Chapter 42 - Exactly Touched the Spot
Chapter 42 Exactly Touched the Spot
“Why is young master Deng leaving?” Chunran and others asked inexplicably, “Does he quit learning martial arts?”
Qiu Yelan said with guilty, “Maybe he missed his family.” Perfunctorily, she hurriedly changed to another subject, “Cousin will attend the test on February 9th. His recent diet should be certain things that you definitely shouldn’t let slide. What he has eaten for these days?
Chunran paused and said, “This… has always been managed by Sister Dongran.”
“Cousin will finished mourning period at the end of this month, just few days left…. I guess we could fetch some meat in secret for him to build up health,” Qiu Yelan’s lowed her voice, “But be careful, don’t let others know. If Empress Dowager’s men know it as a handle, they would ruin his fame!”
Su He blinked her big eyes, admiringly said, “That’s why Your Grace deliberately got him pissed off! Afraid of young master Deng divulge a secret leak? I just went in and saw that young master Deng was as strong as able to overturn that rosewood tea table!”
“… He-he-he-he-he-he!” Qiu Yelan smiled hypocritically for a while and said, “In short, go tell Dongran later, to support my cousin taking the exam, provide him the most nutritious food!”
Chunran replied rapidly and went to find Dongran.
Just then, Ruan An hurried over and said directly, “Your Grace, could you please go and drive Mrs. and Miss Kang away? They have been making noises in front of the gate. Young master will take the exam soon, so I really couldn’t bother him!”
The smile on Qiu Yelan’s mouth froze suddenly, and her complexion turned blue, “Aunt Qiu and Kang Lizhang, how dare they come here making troubles?!”
Ruan An said shamefully, “Exactly! Mrs. Kang is shrewish indeed. I asked few servants to drive them out of the door. However, our servants are no match for her. They were pushed back by Mrs. Kang and fell… alas!”
In fact, the housekeeper shouldn’t be the one to blame for being unhelpful. General’s Mansion has been dilapidated and ruined more than ten years. Not only it was severely understaffed, but also the few who are barely left were also old, weak, and sick. Unexpectedly, they couldn’t even deal with a shrew.
“I’m going now. Remember don’t disturb cousin!” Qiu Yelan suddenly stood up, and solemnly exhorted even before changed dress, “I definitely won’t let this mother and daughter from ruin cousin’s bright future!”
She hasn’t let Kang Family’s mother and daughter pay the debt for their previous abuse. And now, at this very important moment before Ruan Qingyan’s examination, they even come to the door to make trouble!
“Unfortunately, this body is too young. Although I have learned martial arts before, after all, it is far from my previous life….” Qiu Yelan hurriedly walked towards the gate of General’s Mansion, with cold, murderous light flashing in her bright, peach-blossom-shaped eyes!
When she rushed to the gate, she saw Qiu Yuqing blocking the gate and yelling loudly, “… Who dare to block my path! Do you know who I am? My brother is Duke of Xihe! A small general of Ruan Family means nothing! He is in bad health and needs to rest, but this is none of my business! Bah! I won’t leave before this brat come out!”
Seeing Qiu Yelan coming out, Qiu Yuqing’s eyes lighted. Rolling her sleeves as crossing the threshold, she was cursing and shouted, “Little b*tch! Finally you show up?”
“Don’t be rude!” Ruan Family’s servants hastened to stop her.
But these two servants were as thin as a lath. Although they were young, how could they bear rude and unreasonable Qiu Yuqing, who had been living in Prince’s Mansion of Xihe for last decade, heavy-jowled and potbellied!
Instead of holding back Qiu Yuqing, they were dragged by her and staggered. They hurried to remind, “Your Grace, please go back! Please ask young master or housekeeper to come!”
“How could you refuse to give a warm reception for aunt’s visit?” Qiu Yelan stared at Qiu Yuqing, gathering the gloomy color, lightly smiling and said, “What do you mean? Open the door quickly and invite my aunt in for some tea.”
