Chapter Ninety-Two: Meeting an Outside Man — Coincidence or Deliberate Design?

Normally, when a mistress of the house is receiving female guests, any male caller who comes to request an audience should be kept at a distance. Matters of propriety between men and women made such caution necessary, all the more so when the ladies present included young girls of just the right age to be spoken for in marriage.

As the matriarch of the Marquis household, Madam Gu was the mistress of the entire residence. If she did not understand such rules, then she would truly be foolish.

Song Ruqi and the others were already preparing to withdraw behind the screen, but Madam Gu’s next words froze them in place.

“Cerr is here. Let him come in,” she said with a cheerful smile, still holding Song Ruqi’s hand. “Cerr is my nephew from my mother’s family, and thus Nings daughter’s own cousin. He is no outsider. There is no harm in your meeting him.”

Song Ruqi’s face turned green, while Song Ruwei looked at Madam Gu in surprise, then quickly lowered her head, wondering what Madam Gu could possibly mean.

Even the smile on Gu Ruoning’s face stiffened. Her fingers curled slightly into a fist, and irritation rose in her heart.

Had her mother gone out of her mind?

With Madam Gu saying such a thing, and her hand still being held, Song Ruqi could hardly leave. She could only step aside, with Song Ruwei hastily following at her side.

At Madam Gu’s command, the curtain was lifted, and in came a handsome youth of no more than sixteen or seventeen years. Tall and slender, with a face as fair as if dusted in powder, he wore a dark blue long robe and a golden crown set with rubies.

“Your nephew greets Aunt,” said the youth, Luo Cheng, cupping his hands and bowing to Madam Gu.

Madam Gu smiled and raised a hand. “No need for such ceremony, Cheng. What brings you here?”

“I came across a few problems I could not quite work through, so I thought I would come and discuss them with Cousin Ziran. While I was at it, I also brought a birthday gift for Cousin Ruoning,” Luo Cheng replied with a smile.

Madam Gu said, “Then your timing is perfect. Your cousin is here as well. Ruoning, why are you not thanking your cousin yet?”

Gu Ruoning stepped forward and curtsied to Luo Cheng. “Ruoning thanks Cousin for his generosity.”

“There is no need for such politeness, Cousin,” Luo Cheng said, bowing in return. When he straightened, his gaze swept past her and landed briefly on Song Ruqi’s face.

Song Ruqi had been looking down. Now, startled, she raised her head and met Luo Cheng’s eyes. Seeing his bright, star-like gaze and handsome features, she could not help but flush deeply, though a trace of embarrassment and annoyance followed close behind. What a shameless man.

Madam Gu appeared to glance over casually, her eyes flashing with an inscrutable light.

“I did not realize there were two other young ladies here with Aunt,” Luo Cheng said, his tone becoming deliberately regretful as he looked at Madam Gu. “It was rude of me to come so abruptly.”

Madam Gu replied, “These are Ruoning’s cousins, young ladies of the Song family, the second and third daughters.”

“Greetings to both Miss Song,” Luo Cheng said, cupping his hands again toward Song Ruqi and Song Ruwei.

His tone carried a faint, sour edge.

Bound by etiquette, the two Song girls returned the salute.

Seeing their cool response, Luo Cheng frowned slightly, then said, “Aunt, I shall go and find Cousin Ziran now.”

“All right, all right, go on,” she said.

Luo Cheng bowed once more. Before leaving, he glanced quickly at Song Ruqi again, admiration shining in his eyes.

Song Ruqi had already regained her composure. Feeling that gaze, her delicate brows drew together, yet beneath that was a faint stir of pride and satisfaction.

After Luo Cheng left, Madam Gu sent them off to play with the other young ladies. Gu Ruoning promptly led Song Ruqi away.

Once they were gone, Madam Gu’s wet nurse, Mother Luo, stepped forward and asked in a low voice, “Madam, will doing this displease the Eldest Young Madam?”

Madam Gu said, “What harm is there? It was merely an accidental encounter, and I was present all the while.”

Mother Luo: “...”

The issue was not whether you were present. It was that if you had any sense of propriety at all, you would never have let the young ladies bump into him like that in the first place.