Chapter 152
Chapter 152: Clumsy, Reaping What She Sowed
Bai Ci Rong’s plan was very simple.
She said: “I specially called Luo Xuan out and had her help lure Luo Ning into the small courtyard and coax her into drinking the tea. I sent Yu Zhuo there ahead of time and knocked him out too, so the two of them would be found together.”
Qiu Shi Dong almost choked on his breath.
How had she come up with such a clumsy, foolish idea?
“I told Yu Zhuo to have his mother go to the Marquis of Zhen Nan Manor and make things hard for Luo Ning on purpose. That way, he would have an excuse to look for Luo Ning and apologize to her.
I lied to Yu Zhuo and said that once it worked, I would send him away and replace him with a servant boy. In the future I would marry him as the young miss of the Marquis of Jian Ning Manor. He agreed.” Bai Ci Rong said.
She went on: “I told Luo Xuan the same thing. If she did not help me, the maidservants and the old maidservant in the East Main Courtyard would listen to me to save their own lives and would kill her. But if she obeyed, I would ask my mother to find her a very good marriage. She agreed too.”
As Bai Ci Rong spoke, she looked very wronged: “To ruin Luo Ning’s engagement, I only wanted to make her lose face in public so that Prince Yong would be forced to break off the engagement.”
As long as Luo Ning was repudiated, Bai Ci Rong could trample and belittle her as she pleased.
Once Bai Ci Rong rose to power, she could even wipe out the entire Marquis of Zhen Nan Manor in one net.
“But when I got to the courtyard, Yu Zhuo was there, yet Luo Ning and Luo Xuan hadn’t come. Before I could say anything, Luo Wan suddenly started shouting like a madwoman at the door. For no reason at all, she insisted on tearing at me.
She is a young lady of the Marquis Manor, and Yu Zhuo is a Valiant Cavalry General, so it was not proper for him to step in and help. I was no match for Luo Wan, and she even yanked my outer robe right off.
Before I could get it back, a lot of people came. They started talking about some Formation Diagram, and because of that I couldn’t get away for a while.” Bai Ci Rong said.
Qiu Shi Dong took several deep breaths.
He slowly drank a cup of tea. Only after a long time did his mood calm down.
“You did many things wrong, A’Rong.” Qiu Shi Dong’s voice was slow.
“First, this banquet was the time for you to shine. Keeping things steady was more important than anything else. You should not have stirred up trouble on your own. This was lifting a stone only to smash your own foot.”
“Second, you should not have trusted Luo Xuan. She is a concubine-born daughter of the Marquis Manor. The people who control her fate are not only your mother, but also the Marquis of Zhen Nan and the Old Madam. It would be very easy for her to change sides.”
“Third, Yu Zhuo could have been very useful and would be good for you in the future. Giving up a Military General with a Third-rank Official post like this is like smashing a piece of jade against a lump of rock. The loss is no small thing.”
Bai Ci Rong bit her lip: “Father, but what if it had worked…”
“You can’t even do business like that. It is true that business has risks, but you must weigh loss and gain. Even if you succeeded, what benefit would it bring you?
You did this for one reason only: to vent your anger. A’Rong, if you only chase a moment of pleasure, you will not last long even if you enter the palace. Beauty does not last forever. You have to use your head.” Qiu Shi Dong said.
He sighed again: “You were very clever when you were young. These past few years with your mother, she has spoiled you.”
Bai Ci Rong began to sob in pain.
She lifted her misty eyes and asked: “Father, what should I do now?”
“Stay in the Marquis of Jian Ning Manor and be a good adopted daughter. Lie low for a year, at most a year,” Qiu Shi Dong said. “Tell me, do you have the patience? If you do not…”
“I do!” Bai Ci Rong knelt very straight. “Father, I do. I have really learned my lesson this time.”
“You have a bright future of your own, A’Rong.” Qiu Shi Dong said. “Among all the women under heaven, almost none are more beautiful than you. The Emperor will love you.”
Bai Ci Rong nodded hard.
“I have already persuaded the Marquis of Jian Ning,” Qiu Shi Dong said.
“Father, will he really listen?”
“He will. It is not that I am so good at glib talk. It is that you are valuable. The Wang family urgently needs someone by the Emperor’s side.” Qiu Shi Dong said. “Your beauty and your purity are your greatest value. You must remember that.”
