Chapter Forty-Four: Mother, What Should We Do Now?

“Cousin, I... I can’t right now... Let’s wait a little longer, until Aunt’s health improves!” Shui Ruolan struggled to free her hand, her gentle gaze falling upon Qin Huaiyong.

She asked for nothing more than his consideration for the old lady’s wellbeing.

Qin Huaiyong was shaken. The old lady was ill, and it seemed serious. She had never fallen ill at this time of year before, and now the sickness had come upon her so suddenly.

When he had gone to visit her, he had asked Nanny Duan, who told him that lately, only the youngest daughter had visited. Neither Lady Di nor Qin Yuru had bothered to check on her. Though the old lady was not his birth mother, she had painstakingly raised him since he was a child after his own father died early. In that sense, she was as good as his real mother.

No one could replace the bond between mother and son.

He understood the meaning behind Shui Ruolan’s words and was deeply moved. He gazed at her for a long moment, loosened his grip, nodded solemnly, and said, “Very well, I understand. Then in a few days, you should return first.”

Qin Yuru, her hand still injured, was in a foul mood. Late into the night, she still could not sleep and made a fuss, demanding that someone fetch her food from the kitchen!

Her maid, Meiyan, dared not neglect her, hurrying down the corridor with a lantern toward the kitchen. This was already the tenth time today she had made this trip, but she dared not refuse. Just earlier, Meixue had been slapped hard several times across the face for being a little slow bringing a vase.

As Qin Yuru’s personal maids, they all knew that the young lady’s gentle and delicate demeanor was nothing but a façade for outsiders.

“There was a letter, I heard it was written by the young lady to the heir of Lord Yongkang. That letter—if anyone saw it, would she ever dare show her face again?” The laughter was soft, but in the stillness of the night, it carried clearly through the wall.

Meiyan paused in shock and pressed herself against the wall.

“That’s right; the letter was found by Qionghua. If it’s shown to the General, not only the young lady but even Madam would be too ashamed to step outside!” another voice said teasingly—it sounded like two maids gossiping.

Meiyan’s face changed dramatically. She looked at the high courtyard wall, then turned right towards a moon gate; she had to find the gossips.

Apart from a few confidantes around Madam and the young lady, no one should know about the letter. But the voices she heard sounded like ordinary maids.

How did anyone else know about the letter, and how did Qionghua come to find it? The thought of what might happen next made Meiyan tremble all over with anxiety.

She hurried around the wall, only to find no one outside. Standing still for a moment, she decided to abandon her errand to the kitchen and rushed back, her heart aflame with worry.

“So quick with the snacks, Meiyan?” At the doorway, she ran into Meixue, who had just come out. Meixue’s face was swollen, obviously from a beating, which filled Meiyan with bitterness. They were both Qin Yuru’s senior maids, usually treated with respect by others—when had they ever been the butt of jokes?

With such marks on her face, Meixue was too ashamed to go outside, and Meiyan felt much the same.

“Is the young lady asleep?” Meiyan asked in a low voice.

“Not yet,” Meixue replied bitterly, glancing at Meiyan’s empty hands, her face changing as she warned, “If you go in like that, you’ll…”

“I have urgent news!” Meiyan interrupted, lifting the curtain and hurrying inside. She passed through the outer room into the inner chamber, where Qin Yuru sat under the lamp. At the sound of footsteps, Qin Yuru’s cold gaze snapped up. Seeing Meiyan empty-handed, a flash of malice crossed her eyes, and she hurled the teacup at Meiyan’s face.

In the past, she would have cared about her reputation and, even if she raised a hand against her maids, would have done so in a discreet manner. The long needle in the sewing basket was not for embroidery, but for stabbing. The maids often had wounds on their hands and arms, but outsiders never knew.

Meiyan, expecting such treatment, dodged the teacup, which smashed at her feet rather than hitting her face.

“Kneel!” Qin Yuru commanded icily. Her face was smeared with green ointment, giving her features a sickly, greasy look under the lamplight—her once-beautiful face now appeared grotesque.

“My lady!” Meiyan pleaded, glancing at the shards at her feet.

“Is the broken porcelain beneath you too precious to kneel on? If you don’t kneel, tomorrow I’ll have you sold off to some filthy place—then see if you dare complain!” Qin Yuru sneered.

“My lady, I have something important to report!” Meiyan dared not hesitate. She had seen the ‘well-bred’ young lady lose her temper before. Her legs gave way, and she knelt, shards cutting into her knees and draining the color from her face.

