After the wrong flirtation, I became the villain's favorite

The unexpected events in Yunjing had not yet reached Chenjun.

Everything here is still the same. The young men in the clan school are studying hard to prepare for the imperial examination next spring, and the ladies are busy preparing for the New Year.

The Xie Mansion of Chen County is located at the foot of Yunwu Mountain. It stretches over almost half of the mountain, with pavilions, towers, and beautiful buildings. The Linfeng Pavilion on the top of the mountain overlooks the entire Chen County.

Xie Yunji was recuperating here in Linfeng Pavilion. Servants would bring him food at fixed times every day. No one disturbed him on weekdays and it was very quiet.

There is a lake on the top of the mountain. Looking out from the window of the room where he and Song Nihuan live, you can see the morning light, the shadows of the trees, the rippling water on the lake, and a thin mist in the morning. It is so beautiful that it seems out of this world.

Xie Yunji ordered people to build a thatched pavilion by the lake, which was full of wild fun. The two of them seemed to have a lot of time to waste. They watched the snow and played chess under the pavilion. She read the latest storybook, and he read the notes passed down from generation to generation in the clan school.

Xie Yunji sometimes thought, what if he stayed in Chen County, how nice it would be to live a carefree life like this. The Xie family was full of talented people, and he had pursued many powerful officials, but there were more lyricists and poets who had made great achievements in the literary world. He indulged himself in the mountains and rivers, and had plenty of time to waste.

Why did he think this was boring and uninteresting in the past?

My eyelids gradually became heavy...

Song Nihuan put down the book in her hand and looked at Xie Yunji. The purple gold heater in his hand was emitting steam. He was leaning against the pillar of the thatched pavilion with a relaxed look on his face as he took a nap. Outside the pavilion, snow was falling lightly and a few larger snowflakes fell on his face.

With a figure as beautiful as ice and snow and a deity-like appearance, she looks good everywhere.

The servant boy who was serving on the side was also stunned. The servant boy had served Xie Yunji many years ago and had watched the young master grow up. Later, the young master went to Yunjing. The delicate and pretty child grew into a young man, and he never returned to Chen County after he came of age.

Now the servant has become the butler. I haven't seen him for many years, but the young master's appearance has not changed much. He is as handsome and elegant as ever.

But the mature demeanor he possesses is totally different from the young boy he once was.

Quiet and reserved, like a painting when eyes closed.

The dazzling light that appears when you open your eyes makes you dare not look directly at it.

Mr. Xie of Yaguan Yunjing is worthy of being the helmsman of this generation of Xie family.

Song Nihuan motioned the housekeeper to bring a blanket over, leaned over and gently covered him with it. There was no wind in the mountains, and the pavilion was heated by a stove, so it was not cold, and it was more ventilated than a room with a floor heater.

Ever since he blocked the knife for her on that rainy night, he seemed to have become less energetic. He would often fall asleep suddenly, and would get a headache after reading the official documents sent by Yun Jing for a long time.

Song Nihuan made a "hush" gesture with her lips, signaling the housekeeper to walk to the side with her. She wanted to ask about Xie Yunji's past.

The housekeeper had a very good impression of Madam Xie. This girl did not have the arrogance and aloofness of a lady from an aristocratic family, nor did she have an obvious sense of class towards servants.

During the days when Xie Yunji was in a coma, she stayed by his bedside without taking off her clothes, which was not the usual way of couples in high-class families just pretending to be friends.

The butler was nearly forty years old, had come into contact with a wide range of people, and had rich experience. He could tell that the concern and worry for Xie Yunji in the young lady's eyes came from the heart.

It is from a wife to her husband, and there is no hypocrisy.

Anyone who faces such a beautiful and unpretentious woman, and asks such a sincere question, will not be able to refuse her.

"When the young master was a child, he lived with his wife in the Xie Mansion in Chen County." said the housekeeper.

Song Nihuan knew that the lady the housekeeper was referring to should be the princess, Xie Yunji's mother, Princess Qinghe.

But why did the princess come to live in Chen County? Why didn’t she stay in Yunjing?

"Madam is kind and the young master is sensible. Madam does not ask the wet nurse or old woman to take care of the young master, she does everything herself." The butler's face was filled with a gentle glow as he recalled the past.

"When did my husband return to Yunjing? Has he been living here with the princess all this time?" she asked.

"The young master returned to Yunjing when he was six years old." The housekeeper recalled carefully, frowning, obviously thinking of some bad memories, "Since then, the young master did not come back to worship the ancestors again until he was eleven years old. Alas, the young master was the only one who came back that time, and the lady had already passed away."

Song Nihuan always had something on her mind. The Second Prince once said that she and Xie Tan were a couple, and Xie Yunji was seeking revenge on Xie Tan...When she thought of this, she felt heavy in her heart.

She had thought about her experiences with Xie Tan, and combined with his actions, it was indeed suspicious. But she couldn't remember what she had experienced with him, so she asked someone else.

Combining what Butler Liu had just said with what Shuanghua had told her, she lowered her eyes and integrated the information in her mind.

The year when Xie Yunji came to Chenjun from Yunjing when he was young should be the same year that Xie Tan's mother entered the Xie Mansion. The princess could not bear the humiliation and simply ran away from Chenjun with her child.

The year Xie Yunji returned to Chen County was the year his mother passed away.

He was very relaxed during these days in Chenjun. This relaxation was different from usual. It was a natural sense of closeness and relaxation towards his hometown.

The time he spent here with his mother must have been very happy and warm memories, so much so that when he was injured, he returned here to recuperate.

But she wanted to know more than that. In the Xie Mansion in Yunjing, everyone was very secretive about Xie Tan. It would be extremely difficult for her to find out something. It would be better for her to ask the people in Chen County, who are simple and honest and not so sensitive, so she could get more information from them.

"Uncle Liu, do you have any impression of the Second Young Master? Has he ever returned to Chen County? Why are there rumors that my husband treats the Second Young Master harshly..." She asked straight to the point, narrowing her eyes and smiling, "My husband is very kind to the Second Young Master. I really don't know why there are such rumors. I want to ask Uncle Liu if you know anything?"

"Of course our master is kind, how could he be so harsh to that kid?" The housekeeper was indignant and didn't care about the hierarchy. "The master is just too good, even if he didn't do anything wrong, it became a mistake. Who has nothing better to do than to use that kid to tease the master! Our master is of high birth, and being able to call him a brother is already a compliment to him!"

The butler vented his dissatisfaction and sighed deeply.

Song Nihuan's heart was slightly moved. This sigh meant that she had found the right person. He must know the grudge between Xie Yunji and Xie Tan.

"The master was well-known for favoring concubines over wives." The housekeeper's voice was full of helplessness. "Mrs. Lan was married to the emperor after the master supervised the rebellion of the eunuchs. She was originally a co-wife, but later she became a concubine for some reason. But the master loves and respects Mrs. Lan very much."

"Fortunately, Aunt Lan was short-lived and could not bear such a great blessing. She passed away early and left behind a son."

"Then the princess passed away suddenly. The young master was only ten years old. He returned to Chen County and didn't say a word for several days. I felt sad when I saw him. But the young master was too sensible. He recovered in a few days as if nothing had happened. But he rarely came back since then."

"The second young master also came back once. That kid..." the housekeeper hesitated, looked at Song Nihuan's face again, and chose his words carefully, "He is difficult to get along with. He hides behind people and doesn't like to see people. During the ancestral worship, the young master had to go to the back row to bring him over. He knelt with the young master at the front of the ancestral temple and lit the first incense stick."

The housekeeper said firmly: "The young master is upright and will never treat Xie Tan harshly!"