Chapter 31 Misogyny

Deng Yi wore a crust green ribbing robe with folded datura in a dark embroidery pattern. He also wore a brocade belt, covered with a purplish-blue wide-sleeved double-breasted open-fronted robe. A suet jade hairpin was twined around his bun. The colors of his clothes were dull, the accessories were simple, and his expression was indifferent. But he was as beautiful as spring flowers. A potted peony urged by the greenhouse on the high desk behind him were blooming. The flowers were red, and the leaves were green. But it looked like the flowers were not as beautiful as him.

The little attendant who came with him was handsome, but he was gloomy behind him.

Qiu Yelan came in. Because she didn’t know where this attendant belonged, she bickered with Deng Yi coldly in a few words before leading him to greet General Ruan.

General Ruan cannot even respond to his granddaughter. And of course, he couldn’t respond to her future husband too.

Although Deng Yi was indifferent and had a bad temper, he was still respectful to the elders. Faced with unconscious General Ruan, he did not show dislike. He patiently accompanied him to talk and wiped his saliva twice. And he remembered to tuck the sheets when he left.

The problem was that when he stood up, he was still holding the handkerchief, which he used to wipe General Ruan’s saliva at this time.

Xishi, one of the maids who especially served General Ruan, respectfully came to take it with two hands and accidentally touched Deng Yi’s fingertips.

Qiu Yelan clearly saw this scene on one side. It was a coincidence that Xishi absolutely had no intention of teasing. But Deng Yi’s face was livid immediately! He trembled his lips and scolded “b*tch”, and then staggered towards the door! He almost bumped into Qiu Yelan when he ran past her, but he didn’t stop!

Qiu Yelan followed him with a shock. She saw he directly throw himself into the snow after going out. He grabbed the snow and rubbed the place where he was touched by Xishi. And it seemed that he was stained with something disgusting. Even his indifferent expression showed deep hatred!

“… Get some hot water!” Qiu Yelan suddenly realized that Kang Jinzhang seemed to have said before he died that Deng Yi hated girls….

Uh, hated to that extent? Xishi was so aggrieved that she was going to burst out crying!

Su He fetched some hot water. Qiu Yelan called him a few times but he didn’t move. So, she asked his attendant to pull him into the house. And then, he used a bunch of flower dew and soaps with seven or eight pots of water altogether. He almost rubbed off several layers of his hands’ skin. At this time, Deng Yi’s forehead was already full of tiny sweat beads, and then he took the silk handkerchief handed over by his attendant and dried his hands. Fortunately, he did not continue to ask for water.

Qiu Yelan breathed a sigh of relief. She really didn’t know how to comfort his psychological addiction. So, she changed the topic, “It’s almost noon, do you want to have a meal?”

Deng Yi looked at her emotionlessly, “OK.”

So, this thing passed. Qiu Yelan asked Su He to comfort Xishi and went to the front yard to call a few servants to serve Deng Yi when she asked someone to take the meal….

However, Ruan Qingyan, who received the news of Deng Yi’s coming, came in person to invite him before attendants came. He said, “I was with young master Ling just now. I told the servants not to disturb because we were negotiating important matters. Unfortunately, I neglect you…. Please go to the front hall for talking.” He also pretended to shout at Qiu Yelan, who didn’t know the rules and didn’t tell him in time that Deng Yi was here.

But Ruan Qingyan said again without waiting for Deng Yi to speak, “My cousin is young and ignorant. Fortunately, you are so generous that you don’t care about it.”

Deng Yi did not like to speak, so he snorted. And then he followed Ruan Qingyan.

Qiu Yelan jumped anxiously behind. She gesticulated and asked Chunran to pull up. Anyway, she kept Dongran here, “Penglai Yue is in the front. How can we let Deng Yi know?!”

Neglecting Deng Yi was just neglecting. It’s nothing to say that he neglected Deng Yi because Ling Zui came first. Everyone knew the decline of General’s Mansion over the years. And it was not surprising that servants did something wrong. Ruan Qingyan, who just arrived, was not to blame.

However, Deng Yi was neglected because he was discussing with young master Ling about how to flatter a prostitute. This was not just a matter of scorning Deng Yi.

Ruan Qingyan had associated with a prostitute when it was filial piety period for Princess Ruan and General Ruan was sick abed. It was as unfilial as Qiu Mengmin! If this was caught by Empress Dowager Gu, she would drown in laughter! Because Deng Yi and Empress Dowager Gu were at the same party!

Fortunately, Dongran said, “Don’t worry, Your Grace. Young master comes here just now. Because he just sent Miss Penglai Yue! Now there was only young master Ling in front.”

“The Young master Ling is so annoying.” Qiu Yelan calmed down, and could not help complaining, “Now it’s Spring Festival. He came here without informing. And he also took Penglai Yue?!” You didn’t have to take her if you were raising money? Ruan Qingyan gave you money for your sake, not for her!

Qiu Yelan just saw it clearly behind the window. Ruan Qingyan was very kind to Penglai Yue. And he occasionally said a few jokes as Ling Zui thought. But there was no addiction in his eyes. This cousin had great ambition. It could be seen from his deliberate choice of Xue Chang as a teacher that he had planned his career long time ago. This kind of person knew the truth of “In books, you can find glowing beauty.” How could he be easily bewildered by beauty?

