The emperor coronation was a heavy topic so Ning Meng Yao and Qiao Tian Chang both stopped talking about it. After all, they don’t belong in the Royal Court so the coronation had nothing to do with them.
“Do you want to take a walk?”
“Sure, do you want to have a walk at the mountain?” Ning Meng Yao looked at Qiao Tian Chang with her bright eyes.
She hadn’t been there for a long time.
Qiao Tian Chang was a little helpless, but he was the one who suggested to have a walk: “Okay, let’s go.”
They went back inside the house to take a bow and arrows. With Ning Meng Yao holding a basket, the two walked up the mountain together.
On the way, Ning Meng Yao plucked whatever she desired while Qiao Tian Chang hunted for prey. By the end of the day, they had a lot to carry home.
Ning Meng Yao’s basket contained a lot of wild vegetables and some common wild fruits. Qiao Tian Chang hunted a lot of pheasants, hares and deer.
When it was getting late, the two went down the mountain. When they came to the foot of the mountain, they saw a beautiful carriage at their gate.
They exchanged glances as they walked over with doubt in their eyes. Who can it be? Is it Xiao Qi Tian?
No, that isn’t right. He always rode on a horse when he comes over, not a carriage like this.
With some misgivings, they walked into the courtyard. When they entered the gate, they spotted Yang Cui standing there in a silk satin gown. Qing Xue and the other servants seemed angry.
When Yang Cui saw Ning Meng Yao coming over, her expression changed instantly, especially when she saw Qiao Tian Chang. There was a murderous intent in her eyes.
“What are you doing here again?” Ning Meng Yao asked impatiently.
Yang Cui sneered aloud: “Ning Meng Yao, I’m now married to the county official’s son. Don’t you dare to talk back so simply.”
Ning Meng Yao raised her eyebrows: “Are you? Well then, congratulations.” Her monotonous voice annoyed Yang Cui: Why doesn’t she care at all?
“If I recall correctly, his wife is the daughter of the prefectural magistrate.” Qiao Tian Chang stood at the side and said.
Ning Meng Yao was slightly surprised: “So that means you’re a concubine?”
The word ‘concubine’ was a shameful word for Yang Cui. She was able to marry the official’s son was because his wife was pregnant, and Yang Cui was a pretty woman with no special background. Although her brother was a scholar, there was no improvement as of yet.
People like Yang Cui were easier to be controlled by the official and his wife.
However, Yang Cui and her family felt that it was something to be proud of because Yang Cui had become such a powerful person’s concubine, and not a concubine to some ordinary person.
Even the people in the village that knew who she was married to felt envious of her. Of course, that was only in Yang Cui’s perspective.
There was a saying: One would rather be the wife of a poor man than becoming the concubine of a rich man. For some people, marrying a wealthy person and becoming his concubine was somewhat a good thing to do. However, not everyone had the same opinion. Many still believe that marrying a rich man and becoming his concubine wasn’t a good thing at all. After all, as a concubine, she could be punished, beaten, or even sold away to other people any time.
If the rich man’s wife favoured the concubine, it wouldn’t be a problem. However, if it was the opposite, the concubine would only be targeted then it would be a big trouble.
“Are you jealous of me?”
Ning Meng Yao looked at Yang Cui funnyly. The person whom Ning Meng Yao was engaged to was a general. Although Qiao Tian Chang didn’t want to go back, compared to a seventh-ranked official, a general who could easily get rid of such a troublemaker. Yet, Yang Cui thought it was a good idea to come over here to show off? And even asked if Ning Meng Yao envied her? Was there something wrong with her head? How could she say such nonsense?
“There really is a problem with your head.” Ning Meng Yao shook her head and sighed pitifully.
“You’re really bold. How daring of you to speak rudely to our master’s concubine.”
Ning Meng Yao’s mouth twitched a little. Where was this other idiot came from?
Yang Cui disliked that word. For her to say that taboo word, was she certain that Yang Cui wouldn’t sell her away?
Sure enough, Yang Cui’s face turned dark because of what that servant said. But hey, that color looked really good on her.
Ning Meng Yao clicked her tongue twice and ignored Yang Cui: “Tian Chang, let’s go in, I’ll cook some delicious food for you.”
“Sounds good.” Qiao Tian Chang didn’t want to stay and watch Yang Cui’s ghost-like face, so he followed Ning Meng Yao into the house.