“What is it?” Qin Yuru asked coldly, satisfied as she saw blood pool at Meiyan’s knees.

“My lady, when I went to the kitchen for snacks, I overheard two maids saying that Qionghua, Miss Shui’s maid, had found the letter you wrote to the heir of Lord Yongkang…” The pain in her legs was excruciating, but Meiyan forced herself to concentrate, sweat beading on her forehead.

“What—? The letter is lost? Speak clearly!” Qin Yuru shot up, her face ashen, and for once, forgot to punish Meiyan further. She turned to Meixue, who had just entered, and ordered, “Help her up!”

Meixue hurried to assist the trembling Meiyan.

“My lady, I only heard them say so and immediately went to look, but saw no one. It must have been two passing maids—I can’t be sure it’s true,” Meiyan said, steadying herself as the pain subsided. Still, she dared not take responsibility; after all, the maids had spoken so clearly—if it wasn’t true, how could they know?

Qin Yuru bit her lip, her face deathly pale. “Quickly, go and fetch Mother!”

Meixue complied and hurried out, while Meiyan carefully moved to the side, leaning against the wall, blood still trickling from her legs, but not daring to make a sound.

Madam Di came quickly. Hearing that Qin Yuru’s letter had fallen into Shui Ruolan’s hands, she set aside her reluctance to face anyone and rushed over with Nanny Zhou.

“How did this happen?” Madam Di demanded as soon as she entered, her face swollen as well. “What trouble have you stirred up now?”

“Mother, you were the one who sent the letter, how is this my fault?” Qin Yuru retorted angrily.

“I arranged for it to be sent directly to the capital. How could it possibly have been found?” Madam Di snapped, rubbing her brow, and forcing herself to calm down. “Tell me exactly what happened.”

One problem after another left Madam Di at her wit’s end.

“Speak!” Qin Yuru ordered Meiyan coldly.

“Madam, I overheard two maids in the kitchen saying so, but by the time I got there, they were gone, so I don’t know if it’s true,” Meiyan stammered, suddenly regretting her meddling.

“Useless!” Madam Di fumed, pressing her temples and drawing a deep breath to steady herself.

“Mother, what shall we do? If Shui Ruolan gives Father the letter... what will become of me?” Qin Yuru asked in panic.

“It’s fine... I’ll go see Shui Ruolan tomorrow. Even if the letter is real, it can’t be pinned on you!” Madam Di said coldly, pacing in agitation.

Her words calmed Qin Yuru, who raised her injured right hand triumphantly. “Exactly! My hand is hurt—I couldn’t have written it. Even if Shui Ruolan accuses me, I can say she forged it herself!”

The letter was written by Madam Di; though she had tried to disguise her hand, she couldn’t be sure Qin Huaiyong wouldn’t suspect. In the past, Madam Di could have rested easy, but now, feeling the dull ache on her face, she made up her mind—Qin Huaiyong must not see that letter.

Not even the slightest suspicion could be allowed.

“Mother, can’t we blame this on Qin Wanru?” Qin Yuru, who now hated Qin Wanru with a passion, asked through gritted teeth, her eyes glinting with malice. She was convinced everything stemmed from Qin Wanru.

“There’s no way to shift the blame to her!” Madam Di snapped, growing impatient. The matter was already difficult enough without trying to frame Qin Wanru as well.

“Mother, all this started with Qin Wanru. If she hadn’t smashed the bridal sedan and let Qi Tianyu find those letters in my room, none of this would have happened. That wretch—I’ll never forgive her!” Qin Yuru said, her beautiful face twisted with rage.

She placed all the blame on Qin Wanru, as if she herself were the innocent victim.

“Yuru, she’s just a little girl, and her future is in my hands. Your prospects are boundless—how can you waste your energy on her? She’s mere rubble, while you are a jewel. What you need to do now is win her over. Matters in Jiangzhou are as they are; when we reach the capital, everything will be possible!” Madam Di’s cold gaze bored into Qin Yuru as she lectured her sternly.

“But Mother, after what she’s done to me, I can’t accept it!” Qin Yuru said, her face contorted with resentment.

“So what if you can’t? There will be plenty of opportunities to trample her in the future. For now, stay indoors and focus on your recovery. Once your father returns to the capital, everything will be set right!” Madam Di said darkly. “When we’re in the capital, no one will know what happened in Jiangzhou. And even if word gets out, I’ve already sent a letter putting the blame on Qin Wanru. It will have nothing to do with you.”