Chapter 9 And she herself didn't shy away from it, instead accusing him of touching her…
The sky gradually changed; the sun had been shining brightly during the day, but after a rumble of thunder, a light drizzle began to fall. The maids Chuntang and Xialing exchanged glances and stepped forward to gently tug at Qian Yingyi's sleeve.
Qian Yingyi was giving the guards a wink when she unconsciously walked in front of Yan Ruheng. Only after being reminded by two maids did she quickly regain her composure, turn around and smile at Yan Ruheng, "Thank you very much, Lord Yan. The weather in Jiangning can change in an instant."
"It's alright," Yan Ruheng handed the candied fruit to the maid. Not wanting to keep her any longer, he asked, "Last time at the Yan family, my elder sister mentioned that she wanted to hold a spring banquet. Would Miss Qian do me the honor?"
If he doesn't mention it, Qian Yingyi will go on her own. She has a good relationship with Yan Wenying, and if Yan Wenying invites her, she has no reason not to go.
But now that he brought up the spring banquet, Qian Yingyi couldn't help but ponder the meaning behind his words.
After all, the meaning behind Yan Wenying's invitation to ask him this question in person was largely different.
"I......"
Before she could finish speaking, the guard suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Qian Yingyi didn't even notice him and was startled. She trembled and her delicate eyebrows furrowed as she was about to reprimand him.
The guard, Mu Chuchu, stood there. From a distance, his tall figure seemed like a solid wall, separating the two of them.
The guard said, "Miss, the rain is about to get heavier."
After saying this, he raised an oil-paper umbrella.
It was only then that Yan Ruheng noticed the guard beside Qian Yingyi. At first glance, he hadn't looked closely, but now, after staring at the guard for a couple of seconds, he realized that this man was unlike any ordinary guard.
Whether intentionally or unintentionally, he always felt that the guard's eyes revealed a hint of scrutiny.
Fine, dense raindrops gradually dampened a lock of hair at Qian Yingyi's temple, causing her eyelashes to clump together.
Yan Ruheng gave a gentle smile, reached out to the oil-paper umbrella, and said to Qian Yingyi, "It's time to go. I'll see you to your carriage."
Without waiting for the oil-paper umbrella to move aside, the guard opened the umbrella himself and covered Qian Yingyi's head, tilting the edge of the umbrella slightly to completely cover Qian Yingyi's face.
As if sensing something, the guard turned back and nodded slightly to Yan Ruheng as he was about to leave. "I'm sorry, young master instructed me to come and pick up the young lady. Please return, Lord Yan."
Yan Ruheng stood quietly in place for a long while before letting out an even deeper smile. "It's alright, go ahead."
The maids and guards escorted their young mistress toward the carriage under the willow tree. Once they were a little further away, Qian Yingyi stomped her foot, still holding a grudge. She pinched the guard's arm hard with her fingertips, "Are you deliberately going against me today?! Who gave you permission to stare at me? You have no patience serving me and you're disobedient. I don't want you following me anymore. When we get home, I'll go find my second aunt and send you to do the work of sweeping the stables!"
Qian Yingyi exerted all her strength, but still smiled, as if afraid he didn't feel much pain. Suddenly, she winked at the two maids.
Two maids silently stood behind the two, blocking Yan Ruheng's view.
Qian Yingyi was full of mischief this time. Her fingers traced the guard's arm inward. Ever since she took him home and placed him beside her, it seemed like she was always the one causing him trouble. This time, she was determined to make him jump around in pain too...
But just as she pressed down on his strong arm, her wrist was suddenly grabbed by a hand. The force wasn't great, but it prevented her from causing any more trouble.
"...Lin Zheng! How dare you!" Qian Yingyi stood there dumbfounded, her dark eyes widening, her heart pounding in her chest. She whispered, "You...you dare touch me!"
The hand paused, then abruptly released her.
Just now, seeing raindrops rising in the air, and Qian Yingyi still not saying goodbye to Yan Ruheng, Qian Qiyu was worried that his sister might catch a cold, so he ordered Qin Lizheng to go forward and urge her.
