The Reborn Princess Has Turned Evil

Chapter 220 Heavy Burden on Our Shoulders

After seeing Jing Anle and Jing Fengyao off, Qin Xu turned around and bumped into Xie Bailing.

As the weather grew colder, Xie Bailing, still fanning himself with a folding fan, bowed with a smile and said, "General Qin."

Qin Xu already knew Xie Bailing's true identity. His face darkened. "Oh, it's Young Master Xie."

The two knew the truth, but neither revealed it to the other.

Xie Bailing was even more certain that his identity had been exposed. He stepped forward and lowered his voice, saying, "Now that the Prince is powerful, if the General trusts me, I am willing to lend the General a hand."

Qin Xu raised an eyebrow, knowing that there was no such thing as a free lunch. Xie Bailing seemed to see through Qin Xu's thoughts and said, "My conditions will not make things difficult for the general. If the general needs me, just send someone to invite me to play chess, and I will come to your door in person."

After saying this, Xie Bailing left, fanning himself with his fan.

General's Mansion, may you live in peace and tranquility.

With the help of Granny Cui, Old Madam Qin drank half a bowl of ginseng soup. After finishing, she leaned against the bed to rest. She had a lot to do today, and she was just barely holding on.

A short while later, Qin Zhihua and Qin Xiuyuan came in together from outside.

Hearing the voice, Old Madam Qin opened her eyes and asked, "How did things go?"

"Please rest assured, Grandmother, I have personally escorted Prince Murong and Miss Murong back to the Marquis of Pingchang's residence," Qin Xiuyuan replied.

Perhaps feeling that it was not detailed enough, Qin Zhihua added, "We sent the best physicians in our household to the Marquis of Pingchang's residence to explain the ins and outs of the matter to the Marquis's wife."

Madam Qin turned her head and said calmly, "Although this matter was not caused by us, it still happened in my Qin residence. Xiuyuan, send someone to deliver some more gifts."

"Yes," Qin Xiuyuan replied.

"The Pingchang Marquis's mansion must be furious," Old Madam Qin asked again.

Qin Zhihua and Qin Xiuyuan exchanged a glance and said truthfully, "Madam Hou was indeed very anxious at the time. After we explained the whole story and informed Princess Anle that she would thoroughly investigate the matter, the Hou family did not say much."

"The rivalry between the two noble ladies, Pu Yanran and Zou Qinyi, has hurt our Qin family. If this gets out, it will only damage our reputation." Old Madam Qin felt angry just thinking about it.

Qin Xiuyuan felt extremely guilty. He cupped his hands in apology and said, "It's all my fault. If it weren't for my marriage, our family wouldn't have been implicated."

After all, he was her own grandson. Even though she was angry, Madam Qin could only sigh and say, "Xiuyuan, although I don't understand anything about court politics, you bear the responsibility of the Qin family. I really like that Miss Zhao. Her family background and appearance are a good match for you."

"I don't blame you for your behavior today. I just think you don't understand matters between men and women. You can't hide forever. Your sister will be marrying into the royal family soon. She can't be without support. In the end, you will have to shoulder the burden of the Qin family."

After Old Madam Qin finished speaking, the atmosphere became somewhat heavy. Qin Zhihua looked at Qin Xiuyuan with concern, a pang of sorrow gripping her heart. She felt it was her fault that Qin Xiuyuan was in this predicament. She stepped forward and said, "Grandmother, I..."

Before Qin Zhihua could finish speaking, Qin Xiuyuan interrupted her, "Grandmother is right. I acted rashly today. From now on, I will listen to Grandmother." Qin Xiuyuan's heart sank, and his eyes were as still as water. He was determined to keep Jing Anle in the deepest part of his heart.

After saying that, Qin Xiuyuan turned to Qin Zhihua and said, "Zhihua, I know your feelings, and you don't need to blame yourself. The palace is a difficult place, but as long as you are happy, your brother is willing to be your support."

