Chapter 188 The Outcast, Qi Rongzhi.
âSecond Lady Qin, Haoâer is still young. If he offends you, please forgive him. He still doesnât know how to behave properly. It is very inappropriate for him to take you here!â Madam of Duke Xing said calmly as she walked.
What she meant was that it was impolite for Qin Wanru to follow Shao Yuanhao here as Qin Wanru was older than Shao Yuanhao.
Was this why Madam of Duke Xing came here in a hurry?
She turned slightly and looked at the house behind her. It was a great court but its master had gone. Though the master has passed away, the style of the court remained the same, which showed that the mansion thought a great deal of its master.
âYes, you are right. I didnât know people were forbidden from coming here,â answered Qin Wanru lightly as a hint of doubt flashed in her eyes.
âIt is a forbidden area in the mansion. People in this mansion canât even come in and out casually. Haoâer is still a brat and he sometimes sneaks in there.â Madam of Duke Xing looked calmer and kinder. She looked at Qin Wanru and said, âYou two might hit it off. I guess it might be that you saved him that day.â
âYouâre exaggerating!â answered Qin Wanru calmly.
âHaoâer grew up in this mansion. He is the only child of the late heir here and everyone cares about him. Old Grandma spoils him as she loves him and is always afraid that he would be unhappy. Everyone humors him. However, nobody thought heâd be at risk when he went to the banquet because he is always safe in this mansion!â said Madam of Duke Xing sincerely.
Qin Wanru didnât answer her because she knew Madam of Duke Xing was just needing a listener now.
âNow Ruiâan Great Elder Princess is going to take Haoâer away but I am afraid he wonât be used to that placeâŠâ Madam of Duke Xing said and sighed. She turned her head sideways slightly and looked at Qin Wanru who was just a step behind. She asked, âI hear that Madam Shui is not your birth mother and you donât know who your birth mother is. Is that true?â
The topic changed so fast. Luckily, Qin Wanru was prepared. She lowered her head and hid her cold eyes. She answered, âI donât know who she is and my father doesnât tell me.â
âIs she dead?â Madam of Duke Xing asked with pity in her eyes. âPoor child!â
Although her questions came abruptly, her subsequent words made people feel her kindness and mercy.
âI donât know!â Qin Wanru frowned and her eyes seemed to be filled with sorrow.
âSo have you never seen your mother?â asked Madam of Duke Xing, her kindly eyes filled with concern.
Qin Wanru shook her head lightly and said in a low voice, âMy father, mother and grandma love me very much!â
âWhat a poor but clever child!â Madam of Duke Xing sighed. She set her eyes on the embroidery pattern on her clothes. âThe embroidery is quite beautiful. I notice you three from Qinâs Mansion all have this embroidery pattern. May I ask who designed this bluegrass embroidery pattern?â
âI donât know. The embroidery room made them!â Qin Wanru shook her head again.
âAll three were made in the embroidery room?â Madam of Duke Xing frowned and asked casually. She seemed to be really curious about this pattern.
âYes. We just arrived at the capital city and Old Grandma asked them to make clothes for us. Lady Qi is now living in our mansion so she comes here too. However, about this bluegrass patternâŠâ When Qin Wanru said this, she hesitated. She looked like she thought of something but she decided against it.
âWhat about this bluegrass pattern?â
âI think Iâve seen this bluegrass pattern before.â Qin Wanru lightly rubbed her head and for a while couldnât think of where she saw them before.
âWhere?â Madam of Duke Xing looked calm but subconsciously, her voice became louder and her eyes looked darker.
âI donât know⊠I may have seen it before in Magistrate Qiâs Mansion or in our mansion or somewhere in Jiangzhou.â said Qin Wanru.
Jiangzhou! So it was Jiangzhou!
âSecond Lady Qin, is there a glass enamel in your mansion?â Taking a deep breath and calming down, Madam of Duke Xing asked.
âI donât know⊠I may have seen it before in Magistrate Qiâs Mansion or our mansion or somewhere in Jiangzhou,â said Qin Wanru.
During their talk, several madams showed up from the front corner. When they saw Madam of Duke Xing and Qin Wanru walking by, they stopped and waited for them to pass them and then they began walking again, laughing and talking.
Qin Wanru was walking beside Madam of Duke Xing but gradually she slowed down to walk behind the crowd. As she watched Madam of Duke Xing smiling kindly in front, a shadow of gloom appeared in her eyes. She was now sure that Madam of Duke Xing knew about the bluegrass seal and that the seal belonged to her.
Could she be thinking that Qin Yuru used the seal to enter Duke Xingâs Mansion, but she didnât know what it stood for?
Why did those in Duke Xingâs mansion think so much of this seal?
Duke Xingâs Mansion thought so highly of this seal that Madam of Duke Xing had come to dislike it!
