Zhuge Huai frowned deeply and said in a low voice, "Not a single day of peace. Utterly ridiculous."
Zhuge Yue raised his slender eyebrows and replied with a light smile, "If Elder Brother dislikes the noise, why not move out of the inner courtyard like I did? Out of sight, out of mind."
Zhuge Huai's expression immediately softened as he smiled and said, "Of course I'd like to find a quiet place to escape the commotion like Fourth Brother, but as the eldest son, I have no choice but to act on Father's behalf in his absence."
Zhuge Yue smiled but did not respond, picking up his teacup to take a sip before lowering his head in silence.
"Young Master, Third Madam requests you and Fourth Young Master to come to Li Ran Courtyard at once. She says there is an urgent matter requiring your attention."
Zhuge Huai grew slightly angry and said, "What matter requires both me and Fourth Brother? Tell them I'm busy."
"Young Master, Third Madam has invoked the family discipline. She... she intends to have Lixiang from Li Ran Courtyard beaten to death."
Zhuge Yue set down his teacup and stood up. "Elder Brother, let's go. There might truly be an urgent matter."
Zhuge Huai let out a long sigh and followed him out of the study.
Li Ran Courtyard was filled with furious curses as the various madams took turns shouting, each seemingly delighted by the chaos. Beneath their anger lay a hint of gloating satisfaction—this little vixen who had bewitched the master into losing his senses was finally getting her comeuppance.
Seventh Madam stood arrogantly in the center of the courtyard, sneering at the disheveled Lixiang. "Who would have thought our Zhuge family would produce someone so disgraceful! The master has always treated you well, and this is how you repay him? Shameful!"
Third Madam, clad in a Fire Fox Brocade Sable and looking elegant and dignified despite being in her thirties, wore a regretful expression. "Lixiang, the master said before he left that he would take you as a concubine upon his return. How could you commit such an indecent act? Even I cannot tolerate this today."
"Why waste words on her, Third Sister? In my opinion, a single blow to end her life will suffice. Let's not dirty the Zhuge family's grounds any further."
Lixiang knelt on the ground, pale and trembling uncontrollably, her clothes in disarray and her eyes vacant. She occasionally glanced at the man beside her, who was shaking like a leaf, his face ashen, looking even more terrified than she was.
This was the chaotic scene that greeted Zhuge Yue upon entering Li Ran Courtyard. After listening to Seventh Madam's triumphant account, the Fourth Young Master of the Zhuge family frowned deeply, his eyes sharp and his mind racing.
"Young Master!" As soon as Zhu Shun spotted Zhuge Huai, he rushed forward as if grasping at a lifeline, weeping and wailing. "She seduced me first! She sent me a letter asking me to come. As soon as I entered, she took off her clothes to tempt me! I remembered the kindness the master and young master have shown me, and all I could think of was devoting myself to the Zhuge family until my dying breath. How could I commit such a treasonous act? I resisted with all my might and refused to yield to this vile woman's intentions! I'm innocent! I knew nothing of this beforehand!"
"You heartless scoundrel! How dare you—""How dare you deny it!" A sharp crack rang out as Seventh Madam slapped Lixiang across the face, sneering coldly, "A lowly woman remains lowly, daring to use such despicable means to harm me! In the end, you lifted a rock only to drop it on your own feet—you've brought this upon yourself!"
"Fourth Brother! Where are you going?" Zhuge Huai was taken aback as he saw Zhuge Yue turn and leave immediately. Forgetting the ongoing scene, he called out in confusion.
"Elder Brother, I have urgent matters to attend to. I'll come find you later."
After hurriedly tossing out these words, the young Fourth Young Master of the Zhuge residence left Li Ran Courtyard and rushed toward Green Mountain Courtyard.
With a bang, he pushed open the gate of Green Mountain Courtyard. Huan'er and several young maids were watering the orchids in the flowerbeds in the yard. Seeing Zhuge Yue, they quickly stepped aside and bowed respectfully. Without even glancing at them, Zhuge Yue strode directly toward the servants' quarters, asking as he walked, "Where is Xing'er? Who's been watching her?"
