Just then, a familiar voice sounded by her ear.
“Ah Heng, what’s wrong? Standing here looking all preoccupied.”
Quan Heng turned and saw it was Ah Zheng. Her unease immediately eased a little. “I’m fine. Just a bit nervous coming home.”
Looking further behind him, she saw her older brother had also come and was looking at her gently.
Since their courtyards were close, it was only natural they’d come together.
Seeing her fingers twisting her sleeve, Quan Ye immediately knew she was nervous. He stepped forward to stand beside her and spoke casually, “Heng’er, let’s go in together.”
As he spoke, he reached out to pat her head.
Quan Heng quickly dodged away. “Big Brother! Don’t touch it! I just had my hair styled. Don’t mess it up!”
Seeing this, Quan Ye couldn’t help but laugh heartily. “All right, all right, I won’t touch my little sister’s hair. Don’t worry!”
After being teased like that, the unease in her heart completely vanished.
She turned her head and saw a rare smile on Ah Zheng’s face too. She glared at him angrily.
“You’re all making fun of me. I’m not talking to you anymore.”
With that, she turned and entered the main hall. Guided by Meixiang, she took her seat.
Now that Ah Zheng held the status of a maternal cousin from the main branch, he sat with Quan Ye on the same side.
But just as Quan Heng had sat down, an authoritative, elderly voice called out from above. “The girl in the pink dress—that must be Heng’er, yes? Come here and let Grandmother have a look.”
Quan Heng stood up and walked forward, giving a proper bow. “Granddaughter Ah Heng greets Grandmother. It’s my first time returning home.”
Seeing her manners were impeccable, the old madam nodded, removed a white jade bracelet from her wrist, and handed it to her.
The bracelet was pure and smooth, clearly of fine quality—not something ordinary.
“Heng’er, you’ve suffered these years, drifting out there on your own. Let this bracelet be your welcome gift. Take it.”
Quan Heng accepted it and bowed once again before returning to her seat.
At that moment, a girl sitting to the old madam’s right grew jealous. She clung to her arm and pouted, “Grandmother, that bracelet is so precious. I’ve begged you for it so many times, but you never gave it to me. Now that Sister Heng is back, you gave it to her right away?”
The old madam smiled helplessly and patted her hand in comfort. “Xiang’er, Grandmother doesn’t like that kind of talk. Haven’t I already given you enough over the years? Is one bracelet really worth the fuss?”
Quan Heng looked up and saw the girl called Xiang’er lying on Grandmother’s shoulder, but her eyes were glaring at her, full of resentment, as if Quan Heng had stolen something she cherished.
Sure enough, Quan Xiang was full of dissatisfaction. She began to mock openly, “Indeed. We from the third branch are Grandmother’s direct bloodline. Naturally, her things belong to our branch.”
She gave Quan Heng a long, sweeping look and sneered lazily, “As for Sister Heng from the first branch—she just doesn’t have that kind of good fortune. Lost since childhood, raised in some remote county, I hear even by a Yiniang—how could she possibly recognize how valuable that white jade bracelet is?”
Seeing that Quan Heng’s face had turned a little pale, Quan Xiang grew even more smug. “But it’s fine. Now that you’re back at the Marquis Manor, you’ve ‘risen like a phoenix.’ There’ll be plenty more grand occasions like this in the future. Just make sure when you’re out in public, you don’t embarrass our Marquis household!”
At these words, Ah Zheng shot up from his seat, fists clenched.
Seeing this, Quan Xiang sneered. “Oh? And who’s this country bumpkin? Says he’s a cousin from the main branch, but has no manners at all. The hosts are still seated, yet you stand—how rude.”
Hearing this, Quan Heng knew things were about to go wrong.
Ever since losing his memory, Ah Zheng’s emotions had been unstable. Provoked like this, he’d surely become furious.
In a panic, she looked at him, silently begging him to hold back.
But faster than her was her elder brother.
Quan Ye stood, pressed down on Ah Zheng’s shoulder, and coaxed him to sit. Then he slammed the table and shouted at Quan Xiang, “Fourth Sister, Heng’er just got back today, and you’re already saying such things to provoke her—what’s your intention? Do you want discord in the household?”
After that reprimand, Quan Xiang looked terribly embarrassed. But she had always feared this elder brother and didn’t dare talk back.
In the Marquis Manor, the first branch came from the Old Marquis’s original wife, the second from a concubine, and the third—the old madam’s branch—was from the current wife.
But the old madam was a second wife. The title still lay firmly in the hands of the first branch.
And Eldest Brother Quan Ye, though young, was already a general of the cavalry. It was all but certain he would inherit the title next. Quan Xiang dared not offend him now and could only apologize softly.
“I’m sorry, Brother. I was wrong. I shouldn’t have spoken recklessly.”
Quan Ye, however, did not let her off so easily. “You’re wrong? I don’t think you truly mean it. If Fourth Sister lacks proper upbringing, the fault lies most with Third Uncle!”
Third Uncle exploded at this. Pointing at Quan Ye, he cursed, “Outrageous!”
“How dare you, a junior, scold your elders? Utterly unfilial!”
