Real Empress from a Noble Family

General Ruan’s mansion was located at the north of the capital city. It was the only house Ruan Family had left.

The whole mansion appeared to be a little gruesome because too many towering pine and cypress trees were planted there. It was colder inside the walls than outside in the wind.

Qiu Yelan walked out of General Ruan’s room with a gloomy face.

Ruan Qingyan wasn’t home on that day. Although he brought a few men into the General’s Mansion after he got the right of inheritance, the housekeeper was still the same old Ruan An. So Qiu Yelan got here without any obstruction. She could tell that Ruan Qingyan put a lot of thoughts in settling General Ruan down.

The room behind her was warm, clean and big. And the inside was very tidy. The underfloor heating was well functioned. Furnishings were simple. But all were carefully selected. There was a wintersweet bonsai on a higher table and a basin of daffodils on a lower shelf. The room was full of nice smell.

Qiu Yelan’s clothes still got the flowery smell even she had already been out.

But the skeleton like delirious look of General Ruan who was taken good care of…although it had something to do with his old age and illness, Qiu Yelan knew the biggest reason was the poison Youmianxiang. Otherwise, how could he get weak so quickly considering he displayed his kung fu to the former owner of this body at the early autumn according to her memory?

“I can only rest assured when Madame Lu is dead!” Qiu Yelan bit her lips and thought viciously. She talked with General Ruan for a while inside the room. She used three handkerchiefs just for wiping his drool.

Ruan An who waited outside approached, “Your Grace, Young Master is about to come back.”

“This early? Did you say that he wouldn’t be back until evening?” Qiu Yelan collected her thoughts and asked in surprise.

Ruan An said, “I sent someone looking for him. He heard that you were here. And he comes back early.”

“Mr. Ruan, you are treating me like a stranger. What if he has something important to do?” Qiu Yelan shook her head and said, “Since then, let me go to the door and greet him.”

She did this not just because she was polite, but also because General’s Mansion had fallen into decay for many years. Besides General Ruan’s room and the servants’ rooms, only Ruan Qingyan’s place was tidied up. The other places, like the drawing room and lobby, were all not tidied up. So, she didn’t have other places to be when she was out of General Ruan’s room.

Ruan An also knew this. He said a few words out of courtesy and then went to the front door with her.

They were talking behind the door. After a while, doorman knocked on the door and said Ruan Qingyan was back.

Hearing this, Qiu Yelan lifted her dress lightly and said in a loud voice while she was stepping over the doorsill, “Cousin!” As she was about to say something, she heard a sweet voice down the stairs grumbling, “Ruan, why didn’t you tell me that you had such a beautiful lady at home? Were you afraid of me being jealous?”

Along with the seductive voice, a young lady in green and a maid in blue neatly got off the carriage that closely followed Ruan Qingyan’s horse.

The young lady in green was about 16 or 17. She had an oval face with pink-and-white cheeks. Her arched eyebrows like she was frowning. Her eyes were like apricot. She was pretty and dainty.

She also dressed up nicely. Her hair was combed into a double-blade chignon. Two jade hairpins shaped like hibiscus inserted into the chignons obliquely. Moon shaped earrings were on her ears and hank knotting bracelet was on her wrist. She looked like a young lady of a wealthy family. However, she got off her carriage voluntarily and ran to Ruan Qingyan who just got off his horse. She held his arm tightly and looked over here with an obvious hostility. Judging by all these…

Qiu Yelan frowned slowly and looked at Ruan Qingyan with doubt and discontent. Princess Ruan died. As her nephew, Ruan Qingyan should observe mourning for five months. How long had it been? He dared to fool around publicly.

Ruan Qingyan was about to walk up the stairs while answering Qiu Yelan’s call. His face went dark when the young lady in green held his arm. He turned to her and said, “This is my aunt’s daughter. She came here to see my grandfather. You show some respect!”

The young lady in green was stunned by his reproach. She was humiliated and ditched his arm angrily. But she showed reluctance in her eyes after Ruan Qingyan took two steps. She put up a face full of smile and run after him, “Um, I didn’t know. No warned, no fault.”

Seeing Ruan Qingyan stopped and looked at her coldly, it looked like he wanted her to go. The young lady in green turned her eyes and bowed to Qiu Yelan in a hurry. She said with a smile, “I’m Hua Shenshen living in Spring House at the south of the city. I didn’t know you were his cousin. Please forgive me!”

Qiu Yelan realized that she deliberately called her cousin that was her identity in the General’s Mansion. With contempt in her heart she said flatly, “It’s okay.”

“Ruan…” Hua Shenshen bent her big enchanting eyes and looked at Ruan Qingyan pitifully, “See, your cousin forgives me…”

“You go home,” Ruan Qingyan was calm. But he was full of regret that his cousin saw him fooling around with this prostitute. Of course, he wasn’t in the mood to comfort her, “I told you that I didn’t need you to walk me home.”

Hua Shenshen followed him to the doorsill. Seeing Ruan Qingyan only paid attention to Qiu Yelan and said to her with care, “Don’t stand in the place with a draught anymore. Why did you wait here for me? Just stay in the room from now on. Are you trying to keep the formality with me?”

“Loathsome! So cruel!” Watching the door closing in front of her, Hua Shenshen scolded angrily. But she had to turned around.

The maid in blue was also angry, “There are so many princes and nobles who want to see you but can’t. Young Master Ruan is only a grandson of a declining general with nothing but a Juren (candidates of the palace state exam) title. He should consider himself lucky that you are willing to let him be your guest. How dare he treat you so poorly? Really doesn’t know fear! When we go back, let’s put a bug in those people’s ears. Let’s see if he can live past tomorrow!”

“Shut up!” Who knew that Hua Shenshen’s face went dark while hearing this and reproached, “Zip your mouth after we go back! If you dare to blather on about this and get Ruan killed, watch out for your life!”

The maid was scared and said in a hurry, “My lady, I was just angry for you…”

“Just a twelve-year-old little girl. Let alone that there may be nothing going on between she and Ruan, even if there is, are you saying that I can’t beat her?” Hua Shenshen said disdainfully, “Find out about the little girl. Don’t do anything extra!”

The maid answered cautiously, “Okay!”