Chapter 17

“….” Lady Su¹I’m translating Lady Su as Lady rather than Madam because the raws technically call her ‘née Su’. almost slammed the table. She clenched her handkerchief tightly, her well-kept pale fingers turning slightly white at the nails.

If she really did this, with Xia Lian’s lesson as a precedent, what authority would she have left in front of the servants of Wanxiang Courtyard in the future?!

Qin Jiu smiled sweetly, her face full of innocence as she asked, “Second Aunt wouldn’t be reluctant, right?”

Reluctant? What would she have to be reluctant about?! Wasn’t this basically outright accusing her of instructing the servants to mistreat Qin Jiu?! Lady Su felt a dull pain in her chest. She gripped her handkerchief tightly and forced the words out through clenched teeth: “Such servants who bully their master deserve to be slapped!”

Thus, after the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, a confused Xia Lian was brought to kneel in the courtyard outside Ronghe Hall.

Smack! Smack! Smack!

The bamboo board struck Xia Lian’s cheeks mercilessly.

She cried out hoarsely, begging for mercy, her shrill pleas echoing through the air and reverberating through the entire Ronghe Hall.

Each strike felt as though it landed on Lady Su’s own face. Her complexion turned pale, her skin stinging.

When Qin Jiu returned to Wanxiang Courtyard, it was as if the atmosphere had completely changed. The servants looked at her with fear and trepidation, cold sweat beading on their foreheads, terrified that the next blow of the bamboo board would fall on them.

Qin Jiu, however, remained indifferent.

She returned to her room and changed clothes. At a quarter to eight in the morning, she set out with her sisters Qin Xin and Qin Sheng to Shenghua Pavilion.

Shenghua Pavilion was part of Prince Tai’s residence, located on Heyu Street in the southern part of the city. It was popular among the capital’s noble families, who often came to enjoy tea and admire flowers.

The Yongxu Gathering was only held once each season, and the noble young ladies of the capital all considered it an honor to receive an invitation.

After checking their brocade invitation, a maid led the three Qin sisters inside.

Beyond the teahouse facing the street lay a small garden. Though it was small, it had all the elements—pavilions, terraces, and towers—arranged in an elegant layout.

In early October, autumn was deepening, and chrysanthemums bloomed in full splendor throughout the garden in a riot of colors.

At the northeast corner stood an octagonal pavilion. Many young ladies were already sitting inside, perfumes mingling and hair ornaments glinting.

Most of them recognized Qin Xin and Qin Sheng, exchanging warm greetings. But when their gazes fell upon the unfamiliar Qin Jiu, their expressions grew subtle.

Over the past few days, they had all heard to varying degrees that the Qin family of the Marquis Zhongyi’s residence had acknowledged a girl from the countryside. She was supposedly said to have gone missing many years ago, and was brought back at the Empress’s order.

They exchanged glances, thinking: ‘Could this be the one from the rumors?’

“Little Sister Xin, this is…?” Princess Yingluo of Prince Tai’s residence looked at Qin Jiu and asked Qin Xin in a friendly tone.

“This is my third sister, given name a single ‘Jiu’ character.” Qin Xin introduced gracefully, “This name was bestowed by Her Majesty the Empress.”

So it really was her!

The noble young ladies exchanged looks in small groups, all showing keen interest.

So she really was a country bumpkin! She didn’t even have a proper name and even needed the Empress to give her one.

The Qin family was truly unlucky!

Their gazes toward Qin Jiu carried a mix of scrutiny and condescension, as though they were examining a novel little curiosity.

To these highborn ladies, even though Qin Jiu came from a noble lineage, having grown up in the countryside meant there would always be an unbridgeable gap between them. She could never truly integrate into their circle.

Putting it bluntly, no reputable family in the capital would ever take a girl like Qin Jiu as a wife!

“…” Qin Jiu fell silent.

She couldn’t help but think that when the original host in the novel had just been found and brought back, it had probably been like this too.

The original host had grown up in that kind of environment and had never learned the arts of music, chess, calligraphy, or painting, nor etiquette or proper conduct, and she didn’t understand social interactions. Set against the dazzlingly talented Qin Xin, she became even more at a loss.

This pushed the already despairing original host into yet another kind of hell.

But Qin Jiu was not the original host.

She had no intention of getting entangled in the original plot, but that didn’t mean anyone could just step all over her.

Qin Jiu met Princess Yingluo’s gaze without the slightest hesitation.

Her almond-shaped eyes were exceptionally beautiful, with graceful curves and long, thick lashes that set off her jet-black pupils. They were clear and bright, like the blue sky after being washed clean by rain.

Though Princess Yingluo remained outwardly composed, she was slightly surprised inside.

She had assumed Qin Jiu was nothing more than a wild country girl who, in front of a noble princess like herself, would be timid and small-minded. However, the young girl before her was completely different from what she had imagined.

Refined, yet lively; poised and graceful.

Qin Jiu’s calm and self-assured demeanor caused some of the appraising gazes to lose interest.

They decided to simply ignore her, gathering among themselves to chat and laugh, forming a clear divide.

