Real Empress from a Noble Family

Chapter 52 Lian Family Arrived

Li Gui’s face twitched for a bit. But he calmed down immediately. He gave Qiu Yelan a fist and palm salute and said, “Commandery Princess Ningyi, this was a misunderstanding! Although I’m related to Pang Family remotely, I have never seen Pang Lu before. I didn’t know that they had the wrong person. However, the purpose of Pang Biao and his mother coming to the city really is looking for Pang Lu. They definitely didn’t collude with the person who stabbed Young Master Ruan.”

Another staff of Qiu Family Zhao Huairen who came with him also said at this point, “We are the staff of the Censor. We both have titles and are well educated. How could we indulge our relatives to commit a crime? We really just had the wrong person today.”

“Don’t tell me this,” Qiu Yelan realized that they wanted to turn big problems into small ones and make small ones disappear. But she surely wouldn’t agree so easily. She sneered, “Li Gui, you brought them to us with certainty back then. And you accused me of preventing a mother from taking back her son just now at the door of the examination compound. I can let that go. But my cousin was stabbed right when he went out of the examination compound. How can I let go of that?”

“But it really has nothing to do with us.…”

“Am I supposed to believe that you guys have nothing to do with it because you said so?” Qiu Yelan was furious, “You also said that my cousin was definitely Pang Family’s son before.”

Li Gui frowned, “This was a misunderstanding….”

“Misunderstanding? There are so many people in the Jing City. Why aren’t you mistaken about others but my cousin? You obviously thought that since my grandfather was seriously ill and Ruan Family didn’t have lot heirs, you could bully us easily. You wanted to blackmail us!” Qiu Yelan cried while she was accusing them, “My grandfather’s condition is so bad. He is only alive until now because my cousin takes good care of him. Dr. Qi himself said so last time. You guys obviously want to kill the whole Ruan Family! What did Ruan Family ever do to you guys that you guys had to do such a terrible thing?”

Her words made Li Gui and others angry, “Commandery Princess, you are so glib! It was just a little misunderstanding. And you accused us of trying to kill the whole Ruan Family. How ridiculous!”

“It was obvious that you guys went after my cousin because you guys failed to intimidate me with fabricated lies,” Qiu Yelan raised her sleeve and wiped her face. She said loudly, “You guys want to skim over this kind of vicious move by saying it was a misunderstanding. Do you guys think that you guys wrote the law of Darui?”

“We didn’t write the law of Darui. But neither did you! What evidence do you have which can prove that we harmed Ruan Qingyan? Framing and slandering us, are you so righteous?” Zhao Huairen flapped his sleeve defiantly, “It really is that women and snob are hard.…”

Before he could finish his sentence, Qiu Yelan’s face suddenly went dark. She pointed at Zhao Huairen and reproached, “You guys colluded with the villains and harmed my cousin. Now you dare to blame the victim and scold me! Do you guys’ parents know that you guys are so shameless?”

Before her voice had died away, she grabbed a golden censer near her hand and smashed towards Zhao Huairen’s head, “Unruly bastards! Beat them up!”

Li Gui and his gang prevailed in numbers. But Qiu Yelan charged forward herself. How dare Li Gui and other men touch a Commandery Princess in public? Mrs. Pang was a woman. However, Qiu Yelan was highly skilled. She grabbed a horsetail whisk upside down by one hand and lifted her dress by another hand. Her move was flexible, and her attack was vicious. She whipped Li Gui and others badly all by herself. They all scampered off like frightened rats.

Seeing this, Qiu Bo and Qiu Nie who were taking their medicine in the same room were stunned.

“This…” Qiu Bo was stupefied for a moment and then turned to her brother.

Qiu Nie looked at Qiu Yelan with interest for a while. His pupil contracted a little and said, “She is not simple.”

“I’m saying what should we do now?” Qiu Bo said with frustration.

“One side is the General’s Mansion and the Commandery Princess. The other is the Censor. What are we common folks going to do about this?” Qiu Nie smiled lazily. He poured his medicine which he took two sips with difficulty just now in a pot of azalea near him, “Let’s pay for the medicine and get out of here! If we get dragged into this, we won’t be able to know what causes our death.”

Qiu Bo gave him a coquettish look and laughed, “Will you be scared?”

“If you don’t want to go, I will,” Qiu Nie clicked his tongue. He stood up. Qiu Yelan asked the servants to block the door to prevent Li Gui and others from escaping when she started the fight. Qiu Nie didn’t mean to ask Ruan Family’s servants to move. He jumped over to the corridor outside with a little help from a window near him.

