Chapter 159 - An Unexpected Betrayal!
Chapter 159 An Unexpected Betrayal!
Qiu Yelan followed Ruan Qingyan into the newly purchased courtyard. The courtyard with three courtyards looked old. In the second courtyard there was a tall ebony tree, which covered most of the sky with luxuriant branches and darkened the main house.
The bodyguard who was arranged to clean up first was very capable. Not to mention that the original owner had moved away in such a short time, and they had cleaned up almost inside and outside.
“What happened when you saw Qiu Feng twice?” They sat down in the hall. Ruan Yi hurriedly directed people to make tea.
Ruan Qingyan took a sip of tea and asked.
Qiu Yelan just fell out with Jiang Yashuang. Her heart was in a mess at this moment. She was not in high spirits, saying, “Yesterday, it was he, Xun Yuxi, and Li Xuan who borrowed the mastiff dog from Ling Zui. He did not expect when the mastiff escaped the reins, it scared Chunfu Princess’s Persian cat. This matter was constantly criticized by Zhuang Man. I happened to see them when I went back, and I helped them solve the problem. However, today he came over to say that he saw with his own eyes that someone had murdered the Concubine Mo of the Mansion of Duke of Huainan, and suspected that it was my cousin Kang who hired the Tianya’s person.”
“How is that possible?” Ruan Qingyan frowned and blurted it out.
Qiu Yelan said, “I suspected it at first. How can Kang Lizhang know about ‘Tianya’? But Qiu Feng said that maybe ‘Tianya’ knew that she has a lot of private savings, and they deliberately found her. She was the concubine of the Duke of Huainan, and she was also forced by Qiu Mengmin and his wife. According to her temper, she has a chance to be a senior concubine. How can she let it go?”
She sighed, “But this time she promised to come out to see me.”
Ruan Qingyan didn’t look very well. He was silent for a long time before he said, “She wants to see you rather than you want to see her. Anyway, you are not the one who should be blamed…” When he said this, his eyes were in a trance and said, “I suddenly remembered something. I have to go back to the city right away. You can stay here tonight. I left someone to protect you. Don’t worry.”
Qiu Yelan was surprised and said, “What’s the matter?”
“Nothing.” Ruan Qingyan said perfunctorily, and immediately got up and went out.
Qiu Yelan chased to the door, but saw that his horse had been brought out. He was calling two bodyguards to speak. When he saw her coming out, he hurriedly said, “Secure the door and don’t let anyone disturb Commandery Princess.”
He scolded Qiu Yelan lightly, “What are you doing out here? Go back and have a rest.”
“When you go back to the city at this time, how can you get there before dark?” Qiu Yelan said anxiously, “What if you fell into the water when the road is slippery on a rainy day? By the way, what is your hurry?”
Ruan Qingyan did not answer, but said, “Go back.” With that, he got on his horse, took only Ruan Yi and a few others. Braving the rain, he urged the horse to leave.
“What on earth is so urgent? ” Qiu Yelan was confused and asked the bodyguard next to her.
The bodyguards said they didn’t know.
Qiu Yelan frowned and went back to the main room. Chen Shui came over and said, “Does Your Grace have a look at the house? The quilts are all new, as if they were brought by the young master from the city.”
“Just stay outside for two or three days. I can’t believe he bought a yard.” Qiu Yelan lamented that Ruan Qingyan spent a lot of money, “He even brought out the quilts… Sure enough, my cousin is a real local tycoon. I never thought of spending money like this.”
Chen Shui smiled and said, “The young master dotes on you… You suddenly moved out of the Jiang Family’s farm. Will it upset her Highness Chunfu Princess?”
Qiu Yelan rubbed her forehead distractedly, “It doesn’t matter so much. Didn’t you see my cousin’s face just now? Besides, the Jiang Family has suspected me again and again. I’ve had enough.”
At this time, Su He and others also came here. Along with them came Mengtao, a maid of Jiang Qizheng, “Her Highness said that you just bought this yard. She is afraid that you lack a lot of things, so she asked me to send some over.”
Qiu Yelan glanced at it. She saw that they were all brand-new appliances. She thought about it and refused, “Thank her Highness for her kindness, but my cousin brought them all when he came from the city.”
Mengtao didn’t insist on it. She said goodbye after a few pleasantries.
