Free Web NovelChapter 81: Chapter 81
Chapter 81
Yueqian knew the events during this well. The Third Prince had much to fight for, and the struggle for the throne had only just begun. At this moment, he was constantly embroiled in chaos.
And during the period when the Young General was out suppressing bandits, he was also searching for a spy. After Liu Sun, the story’s heroine, became the Young General’s concubine, she discovered this and offered to investigate for him. She eventually found out that one of the concubines was working for the Crown Prince.
Because this involved the main characters, the author had described these events in detail, and Yueqian remembered them.
The Third Prince was still suspicious of everyone, and Qin Majiao knew this. He couldn’t let the Third Prince suspect the Qin family. By using this to provoke him, Qin Majiao had inadvertently spoken out.
His words gave her the satisfying answer she wanted.
In front of so many people, he had said that he supported his daughter living with her husband until old age, no matter how difficult the husband’s life became, she must endure it. Therefore, in the future... if he wanted her to divorce her husband, he couldn’t use the excuse that her husband didn’t take care of her well enough, or that she was suffering, as a reason again.
“I think the same, Father. I don’t think that you would support me in divorcing the husband you chose for me,” Yueqian slowly sat down, her aggressive demeanor completely gone, as if nothing had happened.
Qin Mazhu’s face was flushed red, contrasting with Qin Majiao’s darkened expression. He thoroughly enjoyed watching his little sister’s performance. Even though he knew she would eventually fail, despite her stubbornness. But seeing his father filled with such emotion was considered watching some entertainment.
"Eldest Young Miss Qin, you haven’t seen your mother for a long time, have you? After this, why don’t you go visit her for a bit? I’ve heard she’s been ill but still tried to come see you," the Third Prince sighed. Today was truly not Qin Majiao’s day, so he stepped in to send her away.
There would be plenty of time to discuss her situation later. Additionally, the head of the Qin family needed to rethink his plans. He had assumed Yueqian would beg him for a divorce, but she stubbornly clung to her poor husband. If this continued, the arguments would never end.
Qin Yueqian was bold and willing to tarnish her own reputation. She knew how to manipulate people, first making Fang Zhugong furious and then throwing the problem to her father, caused him the same reaction.
She didn’t seem as foolish as she appeared; rather, she just seemed indifferent to her own reputation. It was strange that there was a woman like this in the land, but it opened his eyes.
Seeing her like this reminded him of the foolish Seventh Prince. Was his Seventh Brother pretending to be foolish for his own schemes, or was he truly a fool? It seemed he needed to visit him upon returning.
"Ah, thank you, Third Prince. Husband, let’s go see my mother." Yueqian knew that the Third Prince wanted her gone due to the awkward situation. Yueqian had no intention of refusing, as she was also annoyed being here. She was only here to follow tradition, returning to visit her family with her husband taking her. Despite the delay caused by various understandable reasons, they had come with a gift, which was considered generous.
Mu Heng glanced at Yueqian. He saw her pay respect to the prince, to excuse herself. Mu Heng then also bowed and stepped back. The tall man watched the back of the woman who was seen as troublesome by others, but he could sense her boredom. It seemed she did not enjoy these chaotic situations much.
His thick hand gently touched her slender back, stronger than it seemed. He prayed to achieve his goals quickly. Once he became the mayor, he would let her enjoy her time with the youger siblings, have time to write, and cook the food she loved.
He would find a way to deal with all these tiresome troubles himself.
Because, clearly, the people here had no intention of letting her go, not just her father, but also the cunning glances from others, including those princes...
One day, if Yueqian became useful to them, they would surely use her as a tool.
“Are you worried about me?” Yueqian smiled faintly. She looked at Mu Heng’s hand. He was lightly stroking her back. Her usually hardened heart softened.
For ten years.
For ten years, she had raged and cursed at people to escape the clutches of evil, yet no one stood behind her, being a big tree for her to lean on.
It wasn’t that she hadn’t considered stopping an acting of bad behaviors to live peacefully after her rebirth, but... everywhere she looked, there were only thorns ready to prick her. Yueqian was just few years old when she learned that her younger brother died before he could even be born. Later, one of her father’s concubines, who was so great and always genuinely advising her, ended up dead, taking the punishment meant for the princes.
Good people around her, no matter how sincere, always ended up as scapegoats, used as pawns. She didn’t want a life like that!
Now, it had proven. Her patience had led her to find a big tree that called “home”. No matter where she had to wander, as long as he was there, that place would be her “true home.”
