by Ning er
Su Qing had also dropped her silent pretense, and glared back at Yun Qian Meng with hatred. She then coldly smiled and said, “Your plans for Ruo Xue are appreciated! But we cannot accept. You should just take back your crocodile tears!”
Yun Qian Meng did not get angry, and only looked towards the bed while casually saying, “I’m afraid that this isn’t something that yiniang should make a decision about! Why don’t you ask meimei if she wants to attend the birthday feast?”
Momentarily stunned, Su Qing quickly turned around to find that Yun Ruo Xue had already opened her eyes. Glaring back at her with resentful eyes, Yun Ruo Xue firmly spelled out her thoughts, “Mom, I want to attend the feast! I must surpass Yun Yi Yi, I will surpass that slut!”
Near the end, Yun Ruo Xue was almost howling. Her entire body trembled fiercely, showing just how deeply-rooted her hatred was. And this hatred was clearly born from jealousy!
At Yun Ruo Xue’s uselessness, Su Qing felt her temper surge and couldn’t help but raise her outstretched palm……
But Yun Ruo Xue seemed to have predicted her course of action, and fearlessly raised her face, hatefully glaring back at her, daring her to move her hands!
Su Qing only powerlessly lowered her hand and turned to look at Yun Qian Meng. Seeing how quickly she had managed to turn her daughter against her, she immediately understood that everything that had happened was all part of Yun Qian Meng’s plan. With hatred growing in her heart, she nearly ground out her teeth as she spat, “Yun Qian Meng! It was you! Everything was planned by you! You actually planned for everything and everyone! What do you want to do? Just what do you hope to obtain?”
Yun Qian Meng only widened her smile at Su Qing’s reaction. A cold chill flashing deep within her smiling eyes, she moved closer to Su Qing step by step. As the coldness intensified with each step, her smiling expression gave way to a cold, austere glare. Stopping just one step away, she quietly replied, “I want you to give me back all of the dowry!”
Su Qing’s eyes widened at her words, looking at Yun Qian Meng in disbelief!
In Su Qing’s mind, Yun Qian Meng was only a baby when Qu Ruo Li had passed away. And she had also purged the xiangfu of anyone close to Qu Ruo Li at the time. Why would Yun Qian Meng suddenly ask her this? Was this a probing questing?
But from Yun Qian Meng’s tone, she seemed extremely certain of the fact. For a moment, Su Qing was at a complete loss as to what do do!
However, regardless if Yun Qian Meng was just suspicious or confident of the facts, Su Qing absolutely would not return any part of the enormous dowry!
She only stuck out her waist and raised up her head, putting on a fierce expression as she pointed sharply at Yun Qian Meng and retorted, “Yun Qian Meng, don’t spit slanderous accusations at us! Who would covet your dead mother’s belongings?”
Yun Qian Meng did not bother arguing with her. The more aggressively Su Qing reacted, the more obvious it was that she was guilty!
Yun Qian Meng had looked through the list of gifts that were given that year. She naturally knew exactly how staggering Qu Ruo Li’s dowry had been. Ignoring the Yun family’s betrothal gift, with just the rare treasures bestowed by the previous Emperor, it was already enough to feed all the common folk in the capital for several years! As for Fu Guo gongfu, they naturally did not skimp on their daughter’s dowry. With their relationship to the Empress Dowager, Qu Ruo Li had been like a princess when she married!
And if Yun Qian Meng did not guess wrong, the reason the old madam and Su Qing were at odds with each other was definitely related to the missing dowry!
After all, Qu Ruo Li never managed to gain Yun Xuan Zhi’s affection after she married in. After worrying too much, her body had gradually become weak. Perhaps, at that moment, the old madam and Su Qing had already set their eyes on the dowry. But no one expected that Su Qing managed to curry Yun Xuan Zhi’s favor and make the first move, driving the old madam back to Su city to secure her grip on the dowry!
If not for this, with the old madam’s status, why would she even bother finding fault with just a yiniang?
At the moment, even if she beat Su Qing to death, she might not agree to return the dowry. Yun Qian Meng also did not cling on to such a faint hope.
But what Yun Qian Meng had now was time. As long as she slowly traded blows with Su Qing, she would see who gets to make the last laugh!
