Chunhua fell hard to the ground, instinctively trying to brace herself—but her palm landed on a shard of porcelain, cutting deep into her flesh.
A bloodcurdling scream rang through the room.
“AAAAHHH! It hurts!!”
She lifted her hand reflexively. Blood gushed from the wound, quickly pooling on the floor in a ghastly scene.
Gu Heng had always been squeamish about blood. She turned her head away in discomfort—only to find her face close to Ah Zheng’s chest.
The scent of blood still lingered on him, mixed with his masculine scent.
Realizing how close they were, she quickly backed away.
On the other side, Chunhua was already trembling with rage.
She stood up, her face pale from the pain. Her eyes, showing the whites beneath the irises, glared furiously at Gu Heng and Ah Zheng.
“You dare treat me like this today? I will make you pay for it!”
With that, she stormed out, slamming the door behind her.
Zhao Momo looked troubled. She walked over to Gu Heng and said anxiously, “Second Miss, Chunhua is the daughter of the head stewardess. Ever since she arrived three years ago, she’s acted like she owns the zhuangzi. After today, I fear she may retaliate.”
Gu Heng scoffed. “Now that Yiniang’s gone, even the servants dare trample me. A mere maid dares to lord it over her mistress.”
Zhao Momo shook her head. “True enough. Still, she is something of a local tyrant here. Please be careful.”
***
Evening, County Magistrate’s Manor — Ruyue Garden.
Crash! A fine piece of porcelain shattered on the floor.
Gu Yue’s expression was vicious as she swept everything off the table—inkstone, brush, paper—everything scattered. A trail of spilled ink snaked across the floor, leading to several kneeling maids at the end.
Usually, Gu Yue played the dutiful daughter in front of the county magistrate. But inside her own courtyard, her true nature came out.
There wasn’t a single maid in her service who didn’t bear bruises.
Seeing how angry she was today, all of them trembled, fearing they’d be beaten again.
“That little b*tch Gu Heng—I saw her fall off that cliff with my own eyes! How the h*ll is she still alive?!”
Her personal maid, Biyun, stepped forward with a cup of tea.
“Miss, please calm down. Have some tea to ease your anger.”
Instead, Gu Yue grabbed the cup and smashed it on the ground.
“Drinking for what! Do you think I’m in any mood to drink? You really are a worthless wench with no sense!”
At those words, Biyun immediately dropped to her knees in fear.
At the same time, shards from the shattered teacup flew everywhere, but not a single person dared to dodge.
Just then, a woman walked in from outside. She had delicate features and a slightly plump figure. The fabric of her clothing was sumptuous and luxurious. Seeing Gu Yue throwing a tantrum inside, she let out a long sigh.
“Yue’er, how many times have I told you—stop smashing things whenever you get angry. Do you know, that cup you just shattered could have covered ten years of expenses for a common family?”
At that, Gu Yue looked at the woman, pouted, and rushed into her arms.
“Mother! That Gu Heng actually survived falling off the cliff and returned safely to the zhuangzi! She and her mother have always been thorns in our sides all these years. Now that the older one is gone, we can’t let the younger one go either!”
As she spoke, Gu Yue suddenly felt a chill of fear.
Lately, Gu Heng had seemed suspicious, as if she were starting to doubt whether Fu Yiniang’s death had truly been an accident. If she had really survived and come back, she would definitely seek revenge.
Qin Rou heard this and gently patted her daughter’s back, smiling. “This is a small matter. Why get so worked up? Though that Baixue Manor was originally that sl*t Shen Fu’s property, we’ve had people stationed there for a long time. Now that Gu Heng is injured and staying there, it’ll be easy for us to make her suffer in secret.”
Hearing this, Gu Yue nodded and snuggled closer into Qin Rou’s arms.
Qin Rou stroked her hair, a glint of malice in her eyes. “Yue’er, Mother only has you and your brother. The riches and status of the Gu household belong to you—no one else can take that from you.”
Just then, a servant woman came in from outside and respectfully reported, “Mistress, dinner is ready.”
“Alright, let’s go.”
Soon, the two entered the main dining hall.
By the time they arrived, Gu Changfan was already seated.
He looked displeased, and no one around dared provoke him.
Qin Rou saw his expression and knew their plan had already half-succeeded.
Over the years, Fu Yiniang had indeed been a thorn in her side, having been truly loved by Gu Changfan. Ever since her death, he hadn’t smiled once.
But now, with Gu Changfan convinced that her death was caused by Gu Heng, it became a sharp weapon to use against the girl.
Once seated, Qin Rou picked up a piece of meat and placed it in Gu Changfan’s bowl, speaking gently, “Husband, did you know there’s great news in the manor today?”
Gu Changfan frowned, “If there’s something to say, just say it. Don’t beat around the bush.”
His tone was sharp, and it made Qin Rou inwardly seethe with resentment. Still, for the sake of what she was about to say, she forced herself to suppress it.
“Wasn’t it said last night that Ah Heng fell off a cliff on her way to the zhuangzi?”
As she spoke, Qin Rou even pulled out a handkerchief and pretended to wipe away nonexistent tears.
“Ah Heng, after all, grew up under my watch. I’ve always seen her as a daughter. So when I heard what happened, I immediately sent people to search for her. Alive or dead, we had to find her. But they came back empty-handed.”
