Everybody present seemed to understand the words clearly.
“Yunuan, what’s your opinion?” Princess Ning distracted her eyes on Qin Yunuan.
Qin Yunuan pondered for a while and said lowly, “Since there is a problem, an investigation is needed definitely.”
Princess Ning nodded satisfyingly, and then said to Concubine Tang, “What’s your opinion, sister?”
Concubine Tang looked a little bit embarrassed and said reverently, “Sister, you are the hostess of the family, and you have the final say. I dare not have any objection.”
“That’s good.” Princess Ning smiled lightly and muttered, “Why is Changxi so late?”
And then Qingzhu came back and reported that the Third Young Master just came back but immediately was summoned by the people dispatched by Emperor to the Imperial Palace. It seemed that he could not have a meal with Princess Ning.
Just in a flash, Princess Ning expressed a little of dissatisfaction, and then she recovered her gentleness from her slightly frowning face, “Now Emperor thinks highly of Changxi. That’s great.”
Concubine Tang and Ruan Ruyi nodded accordingly, but they both felt worried about Princess Ning’s decision of account books checking.
Everybody here uneasy had dinner. Concubine Tang and Ruan Ruyi left after they just finished their meal. Qin Yunuan stayed here and talked with Princess Ning. She left at dusk, walking along the long corridor from Twilight Place to her courtyard.
It was a little bit cold in the evening. With the elaborate decoration at Prince Ning’s Mansion, each courtyard has its own pond nearby. The cool breeze blew at night, which made people relaxed.
“What’s the matter?” Qin Yunuan had been observing the face of Maner and Ting Xue, and she found that they both frowned slightly and looked worried.
Maner looked at Ting Xue, and then Ting Xue said straightly, “I feel that it’s not so appropriate for Princess Ning to do that.”
Qin Yunuan smiled and seemed not to be surprised. She said in a softer and more elegant voice, “Go ahead.”
Ting Xue plucked up and said, “I believe that Princess Ning has already known the corrupt condition in the mansion. She did not investigate it until you entered the mansion. Princess Ning let you use her unique silver tableware at the table. All of those express to the outside her high favor and trust on you superficially. But in fact, she is pushing you into hell.”
Qin Yunuan slowed her pace, playing with a string of crystals on her wrist one by one by her slender and fair fingertips. Maner added in a low voice, “I feel that too. Third Young Madam, you have no solid foundation in Prince Ning’s Mansion, but heavy responsibility is still put on you, which may offend others. Third Young Master, please be very careful.”
Qin Yunuan sighed leisurely and had a rest at a small pavilion near the winding corridor. She looked at the ripples far away in the ponder, and said, “I know what you said. I doubted my mother-in-law’s purpose after she let me run the three shops last morning. But I do not know the reason behind it. The old lady disliked me because I have some resentments with Dou Family, but I have no dispute with my mother-in-law. I can’t figure out why she put me in such a circumstance on purpose.”
Maner persuaded in a low voice, “In brief, Third Miss, you should be very careful with others. Ting Xue and I will stand with you no matter what decision you will make.”
Maner suddenly called Qin Yunuan Third Miss instead of Third Young Madame, which expressed that Maner always remembered where she came from, and she belonged to Qin Yunuan, instead of Prince Ning’s Mansion.
Qin Yunuan looked at Maner and then Ting Xue. Compared with Qin Family, Prince Ning’s Mansion was more complicated. In Qin Family, she should only care how to protect herself and Baochuan, and she did not care Dou Qing’e and her gangs. But in Prince Ning’s Mansion, she was not single. She needed to consider those maidservants who relied on her and Leng Changxi to live. Princess Ning had been the mother of Leng Changxi for 20 years. Qin Yunuan should consider more before acting.
When Qin Yunuan was pondering, a paper-made dragonfly flew toward her by the wind and landed on her hair bun.
“Third Young Madam.” Maner took off the dragonfly, and then she found more paper-made dragonflies flying toward them by the evening wind when she raised her head to have a check.
“Third Young Madam. Look, someone on that loft is flying those dragonflies.”
Qin Yunuan looked at the loft in the direction Maner was pointing. She found a lady with a snow-white dress was leaning against the window across the pond. She held a bamboo basket where full dragonflies were put tidily. One of her hands held a dragonfly and raised elegantly to fly it away gently in the wind.
The lady seemed to notice that Qin Yunuan was looking at her, and then she just glimpsed at Qin Yunuan with cold and indifferent eyes, which was like Chang’e in Guanghan Palace in the moon. At this moment, the lady expressed an incomparable reserved temperament.
