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!