"Xing'er said she wasn't feeling well and went back to her room to lie down," one of the young maids replied.
Huan'er, fearful that Xing'er would be punished, quickly added, "She spent the whole day sorting new tea leaves with us and only just returned."
Zhuge Yue's face darkened as he strode toward Chu Qiao's room. Yue Qi followed closely beside him, whispering, "Xing'er truly was busy in the small kitchen all day. I didn't see her leave."
With a loud crash, the door was pushed open. Zhuge Yue stormed in with a grim expression, his sharp eyes scanning the room until they landed on the girl lying pale-faced on the bed, appearing genuinely ill.
Zhuge Yue was slightly taken aback, not expecting her to actually be in her room. Yet, for some reason, seeing her lying there safe and sound instantly eased his mind, as if a heavy weight had been lifted, bringing him an inexplicable sense of relief.
"Fourth Young Master?" The girl sat up in surprise, clutching the quilt, her voice still carrying a sleepy tone. "Has Xing'er done something wrong?"
Zhuge Yue paused, then shook his head, somewhat awkwardly. "No, I heard from Huan'er that you were ill, so I came to check on you."
"Oh," the girl nodded. "Young Master has brought so many people to see Xing'er. Thank you, Young Master."
Zhuge Yue's face flushed red with embarrassment. He felt flustered but didn't know what to say, standing rooted to the spot as he cleared his throat and coughed lightly.
Seeing Zhuge Yue's discomfort, Zhu Cheng quickly stepped forward to smooth things over. "Xing'er, the Young Master has come to see you. Shouldn't you get up and greet him properly?"
The girl froze, a look of tension crossing her face. She bit her lip lightly but made no move to rise.
A cold glint flashed in Zhuge Yue's eyes as suspicion surged within him. Today's events had been meticulously planned—to evade the layers of hidden sentinels, one would have to move with extreme caution, inevitably leaving traces on their clothing. He had rushed back immediately upon hearing the news and shouldn't have been much slower than the mastermind behind the scheme. Her current demeanor... could there be something hidden beneath this quilt?
"Xing'er," Zhuge Yue stepped forward slowly, his eyes fixed intently on the girl's face as he said in a low voice, "Pour me a cup of tea."
The girl looked fearful, biting her lip as she replied, "Could the Young Master please step outside first? Xing'er will... will get up to serve you in a moment."
"No," Zhuge Yue walked to the bedside, his slender fingers gripping the thin brocade quilt covering her. His dark eyes bore into her wide ones as he enunciated each word clearly, "I want to drink it now.""Ah!" A sudden exclamation rang out, leaving everyone stunned and dumbfounded, with gasps of surprise rising one after another. On the small bed, a thin, petite child was tightly hugging their knees, face buried deep in the crook of their arms, shoulders trembling slightly. Jet-black long hair cascaded over their shoulders—and they were completely naked!
Zhuge Yue, holding the blanket, was momentarily dazed as well. After a long pause, his handsome face suddenly flushed bright red. He swiftly turned around and angrily shouted at the wide-eyed servants, "What are you all staring at? Get out!"
The servants snapped out of their stupor and hurriedly retreated from the room.
Zhuge Yue tossed the blanket onto Chu Qiao, his tone uncharacteristically flustered and impatient as he said, "Hurry up and put your clothes on!"
It was quiet behind him, with only the faint sound of soft sobbing gradually rising. Zhuge Yue frowned deeply, unsure who he was angry with, and snapped irritably, "Forget it, just lie down."
With that, he strode out of the room, slamming the door shut with a loud bang. The child in the room lifted their head, expression calm and eyes serene, without a trace of sorrow. Lifting the mattress beneath them, they carelessly tossed a set of mud-stained clothes onto the floor.
Zhuge Yue was indeed vigilant—so much so that they hadn’t even had time to get dressed.
But perhaps it was for the best. No one would dare to enter their room for the rest of the afternoon, giving them ample time to carry out what came next.
The child lowered their head and smiled faintly. For some reason, their young face bore a shadowy, almost sinister glow.
It was time to settle the score.
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