Chapter 133 You Are Inferior to Me
“Third Young Master and Third Miss, the Master has waited for you in the flower hall, and Grand Miss and Miss Dou were also there.” Butler said with a smile. The whole family was waiting in the flower hall ahead of time, which expressed the significant attention of Qin Family on the return of Qin Yunuan. The big thing was their status and title: Qin Yunuan as the fifth-grade of rank, Infanta Ping, and Leng Changxi as the High General.
Having given the tips to the gatekeeper, Qin Yunuan found that two lines of servants and maidservants had stood in the courtyard, respectively. It was a sunny day. Qin Yunuan wore a light-yellow soft-gauze-made long skirt, which showed her brightly beauty. She was adorned with a set of delicate and elegant jade-made hairpin and hair accessories, which gave out a ringing sound. People here thought the Third Miss of Qin Family turned to be livelier with less maiden’s tenderness after she got married. Her gestures expressed an enviable woman’s lingering charm, which was not carnal but romantic.
Concubine Chang had arrived at the Chuihua Gate with Baochuan to welcome Qin Yunuan and Leng Changxi. She knew that Qin Yunuan cared most about his younger brother in Qin Family.
“Sister.” Qin Baochuan ran faster towards when he saw in the distance that Leng Changxi came with Qin Yunuan. Just a few days later, Qin Yunuan felt the words and behaviors of Qin Baochuan became a little bit steadier and even with a different mood.
“Baochuan.” Qin Yunuan crouched and measured. She pinched the nose of Baochuan and said intimately, “You are taller. Were you obedient to Concubine Chang? Did you focus on your study? Did your teachers in the family academy say something about you?”
Qin Baochuan knew the temper of his sister. Although she always chattered about his academy and study, she cared really about him. He answered the questions of Qin Yunuan patiently and then gave a salute to Leng Changxi politely, “Nice to meet you, my brother-in-law.”
Fine. This little boy thought much about Leng Changxi, the Grand General.
Leng Changxi nodded to polite Qin Baochuan satisfactorily and then added, “What’s your final answer about the issue I dispatched people to tell you yesterday?” Right. Leng Changxi said to Qin Baochuan, an only six-year-old little boy. He regarded him as an adult and asked for his opinion.
Qin Baochuan answered seriously, “Thanks for your kindness, my brother-in-law. Although it is a kind of hard challenge for me, it is also an opportunity. I will make my full effort and never disappoint you and my sister.”
“It is not a thing which may disappoint us,” Leng Changxi wearing a dark mask, said with his determined and trustful eyes. He knew that Qin Baochuan was not just an ordinary young man but would be an extraordinary talent in the future according to his experience of identifying people, “What you do is to make yourself know that how excellent you are.”
Qin Baochuan bowed his fists. Someone in the flower hall came to urge them to get there soon. Leng Changxi and Qin Yunuan just greeted to others shortly. Because Qin Baochuan was just a son of a concubine, he had no right to visit Leng Changxi, so he would not come with Leng Changxi to the flower hall. Leng Changxi said that he would discuss with Qin Baochuan in the courtyard of Concubine Chang when the feast in the flower hall ended.
Having seen that Baochuan was taken away by Concubine Chang, Qin Yunuan asked her question, “What is on earth the issue? Is there anything you and Baochuan conceal to me?”
Leng Changxi tittered while walking, “Brother and his brother-in-law are intimate pals. It’s the convention.”
Qin Yunuan said in a low and flirting voice, “Just tell me.”
Leng Changxi did not plan to conceal something, “The issue is Baochuan entered the Imperial College. The other day, I sent an essay written by Baochuan to a professor at the Imperial College. He felt so satisfied with the essay and allowed Baochuan to attend the selection of the Imperial College in autumn.”
“Really?” Qin Yunnan felt so surprised. The Imperial College is the highest educational institution in Qi, and all the students studying there were the most excellent young men in Qi. Generally, the sons born of legal wives from big families would attend the selection of the Imperial College in autumn when they were 12 years old. The selection was a fierce campaign, but if they succeeded in entering the college, they would like to become one member of the core power of the Imperial Court.
The youngest man entering the Imperial College in history was Shangguan Yi who lived in the distant regions south of the River. He got exceptional admission due to an informal essay at 11 years old by the Imperial College. However, a six-year-old student at the Imperial College did not exist until now. Leng Changxi was so bold to recommend Qin Baochuan.
“What are you pondering?” Out of the flower hall, Leng Changxi seemed to feel the anxiety and attention of people inside the hall. He held Qin Yunuan, “You need to believe Baochuan, and further, believe me.”
Leng Changxi’s words had a double meaning, and Qin Yunuan could catch it.
“Master, Third Miss and Third Son-in-law.” The Butler Xie at the door reported ahead of time.
Qin Zhi was sitting on the Zen chair and then straightened up after he heard the report. Suddenly he saw Leng Changxi held the hands of Qin Yunuan, walking into the hall. Yes, he held the hands of Qin Yunuan, in front of all people here. Leng Changxi never hid the love and care to Qin Yunuan.
