Real Empress from a noble family

Princess Yang agreed and went back, but left Qiu Jinzhu here saying she wanted the girls to get close to each other and let Qiu Jinzhu ask Qiu Yelan what to note during the trip, "In case she may bother you."

"Just pretend to be meek and lovely." Qiu Yelan was not so familiar with Chunfu Princess, so how could she know what Chunfu Princess preferred? Thus, she considered for a while with a cup of tea in her hands and told Qiu Jinzhu directly. "You are good at that, don't you?"

Qiu Jinzhu nodded obediently which clearly showed that she was cautioned by Princess Yang before coming and said in a slimy tone, "I will follow every word of you, my dear cousin!"

"I don't care who you will fawn over, but remember this: don't make any plans against me! If you dared, I could take you out, but I couldn't promise you can come back!" Qiu Yelan took a sip of tea. She ignored the complex expression on Qiu Jinzhu's face and put the teacup on the table, "If there's nothing else, go back and think how to dress on that day."

Qiu Jinzhu ventured, "May I know what you will wear on that day?"

"That's none of your business." Qiu Yelan saw she was pretending to be humble on purpose and said indifferently. "Even if we wear something similar, do you think you could steal the show?"

Qiu Jinzhu bit her lip immediately but soon forced a smile, "You are right. I was being silly. You are so beautiful, and how can I compare with you with whatever I wear?"

Her forced smile only followed her out of the court gate where it disappeared at once!

None of her maids dare to say anything and they all followed her carefully.

Despite this, after a while, Qiu Jinzhu couldn't bear any more. She turned around and gave a slap to each of the two close maids behind her, "You stupid things! Are you stones? Why didn't any of you say something in daylight? Do you want to frighten me?"

"We're so sorry!" The two maids felt wronged but they knew she wanted to vent her anger so they knelt down and begged for her mercy in panic.

Qiu Jinzhu gave them some kicks and scolded them for petty things. Then she tucked her hair behind her ear and ordered like nothing had happened, "Go to my mother."

When they entered Princess Yang's room, she saw the finger marks on the maids' faces and knew her daughter was angry. She sighed in her mind and winked to Xiuyan to take the two maids out and comfort them. She called her daughter over, "Why did you hit Tinlan and Tinhe again? I have told you that close maids are not like other servants. You should treat them with enough dignity so that they can do anything for you."

Qiu Jinzhu was upset now. Hearing the words, she wept, "Qiu Yelan didn't treat me as her cousin but her slave! She was even gentler to her maids than to me! It's just a picnic! Even though it is Chunfu Princess who initiated it, she is not a real royal princess. She is from the Jiang Family and the girls she invites will all belong to Empress Jiang's party. Do you really think it's good for me to go?"

Princess Yang gave a look at Xiu Rong and Xiu Rong hurried to drive all the other servants out of the room and then she guarded the door.

"Don't be so reluctant. It's your father who wants you to go with Qiu Yelan!" Princess Yang said in a low voice. "Or who likes to speak to her? Your father rarely asks you to do something for him. If you don't complete his task well, how can he like you?"

Qiu Jinzhu was stunned and asked in surprise, "My father? Why?"

Qiu Mengmin didn't care so much whether his children were borne by his wife or concubines. He only cared whether they were capable. Unluckily, both Qiu Jinzhu and Qiu Yinzhi who were borne by Princess Yang were mediocre, which disappointed Qiu Mengmin and let him prefer Qiu Hongzhi who was better in comparison. Especially, after Qiu Hongzhi married Ding, they got along very well and Qiu Hongzhi's study was not delayed. He planned to take the imperial exam in autumn this year. While the 12-year-old Qiu Yinzhi was so naughty that his teacher always complained about him. In comparison, it became impossible that Qiu Yinzhi would inherit the title.

Well, that was off the track. Qiu Jinzhu was surprised because Qiu Mengmin didn't expect too much from his daughters and he rarely met them, let alone asking them to do something. Thus, Qiu Jinzhu was amazed by what her mother said.

"You don't need to know why. Just follow Qiu Yelan to wherever she goes. Be tolerant and don't mind her harsh words. There will all be noble girls and she won't dare to beat you in front of them! If she went too far, just show that you feel wronged and never hit back. There will be one or two soft-hearted ladies speaking for you!"

Princess Yang knew her daughter was ruthless, but not sophisticated. Thus, she didn't dare to tell her that she and her husband suspected that Qiu Yelan would discuss the missing industries of Prince's Mansion of Xihe with Jiang Qizheng in this trip. If their silly daughter mentioned it by chance or by Qiu Yelan's questioning, Qiu Yelan would take precautions against them and they would surely lose those industries!

Princess Yang didn't want to tell Qiu Jinzhu anything about the aim of this task. But now her daughter was reluctant, she feared that if she forced her to go, she wouldn't keep a close eye on Qiu Yelan.

Qiu Jinzhu was not happy now, "She's a Commandery Princess, but I'm also a Commandery Princess. Then why do I have to listen to her?"

"Don't you want to help your younger brother?" Princess Yang was angry. "Your sister-in-law, Ding will soon give birth to her child and it has been known to be a boy. Your father has been so happy in the last months, and that b*st*rd of Bian uses every method to please your father… Your younger brother is my only son, but he is still not the Young Prince. At this point, if you don't help him, when Qiu Hongzhi or Qiu Maozhi takes control of this mansion- did you forget what life Qiu Yelan led in those years?"

Qiu Jinzhu shivered and asked in doubt, "What exactly is this task about?" How come it was relevant to her own younger brother and the title?

