Chapter 38 Assemble on Imperial Court

Princess Yang watched Qiu Yelan and the others walking away and holding their head high. She thought about the tens of thousands of taels silver note that she just paid and couldn’t stop feeling heartbroken. She couldn’t help telling Qiu Mengmin, “She is protected by Empress, but we have Empress Dowager stand behind, too! Why do we spend this money to reconcile and buy the peace?!”

“You know nothing?!” Qiu Mengmin’s eyes were dark and deep, like full of fog and haze, and he said coldly, “Jiang Family had our family’s handle about Qu Shan family’s matter. Also, Li was indeed knowing clearly how our mother was expelled at that time. She was serving nearby and watching when the old Princess removed our mother’s name from the pedigree book. If now we get into the palace, we will definitely suffer disadvantages!”

“… How about after the Lantern Festival?” Princess Yang paused for a moment and asked anxiously.

Qiu Mengmin said, “After knowing Qu Shan’s family living, mother and I have prepared for coping with Li’s matter. Anyway, there are still a few days before the Imperial Court, so there’s still time. There is nothing to concede today. Don’t worry about suffering losses and it’s impossible that we could not take the money with interest after fixing her on the Imperial Court!”

Princess Yang’s eyes flashed with resentment, and she nodded heavily, “Only this little b*tch alone could not afford to pay us back! I want the lad, Ruan, and Fangruan who hid her dowry list thousands of miles away, all of them paying the price!”

“Pay the price?” In General’s Mansion, Ruan Qingyan stared seriously at his cousin Qiu Yelan, who was obviously flattering to him, continuously sneered and pointed at the thousands taels amount of silver note on the table, “Princess Yang could agree me to join the family and attend aunt’s funeral even before sending someone to General’s Mansion to check my identity only for 5000 silver taels of money! Her entire family was extremely greedy, and also extremely miserly! How could you blackmail 10,000 silver taels from them! And you said you let them pay for their stupid mistake?! Have you ever thought about the consequences of doing this?!!!”

Saying the last word, Ruan Qingyan was almost growling!

Qiu Yelan was ashamed and fluently replied, “Oh yeah, sorry cousin, I am wrong. I should not be optimistic about the IQ of Prince’s Mansion of Xihe. If they were angry with me and struck a vicious blow, then I was like a sheep in wolf den!” I should have come back to discuss it with you and ask you to come forward… No, no, I should have let you decide and listened to you! I’m really wrong!”

“I’m your only sister, the only kinsfolk except our grandfather! I shouldn’t let you worry about me and shouldn’t make grandfather distressed! I should always put my own safety first, and always remember that I have a cousin! I should always remember that I don’t need to go into battle by myself again and again….”

She said all of what Ruan Qingyan thought and didn’t expect and then asked painfully, “Cousin, are you willing to forgive me now?” As a little beauty, only as tall as Ruan Qingyan’s shoulder, she stood timidly by him. Her hair was long, wet after bath and long to knee, fluffily covering her head like a gorgeous robe, and as a perfect foil for her slim waist, which was soft and swaying in the wind like water lotus.

Her white fingers also hooked the corners of Ruan Qingyan’s sleeves, swinging to and fro, with her big and bright peach-blossom-like eyes blinking, the watery eyes showing her cunning and poor look.

Ruan Qingyan’s heart was full of different moods: want to scold her, but hate to say harsh words, and also she had said all words and criticized herself; want to hit her, but thought that she was already a mature girl, who would lose face even with little physical punishment. As he thought more, he was more powerless!

After judging and weighing for a while, he said, “Transcribe ‘Behavioral Norms of Girls’ for 800 copies!!!”

Then he was stopped by Qiu Yelan. This troublesome sister fell out as easily as turning pages of books. Immediately she loosened grip, and turned to Su He and shouted, “Come and buy me a few pounds of arsenic for committing suicide! I can’t live!!!”

So, why did “crying, making troubles and hanging oneself” be summed up as women’s ultimate skills?!

Because these were the essence of victory built on the corpses of countless losers over the years!

