Chapter 95: Tearing Up the White Lotus

Qinglan was dressed in a green silk jacket embroidered with gold, covered with a light red armor-like garment, and tied with a goose-yellow brocade skirt adorned with colorful knots. She was wearing high-heeled floral shoes.

Her hair was neatly combed into a bun, adorned with pearl accessories, making her whole person shimmer with the luster of jewels. Her melon-seed face^[1]“melon-seed face” (瓜子脸, guāzǐliǎn) is a term used in China to describe a specific type of facial shape. It refers to a small face with a soft but slightly pointy chin paired with … Continue reading was glowing, showing no signs of haggardness. 

She was startled when she suddenly saw Su Wan, “Wanwan?”

How did this little wretch come back?

Madam Jiang is a useless thing, she can’t even watch one person.

She suddenly remembered that Su Mixue and the crown prince had gone to Xinghua Village, could it be that the crown prince still had old feelings for Su Wan, Su Mixue was worried about their old feelings reigniting, and sent her back to the capital for her to clean up?

When Qinglan thought of this, she saw Su Wan’s wrinkled dress, and a flash of disgust flashed in her eyes.

Now it was evening, and all the people living in this street were dignitaries, riding carriages back from the government office.

Qinglan saw the carriages coming in twos and threes, and her beautiful and soft face showed pity, and she was about to say something about mother-daughter affection.

“Aunt Qing, my husband’s family is poor, we live hand to mouth^[2]“饑一頓飽一頓” (jī yī dùn bǎo yī dùn) = “live hand to mouth” is an idiom that means to have just enough money to live on and nothing extra., and I really can’t spare any extra money for my own expenses. But my grandmother is sick, and I hired people from the escort agency to bring me back, which cost a total of thirty taels of silver. Could you, could you pay it for me?”

Su Wan’s eyes were misty, she looked at Qinglan timidly, her fingers aimlessly rubbing the corner of her clothes.

But in her heart, she sneered, who can’t pretend to be a white lotus^[3]‘白蓮花’(báiliánhuā) = white lotus, is someone who pretends to be innocent or virtuous.?

Su Wan could directly confront her, but in this era, Qinglan is her elder. She is not afraid of ruining her reputation, but she feels uncomfortable letting Qinglan continue to play the victim.

These mother and daughter love to pretend to be white lotus, then she ‘an eye for an eye’.

Make Qinglan uncomfortable, and can also take the opportunity to stink her hard-earned good reputation, killing two birds with one stone.

“I was in a hurry to get married, my mother left my dowry at home, and you didn’t send it to my husband’s house.”

Su Wan’s face was pale, her apricot eyes showed a sad look, and she said disappointedly, “When I first saw you, you pitied me for not having a mother, and would give me motherly love. My sister also said that she would share half of her mother with me, which touched me deeply. That’s why I mentioned you to my father and let him marry you as my mother.”

“You asked me to switch the marriage with my younger sister, saying that she was born with a phoenix destiny and that she and the crown prince were a match made in heaven. I, I complied with the will of heaven and switched. You said you would come to see me, I have been waiting, waiting for a long time, and finally, I waited for my younger sister.”

“She said that the dowry my mother gave me, you took all of it to fill her dowry, and also said that I was too stupid to distinguish between good and evil, your kindness to me, was just for marrying into the marquis’s mansion.”

“Aunt Qing, as long as it’s you who says it, even if you deceive me, I’m willing to believe you.” Su Wan’s thin figure trembled slightly, her tears were about to fall, she looked weak and pitiable.

She was clearly so upset that she couldn’t take it anymore, but she stubbornly looked at Qinglan, insisting on an answer: “Quickly say that you didn’t scheme against me, it was my younger sister who deliberately said these words to anger me.”

Qinglan was almost angered to death by Su Wan’s last sentence, what does it mean ‘as long as it’s you who says it, even if you deceive me, I’m willing to believe you’?

This little wretch got married to the countryside, and the whole person became smart.

No matter how she explained, it was useless.

The news of her (Qinglan) scheming to marry into the Marquis’s mansion, Su Mixue stealing her wedding, and even seizing her dowry, will all get out. The good reputation that she has worked so hard to build will be ruined in an instant! 

She didn’t believe that Su Mixue would say such a brainless thing.

