strictlysupreme Chapter 227 Xu Liuer Wants to Escape
Chapter 227 Xu Liuer Wants to Escape
Her fingertips tightened slightly, and after a long while, she put down the spoon and said softly, "I understand."
Seeing her expression, Xie Zhongzhi's brows furrowed with impatience. "Liu'er, I'm doing this for your own good. Tomorrow's banquet at General Li's mansion is very important to me, and I can't afford to make any mistakes."
Xu Liu'er remained silent for a moment, then nodded gently.
“I understand,” she replied, her voice gentle and calm.
Seeing this, Xie Zhongzhi nodded in satisfaction.
They're fairly obedient.
The following night.
General Li's mansion was brightly decorated and filled with guests. The atmosphere was lively, with people toasting and drinking.
Xu Liuer wore an elegant light purple dress, her eyebrows and eyes were gentle, and she was dignified and proper.
They followed Xie Zhongzhi into the General's Mansion.
Upon entering the residence, as is customary, gifts were presented first.
Xie Zhongzhi presented a pair of exquisite jade carvings of auspicious beasts, symbolizing protection of the home, warding off evil spirits, and bringing lasting blessings.
Xu Liuer personally selected the gift. She watched as Madam Li sent someone to accept it with a smile on her face, and finally breathed a sigh of relief.
As long as the gift is given appropriately and you behave appropriately afterwards, there shouldn't be any major problems.
At this moment, the noble ladies were in the pavilion, and Xu Liuer was also sitting among them.
Noble ladies in the capital have recently taken to drinking wine from glass cups.
The glass cup has a wide mouth, which can hold a lot of wine. With a gentle swirl, the fine wine ripples slightly in the cup, reflecting a dazzling array of colors, creating a unique and charming effect.
Xu Liuer was also offered a cup by Madam Li, but she was worried that she would say something wrong if she drank too much, and she was also afraid that it would be very impolite not to drink.
So he followed others' example, holding it in his hand and taking small sips every now and then, pretending to have drunk it.
At this moment, Xie Zhongzhi looked at General Li meaningfully, his tone respectful but with a hint of probing: "General Li, there is something I would like to discuss with you privately."
Although General Li was his superior, his respect and care for him were not for any kind of promotion.
Over the years, he had followed General Li and knew his temperament very well; he was not the kind of person who was absolutely loyal to the emperor.
He was confident that he could bring General Li into his camp and work together on important matters, provided the conditions were right.
General Li was about to nod in agreement when he suddenly heard his wife's voice from not far away: "General—"
He frowned slightly, turned around, and saw Madam Li smiling at him, clearly having something to say.
"Chongzhi, I'll go over there first, and I'll explain in detail to you later."
After saying this, General Li walked towards the pavilion.
Xie Zhongzhi's eyes flashed with displeasure upon hearing this, but he remained respectful on the surface and nodded slightly.
At this moment, Xu Liuer also saw Xie Zhongzhi not far away, opened her mouth, wanting to ask him when he could leave.
She really didn't want to drink.
Xu Liuer got up and walked towards Xie Zhongzhi.
As she was trying to figure out how to start the conversation, someone suddenly rushed past her and accidentally bumped into her elbow.
The glass cup in Xu Liuer's hand tilted instantly, spilling wine that landed directly on General Li's robe beside her!
Silence fell over the surroundings in an instant.
General Li looked down at his clothes, which were stained with wine, his brows furrowed, and his face was so gloomy that it seemed as if water could drip from it.
Xu Liuer panicked and quickly took a step back, her voice trembling slightly: "General Li... I... I didn't mean to..."
Suddenly, she remembered that she had been walking perfectly fine when someone bumped into her!
She quickly turned around to look, and sure enough, the person who had bumped into her was still standing behind her.
She is Li Wanrou, an illegitimate daughter of General Li.
Li Wanrou was caught off guard by Xu Liuer's sudden gaze, and her eyes instantly welled up with tears, as if she had suffered a great injustice.
"Madam Xie, why are you looking at me like that? Is it... is it that you don't like me?"
Her voice was weak and pitiful, and tears welled up in her eyes, as if they might fall at any moment.
Xu Liuer felt a tightness in her chest, her face flushing slightly with anger. "You were the one who bumped into me just now!"
Li Wanrou's eyes widened immediately, and she shook her head with extreme grievance: "I, I didn't... Why would Madam Xie frame me?"
Her voice wasn't loud, but it carried a hint of sob, making it sound to onlookers as if Xu Liuer was bullying her.
At this moment, the surrounding guests also began to whisper among themselves—
"Madam Xie was rude first, yet she blames Miss Li?"
"Isn't that right? Miss Li is so delicate and frail, how could she dare to do such a thing?"
"This is a banquet hosted by General Li's residence. Isn't Madam Xie being rather inconsiderate?"
The whispers grew louder, and Xu Liuer was surrounded by pointing and whispering gazes. She clenched her fingers and her face flushed red.
She was the one who got hit, so how did it become her fault?
The murmurs among the banquet guests grew louder and louder.
Li Wanrou gently raised her eyes, a triumphant smile flashing across them.
She was merely a concubine's daughter, making a living under Madam Li's care.
If Madam Li finds out that she was the one who hit the car, she will definitely not let her off the hook.
But Xu Liuer is different; she is Young Master Xie's wife, and he certainly wouldn't do anything to her.
I'm sorry, Madam Xie, you can only blame your bad luck today; you shouldn't have gone out.
Surrounded by the crowd, Xu Liuer's fingertips trembled uncontrollably, and her throat felt like it was stuffed with cotton wool, preventing her from making a sound.
She instinctively turned to look at Xie Zhongzhi as if pleading for help.
He'll believe her, right...?
She was really pushed, she was really pushed...
Her eyes held a glimmer of hope, as if a drowning person had grasped at the last piece of driftwood.
"Husband..." she whispered, her voice trembling slightly, carrying an almost imperceptible plea.
But her plea for help only made Xie Zhongzhi's face darken even more.
That stupid woman made a fool of herself in public and disgraced him!
He forgot to invite Madam Li to the last birthday banquet, and now he's thrown wine on General Li in public. He's a good-for-nothing who's more likely to ruin things than to accomplish anything!
How is he supposed to win over General Li now?! Does she only feel happy when she ruins his future?
Xie Zhongzhi was filled with overwhelming rage, which burned away all his reason.
"Snapped--"
A crisp, dull slap suddenly rang out.
The surroundings fell silent instantly.
Xu Liuer staggered backward from the blow, nearly falling.
She instinctively covered her burning face, her ears ringing, her mind blank.
She stared blankly at the man in front of her.
Xie Zhongzhi's hand was still suspended in mid-air, his five fingers trembling slightly, clearly indicating that he had used all his strength.
His eyes were so cold they seemed to freeze you in place. "Do you even know what kind of occasion this is? How dare you be so disrespectful to General Li!"
Xu Liuer's fingertips were icy cold, and the echo of the slap she had just received still seemed to linger in her ears.
The eyes of everyone around her were on her, and a wave of humiliation washed over her.
Xie Zhongzhi suppressed his anger, turned around and bowed to General Li, saying in a calm tone, "My wife was reckless in frightening you today. I will definitely discipline her properly when we return to the manor."
General Li smiled faintly and waved his hand: "Zhongzhi, you don't need to be so formal. It's just a small matter at the banquet."
Xu Liuer stood to the side, her heart sinking deeper and deeper, as if falling into a cold abyss.
That slap completely woke her up.
That thought, which had surfaced countless times before, once again clearly occupied her mind—
She's going to... escape!