Chapter 122 Missed the One-on-One
Trying every means and agreeing to a lot of unfair terms, Jiang Yashuang finally managed to stop Qiu Yelan from crying. It was already dark and late. It was no longer quiet outside. Maids and old maidservants were back. They all came to invite Qiu Yelan to dinner.
Qiu Yelan who was still a bit angry asked Jiang Yashuang to leave angrily, “Just go! Don’t come over anymore unless invited!”
Jiang Yashuang took this as an invitation. He rubbed her long dark hair with a smile, “I will come to see you as soon as I’m free.”
“Don’t touch me!” Qiu Yelan shouted in a low voice disgustedly, “I saw you touching Whitey like this just now.”
“Okay. Okay. Okay. I promised.” while saying, Jiang Yashuang rubbed her again playfully. While she jumped up to beat him, he sneaked behind the screen like a fish and jumped out of the window.
Leaving Qiu Yelan behind, she pounded on the table angrily, “I’m going to practice martial arts. I have to practice martial arts! After I become a master of martial arts, I will challenge him to a duel and then kick his a.s.s!”
Inside Prime Minister Xue’s Mansion, someone was also pounding on the table at the same time. It was just that Xue Fangmi didn’t have a mixed feeling like Qiu Yelan. What she felt was pure and incomparable anger!
“Just the youngest son of Jiang Family’s fourth branch! He can’t inherit the t.i.tle. And he doesn’t have scholarly honor or official rank!” after Xue Fangmi knew that Jiang Yashuang rejected the marriage and he rejected it decidedly leaving no alternatives, first she couldn’t believe it and then she was so p.i.s.sed off!
She humiliated Ruan Qingyan in public which made it impossible for Xue Family and Ruan Family to form ties. Xue Chang was so furious because of it that he actually reproached her. Moreover, she offended her brother’s family thoroughly because of it.
So, when she was taking a walk in the garden on that day, she b.u.mped into her sister-in-law Xuesun. Xuesun called out to her promptly and said in a tepid tone, “You’d better not go out so often! Everyone is wondering since you are the lady of Prime Minister’s family and everyone knows that father adores you deeply, why Jiang Yashuang rejected you so decidedly right when we brought you up? There must be something wrong with you. Of course, we watched you grow up. We know that there is nothing wrong with you. It’s just that gossip is a fearful thing. For our family’s reputation, you’d better behave. Don’t go out of your room unless it’s necessary!”
Xue Fangmi’s mother was a concubine. But Xue Chang’s wife was already dead. And he adored Nan deeply. Nan could be considered as the lady of the house. Even Xuesun didn’t dare to offend her rashly. Xue Fangmi was spoiled since she was born. When did she get humiliated to her face like this?
However, it was true that she was rejected. No matter how glib she was, facing Xuesun’s sneer and warning, she could only go off in a huff ungracefully. After she went back to her room, she calmed down a little. But she couldn’t put up with it anymore, “If I didn’t consider that he was said to be a pushover because of his good temper, and he was decent unlike the rest of the guys in Jiang Family. How could I like him?”
The trusted maid Xi Zhi comforted her with caution, “Miss, don’t hurt your hand!” seeing that Xue Fangmi wasn’t mad at her, she nerved herself and said, “I wonder is there something wrong? Otherwise, why did General Jiang refuse?”
Xue Fangmi sneered, “How would I know? No matter judging by talent or look, how am I not a good match for Jiang Yashuang? Even my mother is a concubine, my father only has two daughters. How many sons does his family have? And he is the youngest grandson of Marquess Qin. Even his family has loads of money, how much will be left when he grows up? It may not be as much as my dowry!”
The more she thought about it the angrier she got, “No matter the Empress or Empress Dowager, they both have wanted to win my father over for a long time! Every time we get invited to the palace, all the princesses and commandery princesses are polite and kind to me. Although Jiang Family is known as the family which controls half of our country, whenever they can’t win the argument with Gu Family, my father speaks up for them. Now my father is okay with this, nut Jiang Yashuang is going crazy….”
Xi Zhi muttered to herself, “Could it be… General Jiang was already committed to others?”
“Committed to others?” Xue Fangmi’s look suddenly changed, “Are you referring to the rumor about Commandery Princess Ningyi and Jiang Yashuang being alone in one room at Yunyi Restaurant?”
“Although Jiang Family clarified that the one being alone with Commandery Princess Ningyi was Chunfu Princess in men’s clothes, Commandery Princess Ningyi is engaged and in mourning. Even the one being alone with her was General Jiang, I think it’s reasonable that Jiang Family uses Chunfu Princess as a shield to avoid the shame.” Xi Zhi whispered.
Xue Fangmi’s face was gloomy. She said after a long time, “Send someone to do some digging! What’s the relationship between Commandery Princess Ningyi and Jiang Yashuang? Does she have something to do with Jiang Yashuang rejecting the marriage?”
Xi Zhi wanted to say something but stopped on a second thought.
Xue Fangmi noticed and asked frowning, “What do you want to say?”
“Commandery Princess Ningyi is Ruan Qingyan’s cousin. It’s said that he adores her deeply.” Xi Zhi said.
“Are you implying that Jiang Yashuang rejected the marriage so decidedly and totally ignoring my feelings is because she incited him to? And she did it because I humiliated Ruan Qingyan in public last time?” Xue Fangmi was smart. She got what Xi Zhi implied at once.
Xi Zhi nodded, “Otherwise, General Jiang should at least be euphemistic for master’s sake. Does he have to make a fuss about it so that everyone knows?”
