Free Web NovelChapter 86: Chapter 86
Chapter 86 freewebnoveℓ.com
Liu Sun knew she couldn’t behave like Yueqian, who would lash out at anyone she disliked, scattering them in all directions. She needed to be someone widely accepted by many people. These women were easily influenced, and if she were to marry into the Young General’s family in the future, she would need to use these connections to help him gather certain information.
Liu Sun understood her position and abilities. Therefore, she felt that she had to help where she could, at least until the situation became dire. Only then would she abandon ship and let the guilty face the consequences themselves.
The current situation wasn’t that severe yet; only a small group knew the truth. The issue hadn’t escalated to the family heads or the princes, so there was still a way to manage it. Liu Sun pretended to extend her kindness to these women, thinking that even if she wasn’t involved, she could still help find a solution.
This act of kindness, in the future, she must ask for a double in return!
"This is an extremely difficult matter. It’s not easy to cover up the deaths of people," Liu Sun said solemnly.
However, some of the sensitive women had already turned pale. Hearing her talk about the dead, some began to feel frightened. Who would have thought that a journey intended to build a good reputation, hoping that their parents might have some compassion and marry them into a decent family, would end like this? At least, they just wanted a husband who wasn’t too perverse.
They never imagined that they might have destroyed their own reputations. They might not return with a good name, moreover, there was a severe punishment awaited them.
The deaths of ten soldiers after eating their food would tarnish their families’ reputations. Many began to recall the exiled Qin family’s eldest young miss, who was married to a poor husband, and they grew fearful.
They would rather be secondary wives to someone than marry a poor villager like she did. Just a few days here had shown them nothing but farmlands, a sight that was not pleasing at all. Staying here temporarily was bearable, but living here permanently? They would rather die!
To change themselves, waking up at dawn to cook like servants, doing household chores, delivering food to their husbands in the fields, enduring sun and rain without any servant fanning them—how did that Lady Qin endure such a life? They could never manage it.
It was peculiar when they thought about it. Everyone knew what kind of person Qin Yueqian was. They had argued with her many times. The other loved to look down on people. She would lash out at poor villagers who bothered her without pity.
There was an incident when a villager’s child collapsed in front of the Villainess Qin’s carriage. Not only did she show no compassion, but she also had the child moved to the side and scolded the child’s parents before leaving. ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm
The poor child was left unconscious where they lay. This cruelty was widely known, and no one could speak of Yueqian without mentioning this event. She was a vicious woman who showed no concern for even the dying ill person and would harshly berate the mother. If it hadn’t been for Liu Sun, who saw this while strolling through the market, who knows if the child would have been taken for treatment?
Liu Sun’s kindness that day led her to meet the formidable Young General. He let her ride in his carriage, holding the child, and took them to the health facility. This was such a sweet moment and a great beginning of a relationship.
In mentioning this, the purpose was to point out that Yueqian had changed significantly. No one knew why, but the fact that many villagers spoke up to defend her or said good things about her was not something they were expected to hear.
The initial purpose of coming here was undoubtedly to mock the Eldest Young Miss Qin. They wanted to hear about her laughable antics, such as how she fought with three villagers today, or who she shouted at, or which villager threw eggs at her house.
Who would have thought everything would turn upside down like this? There was not even an insult to be heard, and Qin Yueqian’s personality seemed to have changed significantly.
When they met her, she didn’t scream or rush to slap them like a madwoman. She merely glanced at them as if they were clowns marching toward their doom. And now, they were indeed facing a situation that could bring about their doom.
"Sob sob, if Liu Sun says that, then what should we do? We might get expelled from our families just like that Eldest Young Miss Qin."
"That’s right. I don’t know how that Villainess Qin can endure it all and still pretend to be so happy."
"Exactly. If my family finds out I made such a grave mistake, they’ll definitely take drastic measures like the Qin family did." The Qin family had set a standard. If something major happened in the future, only the descendants would bear the severe consequences.
If the Qin family made a huge deal out of the incident where she drugged her fiancé, and exiled their eldest daughter whose mother was the principal wife, why wouldn’t other families do the same to them when they were daughters of concubines?
Especially if not doing so would damage their family’s reputation even more due to harsh comparisons, right? Then, what should they do? They didn’t want a fate like Yueqian’s.
"Calm down, everyone," Liu Sun stopped those friends who were about to go mad because of fear.
She furrowed her brows, pretending to be deep in thought, but inside, she felt an indescribable satisfaction. These women were in trouble because of their own actions, weren’t they?
