Chapter 146 - A Story Made by a Rich Imagination
The remote corner was really isolated. After a long time, when the child's wet nurse didn't show up. Qin Wanru was sure the wet nurse deliberately ran away.
Since it was getting late, she patted the child's back.
"Time to get up!" she whispered.
The boy seemed to be sleeping very comfortably, so he twisted his body, turned his head aside, and continued to cling to Qin Wanru in his sleep. He was incredibly cute
Qin Wanru smiled and reached out to pinch his small nose and continued to call him. This time, the boy couldn't sleep, so he opened his sleepy eyes, looking at Qin Wanru somewhat confused. He did not know where he was for a moment. His big eyes blinked, then he revealed a clever smile, which was completely unlike the little bully from before.
"Let's go to have a meal!" Qin Wanru's hand fell from his nose and gently pinched his tender, fat, white face.
"Sister!" The boy muttered and wiped his tears with the back of his hand. He was well behaved.
Yujie also felt that she liked him very much, and took the initiative to ask, "Young Master, do you want me to hold you?"
The boy looked at Qin Wanru and looked at Yujie again. He hesitated and shook his head. "No... I want to go with sister!"
He jumped up and took Qin Wanru's hand to go outside.
They went out together, not knowing the way very well. Qin Wanru did not know where she was going after walking several laps. She did not know where the banquet was, so she could only go forward.
Yujie saw a servant girl passing by the door of the cave on the left, and rushed over to ask her for directions.
After pointing to a direction, the servant girl left in a hurry. She seemed to be worried and was ready to turn around to leave, but she stopped in surprise when she saw the boy who was holding Qin Wanru's hand.
"Master Hao?" The servant girl looked at the boy whose little hand was held, and then looked up at Qin Wanru again. She said tentatively, "Miss Qin?"
"Do you know us?" Qin Wanru stood still in astonishment.
The servant girl looked at Qin Wanru cautiously and answered in a low voice, "I know Master Hao!"
"Then how do you know that the one with Master Hao is me?" Qin Wanru looked at the boy from the side and found that he was looking up at her blankly. He realized that the boy did not know the servant girl.
"Well, the whole mansion knows about it..." The servant girl muttered, squatting in front of the boy. She reached out and said, "Master Hao, we've all been looking for you. You'd better go back to see the princess with me."
"Move away. I will go back with sister." The boy pushed the servant girl's hand away and looked at her with vigilance, appearing like a bully again.
"Why does the whole mansion know?" Qin Wanru felt that there was something wrong. It was an accident for her to meet the kid. How could the whole mansion know about it?
The servant girl stood up and looked at Qin Wanru, then at the boy again. She was about to speak, but in the end, said nothing.
"If sister asked you, just answer. Otherwise, I'll tell my grandma that you deliberately bullied me and hit me!" The boy straightened his back and stared imperiously.
He looked very fierce!
But with his small size, tender skin, beautiful face, and fat hands and feet, it didn't look like much of a threat.
However, it was obvious that the opposite servant girl believed him. After hearing what he said, her face turned white with fear. She hastily shook her hands placatingly.
"Master Hao, I'll immediately tell her. You cannot say that I bullied you!"
"Tell me, what is going on?"
Qin Wanru smiled and pinched the boy's hand. The "fierce look" on the boy's face instantly retreated, and he was like a good child again.
The servant girl bowed her head.
"Everyone said that you, Miss Qin, took away Master Hao," she whispered. "It was said that someone saw you deliberately take him away."
"I took him away? Why?"
"They said Master Hao offended Miss Qin, and then, although you didn't know who he was, you were so angry that you wanted to take him away to sell him!"
The servant girl looked at Qin Wanru and found the story unbelievable. The young lady in front of her was not much older than Master Hao. How could she be so vicious? Just because Master Hao, who was bad-tempered, had threatened her, she would deceive Master Hao to take him away?
"Tell me in detail," Qin Wanru said, realization dawning on her face.
Seeing that Qin Wanru was not angry with her and and asked gently, the servant girl's heart settled down. She told her everything she knew.
The child in front was Master Hao. He was with his family to attend the banquet of Great Elder Princess Rui'an. Originally, he was with everyone. Later, the child disappeared without anyone knowing why. Everyone was so anxious that even Great Elder Princess Rui'an heard about it.
Great Elder Princess Rui'an asked everyone to look for Master Hao.
It was strange that they could not find him, but they found a piece of shredded paper. Nobody cared much about shredded paper, but then a servant girl who worked with Master Hao said she'd seen him folding it for fun.
Therefore, the paper was handed in.
The piece of paper had been torn, but "Qin Wanru... kid..." was vaguely written.
For a time, people did not know who Qin Wanru was. They went to ask several ladies named Qin, but nobody was her. Then they heard from people of Duke Yong's Mansion that the Young Lady of the Ningyuan Army General in Jiangzhou, who had just entered the capital, was called Qin Yuru, so the lady named Qin Wanru should be her sister.
Later, things became more mysterious. It was said that many people saw Miss Qin passing by, and she seemed to have a child around her...
In the end, it was concluded that Second Miss Qin met Master Hao, who was a little bossy, while walking. Due to his arrogance, he might have offended Second Miss Qin when he spoke. So the Second Miss named Qin Wanru had evil intentions and tried to deceive Master Hao and sell him.
This matter was seen by a servant girl who could write. She was scared of facing Qin Wanru alone, so she picked up a piece of paper dropped by Master Hao and wrote some words down as fast as she could.
By the time she looked up, the figure she was keeping an eye on was gone!
After listening to this story, Yujie was stunned. She looked at Qin Wanru, and then at Master Hao. She didn't know what to say for a moment!
It was all so fantastical.
"Miss... this... this is too ridiculous!" Yujie was dumbfounded.
