Chapter 305 Second Step, a Strange Dispute
The crowd gathered at the gate, and more people joined them.
Some of the servants guarding the gate in a room also joined them. It seemed that the news must be something incredible because everyone’s eyes glistened as they listened.
The crowd talked for a long while before they dispersed. Then, the old maid supervisor of Duke Yong’s Mansion and the others of the procession reorganized and walked towards the gate.
The noisy procession that talked as they walked to the outside was very easy to draw attention.
Qin Wanru took a look at Yujie, who understood her immediately, walked to the door, and said to the servant girl standing there, “Go and ask what the matter was. Did anything happen?”
“OK!” the servant girl answered respectfully, scuttled out, and returned to report in a short while.
“Beaten by Madam Di?” Qin Wanru asked with a strange expression.
“It is said that the people of Duke Yong’s Mansion paid a special visit to Madam Di with the order of Old Madam of Duke Yong’s Mansion by using the chance of sending herbs, but they were beaten!” the servant girl said.
“The servants of Duke Yong’s Mansion were beaten by Madam Di?” The situation was so strange that Yujie couldn’t help showing a little surprise on her face.
“This is quite strange!”
“Why?” Qin Wanru asked lightly after her eyes glinted.
“It is said that the gifts are too many to First Miss but only a few to Madam Di, and so Madam Di was angry and beat the old maid supervisor, and some of them were even kicked several times!” the servant girl said gingerly.
Since the two servant girls standing outside could serve the guests in the flower hall, they must be smart. Now they also felt it was a little strange and answered more gingerly.
“How, how is that possible? Does Madam Di want to compete with First Miss? Are Madam Di’s gifts not First Miss’s?” Yujie widened her mouth in surprise and couldn’t help mumbling.
“Madam Di is quite evil to my Miss, but she treats First Miss well. Everyone can see that, but she is now competing for gifts with First Miss? This is really incredulous.”
“Did First Miss say anything?” Qin Wanru continued asking calmly.
“I have no idea about this. Just now… the people of Duke Yong’s Mansion didn’t say that, either!” The servant girl shook her head. Although the people of Duke Yong’s Mansion had left, many people were still discussing it at the gate now and thought Madam Di was too abnormal.
“Shouldn’t she be more friendly with Duke Yong’s Mansion in her current situation? But she beat the people of Duke Yong’s Mansion. What does she want?”
“Is everyone talking about this now?” Qin Wanru’s watery eyes showed a little sharp coldness, but her face didn’t show anything, and she continued asking calmly.
“Yes, all the people who heard this at the gate are talking about it and feel it is very strange. Madam Di always assents to First Miss’s proposals, and when did she…” the servant girl answered. This matter was so strange that she answered smoothly when Qin Wanru asked her, but when she said this, she realized she had spoken too much.
With a thud, she knelt immediately. “I’ve crossed the line. Second Miss, please forgive me!”
“It doesn’t matter. Up!” Qin Wanru waved and looked to the gate. Although not many people were there, some in twos and threes were still talking. She curved her lips. “All the plans are closely linked. The action is quick!”
After letting the servant girl leave, Qin Wanru rested for a while and headed for the inner courtyard by taking the path where she had come from. When she arrived at the door of Qin Huaiyong’s study, she saw Huangrui and the servant girl Hongye standing there and couldn’t help frowning.
When the servant at the entrance of the yard saw Qin Wanru coming, he hurried over to bow.
“What’s the matter with the two of them?” Qin Wanru eyed Huangrui and Hongye and asked with a faint look.
“They say they’ve counted the herbs and need to show the list to the general!” the servant pursed his lips and answered.
“This is a small matter. Reporting it to the supervisor of the inner courtyard is enough. No need to trouble my father!” Qin Wanru caught a glimpse of Huangrui’s face. She looked a little timid and backed off a few steps, and she didn’t wear the seductive look that Qin Wanru saw that day. This meant that she would show different looks to different people.
“I also said so, but they were stubborn and said that the old maid of Duke Yong’s Mansion said they must let the general see the list, but the general doesn’t have time to care about such a small matter at this time!” the servant answered smartly.
“What list? Give it to me!” Qin Wanru reached out her hand and said.
Hesitant, the two servant girls looked at each other, and Huangrui summoned up her courage to take one step forward and said, “Second Miss, the madam means that we had better let the general see the herbs Duke Yong’s Mansion sent!”
“The madam means? But the madam beat the supervisor of Duke Yong’s Mansion just now. What does this mean?” Qin Wanru glanced over Huangrui’s beautiful face and asked.
“I have no idea about… this, either! I was counting herbs!” Huangrui lowered her head and said.
“Does the madam decide to argue with Big Sister? Or does she want to argue with Duke Yong’s Mansion?” Qin Wanru flapped her watery eyes twice and said.
“I have no idea about… this!” Huangrui dare not answer this question and summoned up her courage to pretend she didn’t understand.
“Since you have no idea, what are you going to report? Can this also be Madam Di’s idea? Does Madam Di want you to report the trouble she made today to my father?”
Qin Wanru’s face turned cold, and her eyes looked deeper.
