Chapter 286

Chapter 286 The Unreasonable Second Young Master Yan

Ji Hanyue had once seen a similar box at the empress’ place. It was different from ordinary boxes, and it was made of bamboo, which gave it a different kind of style and elegance.

When she first saw the box, she took a few more glances at it and asked a maid, who told her that this kind of box was made of tributes to the royal family, and there were only a few such boxes in the palace. They were rare, so they were only given to the favorite concubines of the emperor and those concubines who had children.

The bamboo used to make that box was not ordinary either. It was not only purple, but it also had faint spots, which contrasted perfectly with the gauze on the box. It looked special, and the objects inside could be vaguely seen, which gave the box a sense of vague prettiness.

Even in the palace, there were not many such boxes.

How could such a box appear outside the palace in such an insignificant shop?

After examining it for a while, Qu Moying pursed her lips and shook her head slightly. She restrained the shock in her eyes and was lost in thought.

It was not the box she saw in the empress’ place although they looked similar.

The bamboo of this box was also not ordinary, but it was not that rare. As for the gauze of the box, it was somewhat similar to the lace of the handkerchief. They should be made of the same material.

But even though the two boxes were just similar, the one who made this box must have seen the box in the palace.

Seeing that Qu Moying was examining the box in her hand, Yu Dong called out to her in a low voice, “Miss! What is in this box?”

Although he used to follow Lord Yun, he had never seen this kind of delicate box that only imperial concubines could have. Seeing Qu Moying flipping the box in her hand, he also looked at the box a few more times, but he found that it was just a slightly delicate box.

“Nothing. It just looks familiar. Put the handkerchief and the pair of buttons in the box and bring the box with us.” Qu Moying handed the box in her hand to Yu Dong. She had confirmed that the box was in the same style as the one in the palace, but they were not the same.

Since this box appeared with the handkerchiefs and the pair of buttons, then she would take it with her. She had an inexplicable feeling that the tributes sold in the shop many years ago should have something to do with these objects. She would take them back first and then take time to find out the truth.

Yu Dong put the handkerchief and the pair of buttons into the box and then put the box into his pocket.

The goods Qu Moying saw later were not as eye-catching. Although there were exquisite goods that made Qu Moying stop, they were goods that were allowed to be sold in ordinary stores. There weren’t goods that were exclusive to the royal family.

Just as they were looking around the goods on the second floor, they heard someone asking from downstairs. “Is there anyone here?”

Aunt Yang said, “Fourth Lady, I will go down and take a look.”

After Qu Moying nodded, Aunt Yang walked down the stairs, but she soon came up in a hurry. “Fourth Lady, the person downstairs said that he wanted to see you.”

“Who is it?” Qu Moying put down the lace in her hand and asked in surprise. She didn’t expect someone to look for her here.

Aunt Yang said, “He said he is the second young master of Earl Fengyang’s Mansion.”

Qu Moying’s face turned cold. She naturally knew the Second Young Master of Earl Fengyang’s Mansion. It was Yan Yu, whom she had long been at odds with. He was also the one who caused these troubles. At the very beginning, he had plotted against her.

“Go downstairs and tell him that I have something to do and can’t see him. If he has anything, he can go directly to Qu Mansion.” Qu Moying said coldly. She did not feel that she needed to meet him.

Whether it was Second Young Master Yan, Miss Yan, or even Madam Li, they all harbored ill intentions towards her.

Seeing that Qu Moying was so determined, Aunt Yang could only go downstairs. But soon, Qu Moying heard the noise at the stairs and footsteps coming up. Then, she saw Yan Yu rushing up to the second floor with a young servant.

Aunt Yang wanted to stop Yan Yu, but the young servant pulled her sleeve, so she failed to block Yan Yu.

Yu Dong hurriedly stood in front of Qu Moying and looked warily at Yan Yu, who was rushing over.

Qu Moying slowly put down the piece of cloth in her hand. She drew back her slender hands into her sleeves and turned to face Yan Yu.

Yan Yu came over in a hurry. When he saw Qu Moying, he directly went straight to the point. “Fourth Lady Qu, Third Young Master He is not a good person.”

Qu Moying said indifferently, “Second Young Master Yan, did you come here only to tell me this?”

“Yes. Third Young Master He is not as nice as he appears to be. He is not a good person. Fourth Lady Qu, please think twice.” Yan Yu’s face was slightly sweaty. He apparently came in a hurry.

A mocking smile appeared on Qu Moying’s tender face. “Second Young Master Yan, you come to tell me this. But wasn’t Madam Li the one who came to our mansion and spoke highly of Third Young Master He?”

“My mother was deceived by others and did not know about it. When I heard about it, I immediately came to inform you.”

Yan Yu looked at Qu Moying and said seriously.

Seeing his serious look, Qu Moying sneered in her heart. Some of her troubles now were caused by Earl Fengyang’s Mansion, yet he appeared as if he was trying to save her.

Others might think that he was chivalrous and courageous.

“Second Young Master Yan, my business has nothing to do with you and your mansion. Can you please also pass on my words to your mother?” Qu Moying said word by word with a cold face.