However, Qin Wanru's face fell. Some people would believe such a ridiculous reason, as they apparently did now!
"Are you a servant girl at this mansion?" A flash of lightning shot through Qin Wanru's mind, as she realized the most important detail. Her face changed dramatically, and anger flashed in her eyes.
Not many people would believe that absurd a story. But if Hao'er had actually been hurt, the absurd remarks would suddenly seem credible! As long as they didn't come back, Qin Wanru would be the culprit.
The key was still the safety of Hao'er. With that in mind, Qin Wanru knew what she had to do next.
"Yes, I am!" the servant replied.
"Can you find more people at once? As fast as possible!" Qin Wanru told her.
"I came here with a few sisters just now. They were over there!"
"Tell them to come over together!" Qin Wanru said.
Sensing the unusual atmosphere, the servant girl nodded her head and didn't dare waste time. She ran and came back with five or six girls.
"Don't make any noise, and come with me!" Qin Wanru said.
The group of servant girls nodded and followed behind Qin Wanru.
It did not take long to get back to the place where Hao'er climbed in the hole before..
As she approached, she could hear two people talking nervously.
"Why is he not here? He should be here!" said a young woman.
"Then you should look for him quickly!" The other woman's voice was somewhat hoarse; she must have been elderly. "Or, you look for him here, and I'll go look around. When you find him, go straight to the hole in the backyard. No one should be there!"
"Alright!" said the young woman.
Qin Wanru stood outside the door of the cave and gave a sign to the servant girls. They understood and followed Yujie out.
The two of them were looking around in front of the tree where Hao'er had gotten stuck. Hearing a sound behind them, they both turned around. They were held by the servant girls, who rushed them before they could collect themselves. Some pulled their arms, and some hugged their waists. It was easy for several servants to deal with each woman.
They were a young woman in her twenties, and a stout old woman in her fifties or sixties. The older woman let the large broom in her hand fall, face twisted with rage.
She thrashed desperately, trying to break the grip of the servants.
"Where did you bitches come from? Do you want to die!?"
The other young woman did not struggle much. She trembled violently, unable to speak.
Qin Wanru walked out from behind the cave doors slowly, gazing at the women with impassive eyes. She smiled, but it was cold and humorless.
"Which mansion are you from? It is impolite to make so much noise in the mansion of Great Elder Princess Rui'an!"
Shocked by her sudden appearance, the old woman twisted several times, but eventually restrained her ferocity.
"Lady, I am the servant of the mansion! I was sweeping the floor just now, and these servant girls rushed over without speaking. It frightened me. Please ask them to let me go, Miss."
"Are you really the servant of the mansion?" Qin Wanru raised her eyebrow.
"Yes, I am!" the stout old woman said confidently.
"What are you looking for? You seemed very anxious. Tell me, and I will help you," Qin Wanru said leisurely, while sitting on the corridor floor, pretending to be listening!
Chapter 147 - They Met by Accident
"Young Madam, I don't know which family you are from, but this is the residence of Great Elder Princess Rui'an. Not just anyone can seize me!" the stout old woman cried out.
Seeing that Qin Wanru had no intention of releasing yet, she began to struggle again. However, Yujie, who was holding her, was strong and twisted her arms fiercely behind her.
"You are from the mansion of Great Elder Princess Rui'an?" Qin Wanru looked the old woman up and down and her eyes fell on her tight clothes.
The old woman servant robes were several sizes too small for her. She loosened the toggle-and-loop button around her neck, revealing a white coat inside. It was not a way any decent woman would want herself to be seen.
When Qin Wanru entered the gate before, she had seen the professional behavior of the servants in Great Elder Princess Rui'an's mansion. Two rows of servants had stood beside the door, and, even with so many people, they did not make a sound. Great Elder Princess Rui'an was clearly very disciplined in her family management.
The old woman was not only wearing a poorly fitted outfit, her whole look was sloppy. Today, when Great Elder Princess Rui'an invited guests to dinner, an old woman like this would have embarrassed Great Elder Princess Rui'an House.
The old woman couldn't move, and she struggled against her captors again. As her face turned red due to struggling, she shouted, "Yes, I am. If you don't believe me, you can ask Great Elder Princess Rui'an!"
It was ridiculous for her to ask Great Elder Princess Rui'an on purpose about this most inferior old woman. How ignorant Qin Wanru would be to do that.
Or, the old woman was sure that Qin Wanru would not trouble Great Elder Princess Rui'an over such a triviality.
Until now, she thought that Qin Wanru was just a Young Madam who passed by and was being officious. If she was fierce, the Young Madam would not dare to meddle with her.
Moreover, it seemed that the lady was too young to meddle in the affairs of others.
Even though she was seized, the old woman did not panic much, but struggled vigorously, cursing the several servant girls around her.
"Are you also from Great Elder Princess Rui'an's Mansion?" Qin Wanru ignored the old woman, who cursed while jumping on her feet. She turned her face to the young woman, whose face had turned white and whose whole body was weak.
In fact, when she came out just now, Hao'er already told Qin Wanru the identity of this woman. As Qin Wanru had guessed, she was the wet nurse who had left Hao'er alone.
666 "No... I am not!" the wet nurse said in a coward way, and her face was so white that she almost fainted.
"Tell me which family are you from?" Qin Wanru looked at the wet nurse calmly, with the corners of her lips raising up slightly. A palpitating mockery flashed through her eyes. "The victim's wet nurse?"
What she said at once shocked the wet nurse, who was too panicked to stand. If it weren't for the two servant girls holding her, she would have almost fallen to the ground.
From the time she saw Qin Wanru, the wet nurse felt bad. Although Qin Wanru looked young and was a weak Young Madam, she had brought so many people with her. As soon as they came out, they rushed over to her and the old woman without any hesitation.
