At this moment, Quan Heng gazed at Ah Zheng’s face, her mind awash with a thousand thoughts.
In truth, since the two of them had traveled all the way from Changle County to this place, many things had already diverged from the course of her dream.
She thought—perhaps the thread of fate had already shifted quietly, and this time, she would no longer walk the same dead-end path as she had in that dream.
Very soon, the physician arrived. After examining the wound on Ah Zheng’s head, he said the external injury had already healed. As for whether the blood clots inside his brain had fully dissipated, that was still unclear. For now, it was considered normal that he hadn’t recovered his past memories yet.
As long as he was properly nursed in the days to come, there would eventually come a day of full recovery.
Hearing this, Quan Heng finally felt a bit more at ease.
That night, she was able to let go of her worries and enjoy a rare, restful sleep.
—
Early the next morning, Zhao Qingrong came to her courtyard.
As soon as she entered, she saw that her daughter’s complexion had improved significantly in recent days. The once gaunt cheeks had gained some flesh at last, and she felt somewhat relieved.
She had come quite early, so Quan Heng was still in bed. Noticing someone had entered, she drowsily sat up.
Zhao Qingrong looked at this scene, and her heart softened.
“Heng’er, the sun’s already high in the sky—still not up yet?”
Quan Heng stretched lazily, then snuggled into her mother’s arms, hugging her waist and acting spoiled. “That’s right. It’s all thanks to Mother’s pampering these days. I’ve become so lazy now.”
She rubbed her eyes and casually asked, “Why did Mother come to my courtyard so early today? Is something the matter?”
Zhao Qingrong nodded. “Yes, I came to tell you that in three days, the Xie family will be hosting a banquet. It’s in celebration of their old madam’s sixtieth birthday. Our entire family will attend.”
Hearing this, Quan Heng felt as if she’d been struck by lightning.
The Xie family?
In her dream, not long after returning to the marquis’ manor, she had been engaged to the Xie family’s young master. Who would have thought he was a coward? When the Crown Prince took a liking to her, he simply handed her over. He even drugged her wine and delivered her personally to the prince’s bed!
If the Crown Prince was the one she hated most in the dream, then this Xie family man ranked a close second.
In the dream, she had once looked forward to marrying him—but never imagined he’d turn around and sell her off so easily.
Seeing her daughter’s expression turn strange, Zhao Qingrong grew worried. “Heng’er, what’s wrong?”
The sound of her mother’s voice snapped Quan Heng back to reality.
That dream was ridiculous, and might not even come true. If she spoke recklessly about what she had seen in the dream, no one would believe her—they might even think she’d lost her mind.
Thinking this, she forced a smile and said, “It’s nothing.”
Zhao Qingrong patted her hand gently and spoke with warmth. “Heng’er, I know you’re feeling a little nervous. You’ve only just arrived in the capital, and already have to attend various banquets and social gatherings—you’re not used to it. But the Xie family has always been close to our Quan family. Their madam and I were close as sisters in our youth. Though we’ve grown distant over the years, we still maintain ties. They won’t make things difficult for us.”
Hearing this, Quan Heng nodded. “I understand, Mother.”
Seeing her daughter still looking a little dazed, Zhao Qingrong stroked her cheek with affection. “My dear Heng’er, you’ve only just returned home and don’t know much about these matters. That’s all right—little by little, I’ll explain everything to you.”
The two chatted a bit more. Zhao Qingrong reminded her that since she had only just recovered from illness, she should not overexert herself. She tucked her in again before leaving.
Quan Heng laid in bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.
A strong, unsettling sense of fate being beyond her control crept over her, making her uneasy.
But at least, her mother hadn’t mentioned anything about a childhood betrothal between the Quan and Xie families. That left a shred of relief in her heart.
At this moment, she fervently wished that none of the events in that dream would ever come to pass.
—
Three days later, the day of the Xie family’s old madam’s birthday banquet arrived. Everyone from the Quan residence went to offer their congratulations.
Quan Heng and Quan Rui were assigned to ride in the same carriage—likely a deliberate arrangement by the Marchioness to foster some bonding between them.
But Quan Heng, preoccupied with her thoughts, sat quietly by the window, staring outside the entire way.
Quan Rui seemed distracted as well, only occasionally sneaking glances at Quan Heng. Seeing no reaction from her, she would quickly look away again.
Neither of them spoke the entire journey.
After disembarking, the second house’s Quan Meng came to find Quan Rui, and the two went off together, soon disappearing into the crowd.
There were far too many people at the event. Distracted for just a moment, Quan Heng lost track of her family and had to follow the flow of people.
As she walked, she heard murmurs and whispers from those nearby.
“Isn’t that the legitimate daughter the Yongning Marquis’ manor just brought back? The betrothal between the Xie and Quan families is known throughout the capital. Back when she wasn’t here, Quan Rui was engaged to Young Master Xie. Now that she’s returned, shouldn’t the fiancée title go to her?”
