An ugly girl starts off, then becomes a beauty

"If they come again, you really don't have to pay any attention to them. It's easy to provoke them, but it's also troublesome to deal with them." Nie Ce turned to Sang Ling after everyone else had left.

This time he came back from a business trip, looking much more energetic than last time, and finally dressed neatly, with his beard shaved clean, his thin lips slightly pursed under his high nose bridge, and his phoenix eyes bright and clear. - It was as if he had returned to the horse race in the eleventh year of Jiansi, when the young Marquis Nie and several young men of the same age were galloping on the grassland, looking quite energetic.

"I told you before, running away is not a solution." Sang Ling did try to escape. He went to Qingshan Temple and stayed there for half a year. What happened next? Unresolved problems are never resolved, and they will only get worse in the future.

"How is Cheng Ai?" Nie Ce did not continue the conversation. While asking, he naturally held her in his arms.

Even though the two of them had already broken the safe distance and done all the most intimate things, this was the first time they did this in front of a room full of servants.

Sang Ling's cheeks blushed and he tried to hide.

Unexpectedly, I couldn't open his hand.

The attendants around him were fine, and Ying Bushi quietly withdrew with his hands folded. Zong Xiang and Wei Chu were both startled, while Xiao Yuanxing and Yan Yao were even more at a loss. In the end, it was Wei Chu who understood the human nature, and he winked at each of them, and the maids ran out of the house as if escaping.

"You have no shame." She rolled her eyes at him.

"I'm in my own room, and the people serving me are my own people. Why should I be embarrassed?" Young Marquis Nie raised the corner of his mouth, tilted his neck, and rested his head on her hair.

This guy seems to be in a very good mood today, which shows that he has finished the task at hand.

Although Sang Ling didn't know the details, he didn't ask any more questions and nodded at him, "Have you visited your mother?"

"Not yet." He closed his eyes, and the smile on his lips faded. "I heard Ying Buzhi talking about family matters on the way, so I hurried back."

There were still a few people who belonged to Nie Ce in Wuyuan. They were all old servants who served him. It was not surprising that someone would pass on the news to him if something important happened in the mansion. But who would be the messenger? Sang Ling subconsciously thought about it: Dou San and Dong Wu who cleaned the yard? Bei Yuan and Lao Tang who served in the main hall and the side rooms? Or Ah Xi and Ma Xing who worked in the small kitchen in the backyard? And the few servants in the kitchen...

The Second Young Master's wife's eyes flickered, "Then I'll go with you. Such a big thing happened yesterday, and I have to report it to my mother."

Even though Fang Ai came to ask, the meaning behind her going there in person was different.

The couple went to Yunyuexie again without stopping.

It was noon and Madam Zhaoyu was having lunch, so they naturally stayed there to eat.

I thought Madam Zhaoyu would ask Shen Huajun anyway, and also ask about Shen's visit to Wuyuan in the morning. But after she asked Nie Ce a few questions about the palace news, she directly comforted Sang Ling, "I'm not afraid of making a fuss. They are not responsible for this matter. Shen's niece is an outsider after all."

The value of this sentence was so great that Sang Ling had never dared to imagine it. He couldn't help but speculate whether it was because Nie Ce was there that Madam Zhaoyu gave her a reassurance. It didn't take a moment, but he understood: Grandpa Nie didn't like to make a fuss. Since the West Mansion had already taken over the power of the family, and now there was a fuss because of the niece of the Shen family, the old man would probably not favor anyone in order to keep things peaceful.

We can't let the two sides quarrel again just because of an outsider, can we?

But after thinking about it, she didn't quite agree with Mr. Nie's approach. The discord between children was mostly due to the lack of moral integrity of the elderly. It seemed that he was trying to mediate the relationship between the two sides, but in the end, he just tried to smooth things over and the relationship became more and more strained.

*

I don't know what Shen said when she returned, but no one from the Justice Hall came to question her. Instead, Nie Guang came again in the afternoon.

