When Qin Yuwan finished her words, she said to Qin Yunuan with sharp eyes, “Do you dare to pull up your sleeve to let us see your arm?”
Qin Yunuan sneered and stretched out her wrist. Her left arm was as snow-white as a baby’s skin. When Qin Yuwan saw this, her face became blue and white.
“I want to see Qingzhu’s left hand,” Qin Yunuan said suddenly. Her eyes were focused on Qingzhu, who was trying to hide her left hand so obviously that even Old Madam noticed it.
Old Madam didn’t speak but quickly winked at the chief servant girl by her side. All the servant girls of Old Madam were skillful. The servant girl stepped forward and caught Qingzhu by her left hand. With the sleeve pulled up, people saw a large burn scar extending on the whole arm of Qingzhu. Seeing the little jade-like white skin beside it, people would wonder how perfect and delicate the arm used to be before getting a burn.
However, it was doubtful that the wound was a new one running with pus and blood. Just looking at it would make people painful.
Princess Ning half rose from her seat and said flatly, “Qingzhu got burned by accident when she poured tea for me this afternoon.”
“Qingzhu is the chief servant girl. It should not be her task to do such small duties like pouring water and serving tea,” Tang answered with a smile.
Looking at Tang, cruelty flashed in Princess Ning’s eyes and then was replaced by peace, “The servant girl responsible for tea water in my courtyard was sick today, so she took over the work. What? Do you want to see the arms of others?”
“No need,” Old Madam ran her eyes over everyone present with a look of scrutiny, “You’ve quarreled until this hour for such a small matter. Now that all of you are already wives and mothers, you should have a second thought before you take action. As for Yuwan…” elongating the word, Old Madam stared hesitantly at Qin Yuwan, who was kneeling down with a depressed look. Old Madam knew clearly that in the whole issue, Second Miss Qin was the most innocent one because she didn’t have so many schemes like others did, but she liked to flaunt her superiority. However, she should pay the price as she made the trouble.
“You are supposed to be driven to your parents’ house to rethink profoundly according to the family rules. However, you are pregnant now. You are forbidden to go out of your courtyard from today to your delivery. You should have a good thought of what you should do and what shouldn’t.”
“Old Madam…” Qin Yuwan would not accept it, but she was stopped by the wet nurse beside her.
“Second Young Madam, the less trouble the better. We’d better go back to our courtyard tamely,” the wet nurse dragged Qin Yuwan’s arm tightly in order to calm her down.
“As for Qingzhu,” Old Madam glanced at Qingzhu and said to Princess Ning, “Her arm was hurt severely, so there’s no need for her to serve you anymore. Let her return home to have a rest.” Old Madam didn’t say when she should come back, meaning that she should never return. Since Qingzhu was Princess Ning’s most important helper, her leave would make it more difficult for Princess Ning to do things in the future.
Seeing that it was late, Old Madam felt rather tired. She waved and said, “It’s over today. You should return home now.”
The crowd dispersed slowly one by one. Qin Yuwan looked disconsolate. The way she looked at Qin Yunuan was more and more vicious. There wasn’t much expression on Princess Ning’s face. Only Tang followed Leng Suxin silently on purpose. When there were only a few people, she seized the opportunity to talk to Leng Suxin, “Listen to me. You should think about young master in the Sun Family. Disabled as he is, his family is extremely rich, and his ancestors were all officials. If you marry him, what luxurious life you will be living! When you live comfortably in the end, you will surely thank me, your mother.”
“Mother,” Leng Suxin said calmly, “I’ve been living a simple life for a long time. The luxurious life is not what I desire.”
She would like to let her own daughter marry a disabled person without learning his conduct just in exchange for fortune and status. Following the two quietly, Qin Yunuan knew in her mind why the mother and daughter were seemingly in harmony but actually at variance.
Leng Suxin left firstly. Tang turned her head to see Qin Yunuan behind her. Looking embarrassed, she rubbed her hands and said, “I don’t know that Third Young Madam is also here. Please do not laugh at me.”
Smiling, Qin Yunuan was ready to leave. However, Tang said behind her in hot pursuit, “Third Young Madam, I’ve heard that you are in good relationship with Suxin recently. Please help me to persuade her. She is prickly and hardly listens to others. Now that you are both young, it’s better for you to communicate with her.”
Qin Yunuan replied politely, “I cannot interfere with her personal emotion. However, I think that choosing a partner cannot only according to his family background. Concubine, if you are really for the sake of Fourth Miss, you should choose a caring and kind man for her.”
Tang changed her tone immediately, “Don’t according to the family background? Hmmm, how can you be here today if you didn’t marry to the legal son of Prince Ning’s Mansion? Now you are talking about not relying on the family background.”
Qin Yunuan stopped and turned back. Staring at Tang, she smiled suddenly, “Are you asking me a question? I’ll answer it then. I will still be here today if I didn’t marry into the mansion. Even Changxi is a common person or a beggar. I will still love him, marry him and live with him until death as long as he is him.” Finishing her words, Qin Yunuan took two steps backward and curtseyed, “Please forgive my leaving. There are issues in my courtyard waiting for me so that I will leave now.”
