Quan Heng returned to the main courtyard deep in thought, arriving just in time for the banquet to begin. She took her seat.
Seeing her arrive, Quan Rui, trying to mask her awkwardness, took the initiative to speak. “Sister Heng, why are you so late? Your cheeks are all flushed. Did you run into Young Master Xie?”
“No, I just got lost. Don’t spout nonsense, you silly child.”
Hearing that, Quan Rui let out an “oh,” turned her head, and started eating, no longer paying attention to Quan Heng.
Just now, the mere mention of Xie Fengyun had irritated Quan Heng. Her flushed face certainly wasn’t because of him.
Thinking of the one who had made her blush, Quan Heng suddenly felt a little embarrassed again.
Instinctively, she touched her lips and unconsciously recalled that kiss from earlier.
At that moment, Quan Xiang, sitting beside her, asked curiously, “Sister Heng, it’s one thing for you to be late, but where’s your cousin, Young Master Shen? You two are usually inseparable.”
Hearing that, Quan Heng looked around and realized she really hadn’t seen Ah Zheng. Even Jiang Suifeng was seated in the men’s section, yet he was nowhere to be found.
Thinking of how she had pushed Ah Zheng away and then run off alone, Quan Heng felt a bit guilty.
Perhaps Ah Zheng was afraid of making things awkward for her, so he went into hiding first.
But of course, she couldn’t say that out loud.
“Maybe he got lost too. Who cares.”
Quan Heng lowered her head and focused on eating, no longer caring what others said.
It wasn’t until halfway through the banquet that she saw Ah Zheng arrive, fashionably late.
When she looked his way, their eyes actually met. The heat that surged up in her made her quickly look away, not daring to meet his gaze again.
For the rest of the banquet, Quan Heng had no appetite. Her mind was a chaotic mess.
One moment she was thinking about that frustrating Xie Fengyun, the next she was recalling Ah Zheng’s gaze, and then she’d think about the scheming Jiang Suifeng.
Even on the way back to the manor, she didn’t crack a single smile.
As soon as she returned to Mingyue Pavilion, she saw Zhao Qingrong arriving. She quickly stepped forward and helped her mother to a seat by the table.
“Mother, what brings you here?”
After sitting down, Zhao Qingrong asked cautiously, “Heng’er, you seemed gloomy when you came back today. Is something bothering you?”
Quan Heng hadn’t expected her mother to notice her mood. She opened her mouth, wanting to pour everything out—but in the end, all the words stuck in her throat.
“It’s nothing, Mother. Don’t worry about me.”
Seeing her like this, Zhao Qingrong sighed deeply. “You’re upset about the marriage with the Xie family’s young master, aren’t you?”
Quan Heng’s head snapped up. “Mother, you knew? Then why didn’t you say anything? Today when I went to the Xie residence, people were gossiping about the marriage everywhere. It was so confusing for me!”
Zhao Qingrong took her hand and said gently, “I had no choice. This marriage was arranged back when the late empress was still alive. We can’t back out of it—it must proceed as planned. I can only apologize for wronging you.”
Quan Heng pulled her hand back and turned her face away, speaking with grievance, “Mother, I’ve only just returned to the capital and know so little. But you’ve lived here for decades. Don’t you know what kind of person that Young Master Xie is? He’s a frivolous good-for-nothing. Why are you pushing me into a pit of fire?”
Hearing her daughter’s accusatory tone, Zhao Qingrong’s tears fell in an instant.
“Heng’er… Heng’er, I really had no choice! Though your father now holds a second-rank official post at court, he’s a military man. And His Majesty detests military officials most of all. He’s suspicious of anyone with military power. What’s more, your grandmother is the current Grand Princess. His Majesty and the Grand Princess haven’t gotten along for years—she’s even been forced into temple retreat. Our situation is already precarious.”
She pulled Quan Heng into her arms and explained anxiously, “If we were to reject this imperial marriage, it might provoke His Majesty’s anger. Then our entire household would suffer! Heng’er, I’m begging you—please, just this once.”
Quan Heng broke free from her mother’s arms. Her tears fell, but she didn’t wipe them away. “Mother, let me ask you—does the life or death of our whole family really hinge on me alone? If the one marrying into the Xie family was Quan Rui, would you be forcing her like this too?”
Hearing this, Zhao Qingrong froze. It felt like someone had pierced the secret calculations she held in her heart, and she was overwhelmed with guilt.
For a moment, she couldn’t say a word—only tears flowed.
It was true. Before Heng’er was found, everyone had assumed Rui’er would marry the Xie family’s young master.
But Rui’er and that man had never gotten along since childhood. They constantly clashed.
She had worried for years—lost sleep over it—thinking if Rui’er had to marry someone she didn’t love, and they became resentful spouses, what then?
The day Heng’er returned, she realized Rui’er wouldn’t have to take on this burden after all—and secretly, she’d felt a sense of relief.
From then on, Rui’er wouldn’t have to worry about this marriage anymore.
But now, looking at Heng’er’s face, her heart ached terribly.
Heng’er was right. She didn’t want to pressure Rui’er, so she pressured her instead. In that instant, boundless guilt surged through her.
But this imperial marriage truly couldn’t be avoided. There was nothing she could do.
Seeing Zhao Qingrong frozen in place, saying nothing, Quan Heng understood what her mother was thinking.
She wiped her tears carelessly, turned around, and walked toward her bedroom.
“Mother, I’m tired. I’m going to rest. You should return to your own courtyard.”
With that, she shut the door with a bang.
Zhao Qingrong felt as if her heart shattered into pieces at that very moment.