This kind of behavior could not be done by a Young Madam from an aristocratic family.
The wet nurse's eyes fell on Qin Wanru's face involuntarily, trying to see which family the lady was from, and then thinking about what she should say.
Qin Wanru was very delicate. Her beautiful, small face looked gentle but charming, and she still looked childlike. The long eyelashes flashed twice, and there were two uneven shadows on her small pink face. However, this beautiful scene made the wet nurse feel a sly danger.
"Miss... Miss..." the wet nurse stammered.
"Tell me! Tell me everything, and you can probably live!" Qin Wanru sneered.
"Don't talk nonsense..." The old woman on the side found it bad and jumped up to say.
"Cover her mouth!" Qin Wanru said coldly.
Yujie responded and pulled off a dirty pad hanging from the old woman's lap and covered her mouth.
The old woman whined, but could no longer speak.
"What do you want to do? Do you want to sell the young master? How much does he cost? Is he more valuable than your own family? Or, your own family can be sold at a better price!"
Qin Wanru spoke slowly. She looked gentle, and the glow in the sky seemed to fall into her eyes. But there was a glimmer of gloom shuttling in them, as if her anger was circulating inside.
"I didn't... Miss, it's not me. It had nothing to do with me. I just accompanied Master Hao out to play, and then went away because I had something to do. It was this old woman who came here... She said she would take him away... She also said that someone was waiting at the backyard wall to get Master Hao out of the mansion."
The wet nurse burst into tears, crying and pleading.
"I really don't know anything. She... she said that she would just take Master Hao outside to play for a while. Really, I don't know. I really don't know!"
Qin Wanru was silent for a while and then said coldly, "Take her away!" It seemed that the trap was not made by one person and that she was pressed into doing it by someone more than just accidentally.
Originally, there was only herself in this plan.
And these people intended to harm Hao'er. They were so vicious to deal with a motherless child.
She inexplicably thought of her own past life. There was more and more anger in her eyes. When she sat in the corridor, one could almost feel the cold shadow around her.
So a child who lacked a mother's love should be schemed against? Even though it could be seen that Hao'er was not from an average family, he was still plotted like this!
"Sister, what's wrong with you?" Hao'er came out from behind the Moon Cave where he hid before. He came up, pulled Qin Wanru's hand, and gently shook it. He turned around and his thin eyebrows were twisted. Looking at Qin Wanru, he spoke in an uneasy way.
A child's heart is the most sensitive. Even if Qin Wanru did not say anything, he also sensed the anger in her heart.
"Come, go out with sister, Hao'er!" Taking a deep breath, Qin Wanru suppressed her anger, holding his little hand to gently pinch it, and then slowly showed a faint smile.
"Hao'er will leave with sister!" Hao'er raised his head and laughed, showing his shallow dimples, which was very cute.
Qin Wanru took Hao'er out with a large group of people, and soon arrived at the road of Great Elder Princess Rui'an's Mansion. It was conspicuous for such a large group of people to bring a child, who was the Master Hao that everyone was looking for. Besides, there were two women tied up behind them. It was obvious that someone had already reported to Great Elder Princess Rui'an.
What Qin Wanru did not expect was that she did not meet the people of Great Elder Princess Rui'an, but first met Di Fenglan, the Young Lady of Duke Yong's Mansion.
"Hey, aren't you Second Miss Qin? Why did you become like this again since we met not long before? Did you really take the kid away?" Di Fenglan stood under a tree with several young ladies. They seemed to be talking about something. When she heard the sound on the road, she turned around and saw Qin Wanru coming with someone.
Di Fenglan was a little stunned, and then she pouted her lips and came up to speak to her.
Qin Wanru looked up at her, as if she were examining her, then slowly smiled. "Miss Di, what a coincidence that I should meet you again when I show up! It's really destiny!"
"It is not destiny. You are good at blowing your own trumpet !" When Countess Yong was not around, Di Fenglan was very flamboyant. She raised her face and glared at Qin Wanru as if her nose and eyes were not hers.
Di Fenglan snorted, "You are brave enough to seize people in Great Elder Princess Rui'an's Mansion. What do want to do? Is this the child everyone is looking for? He's just a kid, and you are really angry with him and will sell him. How vicious you are!"
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She was the Young Madam who grew up in an aristocratic family in the capital city, who surely looked down upon Qin Wanru. Qin Yuru said that Qin Wanru was a b*tch who came from nowhere, and that she thought of herself as a Young Madam of an aristocratic family.
"Hey, who are you!" Hearing Di Fenglan scold Qin Wanru like this, Hao'er was not happy, and he raised his head to glare at Di Fenglan fiercely. He taught her a lesson like a little adult. "Which family are you from? You know nothing about the rules. Didn't your family teach you that? You are ignorant of boudoir lessons!"
Di Fenglan didn't expect that she would be scolded by a child. She looked at the child with his angry face, who was pretending to be an adult. Di Fenglan was instantly annoyed. She seemed to see Qin Wanru's figure on the child's face.
"Which family are you from? You are so rude. Why didn't your parents teach you?" Di Fenglan had never been scolded like this before.
Even if she really did something impolite, people would not blame her too much for Di Zhaoyi's sake. Even Yan Xufeng, who was at odds with her, was never so straightforward.
"Which family are you from? Did your parents teach you to respect the old and love the young? Look at what you are now. Which family would want you? Even if you will be poor in the future, no one will want you!" Hao'er shouted with his little waist twisted. He hated being told that he had not been taught by his parents.
This was the taboo after he was sensible.
"You... you..." Di Fenglan's face turned red and white for a while. If there were no one here, she would almost hit him. The more he said, the more annoyed she got.
