Medical Princess

The pastry was in the shape of plum blossom, which was very suitable for winter. Although it was not big, it was very delicate. Each petal was very clear and particularly beautiful. The fragrance, together with the smell of plum blossom, came to them.

“I brought it just now. In order to keep it hot, I specially sealed in the food basket. It’s still hot now. Young Lady, have a taste to see whether you like it!” Qingyue, with a smile on her face, said as she took one with a clean handkerchief and handed it to Qin Wanru.

“Are there many this kind of pastry?” Qin Wanru took it, turned her fingers and looked at the pastry carefully. She had only seen such exquisite pastries in the palace before, which were not available to ordinary people.

“Not many. There were four plates of such pastry in the kitchen, and there were only three on each plate. When I arrived there, an old maid was packing them up. She said that one was for Madam Dowager, one for the First Miss, one for you, and the last one for the general.”

People of the kitchen did not prepare one for Shui Ruolan. Shui Ruolan was now pregnant, and the pastry she ate was basically made in her own small kitchen. People in the big kitchen knew that so they dared not send food to Shui Ruolan.

“She’s quite thoughtful. What else did she say?” asked Qin Wanru again.

“Nothing else. While she was packing, she said to others around her that she dared not send the pastry to Madam Shui and would just send some to other masters. If you like it, she would make it next time. If you don’t like it, she would try new pastry. She said that her ancestors had been opening a pastry shop outside and the business was quite good.”

Qingyue thought about it and replied. She thought that this old maid was a very smart person. Qingyue did not ask why she would not send it to Madam Shui, but she explained to them while murmuring.

“Then why did she stop running the pastry shop?” Qin Wanru asked curiously as she reached the pastry to her nose and smelled it. She could not help but take a bite. The pastry was not only beautiful, but also sweet and likeable.

“I also asked her. She said that something had happened in her family so that she had to work. The shop had been closed and sold!” said Qingyue.

Qin Wanru got an idea and asked, “Is her family still opening a shop?”

“No. Because of what happened, they can’t run a shop anymore!” Qingyue shook her head and said, “I investigated her later. She did open a shop and the business was quite well. But suddenly the shop was closed. No one knew the reason!”

“When was it closed?”

Qingyue knew what Qin Wanru doubted and said, “It’s been a while, not recently.”

That was to say, the older female servant had already entered the mansion.

Qin Wanru nodded and stopped talking. Her eyes fell on the pastry in her hand again, which was really fragrant and delicious. She then turned over the felt pastry in her hand and her eyes fell on a humble corner. Suddenly, a sharp dark light flashed in her eyes.

She put the pastry in her hand on the plate, and then turned the other two over. Three identical small dark lines appeared in her sight.

Qin Wanru pointed at a dark line on the pastry and asked, “What’s this?”

“Er… this should be the mark on the mould of the old maid.” Qingyue had thought it was just a petal, so she did not care about it. Now after careful looking, she found that it was like a small butterfly. It was very delicate and small and almost invisible when it was inside the dark pattern on the pastry.

“Is it the mold that the old maid brought in by herself?” Qin Wanru asked with a slightly changed look.

“Er… it shouldn’t be. When she came, she had nothing. It’s impossible that she brought her own mold in. It should be the mansion’s!” Qingyue did not think the mold was brought in by the old maid.

After hearing what they had said, Yujie also came and looked carefully at the butterfly pattern on it. It looked like a small butterfly. In fact, it was a light butterfly pattern at most.

“What a delicate mold!” Yujie could not help exclaiming, “When I was in Jingxin Monastery, some rich families in the south of the Yangtze River would come to pray and distribute pastries. But for the first time, I saw such exquisite pastries. People couldn’t see the butterfly pattern without looking carefully.”

There were many rich families in the south of the Yangtze River. Jingxin Monastery was very famous in Jiangzhou. In addition, the Abbess of Jingxin Monastery knew medicine skills. So in the past, Jingxin Monastery was very popular. When Yujie was there, she had seen different kinds of pastries, but she did not see such kind of pastry.

Qin Wanru kept silent for a while, then she picked up the handkerchief and wiped her hands, saying, “Have those pastries been sent out?”

“Not yet. When I took one and was about to leave, a young male servant of the general came. Seeing these beautiful pastries, he asked for one more, because there was a guest in general’s place. Then the old maid gave the one which was supposed to be the Eldest Miss’s to the general,” said Qingyue.

There were only three in each plate and each pastry was small. One plate was only enough for one person.

If there was a guest, two plates were needed.

“Who is the guest in my father’s place?”

“It’s said that it’s someone from Duke Xing’s Mansion. It’s in the mansion now,” said Qing Yue.

Qin Wanru was silent. She did not expect people of Duke Xing’s Mansion to come so fast.

“By the way, it seems that they’re going to discuss something about the Eldest Miss…” Suddenly, Qingyue seemed to think of something, and hastily added.

“Is Second Miss here?” Qin Wanru was just about to ask about the details, when a voice of an old maid came from outside and interrupted Qingyue. Qingyue looked at Qin Wanru, and turned to lift the curtain and went out after Qin Wanru nodded.

“What’s the matter?”

“The general invited the Second Miss to come over,” the old maid said with a smile.

“Invite our Young Lady? What’s the matter?” Qingyue said in astonishment, “Aren’t there any guests now? Have they left?”

