Chapter 266 - 265: Arrogance Is a Disease
The crowd was dense, making it hard for Xie Yunling to walk quickly.
The calls behind her grew closer, causing Xie Yunling to turn and head towards the lakeside.
There was a small bridge there, which served as a shortcut to the restaurant.
Tianshui instructed the servants to hold back Young General Wei, saying, "Delay him as much as possible, don’t let him catch up."
With that said, he hurried to chase after Xie Yunling.
There were so many people today. If anything happened to the young lady, he would have to apologize to Madam and Lord with his head!
Young General Wei was already in a bad mood, and now someone blocked his way, causing anger to rise instantly.
Given that the person was a servant from Duke Mansion, he did not act immediately.
Not to mention he wished to marry Xie Yunling; just for Xie Yunzhen’s life-saving grace, he wouldn’t easily start a conflict with those from Duke Mansion.
He looked grim.
"Get lost!"
After all, he was a general who had seen battle, and his aura was not to be underestimated.
The servant felt timid inside, forcing a smile, "Young General Wei, please don’t make things difficult for us."
"Am I making things difficult for you?"
Young General Wei laughed in anger, "I just want to say a few words to Miss Xie, yet you block me like this. Whose orders are you following?"
A moment ago, Xie Yunling hadn’t turned back even once; he saw this clearly.
So, this wasn’t her intention!
The servant didn’t know the internal rights and wrongs.
But their task was to delay time, so they had to fulfill their duty.
"Young General, if you have words you wish to convey to our young lady, we can do it for you."
Young General Wei was not patient; seeing Xie Yunling about to disappear, he no longer felt like quibbling with a few servants.
He stepped forward towards the direction Xie Yunling left.
The servants came to stop him, but he kicked one over, crashing onto a roadside stall.
The unexpected turn of events frightened surrounding people, causing cries of shock.
Hearing the sound, Xie Yunling turned back, only to see the fierce look of Young General Wei.
She couldn’t help but shiver.
This person was too scary; she had to stay far away!
She lifted her skirt and quickly walked onto the small bridge.
The two servants were no match for Young General Wei; they were dealt with in just a couple of moves.
His powerful presence was too intimidating, and the passersby dared not provoke him. Unconsciously, they stood to the side, creating a small path for him.
In just a blink of an eye, Young General Wei caught up to Xie Yunling.
"I have words to speak with you."
Xie Yunling hid behind Tianshui, "Speak nicely."
Faced with her fearful gaze, Young General Wei stopped in place, awkwardly rubbing his hands.
"I usually don’t hit people."
Xie Yunling didn’t believe these words.
Her brother and Sister Mingzhu didn’t like Young General Wei, indicating he was not a good person!
Clearing her throat, she said, "If Young General has something to say to me, make it short; I have urgent matters and cannot be delayed for too long."
Having seen Xie Yunling a moment ago, without thinking, he called out to her.
He rushed to her, meeting her now, prepared to listen, yet Young General Wei found he didn’t know what to say.
There wasn’t any friendship between them. The victory banquet was, strictly speaking, their first meeting.
Young General Wei’s eyes showed a moment of confusion.
No friendship, no bonds; what could he say to Xie Yunling?
"If Young General has nothing pressing, Yun Ling will take her leave."
For some reason, Xie Yunling felt a bit scared of the person before her.
Perhaps because his skills were impressive and her servants couldn’t handle him, she felt uneasy inside.
Or perhaps it was his reckless behavior, unpredictable in his next moves, that caused anxiety.
"Wait."
Xie Yunling was about to leave when Young General Wei instinctively stepped forward but was blocked by Tianshui.
"Young General, there are distinctions between genders. You now have an engagement. If someone sees you associating with our young lady, it might invite unnecessary trouble."
Young General Wei wanted to discuss precisely this matter.
"I have never met Zhao Yuqing, and the imperial decree for the marriage wasn’t solicited by me. I also do not like her."
Xie Yunling didn’t care about who he liked; these matters had nothing to do with her.
She nodded perfunctorily, "The matter of marriage has always been the command of one’s parents and the words of a matchmaker. Being granted a marriage by the Emperor is the highest honor. I suppose that Miss Zhao is an excellent lady; otherwise, the Emperor would not have bestowed her to Young General."
Young General Wei never expected, someday, to marry a wife who truly understood him.
The day at the Golden Hall, requesting to marry Xie Yunling, was also for his sister, not wanting her to be embarrassed.
The words were already out. Although no conclusion was reached that day, he did ponder marrying Xie Yunling.
Recently, he dispatched people to inquire about her.
Thinking that next time they met, they could have something to say.
The more he learned, the more Young General Wei felt Xie Yunling was a good lady.
She was pure-hearted, kind to others.
She didn’t boast outside, nor compete, nor clash with others.
Compared to certain noble ladies, full of schemes, dreaming of marrying high, she lived genuinely and simply.
To fall for Xie Yunling was actually quite easy.
"Miss Xie, my words from that day still count. If you’re willing to marry me, I will enter the palace to ask the Emperor to retract the order."
Xie Yunling felt this person was somewhat crazy.
"Defying an imperial decree can lead to execution!"
Young General Wei smirked, "No problem, my family likely won’t let me die. My sister is even the Empress; at worst, I’ll just get beaten."
He spoke casually, but Xie Yunling felt terrified hearing it.
The world was harsh on women.
If Young General Wei’s words were spread, she didn’t know if he would be affected,
but her reputation would surely suffer.
Xie Yunling reminded again, "Young General, you are already engaged. We have no possibility. Please don’t say these words again."
After speaking, she added, "That Miss Zhao is innocent. Have you considered what she might face with one withdrawal from you?"
Lightly, mocked, struggling for marriage in the capital.
Harshly, no place to stand, abandoned by her family.
Without protection, where could the unsupported woman go?
How should she live?
Perhaps due to the impending engagement, Xie Yunling subconsciously placed herself in Zhao Yuqing’s position.
If her fiancé desired to marry someone else, ignoring everything to annul the engagement, she’d surely be furious.
"Young General, if you truly wish to annul the engagement, perhaps you should ask Miss Zhao’s opinion first. Maybe... she doesn’t wish to marry you either."
Young General Wei was taken aback by her words.
The Zhao family had no footing in the capital; how could Zhao Yuqing be unwilling?
Seeing Young General Wei’s expression, Xie Yunling knew what he was thinking.
At the same time, she remembered when Xie Yunzhen returned from battle, meeting Ji Mingzhu’s reaction in the mansion.
At that time, her elder brother also thought Sister Mingzhu wanted to marry high.
Always with a cold face, nose wasn’t a nose, eyes weren’t eyes.
These men, all with this flaw!
Xie Yunling snorted, "Arrogance is a sickness, Young General should change sooner rather than later, so as not to make a fool of yourself."