Within hours of Hua Qiyue returning home, the news that she wanted to adopt a foster son spread all over the capital. All of the commoners were talking about it. If a child could be adopted by the Hua family, he would surely have a great future.
What happened in the Hanyue Temple was widely spread by storytellers, with embellishments from some of the pilgrims who’d witnessed the scene. It seemed Hua Qiyue’s bad reputation was quickly being forgotten.
Hua Qiyue told Youshui to have a master write a notice about the adoption.
Once Hua Mengshi returned, she informed the Old Madam that Hua Qiyue had her hairpin stolen in the Hanyue Temple and been framed for flirting with a monk. She also punished Lanzhu with fifty lashes.
The Old Madam flew into a rage. A servant framing a noble lady? It was unheard of!
For having the courage to confess her servant’s mistake, the Old Madam forgave Hua Mengshi, only fining her two months' pocket money.
Lvxin couldn’t understand why Hua Qiyue didn’t complain about her sisters to the Old Madam. She’d just gone to her small courtyard to prepare for the adoption.
Hua Qiyue smiled, not offering any explanation. She knew the Old Madam didn’t like troublemakers, and if she’d complained first, the Old Madam would just be annoyed.
She asked Lvxin to put on light makeup and dress appropriately, then went to meet the old lady.
Lvxin and Youshui were shocked, once again. In the past, Hua Qiyue was afraid of meeting the Old Madam, literally shaking in her presence. The Old Madam had tired of the good-for-nothing young miss, and had requested that she no longer visit.
The Fuxin Courtyard was where the Old Madam lived. It was busy today, because Hua Mengshi, the Second Concubine, and the Third Concubine were here.
Since the servant of the Second Concubine’s daughter had made a big mistake, the Second Concubine was trying to brown-nose the Old Madam.
After punishing Lanzhu and having her dragged away, the people started to chat and laugh again, as if no one remembered what happened to Hua Qiyue.
They should have been indignant and outraged, but not a single person comforted Hua Qiyue.
In their eyes, there was no need to comfort a weak and stupid girl whose Qi channels had already been shattered.
While everyone was happily chatting, a calm voice came from outside the door. "Grandmother, how bustling your yard is!"
The people in the room immediately became quiet, and everyone looked towards the door.
Hua Qiyue walked in with Lvxin and Youshui. She was wearing a light pink dress and a light green cloak with a pair of plain white shoes, looking refreshingly elegant. The light makeup on her face made her look like a crescent moon breaking through the clouds, shining a cool and radiant light.
On this sweltering June morning, everyone was amazed by her appearance.
"Hey, big sister, aren't you tired after your visit to Master Xuanji in the Rongfu Temple? You should be resting right now," sneered Hua Xiaoyi, and everyone’s expression changed.
Ignoring her sister, Hua Qiyue approached the Old Madam, took a bow and said, "Grandmother, I apologize for not visiting for so long. It’s entirely my fault."
After that, she paid her respects to the Second Concubine and the Third Concubine. The expressions of Hua Mengshi and Hua Xiaoyi changed to squints of confusion and suspicion. Why was Hua Qiyue so obedient and sweet? How did she change so much overnight?
The Madam Dowager was surprised. In the past, when Hua Qiyue came to see her, the girl stuttered and shivered, as if she had seen a tigress who was going to eat her.But today, she looked elegant and beautiful. Seeing her gaunt face, the Madam Dowager thought of how she had neglected her in the past and felt sorry for her."Yue'er, sit down. I know you were wronged. Don’t be scared."The Madam Dowager Hua was a kind-hearted woman, and she felt guilty for how she'd treated Hua Qiyue over the years. The girl had always been scared of her, and she'd just never known how to respond."Grandmother, I’m sorry to make you worry about me. I was unfilial. On my way home, I bought fresh sea cucumbers for you. They were difficult to get, and only the Master Xuanji in the Rongfu Temple had managed to get some. The sea cucumbers can nourish the blood and the face. You have done so much for this family. We should thank you."Hua Meng
The Madam Dowager had always paid little attention to Hua Qiyue, but it didn't mean that others could bully her mercilessly. She hadn't expected that her negligence would cause her granddaughter such a miserable life. No one had told her!Nanny Wang, who worked for the Second Concubine, knelt down immediately when she heard this, saying, "Please forgive me… I was greedy. I saw the eldest miss being bullied by others, so I secretly took away her money… I kept it a secret from the Second Concubine. I didn't expect my crimes to be revealed today. I deserve to die…"The Second Concubine gave her a fierce slap on the face, "Damn servant! How could you treat her like this?"Hua Qiyue looked at all of this coldly. She knew the nanny only took her money because the Second Concubine told her to. The nanny was quite loyal — if Hua Qiyue wanted to get rid of the Second Concubine, she had to get rid of this nanny first, or make her work for her.