"What? I am talking about you! You are a bad person because you look so ugly!" Hao'er didn't show mercy to her but said this while rolling his eyes at her.
Although he was young, what he said was very annoying and heart-breaking. Di Fenglan had been praised as one of the beauties in the capital city. It was unexpected that one day he would say she was ugly. She could not bear it anymore.
"Today I will teach you, an uncultivated child, a lesson for your parents!" Di Fenglan said and stepped forward. She was ready to slap Hao'er, but her hand was quickly grasped by Yujie!
"My child doesn't need you to teach!"
Chapter 148 Directly Drive out the Vicious Guest
"Your child should be taught!" Di Fenglan said angrily and she was in pain because her hand was being squeezed by Yujie. She did not notice that the several ladies around her had stepped back and looked respectful.
"The child in my mansion should be sent to Duke Yong's Mansion to learn from Miss Di!" A snort came from behind.
Di Fenglan was stunned for a moment and heard it clearly this time. She looked at Qin Wanru, who was pursing her lips tightly. She hurriedly turned her head and saw Rui'an Great Elder Princess, who was surrounded by a large group of Madams and Young Ladies.
Immediately, she was scared and drew back her hand.
She stuttered, "Rui'an...Great... Great Elder Princess!"
When Hao'er saw Rui'an Great Elder Princess, he released the hand of Qin Wanru, and rushed up to Rui'an Great Elder Princess. "Grandma!"
When she saw that her grandson was fine, Rui'an Great Elder Princess's tight face relaxed and she reached out to hug Hao'er.
"Grandma, they wanted to sell me!" When Hao'er plunged into the arms of Rui'an Great Elder Princess, he immediately turned his head, reached out, pointed to the two people who were tied up, and complained.
Rui'an Great Elder Princess took Hao'er in her arms, looked up at the two tied up women, and then her eyes fell on Qin Wanru's face. She smiled slightly. Although others had said that before, she did not believe it at all.
"Young Lady of Duke Yong's Mansion?" Rui'an Great Elder Princess's eyes finally fell on Di Fenglan.
"Great Elder Princess, she is my daughter!" Countess Yong had to brace herself to step forward.
"You raised a good daughter who knows the rules. She even wanted to teach Hao'er for me!" Rui'an Great Elder Princess nodded slightly and smiled coldly.
What she said was very harsh, and Di Fenglan could not stand it. She almost fell due to her staggering, but she responded quickly. She knelt down under the impetus of her falling, and bowed her head, saying with tears, "Great Elder Princess, I didn't know Master Hao is your grandson just now. I... How offensive I am!"
No matter how arrogant Di Fenglan was, she did not dare to be arrogant in front of Rui'an Great Elder Princess.
"Hmph!" Rui'an Great Elder Princess snorted and ignored her. Her eyes fell again on the bound old woman, whose ill-fitting dress belonged to the princess's mansion.
"Go to check where the old woman is from."
"Yes, I will check it out immediately!" Granny Gao nodded and reached out to ask several servant girls to call the supervisors of various departments. There were so many people in the mansion that Granny Gao herself could not recognize them all.
Hao'er held the neck of Rui'an Great Elder Princess, and said affectionately, "Grandma, it was sister who saved me. They talked nonsense, and it was sister who caught these two bad guys!"
"Grandma knows. Sister is good and the others are bad!" Rui'an Great Elder Princess touched the head of her grandson and her heart was soft.
But then a glimmer of anger flashed in her eyes. "Bring the servant girl who found the note!"
The blame on Qin Wanru was due to a note that was picked up by a servant girl. Since she found the note, she was with Rui'an Great Elder Princess.
"Princess, you can ask someone to check if there was anyone in the place where Prince Xin climbed out from. Just now, the wet nurse said that she was asked to bring Hao'er there!" Qin Wanru said before she stepped forward and saluted Rui'an Great Elder Princess respectfully.
"It was checked before, and there was no one!" Countess Yong, who was ignored before, smiled apologetically to Rui'an Great Elder Princess.
"That was before, which is different from now!" Rui'an Great Elder Princess said coldly and waved to a supervisor to go with several old women to the mansion wall where Prince Xin climbed out before.
Chu Liuxin also followed Rui'an Great Elder Princess and blushed with shame after hearing what Qin Wanru had said. He stared at Qin Wan unfriendly. What happened just now already embarrassed him, and now he felt that he had lost face once more when it was mentioned again.
Chu Liuxin felt that Qin Wanru was detestable. Originally, he wanted to make friends with her, but now they could not be friends.
The servant girl was brought to kneel down in front of Rui'an Great Elder Princess.
"Tell me, where was the paper from?" Rui'an Great Elder Princess asked coldly.
"Well... I picked it up. Princess, I know nothing. I just picked up a piece of paper..." the servant girl answered worriedly.
"How could you recognize what it says?" Rui'an Great Elder Princess had asked before, but at that time she did not think so thoroughly. Now she understood something.
"There... there was a servant girl who came to help me. She knew the words. As soon as I knew it was related to Master Hao, I came to report you, Princess!" the girl answered with a pale face, and she regretted it. She should not have strived for merit and should have said that the other servant girl was also present at that time.
"Can you still recognize the servant girl?" Granny Gao helped Rui'an Great Elder Princess to ask questions. She looked at Qin Wanru and secretly felt it had something to do with her.
"I was busy reporting to Princess at that time and really did not pay attention to who she was. I only remember that she was not from our mansion." The servant girl cried, in a hurry and confused.
Since she could not recognize her, it seemed that the question about Qin Wanru should be over.
Qin Wanru, who was standing on one side, looked up slightly, and her eyes fell on Di Fenglan, who was still kneeling on the ground. Di Fenglan knelt there with her head down. Before Rui'an Great Elder Princess asked her to get up, she was kneeling there as if she were really repenting.