And right now, on the bed, Yun Ruo Xue was extremely anxious as she heard Su Qing deny the accusation. If her mother did not bring out the dowry, would it mean that she could not attend the birthday feast?
Yun Ruo Xue did not want to be mocked by the other young misses in the capital. She was supposed to be noble daughter that everyone else envied; there was no way she was willing to let go of her spot!
But her mother, for just a bit of money, was willing to let her own daughter’s face fall to the floor. Was this person really her mother? Or was it that her mother’s heart no longer had any room for her?
Countless questions popped into Yun Ruo Xue’s narrow mind as her expression became more and more ugly. She suddenly threw her sheets away and crouched before Su Qing, dragging her sleeves to plead, “Mom, just take pity on me! nü’er really wants to attend the feast! Please, let me go! I promise nothing bad will happen!”
With her own daughter putting her on the spot, Su Qing only felt bitterly disappointed.
Who did she do all of this for? Why did the girl before her not understand the least of her panstaking efforts?
Ruo Xue should know just how large a dowry it was. Even if Ruo Xue was to marry with the status of a concubine’s daughter, that kind of dowry would make it so that her husband’s family could not treat her lightly!
But this girl was so short-sighted, and was about to throw away her future happiness for just a birthday feast. Su Qing only felt her heart freeze as her expression sank deeper and deeper.
Yun Qian Meng only lightly smiled at their expressions. Pulling out a porcelain bottle and placing it on the table, she generously said, “Since it’s like this, yiniang should properly discuss the matter with meimei and come to me with your decision! However, yiniang should not think that this was a fluke and that I only have these methods! Now that everything in the xiangfu is within my grasp, yiniang is just a fish in a barrel. Taking the things you have hidden away is as easy as reaching into a bag, or perhaps I should say, like taking candy from a baby!”
Ending her speech, Yun Qian Meng did not take another look at Su Qing’s changing expression and left Feng He Yuan with Mu Chun’s support.
Su Qing only stared at her daughter that was still begging her profusely and finally really got a taste of Yun Qian Meng’s ability!
She was not going to press her to spit out the dowry, but planned to use Ruo Xue to force her hand!
If she were to promise Yun Ruo Xue, the dowry that she had already taken as her own would need to be wholly returned. When she thought about this, Su Qing only wished she could smash herself into the wall and die!
But if she refused, her relationship with Ruo Xue will be completely destroyed. If she considered how she had personally caused harm to her daughter’s face today, it was extremely unlikely that Yun Ruo Xue would ever forgive her!
It was only now that Su Qing finally understood how terrifying Yun Qian Meng actually was! Yet what had shocked her even more was that she had no idea when Yun Qian Meng had started to plan everything out!
Su Qing only felt cold sweat dripping rom her forehead as she helped Yun Ruo Xue up and tiredly said, “Xue’er, let mom think through this carefully.”
Yun Ruo Xue saw that there was still room for discussion and rejoiced. But, worried that her mother would renege on her words, she added, “Mom, just promise Yun Qian Meng! When Xue’er finds the ideal husband, I will return everything back to you!”
Seeing her daughter’s naive smile, Su Qing felt her heart sour and a bitter taste in her mouth. But she only pretended to happily nod her head and let Wang mama ta
ke Yun Ruo Xue away.
Su Qing was originally planning to wait a few days to find a surefire way to deal with Yun Qian Meng, but the Heavens did not move according to her plans. In just two days, Captain Liu had returned with Yun Yi Yi, and the eldest sister, Yun Qian Meng had taken it upon herself to bring her little sister out to go shopping for jewelry……
Chapter 54: Encountering nobility in Fu Gui Tang | Chu Wang Fei
富贵堂 Fu Gui Tang – Hall of Prosperity; a famous jewelry store in the story
It was the first time Yun Yi Yi had ever come to the capital since she was born. Compared to the peace and quiet of Su city, the hustle and bustle of the capital was a completely different world!
Yun Yi Yi was. after all, just a thirteen year old girl. Ever since she had passed by the lively streets in the carriage, she had been eager to go sightseeing outside the fu!
And the old madam had always favored her granddaughter that she had raised since she was little. Coincidentally, Yun Qian Meng came and said she was going to bring Yun Yi Yi to the capital’s best, Fu Gui Tang for a bit of shopping. Seeing Yun Yi Yi’s face light up with joy the moment she heard the news, the old madam only smiled and nodded. She had some of the servants to tag along to serve them and sent the two sisters off heartily.
Stepping out of the xiangfu, Yun Yi Yi’s widely opened eyes did not rest. She occasionally lifted the curtains of the carriage to look outside, while her lips never seemed to pause as she pulled at Yun Qian Meng beside her and chatted, “jiejie, jiejie, look, quickly look! That blown sugar candy is so pretty! What shape is that? It looks so detailed and dazzling!”
Yun Qian Meng saw the little girl chirp about like a little sparrow and also looked outside with curiosity. She only saw that on the left side of the street, a hawker had arranged some freshly blown sugar candies on the wooden board of his trolley. Under the brilliant sunlight, the sweets glistened with an orange radiance. Looking carefully, she found that they were actually in the shape of a dragon and phoenix totem; causing her to have a whole new level of respect for the craftsmanship of the hawker!
“xiaomei, please sit properly, be careful not to fall!” Retrieving her gaze, Yun Qian Meng saw that Yun Yi Yi had pulled the curtains aside and stuck her entire head out the window. She couldn’t help but break into a sweat at Yun Yi Yi’s dangerous movements and quickly let Mu Chun pull her back into the carriage before putting the curtains back down.
“jiejie, the capital is so great! There are just so many exciting things! Yi Yi is really envious of all of you, jiejie!” Seeing that the curtains had been properly replaced, blocking her yearning gaze towards the capital from the rather dim interior of the carriage, Yun Yi Yi couldn’t help but sigh, full of envy towards her three cousin sisters.
Yun Qian Meng raised her eyebrows when she saw Yun Yi Yi like that. Having somewhat understood Yun Yi Yi’s personality, she smiled and said, “zumu asked meimei to come over this time because she wants to raise meimei by her side. When the time comes for meimei’s hairpin ceremony, she will definitely find an ideal husband for meimei from the noble gongzi in the capital!”
Yun Yi Yi did not pay attention to Yun Qian Meng’s expression and only lowered her head to daydream along the lines of what Yun Qian Meng had just told her, feeling incomparably happy at the moment.
Before she left home, her mom and dad had called her to her room and told her to make sure she had a good relationship with her da jiejie. This would have a direct impact on how prestigious her future husband’s family would be; and her husband’s family would also have a direct influence on the success of her two older brothers. Hence, in the xiangfu, besides the old madam, the first person Yun Yi Yi would need to suck up to was Yun Qian Meng. In front of Yun Qian Meng, she would always maintain an innocent and naïve appearance. After all, she also knew that her da jiejie liked her the most when she acted like this, otherwise, she would not have decided to personally take her out to go shopping for jewelry!
Even though Yun Qian Meng’s smiling expression had not changed since the beginning of their conversation, the radiance in her eyes had turned slightly cold!
When she had last seen Yun Yi Yi in Su City, she had felt that her smile was pure and honest, and her eyes had been so bright and clear, she could easily see the bottom; the perfect picture of a young miss that had grown up in a boudoir, yet to be tainted by the affairs of the human world.
But meeting again after a few days, her clear and limpid eyes had disappeared, replaced with scheming eyes that were distinctive of women who had experienced the struggles in the inner courtyards. In all likelihood, over the past few days, her aunt and uncle had spent quite some effort imbuing her with the ideology to scramble for power and profit!
However, for her to undergo such a complete change in such a short time, it could be seen that in Yun Yi Yi’s subconscious mind, these vain thoughts had always existed!
Still, as long as she did not get in her way, even if she were to turn the entire xiangfu upside down, Yun Qian Meng would not even blink at her actions!
While Yun Qian Meng was flipping through her thoughts, Yun Yi Yi had moved to sit beside her. She extended both her hands and hugged Yun Qian Meng’s arm, slightly leaning her head onto Yun Qian Meng’s shoulders as she said coyly, “Yi Yi knows that in the xiangfu, other than zumu, da jiejie is the person that loves Yi Yi the most!”
