Chapter Fourteen: Secret Sorrow and Worry-Free

  Save and forward, the more violent the better!!!!

  After Zhiyuan and his family left, the old man leaned on the soft couch, the fierce anger on his face gradually faded away. The two jade balls in his hand rotated and collided with each other, making a pleasant sound. The old man hooked up a playful smile, his eyes filled with delight. He looked out of the glass window, the scenery was quiet and peaceful, Zhiyuan had become accomplished.

  "Old master, please use." Cherry presented fresh longan, the old man grasped Cherry's hand, seeing her wronged and red-eyed, he hugged Cherry's fragrant shoulder: "Lao Er is a stubborn person, he insists on being right, and is very rigid. He always stands by his reason, and few people can argue with him."

  "It's a great blessing for me to be able to serve you, I won't let you down." Cherry peeled the longan and placed it by the old man's lips, "I wouldn't dare to harm Old Master."

  "He's a block of wood who can't understand romance." The old man ate the longan and casually pulled the cherry into his arms, pinching the soft and delicate chest of the cherry, "You can rest assured, I won't let you suffer a loss, serving me for nothing."

  Cherry's cheeks were slightly red, her waist twisted like a water snake, she lightly breathed out, and normally at this time, the old man would have already been moved. But today he didn't seem to react, the old man pressed down on Cherry's hand: "Pushing away Cherry: 'Go down.'"

  The cherry blossom was taken aback by such a cold reception, "Old Master."

  "Go down."

  Cherry didn't dare to listen more, the old master didn't seem to neglect Zhiyuan. Cherry was bought from outside, with a charming face and eyes that seemed to hold water, she had been by the old lady's side for half a year before being sent to serve the old master. Cherry was young and beautiful, serving an old man who was already half in the grave, but the old master was a man of great understanding and taste, and he treated Cherry with extra care and affection. After Cherry got into the old master's bed, she quickly became his most favored person.

  Although the duke's mansion was ruled by the old lady, who could ignore the old master? Cherry had lived a life of wearing gold and silver, and the stewards in the mansion would fawn on her whenever they saw her, calling out "Cherry girl". The old lady promised that next year she would make Cherry a concubine. A concubine of the duke's mansion, Cherry thought this lifetime was worth it.

  The masters in the mansion were also very polite to Cherry, and Third Master would often give her expensive jewelry. After being groomed by Old Master, Cherry became even more charming, with a pair of enchanting eyes that captivated people's hearts. Cherry had been through hardships since childhood, but now she was living a life like a rich young lady. She wanted to continue this life, relying on Old Master while he was alive, and after his death... Cherry pursed her crimson lips, and the bangle on her wrist was a gift from Third Master. The mansion hid many dirty secrets.

  The cherry blossoms were supposed to be beautiful, but today the old master was acting strangely. The more Cherry thought about it, the more she felt that something was off. Second Master Zhiyuan was not well-received, and it was said that when Old Master was young, he had been deceived by a woman who had taken advantage of him and borne Second Master's mother out of wedlock. After giving birth to Second Master, Old Master had brought her back to the manor, entrusting her to a concubine who was not favored, and never spoke of Second Master's mother again. It was said that the woman had run off with a lover and stolen money.

  If it weren't for Zhiyuan's and the old master's resemblance, who knows if he was really the old master's son? The concubine who raised Zhiyuan fell ill and passed away soon after. The people in the mansion said that Zhiyuan had a hard life, and the old lady refused to raise him, so she threw him to the wet nurse, Huihui. During this time, the old master never asked about Zhiyuan even once.

  The two old masters were far away in the Duke's mansion, and even the favored slaves by the side of the old lady were not as good as him. When Zhiyuan was seven years old, the old master tested his riding and shooting skills, but was extremely disappointed, and threw Zhiyuan into the clan school, ignoring him until he passed the imperial examination. The old master lost a bet with someone and allowed Zhiyuan to marry Guwalgiya as his wife. Although the second madam, Guwalgiya, was born as the eldest daughter, her mother's family was only a low-ranking official, and among the several madams in the Duke's mansion, she had the lowest status when she married in. At that time, Zhiyuan was ridiculed by many people, and he became the old master's betting stake.

  After getting married, Zhiyuan became a high school scholar, which was originally a glorious thing for the ancestors. However, Old Master sent Zhiyuan away from the capital, and he didn't return for over ten years. Except during festivals when the second master would send back gifts to the duke's mansion, hardly anyone mentioned Zhiyuan in everyday conversations.

  Cherry listened to the movements in the house, wondering if Old Master would say something else. The second madam was not like she used to be, her surname was Gualjia, and her family had risen through the ranks due to military achievements, it was said that they were related to the Taizi's family by marriage. The second master had also been promoted back to the capital, and all the servants in the mansion whispered among themselves that the second master was going back to the capital to seize the title. Cherry appeared frivolous today because she wanted to test how deep Second Master Zhiyuan's ambitions were, but she didn't expect to be rejected by Zhiyuan. Cherry sneered, with a personality like the second master's, who would want to help him? The Duke's title belonged to Third Master.

  Zhiyuan walked into the Rongshou Hall, and Shuyao's eyes lit up. The Duke's Mansion was luxurious enough, but compared to the Rongshou Hall, it wasn't worth looking at. The black chessboard-like golden sign with the three characters "Rongshou Hall" shone exceptionally brightly, but Shuyao didn't dare to compliment the font of Rongshou Hall. Although Shuyao's handwriting was very average, her grandfather in her previous life was a master calligrapher. After his retirement, he had plenty of time to practice writing, and if Shuyao wasn't so ordinary, that Republican general wouldn't have let her off easily. Shuyao was extremely ignorant when it came to knowledge about literature and history.

  Writing with a brush is a gift, Shu Yao always thought that the computer keyboard was the most lovely thing and didn't need to write at all. Influenced by her surroundings, she had some understanding of the pros and cons of calligraphy, but the three characters "Rong Shou Tang" in front of her were far from being written by a master of calligraphy.

  But it was hung in the main hall, Zhi Chengzhi Hao was very pleased, Shu Yao thought it was a gift from a noble person. The Rongshou Hall has three floors and seven buildings, with a handrail corridor, a skywell, and ear houses, all of which are complete. Under the eaves of the glazed tile roof, a pair of green-feathered red-beaked parrots were hung, their feathers shining brightly, their beaks as red as gems.

  Six little maidservants, dressed in neat and tidy long gowns, stood at the gate. When they saw Zhiyuan's group, the first one knelt down and said in a melodious voice like a silver bell, "They've arrived, they've arrived! Old Madam has been muttering to herself for a long time."

  She lifted the red silk curtain embroidered with auspicious patterns and said, "Sister inside the house, please inform the old lady that the second master and mistress have arrived."

  Shu Yao grasped Gual Jia's hand tightly. She was about to meet her cousin Li Zhiqing, who might be a fellow traveler from the past.

  A plump, round-faced woman dressed as a nanny walked out of the house and smiled at Zhiyuan: "Second Master, the master is waiting for you." Shu Yao saw that she was dressed very neatly and tidily from head to toe, not luxurious but could tell her status in front of the old lady. The fabric used for her cheongsam was extremely good, and the pair of jade hairpins on her head were made of top-quality jadeite. As soon as she came out, the little maids guarding the door all became quiet and respectful, kneeling down: "Liu Nanny."

  "Zhiyuan, why haven't you come in yet?" A loving voice came from the Rongshou Hall, with a hint of joy and blame, "Don't you want to see your mother?"