Quick Wear: The male protagonists all fell in love with her at first sight

Chapter 264 The Young Master is Willing to Be a Mistress (9)

Since that casual conversation, Song Xiangning often went to Jiang Rou's courtyard. Even if the two did nothing but sit and chat, Song Xiangning could stay in Tingyu Pavilion for an entire afternoon.

They chatted until dusk, and only after her maid urged her several times did Song Xiangning reluctantly leave. Before leaving, she held Jiang Rou's hand tightly and gave her some words of advice:

"Sister, please don't forget that you promised to accompany me to Baoxiang Pavilion tomorrow."

After spending these days together, Song Xiangning has changed her way of addressing Jiang Rou, no longer calling her "cousin-in-law" but "elder sister."

Jiang Rou smiled and nodded gently, teasingly saying, "Your words are getting to my ears. I dare not forget, for if I do, Miss Xiang Ning will not forgive me."

Upon hearing this, Song Xiangning gave a coquettish hum and hugged Jiang Rou's arm, saying, "It's good that you know how powerful I am."

Since marrying into the Marquis of Weining's mansion, Jiang Rou has never left the mansion. She spends all her time huddled in her own small courtyard and rarely appears in public.

So when Madam Xu heard that she wanted to go out for a stroll, she was genuinely surprised, but the surprise was fleeting.

In an instant, his face changed to one of compassion, and his words were full of love: "It's good to go out for a walk. You used to stay in the yard all the time and never go out. I know you are quiet by nature, but it's hard to stay cooped up for long."

Jiang Rou nodded in agreement, her face beaming with joy, but inwardly she felt utterly bored. This old lady really thought she was some kind of empress dowager, uttering everything so casually.

Song Xiangning didn't want to see a living Buddha appear in the world, so she pretended to be cute and coquettish again: "Oh dear, Ning'er is getting jealous. Grandmother doesn't care about me anymore. When I was leaving the manor yesterday, Grandmother didn't give me such earnest instructions."

Old Madam Xu reached out and lightly tapped her forehead: "You little rascal, if I give you a kind look, I'm afraid I'll tear the roof off my Rongxi Hall."

The maids and servants inside the room covered their mouths and chuckled softly at the amusing remark.

Song Xiangning looked unhappy, snorted, and took Jiang Rou's hand to walk outside. As she walked, she said, "Grandmother really dislikes me. Then Ning'er should leave quickly and not get in Grandmother's way."

Jiang Rou was a little flustered as she was pulled along, and said goodbye to Madam Xu: "Grandmother, your granddaughter-in-law will go down first."

Madam Xu watched the two leave with a smile on her face. Once they were out of sight, the smile slowly faded, and her eyes betrayed her unreadable emotions: "When did Ning'er become so close to Madam Jiang?"

Granny He was Madam Xu's dowry maid and had been by her side for decades, so she naturally understood the deeper meaning in her words: "Miss Xiangning is lively, while Madam Jiang is quiet. The two complement each other perfectly, one active and one quiet."

When Madam Xu was young, she was busy with household affairs. Song Xiangning's mother was raised by Granny He, and Song Xiangning grew up under Granny He's watchful eye. Granny He had long regarded her as her own granddaughter.

Having served Madam Xu for decades, she had long since developed the habit of listening to the tone of voice first. Seeing that Madam Xu was becoming cold towards Song Xiangning, she subtly tried to make amends.

Madam Xu remained silent upon hearing this, seemingly lost in thought.

Seeing this, Granny He stopped talking. She had no ill intentions towards Jiang Rou, and even felt a little sorry for the girl.

She was truly innocent in what happened back then. The masters who treated her as an enemy were all accomplices. When something happened to her, they blamed it all on an innocent person.

The Marquis of Weining's residence is heavily guarded. How could two people go out without making a sound? It must have been with the tacit approval of their superiors.

/

After leaving the mansion, Jiang Rou and Song Xiangning took a carriage directly to Baoxiang Pavilion in the east of the city.

The eastern part of the city is full of shops, and the streets are also lined with stalls selling all sorts of things. Pedestrians linger among them, and the sounds of vendors calling out their wares fill the air.

This was the first time Jiang Rou had seen the outside world since arriving in this world. It looked quite interesting, and she looked at the shops along the street with great interest.

A spring breeze swept by, carrying a fragrant aroma that wafted towards us.

Song Xiangning sniffed hard, her eyes suddenly lighting up: "It's Qianweizhai's chestnut cake. It's usually sold out as soon as it comes out of the oven. We're lucky today."

