The Concubine Strikes Back: The Marquis Insists on Me to Be His Wife

Chapter 340 Hunting with Su Jinqi

The servants knocked on the windows impatiently early in the morning, shouting anxiously: "Miss, Miss, are you in there?"

Meng Zhiyuan had not slept all night. She opened the window exhausted, threw a gold ingot to each of the two servants, and warned them: "Don't meddle in other people's business, and don't complain to anyone. Just pretend that nothing happened. Do you understand?" As soon as she finished speaking, she quickly closed the window.

When the two servants saw the gold, their eyes lit up and they quickly bit it with their teeth to confirm that the gold was genuine. They immediately put the gold in their arms and thought to themselves: They would not be stupid enough to tell anyone about this! After all, this ingot of gold is enough for them to work hard in the Mengguo Mansion for a lifetime, and they may not be able to earn so much money! Besides, the young lady did not step out of the door.

Thinking of this, the two servants looked at each other and nodded knowingly, saying that they would never reveal a word about what happened last night. They knew that if they angered the young lady, they might even lose their job. Therefore, they decided to keep this secret secret deep in their hearts.

As the wedding day approaches, Duke Meng seems to have no intention of letting Meng Zhiyuan go out.

Meng Zhiyuan waited anxiously every day, hoping that Su Qing or someone else would come to rescue her.

However, Su Qing had no such intention. It was not that Su Qing was unwilling to lend a helping hand, but she really did not want to be involved in the complicated emotional entanglement between the three of them.

As for why General Su proposed to Meng Zhiyuan on behalf of Su Jinqi, Su Qing had no idea. Maybe it was just a political marriage, or maybe Su Jinqi really had a special liking for Meng Zhiyuan? Su Qing really didn't want to delve into the reasons. She didn't want to be involved in such a troublesome matter and be caught in a dilemma.

Li Shang took advantage of the night to fly over Meng Zhiyuan's roof again, but this time he did not go down to look for her like last time. Because he saw that there were still people guarding the front and back of the house, he realized that Meng Zhiyuan was still in confinement.

After returning to his residence, Li Shang sat at the desk with a heavy heart. He picked up the pen and wanted to write something, but then he felt that it was inappropriate, so he put the pen down. However, not long after, he picked up the pen again, but after hesitating for a moment, he put it down again. This repeated several times, and finally he made up his mind and wrote down what he thought in his heart.

The next day, Li Shang came to the gate of Jishitang as usual to take Li Yue home. Here, he met Su Qing.

"Madam Hou, would you allow me to ask you something?" Li Shang asked sincerely.

"Just say whatever you want to say." Su Qing thought Li Shang was going to ask about Meng Zhiyuan, but she guessed wrong. In fact, Li Shang had no intention of mentioning Meng Zhiyuan at all.

"Can I take a step to talk?"

"Okay, let's talk in the yard!"

After the two of them arrived at the courtyard, Su Qing was the first to break the silence: "Don't ask about Meng Zhiyuan anymore, and don't even think that I will call her out. Madam Meng has always been prejudiced against me, and I have no intention of intervening in the dispute between you. It's not that I don't want to help, nor am I afraid of the General's Mansion or biased towards them, but this marriage was ordered by the Emperor himself, who dares to act rashly? So I advise you to give up the idea as soon as possible!"

"I don't want to ask you about this, nor do I ask for your help. I just want to know, didn't Su Jinqi already have an engagement? Why did she suddenly decide to marry Meng Zhiyuan?"

"I am not very clear about this matter, I just heard some from my aunt. Su Jinqi did have a marriage before, and I am also very curious about it. I don't know why he suddenly changed his mind and turned to marry Meng Zhiyuan. I learned about this when Princess Shaohua mentioned it to me casually! Otherwise, I am afraid I would have no way of knowing. As for the general's mansion, I have no intention of going back. Even if I go back, it will only cause disputes. It's better to turn a blind eye to it so as not to be upset."

After hearing what Su Qing said, Li Shang knew that Su Qing really didn't want to help him. He didn't blame Su Qing. Helping was a favor, and not helping was a duty, both were normal.

"Okay, then I understand. I'm sorry to bother you, Madam Marquis. I'll take my leave first." After saying that, Li Shang left.

Su Qing looked at Li Shang's receding back, feeling mixed emotions. She was not a god, and even if she was, there would be things she couldn't do.

Li Shang wrote a letter yesterday to invite several staff members to go hunting together during their day off. One of the colleagues was very close to Su Jinqi and asked Li Shang if he could bring his best friend along. This was what Li Shang was waiting for, so he pretended to hesitate and agreed.

Three days later, in the morning, the sun was shining brightly and the breeze was blowing. Li Shang had a rare day off after finishing his busy work. He happily put on his exquisite riding clothes, equipped himself with a sharp bow and arrow, and went out.

When Li Shang arrived at the agreed location, he recognized Su Jinqi at a glance. Su Jinqi was different from the people around him. He grew up on horseback since he was a child, with a strong and sturdy figure, exuding a unique temperament.

At this time, a colleague came forward and introduced enthusiastically: "Come, Brother Li Shang, let me introduce you to this, this is the second son of the Great Protector of the Nation, General Su Jinqi. We are close friends who grew up together!"

Upon hearing this, Li Shang immediately saluted and said respectfully, "General Su, you are so polite! It is my honor to meet you."

The colleague then introduced: "Brother Jinqi, this is my colleague Li Shang in the Hanlin Academy. He is a talent that should not be underestimated!"

Su Jinqi returned the greeting with a smile, and said in a generous tone: "Brother Li Shang, you are welcome! I have heard of your talent for a long time, and today I see that it is indeed well-deserved."

Li Shang smiled modestly to express his gratitude for Su Jinqi's compliment.

Afterwards, Su Jinqi also clasped his fists towards Li Shang and addressed him affectionately, "Brother Li Shang."

After the two exchanged pleasantries, the colleague asked curiously, "You two were born in the same year, who is older?"

Su Jinqi looked at Li Shang with curiosity in his heart, and couldn't help but ask softly: "May I ask what month was Brother Li Shang born into this world?"

Li Shang smiled and replied, "I was born in the middle of spring."

Su Jinqi nodded slightly, a smile on his face: "So, brother Li Shang is older than me." After speaking, he patted the horse's back and urged: "There is no time to lose, let's get on the road as soon as possible to avoid being attacked by wild beasts after nightfall."

Li Shang nodded and said, "That's right, let's speed up and see who can reach the destination first."

After saying this, the two men simultaneously waved their whips and shouted, "Go!"

In an instant, several horses neighed and galloped out, and the sound of horse hooves echoed throughout the mountains and forests.

"drive!"

"drive!"

"drive!"

Accompanied by bursts of shouts, they galloped away like arrows and disappeared at the end of the road in the distance.