Chapter 47: The Maid She Chose Herself?

At these words, Lady Di’s expression froze, her features stiffening in embarrassment. She had forgotten that Qin Wanru already knew she was not her birth mother!

“Mother, you came in and immediately listened to this maid, putting all the blame on me without hesitation. You didn’t even notice that she deliberately gathered everyone here just to humiliate me. In this courtyard, I seem to command less respect than a mere servant. Don’t you find that odd, Mother?”

Seizing Lady Di’s momentary distraction, Qin Wanru raised her eyes and continued calmly.

“How should I know what’s going on with the servants in your courtyard?” Lady Di, flustered by the retort, grew angry and defensive.

“Mother, you oversee the rear quarters. Are you saying you’ve never known what happens in my courtyard?” Qin Wanru’s clear eyes rested upon Lady Di’s face, unperturbed, as if all of this were perfectly ordinary.

Such a young girl, standing in the crowd, looked up at Lady Di, who towered over her. The surrounding servants whispered among themselves, not a single word in her favor.

This was supposed to be the residence of a well-bred young lady, yet at the moment, it resembled a disorderly marketplace, and Lady Di, who managed the rear quarters, claimed ignorance.

Qin Huaiyong suddenly found the scene before him intolerable—so jarring he could hardly bear to watch. He glanced at his attendant, who immediately coughed loudly and announced in a stern voice, “The General is here!”

At once, the maids and matrons crowding the doorway and windows fell back in a flurry and all went silent; gone was the previous clamor.

Qin Huaiyong swept his gaze over the maids and matrons before striding purposefully into the house, hands clasped behind his back.

Inside, Lady Di sensed trouble. She hadn’t expected Qin Huaiyong to arrive just as she was reprimanding Qin Wanru. She shot a quick look at Nanny Zhou beside her, who responded with a steadying glance.

“General!” Lady Di composed herself and hurried forward with a forced smile.

Qin Huaiyong, however, ignored her, his attention fixed on Qingcui, still kneeling on the floor. He had actually been standing outside for some time and had overheard much of what had happened.

This maid was clearly the instigator. Normally, he paid little attention to the girls serving his daughter, but now, seeing her, his anger flared anew. This maid’s attire was far more extravagant than the others: her clothes were of a finer material, and she wore earrings, her appearance brazen and coquettish. For a young noblewoman to have such a flamboyant maid at her side—what would others think? If this was how the maid comported herself, what could they expect of the mistress?

“So this is the maid who was beaten and then drew everyone here for a spectacle?” Qin Huaiyong asked coldly.

Qin Wanru now stepped forward and saluted him. When he questioned her, she nodded, pointing to a letter that had fallen to the floor. With composure, she said, “Father, this is the maid who caused the commotion. She somehow found a letter and immediately insisted it was written by me, arguing there was no other mistress nearby, and so it must be mine.”

“Bring it here!” Qin Huaiyong’s gaze fell upon Lady Di.

She tensed all over, struggling to keep her expression neutral. The letter was, indeed, meant to reach Qin Huaiyong eventually—but certainly not at this moment. Yet she dared not intervene, only clutching her handkerchief tighter.

The attendant picked up the letter and handed it to Qin Huaiyong. It was sealed, addressed simply to “Heir Di.” The handwriting was unremarkable, but the strokes were delicate—a woman’s hand, most likely. In the inner quarters, only someone not close to Lady Di would address the heir this way; it could not be Lady Di herself, nor Qin Yuru, and his own mother was bedridden and would not write such things. Thus, it appeared the letter was from Qin Wanru, who was not close to Lady Di.

On the surface, all signs pointed that way.

“So you listened to the maid and immediately decided this letter was from Wanru?” Qin Huaiyong asked, his eyes cold as he regarded Lady Di.

“General… this, this is what the maid said…” Lady Di stammered, her previous resolve evaporated.

“Is this maid your own daughter, that you defend her so?” Qin Huaiyong rebuked her sternly.

“I… General, how can you say such a thing? I was merely trying to handle the matter, but things grew chaotic, and Wanru blamed me, that’s all!” Lady Di pressed her handkerchief to her face, feigning grievance.

“Who assigned this maid to serve Wanru?” Qin Huaiyong demanded.

Lady Di was startled and quickly replied, “She… she was chosen by Wanru herself. She’s served her for over a year.”

“Over a year, and you’ve allowed a maid to outshine her mistress? Look at her—if she stands beside Wanru, one might mistake Wanru for the servant!” Qin Huaiyong’s gaze landed on Qin Wanru, whose simple jade-white dress, though elegant, was almost austere compared to the maid’s gaudy attire.

“But… she picked the maid herself,” Lady Di tried to excuse herself. She would never admit that she’d had Nanny Fang trick Qin Wanru into choosing the maid when the girl was barely nine—easily deceived.