Hearing this, Quan Heng’s face turned pale.
Fortunately, she had rouge and powder on today, or others might have seen how stricken she looked.
“Exactly. This engagement was arranged when the late Empress was still alive. The original agreement was for the eldest son of the Xie family to marry the eldest daughter of the Quan family. Isn’t Quan Heng their legitimate daughter? The Empress’s decree was golden—it cannot be defied. Otherwise, it would be seen as defying imperial grace.”
Before arriving at the Xie manor, Quan Heng had still held onto a sliver of hope. But now, hearing this, she knew the engagement was all but set in stone.
Not wanting to hear any more gossip, she deliberately veered away from the crowd, choosing a quieter side path.
Lost in thought, she walked with her head down—until she suddenly bumped into someone. Startled, she quickly apologized.
“I’m sorry, I wasn’t watching where I was going.”
But when she looked up, she saw a young man dressed in ornate robes and a jade coronet.
At this moment, the man was staring at her in awe, his face flushing red. He was so flustered he even stuttered.
“H-Heng’er… Sister Heng’er, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Xie Fengyun, the eldest son of the Xie family.”
Hearing this, Quan Heng’s heart sank.
This man must be her so-called future fiancé—the very one who had handed her over in the dream.
At that thought, she couldn’t bring herself to be friendly.
She took two steps back, keeping an arm’s distance between them. “Young Master Xie, forgive me. I’ve been separated from my family and need to find them. I’ll take my leave first.”
With that, she turned to leave—only for her sleeve to be grabbed.
“Heng’er, it’s fine. I’ll help you find your parents. We can go together—this way, we can get to know each other better.”
Quan Heng felt as if her arm had been scalded. She quickly yanked her sleeve back, her voice lowering, her expression darkening.
“Young Master Xie, please mind your words. You and I are unrelated—a man and a woman alone—what bond is there to deepen? If you don’t care about your reputation, I still care about mine.”
She turned to leave again, but this time, Xie Fengyun grabbed her wrist directly.
She frowned and looked up, only to see his face red with excitement as he spoke, “Who says we’re unrelated? You’re my fiancée!”
Quan Heng tried to shake off his grip but found he was far too strong.
“Who’s your fiancée? Stop making things up!”
The more she resisted, the more excited Xie Fengyun seemed.
For years, everyone had assumed Quan Rui would be his fiancée, but he had never liked her. Not only was she plain, but her personality was annoying—always crying at the drop of a hat.
When he heard that the Yongning Marquis’ long-lost daughter had been found—raised in some backwater town by a concubine—he hadn’t thought much of it. Assumed she’d be a bumpkin.
But seeing her today, he was stunned.
Her beauty was unmatched, her bearing noble, and her manners impeccable. She looked nothing like someone from the countryside—more like a noble lady born and bred in the capital.
One look, and he was completely smitten.
In that moment, he swore to himself that he had to have her.
“Heng’er, the moment I saw you, I fell for you. You’re the woman of my destiny. Don’t go—let’s talk more, so you can get to know me too. Is that all right?”
If Quan Heng had merely felt unsettled before, now she was truly furious.
Her face turned cold, and her tone sharp. “Let go. Now.”
Seeing her anger, Xie Fengyun didn’t take it seriously at all. In his mind, what could a little girl do, even if she got angry? Scream for help? That would only shame her. Everyone would blame her for meeting a man in private.
Emboldened by that thought, he gripped her wrist even tighter. “I won’t. What will you do about it?”
Just then, a man in black strode toward them and struck Xie Fengyun squarely on the shoulder.
At once, half his body went numb and he collapsed to the ground.
In that moment, Xie Fengyun was both terrified and furious. Lying on the ground, he bared his teeth and cursed, “Who are you? How dare you lay a hand on me? Do you know who I am?”
Ah Zheng had been searching for Quan Heng ever since they got separated. He hadn’t expected to find her being harassed by this shameless scoundrel.
In that instant, he wanted nothing more than to tear the man apart.
“I’m Heng’er’s cousin. If I ever see you bullying her again, I’ll kill you.”
Hearing this, Xie Fengyun sneered, “Just a cousin? And you think you can act like this? I’m Heng’er’s fiancé! You should be calling me brother-in-law. How can you be so rude?”
In an instant, Ah Zheng felt as if his heart were being seared by fire—so painful that even his molars ached from clenching too hard.
He grabbed Ah Heng’s hand and began leading her away.
As he turned his head, his gaze was cold and piercing as it fixed on Xie Fengyun. Every word seemed forced out from deep within his throat.
“Someone like you is unworthy of being Ah Heng’s future husband. Who she marries in the future—you have no say in it. That decision is mine to make.”
