Chapter 304 Partiality or No Father-Daughter Affection?
“Yes!” Qin Wanru’s eyes turned slightly red.
“Since it is good, why listen to such rumors! Wanru, you need to remember that you are always my daughter!” Qin Huaiyong heaved a light sigh and said gently.
“Are they all fake?” Qin Wanru raised her eyes, bit her lip, and asked. No one noticed that her deep eyes became deeper and colder.
“Of course, they are all fake!” Qin Huaiyong said with certainty, his eyes firm. “Well, let’s end it. Let’s talk about your sister’s matter first. I am afraid the previous affairs you and your sister experienced in Jiangzhou will be spread to the capital, so I have especially taken two years from your Big Sister’s age to avoid their influence on you both!”
The affairs that happened in Jiangzhou were almost Qin Yuru’s. Even if they were spread here, only Qin Yuru would be ashamed, and she didn’t think they would give her any harm.
But now in Qin Huaiyong’s words, it seemed that she and Qin Yuru were all worried that Jiangzhou’s affairs would be spread here.
This was not what she asked for, but this seemed to be what Qin Huaiyong answered, but he had avoided the most important point. A trace of coldness rose from her heart, and her pupils shrank tightly.
“What do you mean, father?” She became slightly confused, looking at Qin Huaiyong in a daze.
“If your Big Sister were two years younger, she would not have married Qi Tianyu in Jiangzhou; or even if the marriage had been discussed, she would not have got married. You and your Big Sister are all daughters of Qin’s Mansion and should also share the same honor, how such a thing could have happened!”
Qin Huaiyong soothed her.
This idea was similar to her previous idea, but she had put that idea into practice, and Qin Yuru was only practicing it now.
When she just arrived in the capital, she worked out ways to attend parties, aiming to let others know she was short and could not have the romance between men and women. No matter who saw her, they would think the so-called love between men and women was but a joke for her.
She was only a child and knew nothing at that time!
Now Qin Yuru also wanted to use this strategy to show that she was still young when she was in Jiangzhou. Even if she had been engaged, she would not have got married or had a wedding.
Even if rumors came to the capital from Jiangzhou, they would lose their influence. Certainly, taking the action was aimed to rebuild Qin Yuru’s image. These words sounded reasonable, and any father in Qin Huaiyong’s position would do the same thing.
“So, my Big Sister needs to be two years younger?” Qin Wanru wiped her eyes lightly with her handkerchief and asked curiously.
“Right, as long as your sister is two years younger, everything will be fake!” Qin Huaiyong touched his forehead and said helplessly, “Now your Big Sister and Di Yan are engaged. This is a marriage between cousins, and Duke Yong’s Mansion is also willing to cooperate. After all, this is also good for them, and Di Yan will only have to wait two more years, but this won’t give others any harm. As for your matter, your grandma and mother don’t want your Big Sister to affect you, either!”
His words were indirect, but his meaning was clear. As her small face reddened, Qin Wanru lowered her head to tear the corner of her handkerchief and whispered, “As you say, father!”
The so-called matter of hers was no doubt her marriage. Qin Yuru’s marriage was now without trouble, but Qin Wanru’s marriage was with trouble. Now the aim of Qin Huaiyong was to protect Qin Yuru, but he was also protecting Qin Wanru. For a father, it was also right to do so.
This matter had nothing to do with others but Di Yan. Now the profits of the two mansions had been closely bonded. Duke Yong’s Mansion also wanted to get a daughter-in-law with a good reputation, and so helping rebuild Qin Yuru’s image was also very normal!
The matter seemed reasonable in this way of thinking.
Qin Huaiyong also mentioned Qin Wanru’s marriage. As an unmarried girl, she was too shy to ask about it further.
“In the future, if anyone asks about your Big Sister’s age, just say 13!” Seeing Qin Wanru was so tamed, Qin Huaiyong gave a small smile again. “I will ask someone to tell your grandma and mother in a while. Anyway, this is good for everyone. Our mansion has been in the teeth of the storm since we came to the capital!”
Speaking of this, Qin Huaiyong became serious. Since they arrived in the capital, Qin’s Mansion had been in the teeth of the storm indeed. Qin Huaiyong thought someone wanted to deal with him, but he had found nothing after carrying out many investigations. So, he was quite confused and became even more prudent in his action.
“OK, father!” Qin Wanru nodded.
“If you have nothing else to say, go back now. I will consult the map again. This is the map of the capital!” Qin Huaiyong said.
“Yes, father, I’m leaving!” Qin Wanru stood up.
Qin Huaiyong nodded and unfolded the map on the table again. As she turned around, Qin Wanru took a special look at that map, which seemed not just a map of landforms like mountains and rivers.
When she went to the door, the wind blew across. Although she firmly held her handwarmer, she still felt cold all over. The winter in the capital was different from the winter in Jiangzhou. It was so cold that people’s hearts were almost destroyed.
