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墨書 Inktalez
Qing Luan glanced at the colorful, delicate young ladies behind Chen Yan'er and felt a pang of emotion. Chen Yan'er looked so much like her mother... and she was the one about to be sold off.
"Thank you, Third Sister," Qing Luan replied gracefully, a gentle smile gracing her lips. Her demeanor was elegant, her tone soft as she addressed the young ladies who seemed eager for amusement. "I appreciate all of you, sisters. If I have been rude in any way, please forgive me!"
"Hehe, Fourth Miss is too polite," one young lady dressed in a peach-colored yellow skirt, adorned with intricately carved jade hairpins and a blue sapphire ornament on her forehead, spoke with an air of elegance that vanished the moment she opened her mouth.
"And this sister is...?" Qing Luan asked curiously, not missing the provocation in the girl's eyes.
"Let me introduce," Chen Yan'er said with a satisfied smile. "Fourth Sister has been away for so long that these noble ladies surely do not recognize her." There was an unmistakable hint of pride and disdain in her tone. "The young lady who just spoke to you is Miss Lin Ya, the legitimate daughter of Lin Minister..." All the others were noble ladies, mostly legitimate daughters, except for one who was a concubine's daughter, brought along merely to highlight her legitimate sister.
As Chen Yan'er introduced Qing Luan, she responded politely with gentle smiles. Her graceful and poised manner surprised many, even Qiu Mingqi, who found it astonishing—despite how well-bred the Chen family was, he thought that after five years away from home, Chen Qingluan would embarrass herself in front of those noble ladies. To his surprise, she not only held her own but outshone them.
"Fourth Sister," seeing her composed demeanor, Chen Yan'er blinked her black eyes to suppress her displeasure and led her to a delicate and beautiful young lady. "This is Lady Zhuang's daughter..."
"You're so beautiful, sister," Qing Luan feigned ignorance and praised her before turning to the Young Marquis with an innocent look. "Am I not far inferior compared to this sister?"
"Hehe, Luan'er is also very beautiful," the Young Marquis replied, his heart trembling at her question as he tried to act nonchalant.
"Oh," she nodded in satisfaction, retracting her pitiful gaze. Meeting Zhuang Youlan's gentle black eyes, she did not miss the murderous intent she had sensed earlier; yet her smile remained unchanged.
"Eh? Don't you know each other?" A curious voice broke out, drawing everyone's attention.
Zhuang Youlan shook her head alongside Qing Luan and they both replied in unison, "We don't know each other!"
"How could that be?" Lin Ya said with a smile after receiving Chen Yan'er's hint. "Sister Youlan, have you forgotten? Your elder brother once had an engagement, but it was called off simply because the girl was a Merchant's Daughter..." The implication was clear enough, wasn't it?
As soon as Lin Ya finished speaking, everyone widened their eyes, looking at Qing Luan and Zhuang Youlan, eager to see their reactions. Although they had come under Chen Yan'er's suggestion, they wouldn't miss out on the spectacle.
The daughters of officials always enjoyed watching others make fools of themselves while maintaining an air of superiority, as if they were above everyone else. This satisfied them. According to Qing Luan, these people were psychologically twisted and abnormal.
Qing Luan's expression was classic; she had anticipated this moment and was mentally prepared. However, not playing along would mean that the crowd would not let her off easily. Her face turned pale as if she couldn't bear the blow and staggered back a step, supported by Yin Hong.
"Miss," Yin Hong called out anxiously, her eyes filled with panic.
"Oh, so it's her!?" Zhuang Youlan exclaimed, raising her beautiful face with pride and disdainfully saying, "If Miss Lin hadn't mentioned it, I would have forgotten all about it. Hehe, although my brother hasn't married a legitimate wife, he would never marry a woman of merchant status."
"Sister Zhuang, please don't say that," Chen Yan'er said in what seemed like a comforting tone but was actually adding fuel to the fire. "Back then, my Fourth Sister nearly lost her life because of your family's broken engagement. She wandered for five years and ended up being taken in as a maid at Jade Pavilion to serve us Young Ladies; it wasn't easy for her..."
"Young Marquis," Qing Luan said with feigned innocence, her eyes reddening with tears that threatened to spill over but remained stubbornly held back.
Seeing her pitiful appearance, Qiu Mingqi's eyes lit up; he thought Chen Qingluan had some charm to her. To have her by his side would indeed be a blessing. " Luan'er need not worry; although what they say is true, I won't mind it. I only care about you as a person..." His words sounded heartfelt but carried deeper implications that made one ponder.
He cares about me as a person... he must be interested in my ability to gather wealth! Qing Luan scoffed inwardly before lowering her head in silence, as if she had suffered great injustice or was Faceless before others.
"Young Marquis is truly deep in sentiment," Lin Ya praised jealously before adding with confusion, "But Young Marquis, do you really want to marry this woman who has been rejected by Dealers? Moreover, she has been gone for five years; who knows what she... Hehe, anything could happen! Don't you all agree?"
The most venomous hearts belong to women; Lin Ya's words were pointed yet subtle, but the underlying malice was extremely vicious, leading one to think deeply—implying that Qing Luan might not be pure anymore.
Upon hearing Lin Ya's words, Qiu Mingqi's expression changed, losing the deep affection he had just shown. He simply said, " Luan'er is understanding; as long as I treat her sincerely, she won't care about any titles."
So that was it! After hearing Qiu Mingqi's words, Qing Luan finally understood the scene they were creating today—it was all to label her with a crime. Alas, how unfortunate; their plans had backfired.
"Oh, what does Young Marquis mean?" Chen Yan'er feigned ignorance and asked.
"Young Marquis means he is unworthy," Lin Ya quickly seized the topic and said with biting sarcasm, "A woman who has lost her purity and is still looked down upon has no right to be the Young Marquis's wife. Don't you all agree?"
"Exactly," the people around echoed, their faces filled with schadenfreude.
"Look at how well-matched Young Marquis and Sister Zhuang are," Lin Ya was the first to chime in, acting dramatically. Yet she was thoroughly enjoying herself, believing she was performing brilliantly. "Their backgrounds are equal, and they are a perfect couple—truly made for each other. It should be them together, not Fourth Miss."
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Second update…!
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