The two servant girls were a little anxious and looked at each other, ready to kneel to admit their wrongdoing, but Qin Wanru waved and stopped them. “You may go now, and I will bring the list to my mother. It’s better to let my mother deal with it. The two concubines will be asked to count, and you servant girls cannot compare with the mansion’s concubines!”
Qin Wanru said lightly.
Yujie came over, snatched the list out of Huangrui’s hands, snorted at her coldly, and then stood behind Qin Wanru.
This meant Qin Wanru would meddle in forcefully. What if Madam Di was not happy. Now Shui Ruolan was the supervisor of the mansion.
“I…” Huangrui felt aggrieved and nearly cried, but she found Qin Wanru didn’t show her any sympathy, and so she had to bite her lip. “As you say, Second Miss!”
“Don’t bring such lists to my father directly in the future. He is very busy, doesn’t have time to care about such inner courtyard affairs, and won’t see you maids!” Qin Wanru said coldly.
“Yes, Second Miss!” Huangrui had to submit, but she didn’t want to give up and added, “Second Miss, I won’t bring such a list to the general next time, but since the list has been brought, would you mind taking it to the general?”
“My father won’t see it!” Qin Wanru smiled coldly.
“But…” Huangrui still wanted to say something, but she was stopped by Yujie. “No but, you maids came to serve Madam Di, but you always go to the outer courtyard. What does this mean? Do you want to do something else when Madam Di is injured now? If so, you should be beaten to death with a heavy stick according to the rules of Qin’s Mansion!”
The two servant girls were scared and became pale. As their lips trembled, they pleaded hastily, “Second Miss, we have no mind to do anything else!”
“Since you have no mind, leave now!” Yujie said with disgust.
The two servant girls dare not say anything this time. After a bow to Qin Wanru, they went to the outside hurriedly.
“Do you need to report their visit to my father?” After the two servant girls walked far away, Qin Wanru looked at the servant with a faint smile.
The servant heaved a deep sigh of relief and shook his head hurriedly. “Second Miss, it’s so good for you to drive them away. Just now no matter how I persuaded them, they didn’t leave. If they didn’t leave and the general asked me, I would be punished because of them.”
“That’s good. If so, I don’t need to bother my father!” Qin Wanru said with a smile.
“Second Miss, please!” The servant backed to the side and made way for her.
Qin Wanru went from the study to the Chuihua Gate, where it was very quiet, but Huangrui and Hongye seemed to be asking about something from the old maid guiding the gate. Seeing Qin Wanru and Yujie coming from a distance, they left hurriedly as if two mice see a cat.
Qin Wanru didn’t care about that and returned to her Zhifang Pavilion!
In the following days, the mansion was at its busy time. Since the Spring Festival was around the corner and Qin’s Mansion had just settled in the capital, some of Qin Huaiyong’s colleagues visited the mansion and other necessary affairs also happened. Shui Ruolan still dealt with such things, but she had given most of her power to the two able concubines.
Madam Dowager was getting better day by day. What made Qin Wanru the happiest was that Shui Ruolan also got the title of Honorary Lady. The rank was not high, but Qin’s Mansion did need someone with such a title to welcome and see off guests, or others would think the mansion had no courtesy.
Madam of Duke Xing would officially adopt her daughter on the night before the Little New Year’s Eve, and Qin’s Mansion was among the distinguished guests. Not only Shui Ruolan but also Madam Dowager would attend the ceremony, but Madam Di would be still grounded with the reason that she was recuperating. Now Qin Yuru had been released. She was now gentler than before and also occasionally come to Qin Wanru’s courtyard to chat.
It seemed she had thought everything through after the lockup.
Duke Xing’s Mansion would hold a banquet, and Qi Rongzhi had sorted out her belongings and officially moved to Duke Xing’s Mansion on the night before yesterday, waiting for the coming of the official adoption time, when Madam of Duke Xing would introduce her to all the relatives and friends of the family.
No one knew Qi Rongzhi came to see Qin Wanru secretly on the night she left Qin’s Mansion, only because of a few words Qin Wanru said.
Stimulated by a few words, Qi Rongzhi became anxious, visited Qin Wanru on that very night, and then left secretly. As for this, others in the mansion didn’t know.
On the morning of the day before the Little New Year’s Eve, Madam Dowager’s place was very lively. Not only Madam Dowager but also Shui Ruolan and Qin Yuru were there. When arriving there, Qin Wanru found everyone had come. So, she hurried over to bow to apologize.
Fortunately, everyone was in a good mood, Qin Yuru even made fun of her, and then they got on the horse-drawn carriages at the gate.
Madam Dowager and Shui Ruolan shared the same carriage, and so did Qin Wanru and Qin Yuru. When everyone got on the carriages, the carriages moved out of the square of Ningyuan Army General’s Mansion slowly and turned to the nearest avenue leading to Duke Xing’s Mansion.
Inside a carriage, Qin Yuru was smiling and looked very happy. She leaned close to Qin Wanru quite intimately, took out a handkerchief, and whispered, “Wanru, take a look at the handkerchief I embroidered!”
As she finished, she reached out her hand, and a purple scar on her snowy wrist suddenly appeared before Qin Wanru’s eyes…