Chapter 586 Come to Put on a Show on Purpose
When Shao Yanru returned to the courtyard, she went to Shao Yanru’s silence room. After following Qu Le into the room, she found that Shao Wanru was lying on the couch.
Shao Wanru stretched her legs, which were covered by her long hem, so Shao Yanru could not see her feet.
“Fifth Sister, let me have a look at your foot!” Shao Yanru said with concern, took two steps forward, and walked up to the bed in an attempt to lift Shao Wanru’s hem.
Yujie, who was guarding in front of the bed, stepped forward hurriedly, stood in front of the couch, and said, “First Miss, I’ve applied ointment to my master’s foot, so you can’t have a look at it now!”
“Yujie, I’m afraid that you didn’t do a good job! Let me have a look, or I can’t rest a.s.sured!” Shao Yanru said softly.
“Don’t worry, First Miss. I’ve done that for others before. There won’t be any problem!” Yujie stood still in front of Shao Wanru and said.
Shao Wanru coughed in a low voice and gave an order, “Qu Le, ask the First Miss to sit down.”
“First Miss, please sit down!” Qu Le moved a chair over, put it in front of the couch, and said.
Shao Yanru took two steps back, sat down with composure, and looked at Shao Wanru’s face. Shao Wanru looked fine with a flitting blush on her delicate face and naturally red lips, which looked extremely attractive. Shao Yanru could tell from her face that even if she had sprained her ankle, she couldn’t have been seriously injured.
“Fifth Sister, have you acquainted with Commandery Prince Qing before?” Since Shao Wanru didn’t want to show her foot, Shao Yanru didn’t insist it and asked softly.
“Big Sister, why do you say that? I have never met Commandery Prince Qing before!” Shao Wanru said with certainty.
“On our way to enjoy the scenery, Commandery Prince Qing kept asking about you, and that’s the reason why I came back late. I intended to find out his purpose, but he didn’t give away any detail. I’m wondering why he…” Shao Yanru said with a frown, looking sedate and a little worried at the same time.
It was obvious that she was worried about Shao Wanru.
“Big Sister, rest a.s.sured. I have nothing to do with Commandery Prince Qing. I met him for the first time today. I’m wondering what about me he asked.”
Shao Wanru said seriously.
“That’s good if you have nothing to do with him!” Shao Yanru nodded and said. Although she was still worried, she looked much more relieved. “He asked about your hobbies, what you like and don’t like, what you usually do in the courtyard and when you will go down the mountain.”
Shao Wanru raised her eyebrows and said coldly, “What does Commandery Prince Qing want to do? Doesn’t he know that between the s.e.xes there should be a prudent reserve? What’s more, we didn’t know each other before. How can he ask those questions?”
Shao Yanru nodded and agreed, “It’s indeed improper for him to ask those questions. Nevertheless, he mentioned them implicitly instead of asking them directly. It was inappropriate for me to overreact, so I just advised him implicitly. I hope he could behave himself and stop talking nonsense!”
“Fortunately, he’s well-behaved. After I advised him implicitly, he said that he lost his sense of propriety at the moment because of being overcome by his feelings and he wouldn’t do it again!”
At this point, Shao Yanru breathed a sigh of relief and said, “Commandery Prince Qing has probably realized that he couldn’t ruin a girl’s reputation despite being overcome by his feelings, so he probably won’t inquire about you again!”
Shao Wanru sneered in her heart. Every single word of Shao Yanru showed that Shao Yanru seemed to be thinking for her, but Shao Yanru had been suggesting that Chu Qing had feelings for her.
Chu Qing was very handsome. Although he couldn’t compare with Chu Liuchen, who was as exceedingly handsome as a childe coming out of a painting, nor was he like Wen Xichi, a gentle young man exuding some ethereal aura, he was a Commandery Prince with a rare remarkable look. If a girl won his heart, she must be delighted even if she didn’t really want to marry him.
At a certain time, this kind of delight could even become burning pa.s.sion.
Shao Wanru had never experienced such burning pa.s.sion in the last life and this life, but it didn’t prevent her from sorting out a series of things that had happened. She figured out what had baffled her before at the moment.
Chu Qing’s showing up today was not occasional and could have been a plot against her long before. Shao Yanru might even have invited him to meet in the name of her. Otherwise, Chu Qing would have not shown up here for enjoying the scenery at this time.
He had just been recognized as a member of the royal family, so he naturally had a lot of things to do and wouldn’t have the time and mood to enjoy the scenery leisurely at this time.
If Shao Yanru had invited him to meet in the name of her, Shao Yanru would naturally mention what she was going to wear today in order to make the appointment look real. The reason why Shao Yanru dressed like she was to make her unable to change her clothes rather than to confuse herself and her.
Shao Yanru intended to make up an ambiguous story about her and Chu Qing. Why did Shao Yanru do that?
If Shao Yanru said that to a girl in her teens, it was very easy to tempt the girl into affection for him.
A young and handsome man fell in love with a girl. However, he behaved properly, and could only hide aside and watch her in order to protect her reputation. How could a girl not be moved by such deep affection?
Based on Shao Wanru’s simple experience in this life, she was really just an ignorant girl. Although she was fourteen years old now, she had spent these years in the Yuhui Nunnery and was still young before coming here. So she should be ignorant of the pa.s.sion between a man and a lady.
Of course, she would not realize the affection in Chu Qing’s eyes when he looked at Shao Yanru just now.
