Chapter 43 - How About Digging Them Out?
Chapter 43 How About Digging Them Out?
“Little b*tch! How dare you go after my Lizhang? Do you have a death wish?” Qiu Yuqing was stunned for a moment. However, she used to bully Qiu Yelan all the time. How could she be frightened so easily? Waving her cattail leaf fan like hand, she was about to rush forward to rescue Kang Lizhang at once.
However, without even blink, Qiu Yelan’s white fingertips dug down violently.
The moment the cold fingertips touched her eyelid lightly, Kang Lizhang had already got frightened from her heart. With a sudden force at this moment, there came a terror more terrifying than the unknown fierce pain which was the fear of getting her eyes dug out alive. Kang Lizhang who was always calm and resourceful totally blanked out.
She only had one clear thought which was fear!
The enormous and boundless fear!
The widespread and overwhelming terror!
However, although her eyes were bulged out like a goldfish by the squeeze at this moment, she could still see the light.
Kang Lizhang couldn’t make a sound because her jaw was dislocated. But people could imagine how intense she was from her expression which was twisted in spite of the unhealed scar on her left face.
However, Qiu Yelan who was doing it was calm. She chuckled near Kang Lizhang’s ear, “See. Your mother doesn’t care about your beautiful eyes anyway. How about I dig them out and keep them as a toy?”
Hearing this, Qiu Yuqing got a chilling feeling inwardly. She couldn’t help stopping.
Eyes didn’t like scars on the skin. Scars could be healed with Yulu Ointment.
If Kang Lizhang’s eyes got dug out, she would be blind for the rest of her life.
Not just blind, after losing her eyeballs, she would look creepy with these two empty holes no matter how beautiful she was.
Whether she cared for her daughter or she hoped to gain glory via her daughter. Qiu Yuqing wouldn’t dare to let Kang Lizhang take the risk. She raised her hand and looked at Qiu Yelan hatefully, “You vicious thing! How dare you treat your cousin like this? I’ll make sure everyone knows what you did today. Your reputation will be ruined for sure. Let’s see how you can go out afterward.”
“That reminds me,” Qiu Yelan instructed flatly, “Xiaran, come here. Take off Cousin Kang’s clothes!”
Hearing this, Kang Lizhang was so pissed off that she almost fainted.
Qiu Yuqing was also livid. She looked around and saw some scattered servants and the butler Ruan An, “Little b*tch. What do you want?”
“Pull it down. A little more! It’s useless just revealing her shoulder,” Qiu Yelan ignored her. She instructed Xiaran, “Check if she has something like a mole or a birthmark… Don’t those rascals on the backstreet like to talk about women? Find out the characteristic of her body and reveal it to them later. Even they are not able to sleep with her, they can brag about it for a while. Although Cousin Kang lives in the Prince’s Mansion, she is just a common girl. What are they afraid of?”
Xiaran pulled off Kang Lizhang’s sleeve with a smile. Half of her breast was showing. The light-yellow lotus pattern belly-band made her white skin look extremely tender, “Even she has the Prince’s Family to back her up, if they cause a big scandal, the Prince’s Family going after them will make the rumor seem real. Getting insulted by that kind of man, if she doesn’t kill herself to protect her moral integrity, her whole family’s reputation will be ruined.”
Qiu Yuqing’s whole face turned liver-colored. She pointed at Qiu Yelan tremblingly. She wanted to say something. But she couldn’t.
Seeing this, Ruan An who sent the servants to the back when Xiaran made her move sighed. He came to mediate and said, “Ms. Kang, just let go of what happened today! Whether Commandery Princess or your daughter, they are both in the prime of their youth. No need to ruin their lives for a moment of anger.”
“I…” Qiu Yuqing opened her mouth. She wanted to say something mean. Qiu Yelan was impatient. She pushed up her hand which was at Kang Lizhang’s throat rapidly. She put Kang Lizhang’s jaw back and said with threat near her ear, “You only get three sentences.”
Kang Lizhang didn’t hesitate at all, “Mother! Listen to her!”