Nie Ce did not go out that day. He rushed to Chang'an all night, entered the palace early in the morning, and dealt with household chores in the morning. He went to bed as soon as he came back from Yunyuexie.

Sang Ling was talking to Cheng in the inner room of the main hall when Wei Chu whispered in the corridor, "The eldest master is here again, and he came alone."

She turned her head in surprise and subconsciously looked in the direction of the dormitory. It was the time when every household in the country took an afternoon nap. Even a busy man like Nie Ce went for a nap. Could it be that Nie Guang didn't know that his cousin was back?

But I still went to entertain him.

"My mother came this morning, but I didn't know about it at the time. I was still asking a doctor to treat my cousin's wound." The eldest son was worried. "If she knew, I would never let her come to embarrass you."

It seems that the mother and son have not talked yet. Otherwise, Nie Guang should have known that Nie Ce was back, so he would not have come here.

"It's okay." Sang Ling's expression was indifferent. "There are some misunderstandings. It's understandable that Second Aunt is angry. If you put yourself in her shoes, everyone will be angry. If you want to blame someone, blame me for being careless last night. If I hadn't been sleepy, I would have gone to resolve the knot with Madam Shen earlier, and this wouldn't have happened."

It was also because of the current situation that she had to act like a green tea girl in front of Nie Guang.

"I'm so sorry for wronging you." Nie Guang stood up, took two or three steps and knelt down in front of her, "A Ling, my mother--"

"Brother." Sang Ling straightened his body and moved back, saying in a tone that only the two of them could hear, "Xuanwen is back."

Nie Guang was stunned for a moment, then he sat up straight and said, "Xuan——" He stuttered, "Ah, I was stunned when I heard the news, so I hurried over here."

Just as Sang Ling thought, she lowered her eyes to avoid his gaze, revealing a smile without any smile, "I'm fine, but I'd like to trouble you to go back and explain it patiently to Second Aunt. I really don't want any misunderstandings to arise."

"That's for sure." Nie Guang answered straightforwardly, but he was still wary of Nie Ce. After saying that, he quickly stood up and turned around to leave. After thinking for a while, he couldn't help but look back at Sang Ling again, "Sister-in-law, don't worry, I'm here."

The sun at noon streamed through the gauze curtains, and the girl behind the light and shadow said softly, "Okay."

She had not slept well in recent days. After seeing Nie Guang off, she felt dizzy. Just as she was about to take a nap, she turned around and saw a figure standing by the door of the inner courtyard.

I don’t know how long he has been here, whether he came when Nie Guang was still here or he just arrived.

She first glanced at Zong Xiang and Wei Chu beside her, and saw that they both had frightened looks on their faces - if Nie Ce had come earlier, given Wei Chu's level of understanding, he would have reminded him, but until now, neither of them had said a word.

As you can imagine, he came early and told the servants in the house not to make any noise. She couldn't help but frowned, then raised the corners of her mouth and spoke, "Why are you here?"

"I'm thirsty. I couldn't sleep after drinking some water, so I wanted to come and see you." Nie Ce pursed his lips and carefully observed her micro-expressions.

There was something clearly wrong with the young general's expression, and even his tone was a little weird.

The flames on the five-branched jade lamps flickered behind the gauze curtains, and all the servants in the corridors of the house lowered their heads silently. These people either followed Sang Ling for a long time or served Nie Ce all the time, so they could naturally feel the subtle atmosphere at the first time.

Sang Ling's sixth sense told her that he had discovered something.

Although the conversation with Nie Guang just now was not finalized, and the distance between the two of them later was not considered as overstepping the boundaries because she retreated in time, she was still quite clear about Nie Ce's personality. He was always straightforward and would not hide any doubts in his heart.

"I'm also sleepy and want to go back to the dormitory." He had no choice but to avoid the conflict first.

"Brother has been here?" His tone was unusually cold.