Real Empress from a noble family

Jiang Yashuang had just left when Su He came in. She held a bowl of fragrant meat soup in her hands and said happily, "I am back very quickly, right?"

"You are overhearing?" Qiu Yelan realized the implications of her words, rolling her eyes.

Su He stuck her tongue and said, "I just saw that you did not finish your writing before you came into the inner chamber. So, I guessed!"

"He promised to send me bear palm soup. Did you tell him this?" asked Qiu Yelan, sitting at the table. Su He placed the pot and picked a bowl and chopsticks for her. Then she said, "No, I didn't. I never met anyone except you in this yard."

Seeing Qiu Yelan focusing on milky soup and floating meat in the soup, Su He said meticulously, "I remember it was yesterday when Madam Shao said you looked well. I answered her that you loved meat dishes much recently."

Over the past two years, Shao Yuemei had been living and teaching in the Prince's Mansion of Xihe. The number of students kept the same. One student left and a new one came in. In the early winter of two years ago, Mistress Bian gave birth to a boy named Qiu Maozhi. Because of this, she was installed as a senior concubine. Mistress Tian and her daughter, who protected her during her pregnancy period, also gained what they deserved. Qiu Mingzhu also married a good man with the suggestion of Mistress Tian to her husband. Qiu Mingzhu got married hurriedly because they were afraid that Princess Yang might make trouble for her.

As Qiu Mingzhu had got married, she moved out of the school. The new one replacing her was Wang Qingqian.

Wang Qingqian was a naive but aggressive girl. She was not a girl who was good at relationships. Fortunately, Sheng Shishui and Qiu Qian were not girls who were inclined to make trouble for others. The most important part was that Shao Yuemei was a good teacher. Thus, Qiu Yelan thought that even if she were not in the school, the school would be running smoothly. She had a good impression of Wang Qingqian. After Qiu Mingzhu left, she tried to invite her to come to attend the school. To invite her, Qiu Yelan had to criticize Qiu Mingzhu, "Qiu Mingzhu, a girl who always makes trouble for others, left finally. It's the right time for you to come here."

As it's still in the first lunar month, the school had been close since the last break last year.

All students had gone home. Even Shao Yuemei, who was invited and went to live with Chunfu Princess for several days, just came back yesterday.

So, hearing Su He's words, Qiu Yelan said with a frown, "Madam Shao just came back yesterday. And you hurried to sell me out to her?"

Noticing she was angry, Su He felt nervous, "Sorry, Your Grace!"

"Don't do it again!" said Qiu Yelan. She knew that what Su He did was for her. Su He hoped she could be closer to Jiang Yashuang. However, everything about her was sold out by her confidant. It's inappropriate anyway. She was angry about it.

Fortunately, it was Su He. If she were not Su He, Qiu Yelan must have ordered to sell her to a brothel.

After criticizing Su He and finishing her soup, she continued to finish her writing. It's getting dark while she was doing the above.

After she enjoyed a big dinner, she drank tea while she was waiting for somebody.

She did not wait for a long time, Jiang Yashuang and his two bodyguards showed. He came forward and said to her, "Ten. You see."

Seeing Qiu Yelan being unhappy, he gave a dry cough, "You told me you want to take some for your brother and sister. I have somebody sending it to them directly. So, you can go there carrying nothing tomorrow."

Hearing his words, Qiu Yelan was happy, "Yashuang, you are so nice to me!"

"You have known I am a good guy. That's the most important!" He did not ask for a kiss as his bodyguards standing behind him. He just looked at her red lips and said, "I'm leaving now. My grandmother is waiting for me to have dinner with her."

"Okay. Okay," said Qiu Yelan. As the food had been here, Qiu Yelan urged him to leave.

When she put the bowl on the table and was ready to open it, Su He came in, saying in a low voice, "Kang Lizhang's maid is here."

"What is she doing here?" asked Qiu Yelan, her hand stopped in the air for a second. "Does she want to come back because she can't stand to live in the Duke of Huainan anymore?"

