Chapter 62 - You Are So Heartless and Ruthless. You Totally Broke My Heart!
Backyard.
Qiu Yelan pushed the window open with a cracking sound. A few peach blossoms were in bloom in the yard outside the window. They were red like a sunset glow. When the soft wind blew, falling petals went through the yard and entered the room with mist, and finally landed on people’s head softly.
She turned around and fawningly flicked away a petal on Ruan Qingyan’s shoulder who was healing his wounds in bed. And then she wiped off the dew he got from the petal with a handkerchief, “Cousin, you are so hardworking.”
Ruan Qingyan stared at the book in his hand intently. It seemed that he didn’t hear her.
Qiu Yelan wasn’t discouraged. Dongran came in holding a bowl of medicine after a while. She approached and took it over in a hurry. She blew on a spoon of the medicine affably and fed it to Ruan Qingyan, “Cousin, it’s time for your medicine.”
Ruan Qingyan tried to avoid and moved backward. He put down his book and then looked at Dongran who was behind Qiu Yelan.
Dongran smiled awkwardly, “Um... Your Grace, how about letting me serve young master?”
Qiu Yelan had to give the bowl back to her bitterly.
After a while, Ruan Qingyan finished drinking his medicine. Qiu Yelan handed him a plate of preserved fruit in a hurry, “Cousin, want one?”
Ruan Qingyan picked up his book again.
He didn’t even look at her the whole time.
Was he still the gentle and thoughtful Cousin Ruan who used to show her the utmost solicitude and forbear her in everything?
“Do you think I’m a push-over? It has been two days! I have said I was wrong for several times! And I have transcribed the “Behavioral Norms of Girls”. Smile to you every day. And seek all means to play up to you. You still give me the long face?” Qiu Yelan looked down at the preserved fruit in her hand. Her face was going dark. Finally, she couldn’t help lashing out, “What? Do you think I can do nothing about you?”
“Your Grace...” seeing the situation going bad, Dongran didn’t have time to clean up the bowl. She rushed to them in a hurry trying to dissuade.
However, the sibling fight Dongran was worried about didn’t happen.
Not just didn’t happen, what Qiu Yelan did next was truly unwatchable!
She threw herself at the side of the bed and hugged Ruan Qingyan as sudden as lightning. Then she cried out loud, “Ohhh... Cousin, I was wrong. I was wrong. I was really wrong! Don’t ignore me, okay? Okay? Ohhh... I only have you now... How could you treat me like this? You are so heartless and ruthless. You are being unreasonable...Eh. No. I’ll rephrase. You are so heartless and ruthless. You totally broke my heart. Do you know that?”
Ruan Qingyan who focused on studying and didn’t bother about what’s happening in the outside world was stupefied.
After a long time, he patted on Qiu Yelan’s arm gently with a sigh. His tone was full of frustration which was caused by her lack of moral integrity, “Can you not be so rascally? Do you think you got the head start by hugging me and crying, and I will forget you are doing the routine ‘first cry, then throw a tantrum and finally threaten to hang yourself’?”
“Ohhh... You actually said that I was rascal!” hearing this, Qiu Yelan cried louder, “Even you say that about me, there is nothing for me to live for...”
She let go of Ruan Qingyan, “I think it’s better that I jump into the lotus pond! Or knock my head against the stone lion at the door, have my meal with arsenic... Anyway, I don’t want to live!”
After the triple kill, Ruan Qingyan’s look changed a few times. He held his forehead with frustration, “Stop being nonsense! Don’t act like those ignorant marketplace women!”
“I know you adore me the most!” Qiu Yelan stopped crying immediately. She finished wiping her face quickly. Acting like nothing had happened, she said sweetly at once, “How can you bear to keep ignoring me, right?”
Ruan Qingyan was so disturbed. He tried so hard to stop himself from jumping out of bed to punish her. He asked her grinding his teeth, “Lu killed herself two days ago, are you responsible for that? You are much bolder right now. How dare you involve yourself in things which concern human lives! Who taught you that?”
Qiu Yelan blinked her bright eyes, “Oh, I have nothing to do with that. I just went back and mocked them a little. As for how did Lu died, I think my uncle should know better!”
Ruan Qingyan’s pupil contracted a little, “Really?”
