Real Empress from a noble family

Anyhow, Ruan Qingyan cared about her sincerely. Although he knew her promise was not reliable, he still sighed and forgave her after she confessed tearfully. Sending away the maids, he came to the point, "I have read part of the compensation list and found nothing unusual. I don't think they would do such stupid things now that they agreed to compensate."

Qiu Yelan tried to please her cousin, "It was all because of your backup that I could…"

"There is nothing more to say about this matter." Ruan Qingyan interrupted her impassively, saying, "Tell me what was going on between you and the brothers of the Jiangs!"

Wiping the cold sweat off her face, Qiu Yelan said, "Actually, I talked to Jiang Yadan for the first time that night." With his bad reputation, she must draw a line with him in the first place. Who knew what Ruan Qingyan was going to ask next?

"So you mainly interacted with Jiang Yashuang?" Ruan Qingyan asked nonchalantly, supporting his chin with one hand. "Were you forced to go to the Jiangs' residence in the middle of the night? Or were you asking him for help?"

He asked calmly, but Qiu Yelan felt shocked for no reason and answered cautiously, "I… um, he and his brother came to speak for me that day and I felt strange, so I went to ask him."

Ruan Qingyan said lightly, "So you did not consider one another as outsiders?"

"…" Qiu Yelan went silent immediately, looking timid and rubbing the corner of her dress as pitifully as possible.

Ruan Qingyan closed his eyes, and after a while, opened again. His tone was still faint, "So what do you want now?"

"… Cousin?" Qiu Yelan was not sure of his attitude. She asked hesitantly.

"Do you want to marry Jiang Yashuang?" Ruan Qingyan looked at her.

Qiu Yelan was stunned for a while and said, "Not that…"

"So what are you going to do with your marriage?" Ruan Qingyan sneered. "Are you going to get along with Jiang Yashuang like this? Who knows what will happen… Are you willing to be ruined? Don't tell me he is a good guy. If he were really good, he would definitely not be in close contact with you before marrying you. The end of Yang Yishi is an example!"

Qiu Yelan whispered, "He… said he would marry me, but…"

"But what?!" Ruan Qingyan's eyes flashed with anger and he said coldly, "Since ancient times, libertines have been cheating women with the same trick. They first seduce you and then coax you with sweet words. They satisfy you whatever you want. Once you are in their hands, you'll know whether they can fulfill what they promised before! I had thought you were a smart girl and would not be easily coaxed! Now I know you are so silly!"

Apparently he was almost mad and went so far as to say, "When I was in the South, I promised many girls that I would marry them and live with them for a lifetime. But when I came here, I brought only several maids. But no one has had an affair with me. As the saying goes, all crows under the sun are black. There is no good man in the world. To be honest, although this is a bit extreme, it is by no means unreasonable! Do you think you are good-looking and have the dignity of a Commandery Princess, so Jiang Yashuang will never deceive you? You are too naive!"

Qiu Yelan wanted to bump straight into the wall, saying, "No. Jiang Yashuang said if I agreed to marry him, he would immediately disengage me from Deng, and we would get engaged afterwards, but I didn't agree."

Ruan Qingyan sneered, "Did he say that to you at midnight?"

"…" Qiu Yelan was choked and unable to speak for a long time. "Anyway, I still haven't figured out whether to marry him or not."

Ruan Qingyan said coldly, "Even if he didn't lie to you, you met him privately before getting married and was found by his families. Do you think you'll have dignity when you are married?"

"I have done nothing with Jiang Yashuang!" In his eyes, she was an empty-headed girl who had been deceived by dandies and was till impenitent. Spitting blood, Qiu Yelan pulled up her sleeve. A little red spot appeared on the arm. "I don't want to marry Jiang Yashuang because I think his family is too powerful now. They must have rules for the wives, so I might as well find someone less aggressive!"

Seeing the virginity mark, Ruan Qingyan's face eased up at once. But soon he sneered out, "It seems that this Jiang is throwing a long line to catch a big fish and intends to rob you of your love! Don't think that he is a person who respects you. If he really respected you, he would never allow you to be wronged!"

Qiu Yelan spat out a mouthful of blood again and said weakly, "You are right, Cousin!"

"Since you haven't suffered much and it is not known to others, I won't punish you this time." Ruan Qingyan thought for a while and said, "But you can no longer contact the Jiang in future. Did you get it?"

"Yes." it was not the first time that Qiu Yelan had played a double part so she promised quickly. Anyway, whether to keep the promise or not will depend.

Unexpectedly, Ruan Qingyan went on, "The Jiang lives next door. Even if you don't go to him, I am afraid he will come to you. In my opinion, you'd better stay out for a while. Anyway, Qiu Mengmin and his wife have compensated the property for you. Now that this matter is settled, this place will not have much to do with you in future. You just have to wait to marry when you are out of the mourning period."

Qiu Yelan froze for a moment before asking, "Where do you want me to go?"

"It's inappropriate not to live in the Mansion when you are here in the city." Ruan Qingyan apparently had a plan. He said without thinking, "Pick a village outside the city and say that you want to concentrate on the mourning and don't like the noise in the mansion."

"Then what about Madam Shao and the school?" Qiu Yelan asked reluctantly.

