That night, Su He held Qiu Yelan on to the sedan chair sent by Princess Yang and went to the yard of Madame Lu.
Princess Yang didn't set anyone to keep a watch on and even sent her people away to avoid any suspicion.
Qiu Yelan thought that it would take a while for her to meet Madame Lu. Madame Lu might not want to suffer again and refuse to meet her. To her surprise, Madame Lu was sitting on the couch and drinking a bowl of spun gold bird nest porridge, looking calm.
People could still believe that she would live for eighty more years with her rosy cheeks and the youthful look.
"What? You are disappointed to see that I'm not lying on my couch and dying?" Madame Lu handed the bird's nest porridge, which she had only two or three tastes, to the maid and said, "It tastes bad. You can use it to feed the dog!"
"Yes, Madame!" The maid looked at the almost untouched porridge enviously and took it away carefully.
"This was the style of your grandmother when she was alive." Madame Lu said lightly. "I once took her porridge and took a sip under the table... How should I describe it? For now, I can have it every day, and it feels just so so. But at that time, it was so delicious that I couldn't help but finish the whole bowl. In the end, someone found out and told your grandmother about it. The next day, I got kicked out!"
Qiu Yelan looked calm and smiled lightly. She said, "The rule is that the concubine needs to be subservient to the official wife. Not to mention that the Qiu Family is a Prince's Mansion with extraordinary status. Honestly, you deserved to be kicked out as you violated the rules."
"But she's dead now, same as her son and her grandson!" Madame Lu looked at her sarcastically and resentfully. "But I am alive! I'm alive and well! It is possible that I can live for decades. I have many children and even grandchildren! But you are her only child and fallen into my control. I can treat you any way I want..."
"But my grandmother is an old Princess." Qiu Yelan was smiling as usual, "She is still the old Princess even if she passed away. But you are just Madame Lu. The New Year's Eve is coming, and when the Prince comes back to hold the memorial ceremony for the ancestor. He will be kowtowing to my grandmother's memorial. If you pass away in the future, he can only hold the memorial ceremony for you secretly, and he won't let anyone know. Now..."
She looked at the more and more furious look of Madame Lu and smiled, "Do you... still feel proud?"
"I don't have the title for nobility, but do you think I can't fight with Yang?" Madame Lu could finally catch her breath after a long time and she stared at Qiu Yelan, "You came at night and planned to piss me off. And the Prince's Mansion can be controlled by Yang. Do you think your life will be good this way? Will Yang be soft-hearted to you? She had had her eyes on your two dowries for a long time."
Qiu Yelan smiled lightly, "So what? First Aunt doesn't have a life-and-death feud with me. She wants my money, not my life..."
“Do you think that she will keep you alive after taking two dowries? Keeping you alive for future revenge?" Madame Lu sneered, "I'll that tell you that the scar on Lizhang's face is permanent. Her whole life is over! You can give her one of your dowries for a living..."
Madame Lu said coldly when she saw Qiu Yelan looking at her like a psycho, "You will be staying at General's Mansion for a long time!"
"Are you in charge of this family now?" Qiu Yelan shook her head after hearing that, "Plus, I'm only twelve years old. I can't stay in Ruan Family until I get married. The marriage that you guys arranged for me. He-he... I don't even want to talk about it. You guys make up a reason to make me come back right after I enter the Ruan Family and I lose a dowry for no reason? Do you think I am that stupid?"
Madame Lu took a deep breath to calm down and yelled, "What do you want? Don't think that you can do anything you want with your cousin’s background and the relationship with the Empress! Let me tell you that Quan Qingyan is so young, and he is not even related to you. He probably just wants your dowries, and that’s why he came so many times!"
"You know that he gave money to Yang. How do you know that he didn't collude with Yang? Plus, Empress Jiang's word was towards Empress Dowager! There's no chance that someone as respectful as the Empress can remember a little Grace like you are! Do you think you can stay alive after the thing blows over? Yang is using you as a weapon, and you think that you are manipulating her? You are too young for mind games... You are just silly. You are working for the one who sold you out!"
