Bab 25: Chapter 25 - Be Involved in Big Trouble!
Qiu Yelan and Jiang Yashuang waited until the eighth young master Jiang and Fair Concubine left after thoroughly enjoying themselves. They had already been tortured to the point where their clothes were wet, so they hurriedly climbed out.
However, they forced to curl themselves up in the narrow place down the divan. Both of their hands and feet had been numb.
In this case, they had to continue to hold each other while exercising. At this time, even if Jiang Yashuang, who valued etiquette, didn't have any thoughts about ambiguity and honor. He only wanted to restore his ability to act quickly!
This kind of divan that had not been cleaned for many years was not a place for people to stay at all!
When they came out, they lit a lamp. But they witnessed that they were messy because of cobwebs all over them and just overhead, not to mention their faces.
Qiu Yelan felt regretful in heart. She intended to turn to the Empress because of Gu Yan. But she immediately came across that the nephew of Empress Jiang fornicated with the most beloved concubine of the emperor. And this was also known by another nephew of Empress Jiang. Was the heaven going to kill her?
For such a big thing, unless Jiang Yashuang was innocent, even if he just protected her, he would definitely kill her!
She trembled her fingers to tidy up herself, and her heart was beating quickly!
Jiang Yashuang was indeed a child of Empress's clan. Although his face looked bad, he still behaved calmly. He just tidied himself up casually and looked at Qiu Yelan, "Your Grace…"
"I just killed two guards of the Ganli Palace. Both of them were servants of Empress Dowager Gu." Qiu Yelan immediately said, "According to Deng Yi, who took them to w.a.n.gxing Pavilion to kill me and Su He, Empress Dowager Gu got an adulterer into the palace, intending to slander Empress Dowager Ye!"
Jiang Yashuang was stunned, and there was a flash of sharpness in his eyes, "Adulterer?"
"I was called to the palace by the Empress Dowager this time, and I was in a daze." Qiu Yelan said what happened on her way here in a few words, revealing the look of fear, "Unexpectedly, in the Liuchun Pavilion before and the Ganli Palace followed, I almost couldn't leave the palace alive."
Before she finished speaking, her eyelashes shook and tears fell silently.
Qiu Yelan didn't notice the embarra.s.sment that flashed across Jiang Yashuang's face because she bowed her head in order to look pitiful.
…Jiang Yashuang suggested Princess Yongfu invite Kang Lizhang to the palace for a banquet before. Originally, he wanted to use the conflict between the two empresses and the Empress Dowager's help to make Qiu Yelan's life better.
Of course, this would sacrifice Kang Lizhang.
However, whether it was Jiang Yashuang or Princess Yongfu, both of them hated Kang Lizhang who took credit for others' work. So it didn't matter how she was punished by the Empress Dowager!
Unexpectedly, man proposes, G.o.d disposes. From Gu Yan molested Qiu Yelan in the Liuchun Pavilion, things no longer followed as Jiang Yashuang expected.
In fact, Jiang Yashuang's idea caused the little Commandery Princess to get into this situation…
He had a headache and rubbed his forehead, and then he pulled the topic back, "General of Feather Squad and Imperial Guard with level above five, also the direct nephew of the Emperor, actually had affair with the most beloved concubine of the Emperor, namely, Fair Concubine. What do you think about this, Your Grace?"
Qiu Yelan heard that he was giving her a chance. She felt relieved and said with a severe countenance, "This is impossible! How could this immoral thing happen as it is strict to go in and out of the palace? Does he think that all the people in the palace are blind? There must be someone who hates the Jiang family and envies the Empress slandering!"
Her current disadvantages were too weak. The only twelve-year-old Commandery Princess had no elders to rely on. She had no power. But being extremely weak was an advantage. That was, she couldn't even offend the Jiang family!
In particular, she had greatly offended Empress Dowager Gu for her reaction in Hall of Taishi.
If she didn't stand firmly with the Empress, Empress Dowager Gu would eat her alive even the Jiang Family didn't take special vengeance on her and didn't care about her!
"Did you come here since you were lost, Your Grace?" Sure enough, Jiang Yashuang smiled after a moment of contemplation, "I take you back."
The relief of surviving danger was revealed on Qiu Yelan's face, but she was more on her guard. It was not that she had a vile mind. She just saw all kinds of tricks that people being friendly and stabbed others at the same time in the last phase.
