Chapter 71 A Disservice to Dear Brother
“What did she an on earth?” asked Qiu Yelan aggressively to Deng Yi. “We have a deal, right?”
“How should I know? I have been here since long ago!” replied Deng Yi coldly.
“Don’t tell you want to tear up our agreent!” whispered Qiu Yelan. She was indignant.
“You think that everyone is just like you, a promise-breaker!” Deng Yi gazed at her and said, “I think sobody in the Prince’s Mansion of Guangyang must have said sothing to her, which incurred a misunderstanding.”
“A misunderstanding? Like what?” asked Qiu Yelan curiously.
“You know what the misunderstanding is. No need to tell you about it.” said Deng Yi, sounding cold. “Or why you ntion your Cousin Ruan from ti to ti before my Mum?”
Seeing she was still bewildering, Deng Yi continued, “My mother wishes you be a capable and tough girl. If you have shown her who you really are today, she might have loved you more... But you just acted like you were a toy of your Cousin Ruan. There must be sobody who taught you to act like that.”
Qiu Yelan understood now. “She ca here to et because she thought that I must be a tough girl.”
“Probably,” said Deng Yi, frowning. “No idea what happened to the Prince’s Mansion of Guangyang recently. As my mother asked to go ho, I should follow her order.”
Qiu Yelan admonished, “You should not co here again. Don’t make trouble for my brother.”
“You’d better mind your own business!” said Deng Yi. “I know very well the maids my mother will send to you! They must the ones having served my grandmother. They know rules so well that they beca strict with the young! Look at you, a naughty girl, I am sure you will be tortured to death by them.”
“Ten thousand!” scread Qiu Yelan.
“What?” asked Deng Yi.
“Ten thousand dollars. You help out — You are not going to marry anyway. So, why do we use this to bother your mother?” said Qiu Yelan. “What you think? It’s a price you cannot resist, isn’t it?”
“The price is good. But I am afraid I won’t get it. My mother is a tough woman.” said Deng Yi, seeming that sothing terrible happened to him before.
“I heard you are the only child in your family?” asked Qiu Yelan.
“Yep.” answered Deng Yi, frowning.
“Your mother had lost your father many years ago. She only has you. And you are good at your academic... But you can’t even do this. Are you her natural son or not?” interrogated Qiu Yelan, staring at him. We all knew that a son, to a widow, was her most important person in the world. They must be cherished by their mothers. In the general sense, whatever Deng Yi required, his mother would try everything to satisfy him. So, in a general sense, it was a piece of cake for him to stop his mother send two strict maids.
Nevertheless, Deng Yi answered coldly, “My mother has her own idea. I can’t help anyway!” After saying this, he shook his sleeve, walking back to the Cuiwei Pavilion for packing stuff.
Qiu Yelan was standing there alone, watching him leaving. She stood still for a while and then said to her maids, “Let’s go back to the Prince’s Mansion.”
Su He was a little upset, “Miss Shao was recomnded by Miss He. But now Mrs. Gu also will send maids over here to teach rules... ” Miss Shao was on the side of Empress, and the two maids were followers of Empress Dowager. If they were under the sa roof, Qiu Yelan must be in big trouble.
“Ignore her.” said Qiu Yelan coldly. “Deng Yi has told us whom Mrs. Gu will send to us — He cannot stop it. What else can we do?”
She did not answer Su He’s question and turned to Xiaran, “I, actually, did not want to do sothing tough for this small thing. However, sobody forced to do it... Deng Yi gave up the ten thousand dollars I offered to him. Now, you offer this price to ‘Tianya’. He may want to earn it.”
After what happened, she was not in a mood to live longer in the General’s Mansion. She told Qiuran and Dongran to explain her leave to Ruan Qingyan who would be allowed ho at dusk. And then she went back to the Prince’s Mansion of Xihe.
Arriving at her room, Qiu Yelan imdiately sent Su He to the Jiang’s residence. She told her, “You go there and tell Miss Shao that we have cleaned a room for her. As we don’t know her living habits, ask her to send a maid to co over helping us with decorations. If there are sothing needed to be improved, we will do it now. We wish she have a good mood when she arrives here 3 days later.”