Dongran comforted her smilingly, “Maybe it’s Penglai Yue who wants to see our young master…. Anyway, they are persons who like acting sometimes. Don’t be angry, Your Grace. Young master can handle these things!”

Seeing Dong Ran repeatedly assured that Ruan Qingyan could completely control the situation, Qiu Yelan had to accompany General Ruan for a while and returned to Lvqiang Court to find something to do because she was useless.

But the first lunar month was the most leisure time of the year apart from visiting relatives.

Mrs. Zhou was sad when she mentioned this, “After the defeat of the old general and our Prince’s death in battle….”

Qiu Yelan listened to her patiently. She concluded that the fall of power in Qiu Family and Ruan Family, Qiu Mengmin and his son’s deliberate obstruction and General Ruan’s refusal of guests after suffering made it impossible for her to visit relatives here….

“I can’t go on like this. I don’t have any connections!” Qiu Yelan sighed, “There is no wonder that my cousin descends to ask a prostitute to be intermediary…. Mrs. Zhou, please list all the relatives that we normally can pay a visit to. And I will look at it later.”

Mrs. Zhou said joyfully, “Now the first lunar month is not over….”

“It’s uneasy to visit now!” Qiu Yelan frowned, “Empress Dowager and Empress Jiang have scheduled a battle after the Lantern Festival…. Uh, I mean Qiu Mengmin’s thing is very sensitive now. Don’t let these people think I was a lobbyist for Empress Jiang, or I am going to bully and trouble them! How can I restore the old relationship?”

Mrs. Zhou felt pitiful, “Then, when can you move around?”

“There’s no need to hurry. I have to be familiar with the recent situation since we haven’t contact with others for a long time. And I pick some useful families, right?” Qiu Yelan stopped because she remembered that Mrs. Zhou couldn’t read or write. She sat in front of the desk and let Xiaran grind the ink. And then she asked Mrs. Zhou to dictate and she wrote down.

Thank goodness. The original skills were all retained, including calligraphy….

However, Qiu Yelan happened to hit the bottom of the desk as she wrote. A small hidden drawer slipped out of the side of the desk with a “click”!

Everyone was stunned!

“Did cousin put it?” Qiu Yelan asked Chunran and Xiaran in wonder.

Chunran and Xiaran looked at each other and shook their heads, “It is Qiuran and Dongran who clean the Young Master’s inner chamber. We haven’t come in before.”

“Didn’t the past member of Ruan Family put it?” Qiu Yelan glanced at the glazed box which size was like a girl’s palm in the dark drawer. It had fine texture and it was sparkling and clear, which made it clear to see the contents inside, like a ball of hays.

Qiu Yelan was curious. She thought that even if Ruan Qingyan put it…. Anyway, it had been seen. Look at it again…. Should it be OK?

She simply put down her writing brush and took out the glazed box to look carefully.

Chunran and Xiaran didn’t say anything because they didn’t know if this thing was Ruan Qingyan’s and if Qiu Yelan could see it.

Qiu Yelan looked at it for a moment. And she found that they were not hays, but dried flowers, which looked like chrysanthemums. It was hard to judge the original type and color of it now. But it was quite old, and it did not look like a collection that was processed after rigorous procedures.

“This thing… is worth treasuring?” Qiu Yelan couldn’t see any strange things in the dried flowers. She shook her head and put it back. And she signaled Mrs. Zhou to continue.

At dusk, Ruan Qingyan came over.

Qiu Yelan asked him about Ling Zui and Deng Yi. He said, “Young master Ling went back to accompany his mother, Princess Maode. As for Deng Yi, he wanted to stay, so I asked someone to clean up Cuiwei Pavilion for him.”

Cuiwei Pavilion was far away from Lvqiang Court—It was clear that Ruan Qingyan was wary of Deng Yi. But according to Deng Yi’s disgust for women, perhaps the problem was him, even he lived in Lvqiang Court?

Suddenly Ruan Qingyan looked at her with a faint smile while she was complaining in her heart, “Are you happy to eavesdrop?”

“Uh…” Qiu Yelan ingratiated herself with him by smiling, “I won’t do it again!”

Ruan Qingyan was very straightforward, “How can a girl from a well-bred family break the rules?! Copy Women’s Stories a hundred times! Submit before the Lantern Festival!”

… What should I do if I suddenly have an impulsion not to have a cousin? Qiu Yelan quickly changed the topic, “By the way! Where did the thing in the secret compartment in your desk come from? Is it yours?”

Ruan Qingyan’s face was stiff, “How did you find it?”

“I accidentally hit it and it came out.” Qiu Yelan said innocently, “What are the dried flowers in that box?”

Ruan Qingyan looked at her deeply and said indifferently, “It’s ‘Nijin Baoxi’.”

Seeing Qiu Yelan was confused, his eyes flashed with disappointment, “Haven’t you seen it at Prince’s Mansion of Xihe? It is a famous type in chrysanthemums. And its color is as bright as gold. Because of its festive name, it was in the dowry when aunt married…. I remember some are planted in the yard where you live. ”

Without waiting for Qiu Yelan to speak, Ruan Qingyan had returned to ordinary looking, and he said lightly, “Well, do you have any other things? If not, you can copy Women’s Stories quickly! If I know you do this kind of thing again, which loses the status as a girl from a well-bred family… Please think about the consequence!”

It was only a few days! How did you change from a good brother to a teaching aunt?! Did you show your true self because we were familiar?!

Qiu Yelan was sad and speechless….