Chapter 188 The Outcast, Qi Rongzhi.
“Second Lady Qin, Hao’er is still young. If he offends you, please forgive him. He still doesn’t know how to behave properly. It is very inappropriate for him to take you here!” Madam of Duke Xing said calmly as she walked.
What she meant was that it was impolite for Qin Wanru to follow Shao Yuanhao here as Qin Wanru was older than Shao Yuanhao.
Was this why Madam of Duke Xing came here in a hurry?
She turned slightly and looked at the house behind her. It was a great court but its master had gone. Though the master has passed away, the style of the court remained the same, which showed that the mansion thought a great deal of its master.
“Yes, you are right. I didn’t know people were forbidden from coming here,” answered Qin Wanru lightly as a hint of doubt flashed in her eyes.
“It is a forbidden area in the mansion. People in this mansion can’t even come in and out casually. Hao’er is still a brat and he sometimes sneaks in there.” Madam of Duke Xing looked calmer and kinder. She looked at Qin Wanru and said, “You two might hit it off. I guess it might be that you saved him that day.”
“You’re exaggerating!” answered Qin Wanru calmly.
“Hao’er grew up in this mansion. He is the only child of the late heir here and everyone cares about him. Old Grandma spoils him as she loves him and is always afraid that he would be unhappy. Everyone humors him. However, nobody thought he’d be at risk when he went to the banquet because he is always safe in this mansion!” said Madam of Duke Xing sincerely.
Qin Wanru didn’t answer her because she knew Madam of Duke Xing was just needing a listener now.
“Now Rui’an Great Elder Princess is going to take Hao’er away but I am afraid he won’t be used to that place…” Madam of Duke Xing said and sighed. She turned her head sideways slightly and looked at Qin Wanru who was just a step behind. She asked, “I hear that Madam Shui is not your birth mother and you don’t know who your birth mother is. Is that true?”
The topic changed so fast. Luckily, Qin Wanru was prepared. She lowered her head and hid her cold eyes. She answered, “I don’t know who she is and my father doesn’t tell me.”
“Is she dead?” Madam of Duke Xing asked with pity in her eyes. “Poor child!”
Although her questions came abruptly, her subsequent words made people feel her kindness and mercy.
“I don’t know!” Qin Wanru frowned and her eyes seemed to be filled with sorrow.
“So have you never seen your mother?” asked Madam of Duke Xing, her kindly eyes filled with concern.
Qin Wanru shook her head lightly and said in a low voice, “My father, mother and grandma love me very much!”
“What a poor but clever child!” Madam of Duke Xing sighed. She set her eyes on the embroidery pattern on her clothes. “The embroidery is quite beautiful. I notice you three from Qin’s Mansion all have this embroidery pattern. May I ask who designed this bluegrass embroidery pattern?”
“I don’t know. The embroidery room made them!” Qin Wanru shook her head again.
“All three were made in the embroidery room?” Madam of Duke Xing frowned and asked casually. She seemed to be really curious about this pattern.
“Yes. We just arrived at the capital city and Old Grandma asked them to make clothes for us. Lady Qi is now living in our mansion so she comes here too. However, about this bluegrass pattern…” When Qin Wanru said this, she hesitated. She looked like she thought of something but she decided against it.
“What about this bluegrass pattern?”
“I think I’ve seen this bluegrass pattern before.” Qin Wanru lightly rubbed her head and for a while couldn’t think of where she saw them before.
“Where?” Madam of Duke Xing looked calm but subconsciously, her voice became louder and her eyes looked darker.
“I don’t know… I may have seen it before in Magistrate Qi’s Mansion or in our mansion or somewhere in Jiangzhou.” said Qin Wanru.
Jiangzhou! So it was Jiangzhou!
“Second Lady Qin, is there a glass enamel in your mansion?” Taking a deep breath and calming down, Madam of Duke Xing asked.
“I don’t know… I may have seen it before in Magistrate Qi’s Mansion or our mansion or somewhere in Jiangzhou,” said Qin Wanru.
During their talk, several madams showed up from the front corner. When they saw Madam of Duke Xing and Qin Wanru walking by, they stopped and waited for them to pass them and then they began walking again, laughing and talking.
Qin Wanru was walking beside Madam of Duke Xing but gradually she slowed down to walk behind the crowd. As she watched Madam of Duke Xing smiling kindly in front, a shadow of gloom appeared in her eyes. She was now sure that Madam of Duke Xing knew about the bluegrass seal and that the seal belonged to her.
Could she be thinking that Qin Yuru used the seal to enter Duke Xing’s Mansion, but she didn’t know what it stood for?
Why did those in Duke Xing’s mansion think so much of this seal?
Duke Xing’s Mansion thought so highly of this seal that Madam of Duke Xing had come to dislike it!
