Chapter Fifty-Two: Are You Even Worthy?

Update Time: 2013-06-21

Lian Yue’s little hands had long since turned red and swollen from her silent clapping of delight—her elder brother’s actions were growing more and more to her liking. Now, she only wished to sit back and watch him put on a show for a while.

At Lian Yue’s gesture, Zi Zhu, Qing Feng, and the others kept their distance, trailing far behind. Qiao Zhi, observing this, also signaled his attendants to keep back, his gaze fixed on Lian Yue with great interest.

Feigning interest in the sights of the Qin residence, Lian Yue’s attention was, in truth, entirely absorbed by her brother and cousin. Excitement danced like sparks in her eyes—rock gardens, flowerbeds, climbing vines, or bamboo groves, nothing else mattered now. The real drama was about to unfold.

“It’s been years since I last saw you, cousin. How has married life treated you?” With a single seemingly casual line, the flames in Lian Yue’s eyes leapt to their fullest.

Qin Che naturally understood the implication behind these words and replied awkwardly, “All is well. And you, cousin?”

Inside, Lian Yue was bursting with glee. Truly, you shun the road to heaven and insist on barging into hell. Still, this made things easier—since he’d walked right into the trap, it saved them much trouble.

“I, well, I naturally don’t compare to you, cousin, with your lovely wife by your side. I muddle through as best I can.” Again, lightly spoken yet piercing.

Qin Che clearly caught the underlying meaning but forced himself to keep up the small talk. “You’re not young anymore, cousin—why haven’t you married?”

Even Qiao Zhi, who had been watching from the sidelines, glanced at Qin Che with a hint of exasperation.

They could hardly know that Qin Che was now like an ant on a hot pan. Because of past events, he’d always felt unable to hold his head high before Lian Yue and her brother, and now he only wished to escape as quickly as possible. His mind was a muddled haze; all he could do was instinctively answer whatever Yue Lingjun asked, following his lead.

Yue Lingjun looked at his cousin, a wave of inexplicable disgust rising in his chest. In what way was he inferior? Why, of all people, did Lan Shui only have eyes for him? Why couldn’t he have been born a couple of years earlier, so at least Lan Shui wouldn’t have only seen him as a younger brother? His tone grew chilly. “You jest, cousin. If I am to marry, it must be for mutual affection. It’s not a matter of simply picking any woman at random.”

Yue Lingjun’s words struck Qin Che’s sore spot mercilessly. Even a clay Bodhisattva receives some incense—let alone a grown man subjected time and again to such cold sarcasm. He stopped in his tracks, voice sharp: “What do you mean by that, cousin?”

“Exactly what it sounds like,” Lian Yue interjected, unwilling to let her brother continue exchanging barbs. Her tone was almost roguish. “If you can’t even understand something that simple, you’re not the cousin Qin Che I remember. I’d never heard of marriage making people stupid, but now I’ve seen it firsthand.”

Lian Yue’s retort left Qin Che flushed, his voice trembling, “You…what do you mean by that…”

“I already told you, it’s exactly what it sounds like. Or do you really need to prove to me that you’ve become a fool?”

“Hahaha…wonderful…truly wonderful!” Qiao Zhi could no longer contain himself, clapping and laughing heartily. “Luckily I came today, or I’d have missed such a show. Splendid…absolutely splendid…”

Qin Che could endure his cousins’ sarcasm, but that didn’t mean he had to tolerate it from others. “Your Highness, this is a private matter between my cousins and me. Would you kindly excuse yourself?”

Qiao Zhi had no intention of missing out on such lively entertainment. “Private or public, we’re all family here! Carry on, don’t mind me!”

Interrupted, Qin Che’s mind cleared a bit. “Cousins, if you have anything to say, speak plainly. There’s no need to be so circuitous.”

Lian Yue resisted the urge to kick Qiao Zhi twice—he’d ruined the carefully cultivated atmosphere of righteous accusation. It was indeed time to get to the point. “Your Highness, please excuse us!”

“Why sh…” Qiao Zhi met Lian Yue’s misty gaze and swallowed the rest of his words, waving his hand. “All right, all right, I yield! I’ll go, I’ll go!”

Lian Yue’s heart was already aching for Sister Lan; feigning tears was child’s play. The poor Prince Carefree’s authority was utterly crushed by her—he was hardly carefree now. Seeing him finally yield, Lian Yue’s eyes cleared, and she pointed to a patch of bright peonies nearby. “Then please, Your Highness, go admire the flowers over there for a while.”

Qiao Zhi now felt a pang of sympathy for Qin Che, who was about to face a storm. If he could do it all over, he’d have firmly allied himself with Qin Che—but, alas, there was no going back. All he could do was go and admire the flowers.

Once Qiao Zhi had moved off, Lian Yue spoke. “Cousin, for now I’ll still call you that. Do you acknowledge yourself as our cousin?”

Qin Che answered without hesitation, “Of course.”