After saying that, Qin Xiuyuan stepped out.

“Brother…” Qin Zhihua stared at Qin Xiuyuan’s retreating figure, her eyes brimming with tears. With a hardened heart, Qin Zhihua turned and knelt before Old Madam Qin, pleading, “Grandmother, I don’t want to go to the palace anymore. Please don’t interfere with my brother’s marriage.”

"Do you think this is something you can just take or leave as you please?" Old Madam Qin seemed somewhat disappointed. Her two grandsons were good in every way, but they were both too sentimental.

Qin Zhihua wiped away her tears.

Madam Qin said solemnly, "The eldest prince went to great lengths to beg His Majesty to marry you, and you two share the same sentiment. Zhihua, I know you feel sorry for your brother, but this matter is of great importance and cannot be easily changed."

At this moment, Granny Cui hurriedly went to help Qin Zhihua, saying, "Second Miss, you must think carefully about what the Old Madam said. You can't be childish."

……

Meanwhile, at the residence of the Marquis of Pingchang.

When Murong Ruoyan returned to the manor, the itching on her body had subsided on its own, just as Zhao Yayi had said. She was fine, but the odor lingered on her body for a long time.

At this moment, everyone was gathered in Murong Ruoyan's bedroom, and Lady Wu Zhihua of the Marquis's mansion was furious. She had hoped that Murong Ruoyan would make a good impression at the Qin family's birthday banquet, but now she had turned out like this. She went out perfectly well, but came back with a mess.

"Doctor, could you please take a look at her symptoms and tell me what's wrong?" Wu Zhihua asked anxiously.

"Replying to Madam, Miss Murong's illness is truly strange, and it's difficult to make a diagnosis at the moment. Based on my experience, the only thing I can do now is prescribe a few doses of medicine, first for internal use and then for a medicinal bath." The speaker was the physician sent by the Qin family, as this matter could not be known to more people.

Although Wu Zhihua was anxious, she remained composed. Murong Ruoyan, upon returning to the Marquis's residence, reverted to her arrogant demeanor. She was furious and threw the soft pillows far away, angrily saying, "It's all that bitch Zou Qinyi's fault! She's the one who ruined me!"

"Mother, you must stand up for me. It's her fault that I smell so bad and can't be the daughter-in-law of the General's Mansion."

Now that there were outsiders present, including people from the General's Mansion, Wu Zhihua was furious at Murong Ruoyan's lack of manners and stepped forward to slap her.

Stunned by the beating, Murong Ruoyan covered her face and exclaimed in disbelief, "Mother!"

Wu Zhihua didn't want to deal with her for the time being, and turned to the Qin family's physician apologetically, saying, "Doctor, please forgive my rudeness."

The physician, being experienced and knowledgeable, didn't say much, only saying, "Then I'll go down and prepare the medicine."

After the physician left, Wu Zhihua suddenly changed her demeanor and scolded Murong Ruoyan, "What were you doing just now? Those were people from the Qin family. Didn't you feel ashamed enough today?"

Everyone in the room was too frightened to say a word, especially the maid Lan Xin, who trembled and silently prayed that Wu Zhihua would not cause her any trouble.

Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned. Wu Zhihua was furious but had nowhere to vent her anger. She turned her head and caught sight of Lan Xin, then casually threw the teacup beside her at her. "You were the one who accompanied the Third Miss to the Qin residence today. How did you serve her?"

Lan Xin immediately knelt down, kowtowing and begging for mercy, "This servant deserves to die, this servant deserves to die, please spare my life, Madam."

Wu Zhihua was already annoyed, and seeing Lan Xin like this, she immediately said, "Drag her away, give her twenty lashes, and sell her off!"

Murong Peifeng stood outside the door, his face not much better. He had originally hoped to use Murong Ruoyan to curry favor with the General's Mansion, but now it seemed that his plans were doomed.