“It has nothing to do with the guest. It’s the stewardess of Madam Dowager of Duke Xing’s Mansion. She came to see the First Miss. But it has something to do with both the First Miss and Second Miss. So the general invited the First Miss and Second Miss to come to ask what happened yesterday!”

The old maid replied with a smile.

Someone was specially sent to ask about it. The people sent by Madam Dowager of Duke Xing’s Mansion must have no friendly intentions.

But, it was okay for Qin Wanru. The more anxious they were, the more likely they were to disturb the situation…

Qin Wanru tidied her skirt and stood up. Yujie hurriedly lifted the curtain for her. Qin Wanru walked out slowly and said, “Has First Sister gone yet?”

“Yes, she’s gone and is talking to that Nanny Yu now,” the old maid replied with a smile. The First Miss was locked up yesterday, but today she was released by the general. It seemed that she would not be locked up anymore.

Qin Wanru nodded and went out with the old maid, saying nothing.

When they arrived at the door of Qin Huaiyong’s study, they saw two maids of Duke Xing’s Mansion standing in the corridor, together with Qin Huaiyong’s young male servant.

“Second Miss, you are here. I have seen several times, but I didn’t see you. The general is waiting for you!” As soon as the young male servant saw Qin Wanru, he hurried forward to salute her and led her in at the same time. The old maid who led the way backed away.

Qin Wanru followed the young male servant into the room, and when she entered the room, she found the busy room became quiet at once, and everyone’s eyes fell on her.

Qin Yuru was complacent. She twitched her mouth, looked up high and looked at her ironically. There was some hatred in her eyes.

How could she not be complacent? Yesterday, she almost died of anger and had to be locked up by her father. But today, her father specially asked someone to bring her here, which meant that she would not be supervised anymore. Furthermore, the visitor today was Nanny Yu of Duke Xing’s Mansion. She did not believe that Qin Wanru dared to say something.

“Huh, mother is right. From then on, there will be great different in social standing between Qin Wanru and I. I will be superior while Qin Wanru will be trampled on by me forever.”

She still remembered what Nanny Zhou secretly told her last night. Originally, she was dubious. Unexpectedly, it came true today.

“As soon as the Madam Dowager of Duke Xing’s Mansion helps me, father had to let me out. After I live into Duke Xing’s Mansion in the future, I’ll ask Madam Dowager of Duke Xing’s Mansion to exert pressure on father to let out my mother and abandon Shui Ruolan. As for Qin Wanru, I’ll make her marry a beggar. Anyway, she was picked up and adopted. Marrying a beggar is her right path.”

“If she doesn’t want to, I’ll feed her estrus-spurred medicine and send her to the brothel directly. I’ll make her dirty all her life…”

Qin Huaiyong was calm. It seemed that he had no expression. But looking at him carefully, one could find that there were still some changes on his face when he saw Qin Wanru.

Unexpectedly, the one who had the strongest reaction was Nanny Yu. At the moment when she saw Qin Wanru, the cup in her hand suddenly fell to the ground, breaking into pieces, and she looked at Qin Wanru who just stepped in with astonishment.

Looking at Nanny Yu’s shocked face, Qin Wanru was extremely calm. When she saw Nanny Yu in Duke Xing’s Mansion, she had already imagined the scene of today.

“Father!” She went to salute Qin Huaiyong, and then saluted Qin Yuru.

“Sit down first!” Qin Huaiyong waved and asked her to sit down beside Qin Yuru. Then he looked at Nanny Yu, who had not calmed down by this time, and said, “Nanny Yu, is there anything wrong with Wanru?”

“It must be the second sister who scared Nanny Yu. I heard that Nanny Yu embraces Buddhism with Madam Dowager and has Buddha’s nature. She only likes people of good natures.” Qin Yuru took a handkerchief to cover her mouth and said with a smile.

She meant that Qin Wanru was not a good man.

“Yuru, shut up!” Qin Huaiyong’s face darkened and he snapped, “She’s your sister!”

“My sister? Of course she’s my sister. If she wasn’t my sister, she wouldn’t have been jealous yesterday and broken my bracelets. Father, please judge it…”

Qin Yuru said with a smile, full of clear sarcasm in her eyes. In the past, she certainly did not dare to offend Qin Huaiyong. But now things were different. Now she had the support of Madam Dowager of Duke Xing’s Mansion, so she was not so afraid of her father!

“Enough, Yuru. Aren’t your jade bracelets on your wrist?” Qin Huaiyong’s face darkened even more.

This reminded Qin Yuru. She shook the blood jade bracelets on her wrist and immediately changed the topic. She said, “The pair that was broken before was given by my mother. This pair was given by Madam Dowager. I have to keep them well and can’t break them. If Nanny Yu didn’t come here today, I wouldn’t wear them!”

When Nanny Yu came, Qin Yuru specially put on the blood jade bracelets sent by Rui’an Great Elder Princess. Qin Huaiyong, like her, did not want the people of Duke Xing’s Mansion to know that the blood jade bracelets had been broken. When he saw that the blood jade bracelets were on her wrist, he said that the pair she had broken in the street before was given by Madam Di.

“You… Do you know medicine skill?” This time, Nanny Yu ignored her. She looked at Qin Wanru in surprise and stood up excitedly!