Chapter 230: The Lin Family Came to Plead

Lin Zhidong was filled with shock, his pupils shrank... Well, he couldn’t even shrink his pupils anymore.

In the face of mere mortals, the Body-Freezing Curse is indeed formidable.

Seeing Lin Zhidong suddenly freeze at Lu Zheng’s single word, Xiao Yuzhen was naturally taken aback.

"Lin Lang? Lin Lang!"

Xiao Yuzhen grabbed Lin Zhidong’s sleeve, urgently calling out twice, yet received no response.

"You, what did you do, who are you?!"

Xiao Yuzhen looked at Lu Zheng with a face full of panic, then quickly turned to Liu Qingyan, "Qing... Qingyan..."

Liu Qingyan nodded to Xiao Yuzhen, smiled gently and indicated it was alright, before turning to Lu Zheng, "Lu Lang."

"Hmm." Lu Zheng nodded, and then pointed at Lin Zhidong, "Release!"

"Hu——"

Lin Zhidong let out a long breath, then his body softened, almost kneeling down.

Fortunately, Xiao Yuzhen quickly supported Lin Zhidong, preventing him from embarrassing himself in public.

"You, you are..."

Lin Zhidong looked at Lu Zheng, disbelief in his eyes.

Lu Zheng smiled slightly, "We just want to wander around freely, would that be alright?"

"Sure! Sure!"

"Of course! Of course!"

...

Watching them hurriedly leave, Liu Qingyan shook her head somewhat, "This person is not a good match."

Lu Zheng laughed, "She was bragging so much in front of you, are you still concerned if she found a good match?"

"Yuzhen isn’t a bad person, she shared food with me as a child." Liu Qingyan said, "Although we had our differences later, I don’t wish her misfortune in the future."

"That’s quite difficult."

Lu Zheng shook his head, "The two families have already exchanged talismans, and the betrothal has been given, the wedding is set for winter."

"Yes indeed..."

Liu Qingyan said helplessly, "All we can hope is that Lin Zhidong doesn’t let Yuzhen down."

Lu Zheng chuckled softly.

...

The two wandered around Wanfu County all day, returning to the manor only in the late afternoon.

"Sister! Brother-in-law!"

"Cousin! Brother-in-law!"

Liu Qingquan was playing with Huangfu Shuang and Huangfu Lu, the two little foxes, in the courtyard.

Huangfu Shuang sniffed, her eyes suddenly lit up, "It smells so good! It’s marinated chicken!"

"You’re the one with the sharp nose!" Huangfu Lu bouncingly came over with a smile, "Why don’t we guess which shop in town it came from, and if you’re wrong, you have to give the one who’s right a chicken leg."

"Alright! Alright!" Huangfu Shuang nodded, "That’s settled then!"

Liu Qingquan shouted from the side, "I’m not joining, I’m not joining, the wings are mine anyway."

"Wings for you!"

"I bet it’s from the East City You Ji’s marinated chicken, his chickens are the fattest and biggest!"

"No, no, it must be Uncle Liu’s stall in the South City, his marinating juice is the most flavorful... slurp!"

Liu Qingyan:

Hey, when did I say you all could share it?

Seeing the three young girls quickly divide up the marinated chicken, Liu Qingyan directly took the wrapped package and ran inside, "Adding a dish to dinner tonight, everyone gets a share."

"No, no!" Huangfu Sisters chased Liu Qingyan inside.

On the other side, Liu Qingquan glanced around secretly, then looked at Lu Zheng, "Brother-in-law, do we still have snacks?"

Lu Zheng laughed, "There should be some pork jerky and chocolates left in the carriage, but remember to eat sparingly, otherwise there will be none left for the journey back."

"Alright, got it!" Liu Qingquan dashed off towards the back yard.

Actually, she knew there were treats in Lu Zheng’s carriage, but she certainly had to symbolically mention it to Lu Zheng, right?

...