Chunran and others didn’t think much of it. Qiu Yelan who was forced to form a habit of being observant and alert during a fight in the last phase was surprised.

“He barely made a sound when he touched the ground!” he remembered the corridor outside was built on stilts. It was 12 centimeters above the ground. Although Qiu Nie was thin, he was tall. He should make a sound when he landed on the corridor. Qiu Yelan didn’t hear a thing, although he had taken a few steps.

“There is something wrong with them!” seeing Qiu Bo jumped over the window lifting her dress, she looked normal. However, they had already drawn Qiu Yelan’s attention, “Didn’t know whether they are enemies or friends? Or just strangers happened to meet?”

By the time, Li Gui and others’ faces were covered with blood due to the whip. Seeing Qiu Yelan didn’t want to stop, they were ready to risk everything. They lay on the ground and yelled, “Murder!”

“Dare to go after my cousin with what you got!” Qiu Yelan threw the horsetail whisk on him with a sneer. “If you wish to die, I’ll grant you the wish!” she instructed the servants, “Search them. Gather their money and give it to Dr. Yuan.”

She continued, “Don’t let them leave just yet. I’m going to check on cousin.”

Just when she went in the inner chamber, Ruan Qingyan whose face was pale reproached her, “Can you act like a girl? If you want to beat them, can’t you let maids and old maidservants do it? You had to do it yourself. If this gets out… No, why do you beat up others frequently? What kind of girls act like you?”

“If I don’t do it myself, what help can Su He, Chunran and the other maids who are weak and vulnerable be of? It’s lucky that people don’t take advantage of them!” Qiu Yelan criticized inwardly. She changed the topic immediately, “I have already beaten them up. How do we end this?”

Seeing her admitting her fault with an unrepentant attitude, Ruan Qingyan rubbed his forehead. He sighed in frustration, “Just say that you thought they were connected to the villains who stabbed me. You were worried that grandfather couldn’t take the hard hit. And you hit them due to a moment of anger. Try to tie this up with filial piety. Don’t let people have something on you!”

It was lucky that Ruan Family was morally right. Even Li Gui and others were beaten up, Ruan Family could still get Qiu Yelan out of it.

Ruan Qingyan was worried at this moment, “Lian Family is supposed to arrive in the city tomorrow or the day after tomorrow? I’m afraid that I can’t go to the Imperial Court this time.”

His new wound could completely cover his old wound. It was indeed a severe wound. His skin and flesh got shoveled away a large part. He lost a lot of blood. Yuan Zhixing said that he could still take the imperial exam since the exam was in March.

“Cousin, you just focus on getting better. Do I look like I can be bullied easily?” Qiu Yelan said in a hurry, “It’s just that don’t forget to tell me if you have trump cards to avoid me being unprepared.”

Ruan Qingyan muttered to himself, “I don’t have anything more. Just those two letters. But I’m afraid there may be some accidents since it has been so many years.”

“Actually, there shouldn’t be any accident,” Qiu Yelan thought about it and said, “Otherwise, why did Empress Dowager and her clique try to use Mrs. Pang and her son to go after you? It’s obvious that they lost their hope on Lian Family’s letter. So, they have to find another way.”

Her prediction was right.

Two days later, under the escort of the people Jiang Family sent, old Princess of Xihe’s youngest brother Lian Chen arrived at the Jing City with his son and nephew after a long journey.

After Old Master Lian died, Lian Family sold its property in Jing City when they went back to their hometown to attend the burial ceremony.

Qiu Yelan planned to clean up a few yards in General’s Mansion to entertain them. However, when she received the message from Lian Family, they had been placed at Jiang’s residence.

Jiang Family’s servant who gave her the message explained politely that considering General Ruan was sick, Lian Family living here might disturb him. Jiang Family happened to have a lot of empty houses. So, they made the arrangement.

Of course, Qiu Yelan had no problem with this. Considering their relationship, Lian Family living in the General’s Mansion was actually awkward. Lian Family and Ruan Family was not related after all. Prince’s Mansion of Xihe should be the one to entertain Lian Family.

However, Qiu Mengmin, the master of Prince’s Mansion of Xihe, happened to be the one Lian Family wanted to blame this time they came to Jing City. Of course, Lian Family wouldn’t go to the Prince’s Mansion.

