Chapter 45 Strived for Favor
The snow stopped in the afternoon on this day, and the thin winter sunlight transmitted slight warmth to people on the ground.
Qiu Yelan went to Cuiwei Pavilion with a sour face. As soon as she entered, she saw Deng Yi frowning and sitting under the window, reading.
“Well, aren’t you here to learn martial arts? Why are you reviewing books?” Qiu Yelan was surprised.
Deng Yi glanced at her, and frowned even more, “Why are you here?”
“I come to guide you and give some advice.” Qiu Yelan squeezed her hands, and knuckles made some crisp sounds, “But you are loafing on the job!”
“The day after tomorrow is the time for uncle to appraise my study, so I will return to Prince’s Mansion of Guangyang,” Deng Yi enviously glanced at her little white hands, but not for their good looks. Instead, he envied the great power within them, “I’ve practiced squatting for these days, so I have to take time reviewing.”
Seeing Qiu Yelan looking around without intent to leave, Deng Yi couldn’t help asking, “So, what else you want?”
“Nah....” Qiu Yelan said absent-mindedly, “Just come here and take a look, in case you think I break my promise!”
Deng Yi snorted, “Have you kept your words? In addition to instruct me to practice squatting for so many days, you even tried to make troubles and drive me away several days ago so you could make the promise void. Fortunately, I realized your trick half of my way and came back. Otherwise, you would just make it!”
It’s absolutely that you think too much, OK?! Under normal circumstances, I always have a high moral principle... Although it’s not the same matter that I was born with lower-standard moral integrity....
Qiu Yelan was about to retort, but Deng Yi then said, “Just tell me you come with what evil ideas! Don’t suppose I know nothing. Young Earl Ling sent you a Persian cat several days ago, which is you kind of little girls’ favorite! And you just got it, you have to play with it all day. So, I’m wondering why you spare some time for me?!”
“... What makes I feel like your tone full of jealousy and is so sorrowful?” Qiu Yelan said earnestly, “I think you don’t like girls, do you?”
Deng Yi was astounded! His face turned red, then white, and then blue. Finally, he suddenly threw away the book vigorously, and yelled with anger, “You’re really... really shameless!”
“How could he even can’t accept this kind of words? To what extent does this guy resist women?” Looking at his disgusted and angry face, Qiu Yelan quietly wiped her sweat and said, “The Persian cat is not something that I asked Young Earl Ling for.”
In fact, it was just because Su He and the others liked that Persian cat so much that they almost left Qiu Yelan frequently in a cold corner alone, and Qiu Yelan was not as shameless as to strive for their favor openly with a cat. So, thinking of Deng Yi’s wail and howl when he was applied medicinal liquor last time, Qiu Yelan came here to find some comfort....
What she hated most right now was Whitey, OK?
Nevertheless, Deng Yi’s counterattack was so fierce that it almost K.O. her at once.... He smiled superciliously and coldly, “No more explanation. Anyway, you and I are just fake couples in my whole life, and we would never be real man and wife!”
Qiu Yelan got angry and speechless, “I’m telling the truth!!!” How could I be so foolish that I insist on having a deep affection for you while knowing you are purely homosexual?!
Deng Yi replied indifferently, “You’d better do as you said. Don’t tell me in the future if anyone sends you anything, OK? I don’t give a sh*t!”
Why can’t I just hack him?!
Qiu Yelan took a deep breath, flicking her sleeves, and went off in a huff!
Gazing at her figure after she furiously went away, Deng Yi felt great delighted. However, this didn’t last for a long time, Qiu Yelan left but returned soon, with two big snowballs, which were as huge as plates!
“You nonsense!” With the huge difference of force between the two, poor Deng Yi, even if he jumped up immediately, still couldn’t escape from being hit by the snowball, and it just hit the bullseye, his nose! He yelled, covering his sore nose, “A gentleman always uses his tongue but not his fists!”
“You pretend to be noble and cold!” The second snowball hit Deng Yi’s head, and Deng Yi breathed a sigh of relief, “You violent and savage vixen! Dare you fight with me in the form of debating?!”