At this, Gu Changfan finally turned to look at her. “This is the great news you’re talking about?”
Qin Rou wiped her eyes again, a smile slowly appearing. “Of course not. There’s a twist. It turns out Ah Heng is truly blessed—there happened to be a pond beneath the cliff. She fell into the water and was unharmed. She’s already returned to the zhuangzi.”
Gu Changfan let out a cold snort. “So she has a lucky life. If only her Yiniang had been that lucky.”
Seeing he was about to lapse into mourning again, Qin Rou quickly interjected.
“But I heard Ah Heng didn’t return alone. She brought back a man with her—seriously injured, but very handsome. No wonder she took him in.”
At that, Gu Changfan flew into a rage.
“She’s an official’s daughter, an unmarried girl, and she dared to bring a strange man back with her? If word got out, it would ruin the Gu family’s reputation!”
Qin Rou and Gu Yue were thrilled to hear this, though they didn’t show it on their faces.
Qin Rou gently took Gu Changfan’s hand and tried to soothe him. “He’s just a sick man. I imagine Ah Heng was being kind. We can’t be too harsh with her.”
That only made Gu Changfan angrier. “Kind-hearted? Then why did she feel no guilt over her Yiniang’s death? She even went mad and tried to slander others! Her mother is buried in a lonely grave, and she’s out there having secret trysts with men!”
Gu Yue added fuel to the fire with an innocent smile. “It’s just one more person, one more mouth to feed. I’m sure we can afford that at the zhuangzi. Father, don’t be angry.”
Gu Changfan sneered, “One more mouth to feed? Gu Heng has nothing to do with the Gu household. We raised her out of goodwill, but our kindness isn’t limitless.”
With that, Gu Changfan stood and spoke coldly. “Since she doesn’t know how to behave, issue the order—cut off her monthly allowance. I’d like to see how she plans to support herself and that man with no money!”
And with a flick of his sleeve, he stormed off.
Moments later, Gu Yue laughed gleefully, a hint of naive cruelty in her eyes.
“This time, I’ll make sure she dies at the zhuangzi and never comes back to challenge me again!”
***
Next morning—
At dawn, Gu Heng was still sleeping when she heard someone open her door.
She groggily opened her eyes to see Chunhua standing there with a group of people, all looking down at her arrogantly.
“Well now, Second Miss, still sleeping? Time to get up.”
Gu Heng sat up, her expression cold and voice filled with impatience. “What business do you have here?”
Chunhua raised her bandaged hand and waved, and the servant girls behind her rushed in and began rummaging through the room.
Gu Heng hadn’t brought any luggage with her. The room only contained a few coarse cotton clothes given to her by Zhao Momo. Now, even those were dragged out and thrown on the floor.
Chunhua walked forward, knocked over the tea on the table, and soaked the clothes completely.
Gu Heng angrily shouted, “What are you trying to do? A pack of insolent servants, are you planning to bully your mistress now?”
Chunhua laughed hysterically, as if she’d just heard a joke. “Did I hear that right? You still think you’re a young lady of the house?”
Seeing Gu Heng frown in displeasure, Chunhua sneered. “Don’t you know? Word from the manor says the Master is furious that you brought a strange man here. He’s cutting off your allowance and leaving you to fend for yourself!”
“You’ve completely lost favor! I suggest you behave—maybe we’ll toss you a few leftovers. If not, you’ll be fighting pigs for slop in the pigsty!”
Seeing Gu Heng’s pale expression, the servant girls laughed. Chunhua was their leader, and now that they had a new victim—someone who used to be a noble lady—they were thrilled and even tempted to push things further.
A maid named Xiao Zhu walked up with a teapot, trying to splash Gu Heng’s face to avenge Chunhua from yesterday.
But Gu Heng moved faster—she snatched the pot and smashed it straight into Xiao Zhu’s head.
With a dull thud, Xiao Zhu touched the blood running down her face, screamed, and fainted.
The noise finally drew the attention of others on the zhuangzi. Zhao Momo came rushing over in a panic.
Ah Zheng had also been asleep and was woken by the commotion, his head pounding. He got up and went to the next room.
By the time he arrived, chaos had already broken out.
“Chunhua! Second Miss is still your mistress—aren’t you afraid the Master will punish you if word of this gets out?”
Chunhua disdainfully shoved Zhao Momo, who, being old, fell heavily to the ground with a cry of pain and couldn’t get up.
“You old hag—what are you trying to stop me for? If the Master really cared about her, he’d have sent someone to bring her back. Why would he cut off her allowance? He doesn’t even acknowledge her anymore!”
As Gu Heng tried to get up and argue, Chunhua, furious, pushed her hard.
Caught off guard, Gu Heng hit her head against the wall, the skin splitting open and blood running down.
Ah Zheng, who’d been watching and couldn’t get through the crowd, finally exploded with rage when he saw her injured.
He forced his way through, pinned Chunhua to the floor, veins bulging in his arms, and punched straight at her face.
Yesterday, Chunhua had sneered at him as a pretty face Gu Heng fancied.
Now, seeing the murderous intent in his eyes, she was so terrified she trembled.
This man—he really could beat her to death!
