Real Empress from a noble family

Madame Tao should be in her fifties. But she was good at keeping fit and seemed to be in her early forties. Her blood kinship with Empress Jiang was obvious. She looked just like Empress Jiang in her senior years.

Different from Empress Jiang's temperament, Madame Tao was amiable and kind. The Mother and daughter had the same quality of keeping calm in an emergency. Even when the juniors who were supposed to go to the lake for fun returned earlier angrily with a strange little girl, Madame Tao would still smile, "Hey, why did you come back so early today? Didn't you say that you wouldn't have lunch?"

She glanced outside and smiled again, "Where are Zheng'er and others? Why are you back?" Only then did she talk to Qiu Yelan, "You look strange to me."

Jiang Qisheng glanced at Qiu Yelan hard and cut in, "Grandma, this is the Commandery Princess Ningyi next door! Cousin Zheng'er and Cousin He kindly asked her to go to the poetry meeting. Guess what? She only glanced in our booth and then ran to Yashuang's! Not only that, she also instigated Yashuang to scold Cousin Tao and me for lack of manners…"

"Cousin!" Qiu Yelan was sullen and was about to speak when Jiang Yashuang interrupted Jiang Qisheng with a blank expression and said lightly, "I respect you as an elder cousin, so I let you explain the situation first, but did not let you talk nonsense!"

Madame Tao's smile faded when she saw the cousins quarreling. She frowned and asked, "What's going on? Everything was OK when you went out. How come you began to quarrel with each other just after a few hours?"

Jiang Qisheng grumbled, "Grandmother, look at Jiang Yashuang! He had never spoken to us like this before!"

Qiu Yelan secretly accused her of being despicable and vicious. From the reaction of Empress Jiang after Jiang Yashuang beat Gu Yan and Deng Yi, she knew the Jiangs were ready to shield faults of the young ones! Even if Madame Tao were not malicious to her before, after hearing this, she would feel that it was she who had caused the gap between the cousins!

Under such circumstances, how can Madame Tao make the cousins reconciled? Of course the blame is on outsiders!

She quickly pondered how she would refute. But even though she was eloquenct, how could she withstand the bias of the grand-parent?

It was obvious that Jiang Qisheng was going to ruin her. Seeing Madame Tao's stiff face, she went even further, "Not only that, Jiang Yashuang wanted to beat me in Yunyi Restaurant just for this Qiu Yelan!" She sobbed, "We were good to each other but have come to this point for the sake of an outsider! I don't know how to face the elders in the future."

She peeped at Qiu Yelan with a provocative and complacent look while talking.

"Jiang Qisheng! If there is a chance in the future, I will pay back the insults today!" Qiu Yelan secretly ground her teeth!

But she still thought that she'd better not speak but wait. It would be better for Jiang Yashuang to step forward. If Jiang Yashuang did not speak for her, no matter how beautiful her words were, Jiang Qisheng would continue to talk nonsense. This was the sadness of disparity in power!

However, just as Qiu Yelan was about to abandon herself to her fate, Madame Tao gave her a surprise. Madame Tao smiled and said kindly, "Yeah, Yashuang has been obedient since very young, and he has never argued with the family. So you are used to bullying him. Now he wants justice and you feel wronged, don't you?"

Having said this, Madame Tao, regardless of the consternation of Jiang Qisheng and Tao Peibin, waved to Jiang Yashuang with her sincere love, "Shuang, come over to grandma. Good boy, you are always generous and sensible. Who made you angry like this? Tell grandma and grandma will find justice for you!"

Jiang Yashuang went over, sat down by grandma, who held him in her arms, and said, "I should have been to Yunyi Restaurant with my brother today…" He told the story roughly and said lightly "Though awkward, it could be explained. But Cousin Jiang Qisheng and Cousin Tao repeatedly insulted Commandery Princess Ningyi and even wanted to fight Commandery Princess Ningyi. They said over and again that I had been captivated by Commandery Princess Ningyi! This is just nonsense! They would not let me explain, so I had no choice but to come back and beg grandma to give me justice."

He went on, "Commandery Princess Ningyi also wants grandma to judge the matter and thoroughly investigate who was the person that locked us in the booth!"

Madame Tao looked at Qiu Yelan and said with a light smile, "This is for sure! How could someone from our family be tricked? Commandery Princess Ningyi is also a distinguished lady. How could she be slandered?"

Jiang Qisheng said angrily, "Grandma! The matter has not been clarified. Who knows whether it was slandering or Commandery Princess Ningyi deliberately acted in order to get along with Jiang Yashuang alone?"

"Was it Zheng'er's maid who called Commandery Princess Ningyi downstairs?" Madame Tao asked slowly.

"Although it was…"

Madame Tao snorted: "I remember that her maids have seen Commandery Princess Ningyi twice at most, and only three times plus this time today. Why do you think the servants who have been in our family for years could be so muddled as not to know the master?!"

Jiang Qisheng heard the criticism in her tone. She was not upset, though. She only lowered her head and kept silent, but refused to apologize.

Madame Tao didn't care about her silent rebellion and said leisurely, "Now that it was brought to me, I can't ignore it. Mom Hu, you took Chaohai's letter to Yunyi Restaurant. Be sure to check it out!" Chaohai is Marquess Qin's courtesy name.