Having achieved his goal, Qin Lizheng saw that it was getting dark and didn't want to stay in Jiangning any longer, so he picked up Qian Yingyi and headed back.
He hadn't taken her small amount of strength seriously, but when she saw that he was silent, she took advantage of the situation and reached into the inside of his arm.
Qin Lizheng held up the umbrella and turned his head to look at Qian Yingyi.
Today she was wearing a light pink vest, and the fluffy collar made her small face look even smaller. Rain was falling over the vast land of Jiangning, and her eyebrows were covered with a little dew.
When he got closer, he realized that when she glared at him, her eyes were dark and bright, like glass marbles floating in clear lake water. Her red lips parted and closed for a moment, and she cursed him for overstepping his bounds.
In the years he had served the emperor, he had seen many noble ladies, but none of them dared to be as unashamed of their male bodies as she was.
Moreover, she herself did not shy away from the issue; on the contrary, she accused him of touching her.
"You still dare to look!" Qian Yingyi raised her face and met his deep, calm eyes. Her gaze fell on the two small moles on his high nose bridge, and she suddenly thought of towering mountain peaks.
The worst part is that the two moles are not quite symmetrical; one is near the corner of the eye, and the other is near the tip of the nose.
Qian Yingyi relaxed for a moment. The hand that he had just held behind her back was gradually raised, as if she wanted to poke those two unsightly moles hard.
"Boom—"
A muffled rumble of thunder cut through the sky, tearing a gap in the horizon, and the rain intensified.
Qian Yingyi suddenly snapped out of her daze, unable to explain why, and took a half step back. Remembering their master-servant relationship, why was she the one panicking? She grew even angrier, reaching for the oil-paper umbrella, "I...I'll hold it myself!"
Qin Lizheng let go of the umbrella handle and consciously moved away from her.
Even after entering the carriage, Qian Yingyi's heart was still pounding. She thought she must have been startled by the guards, so she put aside the panic that had inexplicably appeared, lifted the curtain, and threw the oil-paper umbrella next to the guards to vent her anger.
Now that she was in Jiangning, Qian Yingyi didn't forget to buy some paintbrushes and also bought some pastries from the pastry shop that Xiao Daimao had mentioned before heading home.
The journey back was always faster; in less than an hour, the carriage returned to Pipa Lane.
Two maids helped Qian Yingyi out of the carriage. As she was about to enter the gate, Qian Yingyi turned her face slightly and her gaze lingered on the silent guard. She immediately made up her mind to take Xu Jun back and transfer him away from her side.
The two siblings were covered in mist, so they went back to their rooms to change their clothes. When they went to the flower hall, they ran into Xu Jun setting out the meal.
A steamer of freshly steamed crystal shrimp dumplings, a dish of lotus root with osmanthus honey, a steamed goose, several bowls of sweet rice balls, and a bowl of three-delicacy crucian carp soup.
As soon as I entered, I heard a voice, "Brother Yu, what happened to your face?"
Qian Yingyi turned her head and saw Qian Lanting sitting to the side, sipping tea with a porcelain cup in his hand, but his eyes were fixed on Qian Qiyu's face.
Xu Jun finished setting out the bowls and chopsticks and turned around.
Second Uncle Qian Younian also happened to be home today. He naturally noticed the bruises on his son's face and beckoned to Qian Qiyu, telling him to go and answer the old man.
During the day, Qian Qiyu, with his head held high and still harboring a temper, didn't take the matter of his elders blaming him to heart.
After spending half a day playing with Qian Yingyi, his temper completely dissipated, and he finally learned to be afraid.
Therefore, he walked towards Qian Lanting with every step he took, his gaze seemingly glued to Qian Yingyi.
Qian Yingyi naturally remembered that she should mediate for him, so she quickly put on a smile and happily pulled Qian Lanting, unable to stop herself from acting coquettishly, "Grandpa, you only see my brother, but you don't see me, do you?"