Bai Ci Rong answered again.
Qiu Shi Brother Dongntly patted her hair: “Go. What your future becomes depends on you.”
Bai Ci Rong stood up.
Qiu Shi Dong thought over what she had said and rubbed his forehead. His headache did not ease even after a long time.
How could she be so childish and so foolish?
Luo Ning, who was less than two years older than she was, was already seasoned and ruthless.
Most importantly, Luo Ning had not only shown her methods, she had also shown her character.
Luo Ning clearly could have used Bai Ci Rong’s own method and made her reap what she had sown. She could have put Bai Ci Rong and Yu Zhuo into a room together, stirred up a scandal, cut off Bai Ci Rong’s path to the palace, and forced Bai Ci Rong to marry Yu Zhuo.
[She did not do that. Is it because her heart is noble, or because she does not want A’Rong to marry Yu Zhuo?]
Qiu Shi Dong tapped his knee lightly.
His fingers suddenly stilled.
Had he underestimated Luo Ning too?
Bai Ci Rong had been forced into such a corner, yet he had never even thought that Luo Ning might have done it on her own. He had never tried to understand her.
What kind of person was Luo Ning?
Aside from a sharp tongue and a competitive nature, what else could she do?
“Yu Zhuo…”
At this thought, Qiu Shi Dong at once told people to prepare the carriage. He wanted to go see Yu Zhuo that very night.
He would use Yu Zhuo to test Luo Ning and see what her goal was in this counterattack.
All the noble madams who had attended the banquet today were talking about this matter.
The madam and misses of the Zhou family also could not help joining in.
“That Bai Ci Rong really is clumsy. Wherever she goes, she shows her ugly side.”
“She has gone from Miss Bai to Miss Wang and is just as shameful. She actually met privately with a man at her hairpin ceremony. I wonder if the Wang family will match her with the Valiant Cavalry General.”
Madam Zhou of the Zhou family was thinking to herself whose work this really was.
She thought: [Why did they hold back and not finish her off? Like this, this Miss Bai still has a chance. Today’s scandal is still not enough to ruin her completely.]
Was the person who did this trying to show good character, or were their methods immature so they did not go far enough?
Madam Zhou could not guess.
“This Miss Bai really is not easy to handle. Luckily she has already left the Marquis of Zhen Nan Manor.” Madam Zhou said in the end.
Madam Bai of the Marquis of Zhen Nan Manor was so angry she almost went crazy again.
After she got home, she kept cursing Luo Ning.
The two maidservants from the East Main Courtyard who had carried messages for Bai Ci Rong were quickly dealt with by the Second Madam.
In Second Madam’s courtyard, both Luo Xuan and Luo Wan were there.
“Aunt, I didn’t mean it. Big Sister has already forgiven me.” Luo Xuan said in a low voice.
Second Madam smiled: “A’Ning has already told me. Don’t worry, I’ll ask someone to look for a suitable family for you. I will take charge of your marriage. In the future, if you are wronged in your husband’s family, just come look for your aunt.”
Luo Xuan’s eyes stung: “You don’t blame me?”
“Everyone has their difficulties.” Second Madam sighed. “You turned back in time, so of course we should be lenient.”
Luo Xuan quietly wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes.
Luo Wan said: “Big Sister really is a good person, just not ruthless enough. If it were me, I’d first strip Bai Ci Rong and Yu Zhuo naked and throw them together, so they would be utterly humiliated and could never hold their heads up again.”
This was called paying them back in kind.
Second Madam glanced at Luo Wan.
“If your Big Sister really did that, and you and A’Xuan were the ones who warned her, do you think others would not suspect you? She might feel pleased for a moment, but in the future, wouldn’t all the rumors fall on you two sisters?” Second Madam said.
Luo Wan and Luo Xuan both froze for a moment.
It was true. The two of them were key people in this matter, while Luo Ning had stayed outside of it.
If Luo Ning had done things to the very end and cut off Yu Zhuo and Bai Ci Rong’s path, wouldn’t that also leave a hidden danger for the Luo sisters?
Had they helped or not?
In the future, when others mentioned the two of them, what kind of guesses would they make? Young ladies doing such low things would also make people doubt their character.
In the end, their reputation would sound bad.
“Mother, you and Big Sister really do think further ahead than we do.” Luo Wan said.