Xu Baomo had no idea of the disgruntlement in the second branch.

He woke up early the next morning and started to groom himself before dawn.

After changing eight sets of robes, dozens of hairpins, over twenty sachets and ornaments, he was annoyed that he only brought with him little luggage while finalizing today"s attire:

Red silk rope with Yuezhuo (a type of phoenix) embroidered on it, a jade belt tied with a suet white jade and colorful bundles of silk ribbons, and a pair of black boots.

Men"s hairstyle was far less complex compared to women"s. However, Xu Cong"s hairdressing skills were not as good as the maid Young Lord had at home. Young Lord brought up several hairdos that were unachievable. Thus, he only wore a filigree coronule with pearls embedded on it and inserted a round hairpin of the same color as the suet white jade.

“Nanfeng County has a warm climate throughout the year. What a pity that this place is in summer already.” Looking at his reflection in the mirror, he complained to Xu Cong, “Otherwise, I could have put on a headband.”

Accompanying Young Lord from the early morning till now, Xu Cong was so tired and about to bend down stealthily. Hearing his words, he kept a straight face and said, “I didn"t read many books, but I know a saying, which goes like women dress up for the men who make them happy.”

What he intended to say was that Young Lord was a man!

He only invited Second Miss Sheng today to help him find a place suitable for drawing lotus flowers!

Usually, men would only spend this much time dressing up on their wedding day!

“All men search for beauty!” Xu Baomo taunted him, “You have followed me for so many years, don"t you know how I manage to be a man of integrity despite so many temptations around me?”

Xu Cong grinned as if he had a toothache, “Isn"t it because you are the Young Lord?”

“… It"s because I am a handsome and talented Young Lord!” Xu Baomo choked before he could reply, “After serving me for so many years, you learned nothing. I have given you the earnest exhortations over the years. What a waste of time!”

Xu Cong was impa.s.sive, “I remember some exhortations from you. The last time was when you instructed me to act arrogantly towards Miss Xixi and let you scold me for my behaviors so that Miss Xixi would find you approachable and amicable; The time before the last time was when you instructed me to travel all over the county to find a skillful craftsman who craved Miss Ningqing"s name with patterns of plum branches in full blossom. Miss Ningqing was so moved that she gave her heart to you! The time before that was when….”

Before he could finish the sentence, Xu Baomo covered Xu Cong"s mouth and shouted angrily, “Shut your mouth!!!”

He was such a troublesome servant!!!

They were in Sheng Family and should not talk about his previous dating achievements. Otherwise, if someone were to eavesdrop on them and spread their words, he could consider himself lucky for not being kicked out of the family. Marrying Big Weiqiao would absolutely be impossible in that case. Back then, it was Xu Cong who reminded him of this!

But now he was undercutting him!

After scolding Xu Cong for talking like that, Xu Baomo checked his appearance, took his writing brush and paints, and went out with confidence. He believed that he was very handsome, even at ordinary times. Today he put on great efforts to dress up so that his Big Weiqiao would be enchanted by him!

In fact, Sheng Weiqiao stood in amazement for a brief moment and said with a smile, “Brother Xu, you look vivacious today!”

In this season, gra.s.s and trees hung down in cl.u.s.ters, and the garden looked luxuriantly green and verdant. Xu Baomo, wearing a bright red garment in the garden, looked like a flame, more than dazzling and eye-catching. The dress could burn people"s eyes.

Sheng Weiqiao did not understand the concept of love, and she was indoctrinated by Sheng Lanci, who said “you should see Brother Xu as your own brother.” That was why she did not notice his intention behind his dressing up. Now that she thought about it, she remembered Xu Baomo wore a red dress on the first day he arrived at Sheng Family. So, she thought he liked red clothes and did not think much of it after giving him a compliment.

Gongsun Yingjiang, who was inseparable from her, looked at him from head to toe. She raised her sleeves to cover her mouth and chuckled, “Young Lord, in the former days, I thought you looked handsome enough, but today you made me wonder whether you are a mortal or not!”

While speaking these words, she took advantage of standing behind Sheng Weiqiao and gave Xu Baomo a flirtatious look.

“You witch, do you think I will be deceived by you again?!” In terms of appearance, Gongsun Yingjiang did not look as exquisite as Sheng Weiqiao. After all, she was the daughter of Sea Master. Though she was still a teenager, there was a kind of unscrupulousness and wildness in her personality, which could not be imitated by girls from fine families.

Her sentimental glance was pa.s.sed over to him, and Xu Baomo subconsciously wanted to give her a dubious smile. He resisted himself from that because he suddenly remembered the past experience with her. Deliberately turning his eyes away from her, he snorted and thought to himself, “I"m not the one you had a crush on! You almost got my true self revealed for talking nonsense to Big Weiqiao! Are you seriously thinking about using me like this again?!”

“Sister Sheng, you look great today!” Xu Baomo ignored Gongsun Yingjiang and only talked to Sheng Weiqiao smilingly, “It"s hard to pull off the color of primrose. Ordinary girls dare not to try this color on. It only suits beautiful girls like you.”

