Chapter 3 Plotting against the Eldest Sister

"Since fourth sister's body has yet to fully recover, please rest well."

"Lue, my body isn't well, please send off big sister for me." After hearing Qingyuan's words, Qingyan gave orders to expel the guests.

Since Su Qingyuan is unwilling to stay longer, then she certainly wouldn't have the reason to be so kind as to beg for Su Qingyuan to stay.

As Su Qingyuan was leaving she turned to look at Su Qingyan again, but unexpectedly met with that pair of void like eyes. Those deep serene eyes seemed as if it would see through her all.

After calming down, she quickly left.

"Young miss, I'd never expected that after falling into the water, you'd changed this much."

Zizhu was Qingyan's personal maid, she was too familiar with Qingyan's personality. If it was according to her personality in the past, she would have already taken a sword to go fight Su Qingting, but now she was able to send off Su Qingyuan with just a few words.

"How could I just sit and watch someone take advantage of someone else's disputes." Qingyan twisted the bracelet on her wrist as she dimly said this.

If it was Qingyan of the past she'd probably immediately take her sword to go pick a fight, but 'she' wouldn't, she had ruled over the six palaces for more than 10 years, she could clearly see through all the schemes of the inner palace. She wouldn't lose her cool over a few words like this.

"Young miss is right, the first young miss is up to no good. We don't even know if the third young miss was deliberately put there by her." Baizhi angrily said this while looking at the door, that grudging look reminded Qingyan of Yimei, who used to serve her.

Baizhi's words made Qingyan smile lightly, that smiling appearance momentarily entranced them.

Qingyan normally never showed her smile to them, yet now because of Baizhi's joke, she was openly smiling.

Seeing the change on the four girls' faces, she lightly caressed her cheeks with one hand smiling softly, "Don't tell me there's something on my face, that made you this entranced."

Zizhu was the first to respond, "Young miss just smiled at us, usually young miss always look so unhappy, we'd never seen you smile before."

As she listened to Zizhu, Qingyan for a moment lost herself in thought, she too did once have four maids that she was close to like family, but in the end, other than Yizhu, they were all beheaded.

As she looked at the four maids before her, she only felt a depressing feeling lodged in her chest. Zizhu was the first to detect that there was something wrong with Qingyan. Turning to Lue, she said, "Lue, quick, come see what's wrong with young miss."

Zizhu's words immediately helped Qingyan calm down as she waved her hands at Zizhu, "No matter, you don't need to worry." Closing her eyes, she fought to not let her tears fall.

It seems that even if you've tasted all the pain and suffering in the world, you would still sincerely feel the warmth from this kind of caring heart.

She tightly gripped her fist. When she opened her eyes again, they were tainted with a bit of determination; those void like eyes carried a bit of ruthlessness.

Since she could start over, then she shall cut down everything in her path whether it be buddha or a god*, no one will be able to stand in her way.

(*TN: The original was too awkward to fit in but it was something along the lines of 'encounter buddha kill buddha, encounter a god slay a god')

She wanted those people to pay her back in twofold for everything she has suffered.

Huangcen looked into Qingyan's bottomless eyes and said, "Young miss's personality is truly unlike before."

"Right, this way the people of the second house, and third house won't even dare to easily bully young miss." Following along Huangcen's words, Lue said this smiling.

"They all take advantage of the fact that the master and madam are never home all year round to bully young miss. And now, on the contrary, young miss won't be at a disadvantage." Baizhi also smiling as she looked to Qingyan.

Sensing a movement in the yard, the corners of her lips brimmed into an arc. This mansion was extremely similar to when she was still at the General's Residence, but this time she was not going to let anyone lead her by the nose.

She looked towards them, blandly saying, "Zizhu, say if there's some unsavory people in my yard, how should it be taken care of?"

"How does young miss wish to deal with them?" Zizhu following the flow of Qingyan's words asked.

"How about turning them into human swines?"

Lue, hearing Qingyan's words, opened her mouth in surprise, "Young miss, what is a human swine?"

Qingyan looked at them and replied without flinching, "Human swine ah....it's..."

"Young miss, don't say anymore, what happens if we get attacked by evil spirits at night?" Huangcen earnestly said this while stamping her feet as she looked to Qingyan, that appearance looked as if an evil spirit would really come out.

"If there are really evil spirits, then I shall kill any one I encounter, I'll definitely be able to protect you all, no need to worry." Qingyan took the water cup handed to her from Zizhu as she replied smiling.

Just as Qingyan finished her words, Baizhi added a few "pei pei pei*" before continuing, "Young miss don't say such nonsense, for we, humble servants, to be able to accompany young miss is our blessing."

(*TN: it's like spitting in contempt, said in hopes that what was said before doesn't come to pass; to counter a jinx in a way)

It's at that time that Qingyan's stomach sounded. Hearing the sound coming from her stomach, she looked to them saying, "Let's eat, my stomach is already calling out."

"Alright." After receiving the orders, Huangcen ran out at sonic speed.

After the meal was over, she took Zizhu and Baizhi with her to the gardens. This was a habit she developed when she was Empress, she needed to help digest after eating.

Just as they arrived at the gardens, they heard a familiar voice.

"I don't know why but when I went to provoke fourth sister to fight third sister, I couldn't believe I didn't succeed." Su Qingyuan looked to the girl next to her vexed, "Xiahe, what do you say we do?"

"Then Young miss should just think of another good plan! How could there be drastic changes in a person's temperament from just falling in the water, the fourth young miss definitely won't be able to resist the temptation still." A servant girl named Xiahe respectfully replied as she looked to Su Qingyuan.

Hearing Xiahe's reply, Baizhi really wanted to charge out, but was suddenly held back by Qingyan. When Baizhi turned back she was unexpectedly met with Qingyan's deep serene eyes. She didn't know why she could only feel a chill throughout her body as she halted in her tracks.

Qingyan mischievously winked at Baizhi as she picked up a small stone from off the ground, and with a gentle flick from her finger, the stone landed by Su Qingyuan's foot. And when Qingyuan stepped on it, her body's inertia shifted forward as she hurriedly tried to grab onto the the nearby Xiahe. However who would've guess that with a single mishap from Xiahe, Su Qingyuan fell into the pond.

"Oh my, I'd never expected to see such a scene upon arriving in the gardens, big sister, how'd you fall into the water?" Qingyan looked to the fallen Su Qingyuan as she said this while laughing.

"Fourth young miss, my lady doesn't know how to swim, so I beg fourth young miss to save my lady." Xiahe kneeled at once as she looked to Qingyan begging for help, "Please fourth young miss." saying this as she heavily bowed her head to the ground.

After all, once Su Qingyuan gets saved from drowning, she would definitely blame Xiahe for 'not thoroughly protecting her master', and these matters had nothing to do with her.

Listening to Xiahe, Qingyan curled her lips, "Xiahe ah! I don't know how to swim either." She even, for appearance sake, glanced at the two behind her grinning, "Zizhu, Baizhi, do you know how to swim?"

When they saw Su Qingyuan fall into the water, they only felt a great satisfaction in their hearts, and now hearing Qingyan's voice, they naturally replied, "Young miss, this humble servant has never learned to."

Qingyan clapped her hands together as she looked to Xiahe, kindly reminding, "Oh my, Xiahe, you see, neither they nor I know how to swim, so you should as quickly as possible call someone over to save big sister, else if you're too late, I'm afraid big sister will probably lose her life.