Cut off the relation? No longer one of the Qin family?
Qin Yunuan narrowed her eyes and looked at Qin Zhi. In her mind, she mocked the old-fashioned idea of Qin Zhi. It seemed that Qin Zhi thought the surname Qin represented the greatest honor. The Qin Family was among the noblest family in Qi. But after Qin Yunuan saw through the source of the family glory and also the dirt behind it, the identity as one of the Qin Family was already insignificant. She simply didn’t care.
“Father, you must be joking.” Qin Yunuan lowered her eyes, “You spoke like how much I cared about this identity.”
“You…” Qin Zhi was speechless.
“It’s just that according to my current status, getting me out of the genealogy shouldn’t be decided by you, father.” Qin Yunuan was now the Infanta of the fifth-grade of rank, whose name was engraved in the royal family. How could a small Grand Commandant determine Qin Yunuan’s identity?
“Even when you become ashes, you are my daughter, and you’ll have to listen to me.” Qin Zhi was angry and had lost his mind.
Qin Yunuan only glanced contemptuously at Qin Zhi. She had a hint of fantasies and nostalgia for the so-called father before. But now, after Qin Zhi’s words, Qin Yunuan no longer had any attachments to the entire Qin family, except Baochuan and Concubine Chang.
“It’s getting late. I have already got what I want, and I won’t stay for too long.”
This daughter of a concubine took the mansion of Grand Commandant as a place she could freely come and go. Qin Zhi wanted to stop her, but he was petrified by Leng Changxi’s cold eyes and Leng Shuang tightening her grip of the sword in her waist.
Qin Zhi had always been looking forward to his daughter marrying a good family. It would also help his career when his daughter flew up to the top of the branches and turn from a sparrow a phoenix. Unexpectedly, the daughter he raised had become ungrateful. He also thought of Lady Yang’s remains, which were in the hands of Yunuan now. If Qin Yunuan had known the true identity of Lady Yang, she would only alienate more from the Qin Family.
The banquet in the flower hall ended on a sour note. After all the people had walked away, Qin Zhi met with Butler Xie in private.
“Butler Xie, go to Dou Meishuang and tell her that I no longer have any patience to wait. The Seventh Prince would return from Imperial Mausoleum soon. If she couldn’t make contact with participating killers of the Dou Family in Royal City within half a month, she doesn’t have to freeload in my family.”
At the same time, Leng Changxi carefully supported Qin Yunuan on the carriage back to their palace. The carriage was warmly arranged. Leng Changxi hugged Qin Yunuan with one arm. His other hand rolled up the curtain and ordered to set off.
Compared with the time when they came, there was an extra carriage steadily following them. The little carriage was to take Qin Baochuan and his various books and notes back to Prince Ning’s Mansion.
“You’ve got the things, and also Baochuan is with you. Are you at ease now?” Leng Changxi stroked Qin Yunuan’s fragrant and soft hair. While stroking, he looked at Qin Yunuan sideways.
Qin Yunuan squeezed the wooden box. She was uneasy in her heart, “Everything is my guess. I don’t know yet. I don’t know if it is true. My mother never told me about her past life.”
Leng Changxi nodded and said, “It’s strange that an ordinary embroidery maid could be proficient in lute-playing, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Plus, I secretly sent someone to the regions south of the River. I learned that 20 years ago a daughter of a concubine in the Shangguan Family did have ran out of the house unbearable of her legal mother’s abuse and hasn’t returned yet. I thought it must be about her.”
She was also the daughter of a concubine and had been through the abuse of her legal mother. If her mother was the long-lost legacy of the Shangguan Family in the rumor, Baochuan and herself would be the grandchildren of Mr. Shangguan Yi. She heard that Shangguan Yi would come to the Royal City and give a lecture. The emperor highly valued this opportunity, as he came out of seclusion for the first time in two decades. This was also a good opportunity to pave the way for Baochuan.
Taking a deep breath, Qin Yunuan opened the box in one go. Inside, there were several jade pendants and hairpins neatly packed. These are the remains left by Lady Yang, Qin Yunuan’s birth mother. They were taken by Dou after her death and later was in Qin Zhi’s hand after Dou went to Psycho Tower.
“Look.” Qin Yunuan pinched a piece of old jade that seemed ancient in color. The auspicious cloud pattern engraved on it was a little vague, but the golden bronzing inlaid was still discernible, “It was the character ‘Yu’.”
Qin Yunuan remembered seeing something like that on the waist of Shangguan Yee. It was a sign of the children of Shangguan Mansion. When a Shangguan woman reached twelve years old, and in men’s case, it was fifteen years old, he or she would be distributed a jade pendant bearing her own name. It was a symbol of the Shangguan Family. If the pendant was real, then Lady Yang, Qin Yunuan’s birth mother, would be the daughter of a concubine that the Shangguan Family lost 20 years ago- Shangguan Yu.
