Chapter 361 A Concubine Would Be Sent to the Qin’s Mansion?
“When will they do that?” Qin Wanru asked again.
“It is said that they will do it these days. They have talked it over. The lady is said to be a cousin of Madam Di, a distant relative of Duke Yong’s Mansion. She was supposed to get married long ago, but her marriage was delayed because of something. She’s quite a good-looking old lady.”
The news was truly shocking, because no one expected that Madam Di would agree.
“Has father said anything about it?” Qin Wanru frowned slightly. There was definitely not such a lady in the last life.
In the last life, the backyard of the Qin’s Mansion was under the control of Madam Di. She would not allow such a thing. In this life, many things had changed. Madam Di was doomed. Did Duke Yong’s Mansion mean to send another lady from their family to the Qin’s Mansion?
After Huangrui’s failure in seducing Qin Huaiyong secretly, they intended to send a lady here openly!
“The general should have agreed, otherwise it would not be possible for the lady to marry into our mansion as a concubine,” Qu Le replied.
“Let’s go and see mother!” Qin Wanru stood up and said. If it was true, mother should have got the news as well. Mother should be the saddest person in this matter.
Qin Wanru was afraid that Shui Ruolan could not bear it and felt uncomfortable!
When she hurried to Shui Ruolan’s Liufeng Pavilion, she saw Shui Ruolan leaned quietly against the couch. Seeing her come over, Shui Ruolan smiled and instructed Qionghua to lead her to a seat. She showed no discomfort and looked the same as usual, which made Qin Wanru hesitate and wonder if her mother had known anything.
After a servant served tea, Shui Ruolan pointed to the newly made tea and said, “Wanru, have a sip. The tea leaves were sent here by your father yesterday. It’s said that they have just been picked this year. There are only several liang of them, not much. The tea leaves were picked really early this year. When we were in Jiangzhou, they weren’t picked so early!”
Seeing Shui Ruolan look fine, Qin Wanru felt relieved and looked slightly relaxed. As she picked up the teacup, a breath of fresh fragrance came to her nose and immediately amazed her. She involuntarily praised, “The tea is really good and indeed the fresh tea of this year. It’s really strange that we get fresh tea at this time!”
She took a sip and sniffed a strong fragrance. Qin Wanru nodded repeatedly and thought that it was really good.
“You can leave now!” Shui Ruolan smiled and waved her hands. The maids and old maids all left, leaving Shui Ruolan and Qin Wanru in the room, as well as their henchmen Qionghua and Yujie.
“Mother, do you want to say something?” Seeing Shui Ruolan do that, Qin Wanru blinked her watery eyes and asked with a smile.
“Your father is going to have a concubine. She is Madam Di’s cousin, about to marry into our mansion to take care of Yuru.” With the smile on her face fading, Shui Ruolan directly said.
Unconsciously, she had considered Qin Wanru her backbone and always discussed with Qin Wanru when something happened.
“To take care of Big Sister?” Qin Wanru was surprised, and then gradually realized that it must be their intention. Otherwise, Duke Yong’s Mansion would probably not send a lady here at this time.
“They said that your Big Sister has been misguided by Madam Di. Although she’s being instructed by the etiquette instructor now, but the etiquette instructor isn’t her mother after all. Madam Di is going to recuperate in a villa outside the city. My current situation doesn’t allow me to take care of Yuru. Besides, your Big Sister won’t want me to take care of her. Duke Yong’s Mansion means to send a cousin of Madam Di here as a concubine with the major purpose of taking care of your Big Sister!”
Shui Ruolan said slowly, without judging Duke Yong’s Mansion.
Nevertheless, she had expressed the meaning properly. This concubine was a key to the compromise between the Qin’s Mansion and Duke Yong’s Mansion. Thus, Qin Huaiyong must have agreed to it, and had told Shui Ruolan about it early. So Shui Ruolan also knew it.
It was a foregone conclusion.
Qin Wanru sighed softly, reached out to hold Shui Ruolan’s hand, and said softly, “Mother, don’t be sad. Since she just comes here to take care of Big Sister, let her live in Madam Di’s place!”
“It doesn’t matter. Since she marries into our mansion as a concubine with the support of Duke Yong’s Mansion, I will only offer them a chance to criticize me if I treat her harshly. It’s better to arrange a place where she can live well. Regarding your father, he can go wherever he wants to go. I can’t force him!”
Shui Ruolan said in an increasingly low voice, with empty gaze. After finishing talking, she showed a bitter smile.
No background was Shui Ruolan’s biggest disadvantage. Although the lady was just a concubine, she seemed to be higher than Shui Ruolan in status, not to mention she was supported by Duke Yong’s Mansion. Since she married into the Qin’s Mansion under cover of taking care of Qin Yuru, she was naturally taken seriously.
The so-called concubine came with no good purpose, but neither Shui Ruolan nor Qin Wanru could think of a reason to reject her.
Status? There was a trace of gloom and sharpness across Qin Wanru’s eyes!
If others couldn’t offer Shui Ruolan a high status and support, she could offer her. She wouldn’t allow this concubine to marry into the Qin’s Mansion!
Didn’t Madam Di intend to make trouble? She would leave her aside!
“Forget it. We are not going to talk about this. I just want to tell in advance, lest you don’t know anything when the lady comes!” Shui Ruolan suddenly said with a gentle and elegant smile and held Qin Wanru’s hand, “Wanru, be careful especially of Duke Xing’s Mansion. I always feel that you are related to Duke Xing’s Mansion, and Madam of Duke Xing doesn’t really like you!”