However, she could not say that this seal belonged to her. Before knowing everything clearly, she had to take every step carefully and slowly. Every little mistake would drag her into a desperate abyss.
Madam of Duke Xing led them to the place where the banquet would be held. The banquet was held in the garden of Duke Xingâs Mansion. There were soft and sheer curtains all over the garden. They were placed high to block the wind. The chrysanthemum garden was here. It was the season for flowers, and the place was an ocean of chrysanthemum.
Many people walked into this flower ocean and thought highly of this chrysanthemum appreciation banquet held by Duke Xingâs Mansion. Now the whole capital city knew that Duke Xingâs Mansion had a chrysanthemum garden that other mansions didnât. The chrysanthemum garden not only looked beautiful but also had different types of chrysanthemum, some of which were so rare they could not be seen outside Duke Xingâs Mansion.
Qin Wanru stopped in front of the flowers. She looked at some scattered little flowers on the side of the flower bush. They were small and didnât look like chrysanthemums. They looked like some kind of wildflowers. But it was impossible for wildflowers to show up here.
She lifted her dress and squatted down. She studied those insignificant flowers carefully and felt that she had missed something important!
âMiss, they could be used as medicine!â Seeing Qin Wanru squat down, Yujie also squatted down and said in surprise after looking at the flowers for a while.
Hearing her words, Qin Wanru suddenly remembered that these flowers were a kind of medicine. She just thought about what kind of flowers they belonged to but she thought in the wrong direction.
âRefreshing! Good for people to keep in good health!â Qin Wanru touched the flowers and looked around. The garden was just like an ocean of flowers. Normal people could not grow these chrysanthemums well and let those medical plants survive!
Duke Xingâs Mansion really did well to plant and grow those flowers!
âSecond Sister, did you have fun?â Qin Yuruâs voice suddenly reached Qin Wanruâs ears. She raised her head and patted her hands. She stood up and looked behind her.
Not only Qin Yuru, but Countess Yong and some other madams and ladies were there. Qi Rongzhi stood at the very end looking pitiful, looking like an outcast.
âGood!â answered Qin Wanru calmly.
âWhat about Master Hao? Why didnât he come here and play with you?â Qin Yuru sneered. She didnât like Qin Wanru. Although she knew she could not cause trouble any more, she could not forgive Qin Wanru for what she did to her before.
She didnât believe Qin Wanru knew she did hit the kid deliberately!
âHaoâer went back. Have you even seen my mother?â asked Qin Wanru leisurely.
âI donât know where Madam Shui is!â answered Qin Yuru unhappily. She didnât want to be with Shui Ruolan. Who cares where Shui Ruolan was now?
âMother is still not here! I will look for her!â Qin Wanru looked at the people around her and saw Shui Ruolan here. âMother doesnât feel well today! She would not have had come today if it wasnât for us!â
Then she raised her eyebrows and looked at Qi Rongzhi who was walking towards her.
âSister Wanru, I will help you look fo her!â Qi Rongzhi finally got a chance to say something and she hurriedly said to Qin Wanru. They met people from Duke Yongâs Mansion when they just left there. However, people from Duke Yongâs Mansion only talked to Qin Yuru and didnât leave her any chance to talk! Thus, she felt quite depressed.
Qin Yuru didnât want to join them actually but she found out that both of them decided to look for Madam Shui, it would be inappropriate for her to refuse to help them. Thus, she gnashed her teeth and forced a smile and said, âWell, letâs look for her together!â
They then asked the direction to the flower hall. They met Shui Ruolan on the way there. Then they returned together.
The arrangement of seats had been settled. The seat of Qinâs Mansion was not too close to the front while not too far from the main table. The position was very appropriate. However, Countess Yong who sat at the next table kept watching her coldly. Coincidentally, they were in a face-to-face position. Thus, when Qin Wanru turned and looked at her, Countess Yong sneered and looked irritated.
Qin Wanru behaved naturally as though she didnât care. She even smiled at Countess Yong, which made the latter livid. She had always felt ashamed and dared not meet others because of what happened at Ruiâan Great Elder Princessâ Mansion, which was caused by Qin Wanru.
A servant girl walked to her and whispered in her ears. She looked at Qin Wanru calmly and then nodded and said something to the servant girl.
The servant girl left respectfully and then stood at the side of the garden. She said something to an old maid standing there. Then the old maid also looked at Qin Wanru before leaving quietly.
Nobody would notice a servant girl or an old maid at the crowded banquet, except Qin Wanru. She felt alert in her mind.
She saw clearly the way the old maid looked at her. Her eyes looked really dark.
The servant girl of Duke Xingâs Mansion, the old maid of Duke Xingâs Mansion and Countess YongâŠ