The exalted Fourth Miss in the Prince Ning’s Mansion should wear a mask made of human skin every day. Seeing Qin Yunuan got shocked, Leng Suxin put on a self-mocking look. She kept taking off the thin yellowish mask, and several brown concave scars gradually showed up.
Leng Suxin merely tore off a bit of the mask, but the scar was so terrifying that Qin Yunuan had already been shocked. A girl, about 15 or 16, should go through such a terrible disaster.
Qin Yunuan looked at Leng Suxin without saying anything. The latter just smiled lightly and said, “You want to ask me how and when I got these scars, don’t you?”
Qin Yunuan still kept silent. Leng Suxin walked forward and quietly sighed when looking at the moon, “In this world, there are only two people knowing this, me and Leng Changxi, my brother. Do you remember the huge fire that happened in the Weiyang Palace ten years ago? That day, I was there.”
So, were the scars on her face left because she was burned in the fire?
Qin Yunuan frowned and waited for Leng Suxin to continue. “I remember that there was an imperial feast that day, the first and also the last feast I attended. In the feast, I saw a really beautiful boy. I was bold at that time so that I talked to him first and fawned him. Later, he felt unwell and left the feast. I followed him in secret and found he walked on a remote road to a quiet and serene palace. After talking with a man in black for a while, he set fire to a scroll and threw it to the palace bedroom. The bright alight scroll suddenly grew into a huge fire. I smelled kerosene and heard a woman crying. I didn’t know who she was. Before this fire case became known to all, I didn’t know I was the witness of this strangest fire case in Qi.”
“So, your scars were?” Qin Yunuan subconsciously looked at the 6-cm-long scar on Leng Suxin’s left cheek.
Leng Suxin touched her cheek and said calmly, “I was frightened at that time so that I forgot to hide myself. I wanted to save the woman locked in the bedroom but only found that the whole room was poured with kerosene. The woman couldn’t get out, and neither could I get in. Then I was hit by a heavy object. When I woke up, Leng Changxi was by my side.”
If Qin Yunuan was right about her assumption, the woman locked in the bedroom must be the Elder Princess. She was burned alive. But the fire setter didn’t expect that the Fourth Miss of the Prince Ning’s Mansion had seen everything.
“Do you remember who set the fire?” Qin Yunuan asked in peace.
“How can I forget? It was the beautiful boy.” Leng Suxin put on a self-mocking smile, “That boy was Prince Ray or Sima Ray. I clearly remember that he said, ‘To fawn on that woman, I have to kill you,’ when he threw the scroll.”
To fawn on that woman? It didn’t take Qin Yunuan much time to figure out that the woman Sima Ray mentioned was the dead Empress Chen. Sima Ray’s mother was just a servant girl, so he had no power or influence. If he wanted to gain power and successfully came to throne in this dangerous and unpredictable Palace, joining in Empress Chen’s camp was the best choice. Therefore, merely at 10 years old, he even dared to burn the Elder Prince who had no desire for power to death. This reflected that he was much more vicious than they thought.
“But why do you say Changxi treats you well out of guilt?”
Leng Suxin didn’t say anything for a long time. Then she looked up, “Actually, he was the one who should go to the feast, but for some unknown reasons, he didn’t show up. When I met him, he was covered with blood. He had been attacked in a deserted temple, and the attacker was his close servant. He was so desperate. Later on, we both thought we could only count on each other in this world.”
Qin Yunuan glanced meaningfully at Leng Suxin saying nothing. She knew Leng Changxi had been attacked in that temple too, because they met each other there.
“Until he met you,” Leng Suxin said abruptly.
“What?” Qin Yunuan was confused.
Leng Suxin said to Qin Yunuan in earnest, “I mean, I thought Changxi and I had agreed that we could only count on each other in this world. But after he met you, he protects and trusts you no matter what happens. This tells me that Leng Changxi just sees me as his little sister, so he takes good care of me. Also, this makes me understand how ridiculous I am to think I’m important to him. Actually, I’ve valued him above my life, but for him, you’re the one who is more precious than his life.”
Qin Yunuan was touched and felt sympathetic to her. She always deemed that Leng Suxin was cold and indifferent, caring about nothing. But for the first time, she found Leng Suxin was passionate inside. Leng Suxin had buried her strong passion and love, so nobody knew.
“You know Changxi’s relationship with Princess Ning, right?” After a while, Qin Yunuan said, “You know she’s not his biological mother, and you share no blood relationship with him. Therefore, you show love to him, crazily and openly, and even threaten me.”
