Chapter Forty-Two: The Struggle Between Two Houses

“Miss, I saw Madam return in a hurry, carrying several letters. She went into the Eldest Miss’s courtyard, called for the housekeeper’s matron, and after a while the matron left with several letters in hand, rushing out. I’m not sure if this has anything to do with you.” Qingyue spoke with concern.

Her hesitation stemmed from uncertainty over whether this mattered to her mistress.

Qin Wanru pondered for a moment. “So, Madam left the Eldest Miss’s courtyard in haste, returned with several letters, then had the housekeeper’s matron send them out?”

Given the gravity of Qin Yuru’s situation, if Lady Di was still writing letters instead of staying by her daughter’s side, they must be destined for the capital—most likely to request ointment. The burns on Qin Yuru’s palm were so severe that it would be nearly impossible for any physician in Jiangzhou to treat them effectively. The most likely scenario was that they were appealing to the Marquis of Yongkang’s household in the capital for medicine.

“Go to Nanny Yu at once and have her find Brother Feng. Try to procure one of those letters. There are several; whichever one we obtain will be useful. Whether written by Qin Yuru or Lady Di, they’re bound to reveal something important.”

“But… if Madam finds out…” Qingyue worriedly reminded Qin Wanru. They had already had Wang Feng smash the bridal sedan earlier; if she involved him again, Lady Di would never forgive either Nanny Yu or Wang Feng.

“There’s no need for Wang Feng to confront the housekeeper’s matron directly,” Qin Wanru said, her eyes glinting with confidence. She leaned in and whispered a few instructions into Qingyue’s ear.

Qingyue’s eyes lit up as she listened, nodding rapidly. She left the room, supporting Qin Wanru by the waist before rushing off to find Nanny Yu.

Qin Wanru continued onwards, her hand at her waist, swaying with every step.

When she reached the gate, Qingyue hurried back out. She reached out to steady Qin Wanru, about to speak, but upon meeting her mistress’s luminous gaze, she instantly fell silent and obediently escorted her inside.

The maids and matrons in the courtyard, seeing Qin Wanru’s return, hastened to greet her, then watched curiously as she walked into the main room, supporting her waist.

“What happened to the Second Miss?”

“How did she hurt her waist?”

“Did she get into a fight with someone?”

“That’s right—Miss Qi is still in the residence. Did they fight again?” The maids and matrons clustered in small groups, their voices low but interspersed with laughter—grating to the ear.

Furious, Qingyue turned to scold them, but Qin Wanru held her back.

“Miss, look at these people. They don’t truly regard you as their mistress!” Qingyue fumed. Not only did they gossip about their mistress, they even sounded pleased at her misfortune, making Qingyue’s face pale with anger.

“Let them talk for now,” Qin Wanru replied with a faint smile, the corners of her lips curving gently as she sat before the dressing table.

Qingyue quickly fetched a basin of water, helped her wash her face, and assisted her in changing clothes. “Miss, should we call for a physician to take a look?”

“No need. I’m much better now; it’s nothing serious.” Qin Wanru shook her head, touching her waist. It seemed to have stopped hurting altogether, and she couldn’t tell if it was because she was young and had no waist to speak of, or if she hadn’t actually twisted it—perhaps it was only bruised.

“Miss, you really should see a doctor. I can’t help but worry,” Qingyue pleaded.

“I’m fine.” Qin Wanru stood and walked to the window. The gauze curtain hung down, making it impossible to see inside from the courtyard, though she could see out. Even after all this time, several maids and matrons gathered in the corner, their laughter wanton and unrestrained. At the center was a maid, speaking animatedly.

She was a girl of thirteen or fourteen, about the same height as Qingyue but far more extravagantly dressed. Even from a distance, her bright attire made her stand out.

“Miss, that’s Qingcui who just returned. When I went to find Nanny Yu, she stopped me to ask about your whereabouts,” Qingyue explained, noticing Qin Wanru’s gaze.

Qingcui was also one of Qin Wanru’s senior maids. A few days earlier, she’d claimed her mother was ill and taken leave, but in truth, she simply didn’t want to follow Qin Wanru into a disastrous marriage with Magistrate Qi. Knowing full well that Qi Tianyu would stir up trouble that day, Qingcui had no intention of suffering alongside her mistress. Her heart had always been set on serving Qin Yuru, yet she hadn’t anticipated that Qin Wanru would come to no harm. Now, rumors were flying: the Eldest Miss’s disgrace, her attempt to marry into a higher family, her kicking away the eldest son of the Qi family, and her supposed involvement with a nobleman from the capital.

Some even hinted that the Eldest Miss had cuckolded Young Master Qi before they were married, and that she was already carrying a child.

After hearing this, Qingcui packed up and returned. Now, she was in the courtyard, gossiping with the others, eager for news.

When Qin Wanru returned, Qingcui had been indoors. Seeing her mistress enter, she deliberately lagged behind, then slipped out to gather information from the other maids and matrons.

