Chapter 74 Stirring up Troubles
The little maidservant answered deferentially, “A lady who said she was the infanta and took a fancy to the pale-purple brocade which was selected by Miss Fang just now. She required to purchase it. The shopkeeper had persuaded her outside.”
After the explanation of the little maidservant, several sounds came from outside. Qin Yunuan heard the peevish and imperious voice of that lady and said with her raising eyebrows, “It seems that it is useless for your master to persuade her.”
Qin Yunuan stood up and was about to walk toward the hall, but was stopped by that little maidservant, “M… miss Qin, my master has said that you’d better wait in the cella. Because apart from the infanta, the moody Iron General also came here.”
She should go there, indeed. That was the first thought flashing in her brain. She felt stunned and cleared her throat, “Will you let her keep making such an unreasonable scene? Now Boss Shen returns to the regions south of the River. The shop has no leader, but you shouldn’t let others bully you guys.”
Maybe due to a kind of mission or a kind of attraction, Qin Yunuan felt that she should go outside to handle this issue indeed.
In the hall, everything was in a mess.
The most attractive was a crazy little girl standing in the center of the hall, about 16 to 17 years old. She had a delicate and elegant face and her eyebrows were the style of maidens in the regions south of the River. However, endless hostilities emerged in her eyes. She wore a shining golden-thread-made long dress with a valuable hairpin made of goldspink-shaped sapphire. Qin Yunuan felt dizzy about her.
People near the street were always noble and powerful but nobility like the infanta seldom appeared in this street. Besides, she came with a supremely commanding general. Many people crowded outside the shop.
Compared with the people of Infanta Shuhua, Qin Yunuan came silently and raised the dark-green curtain with a chopped-green-shallot pattern. A comely maiden stood gracefully at the door of the hall and her clothes were blown lightly by the breeze, like a dandelion waving by the wind under the summer sunshine. She wore a pure white skirt with a small flower pattern and the collar perfectly highlighted her slender and white neck. Compared with the luxuriant Intanta Shuhua, Qin Yunuan was a more elegant and refreshing beauty.
It was rare to find such beauty in this embroidering shop. Infanta Shuhua raised her eyebrows and pointed at Qin Yunuan, “You, are the master of this shop?”
Qin Yunuan smiled and gave a salute, “Nice to meet you, my respected Infanta Shuhua. My father is Qin Zhi and I am the third daughter of the family. My name is Yunuan,” and then she looked at the dark-green brocade now held by the close high-level maidservant of Infanta Shuhua, “I have paid the earnest money and it should not be sold to you by rights.”
“Humph,” Infanta Shuhua sneered to say, “I don’t care who you are. I want this brocade. You must quit in this deal.” She was about to catch the brocade. Qin Yunuan quickly winked at the master and he rushed to hold the brocade in the high-level maidservant. He said in a compromising voice, “Infanta, I just do the business. That girl has already paid the earnest money and I took out this brocade just for packaging it. Infanta, there are many other kinds of brocades. If you were to like them, I would package all of them and send them to your mansion. OK?”
Infanta Shuhua was arrogant and aggressive. Her father was the martyr of the country and she had gained much love from the Queen Mother since she was a child. All people inside and outside the Imperial Palace knew that it was deadly and dangerous to contend for something with Infanta Shuhua. Anybody sane would not do that.
“The shopkeeper, you are wrong,” Qin Yunuan poured her cold words when Infanta Shuhua was very satisfied with the flattering words of the master, “Infanta Shuhua is not that kind of unreasonable lady. What you said will cause others to believe that she is an overbearing lady who always bullies honest businessmen.”
Qin Yunuan was speaking as she was observing the face of Infanta Shuhua. Infanta Shuhua had lived in the Imperial Palace full of cheatings and plots for a long time, so her embarrassed face vanished quickly and she shouted, “Prodding? Useless! I know your tricks well.”
This Infanta Shuhua was a hard role. Qin Yunuan raised her head to look outside. She saw the horse carriage of Prince Ning’s Mansion stopping at the gate. That little maidservant said just now that Leng Changxi came too, but he stayed at the carriage all the time somehow.
Leng Changxi had celebrated the 20-year-old ceremony the other days, and he was old enough to marry but still single. Infanta Shuhua matched Leng Changxi perfectly by her family background and appearance. A person like Leng Changxi who was a noble in the Prince Palace and very powerful, should find a suitable wife benefit to his family.
Somehow, Qin Yunuan felt a little bit disappointed but Infanta Shuhua just thought the upset face of Qin Yunuan expressed the depression caused by her failing of podding.
Infanta Shuhua constantly touched the brocade defiantly, and said proudly in a charming voice, “Listen, you will fail to fight things against me.”
Such words made Qin Yunuan feel a little bit upset.