Qiu Yuqing said, “But this….”
“If you still want me as your daughter!” Kang Lizhang’s beautiful face filled with a fierce look.
They looked at each other for a while. Qiu Yuqing lowered her arm and her head hesitantly, “What do you want?”
“I don’t care how Princess Yang instigated you guys to come here. Cousin Kang will stay in General’s Mansion and keep me company from today. As for you, Aunt Qiu, get the f**k out! Never come back again!” Qiu Yelan glanced at Ruan An, “Mr. Ruan is kind. He didn’t have the heart to let Cousin Kang get peeped by the servants. I’m not that kind! If you don’t want to pick up your precious daughter from a one-dollar store…”
Qiu Yelan’s voice became fierce suddenly, “Keep Prince’s Mansion of Xihe in line for me!”
The color of Qiu Yuqing’s face changed between green and pale for a couple of times. Finally, her face went red, “You want me to leave Lizhang here as your hostage. And I need to keep Prince’s Mansion of Xihe in line for you? Are you dreaming?”
“You still have one sentence left,” Qiu Yelan said flatly behind Kang Lizhang.
Kang Lizhang took a deep breath, “Mother, if you don’t have me, you will only have grandmother to back you up. How can you fight against First Aunt?”
After a long silence, Qiu Yuqing compromised with her daughter again. Her voice was much lower, “I used to mess with you all the time. If I leave Lizhang here, what if you hurt her or bully her?”
“What are you worried about? There is no if!” Qiu Yelan said in surprise, “It’s not just that you used to hurt me and bully me. Your daughter also tried to take away my dowry which was left to me by my grandmother and mother. Now she ends up in my hand. Of course, I will hurt her and bully her!”
“You!” Qiu Yuqing was so furious.
However, Kang Lizhang gave her a resolute look, “Listen to her!”
Kang Lizhang was slapped in her face the next moment.
Under Qiu Yuqing’s fierce glare, Qiu Yelan took Kang Lizhang by her throat again like nothing had happened and said flatly, “I said you only got three sentences. Who asks you to say another one without my permission?”
Ruan An mediated again, “Mrs. Kang, even your daughter suffers a little bit after she stays, she will be alive for sure. If you keep being unrepentant…Your daughter doesn’t have her veil hat now. If the scar on her face gets revealed in the air for long, I’m afraid that the Yulu Ointment also….”
Those words gave Kang Lizhang a thrill! She looked up and stared at Qiu Yuqing. Her intense look showed not just entreaty and persuasion, but also hatred.
Getting stared at by her daughter like that, Qiu Yuqing’s heart quivered. She couldn’t help saying, “Fine…. I’ll leave… You guys can’t treat Lizhang poorly. Otherwise… Otherwise….”
Seeing the hatred getting stronger in Kang Lizhang’s eyes, Qiu Yuqing had mixed feelings. She felt both ashamed and unreconciled. She glared at Qiu Yelan hatefully. She didn’t dare to keep provoking her. She followed Ruan An to the side door mumbling.
“Find a remote room and lock her in. Keep a close watch,” seeing Qiu Yuqing had gone far, Qiu Yelan let go of Kang Lizhang and pushed her to the snow-covered ground. She instructed coldly, “Oh right, remember to find a room with heating. Leave nothing on her except for her underwear.”
Kang Lizhang who was standing up shivered. She wanted to say something. But she touched her face and said nothing after all.
Su He asked innocently, “Why?”
“Cousin Kang is resourceful. And we don’t have enough people. We couldn’t even pin down Aunt Qiu just now. We can’t let the hostage who delivered herself to us run away because of our negligence,” Qiu Yelan said flatly, “Some blockheads will come to bother cousin by then. I don’t have time to keep an eye on her all the time. It’s best that she can’t leave the room.”
Xiaran took two servants who got called back with her and locked Kang Lizhang in.
Su He was happy that they won another round at Prince’s Mansion of Xihe. Then she saw Qiu Yelan rubbing her wrist frowning. She was scared at once, “Your Grace!”