"Grandma!" Just as Madame Tao finished and before Mom Hu had time to take the order, Tao Peibin cut in suddenly, "I'm afraid that's inappropriate. In the restaurant just now, we were afraid that Cousin Yashuang would be deceived, so we said something improper. Now that everything is clarified, there is no need to go any further. Besides, it would be…" she glanced at Qiu Yelan reluctantly before continuing, "It would be a disgrace for Commandery Princess Ningyi!"

Madame Tao laughed and asked, "What do you think of that?"

Jiang Yashuang looked at Qiu Yelan in hesitation. It would make no difference to him. To say something unpleasant, the reputation of the Jiangs had long been ruined by Jiang Yadan. It wouldn't be much of a disgrace for the Jiangs to have another young man who got along privately with a Commandery Princess who was engaged to somebody else.

So it was not good for Qiu Yelan.

Qiu Yelan said firmly, "Thank you for your understanding, Madame. But I have done nothing wrong! I beg Madame to check it out for my deceased mother and father so that they won't get involved in the shame in the nether world!"

Madame Tao looked at her with a smile, "I can see your determination now that you have mentioned your deceased parents. But you have to know, whether innocent or not, you will be discussed by everyone!"

"The wise man knows he knows nothing while the fool thinks he knows all. I am only seeking justice! For this reason, I am willing to be smashed to pieces. I hope Madame can satisfy me!" Qiu Yelan said with finality!

Jiang Qisheng and Tao Peibin accused her of intentionally locking the door from the beginning, so that she could be with Jiang Yashuang. If she had not demanded a thorough investigation, maybe Jiang Yashuang would have doubted her!

Now it was brought to Madame Tao. Who knew what story would be made out of it afterward if it was solved in just a few words! How could Qiu Yelan accept that!

Moreover, were Jiang Yashuang and I really locked by Jiang Yadan's rivals? Aren't the two cousins playing the trick of thieves crying "Stop thief!"?

Having heard what Qiu Yelan said, Madame Tao looked at her grandniece and said, "Now that they are not worried about themselves, let's check it out."

Tao Peibin couldn't wait to say, "Commandery Princess Ningyi! You want to seek innocence! But have you ever thought about Cousin Yashuang? You are engaged to somebody. People will say that Cousin Yashuang has taken someone's fiancee! Do you want Cousin Yashuang to bear such a bad reputation?"

"Madame has said, neither General Jiang nor I am afraid. Why are you so worried, Miss Tao?" Qiu Yelan lowered her eyes and said softly. "What's more, I will be the first to be discussed by others or investigated by the Dengs!"

Jiang Yashuang said in a deep voice, "Cousin Tao, now that grandma has settled it, I don't think you should worry too much."

Tao Peibin was startled and her beautiful face suddenly turned red!

Jiang Yashuang was telling her that she was not qualified to mind the business!

Wasn't that right? Jiang Qisheng had the status of a cousin. But Tao Peibin was not a member of the Jiangs. She was also younger than Jiang Yashuang. How could she have a hand in Jiang Yashuang's private affairs?

"Jiang Yashuang, why did you say that to Cousin Tao?" Jiang Qisheng couldn't help but say, "She is out of kindness!"

Madame Tao asked in a light tone, "Is there anything else?"

Jiang Qisheng choked and bowed her head. "None."

"Then, all of you go back now. It's almost time for lunch. Don't miss it." Madame Tao gave them the order to leave but smiled lovingly at Jiang Yashuang. "Shuang, will you stay and have lunch with grandma?"

Jiang Yashuang nodded, "I am greedy for your braised eggplants."

Madame Tao did not even ask the granddaughter and grandniece to stay for lunch. Naturally, Qiu Yelan knew what to do and got up and said goodbye.

She returned to Prince's Mansion of Xihe with a sullen face. Entering the yard, she saw Sheng Shishui and Qiu Mingzhu, each with a silk fan in hand, were leaning on the railing of the corridor outside the school, talking and laughing.

The two were so dear toward each other, like a pair of sisters who had been living together for many years.

"Now that there are other people coming to study here, it seems inconvenient not to have a wall. We are being watched by people coming in and going out. They are just so idle!" Qiu Yelan was unhappy. Seeing that, she told Xianran, who came out to greet her, "Find time to get the craftsmen!"

Xiaran said yes. Sheng Shishui and Qiu Mingzhu also saw her. But Qiu Mingzhu turned around and pretended no to see her. Sheng Shishui bowed to pay a salute.

The two kept her warning in mind and did not dare to go down the corridor into the courtyard without permission.

"By the way, I was going out today. Didn't I tell Madam Shao to rest for a day?" Qiu Yelan was just about to enter the door when she thought of it. She got angry, "Why did Madam Shao still give lessons?" Even if she knew Shao Yuemei's social relations, at this moment, she couldn't help having the idea of firing her. It seemed that she had no respect for her. Wasn't that too much?

Fortunately, Xiaran explained at once, "Madam Shao did close the school. Today, Miss Sheng and Cousin Mingzhu came to ask for advice. Madam Shao said she was tired and neglected them. But they just stayed to wait on Madam Shao…"

"Let them go!" Qiu Yelan said with a sullen face, "They are so idle. Are they waiting for anybody? Doesn't Madam Shao have a maid? Or didn't I arrange somebody to serve Madam Shao?"

Xiaran saw that she had lost temper, responded quickly and walked towards Sheng Shishui and Qiu Mingzhu.

Qiu Yelan entered the door. She was in such a bad mood that she did not have the interest to listen to Su He to explain the whereabout after they were separated. She only commanded, "I don't want to be disturbed. Call me at dinner!" Going into the inner chamber, she closed the door with a bang!"