Everyone turned to look, worried and shocked.
Zhao Qingrong could barely stand, collapsing into her husband’s arms.
“It’s my fault—it’s all my fault! All these days, I never thought to ask Heng’er about her dietary needs. My carelessness—my neglect—did this to her!”
These past days, she had been torn between Heng’er and Rui’er and spent most of her time comforting Rui’er. She had completely overlooked something as vital as food allergies.
At that moment, Ziyun remembered the past and burst into tears.
“When Miss was seven, the same thing happened at the Gu family’s banquet. She was already on the verge of not being able to breathe, but the Gu family’s master and mistress insisted she was faking it and refused treatment! She laid there for three days and only survived through sheer willpower.”
She looked at the unconscious Quan Heng, guilt consuming her. “But from that day on, Miss’s body has never been the same. She’s been frailer ever since.”
Tears rolled down both Quan Minghao and Zhao Qingrong’s faces.
What they owed this child… they might never be able to repay.
“Doctor, what should we do now?”
Suddenly remembering something, Zhao Qingrong’s face paled further. “In the capital, there’ve been cases of children dying from food allergies. My Heng’er… will she—will she be okay?”
The doctor took her pulse again, very carefully, then sighed with a hint of relief.
“Thankfully, the young miss didn’t consume much. It’s not a severe case.”
Hearing that, the couple finally exhaled—but the next moment, the doctor continued.
“However, there’s no miracle cure for this kind of condition. Most of the time, the patient must endure it on their own.”
He shook his head. “I’ll prescribe a medicine to stabilize her condition and ensure her life isn’t in danger. But as for when she’ll fully recover… that will depend on her own strength and fate.”
Zhao Qingrong nearly lost her balance again. The always proud and dignified madam now wept bitterly in full view of the crowd.
After the doctor finished writing the prescription, he took his leave, but the atmosphere in the garden remained tense.
Seeing her mother weeping so sorrowfully, Quan Rui felt deeply uneasy. She stepped forward, held her mother’s hand, and spoke softly, “Mother, you won’t blame me for what happened today, will you? I didn’t mean it—I really didn’t know that Elder Sister couldn’t eat peanuts…”
Hearing her younger daughter’s voice, Zhao Qingrong finally stopped crying.
When she saw that Quan Rui was trembling with fear, her face still bearing the imprint of Quan Minghao’s slap, she couldn’t help but feel a twinge of heartache.
“It’s all right, Rui’er. It really was a coincidence. You didn’t do it on purpose. I won’t blame you, so don’t feel too guilty about it.”
Hearing this, Ziyun, who stood nearby, felt a surge of anger for no reason.
Although the Marchioness’s words were reasonable, it was indeed after eating the cake that the Second Miss gave her that her own young lady fell ill!
If the blame doesn’t lie with the Second Miss, then what—are they to say her young lady brought it upon herself?
At that moment, Ah Zheng glanced coldly at everyone in the courtyard. No longer interested in what they thought, he directly picked up Ah Heng and carried her in his arms toward Mingyue Pavilion.
As he passed Ziyun and Qin Momo, he gave a brief instruction: “Be sure to prepare and deliver the medicine.”
He didn’t care what Ah Heng’s status was. Whether it was when they had relied on each other with little food and clothing back at the manor, or when they lived under another’s roof in the Gu household and endured cold treatment, or even now enjoying splendor in the Marquis’ residence—it didn’t matter to him.
Wherever Ah Heng was, that’s where he would be.
All he wanted was for her to be safe.
Once Ah Zheng carried her away, the people in the garden slowly dispersed.
Everyone from the Marquis’ residence gathered in Mingyue Pavilion.
By mid-afternoon, Quan Heng had taken her medicine, but she still showed no signs of waking. Not only that, but the red rashes on her body had yet to subside.
Zhao Qingrong sat at the bedside, holding Quan Heng’s hand, overwhelmed with guilt.
Quan Minghao sat beside her, also looking worriedly at their daughter.
Behind them, Quan Rui stood uneasily in the corner, casting nervous glances toward the bed.
Even though her mother didn’t blame her, ever since her father slapped her earlier, he hadn’t looked at her once. From childhood until now, she had never suffered such cold indifference.
She was truly afraid—would Father truly abandon her over this?
At that moment, footsteps came from the courtyard. Quan Rui turned to look and saw her elder brother, Quan Ye, had arrived.
She had just opened her mouth to greet him when she saw him cast her a disapproving glance, his expression filled with blame.
At that moment, Quan Ye’s heart was filled with worry. He had only been away from the residence for one day, and his younger sister was already in trouble again. Worse still, the incident was tied to this adopted sister—he couldn’t help but feel angry at her.
And on the other side, the moment Quan Rui saw that look, she felt as if she had fallen into an icy pit.
Though her eldest brother had never been especially fond of her, he had at least shown her surface-level respect. But now, she saw clear and unmistakable disgust in his eyes.
“Father, Mother—what’s wrong with Heng’er? Why hasn’t she woken up yet?”
Zhao Qingrong didn’t turn her head, only continued to weep.
