Chapter 41 Continue with Triumphant Pursuit
In fact, Qin Yunuan was still in the First Boite of the Royal City a while ago. As for Dou Qing’e sending Cui’e to the Fuxi Courtyard to deliver a message was merely an excuse to make sure that Qin Yunuan had not returned yet.
Qin Yunuan smiled slightly, “Indeed, I was not in the Fuxi Courtyard.” Dou Qing’e’s face immediately rekindled with joy but it was suppressed by her without any trace. “At that time, I was in Concubine Chang’s yard. I was there all day today.”
Concubine Chang smiled and nodded, “That’s right. Yunuan came here early in the morning, saying that she wanted to discuss the congratulatory gift to the second master for having a son.”
The second master of the Qin Family, Qin Chang, was a fellow brother of Qin Zhi. They separated many years ago, but he became the sixth-class official of the Dali Temple because of the identity of Qin Zhi as the Grand Commandant. His wife came from a merchant family. Therefore, he was very rich and gained great success in both the business world and in politics. For this reason, the mansion of Grand Commandant treated the congratulatory gift very seriously now that he had a son.
How was that possible? Dou Qing’e couldn’t believe it. Her shadow guards told her that….
“I have a witness!” Dou Qing’e shouted in a tone that was almost screaming.
“What witness?” Qin Yunuan was even more calm.
Dou Qing’e smiled scornfully, “A witness who can prove that you disobey the rules of the house and left the house without permission. He is Su Shiqi, the waiter of the First Boite of the Royal City.”
Qin Yunuan casually removed the tea powder and raised her eyes. She said, “Yunuan has never heard of this person. I don’t know him.”
Dou Qing’e paid no attention to Qin Zhi, whose face turned more and more stern. She laughed, “It doesn’t matter if Third Miss doesn’t know him. It would be enough if he knows you.”
“Master,” Dou Qing’e said to Qin Zhi in an enchanting tone, “As long as you have seen this Su Shiqi, you know that every word I said is true. Third Miss is still unmarried, and she left the mansion to secretly meet a man in the First Boite of the Royal City. Master, it’s still fine if only insiders know. However, if words gone outside, it would not only ruin the reputation of Third Miss, but also the whole mansion of Grand Commandant.”
Once it came to the reputation of the mansion of Grand Commandant, Qin Zhi always paid special attention. His glance towards Qin Yunuan had slightly changed. There’s a hint of suspicion and questioning in his glance, as if he wanted to see her through.
“Bring him up,” Qin Zhi spoke.
Dou Qing’e’s eyes lighted up immediately. Qin Yunuan clearly felt the provocative look that fell on herself. She raised her white neck, like a breeze sweeping by, and her lips moved slightly, as if she were trying to say “any time.” However, what she actually said was extremely respectful, “If mother has such concerns, Yunuan can justify for myself.”
Su Shiqi was the waiter who served Qin Yunuan at noon in the First Boite of the Royal City. He was strong and short, looking simple and honest. He knelt as soon as he saw Qin Zhi. Before Dou Qing’e and Qin Zhi even started questioning him, he yelled, “I would confess, whatever it is. Lord please forgive me.”
“Why are you yelling like that? We haven’t even questioned you.” Dou Qing’e scolded him.
“Don’t be afraid, this young mister.” Qin Yunuan said with a smile towards Su Shiqi, “Just tell everyone loudly, have you seen me at the First Boite of the Royal City at noon today?”
“She’s not necessarily wearing these clothes. Look carefully and you must tell us honestly.” Dou Qing’e added slowly.
Su Shiqi stunned, then carefully and honestly looked at Qin Yunuan, as if he didn’t want to miss a single hair of hers. He stared for such a long time, even Qin Zhi was a bit impatient. Then Su Shiqi nodded at Qin Zhi and said loudly, “Master, I have never seen this lady before.”
When Dou Qing’e heard it, she almost jumped on her feet. She tried hard to make herself look less anxious, “You need to look carefully, the eyes, the nose and the mouth. Don’t you have any impression at all?”
“That’s right,” Qin Yunuan smiled at Su Shiqi, “You really have to look carefully, maybe I was veiled or something when I went, and then I claimed to have a rash, and I couldn’t see anyone.”
Su Shiqi raised his head with a firm and solemn glance. He vowed to Qin Zhi, “I, Su Shiqi, never tells lies. I have been working at the First Boite of the Royal City for more than ten years. Even though I couldn’t remember every guest that I’ve seen, I wouldn’t forget a guest at noon in the night. I have never seen this lady.”
Su Shiqi wanted to say something more impassioned, but Qin Zhi waved his hand to interrupt his enthusiasm.
“Alright, off you go.” Qin Zhi leaned weakly on the swivel chair after he finished his words. His finger accidentally touched the hot tea by his hand and two drops of hot tea dripped. However, he did not bother wiping it and he asked, “You satisfied?” Apparently, he said that to Dou Qing’e.
