My Love Rivals Have All Reborn - Chapter 30.1

Xie Yu possessed great beauty, but sadly, she was a scorpion beauty.

Zhao Xiran quickened her pace past the circular moon gate. As soon as she entered, she saw the guest room door open, and a woman in a green gown, carrying a medical kit and possessing gentle eyes, walked out.

Su Ying had woken up late today and rushed out the door without eating breakfast. Just as she opened the door, she saw the unfamiliar woman.

Seeing that the two did not know each other, the shopkeeper quickly introduced the woman to Su Ying: “This is our Second Boss.”

Su Ying was surprised. Considering the recent thriving business of the Jiangnan Zhao family, which was on the verge of surpassing the Gu family, she became even more curious about the woman before her. She said cordially, “Su Ying of the Su Apothecary.”

Zhao Xiran recognized her. The daughter of the Elder Gu Association President, doted on and named Gu Ning. The President had intended to pass the Gu family business to her, yet this eldest Miss Gu fell for Zhao Xiran’s cousin, eloped with her, and had not been heard from since.

“So, she’s come to the capital. Interesting, very interesting,” Zhao Xiran chuckled. “Presumably, Miss Gu is here too. The Elder President is nearing his end; aren’t you going to visit him?”

Mentioning unpleasant past events right away, Su Ying felt that this Second Boss Zhao’s manner of dealing with people was lacking. Despite Zhao Xiran’s words, Su Ying could not let the conversation grow cold, so she smiled and replied, “The Elder President is still robust; you are worrying needlessly.”

Neither of the women was easy to deal with. Zhao Xiran appeared arrogant, but Su Ying was not weak at heart; the two were evenly matched.

Beneath the surface of calm water, churning waves surged.

The shopkeeper sensed that something was amiss and quickly interjected, “Is Physician Su heading to the apothecary now?”

Su Ying was about to speak, a smile lingering on her face, when Zhao Xiran suddenly and sharply demanded, “Why is Madam Gu in my Mo Xiang Study?”

The two families were business rivals right across the street. Not only had a competitor run over to her place for no reason, but she was also staying there. What sense did that make?

Su Ying smiled faintly: “It seems this Mo Xiang Study belongs to Miss Xiao.” It has nothing to do with you, Zhao Xiran.

Zhao Xiran was taken aback. It seemed that was the case, but how did the rival family know Mo Xiang Study had changed ownership? Was Xiao Kuning so foolish as to become a loving family with the competition?

This requires investigation. Unable to reason with Su Ying, she told the shopkeeper, “If Xiao Kuning doesn’t come out within a quarter of an hour, I will run her out of here, too.”

Su Ying, carrying her medical kit, went back to the room and pulled up the soundly sleeping Gu Ning: “Zhao Xiran is here. We need to leave quickly. Xiao Kuning is easy to talk to, but she is not. Should we take Xie Yu with us?”

Exhausted from the previous night, Gu Ning felt utterly sore and had no desire to get up. She pulled the blanket over her head and continued to sleep: “We’ll leave in the afternoon. As for Xie Yu, just let her experience the mother-in-law’s care; it will be a good preview so she won’t be unprepared later.”

Xiao Kuning’s two mothers were both difficult women; Xie Yu was in for a rough time.

Reminded by Gu Ning, Su Ying wavered. Besides, ‘little’ Xie Yu was quite likable, and facing the domineering Zhao Xiran, she would surely submit. Suddenly, Su Ying didn’t want to leave.

When had Xie Yu ever been bullied? With such a good opportunity to watch the excitement, why leave?

I won’t leave. She left the room with her medical kit, informed the shopkeeper, and said she would return that evening.

Gu Ning continued sleeping, hugging her blanket. Just then, Zhao Xiran knocked on the door. What she never expected was that the person who opened it would be the detestable Xie Yu.

She felt something was off and glanced inside: “Why are you here?”

Xie Yu’s hazy gaze finally cleared during the pause after the question. Facing the unfamiliar woman, her first reaction was to maintain a friendly attitude: “Who are you?”

This single question stunned Zhao Xiran. Was Xie Yu pretending not to know her?

A familiar voice came from inside: “Who is it?”

It was Xiao Kuning’s voice… The two were sharing a room. Mo Xiang Study’s guest room wasn’t big enough for two beds, so they must be sleeping together.

Xiao Kuning could be close to anyone, but not this perverse woman. Zhao Xiran felt a surge of anger. She pushed Xie Yu aside and walked straight into the room.

Xie Yu was displeased but did not stop her, only saying, “Isn’t your behavior a bit too abrupt?”

“Abrupt? Is it not abrupt for you to be living in my house?” As Zhao Xiran walked further in, a figure flashed before her. The reserved Scholar Xie opened her arms and blocked Zhao Xiran’s path.

