Tianliangyuan

Chapter 4 Foolish Sun Qian

Xu Zhaozhao had certainly guessed this as well, and the rumor should have originated from Furong Courtyard.

Her dear cousin is truly ruthless in achieving her goals!

"You should still be careful. These rumors are now on my side, so there's not so much to worry about. It's just that Father and Mother might be a little concerned."

Dingxiang asked in bewilderment, "Why doesn't Miss go to the Marquis and his wife to plead her case? Miss's behavior is truly despicable!"

"No rush, let's wait. Besides, as long as Grandmother is alive, unless Sun Qian really kills me, she will definitely not be able to harm me in the slightest."

Looking at the newly added items in the house, Xu Zhaozhao felt incredibly warm inside.

These were things her brothers specially found to cheer her up after they learned she had suddenly fallen ill, because they were worried she would be too depressed.

"I estimate that the Xie family will send someone to break off the engagement in a few days. You two should also be alert and listen to the commotion in the front yard. If anyone from the Xie family comes, be sure to report to me immediately."

"Yes, ma'am."

Although the Marquis of Anxin's family was not among the top noble families in the capital, the Marquis himself had earned his position in the court through his military achievements, so no one in the capital dared to look down on him.

Otherwise, Xu Zhaozhao would not have arranged the marriage with the Xie family.

The Xu family was also of military origin, so when it came to their children's marriages, they generally preferred military officers. This was to avoid marriages between civil and military officials, which could arouse suspicion from those in power.

Xie Zheng and his father were both stationed at the border and not in the capital. Therefore, the matter of annulling the engagement could not be resolved simply by the Xie family matriarch. Both General Xie and Xie Zheng had to agree.

Therefore, Xu Zhaozhao couldn't understand why the book said that if they went to annul the engagement the next day, the engagement would be annulled so smoothly.

This is really against etiquette.

Although Madam Xie is an elder, it is naturally more appropriate for her parents to make the decisions regarding the marriages of the younger generation. Moreover, it is even more outrageous that Xie Zheng, who is far away at the border, was unaware of it!

Xu Zhaozhao pondered in her mind that she couldn't do anything to the mastermind behind the scenes for the time being, but she could get rid of the pests under her nose first, which would also be a way to give the original owner an explanation.

Sure enough, the Xie family came to visit.

And the scale of the event was quite impressive.

Besides the Xie family matriarch, there was also the Xie family second wife and two young wives.

Madam Xu and Wang Ruolan naturally stepped forward to receive them. Wang Ruolan was anxious. She had only heard the rumors outside a couple of days ago and hadn't yet thought of a solution when the Xie family came to visit. She was afraid it wasn't a good thing.

After exchanging pleasantries, Madam Xie didn't delay any longer and directly stated her purpose.

"There were rumors for a while that my third son was destined to bring misfortune to his family, and then there were rumors that Miss Xu was seriously ill. I'm so worried. I wonder how Zhaozhao is? Is she able to get out of bed now?"

Before Wang Ruolan could reply, Sun Qian, who was standing behind the old lady, spoke first: "Thank you for your concern, Madam. My cousin is much better now."

Wang Ruolan and Madam Xu were probably displeased, and couldn't help but look at her.

These words, seemingly an explanation for Xu Zhaozhao, actually confirmed the fact that Xu Zhaozhao had been seriously ill.

But was Xu Zhaozhao actually sick on her own?

It was clearly this culprit who caused all this trouble!

However, Wang Ruolan couldn't openly break off relations in front of outsiders. In front of the old lady, she had to consider the feelings of both the Xu and Sun families.

But this feeling of unease, stuck in my throat, is truly unbearable.

"I'm sorry to have worried you, Auntie. Actually, my Zhaozhao is fine. I heard the rumors circulating outside the other day, and that's why I'm sending people to investigate. It's strange, really. My Zhaozhao hasn't left the house for a month. The last time she appeared was at my mother's birthday banquet. I don't know who would be so malicious as to spread rumors that Zhaozhao is seriously ill. It's truly hateful!"

Sun Qian lowered her head and didn't dare to say another word.

Her sudden interruption was already rude.

Madam Xie smiled and said, "Sister Wang, don't be angry. Since it's just a rumor, there's no need to take it to heart. But this young lady, since she identifies herself as Cousin Zhao Zhao, she should know the saying 'the more you say, the more mistakes you make,' right?"

Sun Qian's face turned pale. She never expected that just one sentence would be met with a rebuke from the Xie family.

Madam Xu also glared at Sun Qian in secret, cursing her for being tactless, but still had to speak up in her defense: "Please forgive my niece-in-law. This girl is my granddaughter. She's been staying at the Marquis's residence these days, coming to keep this old woman company. She's very filial, never missing a morning or evening greeting. The only problem is that she's a bit too straightforward. I'll definitely teach her a lesson later, so she won't cause any more trouble."

His attempt to exonerate her only made Wang Ruolan's face darken considerably.

You said Sun Qian is straightforward, doesn't that mean what she just said is true, that Zhao Zhao is seriously ill and can't get out of bed?

This old lady must be confused!

"It's good that Madam understands. The reason I brought them here today is to ask about Zhaozhao and Sanlang's marriage. I like Zhaozhao, but no matter how much I like her, I can't only think of myself and ignore the child's health. Don't you agree?"

Wang Ruolan's heart skipped a beat. They hadn't come to the Xie family to break off the engagement, but she hadn't expected that the Xie family would actually be considering doing so.

Could it be that they believed the rumors circulating outside and thought Zhao Zhao was going to die soon?

Wang Ruolan was displeased, but she still patiently said, "Auntie, what makes you say that? Besides, my Zhaozhao was indeed feeling unwell before and took two doses of medicine, but she was not seriously ill. It was just that our little things as women made her feel better. How did it become a rumor that she was seriously ill and incurable?"

Madam Xie was surprised by this reason and felt that the marriage could still go through.

But Sun Qian interrupted again, saying, "Aunt, since the elders of the Xie family are here, why don't you invite my cousin over first? However, when I came to pay my respects to Grandmother, I heard that my cousin coughed half the night last night. Perhaps she hasn't gotten up yet. Should I go and take a look?"

Wang Ruolan was so angry that her fists clenched!

What does it mean to cough for half the night?

What does it mean that it hasn't started yet?

Does Sun Qian even know what she's saying?

This time, even Old Madam Xu couldn't protect her anymore, and angrily scolded, "How dare you! How can you be so ill-mannered? Is this how I've always taught you?"

How could Old Madam Xu not be angry? She had just praised Sun Qian for being filial and polite, and then this girl pulled this stunt. Wasn't this a blatant slap in her face?

Sun Qian shrank back in fright and quickly apologized.

"It was Qian'er who misspoke. Qian'er will never dare to do it again."

However, in the eyes of the Xie family, this behavior was a deliberate cover-up by the Xu family, but Sun Qian inadvertently revealed the truth.

The Xie family members looked at each other, unsure whether to insist on breaking off the engagement.