Sheng Weiqiao did not dress up much for today. She had her hair in a double-bun with embedded pearls and jade on it and put on traditional primrose embroidery Ru (a short jacket) with narrow sleeves. A pink myrobalan was tied on her collar band, and she wore a cyan fairy dress. All in all, Xu Baomo was “her own brother,” and wasn"t it pointless to dress up in front of your own brother?

Since she regarded Xu Baomo as her own brother, she did not detect the hidden affectionate feelings in the compliments. She only thought he said that out of politeness to her, or he was just being caring as an elder brother should.

But she noticed Xu Baomo ignored Gongsun Yingjiang on purpose. Sheng Weiqiao put herself in Gongsun Yingjiang"s shoes, worrying that she would cry on the spot due to the embarra.s.sment. Thus, she changed the topic immediately to mediate, “My sister and I used to come here often to view the lotuses. Our favorite spot was the Cuimo Waterside Pavilion. Would you like to go over there and see if the view is suitable?”

Xu Baomo interpreted her change of the subject like this, “Waking up before dawn to dress up was not for nothing! Big Weiqiao was impressed by me! She only gave me one compliment, because she is too shy and changed the subject. Who knows how much she admires me in her heart?”

Thinking that Sheng Weiqiao was secretly admiring him at this moment, Xu Baomo could not help but feel pleased!

Behaving like a gentle wealthy Childe, he walked towards Cuimo Waterside Pavilion with Sheng Weiqiao while talking and laughing. However, he happened to make eye contact with Gongsun Yingjiang, who sent him a message with her eyes, which went like “how dare you to embarra.s.s me and I will strike back.”

Xu Baomo was awed at first, but then he figured it out, “It is the middle of the day, and it"s not Daimao Island. Big Weiqiao and servants are all present. No matter how disgruntled this Little Witch from the pirates" lair is, what can she do about it?!”

Thinking of this, Xu Baomo even secretly gave her a smile, meaning, “what can you do about it?”

Last time, when they were on Daimao Island, he nearly got framed by this Little Witch. He still remembered how close he was to lose his credibility!

It was generous of him to let that go instead of revenging himself on her. How dare she threaten him?

Did she really think he was a useless idiot and would let his guard down just because he saw a little beauty?!

He must show Gongsun Yingjiang with his actions that he only forewent whatever happened in the past owing to his leniency and tolerance!

If he were to make a fuss about it, she would be mad to think she could sway Marquis" Young Lord over for she was just a pirate"s daughter!

“If this Little Witch were sensible, she should stay away from me!” Xu Baomo snorted covertly and thought to himself, “It is best for her to keep her mouth shut and serve as a foil!”

Apparently, Gongsun Yingjiang was not a sensible girl.

After a while, they found a suitable angle to paint in the shades of green willows near Cuimo Waterside Pavilion. Xu Baomo was chatting with Sheng Weiqiao while sketching the outline of the pond in front of him, and that was when Gongsun Yingjiang suddenly spoke, “Auntie, quit talking with Young Lord Xu! Those strokes were made loosely because he is not paying any attention! His level is not even half as good as Little Uncle. If you continue to speak to him, I"m afraid Young Lord can"t finish a single satisfactory painting!”

Sheng Weiqiao was taken back for a moment and swept subconsciously through the painting. Her birth mother, Madam Feng, was fond of ink painting. She did not share the same hobby, but over the years, she had acquired a taste in them.

Xu Baomo just began his painting of summer lotuses. Judging from the layout, color, and strokes, she knew he could not be held to the highest standards, but his work was presentable.

Anyways, Xu Baomo"s main strength was the imperial examination, not ink painting. He was still pretty young after all.

Considering his age, one should say his painting skills were impressive.

“When could Yingjiang stop breeding unconventional thoughts?” Sheng Weiqiao looked unpleasant all of a sudden, and she thought to herself, “When we were on the island, in addition to her dancing in front of my brother in private, at least she knew there were things she shouldn"t mention in public! But now she is acting against her conscience and complimenting my brother in public. What am I supposed to do if this were to spread?”

Xu Baomo also thought of it, and said with a smile, “It doesn"t matter. I am mediocre at best in terms of ink painting. I only learned this to kill time. It doesn"t matter to me whether it is a satisfactory painting or not. I"m just doodling!”

Seeing that he was not angry, Sheng Weiqiao was relieved and about to suggest Gongsun Yingjiang stop talking nonsense. To her surprise, Gongsun Yingjiang nodded her head rightfully and said, “Compared with my uncle"s painting, yours indeed looks like doodling!”

“Yingjiang, it"s hot here. Are you getting tired?” Visible anger flashed through Sheng Weiqiao"s face. Staring at Gongsun Yingjiang, she said with a warning voice, “Would you like to drink some litchi water over there?”

Madam Feng mentioned before that Sheng Shuihe had a talent for studying, which was also the major reason why Sheng Lanci decided to take his son back in this family. Nevertheless, both Sheng Weiqiao and Xu Baomo thought Sheng Shuihe would not possess any gift for ink painting.

The reason was apparent. Xu Baomo, as the single son of Ningwei Marquis, was t.i.tled as Young Lord since he was a child. Under the supervision of his grandfather, he received an all-around education over the years. He was quite talented himself, and that was why he had become such a versatile person.