“My father-in-law.” Leng Changxi bowed his fists to Qin Zhi. Qin Zhi was the fourth man who could afford the salute from the High General in the imperial court, apart from Emperor, Empress and Queen Mother. It was such a rare glory that ordinary people could seldom have.
“Father.” Qin Yunuan curtsied slightly.
There were no more people in the flower hall, but those critical roles were all here: Qin Zhi, Qin Linfeng and Qin Yunzhuang. Besides, at the corner, there was a delicate and tender girl who wore a simple flower-pattern dress with a simple coppery hairpin and a bronze lily flower. The two petals of the lily flower had a hole respectively and hung two string of rice-sized petunia-shaped pendants.
When Qin Yunuan just entered the mansion, she heard Miss Dou from Butler Xie. She glimpsed at the girl and almost knew that was Miss Dou, who was homeless and then came here from Hangzhou when Dou Family collapsed.
Though she looked weak, she was definitely not a simple girl because she came from Hangzhou in such a sensitive period and managed to persuade Qin Zhi to let her stay in the mansion.
As expected, after Qin Yunuan and Leng Changxi greeted to people one by one according to the family generations, the girl, Dou Meishuang stepped forwards with a smile, and gave a salute to them, “Are you my younger female cousin and her husband?”
She wanted to improve her relationship with the family clearly. Dou Meishuang was the daughter born of the legal wife of Dou Family, and she was the elder female cousin of Qin Yunzhuang and the younger female cousin of Qin Linfeng. Now she called Qin Yunuan “younger female cousin”, and she just wanted to boost the blood ties with Qin Yunzhuang and Qin Yunuan, which was so distant and indifferent.
But Dou Meishuang could act so normal and elegant, which was so similar to Dou Qing’e.
“Younger female cousin?” Qin Yunuan raised her eyebrows and glanced at Leng Changxi, “I haven’t heard that we have such an elder female cousin.” And then Qin Yunuan looked at Qin Zhi with a smile, “Father, what do you think? Is she the distant relative of our family? Why don’t you dispatch someone to tell me? Or I will prepare another present.”
Qin Zhi felt stunned. He knew that it was so inappropriate to let Dou Meishuang in, but he compromised because he heard that Dou Family had settled some properties and powers secretly in the Royal City. Now the imperial princes had already grown up, and the campaign of crown prince selection had been heated. Qin Zhi should plan and prepare more assets for himself as many as possible. If he chose the wrong one, he would be impeached and punished when the new emperor ascended the throne.
“Cousin younger sister, you are telling a joke,” Dou Meishuang said with her thin and tender lanceted eyebrows like a Crescent Moon. And her kind and watery eyes expressed an irresistible kindly charm, “Yunzhuang is my cousin younger sister, and you and Yunzhuang are full sisters, so we are naturally family.”
“Really?” Qin Yunuan stepped forward Dou Meishuang and said with a smile, “I have never heard that the girl who put the Hehuan Powder onto my red bridal veil at my wedding could be my full sister.” And then, Qin Yunuan could feel clearly that Qin Yunzhuang felt shuddered. Qin Zhi now turned to be serious.
“Don’t talk about those dirty things since you come back to visit us.” Qin Zhi said without any reproaching mood. But he felt terrible that Qin Yunuan thought lightly of him after she was rewarded the title of Infanta Ping. And he knew well what Hehuan Powder was.
“I am sorry. My daughter has a hot temper. Don’t be bothered by that.” Qin Zhi said and then apologized to Leng Changxi.
“It’s OK,” Leng Changxi glimpsed at Qin Zhi with a poker face. He pulled the hands of Qin Yunuan gently and seemed to announce something, “What Nuan said was my thoughts. I have not any objection.”
Such words could really show his love for Qin Yunuan.
Leng Changxi looked at Qin Yunuan with much soft affection. They knew each other well without any word.
“You two come. Let’s join the feast since the feast is ready.”
Qin Linfeng now behaved himself. He never suffered a rough time and became so arrogant and aggressive as the son born of the legal wife of the mansion of Grand Commandant. He even tried to fight against Qin Yunuan after the death of Dou Qing’e. The other day, he was beaten by people due to the usurious loan at the back of the gambling house. His family background did not stop the beat. Qin Linfeng knew that without the power and influence, nothing worked. But at that time, a man appeared and let those thugs keel and beg for mercy. For the first time, he knew the advantage of power and influence; for the first time, he also tasted the rough time; for the first time, he knew how to tolerate and accumulate his strength.
Qin Linfeng smiled obsequiously, but Qin Yunuan did not buy the story of his good manner.
“Brother, why are you so hurried?” Qin Yunuan suddenly laughed and smiled at the nervous Qin Yunzhuang. Now Qin Yunzhuang seemed to recover the previous shining. She was definitely well-nourished, but now she was not as confident and bright as before.
“Grand sister, I just want to ask you why you put the hehuan Powder onto my red bridal veil, which was deadly enough?”