Zhou Zhicheng raised his head and saw the woman. He put down the account book with a smile."Princess... It’s you!"Princess Huizhen entered the room, followed by her maid, Cuilian.Princess Huizhen fell in love with Zhou Zhicheng, but the emperor disapproved of their marriage. For one thing, he had an official wife, and for the other, the Zhou family was not rich.Zhou Zhicheng was so handsome that Princess Huizhen fell in love with him at first sight. But the emperor looked down on him, and he did not consent to the marriage. Even though Zhou Zhicheng's wife, Rong Qiyue, had been killed by thieves, the emperor did not change his mind."Zhicheng, I have good news for you!" Huizhen said with a smile. Zhou Zhicheng helped her to sit down. The two of them had been together for a long time and they simply ignored the moral rules between men and women.Cuilian lowered her eyes, not daring to look at them.
"Pa!" Hua Qiyue slapped a stack of letters on the desk and startled Youshui and the servants next to her.She’d received a letter telling her everything about Tianci. His mother, Rong Qiyue, had been killed by some thieves in her room, and Tianci had been poisoned, rendered mute, and abused by a maid.She never thought that just a few days after her death, the ferocious Princess Huizhen would cruelly mutilate Tianci! Hua Qiyue's eyes were ablaze. Lvxin remained silent, not daring to say a word."Wang... thank you. " Hua Qiyue's voice was a little husky. She had been entering the green jade gourd to cultivate the Qi Art these past few nights. She practiced so hard that even Tianpi, the handsome man, was surprised.She had to be strong to protect her son and avenge her parents."Miss..." Lvxin called her softly. Hua Qiyue came back to her senses and the anger in her eyes was replaced by calmness."The thieve
“It should be. I hadn't been to her courtyard for a long time. But the seeds were planted the day before yesterday, how could it grow so quickly? " Butler Wang asked.Hua Mengshi had made some achievements in Qi Arts, and she was now at the second level, the Soaring Cloud. She should know more than the Second Concubine.But Hua Mengshi also shook her head, "I don't know what the herb is. Let him do as she said… we need more information before we act. "The Second Concubine agreed with her daughter and told the butler to sell the herb.The more Butler Wang thought about it, the more confused he got. Why did the Miss want him to sell the herb for her? Of course, it was not proper for a young lady to go out and do such things.When it was done, Butler Wang handed over a bank note for fifteen thousand taels of silver to Hua Qiyue. The two servants were shocked! Hua Qiyue only glanced at Butler Wang indifferently and did no
Hua Qiyue's voice turned a little nasally, as though she was about to burst into tears. Lvxin and the others assumed that she was just too overwhelmed with pity for the child due to her kind nature."Quick, call her ‘Mother,’" Youshui said gently as she patted Tianci's shoulder. However, the child was so terrified, he reacted like a surprised rabbit. He shot a terrified glance at Hua Qiyue, and then hid behind Youshui.Hua Qiyue's heart sank.Youshui heaved a soft sigh and said, "After all the suffering this child has been through, he has naturally developed a fear of strangers. You must be patient."Hua Qiyue nodded and slowly approached the child. Each step she took felt extremely heavy, as though she bore the weight of the heavens on her shoulders and in her heart.She approached him and took Tianci's hand in hers. Frightened, the child struggled with all his might but she refused to let go of his hand.
Soon, Lvxin arranged for someone to send lunch over and there were fruits, fish, congee as well as a wide variety of food.Tianci's eyes lit up when he saw the impressive spread laid out in front of him. He had been fed dog food or worse over the past four days.He looked up at Hua Qiyue, as though waiting for permission.Hua Qiyue stroked his head tenderly and said, "Go ahead, son. But you mustn't be too anxious… if you eat too quickly, you’ll make yourself sick, understand?"Tianci was delighted. He had not known Hua Qiyue for a long time but the tenderness in her eyes made him feel safe. Then, he started to gulp the food down.Hua Qiyue's heart ached when she looked at him, and Lvxin and Youshui couldn't help but wipe at their eyes.The most important thing right now was for Tianci's throat to be healed, and Tianpi of the Mysterious World was undoubtedly the best person to do that.Hua Qiyu
Tianpi recovered from his laughing fit and could not hold back a smile when he saw Hua Qiyue staring at him. "Why, am I so strikingly handsome that I've taken your breath away?""Taken my breath away?"Hua Qiyue laughed softly and said, "Master, I think you should be a trumpeter.""Why?""Because this is how the phrase, 'Blowing one's trumpet' came about!" Hua Qiyue shot back, and Tianpi was enraged."You wicked girl…""You may choose to beat me or kill me, I don't mind, either way." Hua Qiyue sat down once more and continued to cultivate.Tianpi was left speechless.It was around midnight by the time Hua Qiyue left the jade gourd, and she was surprised to see Tianci sitting quietly on the pallet, looking at her.Hua Qiyue quickly sat up. "Tianci, what are you doing here?"Lvxin said awkwardly, "Miss, young master didn't want to leave with us. I wanted to