Qin Yunuan cast a glance at the flattering look on Tang’s face, and then looked down slowly and continued her work. She was preparing a painting of cranes for Prince Ning’s birthday. The whole painting was of seven-foot-long and three-foot-wide, which was very majestic and graceful.
“Those two pieces of information from you is of no use to me,” Qin Yunuan did not look at her, “First, Prince Ray has been taken into custody. So, even if he had some inglorious dealings with Shangguan Yee, it had all passed. As for the second thing that you’ve told me, the coming of Mrs. Sun is suppressing to you but fine with me, whether she is to be the legal wife or consort. After all, I am Infanta Ping with the fifth-grade rank conferred by Queen Mother. No new brides would threaten me.”
“Surely enough. It would not affect you, Third Young Madam. But…”
“But you are not reconciled?” Qin Yunuan glanced at Tang. She could see through her thoughts at once. “You thought that you have been in Prince Ning ‘s mansion for so many years and had given birth to the eldest son for him, but you are still a concubine. Your status was lower than Consort Cao, who came later than you and Princess Ning whose family was very influential. Now, the Sun Family is planning to marry a daughter to Princess Ning, and you would be more despised. If she gives birth to a son, you and your son would have no pride anymore. Am I right?”
Concubine Tang froze and then straightened her back and said, “That’s right. Every man for himself and the devil takes the hindmost. You are born in a dignified and famous family as the daughter of Grand Commandant, and now you are married to Third Young Master. You won’t understand those of us who are born low.”
“I don’t understand?” Qin Yunuan only found it funny. She had suffered much more bitterness and injustices than Tang. “Fine. Take it as I don’t understand. I cannot help you with this. It’s quite a normal thing that the Sun Family would like to marry their daughter into this mansion, and I had nothing to say about that. I suggest that you should also stir no troubles.”
“Fine with me, humph.” All that Concubine Tang was thinking about was her son’s future. Instead of pretending to be pleasing as before, she walked out of the door in a seductive way without any words.
At this time, Maner brought in an old nanny who looked familiar. She might be a steward of Prince Ning.
“Third Young Madam, Nanny Cui from Master’s place comes here.” Maner led her in. Nanny Cui greeted Qin Yunuan with her hands cupped, which was very tactful as it was neither submissive nor too tough.
“I came for the birthday party of Prince Ning,” Nanny Cui said kindly. “Third Young Madam, Prince Ning trusts you as he had handed the administrative power of the birthday party to you. But since things had changed a lot in the imperial court these days, Prince Ning hopes that the banquet could be as simple as possible, instead of being too extravagant.”
Qin Yunuan nodded. The main reason why Prince Ning could win the trust of the emperor for so long was that he knew how to keep a low profile and do suitable things in proper time.
“Besides,” Nanny Cui suddenly lowered her voice, “According to Prince Ning, a few more seats need to be added.”
The list of guests had been set long ago, and Prince Ning’s birthday was just half a month later. To change it suddenly…
Qin Yunuan was not upset at all. She just nodded and said, “Just tell me how many extra seats are needed, and I will check around and add as more as possible.”
Cui Nanny smiled and said, “Not many, only four. But these are all nobles from Jinling, and one of the seats has to be arranged at the same status as Prince Ning so that neither Prince Ning nor the guest would be embarrassed.”
Jinling? Wasn’t it Prince Ning’s hometown? It was also the birthplace of the Sun family. So, these distinguished guests should be from the Sun family.
Qin Yunuan also said with a smile, “Only four. It should not be difficult.”
“Since I have finished my task, I’d like to come back if you don’t mind.” Looking at the back of Nanny Cui, Qin Yunuan leaned against the window frame and lost in thoughts.
In the yard, the plum buds had just bloomed. The white petals were like the new snowflakes, and the light-yellow stamens scrambled to get out of the buds. The flowers were squeezing into a crowd, cheering for the winning chance brought by the cold winter night.
Opportunities were always reserved for those with strength.
In the yard, Maner was decocting herbal medicine carefully in a small coal stove for Leng Wu. The swollen blue and black wounds on his arm still needed a few times of cold compress to get better.
“Sister Maner, you are decocting medicine again!” The servant girls who passed by liked to tease Maner in this way, being all smiles, “Who is so lucky to drink the medicine made by you every day?”
Maner flushed when she heard this. Her rosy cheeks were like the red sunset, and her actions were a little flustered. She almost knocked down the medicine bag beside her.
