real empress from a noble family
Although there were not many stars at night in winter and they were far less bright and glorious than the summer nights, they had a desolate and lonely artistic conception comparing to the aliveness of stars on summer nights.
At ten o’clock, Qiu Yelan came out from Lvqiang Court quietly. She didn’t bring her lantern as she was afraid of revealing her presence. She secretly got to the back door of the General’s Mansion based on her memory of the route during daytime.
The back door had already been closed by that time, but fortunately, the door was plugged from the inside and it wasn’t locked.
Qiu Yelan pulled the latch carefully, and someone coughed lightly outside the door right after that, “Your Grace?”
She didn’t expect Jiang Yashuang to be here early and opened the door. Jiang Yanshuang was wearing a purple or black fur coat standing outside in the dark with a certain hat in his hand and he was smiling.
There were two dim lanterns hanging above his head, and it made him look like a bright jade under the moon. His lips were slightly hooked, and he was holding a wisp of spring breeze-like smile. He looked so gentle and extraordinary.
It is not appropriate for a man and a woman to talk for a long time in the middle of the night. So, Jiang Yashuang nodded at her and asked, “Your Grace, are you in any trouble and wrote the letter for help?”
“I want to dissolve my engagement with Deng Yi. I wonder if you can tell me what I should do?” Qiu Yelan asked tentatively.
According to the custom then, for women, especially unmarried women, whom others got in their bed, whether anything actually happened would cause a great loss in their reputation. The man who did that not only must marry her, but also couldn’t divorce her easily as he was the wrong-doer.
However, this was based on the assumption that neither of them was married and the two families had rather similar social status and power.
Qiu Yelan didn’t believe that she had the power to force Jiang Yashuang into marrying her now, and she had no time to consider her life-long event. Therefore, she was saying it rather euphemistically to avoid Jiang Yashuang’s direct objection.
After hearing this, Jiang Yashuang was indeed looking thoughtful.
Qiu Yelan was gradually disappointed as he had not responded for a long time.
“Deng Yi has quite a different preference with ordinary people. If it’s just him, it would not be big trouble.” Jiang Yashuang suddenly said, “However, I’m afraid that his elders might not be willing to.”
Qiu Yelan thought, “Ha, you’re afraid, which means there must be a way.” She asked, “What do you mean, young General?”
“Mrs. Gu, Deng Yi’s mother, actually prefers a noble daughter with both parents alive and a vigorous temper.” Jiang Yashuang smiled and said, “To be honest, Mrs. Gu isn’t the most satisfied with your family background, Your Grace. If your temper doesn’t fit her expectations either…”
Qiu Yelan looked at him doubtfully, thinking that all the mothers-in-law in the world would want their daughter-in-law to be virtuous.
“If you don’t believe me, Your Grace, maybe I shall arrange for you to have a few words with Mrs. Gu. If this plan fails, I would go to the Empress to ask her to help you. Is that alright with you?” Jiang Yashuang smiled playfully and said firmly.
If the Empress was disturbed, it was most likely that she would be involved in the dispute between the Empresses. After all, with Deng Yi’s relationship with the Empress Dowager, it was challenging the Empress Dowager to cancel the marriage. How could Empress Jiang miss the opportunity?
Qiu Yelan thought for a moment and decided to take her chance with Mrs. Gu, so she nodded and said, “Then…”
An angry voice came from behind her when she was only halfway of her sentence. It said coldly, “No!”
“… Cousin?!” Qiu Yelan was shocked to see Ruan Qingyan striding up, with white fox fur on, and his face turned black due to anger.
He had a cloak in his hand. As he walked past Qiu Yelan, he threw it into her arms, but he ignored her and passed her directly to block her behind him. Then, he bowed towards Jiang Yashuang, who was still smiling, and said with a gloomy face, “Although I have no idea how my cousin invited you, General Jiang, to be here, please forgive her rudeness as she was too young and ignorant.”
Then he added, “What a big deal it was, the dispute between the Empresses? In what position is my cousin girl to be involved in this? Would you please, General Jiang, find someone who is more capable of this… It’s getting late, so I’m sorry that I can’t send you out!”
Then, regardless of Jiang Yashuang’s answer, he shut the door in front of him with a “Bang”!
“Hey…” Qiu Yelan was caught red-handed, so she was indefensible. But seeing him shutting her hope out of the door so neatly made her a bit upset. She went up to hold Ruan Qingyan’s sleeve and said, “Cousin, you…”
“Go back!” Ruan Qingyan, who has always been kind and doting on her since they first met, was now looking furious! His voice was cold as ice and he looked at her sternly. The sharpness in his eyes kept Qiu Yelan’s mouth shut immediately.
Ruan Qingyan strode out for about fifty meters away until he stopped and turned around without saying a word. He took over the cloak Qiu Yelan was holding and put it on for her. Seeing that he had softened a bit, Qiu Yelan tried to explain, “General Jiang was just…”
“I’ll tell you what!” Ruan Qingyan neatly tied the tie-up of the cloak for her into a Ruyi knot and patted the fox fur around the neckline of the cloak. While doing all these, he said in a very light voice, “If grandfather weren’t in the house and you invited someone over and left traces, I promise I would skin that boy who’s outside the door!”
“… My father in my previous life who killed zombies and enemies like cutting vegetables was not as fierce as this. It’s just a few words, and a thousand steps away from the pledge of eternal love… If you ever know that I have slept with Jiang Yashuang in the same bed for more than a couple hours, I’m afraid you’ll slaughter the Jiang’s family.”
Qiu Yelan was muttering in her heart, but she kept her mouth shut seeing Ruan Qingyan’s face now.
“What is your relationship with the Jiang guy?” Ruan Qingyan sent all the servants off and immediately questioned her with a harsh tone right when they got back to Lvqiang Court.
“… Actually, I am the one who picked up the cat that Kang Lizhang returned.” Qiu Yelan said softly.
Ruan Qingyan asked coldly, “Since the Prince’s Mansion of Xihe has let Kang Lizhang take your place, how does Jiang know that it was actually you who found the cat?”
“Er… because… because Su He happened to go out today and met him, so she told him.” Qiu Yelan paused and said.
Ruan Qingyan was so angry that he laughed, “How could he just believe it like that? Then just for the little favor, he came to meet you in the middle of the night, especially when it’s almost New Year? Wasn’t he even worried about you colluding with the Empress Dowager or anyone else to kill him?”
“You just said that I left traces in the Jiang’s house…” Qiu Yelan muttered in a low voice. Seeing Ruan Qingyan becoming angrier and was about to refute it, she just simply didn’t care anymore. She struck the table heavily and shouted, “Indeed there’s an inside story, but I won’t tell you! I won’t tell you even if you kill me!”
“You…!!!” Ruan Qingyan’s veins bulged and he grabbed the teapot in his hand angrily. Qiu Yelan thought that he was going to throw it to the ground, but instead, he poured her some hot tea and switched into a tired tone, “Never mind. If you don’t want to tell me, then don’t. However, don’t ever meet with him privately again… I have an idea about cancelling the marriage, but you need to trust me, okay?”