Ignoring those counters and cloths in a mess on the ground, Yuanning tidied up her mood and was about to leave. She stopped again impatiently after Qin Yunuan said, “Wait a minute.” Suddenly, a cold and somber came behind her, “Give the brocade back.”
Infanta Shuhua stunned. Nobody in the Imperial Palace could dare to speak to her in such a mandatory voice.
“If you were to hope that you could leave the palace,” Leng Changxi’s words made Infanta Shuhua feel astonished. She had only known that the Imperial Grandmother dispatched a person to guide her in civilian clothes to go out of the palace, but she did not know the person was Leng Changxi. Besides, she did not know that her Imperial Grandmother wanted to find a good husband for her poor granddaughter. Although Leng Changxi suffered suspicion about his family background, he did have high military power. Besides, Prince Ning’s Mansion had much reputation, so they would not slight her granddaughter.
“What did you say just now?” Infanta Shuhua said with suspicious eyes, which seemed to express that you were just a general who was ordered to accompany me to travel out of the palace by my Imperial Granddaughter. How dared you to order me?
Today Leng Changxi still wore a deep-purple girdling long gown. The mask of him seemed to shine a cold light. He even did not glimpse at Infanta Shuhua and raised his neck slightly, which expressed a kind of sharp coldness, “Even if you had not heard my words, I would not have told you again.” Leng Changxi quickly glimpsed at the cloths in a mess on the ground and the counters pushed down by the angry Infanta Shuhua, adding, “And the loss of the embroidering shop. The master, you make a list and send it to the palace. You will get your compensation from her monthly expense deducted by someone in the palace.”
“Why!” Infanta Shuhua quickly changed her attacking into the officious Leng Changxi, “Leng Changxi, who are you? How dare you discipline me? Even my Imperial Grandmother cossets me! You dare not punish me.”
Leng Changxi turned his head slightly and exactly saw the light eyes and calm face of Qin Yunuan. He said, “You gain much love from the Queen Mother and I give much love to my lady. That’s not contradictory.”
His lady? Infanta Shuhua looked at Qin Yunuan near him unconsciously. Now few people were in this shop and customers were all scared to leave. Only several close maidservants left tided the shop. Suddenly she raised her voice,
“Fine, I understand,” Infanta Shuhua pointed at Qin Yunuan complacently and then at Leng Changxi, “You are what people always said cheating underground lovers.”
“Infanta Shuhua,” Qin Yunuan could not help but step forward to say, “General Leng and I do not have such kind of relationship which you believe.” And then, Qin Yunuan looked at the extremely calm Leng Changxi. Leng Changxi still looked at Qin Yunuan and his words to Infanta Shuhua were very cold, “You got out of the horse carriage without permission. You burst into the ship and smashed the goods. You looted the brocade which had been already ordered by others. Would you wish me to add more bad behaviors you have done to the Queen Mother?”
Infanta Shuhua calmed down a little finally after she heard about the Queen Mother. She said in a shallow voice, “Don’t try to threaten me by reporting to the Queen Mother.” Although she said that, she knew well that her Imperial Grandmother dispatched Leng Changxi to accompany her just for supervising her behavior. If Leng Changxi were to report what she did actually, she would be punished under the house arrest. Though she could compensate what she smashed easily, she would be laughed by the disgusting Imperial Concubine Yun. Now she felt very annoyed.
Leng Changxi turned his body and said nothing. And then he just lowered his head and said, “So please go back to the horse carriage, Infanta Shuhua.”
“Humph, remember, you have defended me badly.” Infanta Shuhua glared at Leng Changxi angrily. She reached her hands and let her close maidservants to support her to leave.
“Master,” Qin Yunuan suddenly ordered the master, “It is a great honor for Infanta Shuhua to come to your shop. You should send the best brocades to the palace. It will be a good intention to Infanta Shuhua for you as a civilian.”
The master caught it immediately and ordered quickly to some apprentices, “Go ahead. Take out the best brocades and clothes in the warehouse.”
“No,” Infanta Shuhua turned back to bark, “There will be no fine brocades in this ratty shop. I will never come here!”
We were afraid that you came next time. Qin Yunuan smiled cunningly. She together with the master felt relieved. Those apprentices tidied up quickly the hall and they pretended not to hear the dialogue between Leng Changxi and Infanta Shuhua. Definitely, they would not tell others about the dialogue.
But Qin Yunuan could not pretend to hear and see anything.
She walked forward but did not know what to say. But it was necessary to say thanks to Leng Changxi.
“Today, thank you, General Leng. Though you just helped me by the way, you did clear much embarrassment for me,” Qin Yunuan lowered her head and answered. She could feel the hot air from a man in her neck. That was the most sensitive place of her body. Leng Changxi was walking closer to her.