"Ask your father if you really want to know!" Princess Yang said unhappily. "Just do as I tell you- watch Qiu Yelan closely! Don't mind other things!"

"Alright." Qiu Jinzhu knew she couldn't get it from her mother and agreed with her disappointedly.

Yet the mother and daughter didn't know they were not the only people who had Qiu Yelan as their target.

In the back yard of the Mansion of Duke of Huainan, Mistress Kang just finished her make-up. Under her light pink translucent silk coat, her garnet underwear showed off her fair skin like cream and jade. Since she became a concubine Duke of Huainan, she had been adored by her husband. Even Duchess of Huainan couldn't compare with her. She lay on Chu Xiao's shoulder and said coquettishly, "I haven't seen my girlfriends since I came here. I hear that Chunfu Princess invited my cousin for a picnic at Jinxiu Slope in the south of the city and I also want to hang out with them!"

Duke of Huainan Chu Xiao was over 50 now. He had a dark red face, long eyebrows, phoenix eyes, and handsome beard. When he was 20 or 30 years younger, he was a very good-looking man. Both the Young Prince of Duke of Huainan, Chu Weixian and Commandery Princess Lihui, Chu Yitong inherited his good look and were famous for their beauty among the royal clan.

He was now feeding those colorful koi in the blue and white branch-patterned porcelain fishbowl. Hearing her words, he smile and responded, "You should go since you want to. Anyway, Jinxiu Slope is not far. You can go back in the evening to serve me." The last sentence of Chu Xiao was full of flirting.

Kang Lizhang looked at him and could see from his face his handsome contours when he was young, but now it was slack and fleshy. When she came closer, she could also see the blotches on his face. Thinking that she was even half a year younger than Commandery Princess Lihui but she had to sleep with this old man every day, she felt her sorrow would storm right now. She resisted it with great effort and winked at Chu Xiao, "I'm just a common woman but my cousin is a Commandery Princess and the rest are all noble girls. If I went alone, I don't know whether I could have the chance to talk with my cousin."

Chu Xiao laughed, "You don't have to talk to such a snobbish cousin. What about not going and staying with me? Or I can take you there on my day off." He put aside the fish food and wiped his hand with a handkerchief. When he turned around, he pinched Kang Lizhang's cherry cheek and put his hand into her silk coat with lust.

"She is not snobbish." Kang Lizhang gave a sweet cry and went on to talk coquettishly after pushed him lightly. "I'm afraid that others may have a problem with it and my cousin may be wronged."

Chu Xiao squinted, "Then what do you want?"

"I heard the other day Commandery Princess Lihui begged her mother that she wanted to go out." Kang Lizhang stared at him with an expectant face.

It was not proper for a concubine to take a Commandery Princess out. Chu Xiao adored her in the rear yard, but he wouldn't let her do improper things outside and let others laugh at his family.

So she added, "I think Duchess may also feel bored in the mansion all day."

With Duchess of Huainan, both Chu Yitong and Kang Lizhang could go there justifiably. Also with Duchess of Huainan, Kang Lizhang didn't need to fear that she might be bullied. Even if she was bullied, she could run to Duchess of Huainan and complain. With her status in front of Duke of Huainan, Duchess of Huainan had to help her hit back.

Kang Lizhang didn't want back the memory when she was despised and joked among noble girls because of her status.

After speaking out her request, she waited for Chu Xiao's answer nervously.

Chu Xiao pawed her on her young and soft body for a long while and asked with a half-smile, "If I agree, what reward will I get?"

"Well…" Kang Lizhang felt relieved and stretched her fair arms around his neck, saying sweetly. "I'm all yours… What else can I reward you?"

Kang Lizhang only got in this Mansion of Duke of Huainan for about two years. However much she was loved by Duke of Huainan, she had fewer henchmen than Duchess of Huainan.

So when she was "rewarding" Chu Xiao, some servant had gone to report it to Duchess of Huainan. She was at the same age as Chu Xiao and had grandchildren now. She didn't care so much about her husband's concubines like she had been when she was young. But when she heard Kang Lizhang wanted to take them along in order to meet her cousin with dignity, she felt unhappy, "Who does she think we are? She asks us to go and we should go?"

She said to Chu Yitong who was right beside her, "We just won't go! I will tell her that I feel sick on that day and I need you to take care of me! Let her do whatever she wants alone!"

"Don't be angry, mother." Chu Yitong was the youngest official daughter. She also disliked Kang Lizhang who often made her mother lose face because his father liked her. Now she heard the servant's report, she thought and said, "Mistress Kang is always crafty. She just wants to meet her cousin, but why does she need us along? In my opinion, she intends to take this chance and say something against you in front of my father!"

Then she suggested, "Now that she hopes us to go to Jinxiu Slope with her, we should go. If she offended someone there, you could help her out and let my father scold her when we come back!"

Duchess of Huainan sighed, "Stop these plans! Your father likes her, but he is not a fool. She is just a concubine. But if you made a plan against her, when your father finds it, he would be angry!"

"If she made trouble on her own, how could my father blame me?" Chu Yitong had always wanted to teach Kang Lizhang a lesson. At her age, she wouldn't give up this chance, so she kept persuading her mother, "You say my father knows these. Then he must also know you are pretending to be sick at that time. We'd better not irritate him because of it."

Duchess of Huainan realized that her daughter had made her decision and that even if she used the excuse of being sick on that day, Chu Yitong might also go out herself, which was worse than she taking her along and watching her. Thus she said helplessly, "Then we should go."