But just after the servant girl of Rui'an Great Elder Princess's Mansion spoke, her shoulders were obviously loosened and a cold light flashed through her eyes.
"Great Elder Princess, can I ask something?" Qin Wanru asked.
Rui'an Great Elder Princess nodded. At present, although she did not ask about her grandson, she could see that Qin Wanru saved her grandson. So, she liked Qin Wanru more and more.
To return the favor, the interrogation of the servant girl in public was to testify to Qin Wanru's innocence.
"See if there are any servants girls you saw here?" Qin Wanru stretched out and said to the servant girl. The area she pointed at included the servant girls and old women brought by the Madams and Young Ladies who were present.
She could see that Di Fenglan's shoulders tightened again.
Up to now, Qin Wanru had already figured out the cause of the matter. Somehow, Di Fenglan knew something would happen to the kid, and she deliberately added her name. If the kid was really missing, and she went to a remote place, her crime would be beyond dispute without a witness.
How could a weak girl like her afford such a crime!
She was really a mad dog, and wanted to bite her because of the previous conflict!
"I... I don't recognize her!" The servant girl shyly turned her eyes around. Since there were so many servant girls and old women, she really could not recognize her.
"Could you please tell me who else knows my name here, Great Elder Princess?" Looking at Di Fenglan's relaxed shoulders, Qin Wanru looked at her coldly, with an undisguised disgust in her eyes. She thought that she could not do anything to her. In fact, it was just because others did not think of something!
"I arrived in the capital city recently and it was also my first time to attend a banquet. I had no contact with the people in the capital city. How could someone know my name, and write down my name to blame me and kill me?" Qin Wanru said coldly.
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With this remark, she immediately reminded everyone present.
Not everyone could know Qin Wanru's name. People looked at each other, and those with a quick response at once looked at the people from Duke Yong's Mansion.
"According to Duke Yong's Mansion before, the Young Lady is called Qin Yuru, and this lady should be Qin Wanru. After all, they are sisters."
"By the way, Duke Yong's Mansion has a kinship with Qin's Mansion. Even if others don't know her name, they certainly know about it!"
"It's true. That is to say, this note has something to do with Duke Yong's Mansion!"
"Miss Di has quarreled with this lady before, and she did it again. Is she..." Some were guessing, some were asking, and some looked at Di Fenglan with surprise.
There was no need for Rui'an Great Elder Princess to ask again. All the questions were immediately pushed to Duke Yong's Mansion because of what everybody said.
Countess Yong was stunned, and her face immediately became terrible. She said urgently, "It has nothing to do with our mansion. And it was not us who said that."
It was not them who had said that before. It was just a servant girl they brought.
But how could a servant dare to talk nonsense without her master's suggestion! Everyone looked suspiciously at Countess Yong.
"Princess, I'm finished!" The goal was achieved. Qin Wanru smiled coldly and no longer asked anything. Then, she stepped back to Rui'an Great Elder Princess.
Her story was just an interlude. The main play was about kidnapping the grandson of Great Elder Princess. Someone just framed her with it.
She was also totally suspicious of Di Fenglan's involvement. She could not really testify that it was Di Fenglan, but now this was enough!
"Countess Yong, I am sorry. You should go back first. I won't keep you because I have something else to do!" Rui'an Great Elder Princess said coldly, and did not look at them after that. She just brushed her sleeves to leave!
She was directly driving out a guest in public. For a time, Countess Yong's face turned blue and white. She was embarrassed and angry.
She was a noble Madam in the capital city. Not only her own family but also her husband's family was excellent. She was always the distinguished guest at a banquet. How could she expect to be driven away on the spot?
If it were someone else, she would have left with a sneer. But the point was that she was Rui'an Great Elder Princess, the aunt of the emperor.
"Mother!" Seeing Rui'an Great Elder Princess leave, Di Fenglan stood up with her servant girl's hand, and her eyes fell on Qin Wanru indignantly.
Bearing the eyes of mockery and ridicule, Countess Yong ground her teeth and said, turning to her daughter, "Let's go!"
"Mother, I..." Di Fenglan was not reconciled. She still wanted to trouble Qin Wanru, but Countess Yong glared at her fiercely. She had to turn around and leave with Countess Yong.
It was unknown who laughed behind her, and then more and more mockery came from behind. Countess Yong felt that her whole face was burning, she had never suffered such indignation before.
Seeing Countess Yong leave, Qin Wanru slowly turned her head and was about to wander around the garden again. It seemed that the banquet would not begin for a while.
"Second Miss Qin, please don't go!"
Chapter 149 A Noble and Pitiful Life
"Miss Yan!" Qin Wanru looked back and saw Yan Xulan smiling and walking to her.
"Can we walk together?" Yan Xulan asked. She smiled and pointed to a gravel road.
"Alright!" Qin Wanru nodded. After everything, she still just walked away casually.
Great Elder Princess Rui'an was going to deal with her grandson's affairs now. The rest of the uninvolved people left in twos and threes. Many people strolled around and shared gossip, most of which was about the disgrace of Duke Yong's mansion.
It was shameful to be dismissed by Great Elder Princess Rui'an. Tonight's events greatly weakened the reputation of Duke Yong's Mansion.
"Second Miss Qin, do you know much about the child you were with?"
Yan Xulan found Qin Wanru pleasant looking, so stayed to talk to her.
"Not much. Who is he?" Qin Wanru was also quite curious.
In her last life, she got no news and knew very little. She only vaguely heard news Qin Yuru and Madam Di let slip. She did not quite understand the things Hao'er had said.
It was obvious that he was the grandson of Great Elder Princess Rui'an. Why did he have no parents? And why would he be targeted like this?
