Chapter 23 - 22: Song and Performance
Yunuo was twisting the handkerchief in her hand non-stop, her eyes red: "Fifth sister, this matter is my fault..."
"What are they saying about me outside?" Yunluo opened her mouth wide, her eyes wide open.
This made Yunuo puzzled: "Second uncle angrily went to Lianfu Garden, and you, fifth sister, still don’t know anything?"
"I’m also confused by second uncle’s actions." Yunluo pretended ignorance despite understanding, "He said a few things I couldn’t understand when he came in, then grandmother sent me to the West Attic, leaving second uncle to talk with her. Not long after, second uncle left, and Sister Lanzhi told me grandmother was tired and I should come back."
"Is that all?" Yunuo frowned slightly.
"That’s all." Yunluo nodded firmly.
These words were true, she didn’t give even a hint of deception.
Yunuo’s mind turned; it was good that Yunluo was still in the dark. It allowed her to take the initiative, say some good words, and cleanly push responsibility away.
Thinking of this, Yunuo sighed: "Then I’ll tell you why second uncle was angry."
Yunuo weighed her words carefully and explained the situation bit by bit. Yunluo’s face turned red and then white, finally settling into a grim look.
"Fifth sister..." Yunuo called pitifully, reaching out to hold her hand.
Yunluo withdrew her hand sharply, snapping, "Others might not know, but you should be aware of my mood, shouldn’t you? Whether this marriage happens or not is secondary; you’re ruining my reputation like this!"
"I know, I certainly know you dislike the Dingyuan Marquis Mansion." Yunuo quickly responded, a hint of glee flashing in her heart.
If she’s angry, there’s hope.
Having grown up together, she understood Yunluo’s temperament the best.
If truly enraged, Yunluo would just walk away; even if you spoke with eloquence, she would ignore you for ten days to half a month, refusing any approach, even shutting doors on those with good intentions.
But if she gets angry, and you let Yunluo vent her grievances, then coax her a bit, everything would be fine.
Yunuo knew best how to coax Yunluo.
"Fifth sister, I’m also flustered myself; this matter occurred, can it be kept from grandfather and grandmother?" Yunuo hung her head dispiritedly, biting her lower lip.
Yunluo glanced at her, sneering: "You wanted face, speaking nonsense in the Duke Jing Mansion, and now you’re scared, what use is that?"
"I was vain and wanted face, but..." Yunuo took out a handkerchief and dabbed her eyes, "But fifth sister, at first, I really didn’t know things would turn out this way! My relationship with Princess An Ran is just that; how could I know whom she thinks of fondly? If I’d known it was the princely heir, I wouldn’t dare mention it for anything!"
Yunluo snorted, musing inwardly that Yunuo’s act was indeed well-played. If it wasn’t for her past experiences and her hints to lead Yunuo to reveal her thoughts, she might have been fooled.
Princess An Ran’s feelings for Mu Lianxiao were no secret among her close noblewomen. Although Yunuo wasn’t on close terms with the princess, she was always observant and could piece together answers from subtle clues.
"Fourth sister, isn’t this talk misplaced?" Yunluo raised an eyebrow, staring directly into Yunuo’s eyes shimmering faintly with tears, "If the princely heir has no interest in the princess, could you say these things to her? You still don’t understand where you’ve gone wrong! It’s not about the casual talk having one meaning for the speaker and another for the listener, it’s about my reputation! Now that it’s like this, if my marriage with the princely heir happens, fine; if not, how will I maintain any dignity?"
Yunuo’s heart pounded several times; she rushed over and hugged Yunluo: "I was wrong, I was wrong, don’t say such things about dignity, it truly scares me to death!"
In the middle room, Jin Rui and Jin Ling sat on stools, all their focus inside.
Jin Rui gritted her teeth, trembling with anger: "It really is her! And she dared to speak so in front of the young lady!"
𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞
"Keep it down! The young lady is trying to coax her!" Jin Ling covered Jin Rui’s mouth.
Jin Rui brushed Jin Ling’s hand away: "Only you understand! So, tell me, what exactly does the young lady mean?"
Jin Ling was about to speak in a whisper when suddenly there was a crash inside, the sound of porcelain shattering.
Jin Ling nearly jumped up.
Inside, Yunluo shrieked: "I don’t care! Go away, go away!"
Upon hearing the sound, Jin Rui couldn’t sit still any longer and, disregarding propriety, drew the curtain and went inside. Jin Ling, slightly panicked, followed her in.
Upon closer inspection, they saw the bowl of rice dumplings broken on the ground, and Yunluo, held by Yunuo, with a face like a pear blossom in the rain.
Nothing major really happened, so Jin Ling slightly relaxed. Conflicts among young ladies usually ended like this most of the time, and they were used to it. The most important thing was to quickly clean up the mess to prevent another argument and avoid any injuries.
Jin Rui was angry with Yunuo but couldn’t show it on her face, so she went up to comfort Yunluo.
After tidying up, Jin Ling advised: "Fourth young lady, leave it to us maids..."
Yunuo agreed, handing Yunluo over to Jin Rui and leaving the room with Jin Ling.
In Anhua Courtyard, everything was quiet. Though there was much commotion in the main room, those below all heard it and dared not make any noise.
Yunuo called Qian He and walked away quickly.
Jin Ling escorted her to the courtyard gate, turned back, and was stopped by Nanny Shui.
Though Nanny Shui was a rough servant, she looked kind, had a good temperament, and was quite popular. She carefully asked: "Miss Jin Ling, why did our young lady suddenly get so angry? This past month, the young lady has been so easygoing, how come..."
Jin Ling sighed, as everyone knew that over the past month, Yunluo’s temper had been much better. Smashing things like this was the first time.
"I can’t say either; just now, Jin Rui and I weren’t serving in the attic. At first, there was nothing, then it suddenly flared up..." Jin Ling laughed awkwardly, "I’ll go in and have a look."
Jin Ling walked along the corridor to the door, just about to draw the curtain, when she abruptly halted her steps and turned to look towards the courtyard gate, meeting eyes with Lanzhi.
Why is Lanzhi back?
Jin Ling ran up to greet her: "Sister."
Lanzhi glanced towards the East Wing: "The fourth young lady left?"
"Just left." Jin Ling replied.
"The copper bell given to Yaya is much liked; the old master is pleased and asked me to bring this piece of jade for the young lady. I just saw the fourth young lady, her eyes red, and thought there must have been some argument with the fifth young lady." Lanzhi explained and proceeded straight towards the main room.
Jin Ling instinctively wanted to stop her but suddenly had a flash of insight and understood.