Watching Ruan Qingyan was awkwardly defeated again, Qiu Yelan smiled smugly and came up to appease, “Cousin, don’t be angry! Anyway, didn’t I come back with all the things doing well? Qiu Mengmin can’t forget the duke title, so how dare he desperately fight with me! You know, the Lantern Festival is approaching, and so does the Imperial Court. When he would be unduked on the Imperial Court, we would worry quite less in the future. How about thinking something good!”

Ruan Qingyan said coldly, “Don’t underestimate Qiu Mengmin. If he wasn’t strong and capable, how could he force Aunt to die before I came?!”

Qiu Yelan was puzzled, “Mother Princess knows you are coming?”

“… I mean, according to Aunt ‘s age, she should not have passed away last year. It can show that she hadn’t enjoyed a cozy life.” Ruan Qingyan paused and said calmly, “It could also show Qiu Mengmin’s ability!”

Qiu Yelan said, “We could do nothing to help. Mother only has me as her only child, but I am not a son! Qiu Mengmin inherited the noble title and was justified as the head of the family. He is older than my father and carries his wife and son, as well as his birth mother and sisters. His whole family was back, how could mother strive against so great power and so many people?”

Ruan Qingyan raised a hand to touch her head and said, ” He’s with so many people and is powerful is one of the reasons, but his shrewdness can’t be ignored! Are numerous people and great power equal to victory? Then let’s just compete by comparing the number of our people! In short, you should not be happy today by blackmailing and receiving his money! He is much more capable and more difficult to deal with than you imagine! Do you know it?!”

“I see!” Qiu Yelan friendly said.

… Sending Ruan Qingyan away, Su He, who had accompanied Qiu Yelan being bullied by the entire Prince’s Mansion of Xihe, was still immersed in the joy of the victory today. He came happily and asked, “Your Grace, shall we go to Prince’s Mansion of Xihe tomorrow and the day after tomorrow?” Obviously, she became addicted to doing this with Qiu Mengmin.

Qiu Yelan nodded solemnly, “Of course I have to go! I’m also going to take 16,000 silver taels of money!”

Su He was overjoyed, “Really ?!” and then wondered, “Why is it 16,000, not 20,000 taels?” Don’t they generally make it up a round number?

Qiu Yelan stopped Chunran and Xiaran who came out to stop her, picking up both silver notes on the table and placing them in Su He’s hands, then she seriously said, “Because the place you will go to is Prince’s Mansion of Xihe— actually the neighborhood of Prince’s Mansion of Xihe, Marquess Qin’s other mansion, and give this money to General Jiang! Without General Jiang’s help, how can there be such a good thing, receiving 16,000 silver taels of money within a day by just a few words! According to his General status, he won’t accept the money, at least not all of it. But send him all the money to show our sincerity and appreciation. You do it quickly tomorrow!”

“…” Su He was speechless, Chunran and Xiaran covered mouths smiling.

The next day, Jiang Yashuang didn’t accept all the money as expected, but only take a small amount, 6,000 silver taels of money. With regard to this, Qiu Yelan was at ease, “According to his status, he won’t stand aside after he took the money, no matter how much of it. He would surely be standing with us.”

Everything is fine for the next few days, and the Lantern Festival was just around the corner.

Probably because after the Lantern Festival, the Empress Dowager party and the Empress party were going to fight head-on, all people were focusing on preparing for the battle and ignored the festival.

Ruan Qingyan and Qiu Yelan had accompanied General Ruan and had never gone out, but they heard from the servants who went out strolling that this year’s Lantern Festival was not very lively.

“It forebodes the fierce situation on this coming Imperial Court!” Darui’s official holiday was from the winter solstice to the Lantern Festival, and the usual rule was to assemble on the Imperial Court on each even number date and to rest on odd number days. The day after the Lantern Festival would be 16th of the month, so it would be a day to assemble on the Imperial Court. Early in the morning, Ruan Qingyan got up and saw the heavy snow drifting outside. He couldn’t feel the happiness of the snow as a propitious sign. Instead, he felt the sky full of haze. Thinking of the Lantern Festival scene described by servants last night, he just worried and felt his heart heavy.

Qiu Yelan comforted him, “It’s the truth that Qiu Mengmin disrespected the old Princess, no matter how fierce the Imperial Court would be!”

“…” Ruan Qingyan sighed, “I knew you should have let me reveal this! Now things are all about troubles that you’ve made, and I don’t know if I’ll be there to have chance speaking for you?”