Qiu Yelan was listening lazily, and a young maid ran into the room covered with snow when she was just about to talk. The young maid was crying while yelling, "Madame! It is very bad! The young master... The young master was pushed into the lake!"
"What?" Madame Lu had her eyes wide open. Then her body turned and fainted with a kick!
"Madame! Madame!!!"
Suddenly the room was all messed up. Su He suddenly asked in that mess, "Your Grace, what should we do?".
Young Master Qiu Hongzhi was the most favorable and appreciated son of Duke of Xihe even if he was the son of a concubine and his mother died a long time ago! Even the only trueborn, the seventh Master Qiu Yinzhi, couldn't compete with him because of the naughtiness.
"It’s none of our business," Qiu Yelan said calmly. "First of all, we didn't push him. Secondly, we don't know Qiu Hongzhi that well! Is it important for us whether he has fallen into the water or not?"
Su He just came to her sense and said, "Then... Should we go out and have a look?"
"Of course, we need to go back!" Qiu Yelan looked at the old maidservants who were moving Madame Lu to the couch in the inner chamber and curled her lip, "For sure, there's no substitute for experience!"
Su He asked curiously, "what experience?"
"I’ll explain when we get back. Whoo. I hope the sedan is not too far. I don't want to walk back looking like this." Qiu Yelan murmured.
Fortunately, the sedan was waiting outside. Both of them went back to their place and let Mrs. Zhou send away the people who were lifting the sedan.
After entering the inner chamber, Su He couldn't wait to ask, "what did you just say?"
"I thought that Princess Yang would be in charge of the Prince's Mansion if I didn't go and talk to Lu!" Qiu Yelan patted her head and said with a smile, "I realized that I had underestimated Madame Lu after hearing that Qiu Hongzhi fell into the lake. No wonder she could have Princess Yang suffering in silence under her control with a vixenish and graceless Aunt Qiu."
Su He opened her eyes widely and said, "Did Madame Lu arrange the whole thing about the oldest Master falling into the lake?"
"Did you not hear the news? He was pushed into the lake!" Qiu Yelan smiled lightly and said, "The oldest Master was not born by Princess Yang, and she has her own son... There are only two boys in the Mansion, and the Young Prince still hasn't been announced. There's no way that the Prince won't distrust Princess Yang!"
She also said, "The point is that the Prince is hiding from Lu and let Princess Yang take care of the Prince's Mansion. Lu couldn’t find her son to have her back, and she couldn't deal with her daughter-in-law! But after Qiu Hongzhi fell into the lake, the Prince has to come back for his favorite son considering that he has only two sons!"
Su He finally understood, "Your Grace, you are so smart. You can identify all the tricks that Madame is using!"
"It's nothing. I know what they are up to, and I also need to know how to..." Mrs. Zhou suddenly walked in with a strange look. She said quietly, "Your Grace, the Fourth Young Lady is here. She is only wearing a jacket... She wants to see you. What should we do?"
Su He turned her head and ask, "What is she doing here?"
Qiu Yelan was clear and said, “It seems like the one who pushed Qiu Hongzhi into the lake is my fourth sister or someone who's related to her!" She said, and she told Mrs. Zhou, "Let her in as she is already here!"