“Of course, I’m worried about you,” Mu Heng said seriously. Seeing his expression, Yueqian couldn’t help but laugh.
“You don’t need to worry so much about me, Husband. I’ve been living like this for over ten years,” she said, trying to appear casual so he wouldn’t worry. However, Mu Heng frowned deeply.
“Must you hide things from even me?” His question made Yueqian pause, her eyes wavering uncontrollably.
“Even if I try to hide it, you can still see through me, can’t you?”
“Qian’er,” Mu Heng whispered his lover’s name softly. Ignoring the servants waiting nearby, he pulled Yueqian into a tight embrace.
Their unabashed display of affection caused some of the servants to squeal, but the two of them paid no attention. They simply held each other tighter and longer. ƒrēewebnovel.com
After five minutes, Yueqian gently patted his arm. She had used his shirt to wipe away her tears. No one could see the tears of this villainess. Taking a deep breath, the beauty regained her strength.
The one with a wicked smile glanced at the servant who looked at her with disdain, causing the servant to jump in fright.
“Where is my mother? Lead the way,” Yueqian said with a high-pitched voice. She seemed so much like a self-centered person.
The sweet atmosphere from moments ago dissipated instantly. The servant nodded repeatedly. They were hurriedly leading the way, afraid that any slight delay might result in punishment of flogging by this villainess.
They had heard that she had just thrown the close servant of the secondary wife into the water. That maid was now trembling and likely to catch a fever. These servants didn’t want to suffer in this remote place, so they did not want to make a mistake.
These servants never considered the reality of the situation. Since she was young, Yueqian had only lashed out if someone tried to harm her first. She would not fight and make a scene if the other party did not attack her first. At most, she would just issue commands with an overly loud voice. But those whom she harmed, most of them were sent by others to harm her.
Yueqian knew what was happening but pretended to be ignorant, ultimately punishing those who wronged her without giving a reason. This led to widespread gossip among those who didn’t know the fact that she enjoyed injuring her servants.
For example, a servant sent by a little concubine who wanted to gain influence in the household once tried to harm her. This concubine couldn’t hurt Yueqian’s mother, but because she had a daughter of her own, she didn’t want anyone overshadowing her little flower. So, she planned to eliminate Yueqian.
Somehow, the concubine got the idea that if Yueqian were out of the picture, her daughter, despite being a concubine’s child, could become the Young General’s betrothed.
Huh! Foolish indeed.
The concubine instructed her servant to apply lip balm and face powder that would cause severe blisters for two days. She aimed to prevent the Young General, who was visiting Yueqian for the first time, from falling in love with her.
The maid came to apply these beauty products, claiming they were a secret formula from her family. However, Yueqian, who was well-educated, recognized it and used the products excessively to ensure she developed severe blisters, not just for two days but for months.
When the incident occurred, she ordered the arrogant maid to be whipped nearly to death. The severity of the situation led her mother, who knew the truth, to sell the servant far away. Her father approved because the physician came and confirmed that the lip balm and powder contained poison.
This incident implicated the concubine as well. Eventually, Yueqian went to slap and beat them because they had ruined her face for months. However, those unaware of the true cause believed Yueqian was simply cruel, abusing servants, asking her mother to sell them off, and then attacking the concubine.
The real reason remained hidden because Yueqian herself requested her parents to keep it secret. She used the Young General as an excuse, saying she feared that he would find out about the turmoil within the Qin household and think she was just as troublesome. Her parents agreed, and they kept silent.
As time passed, Yueqian’s parents, instead of remembering the true origin of the rumors, they did not. They only remembered hearing that Yueqian had beaten others again, leading them to believe she had become increasingly aggressive.
It took nearly a month for her face to heal, and eventually, her reputation for cruelty grew exponentially. In fact, Yueqian was the victim of the situation.
Never mind, this was what Yueqian had wanted, yet she couldn’t help but feel disappointed in her father.
“First Furen, the Eldest Young Miss and the son-in-law have come to see you,” a servant called out at the entrance of a residence. There were two servants guarding the door, likely with two more inside since the close servants of Yueqian’s mother weren’t these two.
“............” In the manor was quite quiet. Yueqian raised her eyebrows slightly. It seemed her mother wasn’t willing to forgive her and her husband. Despite her concern for Yueqian, her mother also cared about her own reputation. She had probably heard about how well Yueqian was taking care of her husband and that she refused to consider divorce. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have kept the door closed like this.