“How old was she then?” Qin Huaiyong’s brow furrowed deeply.

Lady Di could not answer, twisting her handkerchief furiously and biting her lip. If not for today’s spectacle, the General would never have humiliated her in front of all the servants.

“Could a child so young truly choose her own servants? I recall the nanny who was flogged to death was your person, wasn’t she? Your people manage Wanru’s courtyard, yet a maid is allowed to dominate, and the whole household treats Wanru as if she were not their mistress, gossiping about her in public. Are they all people she picked?” Qin Huaiyong’s tone dripped with sarcasm.

With one incident after another, it was clear to him now that Lady Di had no real affection for Wanru—indeed, she was utterly indifferent to her. All those earlier protestations about treating Wanru as her own daughter had been empty words, meant to fool him.

He had no other children—only these two girls. Even if Wanru wasn’t his by birth, he’d raised her as his own and had grown fond of her over the years, especially remembering the day he had been saved by that person. He could not help but feel he owed a debt to the past.

“General, I… I know little of these matters,” Lady Di hastened to explain, realizing the situation was dire.

“A mistress of the inner court who knows nothing of such affairs—what is the point of your oversight?” Qin Huaiyong said bluntly.

“General, I truly didn’t know. Nanny Fang always told me everything was well, that everyone in the courtyard respected Wanru greatly,” Lady Di replied, weeping and eager to pass the blame—Nanny Fang was gone now, after all, and could not protest.

“Does Mother understand now?” Qin Wanru had no intention of letting Lady Di off so easily. “Will you find time to take a more active hand in these matters?”

Lady Di’s expression grew stiffer, her eyes resentful as she glanced at the stern-faced Qin Huaiyong. At last, she forced herself to say, “Wanru, don’t worry. I’ll have everyone in your courtyard who won’t obey replaced at once. You can choose new ones yourself, and this time, make sure to pick only those who are well-behaved and respectful.”

“Mother need not worry. Without Nanny Fang, I’ll be sure to choose only honest servants who know how to respect me,” Qin Wanru replied, her brows arching.

Her words clearly implied that it had always been Nanny Fang, Lady Di’s confidante, who had tricked her into picking unruly servants—a fact Qin Huaiyong understood all too well.

Upon hearing this, Lady Di’s face darkened, but she dared not show her anger. She realized she had fallen into Wanru’s trap—such a convenient turn of events could not be coincidental. She clenched her teeth in secret, but her face assumed a loving expression. “Wanru, it’s good to see you so sensible. That puts my mind at ease.”

“Mother, please sell this maid,” Qin Wanru said, ignoring her feigned affection. Her gaze, calm and unyielding, fell on Qingcui. “I cannot keep such a maid.”

“Madam, save me! Madam, please save me!” Qingcui, seeing Qin Huaiyong’s gaze turn toward her, paled in panic. Crying, she crawled toward Lady Di, realizing now that things had gone terribly wrong and her words began to falter.

Nanny Zhou, seeing this, stepped forward and blocked Lady Di, shouting sternly, “You have angered the Second Miss. You should be begging her! Our Madam has always cherished the Second Miss and puts her wishes above all else.”

There was a clear implication in her words, one Qingcui immediately understood. She turned and threw herself at Qin Wanru, clutching her leg and pleading, “Second Miss, I swear I only found the letter by chance. I assumed only you in this household would address the Heir Di in such a way. Second Miss, I truly meant no harm. Please, don’t sell me! I’ll work myself to the bone if you let me stay.”

Her cries sounded heartbreakingly sincere, and she even let go and knocked her head on the floor three times, leaving a large red lump on her pale forehead. “Please, Miss, don’t sell me to such a place. I am from a respectable family. If you do, I’ll have no choice but to die!”

Her pitiful display drew sympathetic glances from the maids and matrons outside, who all thought Qin Wanru was being too ruthless.

She truly was Lady Di’s most capable retainer. With a single word from Nanny Zhou, Qingcui had spun the situation, making Qin Wanru appear merciless, as if intending to turn her father’s heart against her.

“You believe only I would use such an address?” Qin Wanru asked coldly.

“Yes, I was mistaken, Second Miss! Please, forgive me!” Qingcui wailed. “I found the letter and brought it right to you, assuming it was yours. It was all my fault—I know nothing more!”

She cried as she spoke, furtively glancing at Nanny Zhou. Seeing a hint of a smile on the old woman’s face, she relaxed, confident that with the General present, the Second Miss could not act against her. After all, her intentions had been good. She felt a surge of satisfaction—until Qin Wanru’s next words drained all color from her lips.

“Qingcui, as I recall, you cannot read. How did you know the letter was addressed to the Heir Di?”