After a while, Qiu Mingzhu walked in looking pale-white and with coldness. She was wearing the silk shoes that she put on when she went to bed. The shoes were soaked by the snow, and it left a string of stamps on the thick blue blanket in the inner chamber.She was two years older than Qiu Yelan, and her biological mother was Mistress Tian. She could only be named as the Fourth Lady instead of Commandery Princess.Mistress Tian had almost fallen into disfavor, but she recommended her cousin who was Mistress Bian to the mansion. Mistress Bian was eighteen years old this year. She was a beauty and good at dancing and singing. So that Mistress Tian and her daughter had a pretty good life in the Prince's Mansion.It's said that Qiu Mengmin once promised Mistress Bian to proclaim her immediately as the Concubine if she could give birth to a boy."... It seems that either Lu did not misjudge Princess Yang, or Princess Yang reacted very q
"Your Grace, why don't you listen to the secret that Miss Mingzhu said?" After Mrs. Zhou took Qiu Mingzhu to Princess Yang, Su He made a rose dew and handed it to Qiu Yelan. She asked curiously, “I think she should really know what the secret was...”"But must it have anything to do with us?" Qiu Yelan smiled slightly and took a sip of rose dew. "The first thing we are asking for is self-protection and then to live without acting according to where the wind blows. Then there are other things we ought to do... Knowing too many secrets too early is not a good thing! "She thought, "There was a chuckle out of the window just now. I'm not sure whether she is a servant of Princess Yang or Madame Lu. She followed the Qiu Mingzhu all the way, and maybe is lying in the back window and eavesdropping."Su He did not fully understand and nodded, "So Miss Mingzhu didn’t tell you because of her goodwill! She is so!""Aunt Yang and Madame Lu wil
At noon the next day, Hongyao, the first maid of Qiu Mengmin came to invite Qiu Yelan in person. “It said that you know about the things that Young Master Qiu Hongzhi fell into the lake last night and things of Mistress Bian and others, Your Grace. Now Prince is going to investigate by himself, so I'm here to invite you to help Prince tell right from wrong.”It was impossible to avoid this kind of thing, and Qiu Yelan also didn't want to hide. So, she brought Su He and quickly got on the sedan.Arriving at the back of the Prince's Mansion, she saw Madame Lu sat in the first place, and Qiu Mengmin sat with shame at the next seat.No one else had the right to sit. Even Princess Yang and Qiu Yuqing were kneeling at the front of the crowd. Of course, no one dared to stand, except Madame Lu and her son.But Qiu Yelan didn't intend to join in the fun. So as soon as she entered and witnessed the situation, she immediately raised her sleev
On the snow-covered street, pedestrians were all in a hurry with their clothes wrapped tightly.An inconspicuous carriage hoofed through the snow. Two bodyguards in green and three or four nannies followed the carriage on foot. It looked like some womenfolk of a normal wealthy family were going out.Some passersby checked the carriage occasionally and then looked away apathetically.Inside the carriage, Su He said excitedly, "Your Grace, you are really resourceful. You managed to make the Prince family agree to let you go to the General's Mansion. Now we are out and will never go back!""How is that possible?" Mrs. Zhou was about to say this. Seeing Qiu Yelan looked more relaxed than she was in Prince's Mansion, she managed to keep those words to herself.However, Qiu Yelan said it herself, "That's not possible. I have an engagement. How can I live at Ruan Family forever?" Besides, the best-case scenario was that grand
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 roo
"It's my first time to arrive in the capital city and I will take the Metropolitan Exam next year. I want to make the acquaintance of some future peers and Hua knows some of them. That's why I met her several times." As soon as the gate closed, Ruan Qingyan gave a dry cough and hurried to explain, "The other day, she introduced me to Earl of Jingchuan's youngest son, young master Ling. I made an appointment to treat him a dinner today, but I didn't know he also invited Hua. Just now I heard that you were here, and I wanted to come back early. But Hua insisted to follow me. I had no time to waste on her, so I got on my horse and left. I never thought that..."Qiu Yelan glimpsed at him and thought this cousin of her was really clever. As the General's Mansion was in decline, if he said he was the grandson of General Ruan, most probably no one would take notice of him and he would even be despised. Asking a famous courtesan to introduce him was at least a better way.