Before his return to Sheng Family, Sheng Shuihe was the foster son of Gongsun Family in name only. In fact, he was merely a skillful hatchet man working for Gongsun Family. He was no match for Xu Baomo in terms of the amount of time and energy he spent on studying. On Daimao Island, it would be hard enough to find an educated lecturer to enlighten him. No matter how gifted he was, how was it possible for him to master the four arts without receiving instructions and tips?

Gongsun Yingjiang"s words explicitly and implicitly implied that he could paint better than Xu Baomo. Wasn"t this a deliberate attempt to stir up trouble?

In the eyes of Sheng Weiqiao, her niece wanted to take revenge on Sheng Shuihe and embarra.s.s him after she was rejected by him, which transformed her love into hatred!

Of course, she would not let Gongsun Yingjiang have her way!

Gongsun Yingjiang was not afraid of Xu Baomo, but she was obedient to Sheng Weiqiao. Hearing her words, she twitched her mouth and followed her instruction anyway. She left to have a cold drink prepared by the servants.

After she left, Sheng Weiqiao composed herself and was about to apologize to Xu Baomo. Xu Baomo waved his hand, signaling the servants to give them privacy. Then, he whispered, “Sister Sheng, have you… had the talk with Miss Gongsun?”

Sheng Weiqiao understood what he meant by “the talk,” referring to whether she had corrected Gongsun Yingjiang"s thought on incest. She frowned and replied in a low voice, “While we were on the Daimao Island, I tried to make oblique references to her, but we got interrupted for some incident. After we came back home, I was busy looking after Sister Rao and forgot all about it!”

On her way back, she thought that since Gongsun Yingjiang was going to tag along with her to Sheng Family and she would meet Sheng Shuihe there as well, she should give Gongsun Yingjiang some lessons about the sense of honor and shame. So, her niece would not pursue a wrong path, destroying her own life and wrecking others" lives.

However, she was so occupied with Sheng Weirao and forgot about giving lessons to her.

Now she was asked by Xu Baomo, and Sheng Weiqiao realized her dereliction of duty. She couldn"t help but blush and felt ashamed of herself, “This is all my fault!”

Xu Baomo muttered, “I won"t blame you for that. Although Miss Gongsun has some thoughts she shouldn"t have, she and Hengshu Brother are on good terms. At the moment, Third Miss should be the priority. When you are free, you"d better take some time to remind Miss Gongsun. After all, gossip is a fearful thing. People who don"t understand the history between the two will not pick up a thing from her words earlier. However, if things go on like this, nothing can be kept secret forever!”

He said this without any ulterior motive but purely for the sake of Sheng Family: Sheng Shuihe, as the only son from the eldest branch of Sheng Family, was going to be the future master of Sheng Family. If he were to be involved in an incest scandal, he would not be able to attend the imperial exam and would undoubtedly make Sheng Family notorious.

After all, this sort of affection between niece and uncle was not a joke. Moreover, Sheng Family, which was thriving and flourishing and rallied support from people in Nanfeng County, was not without rivals.

Even for Feng Family and Xuanyu Family that had close relationships with Sheng Lanci and his wife, considering the rivalry status quo in the county, they would never want to have another dominant family rising up to divide up the wealth and power.

Just like before, Mrs. Feng would rather spend 100,000 taels as hush money to cover up Xuanyu E"s crime than reveal it to the public. Sheng Family definitely would not want to reveal its soft spot!

So, stopping Gongsun Yingjiang from having delusional affection towards Sheng Shuihe was an urgent matter!

Sheng Weiqiao understood this. Nodding her head, she said, “You"re right. Since that is the case, I won"t regard you as an outsider. I will take her back to the room immediately. If you need anything here, just tell the servants!”

Xu Baomo let out an inconspicuous sigh. His real intention today was not to paint but to advance his relationship with Big Weiqiao by taking a walk around the park and painting. Besides, he was going to Big Weiqiao"s place tomorrow with the art and show his feelings towards her!

Now Gongsun Yingjiang disturbed everything. Not only did today"s plan fall through, but it was unlikely to proceed with his plan to confess tomorrow. Because when he called by Sheng Weiqiao, he had to ask her about the talk between her and her niece.

Whether the talk went well or not, it seemed that it was rather inappropriate to confess his love after discussing something disgraceful.

“Well, this sort of secret shall be kept as a family skeleton, but Big Weiqiao was willing to discuss it with me. It shows that she trusts me the way she trusts her own family members!” Xu Baomo comforted himself to feel better, “Though today"s plan was sabotaged by accident, I"m going to follow it through. I told Xu Cong that I needed three days. I still got the day after tomorrow! I don"t believe things will go wrong on that day as well!”

Sheng Weiqiao did not detect his disappointment. After she left, she called back Gongsun Yingjiang and returned with her to Zhuying Mini Villa.

The minute they entered the house, she sent away the servants. Then, she turned around and stared at her niece, asking in a low voice, “Can you be honest with me and tell me how you really feel about your Little Uncle, who is also my brother?”