Miss Truth
Chapter 454 - 296: Finally, Someone Dares to Take on Gui Jianchou

Chapter 454: Chapter 296: Finally, Someone Dares to Take on Gui Jianchou

"Lady Lanyan, please don’t take offense at Qing’er’s rudeness; she has always liked to be contrary with others," Dugu Lanyan said, smoothing things over.

Ran Yan was to marry Xiao Song, whose wife from the Dugu clan was Dugu Lanyan’s aunt. Although they were not very close, they were still within the prohibited degrees of marriage, and Xiao Song was Dugu Lanyan’s cousin. Given such a relationship, she could not afford to have a fall out with Ran Yan.

"Hmm," Ran Yan set her cup down, turned to look at Cheng Qing’er, and said, "What is Lady Cheng trying to imply with these words? And how does she expect me to respond?"

Ran Yan was not a senior member of Ran Yunsheng’s family, and therefore could not decide on his marriage affairs. Moreover, according to historical records, the Prince Consort of Princess Baling was Chai Lingwu. Even if Ran Yan truly wished to propose Ran Yunsheng as the Prince Consort, the future would likely be tragic, just as Liu Qingsong said—they couldn’t twist the thigh of history.

"It means nothing special; I just wanted to remind you that the Princess has never failed to get the person she sets her sights on," Cheng Qing’er said indifferently.

Dugu Lanyan’s expression grew even more displeased. She was uncertain whether Cheng Qing’er genuinely wanted to be contrary with Ran Yan or was there to cause trouble. The words she spoke would inevitably pit Ran Yan against Princess Baling. If Ran Yan were simply Miss Seventeen of the Ran family, Dugu Lanyan might not be so suspicious. But she had just heard that the wedding arrangements between Ran Yan and Xiao Song were settled, and that they were to be married in March. Under such circumstances, Cheng Qing’er’s actions made one wonder.

People generally knew that the Duke Cheng Zhijie was brave and bold, so they assumed he was a rough and simple man. However, only those who were close to him understood that he was coarse on the outside but intricate on the inside, and in matters of state affairs, he was not inferior to Fang Xuanling or others. As the legitimate daughter of Cheng Zhijie, Cheng Qing’er was very much like her father; without really knowing her, one could only see her arrogance and rudeness.

Ran Yan looked at her for a long while before turning away, saying, "Lady Cheng has been considerate; thank you."

Ran Yan deliberately pretended not to understand her provocation, taking her words as a kind reminder. Should Princess Baling find out, she would inevitably develop a dislike for Cheng Qing’er.

Without any show of emotion, Ran Yan returned the favor of provocation subtly. Beneath this quiet exchange of blows, Cheng Qing’er actually felt rather pleased. She shared a similar disposition with Ran Yan, normally favoring a straightforward approach. However, should anyone try to deceive her, it would be utterly impossible.

Dugu Lanyan’s eyes darkened, but given that she was in someone else’s house and that Cheng Qing’er’s status was on par with her own, it was inappropriate to make a scene. She had to contain her feelings, and her smile could no longer be as easy as before, "Assistant Minister Xiao is my cousin. Today I just wanted to get closer to my future cousin-in-law. Miss Seventeen, you mustn’t be swayed by Qing’er’s nonsense; she’s just here to join in the excitement."

Ran Yan nodded earnestly, "I naturally would not regard you two as such idle folk."

In fact, Dugu Lanyan and Cheng Qing’er were indeed such idle folk.

"Now that we have met, we won’t overstayed our welcome," said Dugu Lanyan with a smile.

Ran Yan did not show any intention of asking them to stay and immediately stood up, saying, "Let me see you two out."

Dugu Lanyan was merely being polite, but now she felt even more suffocated. Normally, when noble ladies interacted, unless they were at odds with each other, they would maintain a modicum of face for one another. Ran Yan’s behavior indicated either a determined effort to distance herself from her or a lack of social graces. Dugu Lanyan believed that a woman Xiao Song was willing to marry could not possibly be ignorant of social conventions; this behavior was surely a sign of her unwillingness to associate.

If it weren’t for Cheng Qing’er’s particularly arrogant and rude remarks, things would not have turned out this way. Right then, Dugu Lanyan did not feel inclined to stay any longer either, holding back a belly full of questions for Cheng Qing’er and lacking the leisure to linger over the meal.

Cheng Qing’er, on the other hand, did not show any signs of annoyance. She stood up and smoothed her skirt, leaving the hall with graceful ease.

Ran Yan also noticed that Cheng Qing’er seemed to harbor some hostility towards her and was somewhat baffled. When had she ever offended her?

From the hall to the Inner Gate, Ran Yan went over everything repeatedly. The only connection she could think of involved Xiao Song and Su Fu. Ran Yan still remembered, during the matchmaking banquet the Cheng Family held in their private garden in the east of the city, Cheng Qing’er had chased after Su Fu from the warm pavilion... at that time, Ran Yun and Han Xun had mentioned that Lady Cheng might have taken a fancy to him.

But the nature of the relationship between Ran Yan and Su Fu was such that not even Cheng Qing’er, let alone Xiao Song, could be fully aware of it.

Lost in thought, she neglected to watch the path ahead. As she walked into the courtyard, someone came along the footpath, evidently not noticing Ran Yan and her party, and collided directly with Ran Yan.

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