From afar, Qin Huining saw the person leisurely walking over under the setting sun, and her pupils shrank.
Qin Yining was tall and beautiful. As she walked, her honey-colored cloak opened slightly, revealing a long yellow dress that rippled like a goose. The ripples were light, making her gait appear very graceful. There was a hint of vigor in her weakness. Her back was straight, and when she saw Qin Huining, she smiled slightly. Her appearance resembled Prime Minister Qin's when he was young, making Qin Huining feel that she had lost out.
Taking a deep breath, Qin Huining told herself, 'I am the legitimate daughter! I am proficient in zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting! He is just a barbarian! Surviving in this large residence is a walk in the park for me. Qin Yining should be the one who is nervous! '
After mentally preparing herself, Qin Huining smiled and walked over to Qin Yining. She took the initiative to hold her hands and curtsied, "Younger Sister Xiao Xi, you've come. I was just about to order someone to go to Snow Pear Courtyard to invite you here. There are rules in the family regarding morning and evening. "
She still didn't let go of the matter of how she addressed her. This person wasn't done yet!
Qin Yining smiled and returned the greeting, "Miss Huining, thank you for your kindness. It's just that Mother Jin thought of telling me about the rules in the morning first, so I didn't make a fool of myself in front of the First Madam. However, I appreciate your kindness. "
Hearing the words "Miss Huining," Qin Huining's smile instantly stiffened. When she heard that it was Mother Jin who told her, she couldn't help but begin to doubt the First Madam's attitude. She discreetly glanced at Cai shi beside her.
Cai shi immediately understood and blinked her eyes.
Qin Huining took Qin Yining's hand and walked into Xingning Garden. She gently said, "You've just returned, so you don't know much about the fu. If you need anything, you can ask me. Although I'm not talented, I still know some of the most basic rules." She was implying that Qin Yining didn't even know the most basic rules.
"Thank you for Huining Miss. Father will personally arrange for the teachers and the nannies to explain these matters." Qin Yining spoke slowly and in an extremely amiable manner, "But I grew up in the countryside, naturally I can't compare to Miss Huining's good fortune of growing up in the Prime Minister's mansion." He was implying that she was like a turtledove occupying a magpie's nest and yet she was so proud of herself.
The two of them walked to the corridor and looked at each other with smiles on their faces.
At first, Qin Huining kept staring into Qin Yining's eyes. She didn't know if it was because Qin Yining resembled her father, but her eyes seemed to be able to see through everything. There was also a kind of sharp coldness that belonged to a wild beast, causing Qin Huining to involuntarily dodge. When she realized what she had done, she began to sulk again.
Who would have thought that Qin Yining's sharpness was not at all weak?
"Fourth Young Lady, Miss Huining is here." The head maidservant Cai Ju's voice broke the silence. She curtsied and lifted the warm curtain to one side.
Qin Huining's mood immediately fell to the bottom of the valley.
That 'Fourth Young Lady' was no longer a form of address for her. Because of her father's words, she had already been demoted from a legitimate daughter to an adopted daughter.
Qin Yining clearly saw her expression and slightly furrowed her brows.
The dim yellow light cast a faint halo on the ground beneath their feet. A wave of heat and a faint fragrance of melons and fruits wafted over, as if spring had arrived.
They each handed their cloaks to the maidservants to put away. Qin Yining couldn't help but blink her large, misty eyes curiously as she looked around. She originally thought that the place she lived in was already very good. Now that she was in Xingning Garden, she finally understood what it meant to be gorgeous.
At the very least, the warmth here was something she didn't have at home.
After bypassing the screen and arriving at the side hall, Qin Huining smiled sweetly and said, "Mother, have you eaten dinner yet?" She curtsied and quickly walked forward to sit next to the Sun Clan. She looked at Qin Yining as if she was demonstrating her power.
Qin Yining properly curtsied and called out, "Madam." He somewhat envied Qin Huining for being so close to the Sun Clan.
The Sun Clan patted Qin Huining's hand and looked at Qin Yining with a complicated expression. She coldly said, "You should also sit down. Have you eaten dinner yet? "
Cai Ju immediately brought over the embroidered stool and placed it five steps away from the Sun Clan.
Qin Yining sat down sideways and looked at Qin Huining's seat and the Sun Clan's tightly clasped hands. Her eyes gradually grew cold and she politely and properly lowered her eyes and said, "Madam, I've already eaten."
The Sun Clan uttered an "oh" and didn't know what else to say.
The atmosphere was somewhat stiff.
Qin Huining seemed to understand her birth mother's predicament and said with a smile, "Is Xiao Xi used to living in Snow Pear Courtyard? Do you still lack anything? "
The Sun Clan immediately said, "That's right. If you lack anything, just tell the servants and have them prepare it." She nodded approvingly at Qin Huining's nose.
That intimate gesture made Qin Yining feel even more like an outsider.
In fact, when the Sun Clan suspected that she was an outside daughter, she was already an outsider, right?
Qin Yining buried her expectations and disappointment deep in her heart. The corners of her mouth curled up in self-mockery and two small dimples appeared on her cheeks. "Yes, thank you for your concern, Madam."
The Sun Clan looked at Qin Yining with a slightly gentle gaze.
A girl who was so similar to Qin Huaiyuan and didn't have a hateful personality really made it difficult for people to dislike her. However, she still had doubts in her heart and wasn't sure if she was really an outside daughter.
Seeing that the Sun Clan's attitude had softened, Qin Huining felt uneasy and asked coquettishly, "Mother, where is father? Is he coming back today? "
When the Sun Clan heard this, half of their faces darkened.