“Father knew the true identity of my mother.” Qin Yunuan murmured, “From the beginning, my father tried to get in touch with the Shangguan Family, using the identity of my mother. He didn’t expect that my mother shut the thoughts for family reunion and didn’t want to show her identity at all. She just wanted to live her life in peace. That was why my father treated her more indifferently later.”
It wasn’t just Qin Yunuan’s speculation. Her birth mother, Lady Yang, who perhaps should now be called Shangguan Yu, died early. But there was still a little memory left in Qin Yunuan’s mind. She remembered that her mother had constantly mentioned the beautiful scenery and snacks south of the River. She asked her mother why she knew so much about the regions south of the River since she had never been out of the Royal City. Her mother replied simply that she had seen it in her dream. And there were other memories about how her father oppressed mother privately. Those memories were not good, and Qin Yunuan wished that she didn’t remember.
After hearing Qin Yunuan’s words, Leng Changxi nodded and said, “Qin Zhi had his way climbing up in his career, he had never been ashamed of relying on women. Instead, he was very familiar with it. It is likely to be as you said.”
“It’s not likely to be. It must be!” Qin Yunuan looked a little excited. “I remember, I remember how my father forced my mother back then. He found her jade pendant and forced her to send letters to her family. My mother refused, so he slapped her time after time.”
As Qin Yunuan talked, her tears ran down the cheeks, and her eyes were swollen, making her look lovely. Leng Changxi hugged Qin Yunuan distressedly. His chin gently touched Qin Yunuan’s forehead. He calmed her down with soft words, “It’s my fault, my fault. I shouldn’t have mentioned it. All those things have passed. Sooner and later, Qin Zhi will pay for his hypocrisy. And Qin Yunzhuang, she will also pay for what she had done. As for you and Baochuan, let me take care of you and protect you. I will always be by your side. As long as you don’t leave, I will protect you until the end of your life.”
As long as you don’t leave, I will protect you to the end. This sentence keeps echoing in Qin Yunuan ’s mind, so warm and so voluminous. The promise makes her erratic heart finally take root. She raised her head and looked at herself in close proximity to Leng Changxi. His deep, deep, yet star-like eyes are enchanted by the mask under the shadow of the mask.
“Thank you.” Qin Yunuan pouted, stretched her neck, and kissed Leng Changxi. She whispered again, “Hubby.”
The sentence and the kiss tasted sweet. Leng Changxi was instantly turned on. He got up and pressed on Qin Yunuan’s breasts. Putting the box aside, he supported himself against the carriage and grinned.
“The gratitude was not enough.” Leng Changxi finished, biting Qin Yunuan’s upper lip lightly. And then he went down. The lips covered each other. With his gasp thicker, Leng Changxi began to stick out his tongue and pry off Qin Yunuan’s pearl-like teeth. They went all the way down until Qin Yunuan was a little out of breath and shoved him away.
The carriage wobbled slightly. Qin Yunuan blushed and pointed to the carriage curtain, “Someone is outside.”
Leng Changxi shook his head childishly, “It doesn’t matter. They won’t care if I kiss my wife!”
Suddenly, the carriage trembled. Accompanied by the hissing of the horse, the entire carriage rocked violently like there had been an earthquake, and the sound of an arrow piercing the wood came from outside.
“General, there is an ambush.” Leng Wu’s voice suddenly sounded.
Leng Changxi only cares for Qin Yunuan. He wraps Qin Yunuan ‘s waist tightly with one arm to help Qin Yunuan maintain balance. The other hand firmly grasps a raised beam on the carriage to maintain balance.
“Baochuan!” Qin Yunuan was most worried about Qin Baochuan in the carriage behind her.
“Leng Wu, go and protect Baochuan.” Leng Changxi immediately commanded. With Leng Wu’s martial arts skill, it should not be a problem to protect a six-year-old child. Moreover, although the arrow rain came suddenly, Leng Changxi could figure out that it directed towards his carriage. The purpose was very clear. Whoever coming either wanted his own life or Qin Yunuan’s, or he wanted both.
The eighteen shadow guards around Leng Changxi was still no match for this sudden attack. It all happened in the narrow and secluded Qingshui Alley. Soon, there were casualties on Leng Changxi’s side. The groom tried to block the door for Third Young Master and Madam. He was punctured with one arrow, dying suddenly and heroically.
“Nuan Nuan, don’t be afraid. Come out with me.” Leng Changxi held the soft sword thrown by his subordinates in his hand, pulling Qin Yunuan out while blocking the rain of flying arrows.
The sneaking archers were all hiding on the wall, occupying the advantage position at the top. Leng Changxi and his men could not counterattack in a short time. Qin Yunuan bowed herself and tried to climb out of the crooked carriage several times. But she was blocked by the dense arrow rain. The carriage made of solid wood could temporarily shelter her for a while, but as more and more arrows nailed in, a brittle cracking sound came out from the wooden board.
The last shield also began to falter.
