Chapter 164 Suspicion

Yun Canglan was exhausted and inconsolable that evening. She tossed and turned restlessly until she finally succumbed to unconsciousness. Yun Qin and Yun Qi had a sleepless, exhausting night, while they comforted Yun Canglan, tucking her under the covers when she threw them off and wiped her tears.

A lonely figure stood outside Yun Canglan's room, in her yard, the entire night. There was a reddish glow shining on him as if the light felt sorry for him.

"Canglan, Canglan, "

He muttered quietly, missing her. When the first rays of the rising sun appeared, he left. There was a faint scent of pear blossoms lingering in where he had been standing.

Yang Tianxin arrived bright and early at the Yu's Residence again. However, she remained sitting in the lobby drinking an ocean of tea as she waited for Yun Canglan to get up.

Yun Qin and Yun Qi stood sentry outside Yun Canglan's room.

'Well, the Mistress got very little sleep because she was heartbroken yesterday, so we need to let her rest.'

Yang Tianxin sat in the lobby as the maids performed their early morning chores, of cleaning the hall, then serving breakfast and removing the trays after. She sat there waiting from sunrise to 8 or 9 am. The little maid serving her tea became more impatient each of the three times she replaced the empty teapot. Yang Tianxin grew tired of waiting and consuming tea, which meant multiple trips to use the restroom.

"Smack, " the sound seemed louder in the empty hall as she hit the table with her palm in the manner of an angry princess.

"How dare she keep me waiting for this long! Don't forget my identity." Yang Tianxin yelled authoritatively. She pointed at the maid who had been bringing her tea, "You! You there, go and fetch your Lord, tell him to come here." The nervous-looking little maid ran off quickly.

Yang Tianxin snickered as she thought, 'Oh, Yun Canglan, you play that you are Yu Liuying now, the daughter of the largest clan of the Ling Kingdom. Now, you will have to curtsy to me.'

She miscalculated her ability to intimidate the little maid though. Yang Tianxin saw the other maids come and go with lunch as the day dragged on. It wasn't till then that she realized the little maid was nowhere to be found, and believed the maid had never gone to tell her Lord anything.

What she thought was correct. Instead of scurrying off to do the princess's bidding, the little maid was chatting with Yun Qin and Yun Qi, in front of Yun Canglan's room.

"Dong'er, I remember you from the Yelaixiang Brothel. Why did you leave to serve as a maid here?"

"I tell you the reason, Mister Yun Qin. It was because Lady Yun Yu is very harsh! She threatened to marry me off to the old geezer living in the west of the city as his thirty-seventh concubine if I did not agree to come."

Yun Qi chuckled as he told Yun Qin, "This doesn't sound much like the Yun Yu we know."

Dong'er nodded continuing, "Yes, Lady Yun Yu is very kind to us, and sometimes asked the cook to make us chicken soup even. But, anything concerning the Mistress makes her act irrational, like a menopausal woman.

Lady Yun Yu wants only to take care of the Mistress, and she got teased about it, which annoyed her. As a result, I was the innocent victim."

The twins agreed to remark about it to Yun Canglan. They echoed, "Hmmm, the Mistress is not even-tempered." ·

"Slam!" The

e was. Taking out a handkerchief, she used it to carefully take the veil.

"Tianxin!" As Yang Tianxin secured the veil, she heard the cold voice of Qin Liuren utter her name loudly. When he noticed the veil in a handkerchief clutched like a treasure in her hand, his eyes narrowed. He looked over and saw Canglan was still happily eating her supper, and a gleam of danger lit his cold eyes.

"Wu Jin?" Yang Tianxin was surprised that he was there. She finished wrapping the veil in her handkerchief as she inquired, "Are you here looking for me?"

Qin Liuren looked over to Yun Canglan again, and then flatly stated, "I had just returned when I was told you were here. You …"

"Oh, Wu Jin, don't worry, Lady Canglan didn't hurt me." Yang Tianxin was smiling as she wrapped her arms around his neck happily and gave at Yun Canglan a triumphant look over his shoulder.

Yun Canglan didn't see her look though, she was too busy being upset about the disturbances. She slammed her chopsticks down on the table shouting, "Yun Qi, come out here and clear the table."

Yun Canglan stood up and without even glancing at Qin Liuren or Yang Tianxin, she walked by and left the hall.

"Wu Jin, when will you move to the Imperial Palace?" Yang Tianxin pouted as she asked.

Qin Liuren looked away from the receding figure down to Yang Tianxin's eyes, inquiring in a serious tone, "Tianxin, you took my jade pendant, didn't you?"

Yang Tianxin avoided his eyes as she said, "What … what do you mean by the jade pendant?"

"Stop pretending!" Qin Liuren snapped.

Yang Tianxin realized he was angry and arranged her pretty face into what she hoped was an aggrieved expression, and with her eyes tearing, "She demanded the jade pendant in exchange for your veil, but, you refused! So, I had to …"

"So you stole it when I was out?" Qin Liuren's tone was grave as he asked her. He sighed and then, he felt a stronger pang of sadness. He had no choice but to forgive her because she had saved his life a few years ago. But, he was beginning to suspect that it was Yun Canglan who saved him, and not Yang Tianxin, which led him to his next questions, "I want to ask you something."

"What do you want to ask?"

"Years ago, was there anyone who saw you save me?"