Grass and mustard reign supreme

Chapter 155 Raise your hands
Luo Meier sat on the floor, holding the hunting net in both hands. Before she knew it, Yang Can had finished speaking and was already stabbing her with his knife.

Luo Meier was terrified and cried out, "Stop! I am Luo Meier!"

The knife stopped abruptly, its tip already touching the hem of the garment.

Luo Meier could even feel the unique coldness of the iron penetrating her clothes and piercing her skin.

Luo Meier's heart seemed to stop for a moment, and she broke out in a cold sweat.

If she had only asked to slow down even a fraction of an inch, the knife would have pierced her heart.

Fortunately... fortunately she had her chest bound, otherwise... she would have been stabbed by now.

Yang Can suppressed the urge to burst out laughing, stared at Luo Meier with a questioning look, and asked in a doubtful voice, "You said... who are you?"

He felt that this immersive performance was worthwhile, and his acting skills had improved by leaps and bounds, to the point that they could be mistaken for reality.

Luo Meier's heart, which had just stopped beating for a moment in shock, began to pound rapidly again.

She swallowed hard and said, word by word, "I said, I am Luo Meier, the legitimate daughter of the Luo family of Wuzhou!"

"You're talking nonsense!" Yang Can suddenly raised his voice and thrust the knife forward again.

"You want to live, and this is the kind of lousy idea you come up with? You, a man, are trying to impersonate my Mei'er?"

Luo Meier cried out in despair, "I'm a woman!"

"So what if she's a woman? Don't I know my Mei'er?"

Luo Meier said irritably, "Is it possible that the 'Luo Meier' you know was a fake from the very beginning?"

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!" Yang Can was enraged: "You're saying she's lying to me?"

"Of course, she could also be called Luo Meier, but since she claims to be a woman from the Luo family of Wuzhou, she's a fraud!"

Luo Meier straightened her chest: "I am Luo Meier. My family and the Zhao family of Wuzhou were about to exchange marriage certificates."
Because your affair with that fake Mei'er has spread throughout the city, my marriage has been ruined, and the whole of Jiangnan is laughing at me!
"I came all the way from afar to Longshang to settle accounts with you in a fit of anger!"

"Impossible... How could this be..."

Yang Can muttered to himself, his hand loosened, and the knife clattered to the ground.

Yang Can's knees buckled, and he plopped down on the hunting net.

Seeing his dejected appearance, Luo Meier's anger suddenly dissipated.

Such deep affection, yet he was deceived so miserably, evoked a strange sense of sympathy in her.

"Never mind!" Luo Meier softened her tone: "I was very angry at first, but seeing you like this... well, I guess I'm just unlucky."

Yang Can suddenly covered his face with his hands, and his shoulders began to tremble.

Luo Meier sighed softly, patiently coaxing, "Alright, I'll just accept my bad luck. Anyway, I never really liked that Zhao family boy and his women..."

These words sounded like both a consolation to him and a way of comforting herself. Zhao Qingyi certainly didn't meet her standards, but that didn't mean she was willing to ruin her reputation for no reason.

But what can she do when this unfortunate soul is in such a terrible state?
Yang Can slowly lowered his hand, and sure enough, there were tear stains in the corners of his eyes. Luo Meier's heart softened even more.

Yang Can, who was laughing so hard he had tears in his eyes, wiped his eyes and said in a low voice, "Miss Luo, I'll let you out."

Yang Can stepped away from the net, grabbed the side closest to Luo Meier, and forcefully lifted the hunting net.

This hunting net isn't a fishing net; it's woven from thick hemp rope and old vines, and it can protect against bears and wild boars. It's very heavy.

When Leopard Head hung the hunting net on the roof, he called several guards to help.

Yang Can struggled to lift the hunting net high, but the net between him and Luo Meier still sagged.

Yang Shan moved closer to the net, supporting the edge of the net with one hand and lifting up the drooping middle part with the other.

"come out faster."

"it is good!"

Luo Meier agreed and crouched down to squeeze out.

"Ouch~" Luo Meier suddenly cried out in pain as her high ponytail got caught in the gap of the old vine.

The pull caused her to stand up abruptly in pain.

Yang Can saw it too, and subconsciously let go of the hand that was supporting the edge of the net, and went to help her remove her hair.

"Ouch!" Yang Can's body was already leaning towards Luo Meier, and his center of gravity was unstable. The hunting net behind him suddenly lost its support and slapped him on the back with a "whoosh".

Yang Can exclaimed in surprise and lunged forward, crashing squarely into Luo Meier.

"Thump!" Luo Meier fell to the ground, and Yang Can followed suit.

Fortunately, he reacted quickly and braced himself with his hands on either side of her, leaving a half-foot gap between them.

"Don't be afraid, young lady, I..."