Qiu Yuqing gave her a scornful glance and said, “It’s your honor!” She was then about to enter in.
“Wait a moment!” A soft voice suddenly came from behind her, and stopped her in time, “Young master Ruan must be reviewing for these days. I’m afraid we would disturb him if we’re going in. I think we just need to talk to cousin in front of the gate.”
“Cousin Kang is here, too? Have you been totally recovered? How could you stand in a draught?” Qiu Yelan frowned slightly, recognizing that the voice belonged to Kang Lizhang. This Kang Lizhang was unlike Qiu Yuqing but was similar to Madame Lu, scheming deep, and even realized her plot, which is to let them in and block their retreat. If Qiu Yuqing stood outside, even though there just few passersby on street in front of General’s Mansion. At last, Qiu Yelan would not take risks to do something to Qiu Yuqing in public.
A young girl wrapped in a sable fur and wearing a veil hat appeared behind Qiu Yuqing. Taking a good look at this slim figure, it should be Kang Lizhang. She said softly, “I wear a veil hat. So, don’t worry, my cousin!”
“Whether you wear a veil hat or not, there is no reason for not inviting elders who came to the door for a cup of tea. My cousin, do you want to deliberately trap me into being impolite?” Qiu Yelan replied sharply.
Kang Lizhang smirked, “This is Ruan Family instead of Qiu Family. We could go back to the Qiu Family for residence, and we don’t need you, my dear cousin, to provide accommodation. Where is Yulu Ointment? Just give us and we’ll leave, in case we may disturb young master Ruan from reviewing for the exam.
“Absolutely right!” Qiu Yuqing has always spoiled her children. Listening Kang Lizhang talking just now, she kept silent. But now, she found her spare time and continued growling, “You little b*tch, saying fetch my Lizhang Yulu Ointment from home and then disappeared for several days! I would have thought you had already died here!”
Qiu Yelan’s eyes flickered, and she almost couldn’t resist the urge to slap her, but she still lightly smiled, “So aunt and cousin came just for Yulu Ointment? Unfortunately, my grandfather has been in poor health these days, and I need to serve with my cousin in front of his bed. We went into the palace few days ago, and I haven’t even had time to go to relatives to ask about this.”
“What do you pretend?!” Qiu Yuqing yelled, “Empress rewarded you both times you entered the palace. There is Yulu Ointment in it. You think we don’t know?”
Kang Lizhang smiled softly and said, “Mother, why are you angry? Yulu Ointment is such a precious thing that my cousin shall grudge to give it to us. But if I don’t apply Yulu Ointment, my face will be ruined. I think we have to impress my cousin with sincerity!”
Saying this, she looked around and seemed to murmur to herself, “If you get hungry, servants bring loquat-leaf water and pastries here. And If you are tired, just take a break in the carriage. Every day we’d come to plead with cousin for three to five hours. I guess cousin’s heart would finally melt with pity!”
Qiu Yelan’s eyes were full of killing intent!
So, this pair of mother and daughter just came specifically for Ruan Qingyan!
“This pair of mother and daughter can’t be kept alive… but now we must coax them out of sight of outsiders and then deal with them….” Qiu Yelan bowed her head and figured out how to deal with the situation ahead. However, suddenly there came harsh dog barks from outside!
It followed with downstairs Kang Family’s servants’ panicked crying, “Whose dogs came out!”
Hesitating whether to fight or tolerate, Qiu Yelan didn’t suppose this would matter at the beginning. Sounds like the voice was from a very young maid, so is it strange for a young girl to get afraid of dogs? But out of her expectation, the two Ruan Family’s servants who tried to stop Qiu Yuqing before, also stepping towards the door and saying, “That’s not dog, that’s mastiff! Your Grace, let’s close the door quickly! Mastiff would bite and kill people if it went mad!”
“What?!” Kang Family’s mother and daughter listened to these words, hurrying to looked back. By this look, Qiu Yuqing’s fat face twitched, “These two dogs are almost catching up with calves! What dogs are they?!”
