Su Yiniang smiled, pressing her lips together as she dabbed at the corner of her eye with her handkerchief.
“It’s good that you’re back, so good. Now that I know the young lady has returned, I’ve already sent people to tidy up your courtyard. We’ve been waiting for you! How is the young lady? Is your health still well? Do you need me to arrange for servants or a sedan chair? Ah, it’s been ten years, I wonder what you’re like now. Back then, you were such a tiny thing, I even held you in my arms!”
At this moment, not just Wen Ninghan, even Qin Rongxi couldn’t help but laugh. He flicked the horsewhip in his hand lightly, producing a sharp crack that interrupted Su Yiniang’s self-indulgent display of emotion.
“Who are you?” Qin Rongxi had the temperament of a little tyrant in the Qin family and in the entire Yangcheng of Jiangnan. He was capable of politeness, but it was rare and depended on whether the person was someone he liked or a respected elder. For ordinary people, he rarely paid them any attention.
This was the confidence that came from the Qin family’s background. While Qin Rongxi was spoiled and headstrong, he was still different from typical young wastrels. He wouldn’t easily bully others just because of his status, and the Qin family allowed him to act arrogantly in public.
Now, this arrogant attitude was directly aimed at the Wen family, whom he had long despised, especially at this troublemaking Su Yiniang.
“Is this a place where you can speak? Or has it been ten years and the Yong’an Marquis’s residence has a new lady of the house? How could my Qin family not know about it?”
As the in-laws of the Yong’an Marquis, although the previous marquis’s wife had passed away, the Yong’an Marquis was supposed to inform the Qin family if he was going to remarry.
Of course, Qin Rongxi had already guessed Su Yiniang’s identity and knew that she would never hold the position of the lady of the house. Every word he said was deliberately stepping on her sore spot!
To be honest, in all these years at the Yong’an Marquis’s residence, Su Yiniang lacked only the formal title of the mistress of the house. In reality, she had been favored by Wen Congyan and pampered by the household servants.
Even though the sudden marriage of Wen Congyan to Qin Xi from the Qin family in Jiangnan had dealt her a huge blow, she had never suffered any real hardship, even when the family’s fortunes declined.
Now, the young boy’s blunt words suddenly reminded her of the beginning, after Qin Xi passed away. Wen Congyan handed her the household affairs and entrusted her with managing the daily social interactions of the Yong’an Marquis’s residence.
Excitedly, she took the invitations and attended the ladies’ flower-viewing banquet, only to be met with disdain and cold stares. The reason was simple, she was just a concubine of the Yong’an Marquis. How dared she, a mere concubine, engage in casual conversation with those proper wives?
They would only say that the Yong’an Marquis had no rules and that he favored the concubine over his wife.
When Wen Congyan was mocked to his face, he was furious. At that time, she cried and told him about the grievances she had suffered outside, but it didn’t earn her any sympathy from Wen Congyan. Instead, she was confined to her room for three months.
It was after that incident that she truly realized, without the title of the mistress of the house, she was nothing in the eyes of others. She was insignificant, even despised and looked down upon.
This realization made her hate the late Qin Xi and her daughter, Wen Ninghan, to the core. She even held a grudge against Wen Congyan.
Qin Rongxi continued to pour fuel on the fire. “And what kind of rules does the Yong’an Marquis’s residence have now? The young lady comes home, and she doesn’t even dare to use the main gate, having to use the side gate instead? Is that where the daughter of the Marquis’s household should enter? Our Qin family may be a merchant family, lacking proper etiquette, but even our own daughters would never be treated this way!”
Su Yiniang also understood that this matter shouldn’t escalate at the main gate. She had originally thought that since Wen Ninghan had traveled so far to return, she would have no choice but to swallow her pride and accept entering through the side gate, but who knew Wen Ninghan would be so resolute.
The obnoxious young man from the Qin family was being unreasonable, causing a scene at the main gate without a care. It was clear that they came from a poorly educated merchant family and were unfit to stand in front of the distinguished households.
“This young master hasn’t introduced himself yet…”
Of course, she didn’t really care about Qin Rongxi’s identity. She never thought much of the Qin family, and to be honest, there was deep enmity between them.
“But this young master, being new to the capital, must not know that, except when the Marquis himself is formally leaving the house, the main gate of a prestigious household like the Marquis’s is rarely opened. The ladies of the household always use the side gate to enter and exit. As for the servants, they naturally enter through the back gate. As for the young lady returning to her own home, there’s no need for all these formalities—she can come in however it’s most convenient.”
Her words seemed reasonable. If Wen Ninghan had been living normally at the Yong’an Marquis’s residence, and not returning after being away for over ten years, Su Yiniang’s explanation would have made no issue at all.
But—
Su Yiniang continued with a smile.
“And besides, the side gate doesn’t have the high thresholds of grand households, making it much easier for carriages to pass through. If the young lady isn’t feeling well, she doesn’t even need to disembark from the carriage and can go straight into the house. It can’t be helped, there are many rules in the capital, so one must be a bit more careful.”
Qin Rongxi raised an eyebrow, smiling, his eyes filled with malice and anger. “What are you paying attention to? Paying attention to a mere concubine daring to point fingers at a legitimate young lady?”
The word “concubine” was the greatest pain of Su Yuniang’s life. She gritted her teeth, barely managing to maintain a dignified smile. “Young master, you speak harshly. After all, I am a senior in relation to the young lady…”
“That’s not something you can claim. Who are you to say you’re a senior to my Xiao Jiu?”
Although Wen Ninghan had told Qin Rongxi that she wanted to keep a low profile on her return to the capital, as some things didn’t need to be blown out of proportion and staying low-key would make it easier for her to act, Qin Rongxi didn’t think it was necessary to go so far as to hide the Qin family’s concern and affection for her.
This green canopy cart was clearly something the household servants used for buying groceries. If Wen Ninghan hadn’t insisted on bringing back some good things and wanted to avoid drawing attention before figuring out the Wen family’s situation, Qin Rongxi would have smashed the cart on the spot.
Of course, what Wen Ninghan couldn’t say was that her desire for a low profile had little to do with the Wen family. More than that, she didn’t want the presence of the Qin family to draw the attention of those above her. Before she grew strong enough to become a pillar for the Qin family…
Wen Ninghan gently lifted the cloth curtain on the carriage window, revealing a delicate and flawless face, like a water lily blooming, pale and beautiful. Her smile was sweet and radiant, and her eyes sparkled, as though filled with stars, dazzling in their brilliance.
“Concubine Su Yiniang, it’s been many years. As you’ve said, you must have truly missed me, haven’t you?”
Looking at the face that, though still youthful, already showed the beginnings of elegance and charm, Su Yiniang’s pupils suddenly contracted.
It had been ten years since they last met. The once frail and sickly little girl had grown into this seductive beauty. This sight made Su Yiniang feel an overwhelming sense of threat.
Coupled with the fact that the other person was the legitimate daughter of the family, Su Yiniang’s mind tightened, and the motherly smile on her face almost faltered.
“Of course, I’ve missed you every day,” she said, her tone soft, though her heart was heavy with unease. “Your courtyard has been meticulously maintained over the years. This time, I personally arranged everything for you.”
Wen Ninghan’s smile deepened, but it didn’t reach her eyes.
“That’s good to hear. I’ve been really looking forward to it… and over these past ten years, I’ve been thinking of you too, Concubine Su. Night and day, turning and tossing, waking and sleeping, always thinking of you…”
Su Yiniang: Hiss!
Was that a threat? It had to be a threat!
