CHAPTER 533: 0318 THE MALICIOUS WOMAN WHO SOWS DISCORD (2-IN-1)

In the Flower Moon Building, a hundred flowers bloom, vibrant and colorful, with a subtle scent of rouge in the air, the girls are the most beautiful flowers.

The girls poked their heads out of the windows to watch Zhu Pingniang, who was hurriedly walking with her head down and her clothes somewhat disheveled, their curiosity piqued.

Zhu Pingniang held an oil-paper umbrella as she walked to the lakeside.

On the stone shore, Miss Lu was still there fishing with a rod in hand, and because it had rained, a young girl was standing behind her, acting as a maid, holding an umbrella for her.

"You’re here." Miss Lu heard the footsteps from behind and gently raised her rod.

A silvery fish fry took the bait.

Unfortunately, it was too small, so Miss Lu asked the little girl to remove the fry and toss it back into the water.

"I suppose I don’t have any talent for fishing."

Miss Lu sighed, put away the fishing rod, and carefully wiped her fingers clean with a brocade handkerchief, before turning around and smiling: "Ms. Zhu, you’re finally willing to part with Young Master Xu."

The little girl behind her holding the umbrella trembled slightly upon hearing Miss Lu tease Zhu Pingniang.

Whether it was Zhu Pingniang, who liked to use a whip, or Steward Lu, who was rumored to be the second-in-command of the Flower Moon Building, they both scared her... Hopefully, she wouldn’t hear anything she shouldn’t.

"You certainly know how to enjoy yourself." Zhu Pingniang looked at her, her Liu Mei brows furrowed: "Have you finished the tasks I assigned you? Running here to fish now."

"I wanted to personally catch a fish for you, and it would be like I cooked for you." Miss Lu sighed: "Unfortunately, I have no talent for this, only able to lure fry..."

Miss Lu spoke with a smile at the corner of her mouth, she looked back at the trembling little girl and said pointedly: "I’m not like you, Ms. Zhu, trying to catch even Young Master Xu... After all, fry... whether it’s the young master or little girls like this, they need careful nurturing, as you often say, some things can’t be obtained through effort, they can’t be forced."

"Who are you calling a cougar?" Zhu Pingniang, hearing Miss Lu implying she was seducing Xu Chang’an, felt her head spin.

Miss Lu covered her face and laughed.

"Besides, who told you things can’t be forced?" Zhu Pingniang walked to the shore, squatted on a rock, and stared at the water’s surface, carefully observing, a few fish swimming against the current inside.

Rain fell on the lake, creating ripples.

She suddenly reached out and plunged her hand into the river, grabbing a happily swimming fish.

This time it wasn’t fry, but a plump fish.

"See, if it’s something I want, no one can escape my grasp." Zhu Pingniang threw the fish into the fish bucket, then said to the trembling little girl, "Alright, take this fish to Chang’an, if you don’t know the place, find Huang’Er."

"Yes." The little girl, relieved to hear this, took the fishing gear and left as if fleeing.

After the little girl left, Zhu Pingniang naturally took her place, holding the umbrella for Miss Lu.

Watching the little girl’s departing silhouette, Zhu Pingniang said thoughtfully: "I wonder how many more years this child will fear me."

"When one is ignorant, they’re always afraid of your whip." Miss Lu laughed.

"They were terrified of me when they were young, and now as they’ve grown, they’re all unruly." Zhu Pingniang helplessly spread her hands: "Is it because I didn’t hit hard enough?"

"Earlier when you went for tea with the Young Master, didn’t the little sister at the tea house get you to clean up the mess, a small fortnight wouldn’t be enough to get down from the bed, isn’t that harsh enough?" Miss Lu shook her head: "That’s how we all grew up, fearful of your beatings when young, but not afraid anymore when older... After all, Ms. Zhu, you always care about us."

Miss Lu said, standing up to take over holding Zhu Pingniang’s umbrella.

As a maid, naturally she couldn’t let Zhu Pingniang hold the umbrella for her.

Zhu Pingniang was thoughtful, then complained: "So, they’re outside enjoying the drama between Chang’an and me? Truly deserve a good punishment... Ni Zi, how can I make them fear me like when they were young? The whip doesn’t work anymore."

"Hmm..." Miss Lu blinked her eyelashes, extending a finger: "As long as you don’t care for them anymore, they will be afraid of you, and by the way, I’m the same."

"That would be too hard." Zhu Pingniang sighed.

"You are a charming person." Miss Lu held the umbrella, "As long as you care about us, no matter how harshly you punish, we just feel physical pain, but you also feel heartache."

"I do not feel heartache." Zhu Pingniang gritted her teeth: "Those little brats dare to say I’m not developing well."

"If you truly didn’t feel heartache, you wouldn’t send medicine after hitting someone." Miss Lu tilted the umbrella towards Zhu Pingniang.

"My dear Ms. Zhu, do you know what you did to the Young Master earlier?"

"Me?" Zhu Pingniang coughed once: "What did I do?"

"What did you do?" Miss Lu looked at Zhu Pingniang’s feigned ignorance look, her rhythm of breathing got messed up for a moment, she extended a hand in front of Zhu Pingniang and began to curl her fingers.

"You strolled through the garden with him under everyone’s watch, pulled the curtain in the chess pavilion, pushed half his body out of the pavilion, as if you wanted to..."

Zhu Pingniang: "..."

Miss Lu hadn’t finished speaking, she continued: "And not just that, Ms. Zhu, after entering, you tossed your hairpin, let down your hair and had a private interaction with him, even the little white flower on your head was displaced, and..."