The other day, when they tried to curry favor with the Young General, pretending to be devoted ladies helping others, the Young General was angry with her. Fortunately, she didn’t get involved because she was busy preparing medicine for the Young General. Otherwise, she might be quite restless right now.
Just thinking about it was laughable. Not only did they fail to win the general’s favor, but they also gave him a headache. If they couldn’t find a way out of this mess, it might cause more trouble in the future.
If Liu Sun didn’t have plans to use these foolish young misses... she wouldn’t bother wasting her time on thinking about such nonsense for them. She did all of this because she knew these women could still be useful. In the future, when she becomes the Young General’s wife, she might need their cooperation. So, Liu Sun suppressed her mocking smile and put on a worried expression instead.
"Sun’er, you have to help us find a way out.”
"We came here to support you in pleasing the Young General. So, you can’t just let us suffer with you.” The quieter it was, the more anxious they became, revealing their true nature under overwhelming pressure.
Some were quick to shift blame, some were opportunistic, and others were always demanding favors. Even though they had ulterior motives, they had declared that they would come to accompany Liu Sun, hadn’t they? So, they brought up their previous words. If Liu Sun didn’t want to be seen as a heartless friend, she had to help them with all her might.
"Don’t worry, I’m thinking of a way to help you all. You came here to accompany me in doing good deeds by distributing food to the poor facing the harsh cold. Therefore, this mistake shouldn’t cause you too much trouble," Liu Sun quickly corrected their statements.
Were these women stupid? Speaking their intentions so openly—didn’t they fear others might hear and talk about it?
They had set out from the capital, making a big show of wanting to help the villagers. But their true goal was just to gain favor with the man. Was this something that should be disclosed? Didn’t they know that people’s words were longer than a brush? Once people continued to talk, the original meaning would be completely distorted.
Just like the time when Yueqian had her servant move the fainted child to the side of the road. Liu Sun was there and witnessed the incident. There were many villagers who turned to banditry, some would use nobles’ fear of losing their reputations as an advantage, pretending to collapse in front of noble carriages, since they would certainly be able to ask for some compensation.
Unfortunately for them, Yueqian wasn’t one to play along. She not only berated and humiliated them but also refused to pay a single coin.
Those fraudsters were left speechless when faced with someone like Yueqian. Even the child, who had done this many times, didn’t dare get up. It was only because she saw many villagers criticizing Yueqian as a cruel person, and others who didn’t know any better saying they felt sorry for the children, that she saw the situation before her as an opportunity to make a name for herself. So, she stepped in to help.
Liu Sun knew full well that the child and their mother had orchestrated the entire incident. But regardless of whose plan it was and who stood to gain or lose, as long as she benefited, that was all that mattered.
Liu Sun stepped in to help, never imagining that this act would change her life completely. That was because Liu Sun was just the daughter of a concubine at the time. She never intended to get involved with the proud and vicious young miss of the Qin family. Not until she met the Young General that day...
Her love for him drove her to contend with the malicious but brainless Yueqian. From having no hatred because she didn’t want to get involved, she now had to strategize to survive. Having the Young General as her lover brought her many benefits, and he was the one that she genuinely liked. In the end, she couldn’t blame anyone but Yueqian, whose destiny seemed to be her adversary.
If Yueqian existed, there would be no Liu Sun today! Becoming the top woman in the capital wasn’t easy. In part, she owed this title to Yueqian. She had a steppingstone. Yueqian was a perfect person for her to be compared with. The more vicious and notorious Yueqian was, the better Liu Sun’s image became.
So, no matter the truth, Liu Sun never spoke of it. Instead, she planned for others to spread the stories, making them seem even worse. All this was for her survival in the Liu family. As the daughter of a concubine, merely being good wouldn’t allow her to survive in noble society.
She didn’t want to end up like her older sisters, whom their father married off to lecherous old men. Whenever they returned home, they were covered in bruises. Some older sisters didn’t last two months before becoming corpses.
Such was the fate of a concubine’s daughter, especially one of no importance, at most, they would be sent as a gift to someone.
There was no honor, no dignity, only the fight with all their might.
Initially, Liu Sun thought Yueqian was her only rival. The Young General’s heart already had a place for her, and if she behaved well and seized the right opportunities, she could easily become his wife. Given Yueqian’s unlikable nature, her efforts focused on getting Yueqian’s engagement annulled.
But she never expected that Yueqian was never her true enemy. Instead, Yueqian had been using her as a pawn. Her presence here was all part of Yueqian’s plan. The woman she thought was foolish was, in fact, herself, not Yueqian as Liu Sun had believed.
