Chapter 88 Doomed Love
“It’s about the cause of Concubine Yang’s death,” Li Qiqi quickly added. What she feared the most was that Qin Yunuan would really walk away. She knew that she didn’t have much time left. She’d either be beheaded or killed by the vicious woman Dou. Qin Yunuan was the only one who could save her. “Third Miss, you really do not want to know?”
“You’d better not tell lies.” Qin Yunuan turned her head around, only showing a third of her face. The obscure side face was filled with deep forbearance and longing for her mother.
“Qiqi naturally won’t risk my life on this,” Li Qiqi swallowed her saliva, “I accidentally discovered this after I became a part of Qin Family. The other night, I couldn’t sleep so I decided to have a walk in the backyard. I saw Xiu Gu who served Dou burning paper money. While burning, she was saying, ‘Concubine Yang, it wasn’t me who murdered you. I didn’t have a choice. Don’t come back for me like Concubine He.’ That was just after we colluded for the haunting incident in Furong Courtyard. I guessed that Xiu Gu must have done something back then. I only realized later when I saw you, Third Miss, that the day Xiu Gu was burning paper money was your mother, Concubine Yang’s memorial day.”
There was a ten-step distance between Qin Yunuan and Li Qiqi, but Li Qiqi’s words were so powerful that it hurt her heart from the eardrum.
Seeing Qin Yunuan’s silence, Li Qiqi quickly added, “Every word I said are true. Just go verify it by yourself if you don’t trust me. With your ability, you could surely figure out what happened back then.”
“That’s for sure.” Qin Yunuan turned back somberly, and went straight out of the prison without saying much. It was always debatable whether the value of this message was worth for her to save Li Qiqi’s life.
It was only until a few days later, when Huang Dashi found out the address of a retired old nanny of the mansion of Grand Commandant. She then found out what happened. After thinking about it, Qin Yunuan knew that Dou had put Saffron in her mother’s embryo-settling medicine. It was lucky that her mother was allergic and had never used the medicine, so she was able to give birth to the six-pound boy. However, she wasn’t able to escape the chronic poison in the postpartum soup.
It was a small amount of arsenic every day which killed her mother.
Thinking of this, Qin Yunuan took a deep breath and held back her tears. Instead, she grew more hatred and gritted her teeth as she felt that her mother didn’t deserve that.
Shangguan Yee on the side mistook it as the excitement that she would be able to see Qin Yunzhuang’s embarrassment in front of the Empress. She lifted her eyebrows and said with sarcasm, “I admit that you have better tricks than me, and you’re always more vicious than I am. However, when it comes to disguise, sister Qin, I can see your veins bulging on your fists. Even if you’re happy, you don’t have to show it like this.”
Qin Yunuan relaxed her tension and lazily looked back at Shangguan Yee, “I’m not you. I’ve got emotions.”
Shangguan Yee sneered, “I used to have them too.”
Just after they finished talking, a young palace maiden led the haggard Qin Yunzhuang in from the left side of the door. At the same time, Sima Ray was already changed and came in from the right side of the door. When the two were exchanging glances by the door, Sima Ray seemed to give his most vicious look ever. His eyes narrowed slightly, and his glance was like ice cones that he wished to pierce the woman in front of him, who was nothing more than being beautiful.
He had never made such a big mistake, and at such a critical time. His father, the Emperor had already started to consider about letting him coordinate the East Qin affairs. But now, it seemed that everything would no longer be the same for him.
“What are you doing standing at the door?” Empress Chen looked superiorly at the two of them standing like wooden sculptures at the door, and she got more dissatisfied, “Come in.”
There were still tears in Qin Yunzhuang’s eyes. She thought that Sima Ray would at least show her a little pity like any normal man would. She was innocent either. However, as they went into the hall side by side, the only words she heard from Sima Ray were cold, “You’d better watch your mouth.”
After they entered the hall, Sima Ray suddenly kneeled towards Empress Chen and buried his head low, “Mother, sorry that I’ve been unfilial.”
Empress Chen didn’t seem to expect that Sima Ray, who had always been arrogant and unruly, would also be obedient like this. She sent off the unrelated people, including Shangguan Yee, leaving only a few trusted people of hers and Qin Yunuan, who was the sister of Qin Yunzhuang.
Qin Yunuan took a deep breath when she saw Empress Chen. Nothing seemed to be able to disturb the beautiful disguise of such a calm and dignified woman. Such a person was the most terrible kind. No one ever knew what she was hiding, or how deep she was hiding it.
“Lady Shangguan has told me all about it,” Empress Chen sighed. She naturally would not believe the testimony of Shangguan Yee completely, but at the moment, she didn’t want to turn this into a chaos, “Ray, why have I never heard about your crush with Grand Miss Qin?”