Fortunately, Jiang Yashuang was a man of high principles. He did not mean to a.s.sault her when she was off guard. And after the lights were turned off, he said, "I'm afraid it's not good for your grace to walk with me if someone sees. Please be a few steps behind, Your Grace."
It was exactly what Qiu Yelan was hoping for. She was worried if they stayed too close‒ "Ugh, is Jiang Yashuang afraid of being taken advantage of by me again? Even if I really take any medicine by mistake, I'm only twelve years old. I can't hurt him…"
They left the hall one by one and walked towards the house where Qiu Yelan had been settled.
At this time, the stars above were spa.r.s.e, and it seemed that the banquet in front was also about to finish. In the deep palace covered with thick snow, there was fragrance of plum blossom flowing from somewhere. It was cool and cold, proud and clean. It flew with the night wind, and made people immediately perk up.
Qiu Yelan looked at Jiang Yashuang, who was walking slowly a dozen steps ahead, wondering if he really let her go—She suddenly saw Jiang Yashuang stop!
Without thinking, Qiu Yelan ducked and hid behind the nearest stoa.
In the open and serene night, it was surprisingly quiet because there wasn't snowing.
Therefore, Qiu Yelan suddenly heard it was the eighth young master Jiang's voice, "Nineteen, it is really you! Did you just hide under the divan, right? What did you do there?"
Qiu Yelan sipped her lips, and quickly looked at the surrounding terrain with the snow reflection. She was looking for a way to escape.
However, Jiang Yashuang did not mean to betray her, and he said lightly, "Aunt said that you have always been coming here recently. She was afraid that you would disturb Empress Dowager Ye, so she called me to come and see."
"Your watch me grow up. How can you come to coax me?" The eighth young master Jiang smiled and said in an indifferent tone, "Did Tao let you do this because she cared about her grandniece? Did she think that I fancied a gorgeous maid in the palace again? "
"Grandmother is doing this for you." Jiang Yashuang was caught in a lie, but he didn't feel embarra.s.sed. And he still said lightly, "Additionally, sister-in-law is virtuous and considerate. It's really unjustified that you repeatedly vent your anger on her for grandmother's sake."
The eighth young master Jiang said, "Grandmother, grandmother, you call her so affectionately! Our direct grandmother died long ago! Grandfather married Tao just in order to win over the Tao family. Now our family is strong. We don't need Tao family's help. But you still flatter them like this. If junior Tao were pretty, I would have thought you liked her…"
This eighth young master Jiang was so shameless that he hooked up with his uncle's concubine. And he immediately suspected his brother coveted his wife after his brother persuaded him to treat his wife better. After the stoa, Qiu Yelan thought helplessly, "Did I hear any secrets I shouldn't hear…"
"Mind your words." Jiang Yashuang was not frightened or angry, and his tone was light as ever, "Sister-in-law has always been decent. And I am not an unfilial person…"
"Okay!" The eighth young master Jiang was impatient, and he interrupted Jiang Yashuang before he finished saying, "Just a joke. Why do you feel anxious? I know that you are a good man and you stay away from womanizing. Let's get to the point. How do you plan to tell Taos since you have seen?"
Jiang Yashuang hesitated for a moment and then said, "This affair is too big. Of course, I can't tell them."
"You are indeed my direct brother…" Although the eighth young master of Jiang called his step grandmother "Tao" a few times, he was obviously a little bit afraid of Tao for his loose tone now.
But Jiang Yashuang said, "But I will tell aunt!"
"What mischief you are going to do?!" The eighth young master Jiang yelled, "You tell aunt? She won't do anything to me. But what about Fair Concubine?!"
Qiu Yelan thought speechlessly, "This adulterer has conscience!"
Then the eighth young master Jiang immediately said something trashy, "If you really feel wronged for uncle, please wait a year or so. After I'm tired of Fair Concubine, you can tell! I like her now. You are against me intentionally if you do it!"
"Fair Concubine's status is different from that of a maid in the palace. In the past, it's easy for aunt to cover up your affair with a maid. But concubine…Once the matter is exposed, have you thought of the consequence before?" Jiang Yashuang said lightly, "This will bring disaster to our family!"