Over the past two years, she had had happy days. The person she concerned the most must be Kang Lizhang because she was out of control since then. It was weird that after Qiu Maozhi was born, Kang Lizhang and her mother disappeared overnight from the Prince's Mansion. In the middle of the last year, she heard that Kang Lizhang was living in the Duke of Huainan already!

She certainly became a concubine. But over the past half years, the Duke of Huainan had favored Kang Lizhang more than others. Even his princess had been criticized many times because of her. It's not a secret anymore in the capital. So, despite her previous status, she must have good days now.

She must be in trouble now or she wouldn't have sent a maid here. Qiu Yelan's days had been good recently. She did not want to be involved in any trouble related to the Duke of Huainan. She decided to brush aside the maid. She said, "Ask her to go back. Don't bother me!"

However, Su He did not move. She said, "The maid said it's related to old Princess's stuff."

"Oh?" said Qiu Yelan with a frown. She had known that Kang Lizhang had the stuff belonging to Old Princess Lian. In the past, Kang Lizhang once said that she wanted to return those stuffs to Qiu Yelan before she hid in the Duke of Huainan.

At that time, the first reason that Qiu Yelan did not receive them was that she had no place to store them; the second reason was that she wanted to get a significant sum of money from Qiu Mengmin by taking this opportunity. As a result, the stuff was kept in Kang Lizhang's hands. However, unexpectedly, Kang Lizhang and her mother disappeared overnight. The stuff disappeared as well.

True to Kang Lizhang's and her mother's nature, Kang Lizhang would never return the stuff to Qiu Yelan. So, Qiu Yelan frowned, "The stuff belongs to me. If she wanted to trade for something else, she's wrong. Did she think that she is the Duke of Huainan's concubine now, she can be cocky in front of me? It doesn't work!"

Su He explained, "She told me they found an old picture in old Princess's stuff. They have no idea what to do. They thought that there might be many people visiting as the young lady would give birth. So, they sent a maid to come and ask for your advice."

Qiu Yelan paused for a second. She recalled in that time when Jiang Yashuang told her that the stuff belonging to the Prince's Mansion of Xihe disappeared suddenly.

But, although Kang Lizhang provided the clue, she still was in doubt, "Don't tell me the picture. Ask her to send it to me first!"

Su He went out and told the maid what she said. After she came back, she hesitated whether she should ask one more question. Finally, she said, "Your Grace, do you think it is what my grandmother said?"

"Said what?" Qiu Yelan asked dismissively while she was having bear palm soup.

"After Prince oversees everything, the shops and manors recorded in Princess's dowry list disappeared. I guess they are hiding in old Princess's stuff." said Su He.

Qiu Yelan pointed to the bowl, "It tastes good. You must have a try. You take some to share with Mrs. Zhou and others. You all need to keep healthy too."

After speaking of this, she continued, "I don't care about her. The Prince's Mansion had returned all my grandma's and my mother's stuff. I don't care what's in the picture. It means nothing to me!"

Su He agreed with her but she concerned, "You mean Kang Lizhang wants to grab the property? Those are the stuff of Princess! Even if the Prince's Mansion had made up, but the stuff was prepared by General Ruan, who must have picked them carefully."

"Give it to her," said Qiu Yelan coldly. "If she could get the stuff, do you think she would come and ask for my advice? She must not know what to do. So, she came and asked for my idea."

Qiu Yelan was not interested in the stuff much. At the bottom, she was not a material girl. And she had enough money for her whole life. The property grabbed by the Prince's Mansion of Xihe was worth at least millions but nowhere to find them out. She really didn't want to get to the bottom of this.

Her immediate concern now was Deng Yi, "Did you know where Deng Yi is now?"

Deng Yi promised her that he would try everything to end the engagement between them. But two years past, he did nothing.