Leng Suxin stared at Qin Yunuan in silence. After that cold glance, she seemed to figure out Qin Yunuan’s inner thoughts. She said abruptly, “Well, I need your help. Ha, isn’t it what you want most to send a woman coveting your husband to West Xia which is thousands of miles away?”
“I won’t do this to you.” Qin Yunuan made every word clear. “You’re not even a threat to me. But, if you insist, I can give you a hand, but you have to take all consequences yourself.”
“No problem,” Leng Suxin sadly nodded, “I will take them all.”
The imperial feast for picking out a girl to marry West Xia’s royal member for peace would be held two days later. Murong Feng, a household brilliant noble, was West Xia’ envoy. He was as graceful as God. At a young age, he won the favor of West Xia’s emperor and then studied together with the crown prince. As long as the crown prince came to throne, he would naturally be granted with a high official rank, welcoming a bright future.
The day before the feast, Qin Yunuan asked Maner and Ting Xue to bring various clothes and jewelry to Leng Suxin. She lived in the same side in East Courtyard as Xie Ruying did, but her place was obviously grander and more elegant. Osmanthus petals fell to the ground so that this quiet courtyard looked as if it was covered with a layer of golden bricks.
Leng Suxin sat before her bronze mirror. There was only one servant girl helping her coil her hair into a simple cross bun. On her bed laid three pieces of plain moon-white clothes.
“You’re going to the Palace. How can you merely dress in plain color?” Qin Yunuan walked in while speaking. She ordered Maner and Ting Xue to put down two big brocade boxes on the table. Wearing a smile, she took over the comb that servant girl held and untucked the nearly done bun. “The cross bun is too simple, and I suggest you tucking a flower bun. You’re not married yet, so you can just put your hair on the bottom down, which can highlight your beauty in a different way.”
Leng Suxin didn’t stop her but showed no interest in her new hairstyle, “I don’t know much about hairstyles. Just tuck it as you suggest.”
Qin Yunuan nodded and asked Maner and Ting Xue to take out clothes and jewelry in brocade boxes. Looking at Leng Suxin, she said, “Since you ask me to bring you to the Palace, you have to dress up, talk and even give glances as I say. If you are selected, don’t remember what I told you.”
“I won’t.” Leng Suxin lowered her head and said, “I will be your informant. Ah, I haven’t expected that I can be helpful one day, not as useless as before.”
Qin Yunuan said in a low voice, “Don’t demean yourself.”
Maner and Ting Xue were picking jewelry for Leng Suxin. Then Maner unfolded a piece of large-hemline dress embroidered with butterflies that were flying in flowers, “Third Young Madam, do you think this can fit Fourth Miss well? It suits her complexion.”
Qin Yunuan turned around and took a look. She nodded with satisfaction, but before she said something, an arrow directly flew in through the window leaving a crack. Ting Xue reacted fast and sheltered Qin Yunuan with her own body quickly.
“Third Young Madam, watch out.”
At once, Ting Xue, Qin Yunuan and Leng Suxin all fell down to the ground. Therefore, the sharp arrow merely stabbed and stuck into the pillar, from which it could be told that the shooter used much strength to throw the arrow.
Worrying about Qin Yunuan, Maner walked towards her immediately.
“Third Young Madam,” When she just stood up, her arm was shot by another arrow threw in.
The assassin was really cautious. He knew there were only girls who didn’t practice martial arts in the room but still shot two arrows. When everyone was still in shock, a bang sound came from the roof of the opposite building. Leng Shuang had captured the shooter quickly. But Maner already went faint due to the excessive loss of blood.
“Third Young Madam, the assassin has been captured,” Soon, Leng Shuang said in a clear voice outside.
Qin Yunuan was patting on her chest to comfort herself while Leng Suxin was so scared that her back was wet.
“Tell Third Young Master what happened and let him deal with this. Besides, call Doctor Sun,” Qin Yunuan felt heartbroken while she saw Maner who laid on the ground.
Leng Suxin calmed down, looked at Qin Yunuan quietly and said, “Does someone want to prevent me from going to the feast?”
Qin Yunuan took a glance at her and asked after thinking everything through, “Are you sure nobody saw you on the fire scene ten years ago, and nobody knew you were the Fourth Miss of the Prince Ning’s Mansion who followed Prince Ray to the Weiyang Palace?”
Leng Suxin recalled every detail and answered, “No. Everyone was occupied with the feast in the Yongchang Palace. I didn’t see anybody on the path to the Weiyang Palace.”
Qin Yunuan raised her eyebrows unconsciously. “Was there really nobody passing? Or you just didn’t notice them?”