Su He said tremblingly, "I came up with it myself!""Why?" Qiu Yelan frowned."...because Young Master Ruan is focusing on his career now," Su He bit her lips and said timidly, "I'm afraid that he is nice to you only because of your engagement. So... I want to test him.""Should I be the one doing something like this?" Qiu Yelan realized that no wonder Madame Lu said that Ruan Qingyan might be up to no good. “See? Even Su He suspects him!”Su He cried, "How can you do that? When I say something wrong, you can apologize to Young Master Ruan by hitting me or scolding me. But if you and Young Master Ruan are in a stalemate, we are in his place now!""Don't worry about this kind of thing anymore!" Qiu Yelan looked at the little girl who was shorter than her and sighed, "I know what I'm doing!" Seeing Su He was about to say something, she pounded the table, "You don't want to listen to me anymore, do you?"Su H
Although there were not many stars at night in winter and they were far less bright and glorious than the summer nights, they had a desolate and lonely artistic conception comparing to the aliveness of stars on summer nights.At ten o'clock, Qiu Yelan came out from Lvqiang Court quietly. She didn't bring her lantern as she was afraid of revealing her presence. She secretly got to the back door of the General's Mansion based on her memory of the route during daytime.The back door had already been closed by that time, but fortunately, the door was plugged from the inside and it wasn't locked.Qiu Yelan pulled the latch carefully, and someone coughed lightly outside the door right after that, "Your Grace?"She didn't expect Jiang Yashuang to be here early and opened the door. Jiang Yanshuang was wearing a purple or black fur coat standing outside in the dark with a certain hat in his hand and he was smiling.There were t
In fact, no matter according to the intention of Emperor Chong Heng, or the meaning of the Supreme Emperor, originally did not want to delay the ceremony so long - the latter, of course, is anxious to see his grandson to be enrolled as the crown prince.But there is no way, two days before Xin Fubing came back, when the Imperial Doctor asked Qiu Hilan for a peaceful pulse, he found that she was pregnant again.Considering the tediousness of the Ceremony of the Register of the Empress, as well as the fact that Qiu Hilan was already past her prime, even though she had already given birth to five children, in the end, it was still better to be careful.Though the Emperor Taishang was wary of the Qiu family, he did not deliberately torment his daughter-in-law who was pregnant with his first grandson or first granddaughter, so after listening to Emperor Chongheng's explanation, he did not say anything more, and rewarded things according to the example.Although Em
At the end of the third year of Jianjia, after Prince Jiang Yashuang's pleading, and Pingyang County Lord Jiang Tianhe's crying, Emperor Jianjia finally agreed to let Jiang Tianhe send someone to Lvdi, to pick up Xin Fubing to return to the capital for a reunion.It was already the end of the year, and Xinfu Bing definitely couldn't come back that year.But to the following year after the spring, Jiang Tianhe let the eldest son personally take people to Lu Di to pick up his daughter, this pick up but picked up a full two years - with Chu Weitong, in the process of the Great Qin Dynasty Rui all over the scars of Xin Fubing, do not want to go back to the capital of this heartbreak, and more do not want to see will remind her of the past of the deceased people.Until two years later, in the seventh year of Jianjia, Emperor Jianjia's old injuries from that year's conquest of the Northern Frontier flared up, and he was collectively advised by the Imperial Hospital to re
Donggong Na people thing finally ended up in the end, but Jianjia Emperor's purpose has also reached part of the: Dingxi Marquis Qiu Jinglan self-requested to be released.With his title and had served in the official position, the external capping of the great officer is also considered relegation. However, since Qiu Jinglan brought it up, he had his own reasons, "Having served as the Great General of Zhenxi, that was during the time of Qianrui. At that time, the real host was actually Mr. Ren, not me. Properly speaking I was still too young in the end - in the early years there were constant natural and man-made disasters, and I didn't dare to leave the center. Now the situation has stabilized, I should also to the bottom of the sharpening to go, now do not go, difficult to wait for the age, legs and feet are not flexible and then run around it?"So it makes sense, Jianjia Emperor is very satisfied with his sense of humor, "He put out to sharpen a decade up and down an
Jianjia Emperor's depression Jiang Yashang all ignore, back to the East Palace, told his wife, "or some dynasty annoyance!""The beginning of everything is difficult, after some days will be good!" During this period of time, Jianjia Emperor father and son played a double act to cover up their childishness and negligence in governing not once or twice, Qiu Hilan didn't suspect at all, but instead warmly consoled him, "Not to mention that there is enough rainfall this spring, I'm afraid that it will be a good year, but it's a good omen!"In these days of dependence on God for food, a good year is a great thing that everyone up and down the land looks forward to.Jiang Yashuang's expression also eased when he heard this, "It's not even autumn yet, I just hope that nothing will happen next!"How can ... not happen again?As if deliberately trying to sharpen the trembling rulers, a spring with plenty of rain was followed by a drought in which the country we
