The little dark guard who travels between two lives

Chapter 97: Jealousy

Qin Qingyan stood beside Ji Wanran, listening to the compliments from the ladies. She was secretly proud of herself. Although she was a young lady who was found halfway, she was proficient in reciting poems and painting in front of the ladies, and was in no way inferior to the young ladies from noble families brought by the ladies.

Qin Qingyan was secretly proud of herself, and at the same time, she couldn't help but secretly thank the noble person she had never met. Although Su Peiyun had sent someone to teach her before, it was naturally far inferior to the teacher sent by the noble person later.

Originally, my skills in music, chess, calligraphy and painting were mediocre, but with the guidance of a teacher sent by a noble person, my level has improved by leaps and bounds. Today, I performed at an equally impressive level in such an important occasion, and I immediately amazed all the ladies.

Even my mother had not expected that I had such attainments in music, chess, calligraphy and painting. She smiled more and more, and looked at me with more loving eyes.

Qin Qingyan felt more and more proud, and couldn't help but glance at Xinhe beside her. Xinhe was not good at playing the piano, chess, calligraphy and painting, so when she encountered such an occasion to show her level of playing the piano, chess, calligraphy and painting, Xinhe would naturally stand quietly beside her mother and act as a well-behaved background.

Anyway, the ladies in the capital have long known that Prime Minister Qin and his wife are proficient in everything, but unfortunately Miss Xinhe is just the opposite, she is not good at anything. This Miss Xinhe only likes swords and spears, and loves to play with swords. She doesn't look like the daughter of a civil official, but her temperament is similar to that of her Prime Minister Yu.

However, the ladies in the capital did not dare to laugh at Miss Xinhe. Indeed, Miss Xinhe was not good at playing the piano, chess, calligraphy and painting, but playing the piano, chess, calligraphy and painting could not save the Empress.

Miss Xinhe managed to protect the Empress with her martial arts, which was a great achievement. There were many wealthy families in the capital, but only Miss Xinhe from Prime Minister Qin's family was given the title of Princess. This was why no one dared to look down on Xinhe.

Xin He actually didn't care whether these ladies really liked and admired her. She also knew that these ladies came today just to curry favor with her father and mother under the pretext of congratulating them.

Xinhe never cared about the opinions of these people. She also didn't like getting along with the ladies. What they said were always meaningless, either gossips about the families in the capital, or flattery to the people in higher positions.

In her previous life, when Xin He pretended to be the wife of the Prime Minister, she often heard those ladies talking about these things in front of her, and she had heard enough of them.

If it wasn't for the first public appearance of her sister who had just returned home, Xin He wouldn't be standing here as a backdrop. It was all to support her sister and let the ladies know that this sister who had just returned was deeply valued by the family, enough to make them dare not despise the newly returned eldest daughter of the Qin family.

So, Xinhe patiently greeted the ladies, her face almost stiff from smiling, so she had no time to notice the secretly proud look in Qin Qingyan's eyes beside her.

But Qingliu, the maidservant beside Xinhe, saw the young lady's look clearly. Qingliu was Xinhe's personal maidservant. After the young lady returned home, the master and the mistress showed great concern for her, which made Qingliu a little indignant.

As Xinhe's trusted maid, Qingliu naturally cared about Xinhe and was afraid that the newly returned eldest daughter would influence her own Miss Xinhe.

Although Xin He had not given any instructions, Qing Liu had been keeping a close eye on Qin Qingyan, fearing that his young lady would suffer in front of the eldest lady. Today, the eldest lady had naturally been in the limelight in front of all the ladies, so Qing Liu secretly felt angry for his young lady. Seeing that the young lady did not care at all, Qing Liu was even more secretly anxious.

When Qingyan's smug eyes glanced over, Qingliu saw it immediately. Qingliu was angry for his own young lady and immediately kicked back at the eldest young lady.

Qingyan didn't expect that the little girl next to Xinhe was so bold. She couldn't get angry on the spot after being glared at by her, so she had to retract her gaze with hatred.

Qingliu slowly approached Xinhe while no one was paying attention and whispered, "Miss, the eldest lady kicked you just now, and I kicked her back. I can't let the eldest lady bully you."

Xin He was at a loss whether to laugh or cry after hearing Qing Liu's words. Ever since Qing Yan entered the mansion, everyone around him had been treating them as if they were facing a great enemy, fearing that someone would bully them.