Shui Ruolan did not understand some of the cause and effect behind it, but felt that Madam of Duke Xing had no good intention. It seemed that Madam of Duke Xing had talked in one way and acted in another long ago.
She seemed to have an ulterior motive anyway.
Shui Ruolan also learned about Nanny Sheng’s visit yesterday after Nanny Sheng left. After asking about it carefully, she found something shady behind it. Originally she had to tell Qin Huaiyong about it, but inexplicably felt that she had better keep it a secret for the moment. So when Qin Huaiyong told her about the request of Duke Yong’s Mansion yesterday, she didn’t say anything about it on purpose.
If Qin Huaiyong knew it later, she could say that she had forgotten it at the moment.
“Mother, rest assured. Madam of Duke Xing does not like me indeed.” Qin Wanru also confessed to Shui Ruolan and said bluntly, lest Shui Ruolan misunderstood when Madam of Duke Xing told her something later.
“Wanru, be careful. If you need anything from me, you must tell me!” Speaking of this, Shui Ruolan showed a bitter smile. “Although I’m not very capable, at least I will protect you from being bullied by others.”
“Mother, I know!” Sensing Shui Ruolan’s sincerity, Qin Wanru bit her lip softly and said.
After the serious conversation, they made small talk for a while. Seeing Shui Ruolan’s tired face, Qin Wanru stood up and asked to leave. Watching Qin Wanru leave, Shui Ruolan leaned back and closed her eyes with a tired face.
Qionghua came over to make the cushion softer for her, and said softly, “Madam, why didn’t you tell the Second Miss that you are sad!”
“Am I sad? Actually not very sad!” Shui Ruolan said softly and gloomily, “When I decided to marry cousin brother after thinking it over, actually I’ve thought about the current situation. Cousin brother… Cousin brother… No one can make him do anything… ”
“Why did you agree to marry the general at that time!” Qionghua said anxiously.
“In that case, Madam Di had plotted against me. If I didn’t agree to marry the general, it would cause more trouble, and the result would be even worse. In the end, Madam Di would get what she wanted, and Mother and Wanru would be sad. So I considered it not bad to marry the general. In this case, at least I still have Madam Dowager, Wanru and him!” Shui Ruolan reached out to touch her belly, looking increasingly tender.
It didn’t matter that her husband was unreliable. She still had the unborn baby. With this baby, she could care about her husband as less as possible and ignore the fact that he was going to marry someone else.
Shui Ruolan was so peaceful, because she had thought it over. Since some things were not in her control, she could make the best of the current situation in her limited power…
After walking out of Shui Ruolan’s courtyard, Qin Wanru kept frowning. After taking a few steps, she stood firm and looked back at Shui Ruolan’s courtyard with an increasingly sullen face.
Mother appeared to be weird. It seemed that she should not look so bland. She had grown up with father since childhood. Although she had always been very orthodox in her behavior, their affections since childhood should make her incomparable to other ladies. However, Qin Wanru inexplicably felt that Shui Ruolan seemingly didn’t care so much about Qin Huaiyong now.
Did Shui Ruolan know something?
“Miss, where are we going now?” Yujie looked at the road under her foot, and found that it didn’t lead to the Zhifang Pavilion, so she asked.
“Go and see Big Sister!” Qin Wanru walked forward and said lightly.
If there was someone who knew this clearly, it must be Qin Yuru. Madam Di was leaving for a distant place. It probably meant no big deal to others. However, it meant a lot to Qin Yuru and Madam Di herself.
Qin Wanru did not believe that Madam Di would allow herself to be seized without offering any resistance and be obedient to Duke Yong’s Mansion. Last night, Nanny Zhou and Madam Di went out together and did something. Now Qin Wanru seemingly also needed to take actions to deal with this concubine!
Madam Di should be unwilling to be replaced by a concubine, while Qin Wanru didn’t want to see a concubine marry into their mansion. At this point, she had the same intention as Madam Di. She wanted to make what had happened between their mansions significant, and saw if Duke Yong’s Mansion had the cheek to send the lady to the Qin’s Mansion!
Qin Yuru’s courtyard was very quiet now. Seeing Qin Wanru coming, the maids and old maids immediately bowed to her one by one without any contempt as before.
The curtain was lifted high at the door. Qin Yuru was sitting in the middle, and coldly watched Qin Wanru walk towards her. Without Qin Huaiyong around, Qin Yuru didn’t want to pretend to be kind to her younger sister. Seeing Qin Wanru come in, she sneered and ignored her.
Qin Wanru didn’t mind it either. She stepped forward, bowed sideways, and sat down naturally in a chair beside before Qin Yuru said anything, as if it was her room rather than Qin Yuru’s.
Seeing Qin Wanru come uninvited and not treat herself as a guest, Qin Yuru was very angry. She tilted her head to look at Qin Wanru with her eyes filled with rage, but did not speak.
A maid served tea, and quietly left. It was so quiet in the room that they could even hear each other’s breathing. Qin Yuru frowned in disgust and said with sarcasm, “Second sister, why do you come here? Could it be possible to see if you’ve made me miserable enough now?”
With her gaze falling on Qin Yuru’s face, Qin Wanru showed a slight smile, seeming to be in quite a good mood. However, her expression made Qin Yuru feel increasing hatred.
“Big Sister, what are you talking about? How could I trap you? I heard that something happened to Madam Di yesterday, but I’m wondering if you know!” Qin Wanru asked with a calm smile and a trace of deepness across her eyes. Compared with the venomous Madam Di, it was naturally easier to deal with Qin Yuru…