Jiang Yashuang put down his hand, raised his eyes to look at Emperor Jianjia for a moment, and said softly, "You ... don't like the big house ...""Our father and son in the end do not get along for a long time, all this, you still use such euphemistic wording?" Jianjia emperor heard, laughed out loud, despondent patted his shoulder, sighed, "What do not like ... district do not like, worth for father I sent the competent generals, a thousand miles from the northern border to go to Kui County stakeout? That is the most swarthy group of people under my father's command, which is as good as a team of a hundred men in the northern border!""How many such sons and daughters are not too many, and can they just go on a stakeout?!"Emperor Jianjia sneered, "Their original mission was to go kill people!"Kill who?Jiang Yayun, of course!Emperor Jianjia was not a merciful person in the first place, and for the sake of his own future, he was even able to g
Jiang Yashuang was horrified!"How can it be?!"No wonder he was so surprised - his uncle grandfather in the eyes of Emperor Zhaode and the old king of Ji, absolute elder brother as father, completely as a father to see! And still filial son to the kind of father.Although it was said that when the news of the death of the Kui County man - posthumously crowned Dun Wang in this dynasty, and called Old Dun Wang in order to differentiate himself from the current Dun Wang Jiang Tian ardent - reached the capital, due to the blow of the Old Ji Wang's passing, the Zhaode Emperor, who had already been ill at the time, added to his woes, and his condition worsened to the point that the The entire Jiang family was preparing his afterlife at that time. But it was under these circumstances that Emperor Zhaode still insisted on asking about the causes and consequences of this elder brother's passing!Emperor Zhaode's questioning is certainly not just asking the person who
"Your daughter-in-law approached you about An'er?" Emperor Jianjia was waiting for his son in the Warm Pavilion, and when his beloved chamberlain saw Jiang Yashuang come in, he brought tea with both hands and retreated out in silence, leaving only father and son to talk.Jiang Yashang first gave Jun Father a salute, and only then did she take her seat under his gesture, saying, "She is also afraid that after the children grow up a bit, an unguarded person underneath instigated them, so she thought to take precautionary measures before it happens, lest he brew any bitter fruit in the future."Emperor Jianjia gave a "hmm" and said, "This is what she thinks, what about yourself? What do you think?"Hearing the drift in his tone, Jiang Yashang frowned slightly, speculating whether this was a sign of dissatisfaction? His mind turned, and he said, "That's what my child thinks too ...""Not to mention An'er swaddling clothes is your couple raised, on his father, alt
Jiang Yashuang was originally in deep thought, when he heard his wife mention Dun Wang Jiang Tian arbor, his face immediately became unsightly, "An'er is very understanding, and does things in an atmospheric manner, I see him but not like great-uncle, but like eighth brother, very much like being an elder brother!"... His own father was not the great uncle s self reliance on favor insatiable, to force desperate, only to embark on the sacrifice of the first eldest son to fulfill their own this road? The entire tragedy of the fourth house is also from here.Although he hid this past event from his wife with the idea of keeping it secret for his elders, he remembered it in his own heart - not only remembered it, but it had reached the point of taboo.Autumn Hikilan did not know the reason, seeing her husband's suddenly sullen face and rather reprimanding tone, she thought that he was simply unwilling to think that way. She felt tricky in her heart, "Doesn't nineteen
Chang mom came over because after the end of Empress Min Rou's affairs, although the new king remembers that she served Empress Min Rou for a time, intends to grant her a grant to let her go back to the family to enjoy the blessings of life, but she has followed the Empress from the age of a young girl, the master and servant have been together for several decades, and the blood relatives are almost the same.The Empress left so abruptly that Chang's mother couldn't accept it emotionally and couldn't settle down to go home, so she suggested that she wanted to continue to serve Empress Min Rou's descendants - just as the Eastern Palace was newly established, the status of the children in the Eastern Palace was changing, and the first-born children of the Hui Wang House and the Jing Wang House were taking over, all of which required additional manpower.She has no problem with loyalty, experience and qualifications, Qiu Hilan is in short supply, of course, will not be push