Chapter 153: How Great is the Influence?

Seeing Qin Huaiyong's expression grow increasingly gloomy, Qin Wanru offered a slight smile, reached out to gently support Shui Ruolan, and said in a low voice, "Mother, please don't get upset. Your current condition cannot withstand it. You must be exhausted from walking such a long way. Sit down and rest for a while; look how much you're sweating!"

"Ruolan, sit down first!" Qin Huaiyong's gaze shifted to Shui Ruolan, and his expression softened.

Madame Di glared bitterly at Shui Ruolan. A lowly widow, yet she had the audacity to become pregnant with the general's child! She had no shame at all. Her gaze dropped naturally to Shui Ruolan's abdomen. If glares could burn, Shui Ruolan's stomach would have long since been scorched through.

Shui Ruolan did not refuse. With a nod, she allowed Qin Wanru to guide her to a chair beside Qin Huaiyong, where she sat down.

This only fueled Madame Di's hatred and annoyance. Raising her head slightly, she assumed an expression of aggrieved indignation, looked at Qin Huaiyong, and said, "General, say something!"

"Did you run into Yuru at Grand Princess Ruian's estate earlier, and even start a quarrel?" Qin Huaiyong asked Qin Wanru, furrowing his brow.

"I did see Eldest Sister, but we didn't quarrel. It was the young lady from the Earl of Yongkang's estate who tried to push me over the railing. There were countless sharp pebbles down there; falling would have meant either death or severe injury. Even Lady Yan from the Left Censorate couldn't stand by and watch, and she spoke up to help me. A great many people witnessed it!"

Qin Wanru lifted her eyes, a look of profound bewilderment on her face. "Why was Eldest Sister crying? Wasn't I the one who nearly met with disaster? Could Eldest Sister have been so worried about me?"

With innocent eyes, she looked at Qin Yuru, who was now weeping softly, and then at the furious Madame Di, appearing entirely clueless about where she had supposedly gone wrong.

"You're spouting nonsense! You clearly did it on purpose to drag up things from the past!" Realizing the situation was turning against her, Madame Di hurriedly chimed in with a louder accusation. She was consumed by rage: the invitation to Grand Princess Ruian's banquet hadn't even included her name, and Qin Yuru, whom she had managed to tag along with the Earl of Yongkang's family to attend, had returned in such a wretched state.

Grand Princess Ruian was no mere Marquis of Fengyang; who could easily secure an invitation to her residence? Under such prestigious circumstances, even if she encountered the wife of the Heir of Marquis Yangqu, she would never dare cause a scene at Grand Princess Ruian's banquet. If the Grand Princess were disturbed, the Heir of Marquis Yangqu's wife herself couldn't bear the consequences.

Yet such a golden opportunity had failed to let her make an appearance, and instead, Shui Ruolan had shown up in front of everyone before she did. What would other people think of her?

Would they think she had fallen out of favor, or that she was about to be ousted from her position as the legal wife, since a concubine of equal status was treated like an esteemed guest while the legitimate wife was sidelined?

Madame Di could not swallow this grievance. Just as Qin Yuru returned in tears and wailing, and unable to vent her malice directly onto Shui Ruolan, she redirected her full fury toward Qin Wanru.

"What things from the past did I drag up?" Qin Wanru asked, looking even more perplexed. "Does Madam mean to say I was merely explaining that I never schemed to steal someone else's betrothal or renege on a marriage when we were in Jiangzhou?"

With that, she deliberately turned to Shui Ruolan and said with apparent hesitation, "Mother, wasn't that what many of the young ladies accompanying Eldest Sister were saying about me back then? Am I not even allowed to explain that I never did such a thing?"

"General, why are outsiders speaking of Wanru like this? Wanru has only just arrived in the capital and is not some renowned noble lady; why are so many people spreading rumors about her? When we arrived at the entrance, there was a whole group of young ladies from the Earl of Yongkang's estate talking about this very matter!" Shui Ruolan turned her gaze to Qin Huaiyong, her expression cold as she instinctively placed a hand over her abdomen.

A flash of fierce hatred crossed Madame Di's eyes, and her gaze once again landed viciously on Shui Ruolan's belly. At this moment, what she despised most was Shui Ruolan's pregnancy. She desperately wished she could provoke Shui Ruolan into a fit of rage that would harm her unborn child, or better yet, cause her to miscarry on the spot!

"Everyone is spreading rumors about Wanru?" Qin Huaiyong picked up on the underlying tension. He narrowed his eyes and looked at Qin Yuru, who was still weeping with her head buried in the table.

The very first person from the Qin household to arrive in the capital was Qin Yuru. If anyone was discussing Qin Wanru, the most likely culprit was Qin Yuru herself. Recalling what had happened in Jiangzhou, even Qin Huaiyong could not claim that his eldest daughter was completely innocent.

Yet, she was his only daughter!

"Yes, everyone is talking about it. Wanru merely went over to offer a couple of explanations, so how did it suddenly turn into her trying to pressure Yuru? Could it be that those accusations against Wanru were true after all, and they are dead set on dumping this filth onto her?" Shui Ruolan sneered. Normally, she had a gentle disposition, but watching Qin Huaiyong waver indecisively stirred genuine anger within her, causing her voice to sharpen unconsciously!

"Yuru, tell me what this is all about. How do outsiders know about what happened in Jiangzhou? How do they know about stolen betrothals and broken engagements?" Qin Huaiyong slammed his hand onto the table, his expression turning stern and cold.

"Father, I don't know! I never said any of those things!" Qin Yuru panicked. She hadn't expected Shui Ruolan and Qin Wanru to seize upon this crucial point so immediately, but she had prepared herself; she gritted her teeth and flatly denied it.