Quan Minghao sighed. “Your sister has taken her medicine, but whether she wakes depends on fate.”
Thinking of all that had happened that day, Quan Minghao stood and turned toward Quan Rui. “Rui’er, although today’s incident wasn’t intentional on your part, it did stem from you. I’ll dock a month’s allowance and confine you to the residence for three days. Do you have any objections?”
At those words, Quan Rui immediately dropped to her knees with a thud, tears welling up. “Father, you can’t do this—it really wasn’t my fault! Even you and Mother didn’t know about Sister’s allergy. I’ve only just met her a few days ago—how could I have known?”
Zhao Qingrong, seeing this, tugged on Quan Minghao’s sleeve and shook her head. “Minghao, Rui’er truly didn’t mean it. We’ve already scolded her today—what’s the point of punishing her like this?”
Quan Minghao was usually accommodating toward his wife, but looking at his weak daughter on the bed, his anger wouldn’t allow him to let this matter go so easily.
“Punishment? You call this punishment? She’s been pampered all her life—what’s one month’s silver to her? As for confinement, she’ll be restricted to her own Zhaoxia Pavilion. It’s not like I’m making her kneel in the ancestral hall. How is that harsh?”
Quan Rui was already crying uncontrollably, hiccuping through her sobs. “Father… I promised Cousin Yue’er I’d attend a banquet at her residence tomorrow. If I’m confined, I’ll have to break my promise. How could I possibly do that?”
Hearing this only made Quan Minghao angrier.
“Your sister is this gravely ill, and you’re still thinking about attending a banquet? Have you no heart!”
Zhao Qingrong could tell her husband was truly enraged and gave Quan Rui a warning glance.
But Quan Rui was so caught up in her own grievances that she failed to notice anything else. She just wailed louder.
Quan Ye felt a sudden wave of irritation.
He had never liked this sister—spoiled and willful, always crying when things didn’t go her way. Yet their mother doted on her simply because she resembled Heng’er, spoiling her more and more, making her selfish and unreasonable.
Hearing her crying now, Quan Ye’s temper flared. He slammed his fist into the wall and shouted angrily, “Enough! Stop crying! The one truly hurt is Heng’er. She’s still hovering between life and death, and she hasn’t even cried. Yet you’re bawling your eyes out? Aren’t you afraid of disturbing her?”
His voice was harsh. Quan Rui, terrified, immediately silenced her sobs and froze in place on her knees.
She had always feared this eldest brother, even more than her father. Now, she was truly afraid.
Seeing this scene, Quan Minghao suddenly felt a throbbing headache.
“All right, that settles it. Heng’er is my own flesh and blood. Seeing her suffer, I wish I could take her place. If I don’t set an example today, others in the household might follow suit and begin neglecting Heng’er. I absolutely will not allow that.”
With that, he strode out the door.
Quan Ye followed him out as well.
Zhao Qingrong quickly embraced the limp Quan Rui, gently comforting her. “There, there, Rui’er, don’t cry anymore. It’s only three days of confinement. I’ll explain everything to your cousin. It’s spring now—there are plenty of banquets. Missing one or two won’t matter.”
Quan Rui sniffled and buried herself in Zhao Qingrong’s arms, muffled voice full of grievance. “Mother, now that Father and Brother have turned against me, you won’t abandon me too, will you?”
Over the years, Zhao Qingrong had genuinely treated Quan Rui like her own daughter.
Knowing how sensitive she was, she had never once spoken harshly to her.
She had never experienced a situation like today’s before.
Zhao Qingrong knew how wronged she felt, gently patting her back as she swore, “I won’t abandon you. Be good, Rui’er. You’ve had a long day—let Meixiang Momo take you back to your courtyard and rest.”
Quan Rui nodded, got up, and followed Meixiang out. Only when her figure finally disappeared did Zhao Qingrong look away.
But in the next moment, she suddenly felt a chill down her spine, as if someone were watching her.
She turned her head—and saw Ah Zheng leaning against the doorway, arms crossed, staring at her coldly.
She opened her mouth to call him, but he turned and left without a word, showing her only his back.
Though he said nothing, Zhao Qingrong could clearly feel his reproach.
But her own heart felt like a pot of oil on fire.
One was her long-lost daughter, burdened with years of guilt.
The other was a child she had personally raised.
She didn’t want either of them to feel wronged.
She sat back down by Quan Heng’s bedside, reaching out to smooth the frown between Ah Heng’s brows.
If possible, she truly hoped the two girls could get along.
She could tell that Heng’er often chose not to argue with Rui’er—she was a generous child.
But Rui’er… that child was just so lacking in sense.
Now that things had come to this, what was she to do?
Zhao Qingrong stayed in Heng’er’s room until midnight. Only after seeing Ziyun help her drink another dose of medicine did she leave.
That night, a heavy atmosphere loomed over Mingyue Pavilion. Even the servant girls didn’t have a trace of a smile on their faces.
After Zhao Qingrong left, Ah Zheng climbed back in through the window and approached Heng’er’s bedside.
He lowered his head, eyes filled with tender worry.
At last, he leaned down and gently placed a kiss between her brows.
