Chapter 217 One Tongue Against Three Tongues
Neither brocade nor desserts on the table had been put away.
A cat coming from nowhere sneaked in and jumped on the table. When Qin Wanru and two girl servants rushed over, everything on the table had been messed up.
The desserts’ crumbs were on the brocade, which, had been scratched and had holes. In a word, the room had been messed up, but that cat scampered several times, jumped on the windowsill even as several people worked together to catch it, and then licked its paw.
“Quick, catch it, it broke the miss’ brocade.”
“I can’t catch it; it jumps too fast; it… also broke the plate, what shall we do?”
“It doesn’t matter. The plate is nothing, but the brocade will cause trouble!”
“The brocade are already in our mansion. Even if they are broken… it shouldn’t be troublesome, should it?” …
Hearing the discussion of the principal maids catching and panting in the room, the girl servants and old maids standing outside gazed at one another. “What’s wrong?”
From the entrance of the yard, Qin Yuru walked slowly over with a few people. When she arrived in the yard, saw everyone was stunned, and also heard the loud noise in Qin Wanru’s room, she couldn’t help looking serious, asking unhappily, “What’s wrong? What is happening?”
“First Miss, a cat, a cat in Second Miss’ room has broken the brocade and smashed a plate!” an old maid answered hurriedly.
“Brocade? The brocade bestowed by Rui’an Great Elder Princess?” Qin Yuru was shocked as she heard the news.
“I, I don’t know!” the old maid was astonished and said hurriedly.
“A plate, what plate?” Behind Qin Yuru, Di Fenglan asked coldly, “Cousin, is it the plate my mother sent you as our betrothal gift? That is an imperial object.”
“What?” Qin Yuru looked pale, shook, and nearly fell. “How, how come!”
“Cousin Yu, can it be true?” Di Fenglan was anxious and strode forward, but saw Qin Wanru coming out from inside.
“Qin Wanru, why did you take my cousin’s stuff? That is an imperial object. You, you took it, and also broke it. You, you should pay for it with your life!”
Di Fenglan spoke furiously.
“Miss Di?” As Qin Wanru saw Di Fenglan gritting her teeth out of fury, her look at her face was a little hesitant, as if she really couldn’t recognize her.
“Second sister, did you really make things broken, my plate and also the brocade Rui’an Great Elder Princess sent?” Now Qin Yuru came over hurriedly, with a flurried face.
Standing beside her was another miss whom Qin Wanru had never seen. She was exceptionally beautiful, but she frowned and eyed Qin Wanru with an unfriendly look, not like someone whom one could get along well with.
“Big Sister, do you know this cat?” Qin Wanru smiled, ignored what she asked about, and pointed to the cat on the windowsill.
“I don’t know the cat and don’t know where the wild cat came from. You’ve made things broken, so you can’t deny your fault, and now I am telling our father. I can’t make the decision!” Qin Yuru said, ready to turn and leave.
“Big Sister, don’t you want to know where this cat came from?” Qin Wanru asked calmly.
“Qin Wanru, in such a situation, do you still have time to ask where the cat came from? Is it that you wish to blame the cat? A cat knows nothing!” Di Fenglan swore angrily. On that day, she was hurt by Qin Wanru. These days, she had been grounded in her family. So, when she came out with such a rare chance and also met Qin Wanru, she would not let her off.
“Big Sister, I’ve heard my mother say Madam Di recently raised a cat, not sure if this is that cat?” Qin Wanru smiled and said.
“Even if this is my mother’s cat, do you wish to let the cat take responsibility for the trouble?” Qin Yuru’s expression changed slightly, but she said angrily. She didn’t notice the cat, but she never thought Qin Wanru had noticed it.
“Is this cat exactly the one Madam Di raises?” Qin Wanru smiled and said.
“How can I know? Someone, go invite my father, tell him Second Miss borrowed a plate from me, but she broke it now, and she also scratched the brocade Rui’an Great Elder Princess sent!” Qin Yuru calmed herself down, turned, and said to the old maid following her here.
“Even if Qin Wanru knows this is my mother’s cat, what can she do? Can she blame my mother for the trouble?”
After getting the order, the old maid headed for Qin Huaiyong’s study in a hurry!
“I borrowed the plate from Big Sister? When?” Qin Wanru blinked, found the key point of Qin Yuru’s words, and asked.
“Qin Wanru, if you didn’t borrow the plate, how did you have the plate and break it?” Di Fenglan sneered, striding toward Qin Wanru’s room.
Qin Yuru and another miss gave a cold humph and also rushed into the room.
The messy room had not been cleaned yet. On the floor, there were shards of the plate, desserts placed on it, two scrolls of scratched brocade, and several porcelain items.
Yujie and Qiuyue were cleaning in a panic, but when Di Fenglan rushed in, they hadn’t finished cleaning. Seeing everyone come in, they were stunned.