“Who is that? Who dare to do such unruly things?”
“She is Leng Suxin, the Fourth Miss of Prince Ning’s Mansion, and the only daughter of the prince.” Just in a flash, Qin Yunuan recognized her by the untouchable feature of Leng Suxin. Last time, she met Leng Suxin in the birthday feast of Princess Ning. Fang Ziyig sitting beside her introduced this lady sand said she was an untouchable girl with odd temper.
“Let’s go.” Qin Yunuan turned back to order Maner while giving a salute to the loft as a greeting.
Qin Yunuan just walked into the corridor near the pond. Leng Suxin stepped down from the loft and stood at Chuihua Gate, waiting for Qin Yunuan walking toward her.
Having seen Qin Yunuan walk toward her, Leng Suxin glanced at her lightly without a word. She just let her maidservant tell Qin Yunuan, “Our lady wants to talk with Third Young Madame. Is it okay for you?”
Qin Yunuan glanced far at Leng Suxin, who stood at Chuihua Gate. She did not know the intension of Leng Suxin.
“It’s okay.” Qin Yunuan smiled sweetly and ordered Ting Xue and Maner to stay here. She walked straight toward Leng Suxin.
“Fourth Miss.” Qin Yunuan said with a gentle and kind smile. At least, her smile would not make others unwell.
“My elder brother loves you very much.” Leng Suxin said suddenly. As expected, her voice was so cold, without any emotion. Such kind of people were the most fearful. They seemed to have no emotion and human feelings, and nobody could know what they were thinking.
“But I dislike you very much.” Leng Suxin said before Qin Yunuan responded. She added with her eyes shining the untouchable light, “So, you’d better guarantee that I cannot find you.”
Qin Yunuan did not get mad. She just smiled more gently, “Fourth Miss, you misunderstand me.” Qin Yunuan passed by the pond at this time, which was absolutely a coincidence.
“Everybody in this mansion knows that I fly the dragonflies on this day every year. You’d better remember it. Next time, you detour.” Leng Suxin said in a mood that seemed to be similar to Leng Changxi partly, so overbearing and cold, “Oh, maybe there is no next time,” Leng Suxin glimpsed at Qin Yunuan, “You are not able to stay at the mansion for one year.” And then Leng Suxin left straightly. The chilly back of Leng Suxin reminded Qin Yunuan of a fact that the cold words just now were from the Fourth Miss of Prince Ning’s mansion, an unmarried maiden.
The Fourth Miss was so strange. No! Qin Yunuan suddenly felt shuddered. It was the whole mansion that was very odd. The abrupt unkindness from Princess Ning and the confusing warning from the Fourth Miss made Qin Yunuan at a loss.
Back to the courtyard, Qin Yunuan felt so exhausted after the whole day’s bustle. Luomei was busy preparing the medicated bath. The flowers of roses with mint water could relieve the fatigue.
“Third Young Madame, the bath has been prepared.”
In the bathroom, water vapor made Qin Yunuan got thin sweat immediately.
The belt of her dress was unfastened, and then her dress was half taken off, and her pink bellyband and fair shoulder were exposed. Qin Yunuan tried to touch the bath water full of flowers, with drops of water splashing, which made her thin bellyband more transparent and more clinging to his body. Now her perfect-shaped and slim underbelly was exposed.
And then her whole dress was taken off. Maner put the bellyband on the dress hanger and left with her lowering head.
Qin Yunuan entered the temperature-fit oak bathtub slowly. She closed her eyes to enjoy the relaxing time and then started to ponder.
In a daze, she seemed to hear the door was opened. Qin Yunuan thought Luomei came in to add medicinal herbs. She just ordered gently, “Just put them on the shelf.” Her voice was a little bit lazy. Some pleasant feelings emerged in this wet bathroom.
The comer seemed not to leave but came closer. The person passed by the screen and stood at the shelf for a while where her underwear was put.
Qin Yunaun felt strange and was about to open her eyes. Leng Changxi suddenly said in a charming voice, “What do you want to put down? Me?”
“You….” Qin Yunuan suddenly realized that she was nude. Though those rose flowers were floating on the water, her looming body shape could be clearly seen. Qin Yunuan dared not move to avoid more exposure. She just muttered, “Why do you come in so suddenly. My bath hasn’t been over.”
Leng Changxi smiled and felt the shy hedgehog was cuter. He said to Qin Yunuan on purpose, “It doesn’t matter. We can bath together.”