"He is the son of Infanta Qinghua, the daughter of Great Elder Princess Rui'an, and he is the only legitimate son of the former Duke Xing." Yan Xulan sighed. "He is a pitiable child!"
"Why is he a pitiable child?" Qin Wanru frowned with her beautiful arched eyebrows and felt that there was something to it. His family determined that the child was extremely noble, so how could he make people lament?
The name Duke Xing stirred something in Qin Wanru's memory. The so-called former Duke Xing, in fact, was not the present Duke Xing. He seemed to be the brother of the present Duke Xing.
"The former Duke Xing married Infanta Qinghua, but his mother did not like her. He asked to leave the capital city and go to the border with Infanta Qinghua. They lived there for many years, and they seemed so far away. It was even inconvenient to send letters there. Outsiders were not clear about where they lived. When the turmoil broke out, people here in the capital city were sent to look for them, but only Infanta Qinghua came back in the end!
"This child is the posthumous son of Infanta Qinghua. When she gave birth, she bled heavily. So she died young because they failed to save her!"
Yan Xulan sighed. "Originally, he was God's favored one, but has now become an orphan without parents. It is said that the current Madam treats him well, but because of her bad relationship with Infanta Qinghua, she doesn't care much about him. Meanwhile, Great Elder Princess Rui'an loves him very much."
"...Zhuozhuo... Zhuozhuo... Hao'er" A picture flashed in Qin Wanru's mind. It was a blurred picture, in which a woman was holding her hand and seemed to be talking to her. However, she couldn't hear or see clearly. Her heart felt struck by something heavy. There was a kind of unspeakable convulsion in her heart, which made her almost fall down in a short time.
The sharp pain surged from her heart through her body!
"Miss... Miss, what's wrong with you?" Yujie's voice was a little far away.
Qin Wanru looked at Yujie blankly, as if she was somewhere far off. Yujie panicked and stretched out her hand to hold her.
Yan Xulan did not know what had happened, but also helped Yujie to support Qin Wanru.
It took a bit for Qin Wanru to collect herself. She could hear and see what was in front of her. Yujie and Yan Xulan held her, and there were no strange scenes or unknown voices shouting at her.
"Second Miss Qin, what happened to you?"
"I... I'm fine!" After a long while,
Everything receded like the tide, as if the pain just now was just an illusion.
She took a deep breath. Her little pink face was pale without a trace of blood. She was clearly in poor condition.
Yan Xulan looked anxiously.
"Second Miss Qin, are you really fine?" she asked. Just now, Qin Wanru's had looked healthy and full of energy, but now he lips were white.
"I'm really okay. I just feel somewhat dizzy!" Qin Wanru stretched out her hand to press her forehead, looking powerlessly at the sun over her head.
"Then let's sit off to the side!" Yan Xulan helped her over to a stone bench under a tree.
"Thank you, Miss Yan!" Qin Wanru sat down weakly with a slight smile on her face. She reached out to touch her forehead again. Maybe she had overtaxed her mind and slipped into a hallucination for a bit.
"You're welcome! I found you congenial, unlike Di Fenglan. We don't get along with each other. Every time we meet, we quarrel!" Yan Xulan smiled brightly.
Her straightforward character left a good impression on Qin Wanru. She looked up with a smile.
"Miss Yan, is there something less formal I can call you?"
"Of course! You can call me Xulan, and I can all you Wanru. Is that alright?" Yan Xulan had long wanted ask this herself, hadn't found the right time. "And 'Miss' sounds so stiff!"
"I'll call you Big Sister Yan!" Qin Wanru smiled.
"I'll call you Sister Wanru, or Wanru!" Yan Xulan smiled, satisfied with the address. Her eyes were scrunched with laughter.
"Sister Yan, will the son of Duke Yong marry my Big Sister? I've heard he might," Qin Wanru said. She liked Yan Xulan's straightforward personality.
"Really?" Yan Xulan widened her eyes and said in surprise, "I thought he would marry someone from the Ning mansion. I've heard about the marriage of cousins between the two families!"
"Ning's Mansion?" Qin Wanru asked. She was curious. In her last life, Di Yan did not seem to have planned to marry Qin Yuru at first, but then it seemed that something happened which made Qin Yuru marry Di Yan. However, Miss Ning still married him!
"Yes, it's a distant relative of Countess Yong's mother. They are cousins and she is good-looking. I heard that she grew up with Master Di, so why not marry him? When I saw Ning Caixian before, she also said they would get married!" Yan Xulan, sounding puzzled.
Miss Ning Caixian was a niece of Countess Yong. Although they were not closely related, Ning Caixian was very talkative, which made Countess Yong like her. Di Yan and her had been friends since childhood. It was said that there was already an agreement between them.
When it was time, the engagement would be settled. Many people knew it!
"Why haven't they gotten engaged already?" Qin Wanru still felt it strange.
"Before, Ning Caixian had to observe a period of mourning for her grandfather. Her grandfather and Countess Yong's mother were siblings!" Yan Xulan answered.
Qin Wanru was silent for a while.
"What is Miss Ning's family like?" she asked. There had to be a reason for how the marriage had gone in her previous life.
"The Ning family is fine, but it's not a noble family. The Marquises' mansion of Fengyang and Duke Yong's mansion always take care of them. Her father is a minor official," Yan Xulan said, and then pouted. "If there is something wrong, she's the type to kick up a fuss. But Duke Yong's son seems to enjoy it!"
Yan Xulan added laughed maliciously. "Duke Yong's son is always like that. He would probably fall for for whoever is good-looking!"
Qin Wanru laughed too. For those who were familiar with Di Yan, it was really true. He liked beauties, and he was most sympathetic to women.
Seeing Qin Wanru smile knowingly, Yan Xulan could tell they felt the same way, and felt braver with her questions.