Xinhe was moved by the loyalty of the people around her, and kept explaining to them that she and Qingyan were sisters, and that sisters should get along well with each other and not be so cautious.

Xin He also knew that it was her mother's behavior during this period that caused the people around her to misunderstand her. Her mother's extraordinary enthusiasm for Qingyan's return made these servants think that her mother would favor one over the other and mistreat them.

These servants really cared about her. Xin He was also a servant in her previous life, so she knew that people of low status had many difficulties. She always treated the servants sincerely and never scolded or mistreat them. Naturally, they put her, the young lady, first and would never let the young lady suffer any loss.

Xin He looked at Qing Liu with amusement and whispered, "Well, Miss, I will thank you very much later and save two glutinous rice cakes for you."

This Qingliu girl loves the Qin Mansion's glutinous rice cakes and can't get enough of them. After hearing what the young lady said, Qingliu immediately felt that she had done a great thing. The young lady also brought her delicious glutinous rice cakes. The young lady was really considerate.

Thinking of the delicious glutinous rice cake, Qingliu immediately stood up straight with a smile on his face, looking proud and arrogant. Xinhe almost laughed out loud when she saw Qingliu's expression.

I was happier when I was chatting and laughing with these little maids. It was too boring to chat with these ladies. And they always liked to talk to me. It was really annoying!

Qingyan hadn't been feeling proud for long when she realized that she was too proud. These ladies weren't actually coming for her. They seemed to be praising her, but after praising herself for a few words, they turned to Xinhe next to them.

These ladies did their best to flatter Xinhe, calling her "Princess" all the time and introducing their own daughters to Xinhe, as if they could reach high positions overnight by getting to know Xinhe.

They praised Xin He for being unable to speak poetry, calligraphy or painting, and they just kept praising her for being brave and loyal, and for saving the Empress. They implicitly tried to use Xin He to get close to the Empress in the palace.

Qingyan stood aside, and the more she listened, the angrier she became. Today was her first time appearing in front of the ladies of powerful people, and this sister had to steal her limelight.

Qingyan looked at Xinhe who was surrounded by the ladies, and recalled the good things she saw placed in Xinhe's front hall and back room when she went to Xinhe's courtyard, and she felt even more resentful.

Originally, I thought the things my mother arranged for me were good enough, but after seeing the various items in Xinhe's room, I realized that it's really hard to compare goods without comparing them.

Originally, she went to show off to her sister how many good things her mother had given her, but after seeing the things in Xinhe's room, even if she didn't understand much, she could tell that those items were extraordinary.

In addition, the little girls around Xinhe kept showing off and talking non-stop, saying that this was given by the Queen, and that thing was sent by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

Finally, Qingyan was so angry that she threw her sleeves and left Xinhe's yard, and went back to her room to sulk. As a result, there was still a Lin mother who kept chattering beside her, saying that if she hadn't been away from home for so long, everything her sister enjoyed now should be hers.

Today, he had finally won the praise of the ladies with his poetry, calligraphy and painting, but it was still no match for Xinhe's noble status, and they all rushed to curry favor with Xinhe.

Qingyan sat on the chair, twisting the silk handkerchief in her hands almost to pieces. Ji Wanran looked at Xinhe with a smile.

She looked very proud of her daughter. Ji Wanran did not notice the abnormality of her eldest daughter, and turned to Qingyan and said, "Your sister is most afraid of being surrounded by these ladies. She never likes to chat with these ladies."

Qingyan became even angrier. She really wanted to be surrounded by these noble ladies, but they only treated her as a stepping stone and were only concerned with currying favor with the princess. No one knew who she was.

As a result, Qin Xinhe still disliked this and that, and she was really angry to death.

Qin Qingyan was angry, but she didn't dare to lose her temper in front of Ji Wanran. She could only force a smile at Ji Wanran and said, "Sister is worthy of being the princess appointed by the emperor. She is smart and will naturally be loved by all the ladies."

At this point, Qin Qingyan hesitated for a moment and then said, "Not like my daughter. After all, she is a daughter who was found halfway. She always makes others look down on her and loses face for nothing. She feels uneasy."

"Nonsense, who dares to look down on you? You are the real eldest daughter of our Qin family. No one can look down on you." Ji Wanran's face changed and she interrupted Qin Qingyan.