Just as Yang Can was about to show off, the hunting net above his head suddenly crashed down, making his arms go limp, and he ended up lying face down on Luo Meier, completely covered.

Most importantly, his lips were pressed against hers.

"Ugh, ptooey, ptooey, get up right now!"

Luo Meier was filled with shame and indignation, and pushed him with all her might.

But the hunting net pressed down on the two of them, and Yang Can, who had just managed to prop himself up a little, fell back down.

This time, however, he tilted his head and kissed her flushed, hot cheek.

Outside the study, Leopard Head sat lazily against a pillar, a sword across his knees, humming an off-key folk song.

He gripped the small whetstone tied to his belt, as if holding a seal, and carefully polished the blade.

Suddenly, a scream of shame and indignation came from inside the room, startling Leopard Head.

He jumped up suddenly, grabbed his knife, and stormed into the study.

Just as he was about to kick the door open, he suddenly stopped abruptly.

Wait a minute, I just saw it, that little Luo was caught in the net.

Once caught in that thing, being incredibly strong is useless; it's very difficult for a person to escape.

Moreover, Master Yang couldn't possibly stand by and watch him get away.

unless……

Inside the study, Luo Meier blushed and complained coquettishly, "Ouch, ouch, ouch! Don't move, I'll do it myself."

As she spoke, she had Yang Can support her body with her arms to give her enough room to move, and then carefully picked out her hair that was tangled in the cracks of the old vine.

These words drifted clearly into Leopard Head's ears, who was listening intently, and Leopard Head smiled knowingly.

You know what, that young Luo is quite handsome, I didn't expect Master Yang to have this kind of taste.

Leopard Head walked back with a grin, leaned against a pillar, and continued humming a folk song as he sharpened his knife.

...The Dugu clan's mansion in Lintao City was covered in a blanket of white snow.

The eaves and brackets were covered with a foot-thick layer of snow, but the study was warm and cozy.

The charcoal fire in the brazier was burning brightly, casting a warm red glow on the desk made of precious wood.

Dugu Wang, the head of the Dugu clan, held a letter that was originally sealed with wax, his fingertips tracing the vermilion seal of "Luo Mansion of Wu County" on the letter, his brows slightly furrowed.

He had finished reading the letter and put it back in the envelope. After thinking for a long time, he said in a deep voice, "Someone, go and invite the Third Young Master here."

The servant standing below responded loudly and hurried away, his feet sinking into the snow outside the corridor.

Sitting to the side, Dugu Zhan put down his teacup. Seeing the undisguised smile on his elder brother's face, he couldn't help but ask, "Brother, what makes you so happy? Could it be that the Luo family of Wu County has some good news for us?"

Dugu Wang stroked his neatly trimmed beard, chuckled, and the fine lines at the corners of his eyes smoothed out: "No, no, it's not that the Luo family has any good news."

It was that old scoundrel Luo Ba who had run into trouble. His precious daughter, Luo Mei, had run away from home for some unknown reason.

"Uh……"

Dugu Wang said with a smile, "Luo Ba said in his letter that his girl has most likely come to Guanzhong, and the most likely place she is going is Tianshui, the home of the Yu family."

Dugu Wang picked up his teacup and took a sip, his tone tinged with schadenfreude: "But Lao Luo and the Yu family have never had any relationship, he's just as anxious as an ant on a hot pan."

Sure enough, he sent me a letter asking for my help in finding someone, fearing that his precious child might have suffered some injustice in Longshang.

I thought to myself, Qingyan is always a reliable young man, so I'll let him make another trip to Tianshui to find the Luo family's daughter."

When Dugu Zhan heard his elder brother explain the reason, he couldn't help but chuckle.

No wonder my brother is in such a good mood; it turns out it's not just his own precious daughter who's causing him headaches.

Dugu Wang's youngest daughter, Dugu Jingyao, has been the apple of his eye since childhood. Perhaps because she was spoiled, she ran away in a huff a few months ago because she disliked the marriage arranged for her by her family.

Although she was eventually found without any major mishaps and didn't suffer any great injustice, Dugu Wang was filled with fear and anxiety during the time Jingyao was missing, and he still feels lingering fear to this day.

The eldest brother often stroked his beard and sighed, regretting that he didn't know what sins he had committed in his past life to have such a daughter to torment him.

Now that he hears that the Luo family's daughter looks the same, the eldest brother must feel much more at ease.

After this experience, Jingyao became much more obedient than before, and at least she dared not leave home alone again.

But her stubbornness remained undiminished; she still refused to agree to the marriage, even at the cost of her life.

Thinking of this, Dugu Zhan put down his teacup and carefully said, "Brother, speaking of the Luo family's daughter, I am reminded of our Jingyao."

Jingyao is so resistant to the marriage with the Murong family, perhaps... we should reconsider? Forcing her might backfire.