"Did your mansion really unite Duke Yong's Mansion by marriage?"
Qin Wanru thought for a while and decided to tell her the truth
"That is what Madam Di and Big Sister thought, but Duke Yong's Mansion has not decided yet!".
"Ah, he is so promiscuous and should be more particular. You think too highly of him!" Yan Xulan said with disdain. With her eyes turning, she addded "Your Big Sister doesn't seem to be a good one either. Her servant spread all sorts of nasty gossip about you, saying that you seduced a man who'd come to marry her, and then refused to marry him. The whole Qin mansion was embarrassed because of you!"
Yan Xulan hadn't heard the rumors before, but after seeing the scene on the road, she asked several ladies who were friends with Qin Yuru Only then did she find out that the young lady of Qin's mansion had been spoiling her sister's reputation behind her back.
Before Qin Wanru even arrived in the capital city, her bad reputation had been spread, which was very unpleasant to hear.
Qin Wanru had already known well about the plan of Qin Yuru and Madam Di. Before she arrived in the capital city, they secretly transferred Qin Yuru's scandal onto her. They thought that first impressions were the strongest.
In the future, even if there were some bad rumors coming from Jiangzhou, it would be unclear which ones were real. With such a long journey, how could the news be accurate?
Madam Di and her daughter were so calculating. Qin Wanru slightly raised her chin, and then they curved into a cold smile. Her twinkling eyes flashed as an idea came to her.
Even if she didn't say it, she could start to set it in motion. Madam Di and her daughter racked their brains to plot against her. But now, she had something that could tear away their masks!
The two sat under the tree talking for some time. The more they talked, the more congenial they became. An hour passed before they knew it. The delayed banquet began, and servant girls came to invite them over.
They followed the servant girls together and saw a group of people rushing past halfway. Yan Xulan pointed at the woman in front.
"That's the current Duchess Xing!"
Qin Wanru looked to the front of the group. When she saw the woman's face, her eyes lit with cold anger.
She knew that woman!
Chapter 150 Rui'an Great Elder Princess' Sadness in the Last Life
She was Madam of Duke Xing!
It seemed that Qin Wanru had nothing to do with this woman in her last life but this woman just seemed to be everywhere. Qin Wanru even thought that when she met this Madam of Duke Xing in her last life, her life had been doomed!
The vague feeling that her life was controlled and pushed step by step into the abyss made her helpless and desperate. However, she couldn't find out finally who was the ringleader.
She didn't expect that she would meet the Madam of Duke Xing again here, much earlier than in her last life.
In her last life, she had no chance to attend Great Elder Princess' banquet so she didn't meet Madam of Duke Xing.
Something incomprehensible in her last life suddenly became clear, telling her that this woman was very dangerous! This was the conclusion of her two lives.
Madam of Duke Xing didn't look well. However, she was not angry but worried. Her worried face even seemed to be a little rattled.
Madam of Duke Xing was very beautiful. Her worried look made her seem to be calm like a Madam of an aristocratic family and kind. Feeling that someone was looking at them, she raised her head and looked into Qin Wanru's eyes. Although she didn't recognize Qin Wanru, she knew Yan Xulan besides Qin Wanru.
Even though she looked very worried, she slightly smiled at them in a very polite way, then she removed her eyes and left hurriedly.
Yan Xulan stopped talking at once and bowed sideways while Madam of Duke Xing was looking at her.
She felt relaxed until Madam of Duke Xing left with her servants and said, "Do you think that Madam of Duke Xing is very powerful?"
"It seems so!" Qin Wanru said quietly.
"I heard that she manages the whole Mansion of Duke Xing and arranges everything in her mansion in perfect order. She is very capable. Young Lady of Duke Xing is also a gentle and graceful lady. I must introduce her to you when we meet her sometime. She is very nice and totally different from Di Fenglan!"
Yan Xulan said.
So it meant that Shao Yanru, the eldest daughter of Duke Xing had a very good reputation. Her lips curved in a cold smile. She looked forward to meeting Shao Yanru again very much!
When they arrived at the banquet, Qin Wanru then looked for Shui Ruolan before the banquet began. Seeing Qionghua shaking her hands far, Qin Wanru then left Yan Xulan and went to Shui Ruolan. When she went closer, she suddenly found that the table she would sit at was very close to the main table, even close at hand.
When she just sat down beside Shui Ruolan and before she talked to her, a boy who kept wriggling in his seat at the main table suddenly left his seat, rushed up to her and said, "Sister!"
After calling her affectionately, he jumped and hugged her suddenly!
Qin Wanru quickly reached out and held him with her body going backward. If Yujie had not caught her, they would have fallen down together.
A young woman ran anxiously and said, "Childe Hao, please wait for me! Be careful!" Qin Wanru turned and looked at her, finding out that the woman was not the nanny who tried to plot against Hao'er before.
Hao'er climbed onto the chair beside Qin Wanru, kept patting the woman's outstretched hand, and said, "I want to sit with this sister!"
"Then let him sit there!" said Rui'an Great Elder Princess at the main table. She laughed and thought that it was quite delightful to see these two pretty children sitting together.
Hearing Rui'an Great Elder Princess' words, the young woman dared not say anything else and just stood behind Hao'er.
Seeing Qin Wanru, Hao'er was quite happy and kept talking with her. The little boy was angry and irritated just now and then became wronged and sad now. Seeing this, Qin Wanru could not help laughing, thinking that why this little boy would be so emotional.
However, Qin Wanru learned from his words that Rui'an Great Elder Princess was irritated. It seemed that she scolded people from the Mansion of Duke Xing and asked them to leave Hao'er in the mansion strongly.
Thinking that Madam of Duke Xing just came back in a hurry, she supposed that Madam of Duke Xing was to report to Old Madam in the mansion because of this.