She went back to the farm and told it to Jiang Qizheng. Jiang Qizheng gritted her teeth for a while and said, “She really thinks she’s something! Earlier, she teamed up with Ruan Chunjun to embarrass Jiang Yashuang in front of the farm. She still puts on airs in front of me at this time.” As a beloved daughter of the Jiang family, she thought she was considerate, protective and tolerant to this prospective sister-in-law.
Just now she sent Mengtao to send something, which was also to make up for testing her on Jinxiu Slope. As a result, Qiu Yelan refused it so simply. Didn’t it embarrass her?
He Shuijin persuade her, “That one has always been spoiled by Ruan Chunjun. Jiang Yashuang also gives her everything. She must have some temper. It’s my fault. It was too obvious for me to test her indirectly before, which made her feel resentful in her heart. Let’s coax her later.”
“Are you kidding?” Jiang Qizheng sneered, “I don’t believe it. She’s just a Commandery Princess. How dare she compete with me?” She said a domineering word and bowed her head in frustration, “Let someone send her some more refreshments tomorrow… Why does Jiang Yashuang like her?” She had only one younger brother, Jiang Yashuang. She couldn’t bear to see him sad. Even if she couldn’t stand her sister-in-law any longer, for her brother’s sake, she could only put up with it all over again.
He Shuijin smiled bitterly and nodded.
Qiu Yelan in the village did not know that she had offended Jiang Qizheng miserably. At this moment, she was summoning Chunran and Xiaran to ask what was the emergency in the city.
But Chunran and Xiaran did not know it, “We haven’t had any contact with the young master since we served you. How could we know? Maybe there’s something wrong with the shops in the city? Or is he afraid that Lady Ciyi will be worried?”
“It must have something to do with Qiu Feng.” Qiu Yelan frowned and said, “Although my cousin didn’t say anything, I think he just sensed something after I said that I saw Qiu Feng twice… You really don’t know? You asked me to stop Jiang Yashuang before. Are you really afraid of dragging down my cousin? Is there other reason?”
“We really don’t know why he’s in such a hurry to get back to the city.” Chunran and Xiaran spoke with one voice firmly.
Qiu Yelan looked at them suspiciously for a moment. Because she did not know whether Ruan Qingyan’s eagerness to return to the city was good or bad, and Chunran and Xiaran had served her very attentively in these two years. Even if she suspects them, she can’t punish them. So after she indirectly questioned them in vain, she had to let them go.
There was nothing to do from this day to night, but in the middle of the night, Qiu Yelan was woken up, “Miss Qiu Qian is coming with Miss Qiu Bo, and they are in the front hall. They are in the front hall. They said they had something important to tell you.”
“Why are they here?” Qiu Yelan asked in surprise.
Su He said, “I don’t know either… Looking at the appearance of Miss Qiu Bo, she is very anxious. She holds a box in her arms and drenched herself, but she protects the box well. I don’t know if the box has anything to do with it.”
“Box?” Qiu Yelan was confused. She got up and muttered to herself, “I can’t remember what I told her about the box.”
She hurriedly packed up and rushed to the front hall. Sure enough, Qiu Bo and Qiu Qian, they were drenched and stood under the hall. Their lips were black and blue with cold.
Seeing Qiu Yelan, Qiu Bo didn’t even have time to salute. She immediately said, “Your Grace, I am lucky to receive some of the things you mentioned. I know it is important. I bring it to you at night.”
Qiu Yelan was stunned. Only to see Qiu Qian moved her mouth at her, it was “the poison Youmianxiang”. She could not help shaking and looked at the box in her arms, “Is this the box?”
“Can we talk inside?” Qiu Bo asked anxiously.
Qiu Yelan nodded, “Come on in… Su He, go and get my dress. You guys go inside and talk while changing your clothes!”
When she entered the inner chamber, Qiu Bo wiped her face and didn’t know if it was rainwater or sweat. She let Qiu Qian take the box to the table and opened it, saying, “The kind of incense you mentioned doesn’t matter if it doesn’t burn, so you can take it in your hand and see it.”
While she was talking, Qiu Yelan had seen a piece of incense lying quietly in the box like an inkstone, which was black and bright in color. People who didn’t understand wouldn’t think it was spice.
