Chapter 72 A Vague Profession of Love
Now that was right. Leng Changxi smiled as he looked at Qin Yunuan who was looking serious. He seemed to be satisfied with Qin Yunuan being serious with him, “Since you know that the ultimate aim of Zhao Huijin to harm you is to seek revenge on me, you must know the reason behind it.”
Qin Yunuan stunned. Leng Changxi’s mind and hers were on totally different pages. After she thought of the description “beloved”, Qin Yunuan blushed involuntarily. It turned from a light blushing into a honey peach red, and then a persimmon red. Finally, she couldn’t help but turned her head around and said vaguely, “I… I don’t know.”
“Yes, you do,” Leng Changxi seemed very stubborn about this question, and his tone became extremely gentle, “Since you know, you should expect that in fact. If you want anything from me, I’ll give it to you if I have it. If I don’t, I’ll get it from somebody else to give it to you.”
After Leng Changxi finished his sentence, he touched the tip of his nose as if he suddenly had been realized something. Before Qin Yunuan was able to react, Leng Changxi muttered to himself, “Oh, no wonder you are here.”
Qin Yunuan tried to calm herself down, but her heart was beating so hard that it was almost out of her control. She lowered her voice and maintained a gentle tone, “I have only met General Leng a few times.” There seemed to be some tentative emotions in the sentence.
Leng Changxi suddenly smiled softly, and his wide and elegant cuffs waved up with the amplitude of the movement. There seemed to be a bit of lethal charm in Leng Changxi’s tone, as he said, “Isn’t there a saying in the folks called love at first sight?”
Love at first sight? Qin Yunuan could hardly believe her ears. She couldn’t believe that these words came from the Cool Face General who had always kept his distance with the ladies and rumored to be ruthless.
At this moment, Leng Changxi slightly leaned his head sideways. He was waiting for Qin Yunuan’s answer like a child. His glance was firm, but his tone was a bit overbearing, even the posture of crossing his hands over his chest seemed to announce that the woman in front of him was his and no one could take her away from him.
Qin Yunuan lowered her head and said quietly, “You must be joking, General Leng.”
Was she shy? Leng Changxi pondered silently, and there was actually a hint of warmth in his heart. He enjoyed this way of getting along with people. He treated her differently from the others, and she treated him differently from the others, too. Years of military camp life had gained him a straight-forward temperament. So even saying love words to a girl would seem a bit overbearing and straightforward. He thought that she would be angry, or avoid the topic with some excellent talking tricks, but she didn’t. Good. Leng Changxi smiled. He was very satisfied.
Since he was satisfied….
“Follow nanny Yuan to get the Tianshan snow lotus later. She has worked for the mansion for a long time, don’t worry.”
After listening to Leng Changxi’s words, Qin Yunuan felt much relieved suddenly, but she heard Leng Changxi continued, “But it’s conditional.”
She knew it was not that simple. “What conditions?” Qin Yunuan raised her head and asked.
Leng Changxi turned around and walked to the desk in a few steps before picking up the scroll again, “You will know by then.”
When Qin Yunuan returned to the Fuxi Courtyard, it was almost midnight.
“Make the medicine according to the prescription and ask Maner to take it.” Qin Yunuan handed the snow lotus in the brocade box and the prescription she got from Li Qiqi to Tong. Then, she headed to Baochuan’s room to see him who had already fallen asleep.
“Second Master has been working harder recently.” Seeing that it was getting cold at night, nurse Liao carefully picked up a thin shirt and covered it on Qin Yunuan’s shoulders while she followed her behind. “The teachers in the family academy were all saying that Second Master is talented and willing to work hard.”
Qin Yunuan turned her head and said, “That’s what Baochuan told you, right?”
Nurse Liao didn’t quite know what to say, but she nodded anyway.
“Dou Qing’e has been in charge of the family for so long, and most of the people in the family academy are friends of the Dou Family. Although Dou Qing’e is not physically in the mansion, but she could reach her hands far enough.” Thinking of Qin Yunzhuang sending letters to Dou Qing’e to report the situation in the mansion every day, Qin Yunuan knew that it was still a long way to go to ensure Baochuan growing up safely and successfully.
Qin Yunuan looked at Baochuan, who was sleeping soundly, and she tucked him into bed. The desk was covered with books and scrolls, and there was not much bean oil left in the lamp.
After coming out of Qin Baochuan’s room, Qin Yunuan stood alone in the courtyard to cool herself down, thinking about another news that nurse Liao told her.
“Third Miss, you’ll turn fifteen in May. Now the Grand Miss is preparing to attend the Prince’s selection of Princess in June. As for the Second Miss, her wedding was cancelled because of the accident of young master Shangguan, and wouldn’t be able to find someone else in short term. Now, it seems that Master is planning to put your marriage on the agenda. It is said that the son of Officer Yuan fancies you a lot. You need to get prepared as early as possible, Third Miss.”
Officer Yuan’s son? Qin Yunuan had never heard of this person, let alone meeting or knowing. Marriages between families were often like this. As long as they were not crooked, and it was beneficial to the families, then they got married.
Qin Yunuan did not have any emotional experience in the previous life. Even her marriage was arranged as she was pushed into the marriage sedan under much confusion. But in this life, the only thing and the most important thing that she wanted to do was to protect Baochuan. Her marriage was a bit too sudden for her.