She left so hurriedly that she didn't care about the courtesy, seeming that she didn't want to leave Hao'er here at all. It also seemed that Mansion of Duke Xing did care about this boy and was unwilling to let him get wronged outside.
Thus, even if she left her courtesy behind, others would consider her as a kind madam.
A hint of suspect flashed in her eyes. She didn't believe that the Madam of Duke Xing would be so nice!
She reached out, patted Hao'er's hand, and asked, "Hao'er, could you tell me your name?"
Throwing his chest out, Shao Yuanhao answered proudly, "My name is Shao Yuanhao!"
Qin Wanru frowned because she had no memory about this boy. Logically, Qin Yuru then built relationships with the Mansion of Duke Xing, which made all servants proud of this. They also talked about the Mansion of Duke Xing from time to time. However, Qin Wanru couldn't remember that there was a boy in the Mansion of Duke Xing.
"Why would I know nothing about this noble boy, the grandchild of Rui'an Great Elder Princess?"
Thinking about what happened today, she was suddenly in a cold sweat. She thought, "Does this boy come to a bad end at last? Is that the reason that nobody in the Mansion of Duke Xing mentions it?"
Biting her lips and trying to calm down, she suddenly remembered that there was a big event happened in her last life, a very big event which caused a great flutter in the capital city—Rui'an Great Elder Princess decided to become a nun.
Rui'an Great Elder Princess was the Emperor's natural aunt and very noble. However, she made this decision all of a sudden. Some people even heard that not only the Emperor tried to persuade her but also the Empress Dowager. However, no matter who came and persuaded, Rui'an Great Elder Princess decided to do this persistently.
The Queen and Empress Dowager didn't agree her so they transformed the place behind the backyard of the Mansion of Rui'an Great Elder Princess into a Buddhist nunnery and made it open to the public. So Rui'an Great Elder Princess could be a nun in her own mansion.
In her last life, she couldn't figure out that why Rui'an Great Elder Princess would make such a decision suddenly and why she would take things too hard while she was in such a position and was very noble and rich.
If Shao Yuanhao, the only natural grandchild of Rui'an Great Elder Princess came to a bad end, given how Rui'an Great Elder Princess loved him, she definitely couldn't bear this.
In light of what happened today, there must be someone who tried to hurt Shao Yuanhao. Shao Yuanhao actually was the successor of the Mansion of Duke Xing, who was a little bit like Chu Liuchen.
In terms of his position, if Rui'an Great Elder Princess helped him become the Duke's successor, it would be much easier to succeed. Thus, his appearance now hindered Duke Xing and his Madam's work.
Qin Wanru almost clarified her thought instantly. If there was someone who didn't want to see this child, there was nobody except Duke Xing and his wife.
Qin Wanru almost got her idea into shape without hesitation because she had doubted the Mansion of Duke Xing in her last life. However, she also found that there was no direct evidence related to the Mansion of Duke Xing. Otherwise, Madam of Duke Xing would not come back in a hurry and worry but not in a panic!
Qin Wanru smiled and asked, "So are you living in the Mansion of Princess?"
"Yes! Here! I live with my granny!" answered Shao Yuanhao, blinking his big eyes and keeping eating fruits. His bulging mouth once opened and then closed, which made him very cute.
"Would your paternal granny be willing to leave you here?" asked Qin Wanru, using her handkerchief to wipe his mouth.
"Granny..." He rolled his eyes and hesitated, seeming that he was reluctant to leave her when mentioning his granny.
So it should be an important reason that Shao Yuanhao was raised in the Mansion of Duke Xing for these years.
Qin Wanru also rolled her eyes and asked gently, "Are you unwilling to live with Rui'an Great Elder Princess?"
"But I am also unwilling to leave my granny, my aunt, my elder sister and brother!" Hao'er lowered his head, seeming that he was sad. It seemed that all people in the Mansion of Duke Xing were good, very good people in his mind. Otherwise, a child would not obsess with them like this.
"How hypocritical this family is!"
Qin Wanru sneered in her heart. Although she couldn't consider all people of the Mansion of Duke Xing as villains, some of them must be bad. It was really dangerous for Shao Yuanhao to stay in the Mansion of Duke Xing.
The reason why they didn't implement the plan in the Mansion of Duke Xing but in front of Rui'an Great Elder Princess definitely was that they were afraid that the Elder Princess would blame it on the Mansion of Duke Xing while she would blame herself for this if this happened in her own mansion.
There must be a very special chance that Hao'er encountered something really bad in the Mansion of Princess in the last life, which made her so self-condemned and desperate that she decided to become a nun.
"How merciless they are!"
Qin Wanru said in surprise, "There are so many people in your mansion!"
Shao Yuanhao nodded his head proudly. He raised his head and smiled so brightly that others even could not see his eyes.
"But there would be your maternal granny alone. She is so pitiful!" said Qin Wanru, smiling. Glancing at Rui'an Great Elder Princess who sat at the main table, Qin Wanru suddenly became sad and worried.
"Your maternal granny only has you. If you leave her, how pitiful she would be!"
Shao Yuanhao twitched his mouth and his smile has all gone. Like Qin Wanru, he also shot a glance at Rui'an Great Elder Princess and then asked, "Only me?"
He always thought that his maternal granny wasn't as good as his grandpa because he was raised in the Mansion of Duke Xing and seldom came to the Mansion of Princess. Sometimes his maternal granny even scolded him, which made him unhappy while his granny, aunt, elder brother and sister would never scold him.
But now he realized that his maternal granny was so pitiful because there was only herself in such a big mansion. Shao Yuanhao suddenly felt that he was bad and twisted his chubby hands.
"Granny just invited me to stay here but I just twisted my body and refused her. Is she sad now?"