Married to a Villainous Minister - Chapter 109

Just as Yu Jiao stepped out the gate, she spotted Chen Rou standing under the eaves outside the Yu family courtyard, holding an umbrella. A young woman stood beside her, and together they handed a food box to the two He family servants stationed at the entrance.

Yu Jiao’s gaze flickered with understanding, so these past few days, the He family guards had been eating food purchased from the Chen family.

The more talkative of the two He family servants caught sight of her and greeted her with a friendly smile. “Miss Meng, heading out?”

Yu Jiao nodded. “I’m going to the mountain to gather herbs.”

Thanks to the coachman from yesterday giving them a heads-up, the gatekeepers treated Yu Jiao with respect and had no intention of stopping her. One of them smiled warmly and said, “It’s raining hard today. The mountain paths must be treacherous. Be careful, Miss Meng.”

Yu Jiao thanked him, opened her umbrella, and was about to head down the mountain path when Chen Rou suddenly called out to her, speaking in a gentle voice, “Miss Meng, it’s dangerous to go up the mountain in such heavy rain. It’s best not to go alone, especially as a young woman.”

Yu Jiao stopped and turned to look at her. “Thank you for your concern, Miss Chen. I’ll be fine.”

Chen Rou’s delicate face was filled with sympathy. “You should at least have a man accompany you. What if something happens in the mountains? You’d have no one to help you.”

Yu Jiao smiled lightly, her almond-shaped eyes narrowing slightly as she looked Chen Rou directly in the eye without saying a word.

Chen Rou, under her gaze, started to falter. That expression of pity she wore was getting harder to maintain. She pursed her lips and added softly, “How is Zhe-ge’er’s health? How could he let you go to the mountain alone?”

Yu Jiao arched a brow slightly. The tiny red mole near her temple made her delicate features seem even more vivid. Her tone was half-smiling as she replied, “Fifth Brother’s health just needs a bit more time to fully recover. If you’re still thinking about him, Miss Chen, once he’s better, you’re more than welcome to marry into the Yu family.”

Chen Rou’s face went pale. Her expression stiffened. “Miss Meng, you misunderstand. I have nothing to do with Zhe-ge’er anymore. I was just concerned for his health. There’s no need to say such things.”

The girl beside Chen Rou, seeing her look so aggrieved, snapped angrily, “What nonsense are you spouting? My sister Rou is already engaged to a scholar from town, no less! You live in the same village, and she merely asked about Yu Qizhe’s health. Don’t twist things!”

Her pride in mentioning Chen Rou’s fiance, a town scholar, was plain as day. The implication that Yu Qizhe was inferior to that scholar was barely concealed.

Yu Jiao remained calm and unbothered. “So Miss Chen is already engaged. In that case, you really shouldn’t be calling other men so intimately by name, it’s easy to cause misunderstandings.”

Chen Rou’s expression turned even more awkward. She furrowed her brows, eyes brimming with tears. “I was being thoughtless. Miss Meng, please don’t take offense. I won’t do it again.”

“You’ve gone too far!” snapped Chen Ying, Chen Rou’s younger cousin. “My sister Rou and Yu Qizhe grew up together. What’s wrong with her calling him Zhe-ge’er? She’s always called him that! You’re just bullying her because she’s too kind to talk back!”

Yu Jiao’s lips twitched slightly. Looking at Chen Rou’s pitiful expression, tears welling up, she couldn’t help but wonder, ‘What exactly did I say to deserve this level of melodrama?’ Judging from how these two girls were reacting, one would think she’d just slapped them in public.

Staring at Chen Rou’s theatrical show of gentleness, Yu Jiao shook her head and muttered to herself, ‘Tsk tsk… Yu Qizhe’s past taste in women was truly disappointing. What did he ever see in someone like this?’

With nothing more worth saying, Yu Jiao ignored the pair and stepped into the rainy mist, umbrella in hand.

The two He family gatekeepers, who had silently observed the entire exchange, looked on with great interest. ‘That Miss Meng isn’t just a skilled doctor, she’s got quite the sharp tongue too.’ They inwardly admired her as they watched the two younger girls nearly cry from frustration.

Inside the gate, Yu Qizhe, who had overheard everything along with the guards, couldn’t help but feel a flicker of delight. ‘She doesn’t want Chen Rou calling me “Zhe-ge’er,” could it be that she feels the same way I do about her being too close with Zhizhou or Jinyan?’

After a while, when no more conversation could be heard, Chen Ying’s voice rang out, “Sister Rou, you’re just too soft-hearted. If it were me, I’d have made her pay! You’re not still hung up on Yu Qizhe, are you?” 

“He was born sick, he’ll never get better. Don’t believe a word that Meng Yujiao says. She’s just trying to fool you! Once you marry Scholar Li, you’ll be the wife of a scholar. Meng Yujiao won’t even be qualified to carry your shoes. How could she ever compare to you?”

Chen Rou shook her head. “Enough. What Miss Meng said was reasonable. I’m already engaged. I shouldn’t call him Zhe-ge’er anymore.”

As soon as her words fell, the courtyard gate opened and out walked Yu Qizhe. Hearing the sound, Chen Rou and Chen Ying, who had been about to leave, paused and turned around.

When she saw it was Yu Qizhe, Chen Ying immediately shouted, “Perfect timing! That so-called lucky bride of yours just bullied my sister Rou and even told her not to call you Zhe-ge’er anymore. She nearly made her cry! You have to stand up for her!”

Chen Rou tilted her delicate face slightly upward, almond-shaped eyes shimmering with tears. She looked at Yu Qizhe with a sorrowful expression. “Chen Ying, don’t exaggerate. Zhe-ge’er…”

She paused, as if suddenly realizing she shouldn’t say those three syllables, and forced a bitter smile. “Don’t listen to Chen Ying. Miss Meng meant well. I really shouldn’t call you that anymore.”

Throughout their exchange, Yu Qizhe’s face remained expressionless. Once Chen Rou finished, he gave her a cold glance. His peach blossom eyes were filled with disinterest.

“I’m married, and you’re engaged. What Yu Jiao said wasn’t wrong. She was simply offering a kind reminder. How is that bullying?”

The moment he spoke, Chen Rou’s face turned even paler, unable to believe what she was hearing. Even Chen Ying was stunned. ‘Didn’t Yu Qizhe used to like Sister Rou? How could he say something like that now?’

Chen Rou’s eyes were full of sorrow. From his words, it was clear he had heard everything she and her cousin had said to Yu Jiao. She closed her eyes and murmured, “You’re right, Zhe… Yu Qizhe. Miss Meng did nothing wrong. It was our fault.”

Yu Qizhe glanced down the mountain. He could barely make out Yu Jiao’s figure fading into the rain. Then, in a calm voice, he said to Chen Rou, “Don’t call me Zhe-ge’er anymore. She wouldn’t like it.”

With that, he turned and strode off in Yu Jiao’s direction. After a few steps, he halted and looked back at the two girls, his voice turning icy.

“There’s no one in this world worthy of having Yu Jiao carry their shoes. Not even a mere scholar has that kind of face. And even as her husband, I couldn’t bear to let her do it. I don’t want to hear that kind of nonsense again.”