As a result, Qiu Yelan, who got nothing in hands now, sneered, reaching hands into sleeves, and suddenly fetched out two bigger snowballs. With both hands throwing, she just made Deng Yi stricken and covered all over with snow!
“You call me shrew!!!”
“You call me violent and savage!”
“You jump around to dodge!”
“You stand still like a telegraph pole and make no fun!”
“You...”
After half an hour, Qiu Yelan blushed scarlet on cheeks, and she was as gorgeous as peaches and plums. She then stood with her hands on her hips, slightly panting in front of the low couch and asking, “You come out or not?!”
“I am a true man. How can I break my words?!” Deng Yi’s dull voice came out from the bottom of the couch, and he said in a tough tone, “I said I won’t come out and I definitely won’t!”
“I have no more snowball!” Qiu Yelan bent down and reached under the couch to show him.
Deng Yi was angry, “You just said the same! Then I show up and was poured a basin of snow! You think I would be fooled one more time?!”
“Now the basin is empty, too.” Qiu Yelan dragged the basin to the couch and buckled it down to prove her innocence.
“There are bottles on the tea table, and also you can put snowballs on the couch!” Apparently, the cheating just now has made Qiu Yelan ‘s credit run out. Deng Yi sneered, “In short, I won’t come out before you leave today!”
Qiu Yelan shook head and sighed, “Well, are you so afraid of me?”
“Who said I’m afraid of you?” grinding teeth for a while, Deng Yi then calmly said, “I just disdain you as a vixen and don’t want to fight!”
“Then why don’t you come out? Let me vent out, and you’ll be fine?” Qiu Yelan said righteously.
Deng Yi was speechless, “You piss off!!”
“You ask me to piss off!” Qiu Yelan kicked vigorously on the couch, and the ashes, which was full of bottom of the couch for many years, fell down....
Hearing Deng Yi’s acute cough, Qiu Yelan combed her hair with hands and cleared up her dress. She was ready to leave and said, “Hum! You are so weak. Let you off this time.... You think I would adore you, a coward scholar? Not others but my cousin as an example, my cousin is thousand times more excellent than you!”
To her surprise, a similar cough was sounded coming behind her even before she finished!
As soon as Qiu Yelan turned back, she saw Ruan Qingyan standing at the door with a super strange look, like he was about saying something but stop on a second thought.
“Cousin, why are you coming?” Qiu Yelan guiltily looked at the melted snow in the house, coming forward and smiled, “You just concentrate on reviewing books. Let me take care of everything in the mansion.... Uh... these are actually made by Deng Yi, and I’m instructing him....”
Ruan Qingyan gave her a complicated look and said, “Young master Deng has been assigned to me to teach, so you don’t have to worry about him. Don’t come here casually next time.”
“Yeah, yeah.... Today is just an accident.... I won’t make this happen again!” Qiu Yelan flattered him, “Cousin, are you here for me? You really don’t need to worry. See, the victim will never be me anyway....”
Deng Yi finally climbed out awkwardly and grimily, and he complained to Ruan Qingyan indignantly, “Young master Ruan! Look at your cousin! Are there any rules!”
Ruan Qingyan groaned for a while and said, “Cousin, apologize!”
Qiu Yelan froze, thinking that cousin had always been partial to her, but how could he be so fair today? But anyway, she had bullied Deng Yi for such a long time, and it’s not difficult to make an apology. So, she perfunctorily saluted to Deng Yi, smiling and said, “Young master Deng, I’m really sorry for winning the snow battle today!”
“Are you playing snowballs? You’re just hitting me from beginning to the end!?” Deng Yi gritted his teeth and was more eager for the martial arts taught by General Ruan, “Young master Ruan, I have practiced squatting for several days. Could you officially teach me now? I believe I am talented in learning new skills.”
He looked at Qiu Yelan with contempt during his speech and thought, “This little girl can learn to be so tough. How can I be worse than her?”
Obviously, Qiu Yelan’s military performance caused Deng Yi to make a huge error in the power judgment of the Ruan Family’s ancestral martial arts.... So Ruan Qingyan, who shocked Qiu Yelan casually, was now deemed as a Kungfu master and as tough and excellent as a god in Deng Yi’s mind....