When the cat on the windowsill saw so many people rush in, it jumped down to the ground out of fear, flashed and climbed on top of the opposite wall, and vanished after a few jumps.
After the cat was scared and left, a trace of smugness appeared in Qin Yuru’s eyes. “There are numerous similar cats in the world. Even if Qin Wanru means to charge my mother’s cat, she must also have proof.”
“Well, Qin Wanru, you said you didn’t break things. Look at the plate, this is obvious our mansion’s imperial plate,” Di Fenglan pointed at the shards on the floor and shouted.
In fact, she also saw the plate once or twice, and the shards in front of her were the plate!
“First Miss Qin, your mansion’s Second Miss is really… bold. She dared to do such things. Any kind of imperial object has records, and anyone who breaks them will have to take great responsibility!” another miss coming with them shook her head, eyed her scornfully, and said.
“Second Sister, how, how dared you…” Qin Yuru looked panic and pointed at Qin Wanru, as if she could not talk out of shock.
Qin Wanru stared peacefully at the several hard-working actresses, raised the corner of her mouth slightly, walked over, and said calmly to the two girl servants who were still cleaning, “Yujie, Qing Yue, since the items that are cleaned are broken, throw them away! Quick, bring tea to these misses!”
“Yes, Miss, we are finishing right now!” The two stunned girl servants quickened their speed, looking like they would throw away the proof.
“Qin Wanru, don’t throw anything! Such an event, do you think you can really cover it up?” Di Fenglan was angered but smiled, and said coldly.
“Cover what up?” Qin Wanru said simply, “At the beginning, there was no trouble, but Big Sister and Miss Di came ferociously with a group of people, as if you knew something terrible would be happening in my place. I just want to ask, ‘Why did Miss Di and Big Sister come to my place at this time?’”
“You, you haughty!” Seeing Qin Wanru’s great contempt, Di Fenglan frowned angrily. “How dare you! Kneel to confess, quick!”
“Miss Di, I don’t know what you are talking about. Why should I kneel to confess? Why speak of Big Sister’s plate? What did I do to the plate?” Qin Wanru looked at Di Fenglan peacefully, then turned slowly to Qin Yuru, and sneered. “Big Sister, do you ladies wish to trap me on purpose?”
“Qin Wanru, don’t cross the line too far!” Di Fenglan went furious and nearly trembled. She always looked down upon Qin Yuru, not to mention Qin Wanru, but she never expected to be ridiculed by Qin Wanru someday.
“I’ve crossed the line. Miss Di, you and Big Sister trapped me, does this mean destroying the imperial object? If so, kneel to confess, quick!” Qin Wanru suddenly stopped smiling, said coldly, took one step forward, and stared at Di Fenglan.
“You, you b*tch!” Di Fenglan never thought Qin Wanru could use her words to attack her sharply at this moment, but she was shocked and backed one step. Instantly, she screamed, aiming at Qin Wanru’s face with a hard slap.
Yujie had long been ready on her side. She pulled Qin Wanru one step back and just avoided Di Fenglan’s palm.
“Second sister, apologize to our cousin!” Qin Yuru looked pale and said.
“Apologize? You came ferociously with so many people, didn’t you mean to find my demerits? It is strange. How could you predict something would be happening in my place? My place had not been cleaned up, but you already arrived with so many people to witness my situation. Then, Miss Di announced I committed a serious crime, and you meant I also borrowed a plate from you. What kind of great honor could I use to borrow some imperial object from you?”
Qin Wanru sneered, and her bright, watery eyes burned like a roaring fire, staring at Qin Yuru.
“Second Miss Qin, you are so unruly as you are rumored indeed, but for the current situation, your unruliness is useless!” When the miss coming with them found Qin Yuru couldn’t talk out of anger and irritation, she came to help her hurriedly, looked at Qin Wanru with a sneer, pursed her lips, and said.
“I have just arrived in the capital for a short while and haven’t seen many people, and I also behave like a good girl, but how has this miss heard rumors? I don’t know where these so-called rumors come from. Did Big Sister or Miss Di spread them? Or, this miss likes such gossip most and overheard them?”
Even if this miss hadn’t troubled her at this time, Qin Wanru would also have troubled her. Since she came with Qin Yuru and Di Fenglan, her aim was already with stains. Qin Wanru didn’t fear anything and would never fear the words of this miss.
“You…” This miss had a sharp tongue, but when Qin Wanru retorted and made her face turn blue and pale repetitively, she was infuriated and began to tremble. “Without domestic discipline indeed… you dare, you dare to talk like this!”
“You hate our mansion has no discipline? A miss like you specializing in hearing rumors really has discipline!” Qin Wanru answered back sarcastically.
“Second sister, you…”
“What happened?” Qin Huaiyong’s voice came from the doorway and silenced everyone immediately.