A Beautiful Duchess with a Dark Heart – Chapter 76

Chapter 76

A group of people came out of the hall. 

Old Madam Wen thought about Princess Wu’s actions just now. Did she take a fancy to Wen Yu? 

She knew that noble ladies like Princess Wu would not do anything meaningless.  

The Emperor had already bestowed a marriage upon Prince Wu’s heir apparent. To go beyond that would be as a consort or concubine. Judging by Princess Wu’s actions, it was more likely to be a consort.  

For the Wen family, Old Madam Wen felt a surge of excitement. This was an unparalleled honor! Not to mention the benefits it would bring, as well as the potentially glorious future.  

She had been very busy lately and had no time to pay attention to this girl, but she occasionally felt that this girl was becoming increasingly difficult to control.  

She was bold, meticulous in her actions, and left no room for others to find fault.  

At this moment, Wen Yu was obediently accompanying her, socializing with the people around them.  

Sure enough, some people noticed Princess Wu treating Wen Yu differently and came up to strike up a conversation with even greater enthusiasm.  

Madam Song also came over. Yesterday, the two old madams had gotten together and even enjoyed the vegetarian meal that Song Shang had booked early.  

Wen Yu walked over, gently supported Madam Song, chatted and laughed for a bit, then whispered into Madam Song’s ear, “Just now, Yu’er saw Cousin’s Wife.” 

“She didn’t…” Madam Song was worried for Wen Yu.  

“Hehe, Yu’er is not afraid of her. Oh, I also saw her sister-in-law! She glanced at me and didn’t say anything. I didn’t see her at your birthday banquet last time, but now, they are dressed much more magnificently than before.” 

Madam Song felt a chill in her heart. Indeed! How could the Wei family lower themselves to be polite to her, a widowed in-law with no power or influence? At her birthday banquet, the Wei family only sent a servant woman over to deliver longevity peaches.  

This time, they wanted Wei Xiang Yu to return to the Song family and had enthusiastically sought her out once.  

No wonder her son could be so heartless towards Wei Shi! 

Hmph, her son was probably afraid of upsetting her and didn’t tell her: The Wei family probably took advantage of her son on a daily basis, yet looked down on him in their hearts! 

This further strengthened Madam Song’s determination to abandon Wei Xiang Yu.  

“That family! There’s really nothing good to say about them! If it weren’t for them taking the initiative to marry into our family, who would have wanted them?” Madam Song said something she wouldn’t usually say.  

“Exactly! Aunt, your demeanor is no worse than any of the madams or ladies present. Your heart is even kinder than theirs! Before the Buddha, your conscience is clear, and you offer generous incense… The Buddha likes people like you!” 

This made Madam Song laugh non-stop.  

Old Madam Wen saw this and felt a pang of jealousy. “Yu’er, didn’t you say you wanted to send some candy to the little monks at the Sutra Repository?” 

“Grandmother, you’re right! Yu’er will go now!” 

So, Wen Yu took some candy, peanuts, and melon seeds from Xiao Ji, and by the way, gave her a look, signaling her to continue keeping an eye on a certain someone.  

The Sutra Repository was in a corner of the temple. It was bustling outside, but it was very quiet here.  

All the elder monks had gone to the front to busy themselves, leaving only a little monk here to watch over the place. Seeing Wen Yu come, he smiled shyly and saluted with one hand, “Donor Sister…” 

“Hehe… Little Monk, why are you here today?!” Wen Yu knew this little monk, especially Yan Zhu, who would tease him every time they met.  

And every time the little monks here saw the two of them, their little faces would always turn pink.  

“There are many things happening in the temple these two days, and my senior brothers have all gone out to work! Donor Sister, please sit down, this little monk will go boil water and make tea.” 

Wen Yu handed him a bag of candy, “Don’t bother, eat some candy. I want to go to the second floor to read some books.” 

The little monk took it with delight and whispered, “…Senior brother instructed… If anyone comes today, they can only stay on the first floor. The door to the second floor is locked. But Donor Sister can go up from the outside platform…” 

“Okay!” 

The little monk happily started boiling water.  

Wen Yu went up to the second floor and looked back and forth at the bookshelves in the room. It was quiet all around, sunlight shone in from the translucent windows, dust floated in the air, and time seemed to stand still.  

She hadn’t enjoyed this peace for long when she seemed to hear a woman’s cry, faint and intermittent, rising and falling… 

Ghosts!?

She immediately thought of what had happened before and broke out in a cold sweat.  

She widened her eyes and listened carefully, but there was nothing… 

She shook her head, What’s wrong with me?! 

But before she could relax, the crying came again.  

