Chapter 2 A Gaudy Plot

“Old Grandma has sent a number of maids. The last maid warned us that old grandma would come to personally scold you if you weren’t up soon!” Qing Yue reported.

The night before, Qin Wanru had requested not to be woken early. If her grandmother sent someone, Qing Yue was to send them off with a vague reply.

Qi Tianyu had already found out about the swap. In her previous life, he blamed Qin Wanru for ruining his marriage with Qin Yuru. Furious, he made a cruel plan. He would pretend to be unaware of the swap and let his men carry the bride’s sedan chair to the Qi mansion. When it arrived at the gate, he would tear off the veil in front of everyone and push her to the ground, accusing her of being vicious and presumptuous.

Qin Wanru had known nothing about these plans and it had played out exactly as Qi Tianyu intended. At only eleven years old, her reputation had been destroyed. She became the laughingstock of everyone in Jianzhou.

In this present, however, her long lashes demurely hid her bloodthirsty eyes. They were no longer the eyes of a child. She flipped over on the bed and sat up, dangling her legs over the side.

“Is the sedan almost here?”

“Almost! I heard earlier that it was about time,” said Qing Yue. She squatted on the ground, helping Qin Wanru put on her shoes.

“I guess everything is ready then?” Qin Wanru asked as she stood.

“Don’t worry, Miss. Brother Fengzi just sent somebody to tell me everything is ready. He’s waiting for the sedan to arrive!” Qing Yue said, standing up as well.

She was looking at Qin Wanru with sparkling eyes, almost overcome by emotion. Something about the girl had felt different since yesterday, but she was thankful for the change. Her young mistress was becoming more sharp-witted. Not only did she rescue Nanny Yu from the laundry room, she’d seen through the plot to switch the brides.

Wang Feng, the man Qing Yue called Brother Fengzi, was Nanny Yu’s son. He oversaw the most critical element of Qin Wanru’s plans. Wang Feng was to destroy the wedding sedan.

If Qin Wanru wished to change the future, she had to ruin Qin Yuru and Qi Tianyu’s plans now before they grew into an even bigger disaster.

She needed the whole world to know that Qin Wanru had not stolen her sister’s husband. It was Qin Yuru who had refused the marriage and tried to push the responsibility onto her little sister.

“Please send word to Grandma,” Qin Wanru said. Since it was almost time for the wedding, she had to begin preparing. If she didn’t, Qin Yuru would notice something was wrong.

“Yes, Miss. Shall I help you put on your wedding gown first?” Qing Yue asked, blinking.

“It’s alright. First, please call for Grandma,” said Qin Wanru. Her eyes were still cold. Clad in a white robe, she still aimed to look like she’d just gotten out of bed and had not yet had time to get ready.

Qing Yue obeyed immediately, hurrying off to find Grandma Qin. Qin Wanru walked up to the dresser and looked into the mirror. Reflected back was an innocent, weak child, face pale as snow, lips red. She was young now, but her features showed she would someday be a great beauty.

However, she stood out a bit too much…

The marriage between the son of Jiangzhou’s magistrate and the daughter of Ninyuan’s general was an important event to the people of Jiangzhou. The entire city was excited, and a crowd was gathered at the gates of the General Qin’s mansion to watch the bridegroom pick up his bride.

Qi Tianyu had led the sedan all the way from his own mansion, the entire procession accompanied by lively music and celebration. When they finally arrived, Qi Tianyu leapt down from his horse and lifted the long train of his robe to walk up the steps.

Suddenly, a group of men carrying broomsticks and poles dashed from the crowd. They began to strike at the sedan, smashing it apart.

The crowd froze, not knowing how to react. Some even assumed it was an odd family custom to strike the bride’s sedan, but they realized something had gone very wrong when it began to collapse. The attackers moved in to stomp on the pieces.

“Stop! Someone restrain these men!” Qin Tianyu called. No longer stunned, he began to issue angry orders.