Her own affairs were already so difficult to deal with, yet Earl Fengyang’s Mansion was still messing around with her.

Then, she turned around and said to Yu Dong, “Yu Dong, send him out.”

Yu Dong stepped forward and said to Yan Yu with a fake smile, “Second Young Master Yan, please leave.”

Yan Yu did not want to leave. He stood there and said to Qu Moying’s back, “Fourth Lady Qu, I do this out of good intentions.”

Qu Moying was a little angry. What was wrong with Second Young Master Yan? She had no relationship with him, and she could even clearly sense the malice coming from Earl Fengyang’s Mansion. But he said that he came here out of good intentions, which really annoyed her.

Qu Moying couldn’t help but say with sarcasm, “Second Young Master Yan, thank you for your good intentions, but since when did our two mansions become so close? Even if our mansions are close, we don’t have anything to talk about with each other, right? Second Young Master Yan, please leave. What will others think if they see you rushing up like this? I’m actually not familiar with you, right?”

The two of them were indeed not familiar with each other. Looking at Qu Moying’s indifferent back, Yan Yu lowered his head with an upset look. He repeated, “Fourth Lady Qu, I really meant well. Third Young Master He is not a good person.”

“Second Young Master Yan, please leave!” Yu Dong urged again.

Yan Yu looked at Qu Moying’s back again and left helplessly. When he came outside the shop and looked at the shop front that had been tidied up, he sighed deeply and smiled apologetically.

He knew his family’s affairs best. As a matter of fact, this matter had something to do with him.

Qu Moying didn’t have to suffer this, and he felt extremely guilty for Qu Moying.

The cause of the matter was that his father and mother asked him to meet some noble ladies. They said that he was not young anymore and that it was time for him to get married. He did not want an abrupt end to his carefree life, so he said casually that he had taken fancy to someone.

When his mother heard that he had taken fancy to someone, she interrogated him about who the other party was. Yan Yu knew that the woman he liked should match his mother’s status. Otherwise, his mother might cause trouble for him. Therefore, he fabricated the story about a noble lady with a poor past.

He said that the lady was disliked by her fiance because of her family, and her fiance canceled the engagement and married another woman. Her mother had died, and her father was not nice to her. She was staying in her mansion now, but it was not a good time to propose to her now because she had just ended an engagement. He would have to wait for a period of time.

Yan Yu only wanted to stall for time. He didn’t want to get married at all now.

His father and mother repeatedly questioned him who this woman was, but Yan Yu refused to tell them. Because of this, Yan Yu received a good beating and was punished to kneel in the ancestral hall.

There was no such a woman, so Yan Yu could not tell who it was.

As a result, his parents thought that he was determined to marry that woman only.

He did not know how his parents’ minds worked that they actually thought that the woman was Fourth Lady Qu. His mother was furious and scolded him. Yan Yu knew that it would get worse if he did not explain the situation well, so he repeatedly said that the woman was not Fourth Lady Qu, but his mother did not buy his story. She even locked him in the mansion.

After that, he found out from his sister that his mother was going to introduce Third Young Master He to Qu Moying. He was anxious, so he specially asked people to keep an eye on Qu Moying. Knowing that she went out of Qu Mansion, he secretly came to remind her that Third Young Master He was not a good person.

Yan Yu knew about this by accident. However, Third Young Master He was from He Mansion and had the support of Noble Consort He and Lord Jing, so ordinary people could not afford to offend him. Moreover, the victims were often beautiful maids. Third Young Master He would compensate the maids’ families with much money, and no one dared to sue him in Yamen.

At this point, Yan Yu was very helpless. He was afraid that Fourth Lady Qu would enter He Mansion. But now, Fourth Lady Qu did not take his words seriously at all. It made him anxious and regretful. If he had known earlier, he would not have fabricated that story. It was because of his words that his parents thought that he was deeply in love with Fourth Lady Qu and was determined to marry her.

His parents were determined to get Fourth Lady Qu into the terrible He Mansion!

Yan Yu paced outside the shop with a frown. His face darkened.

A carriage suddenly stopped next to Yan Yu, and a woman’s beautiful face appeared from the carriage window. “Second Brother, why are you here?”

“Why are you here?” Yan Yu looked at Yan Yujiao, who was in the carriage, and frowned. Did his mother know that he had sneaked out?

His mother might cause trouble again.

Yan Yujiao raised her head to look at the shop behind Yan Yu, and her face immediately darkened. She asked, “Second Brother, what are you doing here? If Mother finds out, she will make trouble again. This is Qu Mansion’s shop.”

All the people in the capital knew that the shop behind Yan Yu and the shop next to this shop were the dowry shops of the South’s Yue Family’s two daughters, and the Little Yue was Qu Moying’s mother.

Seeing that Yan Yu had stubbornly come here, Yan Yujiao became angry. These past few days, her family had been in chaos, and it was all because of Qu Moying. In the past, she thought her second brother was a smart person. How could he be so muddle-headed now? Why did he insist on being with Fourth Lady Qu?