A jar beside Maner fell and made some noise as if someone had sat down. The servant girls that had just joked her all went away.
Being startled, Maner burnt the ring finger of her left hand, which was taken hold by a big hand right away.
“Why are you so careless?” Maner shivered as the appearance of Leng Wu was very unexpected. She tried to draw back her hand gripped by Leng Wu. But Leng Wu was quick in action but slow in understanding. All he was thinking about was how careless she was and how important to deal with it in time.
Leng Wu lowered his head and blew a cool breeze to Maner’s fingertips.
“I’m fine. People are watching.” Blushed, Maner drew her finger back. At this time, Leng Wu finally realized what he had done and touched his head dully, not saying anything.
Leng Wu was a top-class Kung Fu exerciser, but he was rather dull in the things related to girls. Maner glanced at him and turned her head to take out a pendant with black tassels, whose elaboration showed the painstaking effort of its maker. Maner held the pendant in her palm and threw it straight into Leng Wu’s breast.
“Hmm, it’s for you.”
“Huh?” Leng Wu had not understood what happened.
“Booby, it was made for you,” Maner threw the pendant directly into Leng Wu’s arms, her face still being red. Withdrawing a few steps back, she seemed to think of something again and took out a dark purple pendant, giving it to him again, “and this is for Miss Leng.”
Leng Wu smiled, “She has never received any girlish things from others. She must be thrilled,” Touching his head, he shook the black pendant with one hand and smiled honestly, showing his cute canines, “And I…I’m also thrilled.”
“Booby.” Maner lowered her head and groaned. She then went back to the house directly.
Leng Wu was about to follow her. Well, wasn’t she boiling medicine for him? Why did she leave without lighting the fire?
Just at this time, Leng Shuang, who had just finished her task, hurried into the yard. The first one she saw was his silly brother, who was standing in the yard in a daze.
Seeing that Leng Shuang had come back, Leng Wu was to hand the dark purple pendant to her directly. However, she just cast a cold glance at him and then said, “Come to me later. I have something urgent to report to Third Young Madam.”
Qin Yunuan had been leaning against the pane and staring at the courtyard for a long time. When she heard Leng Shuang’s voice, she straightened her body at once.
“How is it?”
Leng Shuang cupped her hands and reported, “I had already visited the inn where the Sun Family stayed. They have a total of 24 people, including the coachman and the masters. This time, the Sun Family sent the Grand Miss Sun Baozhen of the Second Madam who is 18 years old and is famous for her talent in Jinling.”
Qin Yunuan raised her hand leisurely to serve herself a cup of green tea. The overflowing fragrance of the tea had the calming power. “What else? If she’s just an ordinary girl, you wouldn’t panic like that.”
Leng Shuang nodded and said, “Yes, if I’m not mistaken, I had met her before when I was studying Kung Fu in Kongming Mountain. At that time, her name was Song Zhen. She was the first female disciple of Kongming Mountain and also the first one that I had to challenge in order to gain admission. But somehow, she becomes the Grand Miss of the Second Madam Sun.”
“That’s possible,” Qin Yunuan was very calm in the face of those things. Leng Shuang had learned Kung Fu at many different schools in different places those years, and she was gifted with an extraordinary retentive memory. So, Qin Yunuan was quite confident with her memory. Besides, ever since Leng Changxi approached her in the disguise of Su Chenghai, the identity was not that important to Qin Yunuan.
“But you had provided me with a very important clue,” Qin Yunuan raised her eyebrows slightly, “Do you remember Princess Ning? She was also a woman who was raised seclusively but was good at Kung Fu. And this Miss Sun, who was to be my mother-in-law, had also learned Kung Fu from the outside world. People all say that the Sun Family is very powerful and influential and shall not be violated. But it remains a question of why they are so powerful. Now, it becomes more and more interesting.”
Leng Shuang seemed to understand those words. “Third Young Madam, do you mean that the Sun Family has been taking the trade and business as a disguise of their Kung Fu attainments? But what are the benefits of doing this?”
“There are so many benefits.” Thinking about it carefully, Qin Yunuan found the thing more mysterious and irresistible to look at. The thing about Prince Ray was still in the air, and here came a mysterious Sun Family, which was rather interesting. “Take Princess Ning as an example. Before she was caught, did anyone doubt the dignified and noble princess whenever something strange happened, or some masters appeared?”
Leng Shuang nodded. And then Qin Yunuan asked, “You said that you had played against Sun Baozhen. I want to know how much your chance of winning is if you two have a fight.”