Qian Lanting glanced at her and chimed in, "Didn't you always say that you're all grown up now and that your family can't treat you like a child anymore? Are you acting like a child again now? This is the first time you've ever been jealous of your brother."
As he spoke, he let her pull him to the table.
Qian Yingyi quickly bent down and sat down next to the old man, then waved to Qian Younian and his wife, "Second Uncle and Second Aunt, please sit down and eat. Let's eat first and then talk about other things."
Xu Jun knew that Qian Yingyi took Qian Qiyu out during the day to ask him questions, and she was always a little worried at home. Now that she saw Qian Qiyu, because she knew him too well, she instinctively felt a strange feeling from her heart.
So tonight's dinner was not very enjoyable.
After dinner, Qian Yingyi dismissed the maidservants and invited the three elders to sit down. She then knelt down and apologized to them, saying, "Yingyi has caused my younger brother to commit a crime outside. Please punish me, Grandfather, Second Uncle, and Second Aunt."
Qian Qiyu glanced at her in surprise, then quickly stepped forward to help her up. "Sister, what are you doing? You have to take responsibility for your own actions. I don't want you to bear the burden for me!"
Qian Yingyi had always been a stubborn person, and when had she ever taken the initiative to admit any wrongdoing like this? Qian Lanting's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly had Qian Qiyu pull her up, asking, "You said your brother got into trouble, what exactly did he do?"
"Grandpa, Second Uncle and Second Aunt, don't rush to blame your younger brother." Qian Yingyi stood still and whispered about why Qian Qiyu had gotten into a fight at the prefectural school.
Xu Jun stared wide-eyed at Qian Qiyu, muttering, "You even dared to hit the Crown Prince? You've caused such a mess..."
After saying this, he immediately got up and told Qian Younian to prepare gifts, as he wanted to visit Prince Rui's son that very night to apologize.
"Second Aunt, wait!" Qian Yingyi hurriedly stepped forward to stop Xu Jun, turned to look at Qian Lanting, and said in a very soft voice, "Grandpa hasn't said anything yet."
The candles in the four corners of the flower hall were covered with yellow gauze covers, and charcoal was burning in the center, making the whole room warm and cozy, and keeping out the cold wave brought by the rain outside.
Qian Lanting sat firmly in his high position, quietly surveying Qian Qiyu.
Knowing he had made a mistake by fighting, Qian Qiyu lowered his head even further in front of the old man, obediently placing his arms in front of him, twirling his two index fingers back and forth, clearly looking guilty.
After a long pause, Qian Lanting beckoned the two children to come closer, gave Qian Younian and his wife a cool glance, and sneered, "Why should we apologize?"
Xu Jun's eyes widened. "Father! It was Yu-ge who hit someone first!"
"That was because the Prince Rui's son insulted Yingyi first!"
Qian Lanting instinctively stroked Qian Yingyi's head, and Qian Yingyi, as always, admired her grandfather in her heart. The weight in her heart finally settled down, as if he were the invincible hero of this family, always able to steadily protect the family.
She guessed that if she were to bring it up, her grandfather would surely do so, seeing that she and Qian Qiyu were thinking of each other.
“...Father,” Qian Younian stepped forward, pursing his lips, somewhat hesitant, “But if our family doesn’t go, Prince Rui might seize the opportunity to say that our family doesn’t even respect the imperial relatives. What should we do then?”
"So what?" Qian Lanting sneered coldly. "You should pull your wife down to sit first."
Once the family was all gathered together, Qian Lanting said, "Didn't you understand? It was first the Prince Rui's son who humiliated them, and then Yu-ge'er beat them up. Since the prefectural school ordered the two children to go home and write self-criticisms, it means that both sides are at fault. With one self-criticism, the matter will be over. They will still be classmates in the future. Even if they are no longer on good terms when they meet, they will not have any more conflicts because of this incident."
