“I know how to swim. What happened today was an accident. Look, I’m perfectly alright now—just a bit exhausted.”
Looking at their anxious faces, Quan Heng sighed.
“Back in Changle County, my cruel legitimate sister once pushed me off a cliff. I only survived because I fell into water. If I hadn’t known how to swim, I wouldn’t be here today.”
Quan Heng had originally intended to comfort them, but as soon as she opened her mouth, Zhao Qingrong cried even harder. Even Quan Rui, who was standing quietly in the back corner, had reddened eyes.
Even strong, iron-willed men like Quan Minghao and Quan Ye shed tears.
Back then, afraid of worrying Zhao Qingrong and the others, Quan Minghao had only written in his letters that she had suffered greatly. He never told them exactly what kind of suffering she had endured.
She had clearly been pushed off a cliff—someone had intended to kill her. Yet she was still able to speak of it lightly, even using it to comfort them.
Zhao Qingrong felt such heartache she could barely breathe.
She gripped the edge of the bed to support herself and cursed angrily, “My daughter is as precious as a pearl, yet when she fell into that Gu household, they treated her like this! That whole bunch—they truly deserve to die!”
Hearing this, Quan Minghao sneered inwardly.
Deserve to die? Of course. That bunch was already dead.
After he took Heng’er away, he schemed to strip Gu Changfan of his official post, and then found a group of people to disguise themselves as bandits and thoroughly ransack the Gu residence.
Gu Changfan had always kept up appearances in Changle County, but in reality, he had long offended many. Those people had only held back because of his official status.
Now, reduced to a commoner with no money, naturally those enemies came for him.
Almost as soon as Quan Minghao arrived in the capital, his informants sent word: the entire Gu family, while fleeing their enemies, had fallen off a cliff. Their corpses had been eaten by wild animals.
It was a fitting end—evil met with evil.
Still, such a brutal and bloody matter was not something he would ever tell his wife and daughter.
Quan Heng struggled to sit up from the bed and leaned against the headboard.
Then she took Zhao Qingrong’s hand and said gently, “Mother, I’m alright. You see, I’ve already left the Gu family and returned to your side. The past is past—let’s put it behind us.”
Zhao Qingrong nodded through her tears. “Mm, Mother will definitely make it up to you. Everything the Gu family owes you, we will repay a thousandfold.”
Seeing how heavy the mood in the room was, Quan Heng quickly smiled to lighten things up.
“Alright, let’s look on the bright side. Your daughter here—after just one trip into the palace, I was granted the title of County Lady! That’s a blessing most people wouldn’t dare to dream of!”
But her words had no effect. Everyone in the room still wore gloomy expressions.
Quan Minghao looked at her with heartache, reaching out to pat her head. “Heng’er, remember this—in your mother and father’s eyes, titles and gold mean nothing. All we’ve ever wanted in this life is for you to be safe and healthy, do you understand?”
Facing three pairs of worried eyes, Quan Heng nodded.
“Yes, I understand.”
Then she suddenly remembered something. “Father, Mother, what happened today—thankfully the daughter of General Zhenbei, Yu Shuning, helped me. She saved me. If not for her, I might really have drowned in that pond. I think… we must thank her in person!”
Upon hearing this, Quan Minghao nodded. “Indeed. I’ve had good relations with General Zhenbei over the years. This time, we’ve only deepened that bond. Don’t worry—once you recover, we’ll go as a family to express our gratitude.”
With this reassurance, Quan Heng finally felt at ease.
It was now late. After exchanging a few more words, she urged everyone to go get some rest. But just as they were stepping out of the room, Quan Heng called out and asked Quan Rui to stay behind.
Now, the room held only the two of them.
Quan Rui walked to the bedside, trembling slightly, unsure of what to say.
Though the tension between the sisters had eased during the day, she still hadn’t stayed by Quan Heng’s side the whole time—resulting in today’s tragedy.
Just as she was feeling uneasy, Quan Heng spoke first.
“Little Rui, what I’m about to tell you may be hard to accept, but I believe… it’s something you must know.”
Hearing this, Quan Rui’s brow twitched, and a sense of foreboding crept in.
The next second, she saw Quan Heng clap her hands. “Ziyun, bring me that item.”
The door creaked open. Quan Rui watched as Ziyun brought in a small box, handed it to her, then quietly closed the door and left.
Quan Rui stared at the box in her hands, extremely nervous. She didn’t know what was inside, but instinct told her it was nothing good.
“Go ahead, open it.”
With Quan Heng urging her, Quan Rui finally gathered her courage, gritted her teeth, and lifted the lid.
Inside was a jade pendant—and an earring.
For some reason, both items looked very familiar.
She picked up the jade pendant and examined it closely. Sure enough, in a hidden spot, she saw the characters “Suifeng.” It really was Brother Suifeng’s.