“Hide in the mansion now!” Kang Lizhang decided it in a second. Holding the veil hat in one hand and the skirt in the other, pushing Qiu Yuqing, she stepped into General’s Mansion in a flash, and she hurriedly urged, “Close the door!”
Qiu Yelan stunned when she watched the mother and daughter flashed in, ordering Ruan Family’s servants, and Qiu Yuqing even by the way slammed the door!
The point was, all servants following them except for few personal maid and some servants very near, including other servants around the carriage, were still outside!
“So how about those young maids under stair!” Qiu Yelan saw the head-tall mastiff dogs jumped towards the horse which pulled the carriage just before the door was closed. In a second, the plaintive cry that made before the horse’s death and people’s hysterical shouts were heard!
Qiu Yuqing was tapping her chest to calm down. “Bah,” she heard Qiu Yelan’s words and spat to her, ” They are my servants, and it’s none of your little b*tch’s business! Little b*tch, you’re unable to protect yourself and you still find fault with me! Believe it or not, one more word, I would tear your bad mouth up?!”
Kang Lizhang, who was equally shocked, sneered, “How could we not realize you have such compassion? Then just go out of the side door to save them! Hope us to run out and get bitten by mastiffs, and then you are happy?”
She saw all servants of Ruan Family around looked scornful, so she rolled her eyes, “You just wanted to trick us into the door, and you say such things now! I know you are just malevolent! Tell us, are these mastiffs let out by you? You bad guy shed crocodile tears and try to find fault with us?!”
“You guys are so shameless!” Su He angered, with hands shuddering!
“The one who is shameless is your master!” Kang Lizhang had been in Prince’s Mansion for so many years that even Commandery Princess Ningtai was afraid of her. So, how can she tolerate Su He scold her! She changed her face and sneered, “Who doesn’t know at present General Ruan was ill to death and can’t even recognize people now? Your master was stubbornly staying at General’s Mansion instead of her real, legit home! Does she really tend to accompany the old general? So why is she here now? She clearly comes for Ruan Qingyan!”
“That’s right!” Qiu Yuqing suddenly perked up. She got used to dirty talks when she lived in poor markets, so she’s a great one for idle gossip, and she said without thinking, “What Commandery Princess! Just paramour! Just invite us to come in as the hostess…. I’m afraid that these days you’ve slept with Ruan Qingyan in the same bed, so you naturally believe you are the hostess of the house?! I’m wondering that Ruan Qingyan may not review for the exam, but was drained by you and is even unable to get off the bed today!”
“You mother and daughter seasoned duet, echo each other so skillfully!” Qiu Yelan’s heart was full of desire of murdering, but she seemed to smile more brightly, “I don’t know how many people have been harmed by you like this? No wonder my cousin dares to loot both dowry that my grandmother and mother left me as she is just 16 years old!”
“Cousin, stop lip service, we all heard that you were eloquent on Imperial Court. I’m curious that you just want to trick mother and me into the door. Is there any ambush? Otherwise, how can mastiffs show up so timely?” Kang Lizhang suddenly came up for few steps to her, showing a sharp tail of hairpin in her sleeve and smiling, “In order to reassure me and your aunt, from now on, you just tamely stay with me…. Remember to be submissive!”
However, before she finished talking, her wrist suddenly fiercely hurt, and she involuntarily threw away the hairpin!
And then Kang Lizhang only felt dazed, with sharp pain in her shoulders and throat! By the time she came to herself, she had already been subdued by Qiu Yelan, half-kneeling on the ground, being choked, and with the veil hat off. Without saying anything, Xiaran got up and kicked the hairpin far away!
“Little Bit*h, how dare you?” Qiu Yuqing suddenly shouted out and intended to rush forward, but only walking few steps, and she was then blocked by Qiu Yelan’s action.
When using the right hand to dislocate Kang Lizhang’s chin and left hand to lift against Kang Lizhang’s eyelids, Qiu Yelan said lightly, “Thank you for cooperation, my cousin. Your eyes and teeth are so beautiful, but you like to lie through teeth. How about removing them!”