Sima Ray was stunned, and he took a quick glance at Qin Yunzhuang kneeling by him. He became more disgusted by her cowardly look. He planned to accuse Qin Yunzhuang for seducing him first. He could say that Qin Yunzhuang wanted to enter the royal family, or Qin Yunzhuang had a thing for him since long ago, which he would be able to find evidence. Even if there was no evidence, he could make some up. In short, the cleaner he was, the better.
But now according to what Empress Chen meant, she wanted to let him….
“Ah,” Empress Chen sighed, “well, feelings between men and women are natural. It happens that Third Miss Qin’s here, she could be a witness for you two.”
Just as Empress Chen paused, the three of them knew what was going on. Sima Ray clenched his fists unwillingly. Qin Yunzhuang’s eyes were mixed with expectations, fears, and shyness, while Qin Yunuan just bowed slightly when Empress Chen called her name. Her expression was faint, as if this had nothing to do with her.
“Choose a date and get married,” Empress Chen’s tone was a little tough, like an ultimatum.
“Mother!” Sima Ray could not help shouting loudly.
“There would be a once-in-a-lifetime day for marriage by the end of next month. I planned to find you some girls to marry on that day anyway. Since this incident happened now, it’s kind of a coincidence,” Empress Chen completely ignored Sima Ray’s powerless resistance.
“Mother, the decision is too abrupt, and it has not been fully investigated, why do you…,” Sima Ray tried to argue.
“What’s done is done! Do you want this to go to your father, the Emperor?” Empress Chen’s tone suddenly got serious. Her voice was so stern that it was completely different from her usual gentleness. She was staring at him angrily. If it weren’t for Qin Yunuan’s presence, she would have stood up and opened Sima Ray’s head to see what was in his mind today that he had made such a low-level mistake. He had never got caught for seducing the Imperial Concubine Xian before.
As soon as she mentioned the Emperor, Sima Ray’s momentum suddenly weakened. His expression was sloppy, like an underdog.
“The twenty-third of next month,” Empress Chen said, a little softer. Then she asked Qin Yunuan, “What do you think, Third Miss Qin?”
When she asked Qin Yunuan, it was the same as asking the Qin Family’s opinion. If Qin Yunuan said yes, she would have to help Qin Yunzhuang and Sima Ray to cover up when she returned. She could just say that the two were in love and decided to get married. Nannies arranged by Empress Chen were sent to the daughters of the officials who saw the incident, to tell them what to say and what not to after they left the palace. Now, the only one left was Qin Yunuan.
Qin Yunuan bowed and said with a light smile, “This is a jubilant thing, and naturally it is entirely up to the elders’ decisions. Yunuan would listen to the Empress.”
Luckily she knew the situation well. Empress Chen slowly kneaded her sore temple with her index finger, and her beautiful fingernail guard occasionally brushed her well-knitted bun, “Then so be it. I’ll discuss with Imperial Concubine Yun and Imperial Concubine Duan tomorrow to arrange the marriage of the princes at the same time, so as not to be too eye-catching.”
Sima Ray had kept silent, kind of accepting the situation. He actually had to marry such a stupid and reckless woman. He raised his head slightly and looked at Qin Yunuan, as his unwillingness grew.
In the silence, Qin Yunzhuang suddenly uttered, “I don’t want to marry the Third Prince.” She boldly said from her heart with tears. From the series of responses by Sima Ray just now, she was sure that Sima Ray didn’t love her at all and he even hated her. She was used to rely on her beauty to think that all men in the world would take care of her and protect her. The huge contrast was even more painful to her than a knife stabbing into her heart. Her days would definitely be more unpleasant if she really got married.
“What are you talking about, elder sister?” Before Empress Chen had the chance to speak, Qin Yunuan took the initiative to step forward and hold Qin Yunzhuang in her arms tightly. It seemed to be a comforting cuddle between sisters, but in fact, what Qin Yunuan said by Qin Yunzhuang’s ears was, “Don’t you know the consequences for not marrying the Third Prince? Your reputation has been ruined, and father will no longer take you. Maybe even Dou will no longer take you. Not a single man in the world will accept you. Do you really think that the news won’t spread as the Empress has told the noble ladies not to say anything? Elder sister, I think you are very clear that you will become the shameless woman people talk about as soon as you leave the palace if I want it this way.”
“Why?” Qin Yunzhuang burst into tears, “I’ve never harmed you. Even if I had, it was in the past.”
“The past?” Qin Yunuan said as she touched the golden hairpin on her head. This was the one she felt strange before entering the palace. She looked for someone to check it later, it was poisoned with the most poisonous seven-step powder. It was the easiest for it to enter the body from the scalp, and it could kill people within two hours. She would have been a dead body now if she hadn’t found out.