Chapter 123: Entering the Marquis’s Mansion

Chapter 123: Admission to the Marquis' Estate

"A Yuan?"

Lin Qingshuang rose from bed and took the invitation.

A Yuan had invited her to view the plum blossoms in the southern part of the city, wishing to thank her for having her back at the embroidery shop that day.

"My lady, will you go?"

The maid alone knew her feelings. Though the lady got along well with Lady Xie, having just been deeply hurt by General Xie, going might only make her relive the hurt.

Lin Qingshuang stared at the words on the invitation, lost in thought for a moment.

Should she go?

To be honest, her relationship with A Yuan wasn’t close enough for mutual invitations. Moreover, A Yuan had just suffered a fright—this invitation seemed rather ill-timed.

Lin Qingshuang clenched her fingers, a thought she didn't dare believe surfacing in her heart.

Could this invitation have been sent by him?

Her heart raced wildly. Even though she knew Xie Zheng wasn’t interested in her, she still yearned to see him.

Just this once—she would ask him directly.

"I’ll go."

Lin Qingshuang accepted the invitation, and Xie Zheng finally let out a sigh of relief.

Thank God—the stubborn one was still willing to give him a chance.

......

By mid-February, the capital was starting to warm up.

A Yuan had arranged to meet Lin Qingshuang in the southern plum orchard, and Xie Zheng had gone there early to wait.

He knew Lin Qingshuang’s temper. If he didn’t straighten things out this time, the feisty one might cut him off for good.

"Brother, Lady Lin is a good woman. Don’t bully her."

A Yuan didn’t know what had happened between them, but she had a good opinion of Lin Qingshuang. Besides, Lin Qingshuang had helped her many times already. She had agreed to help her brother arrange the meeting, not so he could mistreat her.

"Don’t worry," Xie Zheng promised seriously.

How could he bear to bully her? Right now, all he wanted was to get back in her good graces as quickly as possible.

Xie Zheng mounted his horse and rode straight for the plum orchard, his urgency a far cry from the cool-headed strategist he usually was.

A Yuan stared wide-eyed, curious about what had transpired between them.

"My lady, shall we still go to the plum orchard?" Chun Tao asked.

The carriage driver had already brought the carriage out and was waiting for them outside.

A Yuan hadn’t been out in a long time and wanted to get some fresh air, especially since she hadn’t met her old friends since returning to the capital.

"Let’s go to Zhang’s Bun Shop."

......

You shameless slut! I let you live, and yet you still dare to chase after the household's second son!"

At the entrance of Zhang Family's Steamed Bun Shop, Zhao Wan grabbed Qiu Wen by the hair and dragged her to the ground.

She raised both hands, about to slap Qiu Wen.

Having worked at the bun shop for years, Qiu Wen was no longer the frail, pitiful concubine she once was.

She didn’t dare fight back for fear of harming Zhao Wan and inviting trouble, but she could still dodge the blows.

Yet the more she avoided, the angrier Zhao Wan became.

"You damn little slut, how dare you dodge!"

She had never considered Qiu Wen a threat before. When she had kicked her out of the household, Wei Cong hadn’t objected. Who would have thought that after seeing her once half a year ago, Wei Cong would start trying to bring her back into the household?

With no love from her husband and no children after years, Zhao Wan’s temper had grown increasingly vile. Now, she even resorted to beating someone in public.

A Yuan stepped down from the carriage, leaning on Chun Tao’s arm, her pretty face ice-cold.

"To think the esteemed Second Madam Wei would act like a shrew!"

"A Yuan!"

Qiu Wen, still lying on the ground, was the first to notice her, her eyes brimming with joy, momentarily forgetting her own predicament.

"A Yuan?"

Zhao Wan stiffened, turning slightly to confirm the familiar face. She dusted off her sleeves and stood up, a fake smile still on her lips.

"It really is you. Now I must call you Lady Xie."

With Madam Wei’s past as a cautionary tale, Zhao Wan dared not underestimate her.

A Yuan stepped forward to help Qiu Wen up, her expression still cold. "I don’t deserve such an address from you, Second Madam Wei."

Zhao Wan’s attempt at friendliness was met with disdain, yet she showed no embarrassment, merely chuckling. "You’ve been gone from the capital too long—you don’t get it. I kindly released her from the household, yet instead of gratitude, she dares to try to seduce Second Master again. Tell me, shouldn’t such a little harlot be beaten?"

"I did no such thing!" Qiu Wen, afraid A Yuan would misunderstand, hastily refuted.

A lecherous good-for-nothing like Wei Cong—she had never liked him before, so why would she now?

"Bullshit! Then why is Second Master so hell-bent on taking you back into the household? If not for your seduction?"

Having run the household for so long, Zhao Wan hated defiance, especially from people beneath her.

She had worked hard to drive out those little vixens from the household and had no intention of letting any more in.

"That’s ridiculous. If Second Master Wei wishes to take a concubine, you should ask him why, not take it out on others. Can’t even control your own husband, you bully women instead—still the same as ever, no growth at all."

A Yuan’s words were merciless. Now that their positions had reversed, it was Zhao Wan who was being reprimanded.

"You—!"

Zhao Wan’s face turned red with rage. Many onlookers had gathered—some had wanted to intervene when she was beating Qiu Wen, but most were commoners, and the fancy carriage from the Marquis’s house scared them off. Now that A Yuan had stepped in for Qiu Wen, the crowd cheered.

"Exactly! Can’t control her own husband, so she bullies Madam Qiu—what kind of crap is that?"

"I’ve seen her husband—weak, out of breath after two steps. Aside from his status, how could he compare to Zhang Dalang? Why would Madam Qiu pick him over Zhang Dalang?"

"Right! I think this woman’s just causing drama for no reason!"

"......"

Men’s words can cut deeper than women’s. Zhao Wan was left defenseless against the barrage of insults. With A Yuan protecting Qiu Wen, there was no way she could put that little harlot in her place today.

Zhao Wan clenched her teeth. “Back to the estate!”

She swore Qiu Wen wouldn’t stay lucky forever!

......

“Sister Qiu Wen, are you alright?”

As Zhao Wan boarded her carriage and left, A Yuan pulled Qiu Wen aside, looking her over, afraid she’d been injured.

Qiu Wen shook her head with a smile. “I’m fine. She didn’t hit me.”

Zhao Wan had just held her down—no blows landed. And if the Zhangs hadn’t left to visit their ancestors’ graves today, Zhao Wan wouldn’t have had the chance to cause trouble.

“That’s good.”

A Yuan relaxed but wasn’t done asking.

“You’ve been free of the Marquis’s house for ages. Why won’t she leave you alone?”

And what’s this nonsense about Wei Cong making you his concubine, as Zhao Wan had claimed?

Qiu Wen smiled bitterly. “That’s… complicated.”

After leaving the Marquis’s house, she had worked at the bun shop ever since. The Zhangs were good, simple folk, and Granny Zhang doted on her like a daughter.

Having stayed at the bun shop for so long, Qiu Wen was well-known among the neighbors. The Zhang family’s buns, with their thin wrappers and generous fillings, were delicious, and business boomed daily. Some regulars even had her drop off buns when she could.

It was during one of these deliveries that she ran into Wei Cong.

At the Marquis’s, Qiu Wen had been meek and forgettable, but after leaving, it was as if she had become a different person.

Seeing the once rigid and plain concubine now dressed in simple clothes yet glowing with a radiant smile left Wei Cong itching for her.