Su He was upset, “Not sure if Mr. Shaw is really nice or not?”
“She is one person, Okay?” said Qiu Yelan, frowning. “Which is much better than the two ones sent by Mrs. Gu. And, He Shuijin’s attitude is better than Mrs. Gu’s.”
Qiu Yelan thought Su He might co back with one maid sent by Miss Shao. She hadn’t expected her to bring back a group of people. Of which there were He Shuijin, a maid with pretty eyes and colorful clothes and a senior maid wearing a blue wrinkle skirt.
Behind them were more than twenty followers. They entered Qiu Yelan’s yard even without giving an advance notice.
Qiu Yelan was leaning on the west window eating the pine nuts peeled off by Chunran. She was shocked when she saw so many people erging from nowhere suddenly. She jumped off the chair, put on her shoes and running out for greeting. So many people erging in the yards spoke for itself. And Su He was not a careless maid who would lead strangers into the yard without an advance notice.
Arriving at the yard, Qiu Yelan encountered He Shuijin. She smiled and said, “Sorry to bother you. I heard that you have prepared a room for Miss Shao. Sister Qizheng and I are free now. So, we both co here with Miss Shao. We are here just for fun. Please be relax.”
“Your Grace, thanks for coming over here!” said Qiu Yelan. She had guessed that Chunfu princess Jiang Qizheng might be here. She was right after confirming with He Shuijin. She imdiately saluted to her.
“Our status are almost the sa. No need to be so courtesy.” said Jiang Qizheng, breaking into a smile. She rushed to help her stand up and said causally, “Please forgive us to co here without an advance notice.”
“Don ‘t say that. We are greatly honored by your gracious presence.” said Qiu Yelan, looking at the Chunfu princess secretly. She was born in Jiang Family, which ant few people had higher ranks than her. She even had an official princess title which was the only one in her family. She was pretty and kind, seeming like a nice girl...
Qiu Yelan felt pleased to see her. She thought, “Is she my future sister-in-law? Lucky my brother!”
He Shuijin and Jiang Qizheng introduced Miss Shao to her — the senior maid wearing a blue skirt.
Miss Shao’s nickna was “Yuei” and was born in an official family. About the reason that she never got married and beca a teacher...
While Jiang Qizheng and Shao Yuei were viewing the pear blossom in the yard, He Shuijin walked with Qiu Yelan to a corner and told her about Miss Shao’s family background. “Miss Shao’s parents died in her early age. Her brother failed the examinations and her sister-in-law egged her brother on to let her marry an official as a renewed wife — However, he was more than 60 with a number of children. Miss Shao was only 16 years old then. She, of course, was reluctant to agree the marriage. But she had to follow the rule (that was, follow the older brother’s arrangent if their father died). She finally made a decision that she would not marry anyone in her life. She did this for praying for her parents too. Her sister-in-law, despite she failed to force her to marry an old man, had been angry at her since then. There was no room for her to stay in her family. She had to leave and support herself on her own.”
“Wow. Life is hard to her,” said Qiu Yelan.
Although Shao Yuei was accompanying by Chunfu princess and other maids now, she also went through a long period of tough days. When she left her ho, she was only 16 years old. As a girl, in particular, a pretty girl, she must be strong enough to be independent.
Not only did Shao Yuei make it finally but also she beca the teacher of the princess of Jiang Family. Allowing for her family background, she did not give up on herself... Her experience, if written as an inspirational book, must be tear-jerking and exciting!
“Qizhen and I respect her very much.” said He Shuijin with a smile.
Qiu Yelan rembered that Mrs. Zhou once said He Shuijin was a “material” girl. Those were not good words for a girl in that social environnt (which paid respects to officials, peasants, industries and businessn in a descending order). But in today’s world, she must be credited as a career woman. From this point, Qiu Yelan and Shao Yuei who worked hard being a teacher of a princess had a mutual affection to each other.
So, He Shuijin had been busy in Shao Yuei’s business partly because of Jiang Qizheng.
“As Shao Yuei had experienced so much and had great achievents, she must be a nice teacher who knows exactly what she should and should not do.” Thinking of this, Qiu Yelan could rest assured for she agreed to accept a teacher who never t before. “She must know what she should and should not do.”