Dugu Wang, who had been smiling just moments before, suddenly turned grim. He glared at him and said, "Jingyao is my Dugu family's daughter, not a caged canary kept in seclusion!"

She should bear some responsibility for the rise and fall of the Dugu family. The marriage of every member of the Dugu family is crucial to the family's survival; how can she be allowed to choose arbitrarily?

"But you know this child's temperament, brother!"

Dugu Zhan shook his head with a wry smile and said, "When she was little, she was very close to that boy from the Murong family. She always called him 'Brother Murong.' How come she can't stand him now that they've grown up?"

"There's no reasoning with a girl's mind."

Dugu Wang waved his hand impatiently, his tone full of disapproval: "Once she gets married, has children, and lives together in peace, they will naturally get along well over time."

Which of us wasn't married by our parents' wishes and the matchmaker's words?

I only saw your sister-in-law for the first time on my wedding night, so what? We're still as respectful as guests now.

Jingyao is a spoiled child; I can't indulge her anymore.

Dugu Wang sighed, his voice deepening with deep thought, and said, "Second brother, you are well aware of the current situation in Guanzhong."

Our Dugu family controls the Longxi and Lintao areas. The only area that is directly adjacent to us without any natural barriers is the Yu family's territory.

The Yu family occupies the fertile lands of Tianshui and Qinzhou, and now they have formed a marriage alliance with the Suo family. One family has grain, and the other has money; the two families are closely connected and have become quite powerful.

Dugu Wang got up and walked to the window, pushed it open a crack, and let a wisp of cold wind in, which immediately refreshed him.

Dugu Wang turned around and said, "The world is restless these days. If things start to change, the Suo and Yu families joining forces will be the biggest threat to our Dugu family."

"So, elder brother wants to form a marriage alliance with the Murong family?" Dugu Zhan instantly understood his elder brother's deeper meaning.

The eight powerful clans of Longshang each occupied a region. Although some of these forces did not have other forces in between, they were often separated by towering mountains, which served as natural barriers.

The Suo family and the Yu family are directly adjacent, with no natural barriers or other forces in between.

The Dugu family was located east of the Central Plains and west of the Longshang region. Among the eight powerful families, the only one adjacent to them was the Yu family.

If the Suo and Yu families join forces to conquer the world and advance eastward, the Dugu family will be the first to be affected.

What could they do then? The Dugu family had no choice but to join forces with the Murong family, who were behind the Suo family.

The Murong family controlled Pingliang, Jingchuan and other places, which bordered the Suo family.

In this way, if anything happens, the Murong family and the Dugu family can support each other from afar. No matter which of the Suo or Yu families attacks, the other can launch a "thousand-year kill" from behind.

And so, the Dugu family and the Murong family hit it off and began discussing the marriage.

Everything was fine until Dugu Jingyao suddenly acted like she'd taken the wrong medicine. She and her brother Murong were very close when they were little, but now she absolutely refused to get married and even ran away from home because of it.

"Exactly."

Dugu Wang said solemnly, "This marriage is not a child's play, but a meticulously planned scheme by my Dugu family. Everything was going smoothly until that girl Jingyao..."

Before he could finish speaking, a clear female voice from outside the study interrupted him: "Father, are you looking for my third brother?"

Before the words were finished, two figures, one in green and one in pink, entered together.

The one in the blue robe is the Third Young Master, Dugu Qingyan, with handsome features. The one in the pink dress is Dugu Jingyao, with a refined and elegant appearance.

Upon seeing his daughter, Dugu Wang's brows furrowed: "I called you Third Brother, what are you doing here?"

Dugu Jingyao doesn't put on any airs of being above worldly concerns in front of her own father and uncle.

She glared at him with her pretty eyes and retorted, "Who said that my daughter's marriage is a matter of life and death for the Dugu family?"

"Oh, so their marriage is a matter of life and death for the family? Can't their daughter even attend to family matters?"

"you……"

Dugu Wang was speechless, so he turned his face away angrily and said to Dugu Qingyan, "Yan'er, you must set off for Tianshui immediately."

Dugu Qingyan asked in surprise, "Going to Tianshui? What for?"

Dugu Wang said, "The Luo family of Wuzhou sent a letter asking me to help them find their daughter, Luo Mei. That girl has run away from home and is probably in the Tianshui area now."

"Who ran away from home? Is it Mei'er?" Dugu Jingyao's eyes lit up instantly.

Dugu Zhan chuckled from the side, "That's her, isn't she? She's no easy girl to deal with."

Dugu Jingyao immediately smiled and clapped her hands, praising, "As expected of my sworn friend, just like me!"
"Father, don't say your daughter doesn't want to share your burdens! I know Tianshui well, I'll go find someone!"

(End of this chapter)