Chapter 43 Deceptive Emotions

Qin Yunzhuang who had come for greeting in the room stood out at once after she heard the sound, “Brother, you must be very exhausted after a whole night’s journey. Father has said that you could sleep longer for a rest. Why you come here so early, brother?” In front of Qin Linfeng, Qin Yunzhuang looked so innocent and lively, like a child who needed love all the time.

As expected, Qin Linfeng liked her action. He touched boldly the smooth long hair of Qin Yunzhuang even in front of Qin Yunuan. He smiled, “How come I feel tired? I come to see you and our mother.” Qin Linfeng cared much about his lovely sister since he was a child. Qin Yunuan also knew that now they both grew up and their intimate behavior seemed to be over spoiled.

Qin Linfeng glimpsed at Qin Yunuan but ignored her, greeting Xiu Gu beside Dou Qing’e, “I haven’t seen you a year. Xiu Gu, you turn younger.”

Xiu Gu nodded happily to respond to him. How harmonious they were. Qin Yunuan was like a stranger here, or for them, Qin Yunuan shouldn’t be present.

“Welcome home, brother.” Even though Qin Yunuan was not willing to greet him, but she should be courteous to avoid others to condemn her.

“Brother? To whom?” Qin Linfeng who just now was polite and gentle turned to be indifferent, as cold as the wind in winter, “I, Qin Linfeng have only one sister.”

Qin Yunzhuang heard that and felt very proud. She pretended to be angry, “Brother, mother has told you that the Third Miss lost her mom early, and master let our mother educate her and her brother. Thus, they are like the biological son and daughter of our mother and biological sister of mine.”

Qin Linfeng said disdainfully, “Maybe due to my absence from home for a long time, I even do not know that the child of the legal wife of the mansion is comparable to the child of a concubine. A menial female embroider married into the mansion and her daughter turned to be the princess of the mansion?”

“Brother, your words will be misunderstood by others.” Qin Yunuan’s eyes bypassed Qin Linfeng and seemed to look into the distance. Her eyes were blurred and profound and suddenly she got her eyes refreshed and pointed out her finger, “Eh, is that the Butler Xie who worked for our father?”

If his words were heard by someone….

Qin Linfeng turned back nervously, only to find the flow vines of winter jasmine flowing by the wind. There was even no one fly outside, let alone a vivid person. And Butler Xie always followed Qin Zhi. How come he came to Cui Xuan Courtyard alone.

Qin Linfeng was at a young and aggressive age. He did not know the tricks inside the mansion because he always stayed out of the family and only knew something in society. He felt angry and turned back, cursing “How dare you? Lie to me! You, this menial daughter of the concubine, always use contemptible tricks.”

Qin Yunuan looked so sincere and aggrieved, “I saw Butler Xie just now, really.”

“How dare you….” Qin Linfeng was gentle and elegant superficially but aggressive and impertinent inside. Qin Yunuan caught this point exactly. She felt a kind of pleasant sensation of revenge in her heart when she saw outrageous Qin Linfeng.

When Qin Linfeng glowered at Qin Yunuan and was about to rebuke this arrogant daughter of the concubine, the hem of his clothes was pulled by Qin Yunzhuang tightly. Before he came to his senses, he saw Qin Zhi standing in front of a screen wall, and really, Butler Xie was behind him.

Qin Zhi was expressionless with his hands behind his back. He stared at embarrassed Qin Linfeng at a loss for a long time. Three years ago, he sent him, as the eldest son born of the legal wife of the mansion, for a study tour due to his hot-headed characteristic. But now, a three-year study tour did not change him better. Master was very disappointed, and hundreds of emotions swarmed into his heart. Now the air seemed to be frozen into ice. He took a deep breath and walked away directly without any word.

Butler Xie was also expressionless and answered with jointed hands, “Grand Young Master, Grand Miss and Third Miss, Master let me prepare a meal at Water Loft and asked me to invite you there.”

It was rear that Qin Zhi came to Cui Xuan Courtyard to invite the three people to have a meal. Qin Linfeng glowed at Qin Yunuan. If the menial girl did not stir it up….

Dou Qing’e came out of the room. She maybe knew what happened when she saw Qin Yunzhuang, Qin Linfeng and Qin Yunuan outside.

“Why do you all freeze here? Don’t you hear that master invites us to have breakfast? Our family hasn’t had a meal together for a long time.”

How powerful this trick is: make an attack indirectly! The blood streaks in the eyes of Qin Linfeng were expanded and he ignored the prompt of Dou Qing’e and Qin Yunzhuang. He was staring at Qin Yunuan. Last night, after he came back home in a hurry, he met Qin Zhi first and boasted himself about the experience and fruit – true or otherwise – of his study tour in the last year. Qin Zhi praised him but now he saw the scene just now. It was true that the mother said in the letter. They always thought lightly of the menial daughter of the concubine.