"If Eldest Sister didn't say it, then who else could have? Who else would even know who I am?" Qin Wanru asked with a troubled expression, looking genuinely perplexed.

Aside from Qin Yuru, who else could have known Qin Wanru before entering the capital, let alone harbored such deep malice toward her?

At this point, Qin Wanru seemed to recall something else. She turned to Qin Huaiyong and said, "Father, the Countess of Yongkang was actually driven out by Grand Princess Ruian later on!"

Since Qin Huaiyong was unable to make a prompt decision, she would administer another heavy dose of medicine!

A chilling gleam flashed through her clear eyes. Madame Di and her daughter probably never imagined that such an incident would occur after Qin Yuru's departure!

"What is the meaning of this?" Qin Huaiyong's expression underwent a dramatic change as he urgently demanded an explanation.

"You're lying! How could that be possible?" Madame Di shrieked.

"Impossible!" Qin Yuru stopped her loud weeping, raised her head, glared fiercely at Qin Wanru, and gnashed her teeth.

"This is naturally true. By now, the entire capital probably knows about it. If Eldest Sister doesn't believe me, she can send someone out of the estate right now to inquire. That is precisely how the Countess of Yongkang was driven away!"

Shui Ruolan calmly corroborated the claim from the side.

"Why would Grand Princess Ruian arbitrarily drive my sister-in-law out? Stop spouting nonsense!" Seeing how unruffled and composed they appeared, Madame Di grew increasingly uneasy, yet she stubbornly stiffened her neck and retorted. She refused to believe that such a disaster could befall her maiden family.

Qin Huaiyong found it hard to believe as well, and thus looked toward Shui Ruolan.

"I heard it had to do with the incident where Grand Princess Ruian's grandson was abducted!" Shui Ruolan replied.

"Is this true?" Qin Huaiyong was forced to take the matter seriously. If true, this was a monumental scandal for the Earl of Yongkang's estate, one that would inevitably ruin their reputation!

"It is true!" Shui Ruolan nodded with absolute certainty.

"Father, I was even dragged into it at the time! A note was dropped at the scene, and my name was actually written on it. How long have I even been in the capital, yet someone already knew my name? And afterward, it was claimed that the rumor originated from within the Earl of Yongkang's estate. Mother and I couldn't make sense of the details either, but Grand Princess Ruian became furious and threw the Countess of Yongkang out!"

Qin Wanru's eyes flickered as she delivered a well-structured explanation.

Though the words sounded somewhat vague and did not directly accuse the Earl of Yongkang's estate, Grand Princess Ruian's actions served as undeniable, concrete proof!

Hearing this, Qin Huaiyong instantly believed it. He glared at Madame Di, whose face had drained of all color, and barked furiously, "What on earth does the Earl of Yongkang's estate think they are playing at?"

If such a scandal truly attached itself to Qin Wanru, it would inevitably implicate the entire Qin household. Qin Huaiyong had not yet secured his own official appointment, and for Qin Wanru to cause a stir at this juncture would inflict devastating damage on his career. Once he realized this, how could he not fly into a rage?

Madame Di panicked. She had no idea why things had turned out this way!

It was true that the Countess of Yongkang disliked Qin Wanru, but how had it escalated into such a genuine confrontation right before Grand Princess Ruian—to the point where the Grand Princess had driven the woman out in disgrace? How was she supposed to scheme now to get her sister-in-law to bring Shui Ruolan to the Marquis of Fengyang's estate?

How was her sister-in-law supposed to set traps for Shui Ruolan and cause her to lose the child in her womb?

What on earth was her sister-in-law thinking? Usually, the Countess of Yongkang appeared to be a woman who could keep her composure; why would she pull such a reckless stunt now? Madame Di was consumed by a mixture of anger and hatred.

While she secretly resented the Countess of Yongkang, she failed to realize that the Countess of Yongkang was actually entirely innocent in this specific matter. The mess had been single-handedly caused by her own niece, Di Fenglan, in a fit of temper, and had very little to do with the Countess herself!

"My sister-in-law would never do such a thing. There must be some misunderstanding!" No matter what she thought inwardly, Madame Di kept her stance stubborn. Her eyes darted around as she gritted her teeth.

"A misunderstanding? A misunderstanding caused by Grand Princess Ruian?" Qin Huaiyong asked, his face dark.

"It might be... a misunderstanding born from Grand Princess Ruian's excessive fondness for Wanru! The invitation was issued directly to Wanru, specifically addressed to her by name, without so much as a mention of our Yuru. Who knows why Grand Princess Ruian holds Yuru in such low regard? Logically speaking, in such circumstances, sisters ought to be invited together!"

Madame Di lowered her head with a pained expression. The subtext of her words was that Shui Ruolan and Qin Wanru must have badmouthed Qin Yuru and the Earl of Yongkang's estate in front of Grand Princess Ruian beforehand, thereby instilling the Grand Princess with a prejudice against them, which subsequently led to some misunderstanding and sparked the entire fiasco in a fit of anger.

Hearing Madame Di turn black into white and call a stag a horse, Shui Ruolan trembled all over with rage. She had long known Madame Di was utterly shameless, but she never imagined the woman could sink to such depths. Just as she was about to stand up and speak, Qin Wanru tugged gently on her sleeve.

"Does Father believe that Grand Princess Ruian has come to favor and trust me to such an extent? That after meeting me just once, she would believe such things?"

Comprehending the hint, Shui Ruolan turned her head to look at Qin Huaiyong and said, "General, if Wanru truly held that much influence over Grand Princess Ruian, then your official prospects... would no longer be a matter of concern at all!"

At those words, Madame Di's expression underwent a drastic shift.