“I don’t know where the residence is. When can I go visit those elders?” Qiu Yelan asked Jiang Family’s servant.

“Tomorrow is fine, if it’s convenient for you. I’ll pick you up then,” the servant answered.

Qiu Yelan agreed without hesitation. The next day was a singular day. There was no Imperial Court. It was just the right time for her to be acquainted with Lian Family.

The next day, Jiang Family’s servant arrived at General’s Mansion on time. He picked up Qiu Yelan and sent her to the residence where Lian Family was. Just when she got off the carriage, she saw a young man in blue approaching. He asked with a smile, “Are you the cousin of Qiu Family? My name is Lian Ding. My grandfather is your uncle.”

“Hello, Cousin Lian,” Qiu Yelan saluted to him in a hurry. Lian Ding looked about 16 or 17. His skin was a little dark. But he had a wide forehead and was well-featured. Although he just had a long journey, he was in fine fig.

He led Qiu Yelan to see Lian Chen and others. He sighed with emotion about Princess Ruan’s death on the way. And he asked her about her current condition. The residence was not big. After a few chitchats, they arrived at the main building.

Two servants were guarding the main building. They were both big and burly. They had bright piercing eyes. They were most definitely the bodyguards arranging by Jiang Family.

After she went in and went pass the screen, she saw an old man in a cyan flower pattern robe and a hood sitting upright on the left.

Lian Ding looked a lot like this old man. She could tell he was Lian Chen without asking.

Qiu Yelan approached and saluted in a hurry, “Uncle, you must be tired from this long-way travel.”

Lian Chen asked her to stand up genially. He introduced two men who sat on the right to her while touching his grey long beard, “These are your second uncle and third uncle.”

“Uncles, you two must also be tired from this long-way travel,” Qiu Yelan saluted to them too.

Seeing that she didn’t put on airs because she was a Commandery Princess, people of Lian Family were more friendly. They showed that they wanted to get to know her better, “We went back to Lanxi decades ago. We only knew that your grandmother died 11 years ago. We heard nothing from you after that. We didn’t know what had happened. We didn’t know how much you had suffered from your uncle and aunt until we got the message from Marquess Qin’s staff. In the final analysis, it was our fault. If we have sent people to the city to see you guys, how could it end up like this?”

“Uncle, you have overstated the case,” this was just formality. When old Princess of Xihe’s father the Old Master Lian was alive, he was the Minister of the Ministry of Rites. Lian Family was a real powerful family. It was so easy for them to seek justice for Princess Ruan and her daughter.

The sad fact was that Old Master Lian’s sons and grandsons were not promising. None of them got the Jinshi title. They got their official titles because of Old Master Lian’s meritorious service. How could they stand against Qiu Mengmin after he got his Duke title? However, Qiu Yelan surely wouldn’t debunk them. Instead, she said, “The two places are far from each other. It’s really not easy for you, uncles and cousins, to come this time. We were not able to send the message before. How is that your fault?”

“You have suffered a lot these years,” Lian Chen sighed heavily.

They chatted with each other for a while. After they asked about each other’s current condition, Lian Chen delayed no more. He talked about the letter directly, “I have sent the letter to Marquess Qin for safekeeping to avoid thieves and rascals coveting it. I will present it tomorrow at the Imperial Court and show it to all the officials.”

“Thank you, uncle,” after getting this confirmation, Qiu Yelan was relieved a lot. Let’s see how Qiu Mengmin denies this.

After she left, Lian Chen squinted, “What do you guys think about this kid?”

“She is young. But she is tactful. She doesn’t look like that she has been bullied a lot like Jiang Family said,” on the right, Lian Jianhao who was older and also the firstborn son thought for a while and said first.

Lian Chen’s son Lian Jianhai said after his brother finished, “Her mother Princess Ruan is General Ruan’s daughter. General Ruan’s prestige was only a little lower than Marquess Qin in the army back then. Even their condition was not good, she was still a General’s daughter. There is no way that she raised her only daughter to be a subservient person.”

“Then we need to change our plan,” Lian Chen nodded and said, “This kid is not that gullible like we thought.”

“Uncle, how about we wait until this thing is over?” Lian Jianhao said, “We just met her for the first time today. Perhaps, Ruan Family taught her how to deal with us the moment they knew we were about to come to the city. Isn’t it said that although General Ruan’s heir was only 18, he had already taken the metropolitan exam?”

Lian Chen thought for a while and said, “Let’s do this. The thing we need to consider now is to seek justice for your aunt!”