“Then is it still as it was in the past? If anyone bullies us, you’ll still stand up for us?”

“Certainly.”

That was exactly the answer Lian Yue wanted. “Then, cousin, why did you conspire with others to bully us?”

Qin Che was baffled—when had he ever conspired with anyone? He looked at Lian Yue, confused, waiting for her to continue.

“Though I was young back then, there are things I remember very clearly. When I say ‘us,’ of course I include my Sister Lan. Do you agree, cousin?”

At the mention of Lan Shui, a flicker of guilt crossed Qin Che’s face. He nodded silently.

Lian Yue pressed her advantage. “Then why did you protect, just now, the one who bullied Sister Lan? If she hadn’t resorted to those despicable tricks back then, would Sister Lan have been heartbroken for so many years?” Lian Yue grew angrier as she spoke. “And you—you were an accomplice! Why didn’t you stand firm back then? From what I saw today, you must have already set your heart elsewhere at the time. Or was it all just a game to you?”

As Lian Yue’s accusations mounted, Qin Che’s expression grew more and more pained. “There were hidden reasons behind what happened back then. I—”

Yue Lingjun’s anger had been stoked by Lian Yue’s every word. Now, seeing Qin Che try to justify himself, he didn’t let him finish—his right fist swung straight for Qin Che’s face.

Qin Che, caught in a moment of confusion, failed to dodge and took the blow squarely. Blood trickled from his split lip.

Lian Yue knew her brother was angry, but had never thought he would actually strike. In her original plan, if Qin Che showed no remorse, she herself would have found a discreet way to make him suffer—not fatally, but enough to make him pay. Now, she was startled by her brother’s decisive punch.

But one punch wasn’t enough for Yue Lingjun; his other fist followed swiftly. Qin Che, unwilling to simply take another hit, dodged with agility. “What is the meaning of this, cousin? Why are you resorting to violence?”

Yue Lingjun swung again. “What does it mean? It means exactly what these fists mean!”

After dodging several blows and seeing that Yue Lingjun had no intention of stopping, Qin Che changed tactics, catching and pinning Yue Lingjun’s arms.

Lian Yue had never seen her brother so unrestrained. By the time she recovered, the scene was already a mess: Qin Che’s face was badly bruised, blood smeared half-clean from his lips, while her brother’s hands were pinned tightly in front of him, eyes blazing with fury.

“Even now you’re making excuses. I truly don’t understand what Sister Lan ever saw in you, to let you hurt her for so many years. Do you know what she’s been through? That gentle, cheerful girl was reduced to silence and sorrow by you. If not for me, I doubt I’d ever see her smile. She’s suffered so much—why do you get to enjoy a loving marriage?”

Qin Che’s frustration, brought to a head by the punch, finally erupted. “Do you think she was the only one in pain? I suffered too! I fought back, but didn’t she give up as well? The marriage was already set—what could I do? Do you think I haven’t been tormented all these years? Why do you think I never accompanied my mother when she returned to the Yue family? You’ve seen how my mother treats Jing Ru. You all think my life is easy.”

“That’s your own fault. You deserve it.”

“Yes, I admit it. But isn’t years of punishment enough?”

“And Sister Lan? Hasn’t she suffered enough?”

Lian Yue watched the two men bicker, neither willing to yield. She wanted to mediate but couldn’t find the words, so she waved for Qing Feng and the others to separate them. Qiao Zhi seized the chance to slip back and quietly asked Lian Yue, “Why are they fighting now? The show just keeps getting better!”

Lian Yue stomped hard on his foot, warning him not to take pleasure in others’ misfortune. Qiao Zhi grimaced in pain but dared not retaliate, suppressing the urge to bend down and rub his toes, moving them gingerly.

Lian Yue ignored him, gazing at the two men, whose necks were still stiff with anger. She sighed—in another world, if her brother hadn’t loved Sister Lan, or if her cousin hadn’t protected that woman, perhaps the two could have sat down and talked things out. Now, things were utterly irreparable. Of course, in this, Lian Yue’s allegiance was firmly with her brother.

“Cousin, I don’t care for your words. I trust only what I see. If this is punishment, you certainly don’t seem to be suffering—your wife sings and you follow her lead, don’t you? My brother shouldn’t have struck you, but surely that punch was for Sister Lan. Did you not deserve it?”

Qin Che, who had been holding himself stiffly, suddenly slumped, his head drooping. “It’s true—I wronged Shui’er back then. If you’re still angry, hit me a few more times.”

Yue Lingjun’s eyes glinted dangerously. “Are you even worthy of calling her Shui’er?”

“No…” Qin Che’s lowered face was filled with self-mockery. “I no longer have that right.”

At that moment, Qiao Zhi gently tugged Lian Yue’s sleeve. Lian Yue glowered at him, but he merely lifted his chin slightly. Following his signal, Lian Yue saw a slender figure hurrying along the path behind Qin Che, making her way toward them. A golden opportunity…