Unfortunately, Shao Yanru was wrong about Shao Wanru and didn’t expect that she would reincarnate in this life. Shao Yanru thought that Shao Wanru was ignorant with such simple life experience and even if Shao Wanru was cunning, Shao Wanru would be convinced by her after she repeated those words a few more times.
“Big Sister, Commandery Prince Qing has nothing to do with me. Please don’t mention him again!” Shao Wanru said with some displeasure.
“Okay, I won’t. I said that because I was afraid that it will arouse suspicion if you have more contact with Commandery Prince Qing in the future. Since you got it, I will be discreet in word. I hope that Commandery Prince Qing could restrain himself. Otherwise, he may cause big trouble!” Shao Yanru nodded and said with a worried look, “After all, he’s the nephew newly recognized by the emperor, who has always doted on his two nephews!”
“Big Sister, you mean…” Shao Wanru understood and said in a panic.
“I’m afraid that he will ask to marry you directly. I heard that he’s old enough to get married. If…” Shao Yanru said with a frown and looked anxious. She then reached out to rub her forehead and continued saying without looking at Shao Wanru’s face, “The Empress Dowager has always doted on the male offsprings of the late emperor. You can tell it from her att.i.tude towards Prince Chen. Now if Commandery Prince Qing really goes to ask to…”
At this point, Shao Yanru couldn’t go on. She looked at Shao Wanru with a gloomy look, as if unable to come up with a good idea.
The Empress Dowager and the emperor doted on Chu Liuchen, but it did not mean that they would take the same att.i.tude towards Chu Qing. If Chu Qing had really won their favor, now he didn’t have to do all these to leave a good impression on others.
Of course, Shao Wanru would not say that. She pretended to be a little fl.u.s.tered, held an edge of the quilt, sat up, and said, “Big Sister, what should I do now?”
“I… I don’t know either!” Shao Yanru said with a bitter face and looked at Shao Wanru after hesitating for a moment, “Why don’t we ask grandma to report it to the Empress Dowager and say that you can’t get engaged because you’ve been observing mourning for your parents?”
Shao Yanru’s suggestion sounded very reasonable, but Shao Wanru found it ridiculous after thinking about it carefully. Apart from the fact that Shao Wanru was going to finish observing mourning for her parents in only a few months, she couldn’t explain how she knew that Chu Qing would ask to marry her. Since she had been meditating in the Yuhui Nunnery, how would she know Chu Qing was going to do that? Could it be possible that she had dated him long before and just pretended to be unwilling to marry him now?
Moreover, it was inappropriate to ask Old Madam to come forward to settle the problem, because Shao Wanru had never felt any kindness from Old Madam.
So the solution sounded feasible, but in fact, Shao Wanru thought that it definitely wouldn’t work.
Shao Wanru shook her head and said, “I had better not bother grandma. She’s still sick… Besides, Commandery Prince Qing didn’t say it directly. We can’t explain how we know it!”
“But if he really asks to marry you, it will be too late! What’s more, it will have an influence on your reputation as a Miss observing mourning for parents. If he really wants to… he should mention it after you go down the mountain!” Shao Yanru said, looking worried about Shao Wanru.
“Big Sister, do you think whether I should meet him and make it clear?” Shao Wanru lowered her head and said after thinking for a while.
“Of course, this is the best solution. It will be fine after you make it clear.” Shao Yanru nodded repeatedly and said. But after that, she seemed to have realized that she agreed too soon, and said with an embarra.s.sed look, “If others see… the meeting between you, I’m afraid it will have a negative impact on your reputation!”
“Let’s make it a secret meeting. Miss, you can meet Commandery Prince Qing in secret and make it clear!” Yujie said anxiously.
Seeing that this maid, who devoted herself to protecting Shao Wanru, finally fell into the trap, Shao Yanru showed a slight smile.
“It would be great if you can meet him without being discovered by others, but we are in the nunnery. Some officials of the Ministry of Justice are still here. Even at night, it’s still…” Shao Yanru raised another question with a worried look, “Fifth Sister, you’d better not go to meet him. It is always wise to play safe. If something goes wrong, you won’t be able to clear your name even if you jump into the Yellow River!”
“Miss, let me go on behalf of you. You can write a letter to make it clear, and I’ll deliver it for you.” Yujie said anxiously.
“Uh…” Shao Wanru said hesitantly.
“This idea is not bad. At least your master won’t take any risk. You are indeed a good maid. If you are discovered, you can claim that you are a maid and meet him by chance!” Shao Yanru nodded repeatedly, said with emotion, and gave Yujie a suggestion.
“Miss, please let me go. I’ll take less risk than you anyway!” Yujie looked at Shao Wanru and said sincerely. She then knelt down in front of Shao Wanru’s crouch and said with her hands on the crouch, “Miss, please let me go. If Commandery Prince Qing really asks to marry you, your reputation will be ruined!”
“Well… okay!” Shao Wanru looked at Yujie and then at Shao Yanru, bit her lip, and made up her mind.
“Since you’ve decided to write a letter, you can’t make it too detailed. You should make it vague, lest you give away something!” Shao Yanru thought for a while and reminded Shao Wanru.
She seemed to have thought about everything for Shao Wanru! But in fact, she had set up a trap. A vague letter could be understood in different ways.
Shao Wanru glanced at Shao Yanru’s face with her eyes slowly becoming cold. Shao Yanru was so scheming and intended to coax her to send the evidence to Chu Qing!