Generally speaking, a county yamen is divided into front and back sections. County magistrates usually serve a term of just three years. Unless they are particularly wealthy, they don’t spend extra money buying property—instead, they just live in the back quarters of the yamen.
Of course, Zou Xiaopeng is an exception.
His house is on the second street behind the yamen, a bustling area in the city center—convenient no matter where you want to go.
Qi Yuan stayed in the teahouse for a while. Once she had learned all she needed to know, she didn’t linger any longer and headed straight to Zou Xiaopeng’s home.
While she was outside the yamen earlier, she had already gathered that Zou Xiaopeng’s bedridden mother hadn’t been doing well recently.
The Zou family had been summoning doctors every day.
When the doctors proved ineffective, they turned to superstition—now, a stream of spirit mediums and Taoist priestesses had been visiting the house.
After all, if the old madam of the Zou family really died, Zou Xiaopeng would be required to observe three years of mourning.
So, even though he was now aligned with Qi Wang, Zou Xiaopeng was still unusually attentive to his mother’s illness.
And because he was concerned, Madam Zou naturally dared not slack off either.
When Qi Yuan arrived, Madam Zou was rubbing her temples in exhaustion.
Judging by age, Madam Zou should only be about thirty, but she looked like she was in her forties. The two dark circles under her eyes made her complexion appear even worse.
While rubbing her brow, she said somewhat absentmindedly, “What kind of skills does this young lady have? Are you a possessed medium, or…?”
Qi Yuan replied with a calm smile, “In response to Madam, I am not a spirit medium.”
Madam Zou hadn’t opened her eyes the whole time, but upon hearing her voice, she showed some surprise. When she finally saw Qi Yuan’s face, she couldn’t help but frown.
So young!
She looked at most fifteen or sixteen.
For people in this line of work, the older one appeared, the more stable and capable they were thought to be. In the public eye, age meant spiritual power.
Her expression turned cold. “And what exactly do you do? Do you even know where you are?”
“I do,” Qi Yuan remained composed. “This used to be the magistrate’s residence. But now… it is your burial ground.”
Madam Zou’s face changed abruptly, and she snapped, “Insolence!”
What an alarmist! Clearly lacking experience.
All these spirit mediums and priestesses were the same—cryptic and mysterious, deliberately exaggerating their words so people would willingly hand over money to ‘avoid disaster.’
The usual ones would speak in metaphors and offer solutions. But this little girl had no tact at all.
Her words only made people uneasy and irritated.
Qi Yuan looked at Madam Zou seriously. “Madam, you’re from the Xie family, aren’t you?”
Madam Zou let out a mocking laugh, face full of scorn.
Her Xie family background wasn’t some big secret. And this little girl brought it up like it was some impressive fortune-telling trick?
Qi Yuan simply smiled. “Then, Madam, are you aware that just last night, Chen Haohui led the garrison troops straight to the Xie family and arrested them all? The charge—treason.”
“Nonsense!” Madam Zou shot to her feet, eyes blazing as she glared at Qi Yuan. “Spreading such wicked lies!”
She raised her voice and called outside, “Guards! Guards! Seize this—”
“Madam,” Qi Yuan interrupted, smiling sweetly, “It’s not even hard to verify. Once you confirm it’s false, I’m right here—standing in front of you. You can kill me anytime. But if it turns out to be true…”
If it turned out to be true, Madam Zou felt like the sky would collapse.
Of course she knew who Chen Haohui was—he was her husband’s trusted subordinate.
But he was only the dog. The one holding the leash was Zou Xiaopeng.
Madam Zou stood frozen, trembling, her face shifting from green to pale white.
Qi Yuan sat leisurely in the armchair, speaking slowly: “Madam Zou, you are truly a virtuous wife—but is he really a good husband, a good son, a good father?”
These three questions made Madam Zou’s face go completely ashen.
Only a woman knows what matters most to another woman.
She had been married to Zou Xiaopeng for years. Outsiders praised him as attentive and gentle—a perfect husband. No one had anything bad to say about him.
But in reality, he ignored all domestic matters.
His mother, paralyzed in bed, was cared for entirely by Madam Zou.
From childbirth to illness to schooling, he left all responsibility for their children to her.
So although Madam Zou was only around thirty, she looked far older than him.
That’s how the world works—those who worry age faster.
If life had been smooth and uneventful, Madam Zou wouldn’t have considered it a hardship.
But if Zou Xiaopeng had really schemed behind her back to bring down her family…
She shivered and, gritting her teeth, turned to Qi Yuan with resolve: “Fine! I’ll have it verified. You’d better not be lying.”
Qi Yuan lowered her gaze and calmly sipped her tea. “No need to worry, Madam. I’ll be right here—not going anywhere.”
In truth, it didn’t take long to verify.
Though Zou Xiaopeng had his own trusted people, Madam Zou wasn’t blind or deaf—she had her own ways of getting information.
What she found out left her on the verge of collapse.
She lost control and nearly destroyed the whole room.
“Wonderful! He’s really done me proud!” Her eyes were bloodshot, and her nails had dug into her palms, drawing blood—but she didn’t even notice.
After so many years of marriage, it turned out the person who betrayed her most viciously was the man who slept beside her every night.
How ironic. How pathetic.
Qi Yuan waited silently for her to finish crying. Then she raised an eyebrow and said, “Madam Zou, there are two paths before you now. One: pretend none of this happened—but from now on, you have no natal family. Your only support is Zou Xiaopeng.”
And how could he be relied on?
Men always complain that women are materialistic—choosing husbands based on family background, education, and wealth. But really, men are far more calculating.
They’ll scrutinize your birth, your brothers’ usefulness, your ability to manage a household, your temperament, your willingness to serve their parents.
When the Xie family was still around, Madam Zou’s life wasn’t exactly easy.
Without them?
Zou Xiaopeng would cast her off like a burden. It was just a matter of time.
If not for the sake of the Xie family or herself, Madam Zou had to think of her children.
Better to beg with their mother than have an official for a father. If men could be trusted, pigs would climb trees.
She clenched her jaw. “I choose the second path.”
