clothes tightly and said in a hoarse voice, "Third Master, why did you ask me to come out? What do you want me to do?"

Lu Lingyan smiled and whispered in her ear:
"I didn't talk enough with Xia Li last time. Bring her out for me. I want to talk to her alone."

A trace of surprise flashed across Xiangru's eyes, and she asked jealously, "Could it be that the Third Master is also attracted to her?"

Lu Lingyan glared at him and said disdainfully: "You don't need to meddle in my affairs, and you are not qualified to ask."

Xiangru suppressed his anger, rolled his eyes and said:
"I can do things for you, but don't you have to lend a helping hand as well? The old lady wants to choose between me and Chan Yi to be the head maid. As long as I become the head maid, I can spend more time with Xia Li, and then I will have a chance to trick her out. What do you think?"

(End of this chapter)