Song Xiangning's vivid description of Qianweizhai's pastries made Cui Tao and her maid Qing Liu drool with envy.

Having finally bought the chestnut cake she'd been longing for, Jiang Rou tried a piece and found it truly lived up to its reputation. It was sweet, fragrant, soft, and chewy, sweet but not cloying—no wonder it was so popular.

After enjoying the delicious pastries, Song Xiangning was in a great mood, but this good mood vanished the moment she arrived at Baoxiang Pavilion.

It was Jiang Rou's first time going out, and Song Xiangning took good care of her. The two were chatting and laughing as they walked towards Baoxiang Pavilion when they were suddenly stopped by a roadblock.

Song Xiangning looked at the man in front of her, a hint of disgust flashing in her eyes. She suddenly felt irritated. This Zhao Shuqing, relying on his favored concubine aunt, had done a lot of things to bully men and women.

I used to avoid him, but I never expected to run into him like this today.

Just as Song Xiangning was about to move out of the Marquis of Weining's residence, she saw Zhao Shuqing's eyes already fixed on Jiang Rou, his eyes filled with filth.

Song Xiangning stepped forward and blocked Jiang Rou completely, then said to Zhao Shuqing with a fake smile, "Greetings, Prince Zhao. My sister-in-law and I have other matters to attend to, so we won't disturb your enjoyment any longer."

Song Xiangning deliberately emphasized the words "sister-in-law" to let Zhao Shuqing know that Jiang Rou was already married, hoping to make him back down.

But she underestimated the person in front of her. Zhao Shuqing loved delicate and timid beauties the most, and Jiang Rou seemed to be completely attached to his heart.

His eyes involuntarily swept over Jiang Rou's body, from her exposed jade-like neck to her slender waist that seemed impossible to grasp; Zhao Shuqing's eyes almost popped out of their sockets.

Hearing Song Xiangning's words, his gaze fell on Jiang Rou's womanly hairstyle, and he felt a thrill in his heart. So she was a beautiful woman.

He was really smitten and was thinking of secretly finding out which wife she was, and then secretly working on it so that he might be able to get close to the beauty.

Before the lewd grin on his face could even fade, Zhao Shuqing was suddenly kicked from behind, sending him flying out of Baoxiang Pavilion. He spat out a mouthful of blood and immediately lost consciousness.

The surrounding crowd screamed in fright. When they looked into Baoxiang Pavilion, they couldn't see a single person, not even the servants who had accompanied Zhao Shuqing.

In a private room on the second floor of Baoxiang Pavilion, Jiang Rou was pale and had slightly red eyes. She held a teacup for a long time without moving.

Song Xiangning was also startled. After drinking two cups of tea, she calmed down a little and then looked at the two people in front of her: "Cousin, Cousin Xie, what are you doing here?"

Qin Sheng was speechless and didn't know how to explain, then he heard Xie Jingci's jade-like voice: "Baoxiang Pavilion is a property under Qin Sheng's name. We just happened to be here to check the accounts."

Qin Sheng was stunned for a moment before realizing what was happening: "Oh right, that's right."

Then, changing the subject, Qin Sheng looked at Jiang Rou, who was still not fully recovered, and asked, "What happened just now?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Rou trembled, as if she had thought of something terrible. From Xie Jingci's perspective, he could just see a tear slide down her cheek and drip into her collar.

Song Xiangning said angrily, "My sister and I went out together to look at jewelry at Baoxiang Pavilion. We ran into Zhao Shuqing as soon as we entered. He was rude to us. Fortunately, my two cousins ​​arrived in time."

Qin Sheng's expression darkened upon hearing this. Jiang Rou and Song Xuening were both from the Marquis's residence, and Zhao Shuqing's actions showed that he completely disregarded the Marquis's residence, which was truly excessive.

Jiang Rou slowly raised her head, her eyes blurry with tears, and said softly, "Thank you, elder brother and cousin. I'm so grateful for your help today."

Just as Qin Sheng was about to speak, Xie Jingci spoke first: "Don't take today's events to heart. It wasn't your fault, so don't be upset about it."

Looking at her cousin Xie, who was as beautiful as the moon, Song Xuening felt for the first time that he was not a bad person.

Qin Sheng heard Song Xuening's voice, which was much gentler than usual, and before he could think much about it, he heard Song Xuening's surprised voice.

"My older cousin just said that Baoxiang Pavilion is your shop?"