“Oh? Isn’t this my dear elder sister? It is already so late, why were you in this courtyard?”
The moment Bai Luochu heard the words leave her mouth, she knew that Qianqian had nothing better to do and was up to no good again. Bai Luochu couldn’t help but silently lament that Qianqian was truly like a cockroach that couldn’t be killed. After suffering in the daytime, she actually dared to provoke Bai Luochu again at night. Bai Luochu didn’t know if she should praise her for being perseverant or to say that she was as annoying as a housefly.
“I cleaned up this courtyard hoping for some peace and quiet. Didn’t someone spill a bucket of swill in my courtyard this morning? Oh, that’s right, you should know about it. After all, you were the one who suffered the worst of it. The smell is really pungent! I asked the servants to clean up the place before coming out for a breath of fresh air.”
Bai Luochu was intentionally poking at her cousin’s sore spot and hoped that Qianqian would leave in a fit of rage.
“You!” Qianqian was obviously speechless as she was infuriated by Bai Luocuhu. She pointed at Bai Luochu and there was a look of resentment in her eyes.
“It seems like younger sister is still emitting a strange smell. I so happen to have some incense. Why don’t younger sister come over and get some?” Bai Luochu asked with ‘good intentions’.
When Qianqian heard Bai Luochu’s comments, she couldn’t be bothered with Bai Luochu any longer. Instead, she repeatedly smelled her body for any strange odor. In fact, there was already no more smell as Qianqian cleaned herself thoroughly after the incident in the morning. She almost scrubbed a layer of skin off her body and she only left her room after ensuring that she no longer smelled.
However, after hearing Bai Luochu’s comments, Qianqian felt as though there was a weird smell coming from her body. She no longer bickered with Bai Luochu and she hurried back to her room to shower a few more times.
Cai Ling spoke after Qianqian walked away. “Young Lady, why can’t I smell anything? Is there a problem with my nose?”
Bai Luochu let out a scoff at her question, “Pfff. Hahaha, you are really gullible. I was just messing with her. When I asked her to come take some incense from me, it was to enrage her even more. Otherwise, she will stick to me like a cockroach. Look at how she is always trying to find fault with me. She will probably not rest until she gets to the bottom of things. Our Palace of Brilliance Resurgence has just settled down recently. It is best to be cautious.”
When Cai Ling heard the reply, she revealed an expression of sudden realization. She then praised Bai Luochu, “Mistress is thinking far ahead indeed. Compared to Qianqian, Mistress is truly superior. Just a few simple statements were enough to chase her away.”
“Let’s go. We have worked hard for the entire day. Let us return early and have some rest.” Bai Luochu instructed Cai Ling before walking towards her courtyard.
When Cai Ling saw her mistress walking ahead, she broke out into a small run and quickly caught up to Bai Luochu.
After the mistress and servant returned to their rooms, Cai Ling properly digested all the martial art that she had been learning by herself. As for Bai Luochu, she continued with her cultivation. Everything seemed so peaceful.
Bai Luochu’s room was really peaceful. However, it was the complete opposite on Qianqian’s side.
“Hurry up, where is the hot water? Has it been boiled yet? If the Young Lady gets angry, you will be the first to be punished!” The one speaking was Qianqian’s personal servant and she was instructing the other servants to hurry up.
Qianqian was also yelling in her room, “Where is everyone! Why hasn’t anyone boiled the water yet? Are all of you asking for a beating?”
When the personal servant heard her young lady, she knew that her young lady was going to vent her anger on her servants again. The personal servant quickly entered the room and soothed her young lady. “Oh, Young Lady, please don’t be angry. This servant has already instructed for someone to boil the water and it will be done soon. This servant also instructed for someone to pick out some flower petals to ensure that you smell good after your bath.”
“What is going on? Why is it so noisy at night? All of the flowers in the courtyard are messed up!” A middle-aged woman’s voice echoed through the room. When the personal servant took a glance and saw that it was the aunt, she immediately bowed respectfully.
“Mother!” When Qianqian saw her mother coming in, she immediately acted like a spoilt child.
“Oh my, my good daughter. What happened to you?” When the aunt saw her daughter’s haggard appearance, she quickly went over and asked.
“Isn’t all because of Luo Chu?!” When Qianqian saw her mother, another wave of resentment welled up in her heart. She sobbed as she narrated her story.
“Previously when I caught that strange illness, she was definitely the one who caused it. This morning, your daughter went to look for her and asked for an explanation. I conveniently prepared to teach her a lesson. I wanted to teach her that her uncle was the owner of the general’s residence while conveniently teaching her a lesson. I didn’t expect to fall into my own scheme.”
“Why are you causing such a huge commotion? I can even hear you from my own courtyard. What in the world happened?”
The aunt was concerned but it was obvious Qianqian didn’t wish to elaborate. She was stammering and the words couldn’t leave her mouth. Her mother was extremely anxious and turned to Qianqian’s personal servant.
“If the Young Lady doesn’t want to say, you shall say it.”
That servant girl was complaining inwardly. If she said it, she would offend the young lady, if she didn’t say it, she would offend the madam. After pondering over the consequences, she ultimately poured out the truth. “This morning, Young Lady had arranged for someone to carry a bucket of swill to Young Lady Luo Chu’s room. When Young Lady Luo Chu was seeing Young Lady out, Young Lady would trip Young Lady Luo Chu and make her fall over. The servant would splash the bucket of swill all over Young Lady Luo Chu’s head but no one expected for Young Lady herself to fall over when leaving the room. The person with the bucket of swill didn’t manage to see clearly and covered Young Lady in...” As the personal servant spoke, her voice got softer as she was afraid that this mother and daughter duo might place the sin on her for being incompetent.
The aunt ruthlessly poked at Qianqian’s head and reprimanded her for not being good enough. “Look at yourself! You sure are brilliant aren’t you? Ever since that cheap lass returned, how many times have you been tricked by her? If you can’t even outsmart that cheap lass, all your years of education would have gone to waste.”
Qianqian didn’t say anything and simply lowered her head and sobbed softly.