The eighth young master Jiang said indifferently, "So I chose this Ganli Palace. I'm in charge of this place and the guards and maids are my henchmen. To tell you the truth, I've had trysts a few times here. Have you heard about it?"
Now Qiu Yelan knew why this Ganli Palace looked like a ghost palace…Just because he dismissed people here for the convenience of having a tryst with lover.
And then the eighth young master Jiang sneered, "Actually, I just found out that you were hiding under the divan halfway. There is only one place to hide in that room, and it's actually a trap. If I hadn't smelled your usual fragrance 'Yuelin Fragrance', I would have gone out to call people in, and surrounded the divan…You don't have to worry about that!"
"So I survived?" Qiu Yelan burst into tears in her heart. "How do I feel that the more I listen, the more I suppose that I'm in trouble? And he—he still made love with Fair Concubine so long though he knew his brother was hiding underneath?!"
"It's about to finish in front. Let's go back." The eighth young master said gently, "Don't you like your Persian cat very much? Think about it. Would you be happy in case I deliberately killed your Persian cat? Fair Concubine is like a Persian cat to me—It's not a big deal if you really want to punish her. But could you let me flirt her for a few days?
Listening to them as they went away, Qiu Yelan knew that Jiang Yashuang couldn't lead her. She wiped off the cold sweat on her forehead and looked around. Fortunately, this place was not far from the room where Su He stayed. So, she found Su He though she went wrong several times—At this time, Su He had already fallen asleep because of fear and exhaustion!
"Not so bad." Qiu Yelan touched her forehead and found that it was not hot. So she relieved.
She walked around in the room where the guard was killed just now, but found no traces of other people. She took the quilt and returned to the place where Su He stayed, and then she lay down beside the divan—It was dusk when she was woken up by others.
Nijin woke her up and she was confused, "Why are you here, Commandery Princess Ningyi? I couldn't find you if there weren't any ice edges!"
"Eh!" Another maid was trying to wake Su He up, and she suddenly found a bruise on Su He's neck. She was surprised, "What's wrong?!"
The two maids looked at each other, and no longer asked why Qiu Yelan and Su He moved. They fetched water to clean up Su He and Qiu Yelan, "Please clean up quickly. The Empress is free now. It has to be delayed if you miss!"
Today was the first day of the first lunar month. It was not easy for the Empress to take time out. But Qiu Yelan was inevitably wondering if there was something else since the Empress rushed to see her.
"For example, in fact, I am also the child of Empress Jiang. But I must be raised outside the palace because Empress Dowager Gu is cruel and ruthless! I am of n.o.ble birth, but I am bullied by someone like Madame Lu. Empress Jiang must be hiding and crying secretly now. Should I cry when I go there…"
Qiu Yelan couldn't stop the wild illusions, and she was thankful that she and Su He had been found in this room. Otherwise, she could not be able to explain the cobwebs and dust that she didn't clean up thoroughly after climbing out under the divan to the maids…
But now the two maids didn't ask. How normal was it to be dirty to live in such a room that hadn't been cleaned up?
After cleaning up, Qiu Yelan saw a sedan waiting after she came out.
The location of the Ganli Palace was relatively isolated. But the Zishen Palace where the Empress lived was located in the center of the harem. So the two palaces were far away.
So that Qiu Yelan was awakened again when she got out of the sedan. She almost tripped when she stepped on the steps in front of the Zishen Palace.
"Be careful, Your Grace!" Su He, whose neck was covered with a silk handkerchief to conceal the bruises, came to support her faithfully although she walked unsteadily. And this prevented Qiu Yelan from falling under the watchful eyes of people.
But Su He's voice also made everyone around look at here subconsciously. One of them was a young boy of eighteen or nineteen years old. He wore gorgeous clothes, with a golden crown and a jade belt. He was surrounded by several maids and was stepping down from above. As he was unfamiliar with Qiu Yelan, he asked attendants curiously, "This is…?"
"I'll ask for you, Your Highness." His maid also didn't know. After asking, she took a few steps, "Sister Nijin, this is?"
"It is Commandery Princess Ningyi from Prince's Mansion of Xihe." The maid named Nijin nodded to her and reminded Qiu Yelan not far away in a low voice, "Your Grace, that's Prince Yan!"
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone