Reborn to Be A Noble Wife - Chapter 139

Chapter 139 Such a Shameless Father

“What’s going on? How did Fourth Lady Qu get here?!” In the room, Xiao slammed the table furiously and roared. Right now, there were no outsiders present.

Ji Yuanxing was equally exasperated. The title was almost in his hands. He hadn’t expected someone to suddenly appear out of nowhere and say such a ridiculous thing. They even said it in front of the elders and Vice Minister of the Dali Temple. Even if the elders refused, Yue Wenhan would submit a letter to the imperial court. Although Concubine Xiang’s status was not high in the family, she was still the concubine of the late Earl Ling’an, and she was speaking for the sake of Earl Ling’an’s dignity.

A huge uproar in the imperial court was sure to be expected at that time.

“Mother, did the Fourth Lady Qu already know about Concubine Xiang?” Ji Yuanxing asked impatiently.

“Impossible…” Xiao retorted subconsciously, but she hesitated. “Maybe she knew. When she came over yesterday, she took away Granny Zhou from the first branch. Concubine Xiang and Granny Zhou were both maids that Yue brought with her when she got married. One of them came to our mansion, while the other one went to the Qu’s Mansion. They’ve been in our mansion for years now, so they must be close.”

“Mother, what should we do now?” Ji Yuanxing nodded and asked.

“Go to your sister and tell her about this, so that she can prepare. She can tell the Crown Prince about this.” Xiao thought about it carefully and came up with an idea.

“Mother, are we just going to watch Yue Wenhan submit the letter to the Emperor?” Ji Yuanxing was instantly annoyed when he heard that Xiao was concerned only for Ji Youran.

“What else can we do? Can you or your father stop him? If only I can rely on your father. He couldn’t even keep an eye on a person!” Xiao hissed.

Who else could stop Yue Wenhan now? It seemed that there was no one in the Ji Family who could do so. Ji Youran might have been able to stop him if she had been here, but she was mourning in Eastern Palace now and couldn’t leave. At this moment, Xiao could only rely on herself. The fact that there was no one reliable by her side drove her up the wall.

Ji Yuanxing felt sheepish after hearing his mother’s reprimand. He was an ordinary person without an official position. How could he stop Yue Wenhan? He was intimidated by Yue Wenhan’s oppressive aura just now even when he was standing far away from him.

“Alright, go and convey the message to your sister. Maybe she has some ideas.” Xiao had no other choice but to comfort her son for the time being.

Seeing victory almost in their grasp, only to be snatched away by another hand is certainly an experience that no one will be happy with.

At present, the matter had not reached the final conclusion. The ending of this matter was still in the air.

“Yes, Mother. I’ll leave the mansion immediatly.” Ji Yuanxing nodded and anxiously turned around to handle the matters. Just as he was about to leave, he saw his own cousin, Xiao Haitang, standing across from him. When she saw him come out, she hurriedly walked over with a face full of concern and asked, “Cousin, are you alright?”

“What could have happened to me?” Ji Yuanxing huffed in frustration and continued walking out. He was not in the mood to talk to Xiao Haitang at this time.

Xiao Haitang chased after him, but she could not catch up with him. She could only stand still, panting. Then, tears welled up in her eyes, and she felt sorrowful.

“Don’t be sad, Miss. First Young Master didn’t mean to ignore you. He has something urgent to do,”

The maid who followed her hurriedly comforted her.

Xiao Haitang lowered her head and looked at the bamboo in front of her. After a long time, she quipped, “Does Fourth Lady Qu look very outstanding?”

“No, Miss, you are the most outstanding. The entire capital knows that Fourth Lady Qu is dimwitted and ugly. Third Lady Qu also said that the only reason why Fourth Lady Qu dares to say and do what she does because of Old Lady Qu’s support. But in reality, she is just a good-for-nothing,”

The maid comforted again when she saw that Xiao Haitang was still upset.

Xiao Haitang shook her head and did not speak anymore. She turned and left. Would Qu Moying really marry Cousin? What should she do? What could she do? She must marry Cousin…

The carriage stopped in front of the Qu’s Mansion. Old Lady Qu looked rather bad. She now knew what had happened at the Ji’s Mansion. Looking at Qu Moying who came down from the carriage, Old Lady Qu sighed in relief, she had really been worried for her. She was about to call her when Luo spoke gently,

“Mother, I have something to talk to you about.” Looking at Luo’s hesitant appearance, it really did seem that there was something going on.

“You guys go and rest first!” The Old Lady Qu nodded and said to the granddaughters who got out of the carriage.

Then she left with Luo. She knew about Luo’s worries because Qu Xuexin’s marriage fell to a dead end. Qu Xuexin was not young anymore, but Luo couldn’t find a suitable partner for her, so her marriage was delayed.

Actually, both ladies of East Mansion were at a marriageable age, but neither of them was engaged.

“Come with me.” Qu Zhizhen, who was also getting down from the carriage, glanced at Qu Moying and ordered. Qu Moying was just about to go back, but she could only turn around and follow him after hearing his order.

Watching the father and daughter leave one after the other, Qu Qiuyan squinted, and her eyes fluttered. Ignoring Qu Caiyue’s greeting, she quickened her pace and left. She had to go and tell her mother what happened today.

Yu Chun had been sent back. Qu Moying took Yu Dong and followed Qu Zhizhen into the study room.

After taking his seat, Qu Zhizhen sized Qu Moying up for a long time.

Qu Moying bowed with a calm expression and then stood aside, waiting for Qu Zhizhen to speak.

“Ying, you and the Ji Family have never had any interaction before. Why are you so affectionate to Earl Ling’an all of a sudden?” After a long time, Qu Zhizhen slowly asked.

“I’ve been in contact with Cousin frequently. She cured my eyes. She even sent tutors to teach me etiquette, manners, and how to navigate the capital,” Qu Moying explained in a soft voice, seeming very sincere and natural with her faint and monotonous voice.

There was a reason for everything. If she suddenly became outstanding without anyone’s help, it would definitely arouse suspicion. It was best to explain the reason using her predecessor.

Qu Zhizhen was silent for a moment, then looked at Qu Moying. He frowned and asked hesitantly, “Hmm… Was there any other intention for the Crown Princess to do so?”

Qu Moying’s heart skipped a beat. She suddenly understood what he meant and sneered in disdain. As expected, all her father could think of was personal gains and benefits. He was selfish and greedy, and this was also the way he judged someone else. He could even use his family for his personal gain.

However, a question suddenly rose in Qu Moying’s mind. Would someone like Qu Zhizhen really neglect Mother and do such a horrible thing to her for Yu’s sake? His complete disregard for Mother just for Yu and her two children, could it really be for beauty?

In her opinion, this seemed to be an illusion.

No reason, no proof, all of it was her speculation.

“Father, I don’t know what Cousin’s intentions were. Perhaps she treated me kindly because she sympathized with me,” Qu Moying replied casually.

“Did your cousin say something… special or unusual?” Qu Zhizhen looked at his daughter who was standing below. Among his two girls, Qu Moying looked very petite and smaller than her age.

As for her appearance? Others might not know, but Qu Zhizhen knew clearly. He himself had a dignified appearance, and Yue was beautiful. How could they give birth to an ordinary daughter? Even a look at her appearance under the veil could vaguely tell that she was quite good-looking. The only worry was that her eyes had disfigured her and diminished her beauty entirely.

For a moment, he was a little hesitant.

The study became quiet again, and for a moment, a strange feeling crept between them.

After a while, Qu Zhizhen broke the silence by saying, “Your cousin was devoted to you. Now that she passed, you should repay her kindness. Why don’t you go to Crown Prince’s Mansion for her funeral tomorrow?”

“Father, I just came back. If I go again, I’m afraid people will gossip,” Qu Moying politely refused.

“Crown Princess was so friendly to you. There’s no need to heed the rumors, they don’t matter. With Crown Princess’s passing, this is all you can do for her,” Qu Zhizhen sighed.

At this point, Qu Moying already understood what Qu Zhizhen was thinking, and she smirked in contempt. This horrible father was indeed not a good person. He probably wanted her to enter Eastern Palace in the name of attending Crown Princess’s funeral. Then, he probably wanted her to pretend to be sick and stay in Eastern Palace. It would be best if she did not return to the mansion like Ji Youran.

This was another person who wanted to climb up the social ladder by using Ji Hanyue’s name.

“Crown Princess’s funeral will go on for a few days. If you go, I’ll get someone to send you some daily necessities. You will be there to attend the funeral anyway. The Crown Prince’s Mansion is in a mess now. I can’t let you trouble others,” Qu Zhizhen said again. The meaning behind his words was very clear. He wanted to pack Qu Moying up and send her to Eastern Palace.

He was her father. How could he be so shameless?!

“Father, when I came back that day, Crown Prince said something to me,” Qu Moying suddenly quipped.

“What did he say?” Qu Zhizhen asked after a moment of surprise.

“Crown Prince told us not to go to Eastern Palace if we don’t have any official business since the palace is in a mess recently. He didn’t want the incident to happen again and bring trouble to the concubine. He’s very angry,” Qu Moying answered respectfully.

Qu Moying was talking about the matter of Yu framing her and implicating Ji Youran. At that time, Ji Youran’s eyes were also red and swollen. The root cause of this matter was indeed the Qu’s Mansion, and it was probable that Crown Prince had said this. After all, Ji Youran was his concubine.

Did the Crown Prince mean to say that the Qu’s Mansion should stay away from him? If so, Qu Zhizhen’s previous plan had died even before it began!

“Alright, go back first!” Depressed, Qu Zhizhen waved his hand and dismissed Qu Moying in annoyance. Then, he warned her, “You’d better not get involved in the Ji Family’s matter. You are just an unmarried young lady. Now that your engagement was called off, it doesn’t look nice to show your face around!”

“Yes, Father!” Qu Moying nodded calmly and then retreated. She stood at the door and smiled coldly. Qu Zhizhen’s mind was really straightforward. He would keep the people who were useful and ditch those who were useless. The so-called family affection was nothing to him!

She raised her eyes and saw an old maid who was not far away. The maid looked a little familiar…