After a happy time for the whole night, Qin Yunuan felt constant backache the next morning. Nurse Liao felt so happy when she heard that Qin Yunuan and Leng Changxi was in sweet love every day. She always talked that she hoped to take care of the daughters and sons of the couple in the future.
Qin Yunuan reckoned that she had married to Prince Ning’s Mansion for one month. She looked at her belly. She expected but felt a little bit worried. Now Qin Yunuan should care much about Baochuan, but if there were a new member, she would not know if she could handle all things well.
Soon, it was the day of the selection examination of the Imperial College in autumn. On this day, Qin Baochuan got up early, and Qin Yunuan still slept due to the happy time last night. Leng Changxi tided up the quilt clearly for Qin Yunuan, and then put on a piece of clothing to encourage Baochuan.
“Don’t be so worried,” Leng Changxi with hands clasped behind his back looked at Qin Baochuan who was standing beside a horse carriage, “You should just believe that you study hard for yourself, instead of your sister or the praise of Qin Family.”
Qin Baochuan nodded like an adult. And then Leng Changxi ordered Leng Wu to safeguard Qin Baochuan closely. Having seen the horse carriage went far away, Leng Changxi turned back to the mansion.
Just walking to the Chuihua Gate, Leng Changxi heard a cold female voice behind, “Brother, you treat Third Sister-in-law so well.”
Leng Changxi would know who the voice was even if he did not turn back.
In a flash, Leng Suxin came closer with her hand holding a flower sachet, and then she passed it to Leng Changxi, “It is the enchantress from East Garden who let me give it to you.”
Leng Changxi raised his eyes slightly and knew the enchantress Leng Suxin said just now was Xie Ruying. She had a weird relationship with Xie Ruying. Xie Ruying flattered this miss from Prince Ning’s Mansion so hard just because Leng Suxin had much speaking right in front of the Old Madam of the mansion. Leng Suxin was really a cold lady who was hard to come closer. But she should consider the feeling of Princess Ning, so she could not reject Xie Ruying so toughly.
“Third Brother, I dislike the enchantress. Could you kill her for me?” Leng Suxin said suddenly. Such a pretty and kind girl spoke such things as killing someone, which was hard for others to understand. But Leng Changxi did not feel surprised about that.
Leng Changxi said sincerely, “Suxin, reduce that kind of words in the future.”
“Why?” Leng Suxin said with more profound eyes, “You told me in our childhood that in this world, if you did not hurt others, others would hurt you. The best way was to kill those who were likely to hurt you, just like your killing in the deserted temple in your childhood.”
Talking about the killing in the deserted temple, Leng Changxi remembered that he met with Qin Yunuan first there.
Leng Changxi smiled, “Now things get different. I was single at that time, and I could rampage without considering my life or others’ life. But now I have my wife. Nuan has given all she has to me. I must protect her and people around her, and our children in the future.”
“As I guess, you do all for your wife.” Leng Suxin said in a slightly desolate and hopeless voice, “Third Brother, you know? I dislike Third Sister-in-law. No. I do not dislike her, but I hate her. I don’t know why I felt sick of her when I saw her back or heard her voice.”
Suddenly, Leng Changxi squinted and then opened his eyes at once, “It’s OK. I love her. And I refuse to receive the flower sachet of Xie Ruying. I am afraid of the misunderstanding of Nuan. She is so sensitive, so I should not make her hurt at any time.” And then he turned back and left straightly without glimpsing at Leng Suxin.
There only was Leng Suxin, who stood under the morning sunshine lonely. She kneaded the flower sachet until her close maidservant called her back in a gentle voice.
Leng Suxin sighed leisurely towards the direction Leng Changxi left, and grunted, “It was you who changed, or it was I who changed?” She sighed. And she threw the flower sachet into the pond and then left too.
It was after dawn when Qin Yunuan got up. Leng Changxi had entered the imperial palace earlier, but he had prepared Qin Yunuan’s favorite Hot-toffee Roll and White Fungus Broth on the table.
After washing and tidying, Qin Yunuan was tasting a lotus seed carefully. And then Maner came in.
The first thing she talked about was that Qin Baochuan got up early to attend the examination of the Imperial College in autumn. And the second thing was….
“I heard that Miss Xie pleaded for the whole night outside the courtyard of Fourth Miss. She hoped that Fourth Miss could send a flower sachet to Third Young Master. Finally, Fourth Miss was soft-hearted and agreed.”
Qin Yunuan holding the warm bowl stunned. She remembered that she saw Xie Ruying last time sending a flower sachet. Such a stubborn lady. She remembered the flower sachet well. Or…
“And then?”
