It was the night of New Year’s Eve, and city was ablaze with lights.
When Liu-shi brought Su Wan to the back palace, there were already many people there.
Among a large group of noble ladies who were all gorgeously dressed, Chen Qing Jin who was wearing white brocade was especially eye-catching —
The so-called “washing off face powder”, isn’t it another kind of vulgar trap to please the crowds? 1
Tonight, Su Wan still followed Liu-shi’s instructions and dressed in a palace outfit with a red cotton skirt. Her long hair was also pulled up by a hair pendant that was very fashionable in the Capital. It was not prominent or eye-catching, but it also did not breach ettiquete.
“Wan jiejie, you’ve come!”
The first one to rush up and impressively greet Su Wan was Chen Qing Yao. The little girl also wore a thick, red palace dress tonight, making her face seem more fair and sparkling.
“Qing Yao meimei.”
Su Wan nodded towards Chen Qing Yao. Because she had already broke off the engagement with Chen jia, Su Wan appeared very courteous with regards to Chen Qing Yao’s intimacy. And those daughters of officials all hide to one side and talked in whispers.
Su Wan knew that the original owner was known in the Capital for being pampered and willful. Those reserved and virtuous daughters were always aloof and were unwilling to come into contact with Su Wan, this ignorant “good for nothing”. And those with slightly lower status who wanted to be closer to her were all held in contempt by the original owner.
Therefore, the only one who could speak with Su Wan in every major banquet was truly only Chen Qing Yao, this two-faced little lolita.
At this time, Liu-shi had long been pulled over by Wang-shi to get together with a group of Marquis Furens. Yu-shi was also chatting and laughing with a group of acquaintances.
Chen Qing Yao pulled Su Wan to ask about this and that, the both of them talked and laughed and were polite and amiable.
However, Chen Qing Jin was sitting alone in the distance and coldly watched as Chen Qing Yao and Su Wan talked and laughed merrily. She lowered her eyes slightly and the corner of the mouth raised in a smirk —
In this life, Su Wan has no hopes of marrying into Chen jia but Chen Qing Yao still tried so hard to win her over. Don’t know what other ideas she came up with……
“Wan jiejie, why did you break off the engagement with gege?”
Chen Qing Yao, who intimately pulled Su Wan and made detailed inquiries, suddenly turned the topic to Chen Yu Shu, a touch of loneliness flashed past her pretty face: “Recently, gege is very unhappy. Qing Yao is also unhappy. Wan jiejie, you’re so good. If you’re my sister-in-law, then you definitely wouldn’t bully me.”
Speaking like so, Chen Qing Yao still deliberately tugged on Su Wan’s arm.
“Yu Shu ge and I merely have fate together. Even if others married into Chen fu in the future, nobody would dare to bully you. You are Chen jia’s daughter, who would dare to bully you?”
“Who said no one dares to bully me?”
Chen Qing Yao’s gaze flashed and seamlessly shot a glance at Chen Qing Jin, who was not far away: “Wan jiejie, I…. I have somehing, that I don’t know if I should tell you or not.”
“Oh? What’s that?”
Su Wan’s face revealed a curious look, eagerly looking at Chen Qing Yao’s face.
Chen Qing Yao got closer to Su Wan’s side and pulled at her sleeve. She closed in and whispered: “Does Wan jiejie still remember that matter involving Yu Ru in the past?”
Yu Ru…..
When she heard what Che nQing Yao said, Su Wan’s expression turned very complicated and even her voice trembled slightly: “What, what do you know?”
“I found that maid servant that brought the crowd to the side room of the rear courtyard that day and after that incident occured, she was driven away from the Marquis fu and was sold to the brothel. I gave her a lot of money to buy back her freedom. Only then did she help me carefully recall the scene that day. She said….. she said that she personally saw Wan jiejie go to the rear courtyard yourself and after she left, she also saw another person. And that person was Yu Ru. She seemed to be following behind you!”
Chen Qing Yao had been secretly investigating the incident that occured that day, and now she had an opportunity to reveal it.
Although she didn’t know why Chen Qing Jin did it, since she has information that can be used against her, she would naturally make use of it!
Su Wan firmly bit her lips, her face revealing a very indignant appearance: “I remember. I drank a cup of tea that day. It seemed to be Yu Ru who handed it over to me. Afterwards, I felt somewhat hot and suffocated so I went outside to cool off. As a result, I saw Yu Shu ge’s figure flashed past and I originally wanted to go and talk to him, but I was unconsciously led by that figure to the rear courtyard, and then….. someone knocked me out from behind. That person, don’t tell me it was Yu Ru? But…. but why did she want to harm me?”