“What a vicious b*tch!” Xue Fangmi tried every means to humiliate Ruan Qingyan in public back then. So, there was a rumour about Ruan Qingyan trying hard to play up to Xue Family. After that, Xue Chang invited Ruan Qingyan again and again, but he refused every time. Xue Fangmi didn’t feel guilty about it at all. She was glad that she made it impossible for her niece Xue Nongqing to marry Ruan Qingyan who had a simple family and was good-looking and talented. However, when the same thing happened to her, she couldn’t bear it at all, “This is an attempt to ruin my reputation and my future. If Commandery Princess Ningyi really did it, I would make her regret about it!”
She thought for a second, “The niece of Ding Family married into Prince’s Mansion of Xihe. She is Commandery Princess Ningyi’s sister-in-law. Go and ask her to make an arrangement. I want to meet with Commandery Princess Ningyi!”
Xi Zhi said in a hurry, “I’m afraid it can’t be arranged. Because she is in mourning. If she used this as an excuse, Miss Ding couldn’t force her to go out. Master definitely won’t let you go to Prince’s Mansion of Xihe. Because they have officially taken Empress Dowager’s side.”
Xue Fangmi felt awful. She said angrily, “Go and give her a message! What if that little b*tch said yes?”
Qiu Yelan was hoping for this kind of one on one. But Xue Fangmi was lucky. Right after Zhenzhen delivered the message, General’s Mansion delivered the message about General Ruan getting worse.
Qiu Yelan who just burnt the recipe Jiang Yashuang sent to her privately was in a hurry to visit her grandfather. She wanted to agree, but instead she said, “Miss Xue is really unthoughtful! I’m not her relatives or friends. I haven’t even met her. Why does she want to see me out of the blue? Doesn’t she know that I’m in mourning and my grandfather is sick? Even my uncle and aunt avoid bothering me at this kind of moment. As a stranger, she wants to meet me. She is really full of herself!”
Su He backed her up loudly, “Maybe because she didn’t know better and humiliated Cousin Ruan before. And now she wants to apologize through you?”
“Then she should apologize to cousin directly!” Qiu Yelan said coldly, “She humiliated cousin to his face before. Now when she realized she was wrong and wanted to apologize, she suddenly felt it’s inappropriate for a man and a woman to meet in private? What an unreasonable person! Tell her I’m busy! And ask her to leave me alone!”
After she was done talking, she ignored Zhenzhen. She instructed maids to pack up her things and left.
Zhenzhen told Ding Qinghong what she said. Ding Qinghong was livid, “Commandery Princess Ningyi really is as cunning as the rumour.”
“Then what should we tell Miss Xue?” Zhenzhen asked with caution.
“Just say that General Ruan is getting worse. Commandery Princess Ningyi needs to take care of him. So, she can’t go meet her.” Ding Qinghong said after a while with a gloomy face.
Zhenzhen felt a little surprised. She checked to make sure there was no one outside. Then she whispered to Ding Qinghong’s ear, “If we told Miss Xue exactly what Commandery Princess Ningyi said, considering how she is, she definitely wouldn’t let Commandery Princess Ningyi off the hook… Doesn’t young master hate Commandery Princess Ningyi?”
“So what?” Ding Qinghong shook her head and said, “Don’t forget that Commandery Princess Ningyi is also not the one you want to mess with!” she lowered her voice, “We are not safe here. Mother clearly considers my husband and me as thorns in her flesh. If we offend Commandery Princess Ningyi this time, we will have one more enemy! Why would I do that? When you reply to Miss Xue, choose your words carefully! It’s better to make her forget about it!”
Zhenzhen was enlightened, “Yes, my lady!”
Ding Qinghong wished it could be over. But Xue Fangmi didn’t think so. She asked Zhenzhen with a sneer, “General Ruan is getting worse? What a coincidence!”
Hearing this, Zhenzhen was not happy. Because she sounded demanding. Even her status was higher than Ding Qinghong, she truly didn’t take Ding Qinghong seriously. But Zhenzhen had to answer because her status was lower than Xue Fangmi’s, “General Ruan is sick since last year. It’s said that he got worse once before Ruan Qingyan took the exam. Now he is getting worse again. It shouldn’t be a lie.”
Xue Fangmi sneered, “But he shall not get worse the moment you deliver the message. I think Commandery Princess Ningyi feels guilty and uses it as an excuse on purpose! What an unfilial thing!”
Zhenzhen puckered her lips, “Commandery Princess Ningyi has already gone to General’s Mansion.” the implication was that if you wanted to seek revenge, went to the General’s Mansion yourself. Don’t count on us.
“General’s Mansion?” Xue Fangmi thought for a while. There weren’t many people left in Ruan Family in these years. Now they didn’t have any womenfolk who was able to entertain guests. Now that Qiu Yelan had gone to General’s Mansion. It was difficult to ask her out or mess with her.
Seeing that Xue Fangmi was frowning and silent, Xi Zhi knew she was in a pickle. So, she suggested, “Ruan Family’s first lady’s husband, the one whose last name is Fang, seems to work in the Inst.i.tute of History after he got transferred back to Jing City?”
Xue Fangmi was enlightened, “So, he works for my uncle?” the director of the Inst.i.tute of History Xue Tian was Xue Chang’s distant cousin. They were not close and remotely related. But since they both worked for the government, they kept in touch. Their family members were familiar with each other.
Xue Fangmi decided immediately, “Prepare the carriage. I’m going to visit my aunt!”