However, she could not say that this seal belonged to her. Before knowing everything clearly, she had to take every step carefully and slowly. Every little mistake would drag her into a desperate abyss.
Madam of Duke Xing led them to the place where the banquet would be held. The banquet was held in the garden of Duke Xing’s Mansion. There were soft and sheer curtains all over the garden. They were placed high to block the wind. The chrysanthemu.m garden was here. It was the season for flowers, and the place was an ocean of chrysanthemum.
Many people walked into this flower ocean and thought highly of this chrysanthemum appreciation banquet held by Duke Xing’s Mansion. Now the whole capital city knew that Duke Xing’s Mansion had a chrysanthemu.m garden that other mansions didn’t. The chrysanthemu.m garden not only looked beautiful but also had different types of chrysanthemum, some of which were so rare they could not be seen outside Duke Xing’s Mansion.
Qin Wanru stopped in front of the flowers. She looked at some scattered little flowers on the side of the flower bush. They were small and didn’t look like chrysanthemums. They looked like some kind of wildflowers. But it was impossible for wildflowers to show up here.
She lifted her dress and squatted down. She studied those insignificant flowers carefully and felt that she had missed something important!
“Miss, they could be used as medicine!” Seeing Qin Wanru squat down, Yujie also squatted down and said in surprise after looking at the flowers for a while.
Hearing her words, Qin Wanru suddenly remembered that these flowers were a kind of medicine. She just thought about what kind of flowers they belonged to but she thought in the wrong direction.
“Refreshing! Good for people to keep in good health!” Qin Wanru touched the flowers and looked around. The garden was just like an ocean of flowers. Normal people could not grow these chrysanthemums well and let those medical plants survive!
Duke Xing’s Mansion really did well to plant and grow those flowers!
“Second Sister, did you have fun?” Qin Yuru’s voice suddenly reached Qin Wanru’s ears. She raised her head and patted her hands. She stood up and looked behind her.
Not only Qin Yuru, but Countess Yong and some other madams and ladies were there. Qi Rongzhi stood at the very end looking pitiful, looking like an outcast.
“Good!” answered Qin Wanru calmly.
“What about Master Hao? Why didn’t he come here and play with you?” Qin Yuru sneered. She didn’t like Qin Wanru. Although she knew she could not cause trouble any more, she could not forgive Qin Wanru for what she did to her before.
She didn’t believe Qin Wanru knew she did hit the kid deliberately!
“Hao’er went back. Have you even seen my mother?” asked Qin Wanru leisurely.
“I don’t know where Madam Shui is!” answered Qin Yuru unhappily. She didn’t want to be with Shui Ruolan. Who cares where Shui Ruolan was now?
“Mother is still not here! I will look for her!” Qin Wanru looked at the people around her and saw Shui Ruolan here. “Mother doesn’t feel well today! She would not have had come today if it wasn’t for us!”
Then she raised her eyebrows and looked at Qi Rongzhi who was walking towards her.
“Sister Wanru, I will help you look fo her!” Qi Rongzhi finally got a chance to say something and she hurriedly said to Qin Wanru. They met people from Duke Yong’s Mansion when they just left there. However, people from Duke Yong’s Mansion only talked to Qin Yuru and didn’t leave her any chance to talk! Thus, she felt quite depressed.
Qin Yuru didn’t want to join them actually but she found out that both of them decided to look for Madam Shui, it would be inappropriate for her to refuse to help them. Thus, she gnashed her teeth and forced a smile and said, “Well, let’s look for her together!”
They then asked the direction to the flower hall. They met Shui Ruolan on the way there. Then they returned together.
The arrangement of seats had been settled. The seat of Qin’s Mansion was not too close to the front while not too far from the main table. The position was very appropriate. However, Countess Yong who sat at the next table kept watching her coldly. Coincidentally, they were in a face-to-face position. Thus, when Qin Wanru turned and looked at her, Countess Yong sneered and looked irritated.
Qin Wanru behaved naturally as though she didn’t care. She even smiled at Countess Yong, which made the latter livid. She had always felt ashamed and dared not meet others because of what happened at Rui’an Great Elder Princess’ Mansion, which was caused by Qin Wanru.
A servant girl walked to her and whispered in her ears. She looked at Qin Wanru calmly and then nodded and said something to the servant girl.
The servant girl left respectfully and then stood at the side of the garden. She said something to an old maid standing there. Then the old maid also looked at Qin Wanru before leaving quietly.
Nobody would notice a servant girl or an old maid at the crowded banquet, except Qin Wanru. She felt alert in her mind.
She saw clearly the way the old maid looked at her. Her eyes looked really dark.
The servant girl of Duke Xing’s Mansion, the old maid of Duke Xing’s Mansion and Countess Yong…