And the earring—she recognized it even more. It was a birthday gift she had personally chosen for Chen Qinghuan.
For a moment, Quan Rui’s hands trembled. She looked at Quan Heng. “What is the meaning of this? Why are you giving me these things?”
Quan Heng knew Quan Rui wouldn’t be able to accept this easily—but she had to say it, so that she wouldn’t fall deeper.
“Today, after I left the banquet, I walked along the path in the imperial garden. I happened to see our cousin Jiang Suifeng kissing a woman passionately in the grove.”
Upon hearing this, Quan Rui dropped the box in shock.
Fortunately, the jade pendant was well-crafted and didn’t break.
Seeing Quan Rui’s pale face, Quan Heng spoke softly, “Later, a group of eunuchs and maids passed by and startled them. Afraid of being seen, they ran off in a panic. Likely in their hurry, they both dropped something personal. Take a look—isn’t it familiar?”
Truthfully, the moment she saw the items, Quan Rui had already guessed something. But now, hearing the full story, her heart felt like it was burning with pain.
She had trusted Brother Suifeng so deeply, had given him her heart—yet he had betrayed her like this.
And Chen Qinghuan’s actions were an even greater slap to the face.
Since childhood, she had considered Qinghuan her closest friend. She had told her everything, even her feelings for Suifeng. And yet… what she received in return was such betrayal.
Quan Heng sighed. “I know you and Jiang Suifeng are deeply in love. Even if I tell you the truth, you might not believe me. But… think it over for yourself.”
Unexpectedly, Quan Rui grabbed her hand tightly. “No, I believe you, Sister Heng. You’ve been in the household long enough—I know your character. You’re not someone who would sow discord. This must be true.”
As she spoke, her tears finally fell, splashing on Quan Heng’s hand.
“It’s just… I can’t believe it. I judged so wrongly. The man I liked, and my dearest friend—they actually joined hands to deceive me…”
Quan Heng gently wiped her tears. “Actually, it’s not hard to understand. Jiang Suifeng is from a small place. Whether he approached you or your friend, his goal was the same—to latch onto a noble girl from the capital, and exploit the families behind you. He’s a petty, weak man. He’s the one in the wrong—not you.”
Quan Rui had thought Heng would scold her for being foolish, but she didn’t.
She had always disliked this older sister—yet in the end, it was this sister who helped her see the truth, and told her she wasn’t to blame.
In that instant, she broke down, collapsing beside Quan Heng’s bed and crying her heart out.
Finally, she cried herself out.
After bidding farewell, she stumbled out of the Mingyue Pavilion and walked back toward her courtyard.
Halfway there, she ran into Jiang Suifeng.
It was already dark, and Quan Rui had no lantern. Jiang Suifeng didn’t notice her swollen eyes—he simply went to embrace her as usual.
But the moment he held her, Quan Rui suddenly felt intense disgust and immediately broke free.
Jiang Suifeng was startled. He cursed her inwardly but maintained a smile and moved in again.
This time, Quan Rui truly snapped. She stepped back and said coldly, “Don’t touch me!”
Jiang Suifeng was baffled. “Ah Rui, what’s wrong? Who upset you? Was it that b*tch Quan Heng?”
Thinking he had found the source, his voice brimmed with righteous anger.
“A woman like her should’ve died in the day—how did she end up getting saved? Heaven must be blind!”
He thought Quan Rui and Quan Heng were still at odds, and insulting Heng would please her. But right then, Quan Rui was unnaturally quiet.
He looked up at her—and saw nothing but cold indifference in her eyes. His heart skipped a beat.
Could it be… everything had been exposed?
But that couldn’t be! He had always been careful—there was no way anyone found out.
Only… he had lost a jade pendant earlier today. That did make him nervous.
Seeing the shifting expression on the man’s face, Quan Rui suddenly felt a chill. Her clarity returned.
Now was not the time to tear off the mask. She needed the right moment—to seize evidence and expose him fully.
She wanted not only to drive him out of the marquis’s household but to let the entire capital see his disgusting true face.
Thinking this, she took a deep breath and forced a smile.
“It’s nothing. I was just in a bad mood. I spoke harshly—please don’t take it to heart, Brother Suifeng.”
Upon hearing those words, the taut string in Jiang Suifeng’s heart finally loosened.
He knew it—how could that foolish woman Quan Rui possibly have discovered anything? He had overthought it.
He had seen plenty of women like her—sheltered since childhood, raised in deep seclusion, naïve to the bone. A little deception was all it took to fool them.
He smiled and walked over to Quan Rui, reaching out to take her hand, but she unknowingly avoided his touch.
“I’m tired. I’m going back to rest. Brother Suifeng, you should head back early too.”
With that, Quan Rui quickened her pace and walked toward her own courtyard.
She feared that if she said one more word to Jiang Suifeng, she would vomit on the spot.
