Chapter Two (Part 2)
Elder Jiang coughed.
Li Tai Fang would have done more than glaring at Su Wu if Elder Jiang didn't enter the chamber.
Elder Jiang had witnessed what happened. He didn't want anyone to be injured so he interrupted the tension between the women.
'Second master invites two young mistresses to join him for an afternoon meal,' Elder Jiang said.
'I'll be troubling Elder Jiang,' Li Tai Fang said.
Li Tai Fang smiled insincerely and hid her earlier loud tantrum mannerisms.
'Mistress...' Su Wu said.
Su Wu held her mistress' hand tightly. Su Wu was worried Li Tai Fang would bully mistress while mistress was on her own.
'Su Wu don't worry,' Tao Tu Yun said. 'It's one meal.'
Tao Tu Yun smiled to comfort Su Wu's worries. Tao Tu Yun saw Elder Jiang was waiting outside and she quickly followed him.
Elder Jiang led the two mistresses past a fake mountain landscape to a beautiful villa next to a pond.
Tao Tu Yun's head finally understood why the Tao Manor was renowned for the biggest manor in Luo Yang Province. She memorised the route from her chamber to Tao Fang Ao's villa since she wouldn't be able to leave for a long period.
'Elder Jiang, I heard second master has three brothers,' Li Tai Fang said. 'But why haven't I seen his brothers? It's proper for me to greet them since in the future I'll be part of their family.'
'Apart from first master and his wife living in another villa of the Tao Manor, third master and fourth master are not living inside the Tao Manor,' Elder Jiang said.
Elder Jiang was walking in front of Li Tai Fang, he frowned after he heard Li Tai Fang's presumptuous statement about becoming a member of the Tao Household. But he politely answered Li Tai Fang's question.
'I heard the Tao Household owns the two biggest inns in west and east of Luo Yang Province,' Li Tai Fang said. 'Is it true?'
Li Tai Fang couldn't resist satisfying her curiosity at the first opportunity Elder Jiang was free. When she first arrived in Luo Yang Province, she stayed at Long Fang Inn in the west. Inside the inn restaurant there weren't any vacant seats and it was livelier than the busy streets. She asked a waiter about the owner and found out Long Fang Inn belongs to the Tao Household as well as the big inn in the east of Luo Yang Province.
'It's true,' Elder Jiang said.
Elder Jiang turned around and he glanced coldly at Li Tai Fang's happy face. Then he continued walking to second master's villa. His impression of Li Tai Fang was lower than an abyss.
'Second master is waiting for two mistresses inside his villa,' Elder Jiang said.
Elder Jiang waited for the two mistresses to enter second master's villa and promptly left afterward.
Li Tai Fang walked fast into Tao Fang Ao's villa and immediately she saw Tao Fang Ao's handsome face in front of a table. She didn't wait for a maid to guide her to the table. Instead she walked faster to sit next to Tao Fang Ao.
Tao Tu Yun walked slowly into Tao Fang Ao's villa. She chose to sit the furthest away from Tao Fang Ao and Li Tai Fang at the table.
Tao Fang Ao glanced at Tao Tu Yun and Li Tai Fang then he gestured for the maid to bring afternoon dishes to the table.
The maid quickly left the room and returned with a tray of dishes.
Li Tai Fang stole many glances at Tao Fang Ao's handsome face.
'Second master, it's my first time visiting Luo Yang Province,' Li Tai Fang said. 'As the host shouldn't you give me a tour of Luo Yang Province?'
'I don't know who is real and who is fake between the two of you so neither of you can take one step outside the Tao Manor,' Tao Fang Ao said.
Tao Fang Ao glared coldly at Li Tai Fang who was purposely leaning close to him.
Li Tai Fang knew Tao Fang Ao's cold glare warned her to behave. She immediately sat upright and didn't dare to continue tempting him with her body.
Li Tai Fang realised Tao Fang Ao wasn't someone who could be easily manipulated in one hand and she needed to be careful while she stayed at the Tao Manor.
'Are you intending to hold us captive in your home?' Tao Tu Yun asked. 'It makes me doubt if the Tao Household is truly a charitable household in Luo Yang Province as rumored.'
Tao Tu Yun was silently eating the dishes in front of her until she heard Tao Fang Ao's threat.
Even though Tao Tu Yun words were meant to provoke Tao Fang Ao, he couldn't help but be attracted to her soothing tone.
Tao Fang Ao looked admiringly at Tao Tu Yun, her words told him she wasn't a simpleton. In front of him, Tao Tu Yun was enticingly elegant and intelligent. His impressions of Tao Tu Yun and Li Tai Fang who sat beside him and failed to seduce him were as vast as the sky. He was anticipating the results of the investigation about Tao Tu Yun and Li Tai Fang. He hoped Tao Tu Yun wouldn't disappoint his expectations after the truth was exposed.
'Lady Tao, what you said is a separate issue to what I said,' Tao Fang Ao said. 'There is no ulterior motive for the Tao Household contributing to Luo Yang Province. But between you two there is one person who is a thief and has an ulterior motive for entering my home. Lady Tao if you were in my position wouldn't you take precautions too?'
'Second master don't you think holding two maidens captive in your home is an excessive precaution?' Tao Tu Yun asked.
Tao Tu Yun had thought about the injustice of being locked in the Tao Manor for a few days so she wanted to protest for her benefit at the first appropriate opportunity.
'A person's heart is hard to see,' Tao Fang Ao said. 'Forgive me for taking precautions.'
Tao Fang Ao was surprised how amusing it was to talk with Tao Tu Yun. It made him forget that between Tao Tu Yun and Li Tai Fang there was someone masquerading as his fake betrothed. Tao Tu Yun and Li Tai Fang gave him different kind of headaches. He stared at Tao Tu Yun and fell into deep thought.
Tao Tu Yun thought Tao Fang Ao was being courteous to answer her honestly and she knew as a guest under his home that she should concede.
But Li Tai Fang glared jealously at Tao Tu Yun while Tao Fang Ao and Tao Tu Yun talked with each other and ignored her.
***
End of Chapter Two (Part 2)