“Cousin Kang told me. I don’t know whether it’s true or not,” Qiu Yelan distorted the fact shamelessly to avoid Ruan Qingyan knowing that she put herself in danger to discover Qiu Mengmin killing his mother. Ruan Qingyan ignored her in these days. Because she dragged Kang Lizhang back to the Prince’s Mansion in a hurry without telling him or asking for permission on that day.
If Ruan Qingyan who determined to protect her knew how she deliberately planned to provoke Qiu Mengmin and others, and how she showed no mercy and made them hold a simple memorial ceremony for Lu, She wasn’t afraid that she might go too far which would make Qiu Mengmin and his son put up a desperate fight with her. He would probably be hopping mad.
Just like what she thought, after Ruan Qingyan heard that it was Kang Lizhang who told her, his look wasn’t so bad. He snorted, “This woman isn’t kind. She may not be trusted.”
“Cousin, you are right,” Qiu Yelan put on an approval look.
The most important thing right now was to make Cousin Ruan forgive her anyway. As for what to do next, she was familiar with overtly agreeing but covertly opposing!
Ruan Qingyan who still had a little hope for her cousin’s morality integrity was bewildered by her tame and teachable appearance. He felt a little better and asked her about the grave visiting.
Qiu Yelan observed his look carefully. She told him things which wouldn’t provoke him and said at last, “Because I met big brother on the road. He asked me repeatedly to move back to the Prince’s Mansion after I came back this time.”
She made Qiu Hongzhi furious a few times when they visited the gave this time. He surely couldn’t ask her repeatedly. Even if he did, he could never pay attention to it, if she didn’t want to move back. She said so because she didn’t want to live in the General’s Mansion anymore.
She moved here because she was afraid of being harmed in the Prince’s Mansion after all. And she also wanted to find her way out after she moved out of the Prince’s Mansion.
Now she had achieved her goal. How could she keep hiding in the General’s Mansion when she could get her revenge and expand territory taking advantage of the good situation?
General’s Mansion didn’t have a hostess after all. Even Deng Yi was here, it was only a matter of time before people started to talk about her reputation and integrity. Qiu Yelan didn’t care. But Jiang Family took a fancy to Ruan Qingyan as their son-in-law. Although Ruan Qingyan was calm when Qiu Yelan told him the information, the passion flashing through his eyes at that very moment made Qiu Yelan realize that her cousin was very interested in being Jiang Family’s son-in-law.
In that case, Qiu Yelan surely wouldn’t stand in his way.
“Why did you listen to him?” hearing that she was going to go back to the Prince’s Mansion, Ruan Qingyan’s look which just got better went bad again, “Grandfather is your biological grandfather. You are taking care of a sick elder. Who can speak ill of you? If you are afraid of the rumors, we can send Deng Yi away and I will live in one of my closest friends’ houses.”
“I think my big brother has a point. I’m a member of Qiu Family after all. It’s inappropriate that I keep living here,” Qiu Yelan said in a hurry, “Besides after this, especially now Lu is dead, how could they dare to bully me like before? Besides, am I a pushover?”
You were an adopted grandson. You moved out when grandfather was heavily ill. Did you want to get impeached by the Censor?
Seeing Ruan Qingyan was about to say something, Qiu Yelan changed the topic in a hurry, “If I move back, you need to help me with something. I don’t want to keep the servants of the Prince’s Mansion. I plan to buy a few myself. But I haven’t bought one before. Please help me take a look.”
Ruan Qingyan didn’t fall for her trick. He said with a straight face, “I still don’t approve of you moving back. It doesn’t matter how Lu died. Everyone in the Prince’s Mansion must hate your guts right now. Why did Qiu Hongzhi ask you to go back? Because he plans to deal with you after you go back.”
“Am I that easy to be dealt with?” Qiu Yelan pulled his sleeve and shook it from side to side coquettishly. She used her sweet voice shamelessly, “Besides, Qiu Hongzhi is busy fighting against Qiu Yinzhi for the Young Prince position. Although Qiu Yinzhi is young, his mother’s family which is the Yang Family is hard to deal with. Qiu Hongzhi’s wife’s family which is the Ding Family is not as powerful as Yang Family. He won’t have time to mess with me. He should consider himself lucky that I don’t mess with him.”