Qin Huaiyuan had four concubines and today was concubine Hua's turn. Qin Huaiyuan had just sent someone to say that he wasn't coming back today.
The Sun Clan couldn't help but feel angry when she thought about how the husband and wife had just quarreled because of this girl in front of them and couldn't see each other at night to ease their relationship. The way she looked at Qin Yining was filled with unconcealable disgust and couldn't help but say some harsh words.
"Master dotes on you and has already sent someone to the palace to invite a nanny to teach you etiquette. She'll be here early tomorrow morning and has also spent a lot of money to invite a tutor for you. This is a privilege that Sister Hui and the others didn't have. " The more the Sun Clan said, the more jealous she felt. She had already convinced herself that Qin Huaiyuan was treating Qin Yining so well because he was good to that outside daughter. She couldn't help but raise her voice.
"I don't care where your mother is right now. Since you've come to the Prime Minister's Estate, you have to abide by the rules of the Prime Minister's Estate. When I tell you to study, you study carefully. Don't think about slacking off or making excuses. People like us will have many opportunities to show our faces in the future. If you make a fool of yourself outside and lose face for the Prime Minister's Estate, I'll skin you alive! "
Hearing the Sun Clan's reprimand, Qin Yining had already stood up. At this moment, her face was expressionless as her long eyelashes drooped down. She felt as if a piece of flesh had been cut out of her heart by the Sun Clan's knife-like words and then frozen into a lump of ice by her ice-cold blood.
Her birth mother had repeatedly refused to acknowledge her and doubted her origins. This had truly broken her heart!
It had only been half a day since she'd returned to the estate, but her grandmother was displeased with her, her relatives were suspicious of her, her servants bullied her, and even her birth mother treated her like this!
Could it be that she'd come back to be bullied?
She'd endured it again and again, thinking that she could rely on her loveliness and sensibility to move these people's hearts. But what did she get in return?
Perhaps she'd been too naive and had imagined the life of a distinguished family to be too beautiful.
Everyone who lived here was not stingy with their malicious intentions. Even though they clearly weren't in their way, they still wished that they could trample on others to show off their greatness.
These people were even more frightening than wild beasts!
Wild beasts ate humans to survive.
They "ate humans" for their own selfish desires!
Qin Yining suddenly understood that blindly showing weakness and giving in would not be met with pity! If she continued to show weakness and gentleness, she was afraid that one day she would be poisoned to death by the people around her!
"Madam, are you still unwilling to believe my identity? You've been married to Father for many years. Have you ever seen Father deceive you over such a matter? Father doesn't have many children. If he really had a bloodline, he could've openly brought it back and no one would say anything about it. Why would he deceive a woman like you? You're making groundless accusations. You don't care about hurting your daughter's heart, but don't tell me you don't care about hurting Father's heart? "
Sun Clan's face flushed red. Just the words "he doesn't have many children" had already pierced her heart, not to mention the questions that followed.
Because Qin Huaiyuan didn't have many children, she was often disliked by her mother-in-law. She couldn't bear children, so she could only allow Qin Huaiyuan to take in concubines. However, concubines also couldn't bear children. This could only mean that there was something wrong with Qin Huaiyuan. However, her crafty mother-in-law blindly believed that she was jealous of concubines and used drugs on them.
Now that this little wench had openly brought it up, how could she not be angry?
"You shut up!" Sun Clan's hand trembled as she pointed at Qin Yining, "Who do you think you are! This madam taught you a few words, and you actually dared to talk back! You dared to open a dyehouse just because I gave you some face! Someone come! Teach this wild girl a lesson! "
Sun Clan's head servant, Cai Ju, was called over.
Cai Ju complied and rolled up her sleeves to slap her. However, when she raised her head and saw Qin Yining's icy gaze, she immediately felt a chill run down her spine. She couldn't bring her hand down. She thought to herself that this young lady was truly a savage. Her gaze was like that of a wild beast's!
Sun Clan's heart felt uncomfortable from Qin Yining's icy gaze. She strode forward, pushed Cai Ju aside, and raised her hand to give Qin Yining a slap across the face.
Qin Yining covered his face. The look in his eyes changed from disbelief to understanding.
Sun Clan's hand was numb from the slap, but her heart felt much better. She grabbed Qin Yining's lapel and said hatefully, "Whether or not you're my daughter, I'll naturally investigate. However, whether or not you are or not, it's not up to you to speak in front of me! Qin Meng doesn't have many children, so how can that be my fault? If you want to seek justice for him, then you can only acknowledge him as your father. You don't need to think of acknowledging a 'woman' like me as your mother! "
"Madam, please calm down." Mother Jin saw that Sun Clan was about to say anything, so she hurriedly came forward to persuade her.
Qin Yining also helped Sun Clan to the side to sit down. With tears in her eyes, she persuaded, "Mother, don't be angry. It's all my fault. If I hadn't been brought here, this wouldn't have happened, and you wouldn't have been wronged. Mother, if you continue to be angry, wouldn't you be stabbing a knife into my heart?"
Sun Clan pursed her lips when she heard this, and tears streamed down her face.
Sun Clan didn't know why, but when she saw the girl who was stunned by her slap, she felt a little guilty and distressed. She thought that whether or not Qin Meng was her biological daughter, as a legal mother, she had to teach her when she needed to. Only then did she suppress her guilt and say coldly, "Why haven't you left yet?!"
Qin Yining looked at Qin Huining's attitude and learned a few things.
She lowered her head and hid her cold smile, but her voice was very gentle. "Madam, please calm down."
Sun Clan didn't look at her.
Qin Yining was about to leave.
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