“I’m fine,” Qiu Yelan thought about how weak this body was again. She looked up and saw Ruan An coming back. She approached in a hurry, “Has Aunt Qiu left?”
“Already left,” Ruan An nodded. Seeing there was no one else except Su He, he couldn’t help reproaching mildly, “Next time you want to do something like what you did today. Just give Xiaran or any old maidservant a hint and let them do it. Why did you say it out loud yourself? What if people hold it against you…?”
Qiu Yelan comforted, “There is no evidence anyway. I won’t admit it if this gets out.”
Ruan An was choked. Seeing her was about to walk away, he followed in a hurry, “Your Grace… can you go to the drawing-room again?”
“Why?” Qiu Yelan was surprised.
“… Young Earl Ling knocked on our side door just now. He is still a Tongsheng (students who passed the county level exam). Princess Royal Maode spoils him so much that he is ignorant and incompetent,” Ruan An whispered, “He must come to see young master for beer and skittles. It was okay in the old days. But the imperial examination in spring is coming up….”
Qiu Yelan sighed, “Understood. He is not sent here by someone too, is he?”
“That’s unlikely. It seems to me that he is short of money and wants to borrow some money from young master,” Ruan An was in a pickle, “I have prepared the silver notes. But it’s inappropriate for me to give them to him.”
“Then let me do it,” Qiu Yelan scolded Ling Zui for being a scumbag inwardly. He had already brought a prostitute to their home for sponsorship in the first lunar month. Now he knew that Ruan Qingyan was about to take the exam. He still came asking for money. Even Ruan Qingyan’s status was lower than him, he still spent so much money for him. He really didn’t treat Ruan Qingyan seriously.
But Ling Zui seemed to be more shameless than she thought. Just when Qiu Yelan arrived at the drawing-room, she was not even able to be polite. Ling Zui who leaned against the couch on the left-hand and appreciated a porcelain bottle which was supposed to be on the shelf didn’t even look up and said, “I did you a big favor today. How do you plan to thank me?”
Qiu Yelan took two deep breaths. So, she could keep herself from going up and kicking him violently. She put on a fake smile, “Young Earl Ling, my cousin will take the exam on Feb. 9th. He is studying right now. He can’t be disturbed. Please forgive him.”
“Eh…” Ling Zui thought it was Ruan Qingyan. When he found the voice was different, he sat up in a hurry. He looked up and saw a beautiful lady standing at the door. As the saying goes, if you want to be beautiful, dress in mourning white. Qiu Yelan was born stunning plus those peach blossom-like eyes which were full of temptation. She was standing at the door with an unhappy face at this moment. She was elegant and beautiful like a lotus rising out of water. She was also glamorous and coquettish like a peony in blossom. Words couldn’t describe her beauty. Her beauty was just immeasurable.
Even a playboy like Ling Zui who was used to beauties was flipped.
He didn’t regain his senses until his cute maid who was serving beside him pinched him jealously. He stood up and greeted her affably, “Are you Commandery Princess Ningyi?”
“Greetings Young Earl!” Qiu Yelan gave him a common salute in a way neither servile nor haughty. Actually, Ling Zui was not a Young Prince. People respectfully called him Young Earl. It was not his title. He should give a salute to her.
However, although Qiu Yelan was a Commandery Princess, she was down and out now.
Ling Zui saluted back passionately. Seeing Qiu Yelan glancing at the coral flower and bird pattern porcelain bottle which he put down, his face went red. He asked his maid to put it back in a hurry and said embarrassedly, “Um… I waited for Ruan for a while and didn’t see him coming…. Then….”
Actually, Qiu Yelan didn’t care that he took the bottle to have a look at without asking. It was lucky that he didn’t take it away. She just wanted to give him the money and send him away. In case it got delayed for long which would make Ruan An worried, and Ruan Qingyan would be bothered at last.
So, she said directly, “My butler said that you stored some silver notes here last time. You are here to get them, right? I don’t know if the number is correct?” She put a pile of silver notes on the table between them while saying and pushed them over.