Ruan Qingyan said indifferently, "Ask the lady if she is willing go with you. If not, then forget it. I will find somebody else for you."

Qiu Yelan thought for a while and said, "But my injury has not yet healed. Can I wait a few days?"

Hearing the words, Ruan Qingyan frowned and said after a while, "It's okay, but you'd better leave quickly." At this point, his face sank, "Don't let me know you are in touch with the Jiang. Got it?!"

"Yes!" Qiu Yelan solemnly promised that she would absolutely keep her cousin's words in mind and would never lie to him anymore… Sending away Ruan Qingyan with sweet words, she called Su He and told her to go to Mayor Qiao's House through the back door. "Take that set of gold head ornament. Tell Young Lady He that I have never asked her for help before and I don't know her rules. If it was not enough, I would make up. Ask her if my cousin was in trouble recently."

Su He wondered, "Why did you say so?"

"My cousin used to send me to sweep my mother's graveyard, but when I returned to the city, I heard that the girl of the Yangs' had an affair with somebody." Qiu Yelan leaned on the cushion behind her. She was wearing a cold expression. "I was asked to go out of town again. He was so eager that I wasn't prepared for it at all. Wasn't he afraid that I would be murdered when I lived alone in the village?!"

Su He whispered softly, "Are you so easy to be murdered?"

"And he talked about my business today but didn't mention the event last time when his sister and Fang Zijun came to visit." Qiu Yelan hummed, "Is this normal? Even if he didn't take Fang Zijun as his friend, he should have scolded his sister. Obviously, he was eager to send me away!"

"But what trouble could your cousin have?" Su He felt it was incredible. "Your cousin is a young talent. He entered the Hanlin Academy and is also valued by Prime Minister Xue…."

"The problem lies here!" The next afternoon, He Shuijin sat in the hall, drinking the tea specially made for her, and said cheerfully, "A rumor goes in the capital city for several days that Minister Xue intends to marry his daughter to General Ruan. I don't hide it from you. The Jiangs also had the intention. Now that they don't mention it anymore, I won't say who the girl is. The Jiangs hesitated because they didn't want to compete with Prime Minister Xue. But, although Prime Minister Xue has taken a fancy to General Ruan, the girl is short-sighted."

Qiu Yelan asked quickly, "You mean that Miss Xue was unwilling to marry my cousin? Was there any trouble out of this?"

"I don't have much contact with Xue Fangmi, but she looks like a gentle and charming girl in formal occasions. Many people claim her to be the first talented girl in the capital city." It was not known whether He Shuijin had been bribed or didn't like Xue Fangmi, but she was so dismissive when mentioning the Prime Minister's daughter. "Who would have thought she had done that. She humiliated General Ruan before others and said she would rather not marry than fall in love with General Ruan!"

She put down the teacup and sneered, "She is indeed the daughter of a humble maidservant. Even though she pretends to be dignified and elegant, she occasionally gives herself away! Girls of decent families might talk about their marriages with the elders even if they were not satisfied with the arranged marriages. How could she be so disrespectful as to insult an innocent person? People know that it was the prime minister who called General Ruan every time. Speaking of that time when she came out of the backyard to humiliate General Ruan, I am afraid that was the first time when General Ruan had seen her!"

The somber expression on Qiu Yelan's face was apparent. "How did she humiliate my cousin?"

He Shuijin said, "I do not know for sure. It seemed like this: Two days ago, Prime Minister Xue invited General Ruan to his residence to help with homework. When he came out, he met several young men who went there to see Xue Nongying, the Prime Minister's grandson. They met Xue Fangmi on their way out of the residence and she said that in public. Prime Minister Xue scolded Xue Fangmi immediately afterwards and sent gifts to the general's residence to appease him… But now the gossip outside is not very pleasant. You know General Ruan passed the imperial exam at such a young age. Many people are jealous and can't have anyone else stand out even if they themselves are incompetent."

"I guess General Ruan was afraid that the gossip would disturb you here, so he suggested that you stay in the village for a while."

"Can I see this Xue Fangmi?" Qiu Yelan thought for minutes and asked.

He Shuijin smiled and shook her head, "It's not that I don't help you, but that I am no friend of hers. After all, Prime Minister Xue has always been upright at court and deliberately kept a distance from us, so I can't make an appointment with that one."

Seeing Qiu Yelan clenching her teeth, He Shuijin reminded, "You are now in the mourning period and it's not convenient for you be out. When the period is over, with your dignity, except for some private feasts, you can attend any event. The circle of noble girls in the capital city is not very big and you will meet her sooner or later."

"Thank you for reminding. That will do." Qiu Yelan calmed down and said with a sullen expression. Indeed, Ruan Qingyan himself should be able to cope with this matter. But he was a man. If he quarreled with the lady, who was the daughter of his examiner, he would be in a disadvantageous position at the very beginning.

But, should cousin take that? What a joke!

Qiu Yelan made up her mind, "When I meet Xue Fangmi, I must torture the bitch to death!"

Told your father that you didn't want to marry! If your father did not imply it to my cousin, why must my cousin married you?

You dared to bully my cousin! See how I would squash you into scraps!