Chapter 109 Two Women Fighting Over One Playboy
In the flower hall, Di Yan, the eldest son of Duke Yong, arrived with Qin Yuru. At that moment, looking at Qi Rongzhi in front of him with great interest, he wore a smile with a gentle and delicate look while cocking his head.
He looked very gentle and good-looking, with the air of a son of a noble family. However, the corners of his eyes were highly raised, making him look a little frivolous and pompous.
Full of attention and interest, he was watching Qi Rongzhi talking about something. With a smile on his face, he looked very attractive.
Suddenly, the voice of a female servant came from the door. He looked up and saw a girl standing at the doorway!
She looked much smaller than Qi Rongzhi and Qin Yuru, but somehow, this girl inexplicably caught his eyes!
The girl charmingly standing at the door stopped as if she had no intention to come over. Her jade-like face was as clear as crystal, with her long black lashes fluttering several times. When she looked up, her beautiful eyes looked attractive and charming, and then she slightly pressed her delicate pink lip. Young as she was, her dark hair set off by the bright pink was amazing. Pretty, very pretty!
Even though she was just a little girl who had not yet grown-up, she amazed Di Yan at first sight. The wind at the door blew her dress, so she bent over to press it down. There was a flicker of coldness in her beautiful eyes, but it didn't stop her from being the center point in a stunning painting.
Di Yan was stunned and amazed.
"Cousin, what's wrong with you?" Qin Yuru's face was pale with anger, but she still suppressed the hatred in her heart and took Di Yan's hands intimately.
"Is this my little cousin, Wanru?" Di Yan looked at Qin Wanru intently. He had seen Qin Wanru before, but she had been so young, just a child, at that time—quite different from what she was at present.
"She is my second sister. Sister, come here and greet my cousin!" Qin Yuru raised her head and waved to Qin Wanru, without a trace of envy on her face.
She had been living in Duke Yong's mansion. At the moment, all the people of Qin mansion had gone to the capital city, so she came here with Di Yan.
However, Qin Wanru did not go up to them, simply giving a nod from a distance before entering the door. But she didn't intend to come over when she was at the doorway.
Di Yan, how could she not know him?
A year ago, she had almost died in Di Yan's hands!
In her previous life, Di Yan and Qin Yuru had framed her many times. Then he repeatedly flirted with her whenever he saw her in private. On one occasion when he accompanied Qin Yuru to the Qin mansion, driven by alcohol, he had broken into her room planning to do something impolite to her. Fortunately, she and Qing Yue were able to push him aside, after which he fell unconscious to the floor.
When Madam Di and Qin Yuru learned of this, instead of blaming Di Yan, they had asked Qin Wanru to kneel in Qin Yuru's yard and apologize to him. While she knelt in the yard, Qin Yuru was so jealous that she even slapped her until she was knocked out.
No one but Qin Yuru would regard such a playboy as a sweetheart in order to pursue riches and honor.
"She is really cousin Wanru? Isn't she eleven years old? She looks like she hasn't grown up yet!" Having recovered from his amazement, Di Yan was astonished again. He curiously asked Qin Yuru while looking at Qi Rongzhi on one side and then back at Qin Wanru.
She was really eleven years old, almost twelve in nominal age. Most girls who were twelve years old have already grown up, but she still looked younger than a ten-year-old peer!
When Di Yan came to Jiangzhou the year before last, he had met Qin Wanru once. Instigated by Qin Yuru, he had pushed Qin Wanru into the river and she had nearly drowned. From then on, Old Grandma had kept him from meeting Qin Wanru, who was such little girl at that time.
"She's already eleven, I don't know why she hasn't grown. Maybe she was born a short girl!" Qin Yuru pursed her lips and gave him a fake smile.
"A few years would be enough. A few years from now, sister Yuru will be great beauty!" Qi Rongzhi covered her lips with a hanky and explained in good faith.
With that explanation, Qi Rongzhi sounded much softer than Qin Yuru. Di Yan could not help but set his eyes on Qi Rongzhi again. Comely as Qin Wanru was, she was still a girl who hadn't grown up, and she looked much younger than most people her age. Therefore, she was not so attractive to Di Yan.
The daughter of the magistrate of Jiangzhou in front of him was very much to his liking. Although he heard that she was only thirteen years old, she had begun to show her charm and attraction to people and was even as beautiful as Qin Yuru, who was fifteen years old. She even looked more like a grown girl, slender and enchanting, with great affection in her eyes.
No one believed that she was only thirteen when it came to her plump figure.
"Miss Qi and my cousin, Yuru, both can be called great beauties, and cousin Wanru is also a pretty girl. Jiangzhou seems to be the home of beauties, having produced countless beautiful women. Before, cousin Yuru thrilled descendants of the rich families in the capital city with her beauty, but Miss Qi seems to look prettier!"
With a genial smile, Di Yan moved his eyes from Qi Rongzhi's face to her chest, and then he slowly left with a gracious smile.
Qi Rongzhi started to blush. With her head slightly down, she said shyly, "Sir, you're so kind. I can't compare with sister Yuru!"
Qin Yuru looked pale at first, but when she heard what Qi Rongzhi had said, she chilled out with a snort. Qin's mansion wasn't Jiangzhou Prefecture, so there was no such thing that the magistrate of Jiangzhou and her father treated each other with courtesy. If Qi Rongzhi dared to treat her as she had done in Jiangzhou Prefecture, she would come to no good end.
"Cousin Yuru is beautiful. We haven't seen each other for just one year, and she looks so beautiful!" Di Yan spoke lovely words. "When I first saw her, I couldn't believe that such a beautiful girl was my cousin. Later, I'll take cousin Yuru out to visit my friends so they will envy me."
"Cousin!" full of happiness, Qin Yuru grumbled in a flirty manner, satisfied with his performance.
"Cousin, I'm serious. There will be a party at my grandparents' house in a few days. I'll take you there, okay?" Di Yan and Qin Yuru had feelings for each other. Looking at her bashful face, he could not help but show great interest and tease her.
"Just me? Will you take my second sister and Miss Qi?" Happy as Qin Yuru was, she was showing that she was considerate of others.
"I... Just forget it. I have a scar on my forehead and it hasn't healed yet." Qi Rongzhi lowered her head, her long bangs falling. When she looked up, the scar was not apparent for she had parted her hair slightly, but when she lowered her head, however, her bangs fell, looking a little bit greasy and heavy.
The scratch on her forehead had actually healed, but what couldn't heal easily was the long pit caused by the scratch. Fortunately, as long as she covered it with her bangs, the scar on one side of her forehead was completely invisible.
When she recalled why she had a scar on her forehead, she twisted the hanky in her hands.
"Miss Qi is hurt? What happened? Who did you quarrel with this time?" Qin Yuru smiled and asked curiously, with her eyes wide open. Although she asked as if she was concerned about Qi Rongzhi, she was actually giving the impression that the Young Lady of the Qis was not a good person in Jiangzhou, and that she would quarrel with people over nothing.
It was a shame for the Young Madam of a noble family to behave like a shrew and even get scratched on the face by someone.
Qi Rongzhi was so embarrassed that she wanted to rip Qin Yuru's face off. A sense of heavy gloom flickered in her eyes. If it wasn't for Madam Di, would her face get hurt? If it wasn't for Qin Yuru, would her reputation be ruined? It was exactly Madam Di and her daughter who had ruined her marriage and her future.
They had hurt her and were now trying to be at peace with her. Forget it!
Moreover, they not only hurt her but also her eldest brother, who was always mature and calm in front of her. She could never forget her eldest brother's embarrassment as he cried on the ground drunk that day.
"I... I didn't fight with anyone. I was set up!" Qi Rongzhi's eyes clouded with tears and turned red! The aggrieved look she showed made her look extremely pitiful.
"Who is so vicious as to hurt Miss Qi?" Di Yan asked as if he had shared the experience with her. Just as the old saying goes, beauties are like jade. He hadn't been enlightened until he came to Jiangzhou. This time, he finally understood, feeling exceedingly angry at the sight of her femininity and sentiment.
Qin Yuru grew sullen again, squinting at Qi Rongzhi coldly and pulling Di Yan's clothes impatiently. "Cousin, let's go to see why my mother hasn't arrived yet, okay? It's been so long. Hasn't mother had a rest yet?"
"Hum, okay!" Although Di Yan still wanted to make a good impression on the beauty, and he was aware that he had to be patient. Thus, he smiled at Qi Rongzhi and said something to comfort her. "Miss Qi is a strikingly beautiful girl, and the wound on your forehead is not visible at the moment. As long as you take good care of it, you'll be even more beautiful!"
Qi Rongzhi gazed at Di Yan full of tender affection, but when Qin Yuru turned around, she hurriedly lowered her head to hide it.
"Let's go, cousin!" Qin Yuru was relieved to see nothing unusual with Qi Rongzhi. She tugged on Di Yan's sleeve to drag him out again.
"What's wrong?" Qin Huaiyong strode in. His face clouded over when he saw that Qin Yuru had unscrupulously pulled on Di Yan's sleeves. "Where are you going? How can you do this?"
Upon seeing Qin Huaiyong, Qin Yuru looked pale and hurriedly let go. Then, she said in a low voice. "Father!"
Di Yan felt distressed again as soon as he saw his cousin's pitiful look, thus he rushed forward to come to her rescue. "Uncle, I was going to see you with my cousin, but I didn't know where you live. So, I asked my cousin to take me over!"
He took all the responsibility!
Qin Yuru smiled with satisfaction.
"Sit down first. They'll come soon!"
Qin Huaiyong walked in with a swagger. Catching sight of Qin Wanru, who was standing on the side, he waved her over. "Wanru, why are you alone? Come over to us."
Qin Wanru nodded. Staring blankly ahead, she came up behind Qin Huaiyong with Qing Yue. She then sat down on a chair on the side.
Later, Old Grandma, Shui Ruolan and Madam Di also came in one after the other. When everyone was present, the dishes were served. With both Qi Rongzhi and Di Yan around at such a time, the whole family had a pleasant talk together and looked so harmonious. They finally had a reunion dinner.
Qin Wanru sat quietly and replied to nothing, setting her eyes on Qi Rongzhi as if deep in thought. Noticing that Qi Rongzhi had made eye contact with Di Yan several times, she took it all in with her observant eyes.
With Qi Rongzhi's personality, what she saw was just the beginning. She lowered her head slightly, and there was a small lump on her neck...
Chapter 110 Fenghua Glazed Cup, Impossible
The lump was the bluegrass seal that she wore around her neck. It was said that this was originally hers, that is to say, it had something to do with her life experience!
"Mother, is your Fenghua Glazed Cup still around? Why don't you just take it as a gift to Di Yan's grandfather at the Marquises' Mansion of Fengyang!" Madam Di suddenly laughed.
What Madam Di said set Qin Wanru's heart pounding. She slowly lowered her eyes to hide the coldness in her eyes, thinking that Madam Di actually took a fancy to the Fenghua Glazed Cup.
"That thing, forget it!" Old Grandma said faintly while shaking her head.
"Why not? Wanru and Yuru can also take advantage of this opportunity to visit them together. They have grown up and they should go out. We should show our girls to others, we can't keep them indoors all the time. And then... It's...... It's hard to say. It doesn't matter for Yuru, but Wanru..."
Madam Di smiled, the eyes she set on Qin Wanru kindly and amiable. She looked at Qin Wanru's clothes with a smile as she addressed Nanny Zhou who was standing behind her. "She isn't a little girl anymore. It's time to start dressing her up whenever she goes out. Nanny Zhou, please take the plum blossom hairpin from my dressing table and give it to Second Miss."
"Yes, Madam!" Nanny Zhou went away with a smile.
Qin Wanru bit her lip. "Thank you, Madam, but I'm still young!"
"You're so shy. Okay, okay. I won't mention it!" Madam Di smiled, but she did not stop Nanny Zhou. Then, she turned back to look at Old Grandma and asked, "Mother, do you think so? Wanru looks so beautiful and we must choose a handsome guy for her carefully. We can't let anyone waste her youth!"
What Madam Di said seemed to be considerate of Qin Wanru, and she had talked about nothing but the marriage of the girl. In front of so many people, Qin Wanru could only lower her head with a look of shyness. What Madam Di said seemed to be considerate of Qin Wanru, and she had talked about nothing but the marriage of the girl. In front of so many people, Qin Wanru could only lower her head with a look of shyness.
However, there was a flicker of coldness in her eyes that nobody saw.
When they had just arrived in the capital city, Madam Di was unable to hold herself back from saying something because she was keenly aware that Qin's mansion was dependent on Duke Yong's mansion, and Old Grandma got little respect among noblewomen in the capital city. They still had to rely on her to keep up the appearance though.