Qinglan suppressed her anger, and said weakly: “Wanwan, you misunderstood…”

“Aunt Qing, don’t look at me like this, I’m scared.” Su Wan started to tremble, as if Qinglan was a terrifying existence.

Qinglan was so angry that smoke was coming out of her head, her face was twisted, and her eyes seemed to want to eat her.

The carriages and pedestrians stopped one after another, and they were shocked.

People of high power and status knew about Su Wan and Su Mixue’s exchange of marriage before the princess entered the East Palace, but they didn’t know how Qinglan entered the Marquis of Dingyuan’s mansion.

The way everyone looked at Qinglan suddenly became strange. No wonder a widow without a background could successfully marry into the Marquis’s mansion. It turns out she had such a scheming mind and had won over the children of the original wife.

They sighed for a while, and sympathized with Su Wan, “Young lady Su has brought a wolf into the room. The position of the crown prince’s wife was stolen, and her dowry was also taken. A dignified young lady of the Marquis’s mansion, wearing cloth clothes, wearing a thorn hairpin, living a life even worse than the servants in the mansion, it’s really a sin.”

Someone who knew a bit of the inside story said, “The stepmother is the daughter of the wet nurse of the Marquis of Dingyuan. The old lady of the Marquis of Dingyuan is kind-hearted. She pitied them for being orphans and widows, and raised the stepmother almost like her own daughter. But when she grew up, she became ambitious and was driven away after climbing into the master’s bed.”

Other people took a breath.

Qinglan was like being stripped naked in public, wishing the ground would crack open a gap for her to drill into.

But Su Wan, this wretched woman, didn’t think the matter was big enough, and said: “Aunt Qing, my sister also said that the dowry is what she deserves, and her body also flows with my father’s blood. How could it be? Isn’t she the child you and your deceased husband gave birth to? How could she be my father’s daughter?”

Su Wan covered her face with her hand, and said in despair: “I don’t believe that Su Mixue is my father’s biological daughter, I don’t believe that you approached me at the beginning just to enter the marquis’s door.”

She dropped a bombshell, not giving Qinglan any chance to explain, and ran into the mansion.

Mo Yuan and Mo Chen were shocked, their mistress was too good at acting, wasn’t she?

This was a beautiful finishing move.

The two of them quickly caught up.

Everyone’s jaws dropped, the crown prince’s wife was not a stepdaughter??

But a concubine’s daughter??

This was an existence even lower than a concubine and an illegitimate daughter.

The crown princess was of humble origin, but at least her background was clean. Due to the issue of fate, the regent stepped in, suppressing all discordant voices, allowing her to marry smoothly into the royal family.

Although many court officials had quite a few criticisms in private, a commoner girl becoming the crown princess was highly esteemed by the people, and her reputation was very high.

But if a woman of lowly status, a daughter of a concubine, were to become the queen of the Zhou Dynasty in the future, not to mention the noble and powerful families, the hereditary officials, even the ordinary people who had previously praised her, would consider it a disgrace.

The nobleman in the carriage had a very ugly face, knocked on the carriage wall, and the carriage drove away.

Other pedestrians looked at Qinglan, their eyes full of contempt.

It’s over!

Qinglan was dizzy, her legs softened, and she fell to the ground.

“Madam——” The maid, quick-eyed and nimble-handed, helped her to stand: “Shall this servant help you back to the mansion to rest?”

Qinglan’s fingers gripped the maid’s arm, not knowing what she was thinking, “Stop her! Stop her quickly! Don’t let her see the old lady!”

The two servants snapped back to reality, obeyed Qinglan’s orders, and went into the mansion to intercept Su Wan.

Su Wan, with the original owner’s memories, knew the way well and headed towards the old lady’s Fuxi Hall.

The first time she confronted Qinglan, Su Wan revealed Su Mixue’s identity as a concubine’s daughter. After making a big fuss, it would be much easier for her to get back her dowry.

It shouldn’t take a night, it will spread all over the capital, it’s best to reach the queen’s ears.

Su Wan was in a good mood, looking at the marquis’s mansion, the maid bowed to her from a distance, and then detoured to avoid her.

She raised her eyebrows, passed through the moon gate to the backyard, and arrived at the door of Fuxi Hall.

A shrill scream came from the house: “Old lady, old lady, wake up——”