Her hair stood on end. Following the sound, she turned to the back of the Sutra Repository and leaned against the railing of the back platform, looking down.  

She saw two people sitting on the stone bench below.  

One of them was a woman, facing her, wiping her face with a handkerchief and crying.  

The other person, with their back to her, was wearing a large cloak and a hood… Who was this, so mysterious? 

Is it trendy to have secret rendezvous at temples these days? This is the second time she’s encountered this today!

✿✿✿ 

However, she didn’t feel any fear like she did at the Stone Stele Forest, so her gossipy heart was aroused. She threw a preserved plum into her mouth, hid behind a pillar, and used the red prayer flags hanging on the pillar to shield herself.  

“You… stop crying.” It was a hoarse male voice that was almost inaudible.  

What a broken gong voice? This person must not be good-looking!

Like Fifth Master Qi, although his voice was cold, it was also like ice flowers… 

She was daydreaming again.  

Hearing this, the woman put down her handkerchief.  

“…Ah?” Wen Yu almost cried out, It’s her?!

She’d seen her before. Wasn’t this the lady in white she encountered at Rainbow Phoenix Pavilion?

Today she wasn’t wearing white, but a pink gauze dress, her small face pale, her eyelids red, trembling as if about to cry, wanting to speak but holding back… 

Tsk tsk… What a sight.  

Seeing her in pink reminded Wen Yu of someone.  

Last year’s tea party in Jiangzhou, the Wen family didn’t let her go, but Wen Jiao and Wen Wan went with the snacks she made.  

When they came back, Wen Su was very excited. She said: There was an extraordinary woman at the party, dressed in pink, with peach blossom blush. She made a peach blossom crisp.  

Her beauty astonished everyone, and so did her skills. She won first place.  

Because of this, she earned the beautiful title of “Peach Blossom Fairy.”  

Her real identity was Qin Lianyue, a young lady from the Qin family in Chuqing Bay.  

The one in front of her must be the “Peach Blossom Fairy” herself! 

Wen Yu’s curiosity was greatly aroused, and she boldly leaned out, wanting to see the face of the adulterer… no, the lover boy.  

But she still couldn’t see him, only a tall figure.  

“… Although I, Qin Lianyue, am a young lady in seclusion…” 

Ah! It really is her! 

Tsk tsk… She’s quite emotional, what is she saying? 

“But I ask myself, as a descendant of the Qin family, I hold my head high and have a clear conscience. But… but I never thought that the first person I would wrong would be the one I hold most dear in my heart!” 

Oh, what is she talking about? I missed the beginning!  

But her expression… sincere, touching, as if she’s about to cry, she really looks the part.  

If I were this man, I’d be done for! 

She spat the plum pit into her handkerchief and threw another one into her mouth… 

“Don’t say that.” The man’s voice was too hoarse, Wen Yu found it hard to listen, and couldn’t help but secretly complain, Why doesn’t he clear his throat!

“…This matter was not something you could control. It’s just that it was too unexpected…” 

What matter? 

What happened?

Wen Yu regretted not coming earlier.

Such a melodramatic scene is perfect with preserved plums! The sour and sweet taste feels so wonderful. She was so caught up in the moment that she spat out the plum pit in her mouth, threw in a peanut, and bit it open with a crack. Then she lowered her head and threw the pit aside… 

But with this sound, although the man didn’t turn around to look up, his ears twitched and his body tensed.  

And the “Peach Blossom Fairy” didn’t know anything, her tears were flowing non-stop… 

Her voice trembled and was clear and beautiful, “Since Cousin left the Qin family, my heart has also traveled with him… I wanted to write letters, but I was afraid that Aunt would find it inappropriate. So I wrote and tore, tore and wrote. Every bit of it was only in my heart. But I never thought that just as my wish was about to come true, we would have to be separated again. How can I face you, and how can I live with myself!” 

The man took out a clean white cotton handkerchief and handed it to her, “Don’t cry. Today, I can still come and see you, just to ask… That marriage, if you don’t want to… I’ll find a way.” 

What marriage?

Wen Yu couldn’t even bother chewing anymore: Does this mean Qin Lianyue has feelings for him, but she’s engaged to someone else? 

Someone is breaking up a loving couple!? 

Jiao Zhongqing and Liu Lanzhi… 

Or Cui Yingying and Zhang Sheng? 

Which one is it? 

Qin Lianyue paused for a moment when she heard this, then immediately said, “…Brother, these words make me very sad. Since I was eight years old, my heart has only been for you, how could I be willing to marry into the Wang family?! But…” 

Alas, Wen Yu sighed: After all that, it can’t escape a “but”…