Ch.197 Scheming and Ambitious (3)
Qin Jiu: "Which sister would take the initiative to be the matchmaker for her sister and the scholar, when she knew perfectly well that her sister was in an arranged marriage, for what purpose did she do so? Moreover, she secretly drugged her sister and stood in for her. Did she ask her brother-in-law’s opinion on this? So the brother-in-law deserved to marry his wife’s sister and deserved to be judged by the others?
Yun Jiaoning: ".….."
Yun Jiao Niang blinked, then blinked again, she nodded her head as if she agreed with her and said, "That's right."
Several ladies next to them also overheard the conversation, the corners of their eyes twitched.
"Third Lady Qin, try this lotus cake, it‘s quite good." Yun Jiaoniang handed the plate of lotus cake, which was beside her, to Qin Jiu, with an awkward smile, she then explained, "Third Lady Qin, I really wasn’t aware that you didn’t know how to play Touhu.
Qin Jiu let out an "um" and took a bite of the piping hot piece of lotus cake.
Yun Jiaoniang said calmly: "You know perfectly well that I don't like Qin Xin, so I never hang around with Princess Yingluo." Yun Jiaoniang was quite torn for a while, in fear that Qin Jiu would mistake her for being in the same circle as Yingluo.
Qin Jiu nodded as she ate the cake.
Seeing as Qin Jiu didn’t bear a grudge againts her, Yun Jiaoniang breathed a sigh of relief, with a smile on her small face, she then said: "There is an opera troupe in the capital called Lijiaban who performs well. When we’re in the capital, I’ll invite you to one show."
"The swordsman in this Lijiaban is amazing, his skills are pretty neat!"
Yun Jiaoniang talked on and on, and didn’t give Qin Jiu a slight chance to speak.
Many people around them also heard Yun Jiaoniang mention Princess Yingluo, their expressions subtly changed.
The few ladies who were well acquainted with Yingluo couldn't help but whisper to each other, with their brows furrowed, they looked towards the entrance of the water pavilion, and thought to themselves: Why hasn't Yingluo returned?
Changning and Yingluo have both been gone for quite some time. At this moment, many people have noticed that they haven't returned in a long time, and could feel that something was wrong. The whispers of discussion become more and more frequent.
Even when the gongs sounded, and the small banquet at Bifeng Pavilion was over, Yingluo and Changning did not return.
By this time, most people were pretty confident that something that they were not aware of had happened, so some busybodies approached Qin Jiu to see if they could get any insider information.
"Third Lady Qin, didn't you go along with the Third Princess to have a change of clothes?"
"Why hasn’t she returned, is she unwell?"
"Third Lady Qin, Princess Yingluo's temperament has always been this way…..."
“……”
There were some girls behind who were too shy to come over, but they all had their ears pricked up as they eavesdropped.
However, no matter how these ladies tried to pry, Qin Jiu just smiled and said nothing.
The more she kept her silence, the more curious the others were, and the more they felt that Qin Jiu was a person in the know, otherwise why would she avoid talking about it.
"Third Lady Qin…..." A girl in blue wanted to ask on, but felt her cuffs tighten. A girl in green beside her pulled on her sleeve and pointed her other finger to the front right.
The girl in blue subconsciously looked in the direction her friend had pointed at.
Just four or five feet away, a young man who was dressed in full purple was standing next to an octagonal pavilion with a lantern in hand. The soft light of the lantern illuminated his handsome face rather clearly.
Many noble ladies knew him, Gu Zezhi, the third son of the Duan Manor, and was also one of the most outstanding players of the night hunt last night.
The third son of Emperor Duan was noble and was ranked high in terms of seniority. Those noble ladies were somewhat in awe of him, they bowed at him and excused themselves from the scene.
What nice timing for her golden thigh to show up! Qin Jiu smiled happily, and felt that Gu Zezhi was her savior, she was bursting with happiness.
She stepped forward, and said with a smile: "Big brother, what a coincidence."
Gu Zezhi's gaze fell on the string bag that Qin Jiu had on her waist, and he smiled slightly, he didn’t mention that he came just to pick her up.
During the day, the emperor specifically called him over, and told him that he had already given out a decree to invite his father and brother to the capital, and that they should be here around early next month.
Gu Zezhi took a step forward and brushed off a flower petal on her shoulder. A light smile appeared in his slender and beautiful eyes, and he asked casually, "Was tonight fun?"