Maner continued, “I guess Third Young Master did not receive it, because somebody saw that the flower sachet was floating in the pond outside.”
“Pick it up.” Qin Yunuan ordered decisively, “Don’t let others find you. Do it secretly.”
Maner nodded immediately. After a while, Ting Xue and Maner came in, holding a tray where a wet flower sachet was put down. The surface of the flower sachet was wrinkle due to soaking. But the perfect seal did not let the spice inside out.
Qin Yunuan frowned and glimpsed at it. And then she held a scissor to open the flower sachet entirely, and the wet spice was exposed. Although Qin Yunuan could not tell what kind of spice it was, the fragrance gave off. Qin Yunuan was good at remembering and smelling.
“You smell it. What’s this?” Qin Yunuan used a silvery chopstick to pick a dark brown soybean-sized bead. There were seven or eight beads like this one in the flower sachet, with a pungent fragrance.
Maner smelled it and frowned immediately. And Ting Xue said straightly, “It was like musk.”
Qin Yunuan put down the chopsticks, “It is musk. To be precise, it is musk seed, which is the acutest medicinal part of musk.”
Musk was a kind of spice and could be added to medicine. But for women, it could not be overused, which could cause infertility. Xie Ruying knew that Leng Changxi stayed with Qin Yunuan every day, and she sent it on purpose. How malicious she was.
“Such a malicious woman.” Maner gritted her teeth.
Qin Yunuan smiled in disdain, “Now I have married to this mansion for one month. There are more and more people who target my belly. Xie Ruying is one of them, but she was the most aggressive one. This time, I won’t let her off.”
At the moment, a maidservant reminded that it was the time to greet the Old Madam.
Maner and Ting Xue prepared in a hurry. They were the close maidservants of Qin Yunuan and should go there together. But Qin Yunuan shook her head and said, “This time, you two stay at the courtyard, and have a clear check whether there is something else dirty in the courtyard. Find all out.”
“I can stay here.” Maner said forwardly, “Ting Xue follows Third Young Madam to go there. Madam, you need someone to serve.”
“No,” Qin Yunuan twinkled and smiled, “There are new maidservants in the wood house. This time, I will go there together with Baihe and Haitang. Besides, Leng Shuang is protecting me secretly so that I won’t get hurt.”
When Qin Yunuan walked outside the courtyard of the Old Madam, she met with Princess Ning, who came to greet the old lady too. Xie Ruying was the distant relative of Princess Ning, and she had been serving Princess Ning all the time. Now she was supporting Princess Ning with her arm intimately, like a cute and elegant little white rabbit. Nobody would think that Xie Ruying had slept with many men.
“Mother.” Qin Yunuan curtsied to Princess Ning and then stood up. She glanced at Xie Ruying and then smiled, “You come, Miss Xie.”
Though it was a smile, Xie Ruying felt a little coldness in her heart suddenly.
Princess Ning smiled softly. She said nothing after she saw there were new two pretty maidservants beside Qin Yunuan, instead of the former comely two girls. Qin Yunuan and Princess Ning entered the room together. They heard Leng Suxin was tasting the tea with the Old Madam.
“The tea leaves come from Mount Wuyi and belong to Lapsang souchong, the highest grade. Suxin, you can find such rare tea leaves. So more efficient you are now.” The Old Madam said in a cheerful voice. Everybody in the mansion knew that the Old Madam was always serious and august, and she only laughed happily in front of Leng Suxin.
“Old Madam.”
“Mother.”
Princes Ning and Qin Yunuan entered the room together. At the moment they entered, the old lady withdrew her laugh slightly. Although she was smiling, she did not show her emotion conspicuously.
Princess Ning had a good temper and did not care. She said in a more pious voice, “The other day, I heard from the nannies that you did not sleep well at night. Later, I asked someone to buy some rare Zhuyexiang in the regions south of the River for relieving the sleeplessness.”
The Old Madam nodded without more emotions and said, “Thanks.” And then she looked at Qin Yunuan. Last time, she heard more things about Qin Yunuan in the pavilion. Her view of her grandson’s wife was unclear all the time. On the one hand, she admired the braveness and intelligence of Qin Yunuan. On the other hand, she feared such kind of person. After all, smart people caused more miserable consequences when they got malicious.
The Old Madam saw the two maidservants behind Qin Yunuan, especially the one called Haitang. She thought Qin Yunuan took the two girls here to meet higher people. Now the girl seemed to make up on purpose and looked so showy. She almost grabbed the limelight of her master.
“New maidservants?” The Old Madam sipped the tea. She seemed to ask Qin Yunuan by accident.