Ruan Qingyan sneered, “That’s easy for you to say! Do you want to step in? That’s why you are so eager to go back?”
“Eh...” really didn’t have enough credit? Qiu Yelan rapidly thought about what should she say at this moment to make Ruan Qingyan trust her?
“Young Master! Young Master! Great news! Great news!” when the atmosphere in the room became a little awkward, messy footsteps suddenly came from the winding corridor. With the overlapping sound of “Great News”, the door got pushed open with a cracking sound. A servant in blue rushed in. With a face full of happiness, he said loudly, “Congratulations, Young Master! You are No. 35 on the Gongshi enrolling list!”
They were stunned at first. And then Qiu Yelan and Dongran were wild with joy, “Got it?”
“No. 35 on the Gongshi enrolling list, I’m sure of it! I saw it with my own eyes. I had a clear look!” the servant in blue was the one they sent to take a look at the list. In fact, after getting ignored by Ruan Qingyan for two days, Qiu Yelan came to Ruan Qingyan’s inner chamber in the morning and tried to please him. Because the Gongshi enrolling list would come out on that day. She thought if she couldn’t get Ruan Qingyan to forgive her, she could have this thing to kill time.
However, they were busy arguing with each other. They both forgot such an important thing.
Now hearing the servant say he got the title, Qiu Yelan smiled immediately. She said to Ruan Qingyan happily, “Cousin, shall we reward them?”
“Yes,” his cousin and the servants were very happy. By contrast, Ruan Qingyan was extremely calm. Although he was smiling, he was far from excited. He nodded slightly, “Dongran, go and give them the rewards.”
He asked Dongran to take the servants out and then turned to Qiu Yelan. He brought up the topic again, “About keep staying in the General’s Mansion...”
“Cousin, you have already got the title. Are you still afraid that I may be bullied?” Qiu Yelan argued coquettishly, “They were not able to fight against us when you just had the Juren title. Now you have the Gongshi title. Soon you will have the Jinshi title... Who in the Prince’s Mansion dare to offend me in public from now on?”
Ruan Qingyan had a serious look, “What about in private?”
“I still get you, do I?” Qiu Yelan said sweetly, “Won’t you back me up if I move back there?”
She lowered her voice, “Qiu Mengmin and his wife are sick now. And you get the Gongshi title. I go back now, It can be described as full of momentum! This kind of good chance may never appear again. To be honest, cousin, I can’t stay here until I get married, can I? So, it’s better I go back at the best time instead of going back later. If I miss my chance now, it will cause me more trouble when I go back later.”
After she tried every possible way to persuade Ruan Qingyan, he instructed sighing, “Be careful! Anything goes wrong, come back at once. Don’t mind others’ judgements. Your well being is the most important thing, understand?”
“I know, I know!” Qiu Yelan nodded repeatedly. She said with a serious look, “I’m waiting to bully people by flaunting my powerful connections after you do well in your career. I won’t treat myself poorly.”
Qiu Yelan got out of General’s Mansion. Seeing all the guests swarming in, she was relieved, “Ruan Family will have a lot of relatives and friends from now on.”
“I’m so happy today,” Su He said with emotion, “Your Grace, you also sound much happier than usual.”
“This is what we called a merry heart makes a cheerful countenance. Of course, I’m delighted,” Qiu Yelan squinted a little and said cosily. She reached out and let the sunshine shine into her hands though the half-lifted curtain.
Su He said innocently, “Only if this kind of good things could happen every day.”
Chunran and Xiaran both smiled, “How could the result of imperial examination in spring come out every day?”
“Although the result of the imperial examination in spring can’t come out every day, we can find other things to make us happy!” Qiu Yelan smiled slyly and touched Su He’s head. She said with a smile, “Let’s go! We will go see Granduncle Lian and others. I will let you know why I forbid you guys to mention old Princess’s and mother’s dowries!”
Spring brought hope to the land. Everything was prosperous. She didn’t want those annoying people to enjoy such a good time, good season and good life like she did!
Happiness which built on enemies’ miseries was the real happiness. And it was also the true meaning of happiness. Qiu Yelan who had little moral integrity and incorrect perspectives firmly believed it!