Watching Qin Yunuan leaving, Tang said in a worldly tone, “Easier said than done! My daughter is destined to marry into a rich family.”
Bypassing the small winding corridor, Qin Yunuan hastened the pace. Everything seemed to be covered with a layer of white gauze in the quiet, dim moonlight. Before she took more steps, she stopped suddenly. Qin Yunuan turned her face, watched behind her back, and said slowly, “Fourth Miss, if you are waiting for me, why do you keep hiding?”
A white figure paced out from the bush beside looking as beautiful as the white wintersweet blossoming in the winter days.
“I’m not hiding from you,” Leng Suxin said in a way as peaceful as the moonlight, “I just don’t want to speak to you.”
Qin Yunuan smiled, “Fourth Miss Leng is half a year younger than me. Indeed, you speak like a child.”
“Don’t you think that you can criticize me casually because you are married,” Leng Suxin looked unkind, “What’s more, you are not truly my Third Sister-in-law just because you are married to my third brother.”
“I know,” Qin Yunuan looked indifferent, “Didn’t you warn me of it the second day I married into the mansion?”
Leng Suxin twisted her lips but didn’t speak anymore. So the two were deadlocked. Maner and Ting Xue had left sensibly to act as a lookout for them.
“Fourth Miss Leng, I believe that you are coming for me for no reason. If you have something to say, you’d better be straightforward. I don’t like beating around the bush.”
Leng Suxin bit her lips subconsciously. Qin Yunuan knew that the movement meant that Leng Suxin was bewildered by something. She thought that Leng Suxin might need more time to adjust herself, but the next moment Leng Suxin spoke without hurry and haste, “I know that the ambassador of West Xia has come for the imperial matrimony for peace. Two days later, there will be a banquet held in the Royal Palace inviting all the ladies suitable in age in the Royal City for the ambassador to pick one. Infanta Ping, I would like you to help me.”
Qin Yunuan kept silent because she hadn’t figure out what kind of idea Leng Suxin was having.
Suxin stepped forward and said slowly, “In the mansion, there are lots of people wishing me to marry a fickle man so that I, a girl who always shows a cold face, will leave the mansion and suffer for some time. Only Third Brother and Old Madam care about me. But I know that Third Brother’s care is due to feeling guilt. And Old Madam’s care is because I resemble my dead aunt. Old Madam wants me to accompany her for my whole life, so she sent people to cross my name from the name list of the banquet. However, I know that I have to go. I have to attend the banquet, and I have to marry to West Xia.”
Qin Yunuan stared at Leng Suxin silently. For the first time, she saw the sincerity in Leng Suxin’s eyes.
“Can I ask you why?” Qin Yunuan said serenely.
“You don’t need to know why,” Leng Suxin frowned, showing boredom.
Qin Yunuan laughed, “What’s the reason for me to help you, then? I will offend Old Madam but get nothing in the end. Is it really worthful?”
“I know that you have the ability to perform well in both ways,” Leng Suxin quite believed in Qin Yunuan’s ability, “If you cannot do that, why did Third Brother fall in love with you?”
Qin Yunuan tossed her head. She found that every time Leng Suxin said “Third Brother,” her eyes would always shine, and her tone changed slightly, not like the way a sister to her brother but adding more emotion.
“Got it,” Qin Yunuan looked into Leng Suxin’s eyes and said, “You like Changxi. The reason why you don’t want to marry is because of him. And why you want to marry to a far place is because you don’t want to stay in the sorrowful place in loneliness.”
Leng Suxin’s pupils dilated instantly. Her eyebrows were knitted together. She flicked her sleeves and turned away, “What do you know about?”
Qin Yunuan knew that she had hit it, “If it is true, you have more reasons not to go to the banquet. If you are chosen to marry far away to West Xia, besides the long distance, do you know the meaning of it? The relationship between West Xia and Qi remains unclear. If any accident happens, you will be a hostage in West Xia. The emperor is merciless and cares for the whole country. How can you guarantee that he won’t abandon you in the key point?”
Leng Suxin looked at the moon high in the sky. The silver-plate-like moon held on the branch was like a lily blossoming in the midnight, lighting up everyone’s heart quietly. But why? Why was her heart still so cold? Her heart never beat. It would only be a little warm when she saw Leng Changxi.
“Wouldn’t it be better to be dead?” Leng Suxin gave a bitter smile, “Death is the best end for me.”
“Fourth Miss.” Qin Yunuan was about to comfort her when Leng Suxin turned to her suddenly, “Do you think that you are seeing my real appearance? Do you know what happened 10 years ago?” When Leng Suxin was speaking, her slim finger slid on her chin. Then she used her fingernails to pick up a corner of her skin.
Qin Yunuan was surprised. She knew what it was. A mask made of human skin!