Xie Yu’s eyes were cold, and her expression was icy, yet her actions were somewhat childish, which baffled Zhao Xiran. Had Xie Yu been kicked in the head by a donkey this morning? Was she treating Zhao Xiran like a thief, or was her mind broken and she genuinely didn’t remember her?

It was needle point against awn. The two stalemated, staring at each other.

Xiao Kuning walked out. She first saw Zhao Xiran, then saw Xie Yu blocking her like she was warding off a plague god. She immediately felt a headache: “Mother is here.”

As she spoke, she pushed Xie Yu slightly behind her, smiled at Zhao Xiran, and signaled, Don’t bother with the fool.

Zhao Xiran found the scene before her unbelievable, and then Xie Yu brightly spoke up: “Hello, Auntie.”

What a sweet mouth.

Zhao Xiran was so angry she nearly fainted. Regardless of the other person’s identity, she first cursed, “Shut up. You two are sharing a room?”

Xiao Kuning was embarrassed: “You are overthinking it.”

Xie Yu felt this was very correct and volunteered an addition: “Sleeping in one bed.”

Zhao Xiran: “…”

Damn Xie Yu.

Xiao Kuning pressed her hand to her forehead, practically feeling Zhao Xiran’s rage. She pushed Xie Yu into a corner and immediately changed the subject: “Princess Gao Yang wants to marry me. You caused this trouble, so you should fix it yourself. I don’t want to be a stepping stone between the two of you.”

Mentioning Princess Gao Yang, Zhao Xiran’s face flushed. She lost the will to bicker with Xie Yu and pulled up a stool to sit down.

Xie Yu remembered her block of wood, searched for a while in the inner room, found the box, and continued to carve. Seeing the situation had calmed down, Xiao Kuning quickly pressed for the reason: “How did you provoke Princess Gao Yang?”

“Provoke? Does that count as provoking? She was asking for it,” Zhao Xiran retorted, exasperated. She’s a Princess, born of royalty. When she goes out, she’s surrounded by attendants—at least one or two, if not four or five. She went out alone, without a maid, and walked into an unsavory place.

By sheer coincidence, she was mistaken for a prostitute. Afterward, she regretted it and spent a fortune on a carriage as an apology. Yet, Princess Gao Yang was unrelenting, forcing Zhao Xiran to go into hiding.

Marrying the Princess was out of the question.

Xiao Kuning didn’t understand what ‘asking for it’ meant, but the disparity between a merchant and a royal noble was too great. Being at odds with Princess Gao Yang was detrimental to the Zhao family.

“It would be best if you resolved the misunderstanding. Even going to apologize would work. The hierarchy of scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants is inherently unjust.”

Zhao Xiran looked listless, having lost her earlier spirit. She leaned closer to Xiao Kuning, her voice as faint as a mosquito’s buzz: “It’s not that I don’t want to resolve it; it’s that she insists on hounding me. I already gave her a carriage as compensation, but she still refuses. What more does she want?”

It’s not my fault I propositioned the wrong person. Besides, it only happened once, and she didn’t want it to happen again.

Transmigrating to ancient times was already bad luck. Then she inherited the original owner, a muddled person who loved Xiao Mingwang, plotted against Madam Luo, and eventually died of lovesickness, leaving her with this mess. She was helpless. She had compensated for everything she could, yet who knew there’d be such a lech as Princess Gao Yang?

Xiao Kuning did not understand matters of love, nor the contact between the two women. After all, if this affair escalated, Zhao Xiran would be the one to suffer, so she advised: “It would be best for you to resolve this soon.”

Zhao Xiran agreed, then looked up and saw the focused Xie Yu. She noticed that this person was somewhat different from when they last met.

Xie Yu was like a hermit dwelling among the high mountains and flowing rivers; a single glance up or down carried a profound meaning. Although her character was questionable, her near-supernatural cleverness was undeniable. Yet, the person before her was now dull and foolish, didn’t recognize her, and called her ‘Auntie.’

There must be something strange going on.

Her daughter was grown, and managing her too closely was inappropriate. She cautiously reminded Xiao Kuning: “Don’t judge people by their face. Xie Yu is beautiful, but she’s not right for you.”

One is naive, one is a schemer. One is silly, one is clever. The one who will always suffer is Xiao Kuning.

Xiao Kuning was in no mood to listen to this. With Zhao Xiran’s arrival, many problems were solved. In a few more days, once Xie Yu recovered, she would be able to push her away. The most crucial matter, however, was the joint burial.

Entrusting Xie Yu to Zhao Xiran, she quietly led her own people out of Mo Xiang Study.

Zhao Xiran, who had been running around for the past few days, reclined on the couch, contemplating the impending problems. Princess Gao Yang had caused such a stir these past few days simply to force her to show up, but what good would that do? Given Princess Gao Yang’s fickle nature, who would want to be associated with her?

Unable to figure things out, her peripheral vision caught Xie Yu diligently carving in the corner. She felt she should ask Xie Yu about a few things.