Turning back to look into the room, she found Qin Huaiyong had already concentrated on the map on the table again and knitted his high-raised eyebrows tightly, looking attentive as if she had disturbed him after being called here.
“Since I disturbed him, why was I especially called here?
“The study is not far from the Chuihua Gate. If the outer courtyard servants had been behind the Duke Yong’s Mansion’s procession at that time, they would have seen me let the mansion’s people stay outside the gate, wouldn’t they?”
“Father was very strange? He is also very partial, but his partiality is not very obvious. Instead, it is the faintly discernible partiality. Although he keeps the superficial balance, he is still very partial.”
Her heart was violently torn and became very painful. Although she had already known the result, her heart was still very painful, making her want to cover her chest subconsciously.
“In my previous life, Wen Xichi died. When I was driven out of Deputy Prime Minister’s Chambers, where was my father? Why didn’t he show up again in my memory?
“It seems that after I joined Deputy Prime Minister’s Chambers, this so-called father was not my father anymore, or perhaps it was earlier than that time…”
She turned back and took a deep breath. The icy cold winter air went around in her chest, and a kind of icy cold chill reached every part of her body. She felt very cold but also very clear-headed. All the impractical ideas were exhaled slowly with that mouthful of icy cold air.
“After all, Qin Huaiyong is not my biological father!
“In other words, Qin Huaiyong can’t treat me as his biological daughter after all, or he not only can’t, but he also has other ideas!”
She turned and left immediately. “If so, I don’t need to care about him too much, and those who I care about are only my grandma and mother!
In the study, when he saw Qin Wanru turn around and leave, Qin Huaiyong raised his head again and his eyes fell on her back with the sadness that no one could understand…
Qin Wanru did not wish to go back so soon, continued to wander, and didn’t even go straight back to the Chuihua Gate. Yujie looked at the direction she was walking to and wanted to remind her that this was the outer yard, but when she saw Qin Wanru’s slightly cold face, she followed her silently. “Miss is obviously thinking about something. Anyway, the general is also in the study, no guests are now in the mansion at this time, and so no one will offend the Miss.”
Qin Wanru walked a long time before she raised her head to look at the gate in front of her and stopped. “I have come to the gate!”
Just now she silently tasted every word Qin Huaiyong said. When she stopped now, she suddenly felt the pain in her feet. Surprisingly, she had crossed more than half of Ningyuan Army General’s Mansion.
“Miss, let’s have a rest over there, shall we? There is a flower hall over there. It is very beautiful, and the general used to meet guests there, but there are no guests today!” Yujie looked at Qin Wanru and knew she was tired. “Miss has been walking silently and covered such a long distance, and I even feel a little tired.”
“OK!” Qin Wanru nodded.
Yujie then led the way, bypa.s.sed a path, pa.s.sed a corridor, and reached the small flower hall.
Standing before the flower hall were two servant girls. When they saw Qin Wanru coming, they were shocked for an instant but carried tea to her at once, and then they went back to the door respectfully. At first glance, she knew they were bright.
Yujie walked to one side of the flower hall. As she pushed open the window, she saw a plum blossom with white snow and also a few thin and tall bamboo trees standing in the snow, looking elegant and beautiful.
Qin Wanru’s eyes couldn’t help being attracted to that. The flower hall was not big, but the scenery outside the window was good. At this time, it was exceptionally impressive.
This was the flower hall in the outer yard, but Qin Wanru had never been here before. It was an extremely new place indeed. She walked to the window and watched outside. What was more coincident was that the window was opposite to the gate, but what drew Qin Wanru’s more attention was a large group of people coming from inside.
It was the procession Duke Yong’s Mansion appointed to send gifts.
Somewhat different from the scene that she entered the mansion, the old maid supervisor looked a little wretched, with snow and mud on the corners of her clothes. She seemed to have been beaten, with the red palm print on her face being the most obvious mark.
How strange! How could those of Duke Yong’s Mansion who sent gifts have been beaten in Ningyuan Army General’s Mansion? It seemed that not only the old maid supervisor but also a few others had been beaten. They looked wretched, and two of them were limping. More and more, she felt that they had been kicked hard, and it was a little inconvenient for them to walk.
“Miss, what are they doing?” Yujie also saw them and widened her eyes in surprise.
“Don’t know. Keep watching!” Qin Wanru smiled and watched faintly.
The old maid supervisor of Duke Yong’s Mansion looked very angry. When she arrived at the gate, she met several old maids of Qin’s Mansion. As they met, they seemed to begin talking about something. The old maid of Duke Yong’s Mansion looked aggrieved and angry as she spoke, and a few others came to defend her.
From a distance, she could not see it clearly, but she could see that not only the old maid supervisor but also others from Duke Yong’s Mansion all felt very aggrieved and angry…