books44 Chapter 220 Admit your mistake
Chapter 220 Admit your mistake
Chapter 220
She was too careless.
Ye Yunzhou hadn't been home for a while, and when she learned Luo Shuiyao was coming back today, she deliberately put this hairpin on her head to show off. But she didn't expect Ye Yunzhou to come back so suddenly that she had forgotten the hairpin was still on her head. Now that she was being questioned, how should she answer?
No, she absolutely couldn't let Madam Hou and Ye Yunzhou think she did this on purpose. After thinking for a moment, she quickly came up with an excuse and spoke with a trembling voice, "Brother, how could this be? You clearly asked Guard Ye to give this to me, how could it be for Sister Yao?"
"When did I ask Ye Yi to give it to you?"
Seeing Lu Zhaozhao pretending to be wronged, Ye Yunzhou sneered and added, "Or how did Ye Yi tell you? Why don't you tell me about it?"
As Lu Zhaozhao concocted her excuse, she had already mentally planned how to express it. Now that the words were out, the rest of her story came easily. Although time had passed, the scene had played out countless times in her mind, and she knew exactly how to put it.
She pretended to be trying hard to recall, and while thinking, she began to repeat: "Then Guard Ye said, 'Brother, you want to give this to my cousin, and I am my cousin, right?' I thought you were giving it to me, but I didn't know it was for Sister Yao. I guess I misheard."
As she spoke, she reached out and pulled off her hairpin, intending to hand it to Luo Shuiyao. "Sister Yao, I'm sorry, I really didn't know it was for you. I thought that Big Brother might remember the friendship we had when we met as children and gave it to me specially. I'm returning it to you now."
Luo Shuiyao took a step back, looking at her silently, thinking to herself: "Alright, now you still don't forget to mention the friendship you had when you met as children, and you're trying to annoy her. But do you think she cares?" Luo Shuiyao lowered her eyes. Although she thought so in her heart, she couldn't hide a hint of jealousy, but it was only a hint.
Seeing her retreat, Lu Zhaozhao secretly rejoiced. She knew Luo Shuiyao wouldn't want it again. After all, the two of them had been so embarrassed, and now it was just a superficial exchange of affection. How could Luo Shuiyao wear something she had worn before? But she was only proud for a moment, and suddenly her hands were empty.
It turned out that Ye Yunzhou had snatched the hairpin from her hand and handed it to the Marquis's wife, saying, "Mother, this is a gift from the emperor. You can't throw it away. Please take it back and don't give it to anyone else."
Everyone knew who this "other person" was referring to.
The Marquis's wife took the hairpin from Ye Yunzhou and held it with extreme caution. After all, the item given by the emperor must not be damaged in the slightest. If it were to be spread by others, she would probably be accused of disrespecting the emperor's grace.
She looked at Lu Zhaozhao, and she already had some idea of what had happened. She felt very disappointed, but she couldn't say it too bluntly in front of everyone. A girl with a thin skin still had to save some face. "Zhaozhao, you are wrong about this. You should apologize to Yaoyao."
Lu Zhaozhao was quite obedient. Upon hearing this, her face was filled with guilt. She replied, "Aunt, it's natural."
Then she turned around and bowed deeply to Luo Shuiyao, her posture very humble. "It's my fault, sister. I hope Sister Yao won't blame me."
Luo Shuiyao still stood there, and did not help her, but just nodded to indicate that she heard it.
Seeing her like this, the Marquis's wife could only sigh helplessly and did not try to persuade her. She knew that she must be feeling aggrieved, but this child was, after all, the daughter of the Lu family. Although she was now living in the Marquis's mansion, she, as an outsider, could not punish her. It seemed that she could only compensate her extra afterwards.
The Marquis' wife pondered this silently, then turned to look at Lu Zhaozhao and spoke again. "You've been serving me these past few days, and you must be exhausted. Why don't you go to the courtyard and rest for a few days before coming out? Don't do such foolish things again in the future."
Lu Zhaozhao naturally understood that this was a show of concern, but also a covert attempt to ground her. She also understood that she was hinting at her intention to steal someone's things. Lu Zhaozhao felt her face flush, and she didn't dare look back at the others' faces. She turned her back to Luo Shuiyao, clenched her teeth, but had to force a smile and said, "Thank you for your consideration, auntie. Zhaozhao will leave first."
She turned and walked out of the house quickly. As soon as she left the house, tears welled up in her eyes. The maid beside her saw it and followed her cautiously, not daring to say a word.
After Lu Zhaozhao left, the Marquis's wife glanced at Ye Yunzhou, whose face was gloomy and difficult to read, then looked at Luo Shuiyao, who was still calm beside her. She sighed softly and said, "Auntie has a lot of good things too. I'll have Nanny Sang send someone to deliver them to you later. Although this hairpin is inlaid with kingfisher feathers and is extremely precious, it's a bit old-fashioned and not suitable for a girl like you. Leave it to Auntie."
Luo Shuiyao bowed to the Marquis's wife and said with a smile in her eyes: "Aunt has already given me a lot of jewelry. I have enough to wear on a daily basis and don't need to buy any more jewelry. But Yaoyao is here, so I still thank you for your kindness."
The Marquis' wife was about to say something else, but Ye Yunzhou interrupted her, "Mother, this matter was caused by me, so it's only right for me to resolve it. I have some imperial gifts in my courtyard, and I'll take Cousin Luo there to choose from them. Mother, you've always been in poor health, so you should rest more."
The Marquis's wife thought for a moment and felt that this arrangement was more appropriate. Besides, it was the eldest son's fault first, and his carelessness had led to such a mess. Thinking of this, she nodded and said, "That's fine. Mother will not interfere in the affairs of you young people."
As he said that, he walked out of the room, took a few steps, then turned back and reminded worriedly: "Yaoyao is your sister, you must take good care of her, and never bully her."
Ye Yunzhou glanced down at the silent woman standing beside him, his lips curled slightly, and before the Marquis noticed, he quickly returned to his usual expressionless face. "I understand, Mother. Go back and get some rest."
The two watched the Marquis' wife walk away.
Ye Yunzhou glanced around and saw that there were still servants coming and going in the courtyard. Fearing that it would ruin her reputation, he acted like an older brother and walked forward. After two steps, he noticed that Luo Shuiyao had not moved. He turned around and asked in confusion, "Why aren't you following?"
Luo Shuiyao glanced at him and did not refute, but just followed him.
The two walked through the front yard, then to the backyard, and through the woods. When they reached a deserted part of the garden, Ye Yunzhou stopped. He looked at Luo Shuiyao, puzzled as to why she was still so cold. He thought she was worried about someone nearby, so he said, "Don't worry, there's no one here."
Luo Shuiyao nodded slightly, without looking up at him, and just said "hmm" softly.