At dinner, the atmosphere was joyous, Liu Qingyan sat on the left, Miss Xu on the right, surrounded by a full family, bringing a wide smile to the old lady’s face.

It was then during dinner that Lu Zheng learned Miss Xu’s name was Xu Yingyu, a well-mannered and graceful young lady from a distinguished family.

...

After dinner, Liu Qingyan and Xu Yingyu went off to share some private talks, as they would be returning to Tonglin County the next day.

Lu Zheng leisurely found a secluded corner, again crossed over and replenished the snack cabinet in the carriage with some supplies.

Upon returning, he overheard Liu Qingquan and the Huangfu sisters discussing when to invite them over to Tonglin County as guests.

"You know, Sister Shen’s Peach Blossom Plain is beautiful, Sister Xiaocui can also do carvings!"

"Brother-in-law often brings out lots of tasty things, like this milk candy, delicious isn’t it!"

"So good, so good!"

"Right, you haven’t even enjoyed the Fruit Orange and chocolates, they are delicious, I tell you, follow me and I promise you’ll eat and drink well!"

"Mhm, mhm!"

"Yes, yes!"

Lu Zheng: (°ー°〃)

Not wanting to interrupt the children, Lu Zheng quietly chose a different direction to walk.

Returning to the room, he found Liu Qingyan already back.

"Finished talking?" Lu Zheng asked, "I thought you two would have a lot to discuss."

"Finished." Liu Qingyan giggled, "There’s not that much to talk about, oh yes, I invited Yingyu to visit Tonglin County whenever she’s free."

"That’s great." Lu Zheng replied, "Wanfu County and Tonglin County belong to different provinces, but they aren’t far, so visiting is convenient."

Liu Qingyan’s eyes sparkled, "Yes, so there’ll be plenty of opportunities, I can’t interrupt cousin and sister-in-law’s rest, right..."

Lu Zheng raised an eyebrow and nodded seriously, "True, it’s late, we shouldn’t disturb their rest."

"So..." A flush appeared on Liu Qingyan’s face, "Does Lu Lang want to rest?"

"Of course!"

...

After resting the night, Lu Zheng found himself even more tired.

...

The next day morning, Lu Zheng got up and stretched.

"Light of Fortune! Consume!"

"Buzz!"

"Hmm." Lu Zheng nodded, feeling the summer sunlight and the surging Qi within, his mood was very pleasant.

...

"Qingyan, Lu Lang, a group has arrived at the front gate claiming they are here for you two."

Huangfu Ning suddenly appeared in the backyard, "They say they’re from the North City Lin Family and have come to plead."

"Plead?"

"What’s going on?"

Lu Zheng and Liu Qingyan looked at each other.

They met Lin Zhidong yesterday and cast a Body-Freezing Curse on him.

But wasn’t that lifted later on? There’s no reason to plead for something so fleeting.

"No idea." Huangfu Ning said, "Leading them is Lin Family’s eldest son Lin Zhijing, and he’s accompanied by a girl who claims to know Qingyan."

"Yuzhen?" Liu Qingyan said instinctively.

Lu Zheng furrowed his brow, "Let’s go see what’s happening."

Liu Qingyan nodded, and the two went together to the manor’s entrance.

At this moment, the entire Lin Family contingent was stopped outside the manor gates, with no entry into the courtyard permitted by the Huangfu Family.

It’s quite clear from their words earlier that Lin Zhidong had offended Lu Zheng.

Without knowing Lu Zheng’s exact disposition, the Huangfu Family certainly wouldn’t allow entry.

Arriving at the main doorway, Lu Zheng and Liu Qingyan saw the group carrying gifts, a young man resembling Lin Zhidong standing with furrowed brows, and Xiao Yuzhen already crying with swollen eyes.

"Qingyan! Lu... Young Master Lu!"

Seeing them emerge, Xiao Yuzhen immediately knelt on the ground, "Yesterday Lin Lang’s words unintentionally offended you, but they were for Yuzhen’s sake. I beg Young Master Lu to show mercy and spare Lin Lang!"