Qin Wanru’s gaze landed on her, her young eyes shadowed with cold sharpness. In her previous life, after disaster struck, Qingcui had returned but did not go to serve Qin Yuru as she had always wished. Instead, she stayed at Qin Wanru’s side, helping Qin Yuru and Lady Di set traps for her, and ultimately conspiring with others to beat Qingyue to death in the woodshed.

To meet her again in this life—what a blessing.

Qingcui had long ago thrown her lot in with Lady Di and Qin Yuru; otherwise, how would she have known that the marriage was nothing but a calamity?

“Miss, shall I call her in for questioning?” Qingyue asked quietly, seeing her mistress’s face remain stern.

“No need,” Qin Wanru replied, her gaze lingering on the bright garments before she turned away, lips curling ever so slightly. “There’s no rush.”

A mere maid’s matter was not urgent—this courtyard needed a thorough cleansing; otherwise, who here truly took her for their mistress? Since Qingcui had made herself conspicuous, she would be the first; a clear warning to the rest.

The news that the Eldest Miss of Magistrate Qi’s household had been beaten by the Eldest Miss of General Ningyuan’s household once again swept through all of Jiangzhou. It was said that when Miss Qi returned home that day, her face was as swollen as a steamed bun and her clothes were in disarray.

The Eldest Miss of General Ningyuan’s household was not only vicious and base, but also brazen. Having committed such a crime, she refused to confess and instead beat her former fiancé’s younger sister so severely. Such a woman deserved to be drowned—indeed, not just deserved, but should have been drowned long ago, were it not for her being the general’s daughter.

Another rumor soon followed: it was said that the Second Miss was not Lady Di’s birth daughter, and all Lady Di’s past hypocrisy toward Qin Wanru was dragged out for scrutiny. Since she was not her own child, all misfortune was pushed onto the Second Miss, including the inexplicable marriage that had fallen upon her.

For a time, the entire city buzzed with talk of Lady Di and Qin Yuru’s misdeeds.

Then yet another story broke—this time from the physician treating the Eldest Miss. It was said that Miss Qi had lied. She was vicious too, pouring scalding porridge over Qin Yuru’s face and hand, and, lacking in respect, had even slapped Lady Ningyuan twice. Lady Ningyuan, unable to endure further, finally struck Qi Rongzhi.

When this came to light, Lady Ningyuan invited several wives of local officials to her residence. They saw the injured Qin Yuru for themselves, and compared to Qi Rongzhi’s face, Qin Yuru’s face and hand were far more severely wounded—particularly the large, red blister on her hand, which left all the ladies shocked.

Thus, after rumors of the Eldest Miss’s disgrace, news of Miss Qi’s malice and arrogance spread as well.

Although the marriage between General Ningyuan’s family and Magistrate Qi’s was broken off, for an unmarried girl like Qi Rongzhi to storm into someone’s home and attempt to ruin Qin Yuru’s looks was truly wicked. The family who had been negotiating a match with Qi Rongzhi immediately canceled the engagement.

If they brought Qi Rongzhi into their home, their family would never know peace. Who would dare marry such a venomous girl?

With this latest rumor, everyone knew that the Qi and Ningyuan households would never be as harmonious as before; even the veneer of civility between them would soon be lost.

Upon hearing of yet another scandal involving Qin Yuru, Qin Huaiyong stormed into Lady Di’s courtyard and slapped her hard, then marched off to his study in fury, not sparing Qin Yuru so much as a glance.

When this news reached Qin Wanru, she was in the midst of opening a letter—one procured by Wang Feng.

After the housekeeper’s matron collected the letters, she went to find the man who regularly delivered messages to the capital for direct delivery to the Marquis of Yongkang’s household. That man, as it happened, was familiar with Wang Feng, often working together. Once the matron had left the letters and gone, and as the messenger prepared his horse for the journey, Wang Feng gathered several helpers to organize supplies and, in the process, deftly pocketed one of the letters.

Now, that letter was in Qin Wanru’s hands. By chance, it was a letter from Qin Yuru to Shi Ziye Di Yan of the Marquis of Yongkang’s household in the capital.

Not only did it express her longing for Di Yan, it also shifted all blame for the events in Jiangzhou onto Qin Wanru. She claimed that Qin Wanru and Qi Tianyu had been carrying on secretly, hiding it from her, the elder sister—fortunately, the servant girl Qingcui had discovered them.

Their parents had already intended to arrange a marriage between Qi Tianyu and Qin Wanru, but Qin Wanru, it was said, was also involved with the second young master of Magistrate Qi’s family, driving Magistrate Qi to refuse the match.

She further wrote that Qi Tianyu’s sister, Qi Rongzhi, knowing nothing of the situation, had mistakenly blamed Qin Yuru, and in a fit of anger had thrown a bowl of scalding porridge at her face and hand, causing her current injuries…

In short, black was made white, and white turned to black—reversing every truth.