In her previous life, it was Madam Di who had ruined her marriages repeatedly!
Everyone in the capital city had made fun of her for her disrepute from Jiangzhou and there was no good marriage for her. Thereafter, Madam Di pretended to care about her and chose someone with a poor background for her. Madam Di put her into more dire straits!
Madam Di had managed to betroth her to a seemingly creditable libertine the first time. However, the libertine had an affair with her cousin and even got her cousin pregnant. After the engagement was broken off, she was in derision with a more tattered reputation. Qin Wanru originally thought that she was just unlucky, but later she learned from Qin Yuru that Madam Di had done it on purpose because the man who had broken off an engagement with her was the nephew of Duke Xing, and Madam Di only took this opportunity to put herself under the patronage of a higher-up, Duke Xing.
As for her second marriage, Madam Di claimed that considering that Qin Wanru had suffered a great deal from the previous experience, she had to choose someone who would be nice to Qin Wanru this time no matter what family background he had. Therefore, Madam Di took fancy to a scholar who had been a successful candidate in the imperial examination not long ago. Though the scholar was already married, he still wanted to marry Qin Wanru, so as to help him rapidly rise up in the world.
The scholar's wife went to the capital city searching for him only to find that the scholar was planning to abandon her along with their kids to marry another woman. The result was that the wife jumped off a tall building. Her marriage failed again, but rumor had it that it was Qin Wanru who had hounded the scholar's wife to death.
Actually, the scholar that Madam Di had chosen for her was a distant nephew of the madam of Duke Xing whom Madam Di wanted to please.
The third time, she chose a widower in his thirties, tricking her into believing that an older man would be considerate of his wife and wouldn't give her the cold shoulder in spite of her bad reputation. With the intention to marry her, the widower also privately gave Madam Di a large sum of money. In the end, however, the madam of Duke Xing served as a matchmaker in order to select one woman to drive off misfortune for the youngest son of the Deputy Prime Minister's Chambers. Madam Di annulled the engagement on her initiative and married the Deputy Prime Minister's Chambers for the sake of driving off misfortune.
Her engagement was called off again and again. These were such good marriages Madam Di had chosen for her in her previous life!
However, in her previous life, Madam Di was her nominal mother. In this life, however, she was just her "Madam". There was a hint of a ghostly smile on her lips. After several unsuccessful plans, Madam Di still plotted against her.
Qin Wanru was uncertain if the madam of Duke Xing, who was congenial with Madam Di in her previous life, was present in this banquet.
In any case, she didn't want to attend it because she was not ready.
"You'll go there with Wanru and Yuru?" Old Grandma looked up and asked Madam Di after a short silence.
"It's natural to visit them. It has been many years since we left the capital city. Even if we still have some childhood best friends there, all of us have become a little unfamiliar because we haven't connected with each other for a long time. It'd be difficult to ask for help from them when we need help!" Madam Di said with a brighter smile and a flicker of pride.
She had a great impact on the capital city. What if Shui Ruolan was in charge of the family's affairs？No one would care about her outside the house.
"Zhuozhuo, do you want to go there?"
Turning back to look at Qin Wanru, Old Grandma asked her apprehensively. They were new in the capital city, so it was best to let Madam Di introduce her into the circle of noblewomen. Shui Ruolan was indeed inferior to Madam Di in comparison, but Old Grandma didn't trust Madam Di.
"I'll take your advice, grandma!" Raising her head and lifting her beautiful eyes slightly, Qin Wanru looked innocent and mild. She didn't say that she was willing to go, nor did she turn down it. She acted as if she was indifferent.
Seeing Madam Di's eagerness this time, it seemed that she had already conceived a plan. However, Qin Wanru would not take the initiative to refuse her because there was a ready spoiler in the house.
She would expose herself to the life of noblewomen in the capital city, but she was unwilling to make it with the help of Madam Di. Shui Ruolan would actually be helpful to her.
Qi Rongzhi bit her lip with a trace of coldness and gloom in her eyes. She wanted to go, but she had no reason to! She could not accept it at all!
"That settles it, Mother. I'll go there with Yuru and Wanru. Give me the Fenghua Glazed Cup as a gift!" Madam Di smiled.
"Fenghua Glazed Cup?" Old Grandma frowned. "Is that a good gift?"