Qiu Yelan said with surprise, “You are going too ?!”

Ruan Qingyan was even more surprised than her, “Do you want to go alone ?!”

“But cousin, you haven’t been qualified to appear on the Imperial Court up till now, have you?” Qiu Yelan certainly thought that she would go for the Imperial Court alone to unveil this second battle between two Empresses. But actually, she’s not alone, the Empress party is her alliance for sure!

Ruan Qingyan reminded, “Could you just said that I also had something to do with it?”

“… But what does it have to do with you? This is Qiu Family ‘s business!” Qiu Yelan advised in earnest, “The imperial examination in spring would be on the first few days of February. There’s only less than a month left, don’t you study anymore?”

“If you are involved in two Empresses’ dispute, how can I stay at home reading books?” Ruan Qingyan asked her in reply, “And if I have to rely on this month studying, do I dare to take the exam?!”

“Grinding the spear just before a battle may not make it sharper, but still could make it polished!” Qiu Yelan said sincerely, “You have a wrong attitude towards the exam!”

Ruan Qingyan was too lazy to answer her and said, “Wasn’t I there when Qiu Mengmin hurt himself last time?”

“… Are you sure that eunuchs will let you enter the palace for this?” Qiu Yelan said with little sadness, “And even if you feel confident to pass the exam, think about Master Xue’s mood… What will you do if unfortunately, he deliberately fails you because you are involved in this?”

“Then he would offend Empress.” Ruan Qingyan said lightly, “At most, he won’t cultivate me as a trusted subordinate! But isn’t it the same if I rely on Empress Jiang?”

So Ruan Qingyan did rely on “witnessing Duke of Xihe hurting himself to coerce Commandery Princess Ningyi” to enter the palace gate….

They were not qualified to appear on the Imperial Court as the ministers and officials. When they were called to enter into Funing Hall, the opening had passed, and it entered into “official drama”. Once they crossed the threshold, they just felt the anxious atmosphere and tense situation in the magnificent Hall.

They brother and sister leading the Qu Shan family, looked steadily forward and saluted to Empress Dowager Gu, Emperor, and Empress Jiang. And then they noticed that Qiu Mengmin was among the nobles and expressionless. Princess Yang, Madame Lu, and some senior servants of Prince’s Mansion of Xihe were called in before they came in.

Except for Princess Yang, who had the title of nobility, everyone else was kneeling, taking up the right side to the red pedestal of the throne.

Qiu Yelan and the others could then only choose the left side, and the left and right above on the throne were just the opposite of what they looked under the red pedestal of the throne. So Qiu Yelan and her fellows looked up and saw Empress Jiang who was sitting to the right of Emperor, while Princess Yang looked up and saw Empress Dowager Gu who was on the left of the throne. Clearly and extremely different, they were like two armies facing out and like a river between them!

In contrast, Princess Yang had more people behind her while Qiu Yelan had an imposing manner. Because Ruan Qingyan had the title of Juren, he was also qualified to stand with her. So, Princess Yang was standing alone on the other side. If Qiu Mengmin wouldn’t come out to stand with her, she would be looked as weaker.

However, the civil and military officials in two lines were as many as clouds in the sky. It’s hard to say which party has bigger power and numerical strength at this moment.

After Qiu Yelan and the others standing on the left side of the red pedestal of the throne, a handsome eunuch came out above, flicking the horsetail whisk, and said loudly, “Commandery Princess Ningyi, Ruan Qingyan, the heir of General Ruan, and old Princess of Xihe’s old servants are all brought here. If you ministers have any doubt, you could start asking now.”

After finishing the words, he flicked the horsetail whisk again, and then retreated back behind Empress Jiang.

Like shooting a starting gun, all civilian and military officers at court, who were originally silent, buzzed.

A moment later, an official who was in a dark green uniform with a silver belt came out from the civilian side, pointing at Qiu Yelan and shouted, “As a niece, you didn’t care about the education from your uncle and untie, discussing the elders without respect and offending the superior as the junior! You could be said as unloyal, unfilial, not benevolent and heartless, almost worse than animals! From my perspective, Qiu doesn’t deserve the title Commandery Princess and she is even unworthy standing here!”

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