Chapter Twenty-Two: Ji Qingwan and Ma Zhen Form an Alliance
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While Fang Yun was seething at the system, Ji Qingwan took the gift she had prepared after countless hardships and went to see Ma Zhen.
In order to meet Ma Zhen, she had even humbled herself to ask the second young lady of the Xia family to arrange an introduction.
The younger members of the Xia and Ma families were on fairly good terms, so Ma Zhen was willing to show the Xia family some consideration.
Originally, Ma Zhen refused to see anyone because of the injuries on her face. But the second young lady of the Xia family, who was on good terms with her, told her that Ji Qingwan had medicine capable of making wounds heal quickly.
In order to meet Li Wangcheng in the best possible condition, Ma Zhen had repeatedly tormented her own face. The more she ruined it, the more she hated Fang Yun.
Ma Zhen had nearly given up, but after hearing what the second young lady of the Xia family said, she first wondered whether the medicine truly worked. Yet when she remembered that she would be seeing Li Wangcheng the next day, she found it difficult not to be tempted to give it a try.
And so Ji Qingwan was granted the opportunity to meet her.
In truth, she did not necessarily need to act so hastily. Even if she wanted to make Ma Zhen’s acquaintance, she could meet her at the banquet. There would be far more opportunities then, and it would not be nearly so difficult as it was now.
But for some reason, Ji Qingwan felt uneasy, as though if she did not do something immediately, she would lose her chance forever.
Fortunately, her efforts had not been in vain. Even after being brought before Ma Zhen, she was still somewhat nervous, and remained so until Ma Zhen asked what she wanted.
Ji Qingwan curved her lips into a smile and told her about the grudge between herself and Fang Yun.
When Ma Zhen heard that Fang Yun had once been married and was an orphan by birth, her eyes immediately lit up.
Perhaps these pampered young ladies had lived too sheltered a life, leaving their minds trapped in the past and causing them to look down on ordinary people from their lofty positions.
“Is everything you said true?” After her initial excitement, Ma Zhen asked Ji Qingwan for confirmation once more.
Upon receiving an affirmative answer, Ma Zhen touched her own face. The smug smile on her lips and the scabbed-over wounds made her already ordinary features appear somewhat ferocious.
Ji Qingwan glanced at her only once before lowering her eyes, concealing the disdain within them.
If Ma Zhen had not been relying on her powerful father, how could she have indulged in such wild fantasies? To dream of Li Wangcheng was simply courting death.
Still, no matter how much Ma Zhen coveted Li Wangcheng, it had nothing to do with Ji Qingwan. All she wanted was to join forces with her against Fang Yun.
“You said you want to deal with Fang Yun. What is there to deal with? She is only an orphan. With the world outside in such chaos, killing her would be as easy as finding someone to do it for us.”
After her excitement faded, Ma Zhen remembered Ji Qingwan’s purpose and could not help frowning.
Was it really necessary to go to so much trouble over Fang Yun?
With her family’s current influence, there were plenty of people willing to risk their lives for them. Would killing Fang Yun really be difficult?
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Ji Qingwan’s lips twitched speechlessly. She felt that Ma Zhen was hopelessly stupid.
“She is with Li Wangcheng. Whether or not she can be considered one of his people, if anything happens to her, do you really think Li Wangcheng will stand by and do nothing?”
Ma Zhen was taken aback and hesitated.
She did not actually know Li Wangcheng well, but when she had followed him back to the tent that day, she had clearly seen that he treated Fang Yun differently.
It was precisely that unusual regard that made Ma Zhen hesitate.
Killing Fang Yun would be easy. But if it caused trouble afterward and affected her father’s plans, even dying a hundred times would not be enough to appease him.
At the thought of what Ma Qibo was like when he lost his temper, she could not help shuddering.
“Then… what do you think we should do?” Ma Zhen’s expression darkened slightly. Coming back to herself, she turned to Ji Qingwan for advice.
Seeing that Ma Zhen had taken her words to heart, Ji Qingwan smiled in satisfaction and leaned close to whisper something in her ear.
Only after leaving the Ma family’s camp completely satisfied did Ji Qingwan’s good mood begin to falter. It lasted all the way back to her own camp, until she lifted the tent flap and saw Chen Yuanlin. The smile on her face froze for an instant.
“Qingwan, you’re back?” Hearing the commotion, Chen Yuanlin turned around. When he saw that it was Ji Qingwan, he hurriedly put on his usual smile.
The moment he looked over, Ji Qingwan quickly adjusted her own expression as well.
She walked up to Chen Yuanlin and asked softly, “Brother Yuanlin, I did my best to help you, but…”
Chen Yuanlin’s face stiffened. Assuming that Ji Qingwan had failed to accomplish what he wanted, his expression grew noticeably worse.
He had been looking forward to tomorrow’s visit to the Ma family for two whole days. He had made all the necessary preparations and rehearsed the things he needed to say countless times. And now she was telling him that he could not go?
Was that not the same as giving him hope, only to cruelly shatter his expectations?
“But…”
He was just about to speak when he heard Ji Qingwan’s abrupt turn. He immediately looked at her hopefully.
“But what? Qingwan, do you still have a way?”
“There is a way.” As Ji Qingwan spoke, she put on a troubled expression.
“Then hurry up and tell me. What is it?” Chen Yuanlin was annoyed by her hesitation, and impatience naturally entered his voice.
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But as soon as the words left his mouth, he realized that his attitude was inappropriate and quickly apologized.
“I’m sorry, Qingwan. You know this concerns the survival of the Chen family, so I was too anxious. I shouldn’t have spoken to you like that.”
Ji Qingwan pretended to be magnanimous and shook her head. “It’s all right, Brother Yuanlin. I know you were only too anxious.”
She did not give Chen Yuanlin another chance to question her and went straight to the conditions.
“Actually, I met the second young lady of the Xia family yesterday. I begged her to find a way to obtain another invitation for tomorrow, and she went directly to the eldest young lady of the Ma family. You know what she is like. She has always looked down on people like us. But after I pleaded with her for quite some time, she said…”
At the crucial moment, Ji Qingwan deliberately paused again, keeping Chen Yuanlin in suspense. She wanted to see him longing to lose his temper but unable to do so.
“What did she say?” Chen Yuanlin waited for two seconds. When she remained silent, a trace of impatience flashed through his eyes, and he asked through clenched restraint.
“Her words were unpleasant. Basically, she said that Lord Ma likes women who are beautiful and spirited. If you want an invitation, you should cater to his preferences.”
Ji Qingwan spoke in a very low voice, but Chen Yuanlin, who was standing nearby, heard every word clearly.
He lowered his head and fell into thought, completely missing the cold smile on Ji Qingwan’s face.
“Brother Yuanlin, perhaps we should forget it?” After a while, Ji Qingwan pretended to try to persuade him.
“The world outside is already like this. Never mind beautiful, spirited women—there are hardly any women left at all. Where are we supposed to find the sort Lord Ma likes?”
“No. There is one.”
Chen Yuanlin interrupted her.
Ji Qingwan paused and looked up at him. When she saw his expression, she understood that he had already thought of Fang Yun.
“Who?” she asked.
Chen Yuanlin did not answer. Instead, he turned and seized Ji Qingwan’s hand.
“Qingwan, send word to the eldest young lady of the Ma family for me. Tell her that she must give me an invitation. Tomorrow, I will personally bring the woman before Lord Ma. I guarantee that he will be satisfied.”
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