Taking a sip of tea, Qian Lanting caught his breath before speaking again, “If you and your husband were to bring gifts to our door tonight, wouldn’t that be telling the outside world that the fault lies with our family? Oh, just because he is the heir of Prince Rui, just because his family is related to the imperial family, does our family have to rush to apologize to him?”
The old man's words stirred Qian Qiyu's heart, and he immediately slammed his hand on the table and stood up to agree, "That's right! It was clearly that scoundrel Yu Minsen who was impolite first!"
Qian Younian remained somewhat hesitant, holding a cup of tea without saying a word.
Qian Lanting looked disgusted and simply let the matter drop, not taking it to heart. Suddenly, he changed to a gentle expression and asked the two children, "What did you do this afternoon? You didn't come home until it was dark."
At this point, Qian Qiyu got excited again, but Qian Yingyi gave him a subtle warning look and stopped him from saying anything more.
Perhaps because Qian Lanting's words made a lot of sense, Qian Yingyi's anxiety dissipated, and she replied with a smile, "I didn't go anywhere, I just played by the river for a while."
Qian Lanting nodded, stared at Qian Yingyi's face for a long time, and then suddenly took out a letter from his pocket.
Qian Yingyi glanced at the handwriting on the envelope, her face darkening instantly. "Grandpa, did Mom and Dad write again?"
“It’s written to you,” Qian Lanting handed over the letter. “Open it and read it yourself.”
Qian Yingyi, her red lips pursed, tore a straight line through the envelope, held the thin piece of paper inside up to the light to examine it closely, and after a long while, she angrily threw the paper down and knelt before Qian Lanting, crying, "Grandpa! Father wants to arrange a marriage for me without my consent again!"
The crying prompted Xu Jun to rush forward and pull Qian Yingyi into her arms to comfort her. She couldn't help but scold, "Is it another letter from your elder brother urging Yingyi to return to the capital? Your elder brother and sister-in-law are really something. They have three children and they don't cherish them. I wish I had a daughter. If it were me, I wouldn't be in such a hurry to marry my daughter off!"
When Qian Yingyi was ten years old, she returned to Jinling with Qian Lanting. At that time, Qian Jinnian and his wife made a promise with her that when she turned eighteen, she must bid farewell to Qian Lanting before returning to the capital.
The reason for this was, of course, to consider Qian Yingyi's marriage prospects.
Little did anyone know that Qian Yingyi had just turned eighteen last year when Qian Jinnian sent a letter to Nanjing, reminding her not to forget this matter.
Qian Yingyi was most annoyed by people constantly reminding her, and with the letters coming one after another, she took them even less seriously.
Qian Lanting was also quite troubled about his granddaughter's marriage. Staring at her face, which was red from crying, he pinched the bridge of his nose and said, "Don't cry yet. Tell me, what kind of man do you want to marry? Grandpa will write a letter to your father and tell him to find someone like the one mentioned in the letter."
Qian Yingyi was held in Xu Jun's arms. She blinked her tear-stained eyelashes twice and said, "If I'm going to marry, I'll marry the best!"
Xu Jun chuckled, finding her words endearing, and quickly took out a handkerchief to wipe away the tears on her face.
Qian Qiyu, who had been secretly observing from the side, rolled his eyes. He kept his promise to Qian Yingyi, but as if he had suddenly remembered what was happening outside, he took two steps forward and asked abruptly, "Grandpa, everyone outside is talking about that Third Young Master of the Yan family. They say he's handsome and from a good family. What do you think of him, Grandpa?"
He stared at Qian Lanting hesitantly, hoping he would say something to praise Yan Ruheng. He thought that Qian Yingyi must be in love with Yan Ruheng, so this would be enough to make her happy.
To everyone's surprise, Qian Lanting's face turned cold, his eyes grew icy, and he snorted through his nose, "No way!"
A note from the author:
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The first clash between the people surnamed Qin and Yan
Qin Lizheng: How can you do this? You're allowed to touch me, but I'm not allowed to touch you?
Qian Yingyi: How dare you!!!
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