"Mother, why wouldn't it be? The Fenghua Glazed Cup isn't that special, but it's rare. We'll gain face if we give it as a gift. We'll also show others that we aren't bumpkins from Jiangzhou. The gift we give is very unique and respectable!"
Madam Di continued to persuade Old Grandma with a smile.
Old Grandma was silent, not saying anything for a while.
"Mother, for the reputation of Yuru and Wanru, just give the Fenghua Glazed Cup to them!" Madam Di wore a brighter smile.
Qin Wanru silently swept over Madam Di, keenly aware that Madam Di was eager for the Fenghua Glazed Cup. Did she really think it was expensive and delicate or was she plotting something else?
"I left it in the Jingxin Monastery!" said Old Grandma as she looked up.
"What? Mother, this...when?" Madam Di was so shocked that her eyes widened in anxiety.
"A long time ago!" Old Grandma glanced at Qin Wanru as she replied lightly.
"This... this, mother. The Fenghua Glazed Cup is very important. How can you give it away so easily?"
Perhaps she really had not thought that Old Grandma would give the Fenghua Glazed Cup away, so Madam Di blurted out something to blame Old Grandma, but it was too late for her to take it back when she realized that she had misbehaved.
Slamming his chopsticks down on the table, Qin Huaiyong scolded acidly. "The Fenghua Glazed Cup was my mother's. Does she have to ask you for advice if she wants to keep it or give it to others?"
"Mother, no... but ... it's too important!" Madam Di looked very pale and had an embarrassed smile. What was important about the Fenghua Glazed Cup was more than its value. She had wanted to get the Fenghua Glazed Cup ever since Nanny Zhou reminded her of its importance that day, but she had had no excuse.
On the pretext of taking it as a gift, she had asked Old Grandma for it, only to find that the Fenghua Glazed Cup wasn't there anymore.
"No matter how important it is, it's not yours. It's no use thinking about it. Just think about what we can give them as a gift. If the money isn't enough, you can ask Ruolan for some money. There are many items in the capital city. Can't we find a gift for them there?"
"Yes, mother!" although Madam Di felt extremely upset, she dared not mention it anymore, she could do nothing but to rub the hanky in her hand nearly into pieces with her head down.
"Second Miss, here's the hairpin that Madam wants to give you. Please look at the fineness of the gold. It's the best one in Madam's dowry, and it will be given to you, Second Miss!" Nanny Zhou happened to come in at this time. Feeling the depressing atmosphere in the room, she walked to Qin Wanru diplomatically and handed the hanky to her with a smile.
"Thank you, Madam!" Qin Wanru asked Qing Yue to take it and stood up to give Madam Di a bow respectfully.
She had already finished eating, so she seized the opportunity to ask to leave the dinner.
"Sister Wanru, I'll go with you. I'm done!" Qi Rongzhi also stood up. As she spoke to Qin Wanru, she bowed to everyone as if they had a perfect relationship.
It looked as if their relationship was better than what she had with her elder sister, Qin Yuru.
"You've had a long day. Go home and rest early!" Old Grandma narrowed her eyes and nodded. It was inconvenient to say something in front of Qin Wanru, let alone Qi Rongzhi, who was only a guest.
The two girls walked out of the room one after the other. It was getting dark and the lights on the road outside were already on.
"Sister Wanru, wait for me!" Qi Rongzhi took a few steps and caught up with Qin Wanru.
"Young Lady of Qi, do we have a very good relationship? Young Lady of Qi, call me the Second Miss of Qin, please!"
Qin Wanru stopped and suddenly raised her head to look at Qi Rongzhi, who was wearing a smile and trying hard to please her. She spoke bluntly, "I've been bullied by you, and I don't want to call you sister Qi again!"
"You... Qin Wanru, why are you speaking like this?" Qi Rongzhi's lips trembled with anger. "After all, we grew up together. I've called you sister Wanru since childhood. Do you look down on me ever since you arrived in the capital city?"
Having said this, she felt wronged and almost cried with red eyes.
Qin Wanru quietly gazed at Qi Rongzhi acting with a smile. "Young Lady of Qi, I almost died at your hands several times. Last time, you weren't in good faith again and even tried to disfigure me. Shall I still get along well with you and regard you as my sister foolishly? Young Lady of Qi, I don't care what you do, but remember, don't plot against me!"