Although Qiu Bo could hold it directly in her hand, she dared not to touch it. She bowed her head and looked at it carefully, saying, “Is that so? So is it this faint orchid fragrance when it is not ignited? I don’t know what a long fragrance it will be when it is ignited.”
Suddenly Qiu Bo giggled, “You are not right. Your Grace. I’m talking about the kind of incense you mentioned. Is it this kind of orchid fragrance? It doesn’t need to burn to work… Your Grace, don’t you feel dizzy and tired?”
When Qiu Yelan heard this, there was something wrong with it. She quickly reached out to catch Qiu Qian closest to her. However, Qiu Qian slipped away cleverly before Qiu Bo laughed out loud. She stood side by side with Qiu Bo and chuckled, “Your Grace, don’t worry. This orchid incense can’t kill you. After all, we expect to trade you with Ruan Qingyan for my brother’s future and life.”
“Qiu Nie?!” Qiu Yelan only felt that her strength had faded like a tide. She couldn’t even stand after a few words. Su He exclaimed. She wanted to help her, but was knocked unconscious after being caught by Qiu Qian. They wouldn’t let her alarm the outsiders. When Qiu Bo saw this, she told Qiu Qian, “You go out and explain it. Try to hide it for a while.”
She followed Qiu Qian out and told everyone, “Sister Lan is going to have a long talk with my sister all night. She let you all leave. Tell us when the young master Ruan comes back. Please put off everything. Sister Lan will not be in the mood to care about anything else.”
When she came back, she saw that Qiu Yelan had fallen powerlessly on the blanket. She was sane, but she was paralyzed as mud. She asked Qiu Bo, “Help her to bed?”
“We’ll talk about it later.” Qiu Bo comfortably sat on the drum stool. She poured herself a bowl of hot tea and said with a smile, “You forget your brother said that Her Grace is very good at kung fu. Although the orchid incense is domineering, she can hold on for a while, and she will be ruthless when we get close.”
Qiu Qian completely lost the quiet and elegant in the boudoir study of the Prince’s Mansion of Xihe. She laughed presumptuously, “How good are you? Have you ever killed anyone? Can you be as good as me?” When she was speaking, she pulled a dagger out of her sleeve and played with it, “I like her beautiful face better. I used to think we were top beauties, but she surpassed us in the end.”
At this time, Qiu Yelan’s hands and feet were sore and weak. She could not speak. She could only look at her coldly with a pair of eyes. She took a sip of tea and said with a smile, “Don’t you want your brother to die? We could negotiate terms with Ruan Qingyan only if she was intact. Don’t you know that person’s style of doing things? Qiu Feng has worked for him for so many years. He keeps a secret from him… She is his only weakness. You’d better put her to bed later and don’t even touch her, or you’ll drive Ruan Qingyan to a dead end, and we’ll all be finished.”
Qiu Qian angrily put away the dagger, “I see. I see. I only frighten her… She has got a lot of nerve and dares to stare at me. If we hadn’t let you threaten Ruan Qingyan, I would have gouged out your eyes if you stared at me again!”
“She has always been nice to you. Why are you so mean to her?” Qiu Bo asked in surprise.
“What do you know?” Qiu Qian spat, “The girl school of the Prince’s Mansion of Xihe is driving me crazy. She reminds me of Madam Shao.”
Qiu Bo smiled, “You’re used to killing people with a knife. It’s a real headache for you to learn what the young lady has learned. Especially Madam Shao is talented and thoughtful. It’s really painful for you not to make mistakes in front of her… But you’d better not mess with her. Don’t forget that she is not only taken as a treasure by Ruan Qingyan, but also by the General Jiang who lives on the farm three miles away. He spoiled her very much. It would be very bad if we were targeted by Jiang Yashuang who is very favored in front of the Empress.”
“What are you afraid of?” Qiu Qian said nonchalantly, “In any case, my brother is on the side of the Empress Dowager. No matter whether he offends the Jiang family or not, he will always be a mortal enemy with the Jiang family in the future!”
When she was speaking, suddenly there was a sound of footsteps outside the door, “Your Grace, be careful. The ladies of the Qiu Family…”
The door was pushed open with a clang. Chunran came in with Ruan Yi who was covered in rainwater and muddy water. They were shocked and saw them standing on each side of her with a dagger on each side of Qiu Yelan’s throat. They threw a playful smile at them, “It’s too late!”