More and more young ladies arrived one after another.

Whenever they saw Qin Jiu’s unfamiliar face, they would ask about her briefly. Then, they would keep their distance, as if afraid of being tainted by her “rustic air”.

The noble ladies admired flowers, chatted, listened to music, or played pitch-pot games, their laughter light and cheerful.

Meanwhile, Qin Jiu stood alone by the pavilion railing, leisurely feeding the fish in the pond.

Now that she had returned to the Qin family, she couldn’t avoid situations like this forever. So when Qin Sheng had “invited” her yesterday, even though she was clearly intending to make her lose face, she hadn’t refused.

She had only come back to the Qin family—it wasn’t like she was planning to shut herself away for life.

As soon as the tempting fish food hit the water, schools of goldfish swarmed in, flicking their tails as they fought for it, sending ripples across the pond.

“Third Sister, why are you here feeding fish?” At this moment, Qin Sheng walked over and said with a smile, “Second Sister is painting over there. Aren’t you going to take a look?

“We’re all sisters after all. Even if Third Sister feels inferior, you should still go. Otherwise, people might think we sisters don’t get along. Don’t you agree, Third Sister?”

Though Qin Sheng smiled sweetly, the disdain in her words was obvious. Several noble ladies nearby overheard and exchanged amused glances.

“Fourth Sister is right,” Qin Jiu tossed the last handful of fish food into the pond, stating calmly, “We sisters truly don’t get along.”

Qin Sheng’s smile froze instantly.

Not far away, a young lady in a lotus-colored dress couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh.

Qin Sheng’s expression stiffened further as she said rigidly, “So are you going or not?”

Qin Jiu brushed the fish food crumbs from her hands and replied with a cheerful smile, “No.”

Qin Sheng: “…”

Qin Sheng felt a lump of anger stuck in her stomach, unable to go up or down. Not wanting to lose her composure in front of so many people, she could only think to herself how utterly detestable this person was.

Glaring at Qin Jiu, she asked again, “Are you going or not?”

“No…” Qin Jiu drawled lazily, but her gaze drifted unintentionally to the front left, where she spotted several figures approaching from the teahouse.

Seven or eight finely-dressed young gentlemen were walking over, each of them strikingly handsome.

Qin Jiu had only meant to glance casually, but among the men at the front, she recognized two familiar figures: one was the Second Prince, Gu Jing, and the one in the center was actually Xiao Ze!

She froze, her eyes widening.

It really was Xiao Ze!

Clad in luxurious robes, his hair bound with a purple-gold crown, he was handsome and composed. A faint smile lingered at his lips as he strolled forward with his hands behind his back, his leisurely steps carrying both dignity and elegance.

Looking at his usual gentle, deceptively charming face, Qin Jiu felt uncomfortable all over.

She sprang to her feet and said sweetly to Qin Sheng, “Sure.”

This time, Qin Sheng was the one stunned.

She had thought Qin Jiu would refuse again! This Qin Jiu was so erratic, could something be wrong with her head?

Before she could recover, Qin Jiu was already urging impatiently, “Are we going or not?”

Afraid Qin Jiu might change her mind, Qin Sheng hurriedly replied, “Let’s go!”

The sisters had just stepped out of the pavilion when someone behind them let out a soft exclamation: “Look, it’s His Highness the Second Prince…”

Qin Sheng paused, wanting to turn back, but Qin Jiu urged, “Hurry up!”

Saying that, Qin Jiu quickened her pace, leaving Qin Sheng behind.

Qin Sheng: “…”

Having no choice, Qin Sheng could only hurry after her.

Across the pond stood a two-story waterside pavilion, where seven or eight noble young ladies had gathered around Qin Xin.

Qin Xin stood before a large red-lacquered table. She had just finished her painting and set her brush on the rack.

Spread out on the table was a portrait of the Queen Mother of the West. In the painting, she wore a crown adorned with five phoenixes, her long brows and delicate eyes giving her a dignified and composed presence, with an air of ethereal grace.

Several young ladies gathered around, praising:

“Sister Xin’s painting is truly excellent. The Queen Mother looks both dignified and benevolent, approachable yet worthy of reverence.”

“Yes, it exudes a sense of compassion for all living beings.”

“Your painting skills have improved again!”

“…”

Words of praise rose one after another.

“Third Sister,” Qin Xin seemed to notice Qin Jiu only now and looked up with a smile. “I was just looking for you. Why didn’t you come join us?”

Qin Jiu smiled but didn’t reply.

Qin Sheng eagerly said, “Second Sister, His Highness the Second Prince has arrived.”

As she spoke, she glared at Qin Jiu. It was all Qin Jiu’s fault for walking too fast, otherwise she could have brought the Second Prince over herself.

Qin Xin’s eyes lit up.

Ever since the Second Prince had been confined by the Emperor at the Jianglin traveling palace, she hadn’t seen him for a long time.

She cast a subtle glance at Qin Jiu, her gaze deep and unreadable.

At this moment, she was more eager than ever to see Gu Jing.