“…Very well. Then Mother will leave you to rest. Sleep well, Heng’er.”
In a daze, Zhao Qingrong returned to her courtyard. As soon as she opened the door, a lively young girl threw herself into her arms and hugged her waist.
Looking down, she saw that the girl’s eyes were still red and she exclaimed in surprise, “Mother, why are you crying? Did someone bully you? Tell me—I’ll go get revenge for you!”
Seeing Quan Rui still so carefree and innocent, Zhao Qingrong couldn’t help but smile through her tears. The gloom in her heart lightened a little.
After they sat down, she took Quan Rui’s hand. After thinking it over, she finally said slowly, “Rui’er, just now I came from your sister Heng’s courtyard. She’s suffered so much these past ten years away. From now on, we must treat her even better.”
But unexpectedly, the smile on Quan Rui’s face vanished instantly. “Mother, you’ve already said this. Again? She suffered, but don’t you think I’ve been wronged too? Now Father and Big Brother both ignore me!”
If Zhao Qingrong had found Quan Rui’s cluelessness endearing earlier, now her words only made her seem childish. Her headache flared again.
“What you’ve suffered is nothing compared to Heng’er. You grew up in luxury while she grew up enduring hardship. Now that she’s back, we should be good to her—make it up to her. How can you still compete with her?”
Hearing the blame in her mother’s voice, Quan Rui stood up abruptly, eyes red, and shouted uncontrollably, “You only care about her pain! What about mine?! Do you also think I stole her place, that I lived in her home and enjoyed her wealth and status?!”
She grabbed a nearby teacup and smashed it to the floor. “If you really hate me that much, and love her so much, then why did you adopt me in the first place?! Now you think I’ve taken her place—but maybe I shouldn’t have existed at all! Maybe I should never have been born!”
Saying this in a fury, Quan Rui trembled all over and ran out of the courtyard.
Zhao Qingrong, hearing the despair in her tone, was overwhelmed with worry and rushed after her.
But she hadn’t run far before a sharp pain twisted in her chest, forcing her to stop.
Meixiang quickly supported her into a seat. “Madam, don’t worry. The young lady just said those things in the heat of the moment. She’s so lively—she’ll be fine. I’ll send Duo’er to follow her. You don’t need to go.”
Zhao Qingrong took a sip of cold tea. Only then did she finally catch her breath.
“…Alright. You go after her. But don’t follow too closely—don’t let her feel embarrassed.”
Meanwhile, after running out, Quan Rui cried the whole way. She wandered around the courtyard’s paths, taking shortcuts until she actually managed to lose Duo’er.
Just as Duo’er stood helplessly at a fork in the path, Ziyun happened to pass by and asked a few questions.
“Miss Duo’er, what are you doing here?”
Duo’er turned her head and saw it was Ziyun, the personal maid of Quan Heng. She didn’t dare show any disrespect and replied politely, “Sister Ziyun, you may not know, but Second Miss had a quarrel with Madam and ran out. Madam wanted to chase after her but was feeling some pain in her chest and had to stop, so she sent me to follow. But while I was following, I lost her. What should I do now?”
Ziyun shook her head. “If you ask me, Second Miss is suffering from a heart ailment—and a heart ailment needs a remedy of the heart. Right now, she needs to sort things out for herself. If you go after her, it might just make things worse and upset her even more.”
Hearing this, Duo’er nodded thoughtfully. “You’re right!”
Patting Ziyun on the shoulder, Duo’er sighed, “Then I’ll head back and report to Madam.”
Ziyun responded and then walked toward Mingyue Pavilion.
Just earlier, the eldest miss had also quarreled with Madam. She wasn’t sure if it was about the same matter as Second Miss, but that was secondary. What mattered now was cheering up her young lady.
Carrying the small crispy pork dish, she returned to Mingyue Pavilion. She brought the dish to the bedside and fanned it with her hand. As expected, Quan Heng sat up as soon as she smelled the aroma.
She wasn’t particular about manners either—she picked up a piece of crispy pork with her hand and started eating. “How did you know I was hungry? And even knew I wanted to eat this?”
Ziyun sat nearby and said with a smile, “Whenever you had a fight with Yiniang when you were little, you always liked eating this. I figured you’d still be the same now.”
Quan Heng chuckled. “You really are the clever one.”
Seeing that Quan Heng’s mood had improved, Ziyun scooted closer and started gossiping.
“Miss, do you know what I saw on the way back? Second Miss actually quarreled with Madam too. After the fight, she stormed out of the courtyard saying she wanted to end her life. Now no one knows where she went, and no one managed to follow her.”
Quan Heng let out a cold laugh. “No need to worry about her. I bet she ran off to secretly meet that Young Master Jiang.”
Ziyun gasped in shock. “You mean, Second Miss is meeting a man in private right now?”
Quan Heng raised an eyebrow. “I’m not certain—just a guess.”
Ziyun clicked her tongue. “Second Miss is really rebellious. Such a shame, given how much Madam dotes on her. I heard Madam even tried to chase after her herself, but she got chest pain from running and had to stop.”
Hearing this, Quan Heng frowned. “What? Mother has chest pain?”
Even if her mother favored Quan Rui more, she was still her mother. And lately, she had treated her quite well. There was no way she would become distant over a single quarrel.
Now, hearing that her mother wasn’t feeling well, Quan Heng couldn’t help but worry.
“Yeah, but I think Madam was just too upset by Second Miss. She’s already so grown up and still acts so childishly—it’s rare to see.”
Quan Heng put down the plate of crispy pork and got out of bed immediately. “Enough. Help me change—I’m going to find Quan Rui!”
