Su Pan’er keeps her word!
She hadn’t made a move against Su Xian’er, but that Lui Ming was indeed a clever one. Upon hearing Su Pan’er’s words, he quietly instructed the caretaker.
Two days passed, and a ssage ca from the Lui Family’s Mansion: the young mistress had contracted a serious illness and was temporarily sent to the Hot Spring Manor for recuperation, hoping that the spring water would wash away the rash on Su Xian’er’s body.
Once the news spread, there were nurous opinions from the outside.
There were also rumors circulating that the young mistress of the Lui family had contracted so filthy disease, and the more the rumors spread, the more fierce they beca. Yet, no one stopped them.
When the matter reached Su Pan’er’s ears, she remained silent for quite a while before she sighed!
"Daughters of the Su Family are not those who fail to keep themselves pure and self-respecting. Presumably, those outsiders are just blindly repeating what they’ve heard. They deserve a lesson!"
Her words were soon validated as the Lui Family, with the swiftness of lightning that does not cover one’s ears against thunder, quickly quashed the stories of Su Xian’er’s illness.
Lui Muyi personally showed up at the Hot Spring Manor to visit the ill Su Xian’er, and the so-called rumors fell apart by themselves.
Qin Yi was sowhat confused about Su Pan’er’s intentions.
"I thought you disliked her very much."
"Indeed, I still don’t like her to this very day."
In front of Qin Yi, Su Pan’er did not hide her dislike for Su Xian’er. That Su Xian’er would actually dare to seduce her man, it would be strange if she had any good feelings towards her!
"But the Su Family has bestowed upon the great kindness of raising , and my parents have never left my side, willing to join in facing death. Ke’er is my younger brother, but he is a true mber of the Su Family! I don’t want to make things difficult for my parents or for Ke’er to have a hard ti in the Su Family because of ..."
Qin Yi held Su Pan’er’s soft little hands and silently nodded.
She was the little woman he truly cherished deep in his heart!
Although she was stubborn and seed heartless on the surface, deep down, she was the little woman who valued family most!
Out of consideration for her parents and younger brother, even though Su Xian’er had already crossed her lines, she was still backing down.
"Aren’t you afraid that she will beco another Su Yue’er?"
When Su Yue’er’s na was ntioned, Qin Yi’s brows imdiately furrowed.
How long had it been since that person was last ntioned?
"No, it’s not the sa!"
Su Pan’er shook her head and gave him a look as if she was saying, "Do you think I’m an idiot?": "The man Su Yue’er yearned for is you, but the man Su Xian’er desires is Big Brother Lui. There is a fundantal difference, right?"
There are eight sufferings in life!
Birth, aging, illness, death, parting from those one loves, enduring hatred for long, not obtaining what one seeks, and being unable to let go!
Su Xian’er loved Lui Muyi but could not obtain him, yet she couldn’t let go and couldn’t give up, tornting both herself and those around her!
"She cannot see through her own heart. If she would just speak to candidly, I wouldn’t mind diating for her, so at least she could have an easier ti in the Lui family. But she insisted on touching my sore spot! I didn’t take her life, and that was already out of consideration for my parents and Ke’er. How could I possibly take the initiative to help her?"
Her heart, Su Pan’er’s heart, was as small as the tip of a needle, daring to touch her man would have to face the consequences of her revenge!
"So, you let her disfigure herself?"
Qin Yi couldn’t help but laugh, "You, oh you, what should I say about you! If you wanted to take her life, there are plenty of ways to do it silently. Yet you chose to make her hate you—I can’t help but feel that you did it on purpose."
Doing it deliberately, drawing Su Xian’er’s attention away, the goal, too, was to shift the focus of her day-to-day squabble from Lui Muyi to herself.
Was she clearing the obstacles for herself, making sure that she and Lui Muyi could work without worries, hence choosing this thorny path?
Su Pan’er pursed her lips, smiled, and did not answer.
"Wild guess!"
Having said that, she squatted down to dig up the wild plant in front of her, put it into the bamboo basket beside her, and then stood up.
"Right, how did things go with Big Brother Lui during this trip? Has the Wung Departnt decided who to sell the warhorses to?"
"Hmm, things have been taken care of," Qin Yi did not intend to elaborate, taking the bamboo basket from Su Pan’er’s hands. "We ran into so issues along the way, but fortunately, negotiations were successful in the end. However, we had to add extra silver. By the way, I heard so news a few days ago—fears of war are brewing again."
Su Pan’er’s action of digging wild plants paused, and she turned around abruptly.
"Is the news reliable?"
"It is."
"Which party’s troops are involved in the battle?"
"It’s..."
Qin Yi hesitated and then looked up at Su Pan’er, "It’s Jun Ruochen."
"Oh, is Jun Ruochen acting on Qin Zitong’s orders, leading the Great Army to annihilate the King of Wung?" Su Pan’er did not show the conflict Qin Yi had expected.
Qin Yi secretly breathed a sigh of relief, his heart eased as he saw Pan’er’s composed deanor.
"Qin Zitong is extrely ambitious. He won’t rest until he has dealt with all the surrounding feudal lords. With Jun Ruochen sent on this expedition, who knows what devious idea he has in mind!"
Although they had left the Court three years ago, the movents of the Imperial Court managed to reach Qin Yi’s ears without fail during these three years.
Initially, Jun Ruochen had suffered a defeat against Qin Yi on the river and returned to Shengjing in a sorry state like a whipped cur, dragging down the Jun Family’s standing in the Court.
The Old Mrs. Jun, already bedridden, passed away from shock upon hearing the news. At the sa ti, the State Duke of the Jun family presented a morial to the Imperial Court asking to be relieved of his duties and retire; Qin Zitong held back the morial without issuing it but consoled the elderly statesman with care, instructing him to properly bury Old Mrs. Jun. In a relentless move, he pushed Jun Ruochen to withdraw and return ho to reflect and better himself through study. Jun Ruochen’s father, a high-ranking official, also requested to step down, with other juniors of the Jun Family presenting morials to stay at ho and observe mourning.
It wasn’t until the following spring that His Majesty finally approved the State Duke’s previously submitted morial for retirent, granting Old Master of the Jun family his request. Simultaneously, Jun Ruochen was unexpectedly promoted to take his father’s position.
This ti, His Majesty overruled all objections to appoint Jun Ruochen as the Great General to lead one hundred thousand Elite Soldiers against the Wung Departnt.
"Jun Ruochen is taking the troops first by water, then overland crossing mountains and ranges."
Qin Yi slowly explained, "Back then on the river, we battled for quite a while and got to know each other’s tactics. The Wung Departnt has been independent for many years; the King of Wung has tried to assert independence more than once. In the past, the Imperial Court usually sent a strong military force to attack, accompanied by a high-ranking envoy to negotiate, given the strategic location of the Wung Departnt which is easy to defend but hard to conquer. Even if those one hundred thousand brave soldiers surrounded them, their efforts might still fall short."
"It could well be that’s the very idea Qin Zitong is playing at!"
Seeing that the bamboo basket with wild plants was nearly full, Su Pan’er stood up and dusted off her hands, "Think about it, Jun Ruochen was already a defeated general who got an extraordinary promotion, and if he is defeated again, wouldn’t that give Qin Zitong the perfect opportunity to completely crush the Jun Family? Qin Zitong is cunning; even if he beca the Emperor, I fear his true nature would be hard to change."
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