Strange Man

　　Feng Yu Heng did not know who Xuan Fei Yu was talking about with this strange man. There were many guests, and it was hard to prevent someone from leaving the front yard to walk to the other parts of the manor. This could also be considered normal. But if a strange man appeared outside of the bride’s courtyard, that was a little hard to explain.

　　At this time, the rain had already stopped. She handed the two children off to Qin shi then advised the two children to not run around anymore. Only then did she stand up, bringing Wang Chuan and Huang Quan away.

　　The current Yao manor, formerly Feng manor, was a place that she could not be more familiar with. Yao Shu currently lived in the courtyard that Feng Zi Hao had lived in. Speaking of, it was quite far away from the front yard.

　　The three walked in that direction; however, the two maidservants did not know what their young miss was planning.

　　At the same time, the strange man that Xuan Fei Yu had described was indeed outside of the newlyweds’ courtyard. He was currently dealing with two maidservants, with one of them saying: “The guests that have come to celebrate should head to the front yard!”

　　It was very clear that this person had been here for a long time. It was such that the patient servants of the Yao family began to feel irritated. Most importantly, it was unacceptable. A man coming to the courtyard of a newlywed bride and insisting on seeing her, what sort of situation was this?

　　The man listened to the advice of the maidservant but was unwilling to give up, continuing to plead: “Just let me see her once. I really have something that I need to talk to her about.”

　　“You can’t, you can’t.” The two servants were very resolute, and they even called for more people to firmly block the entrance.

　　The ruckus outside disturbed the newlyweds inside the room. Lu Yao, who had been seated on the bridal bed, suddenly lifted her veil with a look of terror.

　　The people inside her room were two maidservants and a wet nurse that had come with her. Seeing that their young miss had become disoriented, they quickly went to comfort her. The wet nurse fixed the veil and urgently said: “Young miss! Today is the day of your wedding. The veil must not be touched. You must wait until the bridegroom has returned at night, when the veil will be lifted.”

　　How could Lu Yao be willing to listen to such a thing at this time. Her face paled from fear, as she grabbed the wet nurse’s hand and asked with a trembling voice: “Did you hear that? Was it him that came? Huh? Was it him that came?”

　　Her voice was filled with extreme fear. The wet nurse was now on the older side, and her hearing was no longer as sensitive. For a while, she did not know what had happened and had a look of confusion on her face.

　　As for one of the maidservants to the side, she said: “It seems that there is a voice from the outside, and… it’s a man’s voice.”

　　Just these words caused the wet nurse to seem to have recalled something frightening, as she nearly leaped up in shock. Lu Yao urgently said at this time: “It’s him! It’s definitely him! My hearing is definitely not wrong. Wet nurse, what should we do? What should I do?”

　　The wet nurse was a bit panicked, but she was still a bit steadier than Lu Yao. While consoling Lu Yao, she said to the two servants: “Quickly go outside and take a look at who exactly is causing a fuss.”

　　The two servants trotted outside. When they returned, their expressions also showed horror. One of them said: “Young miss, young miss was right. It really is him. He came!”

　　Lu Yao opened her mouth in shock, “How is that possible? Why would he come? Didn’t father send him out of province? Wasn’t it said that he could never return? Why did he suddenly appear here?”

　　The three servants did not know what they should say. The wet nurse thought for a while then gritted her teeth and said: “Since he has come, we need to think of something to deal with him. How about… young miss goes to see him?”

　　“I will not!” Lu Yao shrieked: “Wet nurse, have you gone crazy? You actually want me to see him?”

　　The wet nurse quickly said: “Young miss, hear this servant out. At a time like this, trivializing it is the smartest move. We are all clear on his conduct. Now that he’s caused a stir outside for such a long time, it’s clear that he has no intention of leaving without seeing young miss. But this place is the Yao family home, not the Lu family home. If things continue like this, and it’s noticed by even more people, that would be a big problem! Young miss, how about seeing him and saying a few words to send him away first. Later on, this servant will think of a way to contact the Lu manor and have master quickly send someone to take care of this matter.”

　　One of the servants also said: “That’s right. Young miss, the most pressing matter right now is to have him quickly leave. There are many people in the Yao manor today. If this is seen by others, it would be bad.”

　　The other servant also said: “That person has always spouted nonsense and dares to say anything. If young miss does not quickly send him away, I fear that things will escalate.”

　　Lu Yao also understood this reasoning, but she was currently a bride. Instead of sitting in her bridal chamber, she would be running outside to see a man. After all, there were still servants from the Yao family in the courtyard!

　　The wet nurse understood what she was thinking and quickly said: “Right now, there is nothing for us to fear. After all, his identity is what it is. It would be easy to explain if someone was to ask. Young miss, as long as his identity is clarified, it’s better than any other excuse.”

　　“Will it be fine?” Lu Yao was still a bit worried, but with the situation in its current state, she could not continue to remain hesitant. She gritted her teeth and stood up, but a look of hatred flashed through her eyes, unnoticed. “Forget it, I will go and see him. Follow behind me. You will need to take care of the following situation.”

　　Just as Lu Yao was about to go out, Feng Yu Heng’s group of three was about to arrive.

　　Huang Quan quietly gossipped with Wang Chuan: “Take a guess, who is that strange man?”

　　Although Wang Chuan did not enjoy gossiping as much as Huang Quan, she was also very curious and made a rough guess, saying: “An old friend?”

