Ye Haoxuan said he wanted to take her as his wife, not as a concubine or a chambermaid like those from big families.
Because she heard her father say that the Ye Family has a rule: men of the Ye Family canât take concubines, so what he meant must be a formal marriage.
Unfortunately, a merchant and a nobleman, such a huge gap!
"You..." Ye Haoxuan almost turned green with anger upon hearing this. He tapped her forehead with his finger, "In all my life, itâs always been women throwing themselves at me, never been rejected like this before, youâre something else."
He walked a few steps away, then came back, "What right does a woman whoâs been to a brothel have to despise a man who goes to brothels?"
Ye Haoxuan, being smart, always carried some pride since he was young, and the rare moment he lowered his head, he got rejected?
Feeling a bit humiliated, he left in a huff.
Yet, he wasnât cold-hearted; after walking away for a bit, he thought about the dark night and came back again. Seeing she was still standing there, he said irritably, "Not leaving yet? Planning to stay here overnight?"
Li Luru blinked her eyes. She thought, given this manâs usual petty nature, he wouldnât talk to her anymore and might even make her leave. She didnât expect him to return.
But thinking carefully, he just has a sharp tongue; everything else about him is great, really great!
"Ye Haoxuan, youâre the best man Iâve ever met!" Li Luru said with a cheeky smile, "Youâll definitely find the most wonderful girl. As for me, Iâm too ordinary and donât match up to you."
"Good that you know you donât match up. Since Iâm such a great person, and I fancy you, you should have some self-awareness and throw yourself into my arms immediately."
Li Luru had black lines all over her face, gripping and relaxing her hands, taking deep breaths, thinking she shouldnât argue with a pig.
"My lord, youâre back! Iâve set up a tent for you, you can make do for the night." Upon seeing the two return, Xiaoyuanzhi immediately approached with a smile.
"You even got a tent?" Li Luru widened her eyes, "Xiaoyuanzhi, youâre something, managing to get a tent in such a short time?"
"Of course!" Xiaoyuanzhi said proudly, patting his chest, "We canât let our lord be wronged no matter where we are."
But Ye Haoxuan wasnât impressed, "Unnecessary! The injured have no tents to stay in, yet here I am, a perfectly healthy person, staying in a tent. Are you suggesting the crown on my head is too secure for comfort?"
At this, Xiaoyuanzhiâs face turned pale instantly. He had completely forgotten these things.
"Iâll remove the tent immediately."
"Itâs already set up, so why take it down?" Ye Haoxuan glanced at him and then told Li Luru, "Youâll sleep in the tent tonight."
"I wonât either; Iâm not injured." Li Luru quickly waved her hands and said.
"I said youâre staying, so you stay. Why so many words?"
"But..."
Ye Haoxuan stepped forward, lowered his head, and whispered in her ear, "Li Luru, itâs just sleeping in a tent. Itâs not like Iâll make you responsible for me just because you sleep in it. What are you afraid of?"
"Nonsense, whoâs afraid?"
"Hmph!"
At dawn, Li Luru woke up to the sound of commotion.
Stepping out of the tent, she saw many more soldiers outside. Some were carrying the wounded, some were setting up tents, and others were carrying rice and flour.
Looking more carefully, there were also doctors with medical kits.
Scanning the area, she didnât see Ye Haoxuan.
"Miss Li, youâre awake?"
"Xiaoyuanzhi, whereâs your master?"
"Master and San have gone out of town. People returning from the prefecture said that besides Liyang County, there were earthquakes in several towns too, and master went over to oversee the rescue efforts."