In her previous life, Yun Qian Meng had never gotten used to having intimate relationships with others due to her occupation. Seeing how Yun Yi Yi went so far just to make her feeling known, her warmly smiling eyes only flashed with a trace of cold intent. However, she seamlessly pulled her arm out of the way and poked at Yun Yi Yi’s nose, playfully saying, “Little rascal! If jiejie doesn’t love you, who should jiejie love?”
But Yun Yi Yi did not beam with happiness when she heard this. Instead, she wrinkled her nose and complained with some frustration, “san jiejie is also a sweet-tempered and gentle girl, but it’s impossible to get along well with er jiejie! Yet da jiejie still loves her so much, and even gave her the Ning Zhi cream that was bestowed by the Emperor! Yi Yi just feels that it’s not fair to da jiejie! er jiejie treated da jiejie like that in the past, so why are you still so considerate to her?”
From start to finish, the smile on Yun Qian Meng’s face did not even dim the slightest bit. Even after Yun Yi Yi had finished her rant, she still only smiled and continued to size up the underage Yun Yi Yi!
It was quite likely Yun Yi Yi was told to say these things by someone behind the scenes!
Otherwise, how could Yun Yi Yi who had just arrived at the xiangfu know so much about the happenings in the inner courtyards?
Surely, the old madam could not figure out her motives after she had returned, and was using Yun Yi Yi to fish an answer out of her!
Speaking of the old madam, her suspicions were really too ridiculous. Was she actually that worried that Yun Qian Meng would team up with Su Qing to deal with her?
She should know, that if Yun Qian Meng wanted to deal with her, would she have agreed with Yun Xuan Zhi to go to such a remote place just to bring her back to the xiangfu? To a perfectionist that paid plenty of attention to efficiency like Yun Qian Meng, such an unnecessary move was something she would never waste any energy on!
Yun Yi Yi’s heart pounded wildly while she was under Yun Qian Meng’s gaze. Even though Yun Qian Meng was wearing a smile on her face, her eyes gentle and warm; Yun Yi Yi did not understand why she kept feeling an invisible pressure surrounding her entire body, pressing down on her until was barely able to breathe. She only put on a smile with great effort, and cautiously asked, “jiejie, did Yi Yi say something wrong to make you unhappy?”
When she saw Yun Yi Yi’s apprehensive appearance, Yun Qian Meng’s smile only became even warmer. She simply said, “meimei has definitely said something wrong! If we live close to each other, of course there will be times when we fight and argue! Let’s not talk about other people anymore! san meimei has always
been honest person, it’s not uncommon for us sisters to have some conflict when we play together. However, if these little matters resulted in the destruction of san meimei’s future, then I have really failed as the eldest sister! si meimei has only just recently arrived at the xiangfu, so you might not have gotten used to the relationship between us sisters! But si meimei needs to keep something in mind. That is, you can’t simply listen to and believe what some of the servants say! These rumors are too far from the truth! If meimei had just passed them on to zumu just now, zumu might have gotten really angry!”
Finishing, Yun Qian Meng’s smile suddenly faded. She sent a cold look at Yun Yi Yi beside her and didn’t say anything else.
Yun Yi Yi’s face flushed red as she listened to Yun Qian Meng’s barbed words, her heart filling up with blame towards the old madam!
If her grandmother had not pulled her aside last night just to put these things in her head, would she have embarrassed herself so deeply in front of Yun Qian Meng?
It seemed that in Yun Yi Yi’s heart, the old madam had already become just a stepping stone for her to enter the xiangfu; and the person who was really going to lead her to happiness, was Yun Qian Meng! Hence, on the surface, Yun Yi Yi would only have respect for Yun Qian Meng!
Still, although Yun Qian Meng did not care about the old madam’s tricks, Mu Chun who had kept her head lowered in the carriage had already formed fists with her hands, feeling truly outraged at the unfairness against Yun Qian Meng.
When Yun Qian Meng noticed Mu Chun’s reaction, her eyes were filled with genuine warmth. While Yun Yi Yi was busy with her thoughts, Yun Qian Meng extended an arm and touched Mu Chun’s sleeves, comforting her by holding her hand gently; after all, these people were unable to hurt her!
Mu Chun slightly lifted her head only to find that Yun Qian Meng had already retracted her hand and was calmly sitting in the carriage. Even though Yun Qian Meng was now only wearing an indifferent expression, Mu Chun’s heart was already filled with warmth!