Given that same-sex marriage was possible, shouldn’t these two be more discreet? Especially since Xiao Kuning was a ‘single dog’ who didn’t understand romance, while Xie Yu seemed like a veteran in the game of love—playing the fool and acting cute was too shameless.

Xie Yu was carving a wooden figure. A shadow shifted before her, and she instinctively tightened her grip on the carving knife, then smiled as she looked up: “Is there something you need, Auntie?”

Zhao Xiran’s gaze fell upon the wooden figure in Xie Yu’s hands. Xie Yu’s carving skills were excellent; the wooden figure was rendered lifelike beneath the knife. The figure was a young girl, seemingly no older than a child judging by her hairstyle.

The facial contours were somewhat familiar. It was amusing that Xie Yu was carving a little girl.

Grand Tutor Xie, having turned foolish, was now somewhat cute.

Ignoring the fool, she ordered a servant to make a trip to the post house and invite Princess Gao Yang over for a talk. Staking out Xiao Kuning was improper; since Zhao Xiran was the one who did the deed, Princess Gao Yang should be coming to see her.

Xie Yu carved the wood, completely absorbed as if she were alone. Even Zhao Xiran’s pacing back and forth did not distract her.

Gu Ning, seeing no activity in the opposite courtyard, returned to the Hengxiang Pavilion. The palace had been very lively these past few days.

Prince Yanping fell ill immediately after receiving the imperial decree for marriage. Princess Jingyang remained cloistered at home. Prime Minister Yan’s situation was unchanged, and Grand Tutor Xie had also fallen ill and gone to a suburban villa to recuperate, making her unavailable to visitors.

With these major events overlapping, the relationships became subtle. Everyone knew that Prince Yanping had proposed for Yan Ruyu that day, not the Eldest Daughter of the Yan family who suddenly appeared. Substituting one person for another felt too discordant.

How was Yan Ruyu to cope? Within two days, Chang’an City was abuzz with talk about Prince Yanping’s marriage to his maternal relatives. A marriage between cousins had always been a happy plot point in plays, but with this switch of people, it seemed problematic.

Not only the common people, but even Zhou Wenqing, who was close to Yan Ruyu, personally went to visit her. However, she was stopped outside the Yan residence: the Second Miss was ill and not seeing guests.

Ill again. Zhou Wenqing was skeptical. She wanted to see Princess Jingyang to get clarity, but the gatekeepers still refused her entry, acting aggressively and speaking with impatience.

Zhou Wenqing had no choice but to return to her own residence with her maid.

With this probing, ordinary people realized that the substitution of the bride was no ordinary matter.

At this time, Zhou Wenqing knocked on the door of the Xie estate, requesting to see the Scholar.

The Xie estate’s gatekeepers politely opened the main door, welcomed her in, served tea, and waited for her to be seated. Then, a staff aide came out, and after hearing her request, agreed to the matter and promised to visit the Yan residence to see Yan Ruyu.

For an ordinary person, there was naturally no need to trouble Xie Yu. The staff aide drafted a letter to Prime Minister Yan, and at the same time, wrote a personal letter about the matter, ordering a messenger to deliver it to Scholar Xie.

At this moment, Scholar Xie was making chicken soup. Zhao Xiran, hearing of her good cooking skills, ordered a wild chicken to be bought, plucked, cleaned, and handed over to her.

Xie Yu refused, holding the carving knife and looking completely like she was saying, ‘Don’t you dare touch me.’ It seemed one wrong word would have her drawing the knife.

Zhao Xiran lightly said one thing: “I am Xiao Kuning’s mother.”

The carving knife in Xie Yu’s hand slowly loosened. Her eyes brightened. Remembering ‘Sister Xiao,’ she pursed her lips and silently headed to the kitchen.

Zhao Xiran stared at the slender figure’s back. Xie Yu clearly had ulterior motives toward ‘Little Ningning.’ Even after turning foolish, she only remembered her.

Xiao Kuning was foolish enough to invite a wolf into the house and walk into a trap. A fool dating a schemer? No matter how you looked at it, Xiao Kuning would lose out.

Xie Yu could not be allowed to stay; it was better to drive her away.

The business at Mo Xiang Study was poor. Although people passed by the entrance, most of them headed toward the Hengxiang Pavilion.

It would have been fine if she could have just ignored it, but Zhao Xiran was here and saw it, stoking a fire in her heart. She called the shopkeeper to check the account books from recent years and discovered that Xiao Kuning had sold twenty zithers to the opposite shop, earning twenty thousand taels of silver.

However, this silver was never deposited; instead, Xiao Kuning had taken it. That little wretch, she started causing trouble as soon as she took over. No one should profit, especially not the people across the street.

Didn’t she know that business rivals are enemies?

Before she could figure out a way to deal with Gu Ning, a rather flamboyant carriage stopped outside the door. Gu Ning across the street also noticed and wondered who it was, only to see Princess Gao Yang step out and walk toward the Mo Xiang Study.