“Master….” Dou Qing’e dragged a long tone, and her words were helpless. She watched Su Shiqi stride out of the door. How could things go this way? She clearly gave Su Shiqi a pack of shredded silver, and now….
“Father,” Qin Yunuan leaned forward and put her hands on the tea table. She said seriously, “I supposed that mother had recognized me wrong out of a rush. Father, mother was thinking of the whole family. The important thing here is the situation of Concubine Li. How’s she doing now?”
Dou Qing’e knew that Qin Yunuan wouldn’t really speak for her. She went around in circles and came back to the topic of Li Qiqi.
Qin Yunuan’s plan was very clever. She was identified by Dou Qing’e to leave the house privately. However, the evidence was insufficient, and it could only be counted as a simple confusion. However, everyone saw Li Qiqi being dragged off the cart. Moreover, the status of Li Qiqi in Qin Zhi’s mind was well known.
“Master, Dr. Zhang has come out.” Butler Xie lowered his head and came in to report.
Qin Zhi subconsciously stood up. Out of his expectation, Zhang Ruting had arrived at the door the next moment. He was polite, graceful and full of charm, even the little servant girl couldn’t help but looked up at him a few times.
“How is she?” Qin Zhi leaned forward and asked eagerly.
“Yeah, how is she?” Qin Yunuan’s words were clear and beautiful, but it sounded so harsh to Zhang Ruting. He couldn’t stop looking at her. She could be so pure and innocent on the surface. How could he be the only person who knows her viciousness and brazenness? However, ….
Dou Qing’e was just scolded so she didn’t dare to speak too loudly. She said quietly, “Dr. Zhang must tell the truth.”
Zhang Ruting took a deep breath, and said helplessly, “Master Qin, Concubine Li’s ankle is badly injured, and she needs to rest. During this period, she can’t walk too much. I will write you some prescriptions for blood circulation and bruise removal. She would just need to take the medicine on time.” He nodded his head slightly and left after he finished his words.
The wide and white sleeves danced like a cloud in front of Qin Yunuan’s eyes. She pursed her lips slightly, and felt a bit bitter. If she had been in the previous life, a fairy-like figure like Zhang Ruting would have been the prince in her dreams. However, she was already different in this life. She was not an admirer, and the relationship between Zhang Ruting and herself was merely beneficial, but nothing else.
“Bang,” Qin Zhi took a palm shot on the redwood desk on his right hand side. He glared at Dou Qing’e, gritted his teeth and said, “Now you can say it. It’s your people who stopped the carriage. It’s also your people who dragged Qiqi off the carriage. Again, it’s your people who made her tripped and fell. Don’t say that you have nothing to do with this.”
Dou Qing’e’s tone softened immediately, “Master, I thought that it was Third Miss who was in the carriage.”
“You’re still mentioning this?” It had just been clarified, could Dou Qing’e still have a problem with it? Although he had neglected the daughter of a concubine for years, Qin Yunuan was still the daughter of Qin Zhi. If people said that she had secretly left the house to meet a man, such unclean act would be an insult to him.
Dou Qing’e’s learnt her lesson now and she no longer tried to get into a direct conflict with Qin Zhi. She clenched her handkerchief with hatred and said, “It’s all my fault that I didn’t teach the servants well. Master, rests assured. I must punish those servant girls who offended sister Li. I would first practice the house law then drive them all out of the mansion.”
Qin Zhi snorted coldly, “I’m starting to think that you haven’t paid enough attention to the Buddhist scriptures recently.”
Dou Qing’e face turned rigid. She was afraid that what the master meant by the sentence was to let her surrender the power of managing the mansion again and continue to read the scriptures. She had enough such bitter days and she could not endure another day.
“Father, I think that mother was just too anxious for a moment. Then the servants tried to take the opportunity to please her and swarmed up to pull people out of the carriage. This can’t all be blamed on mother.” Qin Yunuan actually pleaded for Dou Qing’e. Qin Zhi looked at the serious and sincere glance of Qin Yunuan. It seemed that she wasn’t against her mind saying that. Although his daughter of a concubine was not as pretty as her two elder sisters, she was kind-hearted. Thinking of the magical effect of the medicinal mud she made for him, Qin Zhi had some good impressions on her. In fact, he didn’t plan to punish Dou Qing’e too much. After all, Dou Qing’e was the only person who could bear the important task of managing the mansion at the moment.
“Fine. I’ll go inside to look at Qiqi. As for you….” Qin Zhi looked at Dou Qing’e and said, “Go back and reflect on the absurdity of what happened in front of the house. If there is another time, I will not just let it go so easily.”
After Qin Zhi left, Dou Qing’e’s hanging heart slowly let go. She looked at Qin Yunuan vigilantly, and she would not believe that this little b*tch would plead for herself. If she would plead for her, she must have a plan.
Qin Yunuan raised her head slightly, smiling purely like the first snowflakes in winter, without a trace of impurities. “Don’t think too much, mother. Yunuan has no ambition. If mother really let go of managing the household, I’m afraid it would become more chaotic given that Concubine Liu and Concubine Chang are inexperienced.”