Qiu Yelan did want to talk about this with him. But three years ago, when Mrs. Gu ordered Deng Yi to go back to the Prince's Mansion, he rarely went out. Last year, his mother took him to go back to the hometown to worship his father, Ruan Qingyan had Qiu Feng stopped him on his way. At that time, Deng Yi promised, "My mother did not agree. I will try to solve it after I am back to the capital."

Then what? Nothing happened!

Thinking of this, Ruan Qingyan, Qiu Yelan and Jiang Yashuang were all very angry.

If Deng Yi had been living in his hometown, it would have been easy. What they needed to do was to go there and talk with him face to face. And they would not let him escape.

But the problem was, Deng Yi disappeared after worship.

People in the Gu Family might know where he was. But certainly, they would keep the secret.

Deng Yi's mother, who came back to the hometown with him, disappeared too. So, both Deng Yi and his mother disappeared overnight. As a result, plan A and plan B made by Ruan Qingyan and Jiang Yashuang in the past two years could not be implemented.

That's why she asked Su He. Su He had to answer her question meticulously, "Not yet. Nobody said it to me so far."

If Deng Yi and his mother disappeared or died somewhere, it would become an easy job for them to cancel the engagement.

But they had left a letter before they disappeared. In the letter, Deng Yi said he hoped to travel around the country in the next years but he could not leave his mother alone at home. Fortunately, Mrs. Gu also wanted to go with his son. So, they consented to travel along. In the letter, Deng Yi also said he hoped Qiu Yelan could wait for two years until he came back. It was a clear break from his words.

Now, Qiu Yelan deeply regretted that she did not kill Deng Yi at Ganli Palace. At that time, Empress Jiang might still cover her for what she did!

It was useless now. What she could do now was to pray to meet Deng Yi one day and cancel the engagement between them.

After hearing Su He's words, Qiu Yelan became more upset.

Seeing she was in an angry mood, Su He comforted her, "I heard that Young Master Ruan had invited you to his place to discuss the thing. He may have a plan."

Qiu Yelan was listless, saying, "He has been looking for him for a long time. In my opinion, Deng Yi and his mother delay it on purpose. It's not easy to find them with the cover of the Gu Family. We did not expect they would do this to us. We even did not have a plan…"

Or she would not be upset now!

Anyway, the next day, Qiu Yelan went to the Ruan Family listlessly. In the first place, Ruan Qingyan intended to question her about the bear palm soup Jiang Yashuang sent to him last night. But she was in a bad mood, Ruan Qingyan stopped asking anything just said, "I have a clue about the engagement thing between you and Deng Yi now. I will deal with it."

Qiu Yelan couldn't believe that he had a plan now. She said perfunctorily, "I didn't worry about it. You shouldn't worry about it either."

"As they don't want to show up, I will force them to." said Ruan Qingyan, sipping tea. "Jiang Yashuang had found a guy who looks just like Deng Yi. Soon, the guy will cancel the engagement between you two in the name of Deng Yi. After people know that you cancel the engagement, they will show up in front of us."

Qiu Yelan did not get it in a second. She became joyful after she understood, "Cousin, you are so smart!"

Ruan Qingyan grunted, "It's an easy plan!" He did not want her to ask more. So, he turned to be serious and asked if she met Jiang Yashuang recently.

Although he knew what he said would not defy his sister to meet the man, he still admonished her. Then he said, "Go and see Ciyi. She's in her room."

"Is she feeling better now?" asked Qiu Yelan. Ruan Ciyi had been living like an unmarried girl now since divorced. She stopped trying to kill herself at the end of the last year. But since then, she began to miss her dead son and daughter since she became dreamy. She didn't feel good anyway.

Her condition worried Ruan Qingyan and Qiu Yelan much.

Hearing Qiu Yelan asking her condition, Ruan Qingyan answered in a tired voice, "The same as usual. Let's go together. I will tell you."

A servant came to report while they were walking side by side, "Young Earl Ling is here."

"Qingyan, you go to meet Ling Zui. I will see Ciyi alone." said Qiu Yelan.