But Quan Ye didn’t back down. He replied with biting sarcasm, “Third Uncle, elders must first set an example to deserve the respect of juniors. You spend your days cockfighting, gambling, and loitering in brothels—how can I respect you?”
With that, the whole room fell silent. Third Uncle was so enraged he could barely speak and slammed the table repeatedly. “Insolent! Insolent!”
He turned to the old madam, tears streaming down his face. “Mother, look at him! Your own son being humiliated by a younger generation—how can I show my face again?!”
By now, the old madam had already lost her temper. She smashed her teacup at the first branch’s table and shouted furiously, “Ah Ye! How disgraceful! How dare you insult your elders—what kind of behavior is this?!”
The teacup happened to shatter right in front of Quan Heng with a loud crack.
Though startled, she didn’t flinch. Instead, she lifted her head and straightened her back proudly.
This scene made Quan Xiang’s expression shift.
She had thought that a girl like Quan Heng, raised in a rural backwater, would be timid and petty—surely scared into tears after a bit of intimidation. She never expected such composure.
At this point, Ah Zheng’s face was already dark with anger.
Today was Ah Heng’s first day home, and already—it turned out the Quan household was no better than the Gu household.
Scheming, treacherous people—everywhere.
After he stood up, he walked over to Ah Heng’s side and shielded her tightly behind him, speaking in a low voice, “Don’t be afraid. If even this Quan Residence cannot accommodate us, we can always leave and find our own path.”
Upon hearing this, Quan Heng felt a sting at the tip of her nose.
Over the years, though she had dearly loved Fu Yiniang, no child could truly forget their own birth parents.
She, too, longed for the love of her family, to no longer be alone in the world.
Even during that month on the road returning to the residence, she had often imagined what life would be like once she returned to the Marquis household.
But she never imagined that upon arrival, she would be humiliated like this.
Quan Heng’s eyes turned red as tears fell. She wiped them away stubbornly and spoke with resolve, “Grandmother, Brother, since no one in this Marquis household thinks highly of me, if I am not welcome here, then I shall leave!”
Hearing this, Quan Ye was utterly shocked, a deep unease rising in his heart.
He had only just found his sister half a day ago, and now she was going to leave him again?
All these years, not a day passed when he didn’t feel guilt.
Back then, Heng’er’s wet nurse had stolen her for money, trying to extort the Marquis household. When the family pursued her, she panicked and leapt off a cliff with the child in her arms.
From then on, Heng’er disappeared for fourteen years.
That day at noon, he had wanted to visit her in her room, but delayed because he was playing. By the time he arrived, the room was already empty.
He had always thought that if it weren’t for his negligence, his sister might never have been lost.
And now that she had returned, she was being humiliated under his very nose. How could he endure that?
Striding into the center of the hall, Quan Ye stared ahead without fear and spoke with indignation, “Grandmother, today’s matter was clearly the doing of Fourth Cousin from the third branch—she provoked things first. Heng’er is my biological sister. I will not allow an outsider to speak ill of her. I beg you, Grandmother, to punish Fourth Cousin and make her apologize to Heng’er!”
Upon hearing this, the old madam nearly fainted in fury, and Quan Xiang beside her was fuming.
“Big Brother! Are you done yet? I’ve already apologized, isn’t that enough face for you? And now you want me to apologize to that bumpkin Quan Heng? Does she even deserve it?! Honestly, the fact that she even got to return to the Marquis household is already a great fortune—what, does she want to ride over my head now?”
Just then, the front doors suddenly swung open. Everyone turned to look—Quan Minghao and Zhao Qingrong had arrived, both visibly furious.
Standing behind them was Quan Rui, looking uneasy and nervous.
As soon as they arrived, they had already heard the commotion inside. Now that they had a clear view, they saw a shattered teacup in front of Heng’er, shards dangerously close to her shoes.
Her eyes were red, clearly holding back tears, showing just how much she had suffered.
Zhao Qingrong, who had never been humiliated in all her life, was burning with rage. Her daughter had been missing for over ten years, and now that she had returned, she was being bullied by the riffraff from the third branch?
Bullying Ah Heng was no different than bullying her!
Zhao Qingrong took a deep breath, strode over to the third branch, raised her hand, and gave Quan Xiang a hard slap that knocked her hairpin askew.
Seeing this, Quan Xiang was terrified and immediately knelt down. “Aunt Junzhu, Xiang’er knows she was wrong!”
The people from the second and third branches also quickly bowed, not even daring to lift their heads.
Over the years, Zhao Qingrong, as Princess Zhaoren, had always been gentle and never once raised her voice at anyone.
But at this moment, they all remembered—she was the youngest daughter of the Grand Princess, spoiled and pampered since childhood. In her youth, she was fearless—she had even dared to hit the shizi of Yongning Wang, and even when brought before the emperor, she never backed down!
Now, Zhao Qingrong said nothing. She simply reached out, gently lifted Quan Xiang’s chin, and scolded her in a cold tone, “Xiang’er, your parents have spoiled you, turning you into such an arrogant and willful thing.”
Then, she let go and gave her another slap, hard enough to knock her to the floor. Quan Xiang didn’t even dare show the slightest resistance.
“And yet… you still don’t understand your place, do you? What do you think you are, to dare bully my daughter?!”