After Ji Wanran finished speaking, she was afraid that her harsh words might scare her daughter, so she quickly reached out and held her daughter's hand tightly in her own.

"Don't be afraid, Yan'er. Mother is not that strict with you. Don't underestimate yourself. Your performance today was very good. Mother didn't know that you were so good at music, chess, calligraphy and painting. Mother is really happy for you!"

Ji Wanran's words were meant to comfort Qin Qingyan, but they sounded different in Qin Qingyan's ears. She actually learned so well that even her mother thought that she grew up in the countryside and was raised by a servant, so it was impossible for her to learn music, chess, calligraphy and painting so well.

Qin Qingyan felt bitter and lowered her head without saying anything. Seeing that her daughter was unhappy, Ji Wanran quickly said to her daughter, "Mother has already sent a visiting card to the Queen in the palace, informing her of your return home. The Queen may summon you to the palace to meet her in the next two days. This is a great honor!"

Hearing that she could be summoned by the Queen, Qin Qingyan raised her head happily and said, "Then mother must make a nice dress for Yan'er. Yan'er must dress up well so that the Queen will like me."

Ji Wanran didn't think much about it and said casually: "The Queen likes your sister the most. You look so much like Nannan. The Queen will definitely like you."

Qin Qingyan's joy was completely destroyed by these words. Even the Queen's favor could only be obtained because of her resemblance to Xinhe, and it was Xinhe again. Qin Qingyan felt extremely bitter.

Looking at Xinhe who was surrounded by the ladies, Qin Qingyan secretly made up her mind that she must perform well on the day she entered the palace and win the favor of the empress with her own strength instead of relying on Xinhe.

Sure enough, the next day, the Queen Mother in the palace spread the news, summoning Madam Qin and her two young ladies to attend the palace banquet three days later. Xinhe was used to going to the palace, so she didn't care much about the news.

However, Qin Qingyan attached great importance to her first appearance in the palace. While urging Ji Wanran to buy her a beautiful outfit, she also practiced her piano skills in her own yard.

Qin Qingyan was determined to amaze everyone in the palace. But on the day she entered the palace, when she dressed up and went out, she saw Xinhe waiting for her beside the carriage, and she immediately felt resentful.

Because Xinhe didn't dress up when she entered the palace that day. She just wore the attire of a princess according to her rank. Her hair was not covered with pearls and jade like Qingyan's, but she simply wore a princess's etiquette crown.

This princess's attire, though simple, is from the royal family after all. It is simple but reveals a low-key luxury and elegance, demonstrating the royal style.

The royal style of that outfit was not comparable to Qin Qingyan's outfit. Qin Qingyan felt more and more depressed, but she couldn't vent her anger.

She looked at the cheerful Xin He and said with a smile: "Sister, your princess dress is indeed extraordinary. No matter how I dress, I can't surpass your royal style."

Ji Wanran could not hear the sourness in her eldest daughter's words. Instead, she thought it was a normal conversation between sisters. She smiled and glanced at Xinhe and said, "This girl always dislikes wearing this dress. If it weren't for the formal palace banquet today and I forced her to do so, she would have said that it was too troublesome to wear and used it as an excuse not to wear this dress."

Xin He made a face at her mother, then glanced at her sister and said with a smile, "This dress is so heavy that I can't even walk fast. I don't like wearing it."

Xin He smiled and looked at Qing Yan. It was just a set of clothes. Was there any need to be so sour? Xin He found that this elder sister always liked to compare herself with her in everything. She was only happy when she was better than her.

Anyway, Xin He decided to keep a distance from this sister. Because of the memories of the past life, Xin He always felt that he could not get close to this sister. When he saw her, he remembered the hideous look of this sister in the past life standing in front of her coffin with a long nail in her hand.

Even though she had just returned home in this life and hadn't done anything bad, Xinhe didn't want to get too close to her. For the sake of her mother, it was enough for her to live in peace with her sister.

Qingyan almost vomited blood after hearing what Xinhe said. She even complained that the princess's clothes were too heavy and she didn't even like wearing them, even though others begged for them.

Isn't this just showing off naked in front of me? Qingyan twisted her handkerchief in anger, but she couldn't do anything. She had to get on the carriage with her mother and headed towards the palace.