　　Before Huang Quan could react, Feng Yu Heng laughed, “There are plenty of old friends, but we need to see how close they were. That Lu family’s young miss marrying into the Yao family was something that I didn’t like, but eldest brother liked her, so there was nothing that I could do. After all, this is the Yao family, not the Feng family. There are some things that I can’t control even if I wanted to. But it would be best if that Lu Yao was more obedient and doesn’t come up with any wicked ideas. Otherwise, I will not forgive her.”

　　The two servants knew that their young miss was angry. After all, the Yao manor’s peaceful atmosphere was something that anyone that visited could enjoy. Upon thinking about how this great family was about to be disrupted by Lu Yao, who would not feel a bit bitter.

　　“We’re here.” Feng Yu Heng suddenly stopped and brought the two to the side. They happened to hide behind a piece of the landscape. “Look.” She reached out and pointed. The two followed and saw Lu Yao wearing her wedding dress and talking to a young man in a courtyard no more than 20 paces away. “Let’s move a little closer. Be careful.”

　　Feng Yu Heng led the way, moving a few steps closer. She only stopped once she was certain that she could hear.

　　Just as the three moved into position, they heard Lu Yao’s voice. It was a bit anxious: “Didn’t father send you out of the province? When did you get back?”

　　The man did not say anything and grabbed Lu Yao’s hand. This scared Lu Yao into trying to pull back; however, she could not break free. The man’s voice was a bit emotional, as he repeatedly said: “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, Yao’er. I shouldn’t have gone out of the province, but I never thought that the family would actually marry you out while I was away. Yao’er, I’m sorry. I should have rushed back a bit earlier.”

　　Lu Yao angrily stomped her foot, but she knew that she could not provoke him any further at a time like this, thus she quickly said: “What are you saying sorry for. There’s no need for that between us. There are many people here in the Yao manor today. You coming to the inner courtyard is truly inconvenient. Quickly go back and wait for me at home. When I visit home in three days, it will be easier for us to talk in the Lu manor.”

　　“But…”

　　“There aren’t that many buts.” Lu Yao cut him off, “Just do as I say and obediently wait for me at home. We have not seen each other in many months and should speak properly.”

　　“Yao’er.” The man was very unwilling, “I only left for a few months. How did you become someone else’s wife? Father clearly did not tell it to me like this! If I knew that it would be like this, I would not have left the capital even if I was beaten to death. Yao’er, this isn’t what you wanted, right?”

　　Lu Yao nodded, “Right, everything that you said was right, but nothing that we say at this point matters. You know that although I am the daughter of the first wife, I am not her biological daughter. That’s why I don’t have much standing in that manor. All of their thoughts are placed in third sister. That’s why I have no say in this marriage. Try and understand my position. If something goes wrong with the marriage today, father… father will beat me to death.”

　　The man was stunned. Who knew if he was frightened by what Lu Yao had said or what, as he did not make a sound for a long time.

　　After a long time, when everyone thought that the man would not say anything further and would be leaving, the man suddenly pulled Lu Yao into a tight embrace. He buried his face into her hair, and it looked as though he was holding a precious treasure.

　　Feng Yu Heng saw this and furrowed her brows tightly, as Huang Quan said from the side: “This Lu Yao really is not anything good. She actually had another man on the outside, and this man actually came to visit. Isn’t this looking down on the Yao family too much? What sort of teachings does the Lu family have? How could such a shameless daughter have been born?”

　　Wang Chuan was also very angry, saying: “Her marrying into the Yao manor is truly too much of a stain on the Yao manor, but…” As Wang Chuan spoke, a look of doubt appeared on her face.

　　At this time, Feng Yu Heng suddenly spoke; however, she said: “Don’t you two think that Lu Yao looks a bit like that man?”

　　Huang Quan was puzzled, “They’re a man and a woman. How could they possibly look similar?”

　　Wang Chuan shook her head, “They do. The area between their eyebrows is similar. Their facial features are also similar.”

　　“Hm?” Huang Quan heard this and looked carefully, but she could not really tell.

　　As for Wang Chuan, she began to wonder: “I heard that the left prime minister’s manor had an older son that was born from the same mother as Lu Yao. Over the past two years, he has been sent by lord Lu out of the province to handle some businesses. Could it be… that’s him?”

　　“Brother and sister?” Huang Quan was very shocked, but when she thought carefully about the conversation from earlier, she was able to connect the dots. Things had immediately become less dubious. She began to analyze on her own: “The elder brother has been away the entire time and did not know that his younger sister would be getting married today. Their mother passed away early, so their bond would naturally be profound. Knowing that his younger sister was getting married, he would naturally feel a little sorrowful. He wanted to come and speak a bit. This is… not blameless but forgivable.”

　　With this analysis, there was nothing really wrong.

　　At this time, Lu Yao said truthfully: “Eldest brother, our mother passed away long ago. You are Yao’er’s only direct relative. Eldest brother, just wait a few more days. When Yao’er visits home in three days, we will speak properly then.”

　　Huang Quan sighed, “These siblings really are quite pitiful.”

　　The play was watched until the point, and there was not much else to watch. On that side, Lu Yao and the man bid farewell. The man had already turned and left, while Lu Yao quickly returned to her own courtyard.

　　But Feng Yu Heng said at this time: “Why do I feel that there is something slightly off about those siblings?”