Inexplicably, Qin Yunuan thought of the words that Leng Changxi said to her when she was in his study. Even though his face was not in front of her, Qin Yunuan’s heart seemed to beat more quickly as long as she thought of it.
Qin Yunuan had been staying out there for quite some time. She didn’t return to her own room until nurse Liao came to persuade her.
Early the next morning, Qin Yunuan had just got up and rinsed her mouth with flower tea when she heard some noise from a distance.
“It seems to come from the Caizhi Courtyard,” Tong took a look outside and said, “It seems that the Grand Miss was making a fuss.”
She got so badly embarrassed yesterday. It would haven’t been her if she hadn’t made a fuss.
While Qin Yunuan was about to head for the Shunchang Courtyard and passed by the Caizhi Courtyard, Qin Yunzhuang’s voice got louder, maybe because of the appearance of Qin Yunuan.
“My father, I want to see my father. How can he do this? Mother was sent to the temple and the elder brother was put under house arrest. Now he’s really ruthless. Why won’t he let me go to the selection of Princess? Why? Butler Xie, find my father. I want to confront him.”
Qin Yunuan paused, and heard Butler Xie’s slightly cold voice, saying, “Grand Miss, Master has no time to see you right now. That’s his decision.”
Qin Yunzhuang was still preparing to shout loudly, but she choked as she saw Qin Yunuan approaching and leaned against the door. She stopped shouting but her glance was still full of unwillingness and resentment.
And Qin Linfeng, who had been with Qin Yunzhuang to comfort her all this time took the initiative to send Qin Yunuan off. He strode forward and stared at her with his blood-shot eyes, “What are you doing here? Is Yunzhuang’s courtyard somewhere you could come at any time? You need to know about your identity.”
Qin Yunuan was not in a hurry, and she turned her head slightly and said, “It seems that brother is still in the house arrest announced by father. What are you doing here in sister’s courtyard against father’s will? Who’s the one who doesn’t know about his identity now?”
“You,” Qin Linfeng’s hand pointing at Qin Yunuan paused and he yanked it back and said angrily, “Anyway, you are just a daughter of a concubine who can’t even have a say in your own marriage. Who do you think father will prefer, you or me?”
Butler Xie was still there, yet Qin Linfeng dared to ask such a question. Even though Qin Zhi clearly separated the children of his wife and the children of the concubines in his mind, he needed to act fair and just on the surface.
“Father always prefers the more obedient one, the one who doesn’t cause trouble, and the one who knows what is the right thing to do.” Qin Yunuan smiled and once again satirized Qin Linfeng’s irascible manner.
Qin Yunzhuang stepped forward, with faint tears on her face. She held Qin Linfeng back and said to Qin Yunuan teasingly, “Now you are really capable. Anyway, I’ll tell you since you’ll know it sooner or later. Father has sent someone to inform me this morning that I don’t need to attend the selection of the princess, as he already has a better candidate for it. There are only four daughters in the Qin Family. If I’m not going, since the second sister Yuwan’s marriage was cancelled, and the fourth sister Yuzhao is retarded, you’re the only one left. Well played, Qin Yunuan. I used to think that you were short-sighted and merely wanted to survive in the Qin Family, but I didn’t know that you have planned it all for you to be a member of the royal family and to become superior. Congratulations, Qin Yunuan. Even though I couldn’t make it to the Princess selection, naturally someone will get rid of you for me.”
Taking Qin Yunzhuang’s spot to attend the selection? This was something that even Qin Yunuan herself didn’t expect, let alone planning in advance. She looked at the slightly haggard Qin Yunzhuang coldly, and watched the fringed lotus flower on her head trembling like a real blighted flower in strong wind. Qin Linfeng was like a towering tree at the moment, guarding Qin Yunzhuang on her side.
Qin Yunuan smiled slightly, “Surviving in the Qin Family? This is indeed too easy. I don’t even bother mentioning it. But I am equally uninterested in attending the selection of Princess. Qin Yunzhuang, don’t feel too good about yourself. Don’t think that the others will be jealous of you and want what you treasure. Moreover, don’t blame me for all your pain, as there are so many things that you actually asked for.”
Qin Yunuan left the Caizhi Courtyard without looking back after she was done. When she arrived at the Shunchang Courtyard of Qin Zhi, he had just returned from the palace. Qin Yunuan finished her routine to greet him as usual, and she heard Qin Zhi implying that he wanted Qin Yunuan to replace Qin Yunzhuang for the selection.
If it hadn’t been for the mistakes of yesterday, Qin Zhi was completely unwilling to replace Qin Yunzhuang. To him, even though Qin Yunzhuang’s temperament was similar to Dou Qing’e and she had caused many troubles lately, she was good at music, chess, painting, and calligraphy. She was even known as the most beautiful woman in Qi. She would surely be chosen as the Prince’s wife in the Princess selection. However, Qin Yunuan had become more and more pretty lately, and she had never done anything wrong. It was also crucial to survive in the royal family.
Take the safer option. Qin Zhi always put his benefit in the first place.
“There’s one more thing,” Qin Zhi suddenly said when Qin Yunuan was about to get up and leave, “Last night, Li Qiqi committed suicide in prison.”