She was afraid that the teacher might be a captious and frightening lady.
As long as Shao Yuei understood who she was and what she could not do, Qiu Yelan had no extra requirents on her talents or teaching ability.
He Shuijin must have reached a deal with Jiang Qizheng. While He Shuijin just finished her introduction of Shao Yuei, Jiang Qizheng was walking with Shao Yuei arm-in-arm toward her. She said with a smile, “Miss Shao told that after she saw the pear blossom, it is unnecessary for her to inspect other places.”
Those sentences were not said by Shao Yuei herself. If so, Qiu Yelan must have replied her with complints.
Qiu Yelan, after hearing Jiang Qizheng’s words, would like to “do sothing good for her brother”. She imdiately said, “That is great! I am just a common person. I once thought it was monotonous as the yard is full of pear blossom. I even tried to plant other trees. Thanks to my brother Cousin Ruan who changed my mind. Thus, I did not beco a person who destroys the scene.”
Her words made everyone smile. “Miss Shao loved pear blossom the most. There must have so bond between you two.”
Although Shao Yuei said that it was not necessary to see the other places after seeing the pear blossom in the yard, Qiu Yelan still invited her and others to see her room— Considering that they were both female and there were other people around in the Prince’s Mansion, Qiu Yelan arranged her room close to her own. So, they could take care of each other from ti to ti.
Qiu Yelan even asked the servants to knock down the walls in the east and south and built a new wall after incorporating so places into her own yard.
And then she arranged a room for Shao Yuei and another room as the classroom ... Considering the girls’ school scale, the classroom was spacious.
It really wasn’t up to her if this was going to happen before.
But now, Qiu Hongzhi, the man in charge of the house, had to give her trendous sums of money as the protection money for peace. Thus, Qiu Hongzhi would not say anything and let her go ahead when Qiu Yelan knocked down walls and occupied so spaces.
During their viewing, Qiu Yelan tried everything to talk with Jiang Qizheng, heaping praise on her brother Ruan Qingyan — Seeing them off, she thought in proud, “Now, the odds my brother becos her husband will increase definitely.”
She might not anticipate that the three of them, after leaving the house, gossiped her, “Commandery Princess Ningyi must have crush on her brother Cousin Ruan. She talked about him so much before us.”
“It was the first ti Jiang Yashuang had ever been so attached to girl. We should see to it that he will not be heart-broken.”
“I’ve heard that Jiang Yashuang sympathizes with her because he thought she lost her parents in her childhood and her uncle and aunt are not kind to her,” said Shao Yuei. She preferred to keep silent at most of ti.
“How is that possible? There are much more people who are poorer than Commandery Princess Ningyi! I didn’t see he shows his sympathy for them.” said He Shuijin firmly.
“Thanks to grandpa’s ntoring, Jiang Yashuang is always calm and composed.” said Jiang Qizheng, agreeing with her one hundred percent. “He always follows the social rules to the relatives and his sister, let alone wonfolk unrelated to us at all. But this ti, he begged and Miss He for Commandery Princess Ningyi... We have just t Commandery Princess Ningyi and she is beautiful. As a saying goes, ‘A young man has no power to move his eyes away from a beautiful woman.”
“Miss Shao, please keep an eye on her in the future. We need to know who she really is.” said He Shuijin, frowning. “This is the first ti Jiang Yashuang is attached to a girl. And Commandery Princess Ningyi is also born in a decent family... I am afraid that Jiang Yashuang is too young to distinguish good from bad!” Shuijin said to Shao Yuei.
She continued to whisper, “Mada’s aning is: If she is a nice girl, Mada will try everything to persuade Empress in persuading her engagent with Deng Yi; If she is not a nice girl, she must marry Deng Yi as soon as possible after she terminates her mourning period. Thus, I believe that Jiang Yashuang will move on.”
Yuei replied, “Don’t worry, Your Highness, Miss He. I will do everything I can to accomplish my task and give you a satisfied answer.”
... Poor Qiu Yelan who spared no effort to entertain and observe Jiang Qizheng thought that what she did assisted her brother Ruan Qingyan. She must not expect that she was the monkey in the cage observed by others.
Reviews
All reviews (0)