Su Wan spoke while revealing an extremely indignant expression.
“Wan jiejie, Yu Ru is merely a maid servant. How can she have the ability and courage to scheme against you? I suspect that someone definitely instigated her from the back!”
Speaking this, Chen Qing Yao seamlessly aimed her gaze at the nearby Chen Qing Jin.
“It’s Chen Qing Jin? It’s Chen Qing Jin, right?”
Su Wan’s tone suddenly became fiercer: “I just knew it was her. It’s definitely her!”
Seeing Su Wan so impressed, Chen Qing Yao revealed an expression as if she wanted to say something but hesitated: “Although jiejie likes to pester gege, but……jiejie wouldn’t be so vicious? Jiejie, she…….”
“Hmph, she intentionally broke me and Yu Shu gege up, this slut!”
The current Su Wan seemed to completely fail to hear Chen Qing Yao’s “dissuasion”. She abruptly advanced in large strides and stepped to the low table where Chen Qing Jin sat.
Picking up the jug on the low table, Su Wan opened up the lid and poured the whole pot of wine onto Chen Qing Jin’s face —
“Ah!”
Soon after, Chen Qing Jin’s alarmed voice rang throughout the hall, immediately attracting everyone’s line of sight over.
“Su Wan, what are you doing?”
Chen Qing Jin, who had her face abruptly poured on with wine, also stood up and looked at Su Wan before her, who was panting with rage, in utter bafflement.
“What am I doing? I have to properly teach you – this slut- today!”
Su Wan raised her brow and looked at Chen Qing Jin in disdain: “Chen Qing Jin, playing dirty tricks behind people’s back, what skill is scheming against people considered as? Weren’t you thinking of breaking me and Yu Shu gege up? Now that you’ve succeeded, aren’t you especially happy?”
“Young Miss Su, what are you doing!”
“Wan’ er, don’t make trouble!”
At this time, Yu-shi and Liu-shi also hurried over with a group of official’s Furens and discouraged in front of the crowd. Su Wan, who was “in a fit of temper”, raked a glance across the crowd: “Today, I want to expose Chen Qing Jin’s true face in front of everyone. The last time in Marquis Qingchuan fu, it was her who played dirty tricks behind my back to harm me. Seeing that her scheme did not succeed, she pushed out her personal maid servant as a scapegoat!”
“Ah!”
When they heard Su Wan’s words, the crowd broke out in a burst of exclaims. The majority of the people that came to participate in the banquet today were eyewitnesses of the events that day. When they heard Su Wan’s “explosive allegations” at this time, they were shocked.
Yu-shi met with her daughter, Chen Qing Jin’s glance while Liu-shi’s expression immediately froze after she heard Su Wan’s words, her gaze ruthlessly landing on Chen Qing Jin.
“Young Miss Su, there must be real evidence, you should not listen to other people’s misdirection and willfuly slander other people!”
Compared to Su Wan’s “flustered and frustrated” appearance, although Chen Qing Jin had a confused expression on her face, she still seemed calm and unperturbed: “You and my brother are engaged and you’re even considered as my future sister-in-law. My brother has always treated me like family, why would I want to harm you?”
“Hmph, because Yu Shu ge treated you well, so you want to harm me. Because you – this shameless slut- likes Yu Shu ge!”
Su Wan raised her chin and disdainfully looked at Chen Qing Jin.
Handling someone like Chen Qing Jin, if you argue and talk about evidence with her, she may bring you to a ditch. Against this kind of person, Su Wan prefered using a simpler and rougher way.
Didn’t you think of me as willful and rash? Then, this jiejie will be willful today for you to see.
“You…..”
At Su Wan’s words, Chen Qing Jin’s expression turned green: “You’re venomously slandering me!”
Chen Qing Jin and Chen Yu Shu were biological siblings, and because the relationship between this pair of siblings were especially good, they were the object of envy of many noble children. Hearing Su Wan saying that Chen Qing Jin would actually like her own brother at this moment, the gazes of everyone that looked at Chen Qing Jin became very strange …….
Although she had lived a lifetime, Chen Qing Jin still had her weakness, which was that she treasured her reputation a lot, and tonight, Su Wan wanted her to lose her standing and reputation!