Besides, he had known that the face of his lovely sister Qin Yunzhaung was hurt, which was related to this daughter of the concubine. Therefore, he was outrageous and wanted to punish her very much. He knew very much that his sister paid much attention to her face.

“What did I say just now,” Qin Yunuan smiled, “I have told you that I saw Butler Xie. Brother, why didn’t you believe me?”

“You are really a malicious girl,” Qin Linfeng sneered, “Well, though you have many tricks, you are still the daughter of the concubine, and your brother Qin Baochuan is the son of the concubine. Be careful.”

All came to the rare family breakfast feast, but only Li Qiqi was late very much.

“Huh, sister Li, here you are,” Concubine Liu looked at Li Qiqi with her delicate eyes, and she used a handkerchief to cover her mouth and satirized, “Only you can be later than the master and madam by the love from the master.”

Li Qiqi looked pale and weak, and even the rouge could not cover her dark circle around her eyes.

“Did you not sleep well last night?” Dou Qing’e expressed her light care about her, “Is there anything short in Furong Courtyard? You can tell me.”

Li Qiqi waved her hands quickly and her voice was as gentle and soft as catkins in spring. She only looked at Qin Zhi and said “All is right. All in the courtyard which was arranged by master and madam is right.”

Li Qiqi was smart. Her eyes had told Qin Zhi that she was aggrieved at Furong Courtyard.

“Concubine, your feet were still hurt. You must be so inconvenient.” Qin Yunuan smiled to bail her out. But Qin Yunuan’s smile made Li Qiqi feel chill somehow.

“All right, let’s have the meal.” Qin Zhi waved his hands uneasily.

At this ordinary meal, all had their thoughts.

In the evening, nurse Liao was about to shut the door of the courtyard. The maidservant Cui’e who served Dou Qing’e, together with two little maidservants came in.

“Third Miss,” Cui’e gave a rough salute to Qin Yunuan, “You are awake. Madam is afraid that we will bother you.”

Qin Yunuan touched her lop chignon. She knew that they came here deliberately to bother her but use the ridiculous excuse. She said, “Sister Cui’e, it’s OK. I sleep badly these days. You know my courtyard is a little bit close to Furong Courtyard. In the evening….” Qin Yunuan suddenly turned frightened as she saw some ghosts and monsters. She stepped close to Cui’e and said in a very low voice, “Sometimes, I can hear cries from Furong Courtyard at night. The voice was not like Concubine Li, so miserable. I am scared of that.”

Cui’e shuddered. Sweats emerged on her forehead unconsciously. Cui’e and Lvliu both entered the mansion of Grand Commandant to be the maidservants at the age of 12 years old. Now she had worked at the mansion for a dozen years. She was over 20 years old but still unmarried, because Dou Qing’e always controlled tightly her favorite followers. If Dou Qing’e let them get married, they would threaten the control of Dou Qing’e towards them in case their husbands got powers.

It was only six years ago that Concubine He was dead. Qin Yunuan did not remember the details but the maidservants aside Dou Qing’e must know something about it.

“Third Miss, what are you talking about,” Cui’e said in her shuddering voice, “Now it’s in early spring, and the voice may come from the cries of wild cats in estrus. That’s why you cannot sleep well.”

“Oh, that’s it,” Qin Yunuan pretended to be enlightened and touched her chest, “I thought there was something wired in Furong Courtyard.” She said as she observed the face of Cui’e. Qin Yunuan suddenly added after the cold sweats emerged on the tip of her nose, “Well, is there any order from the madam since sister Cui’e came here so late?”

Cui’e recovered her face and became a little bit arrogant. She let the maidservant pass something to her, “This is two Buddha scriptures from Wan’an Temple, which you borrowed for madam. But recently, madam takes over the accounting work of counting house and feels very exhausted. Her eyesight gets some trouble and she has heard that you can do pretty and tidy writings. So she wants you to transcribe the Buddha scriptures. You can write bigger characters so that madam can read them clearly.”

It is fine that children do the Buddha scriptures transcribing for their parents. But for Dou Qing’e….

“It is rare that the mother asks for help to me and I must do it piously.” Qin Yunuan showed unhidden happiness. Others might think that her happiness was real. Qin Yunuan asked Tong and Maner to receive the Buddha scriptures.

“And this,” Cui’e took a brocade box from another maidservant, and she said to Qin Yunuan, “This is the pine-oil ink, which is madam’s favorite. She was afraid that you lacked this and specially ordered me to send some to you.”

She did not lack it, and she had never used it. She was the daughter of the concubine and there was never pine-oil ink in her monthly salary.

Dou Qing’e’s sudden hospitality was unexpectedly too strong.