Ruan Qingyan frowned, thinking for a moment before saying, “I came here today to teach you.”
When he said this, he glanced Qiu Yelan ‘s expression, but noticed that she had no disappointment or embarrassment. Instead, she said cheerfully, “Cousin, I also want to learn!”
“No way!” Ruan Qingyan rebuffed, “Go back to the yard to practice the women’s sewing and tailoring! Don’t always wander aimlessly around the mansion!”
“... Fine!” Qiu Yelan squinting her eyes, directly agreed in a blink and started walking outside.
But then Ruan Qingyan enjoined, “My five senses are sharper than you think. If you hide and peek nearby, believe it or not, I will lock you in Lvqiang Court and don’t allow you to get out anymore?!”
“How can we happily be siblings?!! If you truly desire to be a pro-mother, why don’t you find a man and give birth by yourself!”
Qiu Yelan left Cuiwei Pavilion unhappily. After she returned to Lvqiang Court, she saw Su He and all other maids still playing around with Whitey, and they didn’t even notice that she went out alone and back. Totally unbearable now!
She walked over and yelled, “Su He!”
“Your Grace get up?” Su He turned around gleefully and said, “The tea has just been prepared for you, and it’s on the table! The pastry is also just brought here.... The chestnut cake you like, Whitey also likes it very much! I just took a small piece and put it in front of him, and he stretched claws, trying to catch it.... But unfortunately, the people who brought him here said that Whitey hasn’t been able to eat it now....”
Qiu Yelan was expressionless, ” Today is the last few days of the month, and cousin is about to take the exam on Feb. 9th! And you still have free time to surround and play with a Persian cat?!”
“Your Grace, you mean....” Su He and other maids were all shocked when they heard this. She let Whitey go, coming over and standing by, waiting for orders.
“On the second day after Imperial Court, Aunt Qiu and her daughter had been here to make troubles. But everything went very smoothly after we detained Kang Lizhang. Do you think they would so easily let us go, I mean, as to the despicableness of Prince’s Mansion of Xihe and power of Empress Dowager Gu?” Qiu Yelan frowned, “Especially, there is still an Empress Dowager’s grand-nephew in the mansion!”
Su He and others all bowed their heads shamefully, “We won’t do this again!”
“So, Your Grace, what are we going to do now?” Qiu Yelan was satisfied that she attracted maids’ attention from Whitey by little tricks. However, Su He and other maids were soon vigorous after ashamed for a while. All of them were motivated, holding their handkerchiefs tight and gazing at her glowingly, “We would never let them ruin young master Ruan!”
Qiu Yelan bit her lip and was about to say, “Let’s do it step by step,” but she finally swallowed these words back and said, “If they haven’t made any trouble these days, then I guess they would do it half-way to the examination spot. In this case, I think... I could only borrow some people from Jiang Family!”
“But will Jiang Family be willing to help us?” Su He and other maids looked at each other with anxiety and said, “Isn’t General Jiang implying last time that he wouldn’t like to help you for things like smashing the drugstore?”
“He said he was pretty unwilling to help us, but this doesn’t mean he absolutely will not! He just wants to get rid of me, so as to avoid me depending on matters of Prince’s Mansion of Xihe to always blackmail his Jiang Family. There are only a few steps from General’s Mansion to the examination spot. Jiang Family has been officers for generations and has lots of masters. Escorting for a while to buy the trust of a young and promising talent, why is he unwilling to make such a good business?”
Qiu Yelan massaged her forehead, and she looked pale. She then said, “So few servants in our mansion that we even couldn’t drive Aunt Qiu away. How can we escort cousin to the examination spot? Even if cousin’s Kungfu is excellent, but it’s still too dangerous. How could he take the exam if he gets hurt or gets emotional fluctuation?”
Su He was about to speak, but Xi Xian rushed in, eagerly saying, “Your Grace! The old general, he suddenly vomited blood!!!”
“What?!” Qiu Yelan stood up abruptly, “Is everything okay before noon?”
It was like a thunderbolt out of a clear sky!
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