The smile on Han Yue’e’s face didn’t vanish until she returned to her own room.
Her maid, Lian’er, noticing her calm expression, asked softly, “Miss, now that Second Miss is in trouble, will this affect Wangye’s plans?”
At the mention of this, Han Yue’e pressed her fingers to her brow and said in a low voice, “With Qi Jin gone, Qi Yuan is now the only noble young lady in this household. If she marries Wangye, the result will be the same.”
Seeing her walk behind the writing desk, Lian’er quickly followed, laying out paper and grinding ink for her.
“But…” Lian’er said worriedly, “she’s not close to the Qi family. I’m afraid the family and Young Master Qi Yunting won’t lean toward Wangye just because of her.”
Marrying Qi Jin had been a calculated move. She was the apple of the Qi family’s eye, and they had placed great hopes in her.
If Qi Jin married Qi Wang, it would have been a strategic alliance between two powerful houses, mutually beneficial. Wangye would also have access to the critical resources Qi Zhen held.
But now Qi Jin was gone. Replacing her with Qi Yuan…
Could Qi Yuan really get that critical item from Qi Zhen?
Han Yue’e’s expression grew solemn. She picked up her brush, wrote a letter carefully, sealed it in a bamboo tube, and handed it to Lian’er. “Be cautious. This must be delivered to Wangye.”
“Yes, Miss,” Lian’er replied quickly.
Meanwhile, Baizhi and Lianqiao were quietly discussing Han Yue’e with Qi Yuan.
Baizhi was a little puzzled. “Miss Han used to be very close to Second Miss. They were always together. Second Miss treated her better than the girls from the second and third branches.”
She hesitated, clearly wanting to say more.
Qi Yuan, of course, understood what she meant.
Han Yue’e had been so close to Qi Jin, yet now that something had happened to her, Han Yue’e was suddenly cozying up to Qi Yuan, acting like Qi Jin had never existed.
It was a questionable display of character.
Qi Yuan understood it clearly. She hadn’t rested properly for a day and a night, hadn’t even eaten much, and now a dull pain began to stir in her stomach.
She clutched her abdomen and frowned.
Lianqiao noticed immediately and asked with concern, “Miss, are you feeling unwell?”
Qi Yuan had suffered from stomach problems since childhood. Back in the countryside, Li Xiuniang and that butcher Xu never let her eat her fill, let alone fed her on time.
She had to leave home before dawn to work, and only after returning late could she barely get some leftover rice to eat.
Once, she had been so hungry while chopping firewood in the mountains that when a dog from a neighbor’s house dropped a scrap of meat on the ground, she couldn’t help but pick it up and eat it.
She shook her head. “It’s nothing. Do we still have any pastries?”
“Yes!” Lianqiao hurried to bring a plate of snacks and handed it to her.
Qi Yuan ate a few pieces, and only then did her strength begin to return. She said in a low voice, “It’s nothing, just a bit of stomach pain. I feel better now.”
Lianqiao’s heart ached.
Since Qi Yuan returned home, not only had Qi Jin and Qi Yunting taken turns digging pits for her, but even the marquis and marchioness, her supposed parents, hadn’t shown her a shred of care.
And yet the second miss—any time she so much as caught a cold—would have an imperial physician summoned and prayers said on mountaintops.
Truly…
But Qi Yuan wasn’t in the mood to brood over those things.
Her attention was entirely on Han Yue’e’s sudden visit.
Why now?
She had eliminated Qi Jin specifically to prevent things from unfolding as they had in her previous life—to stop Qi Jin from marrying Qi Wang.
That man only saw people as tools. His marrying Qi Jin was entirely because Qi Jin had been the prized jewel of the Qi family, and because of Qi Zhen.
Now that she had preemptively removed Qi Jin, why was Qi Wang so eager to have Han Yue’e cozy up to her?
From an outsider’s perspective, Qi Yuan had nothing to do with Qi Jin’s downfall.
If anything, it was Qi Jin and Qi Yunting’s own messy drama that had offended the Xiang family.
Qi Wang should now loathe the Qi family, even want to destroy them.
He was the kind who, if he couldn’t have something, would rather crush it than let others.
So why send Han Yue’e to get close?
Had he already sensed something was off?
This thought sent a chill down Qi Yuan’s spine.
That night, she had a nightmare.
In the dream, she was rescued by Xiao Yunting and became one of his shadow guards.
Her past life had been a constant balancing act, surrounded by people who always weighed her usefulness, her worth, before deciding whether to shelter or abandon her.
The only pure kindness she’d ever received came from one family—the Xie family in Jiangxi, Xiao Yunting’s most trusted inner circle.
The Xie family was full of talented individuals. Young Master Xie Ying had studied star-reading with the Ju Rong Xiao family from a young age and was a close friend and confidant of Xiao Yunting.
After she was rescued, Xiao Yunting sent her to Jiangxi to train.
In that land of endless mountain ranges, she lived the happiest days of her life.
Her body was weak, and her freshly mended bones ached constantly.
When the pain flared up, she could barely speak.
Madam Xie would cradle her gently, wipe the sweat from her brow, personally change her blood-soaked clothes, and softly ask, “It must hurt terribly. Why don’t you cry?”
She had long forgotten how to cry.
Other people’s tears were worth something. Hers weren’t.
She’d suffered too much, and no matter how much she tried, she could never fully open her heart to the Xie family.
But they never minded her guardedness or distance.
Whenever she was hurt, Madam Xie would tenderly apply medicine and bandage her wounds.
Xie Ying would bring her blooming flowers from the valley—time and again—even if she never said a word.
Thinking of Xie Ying made her throat ache.
Such a good person must not suffer any misfortune in this life.
So—
She must not fail. She had to secure her footing in the Qi family. She had to bring down Qi Wang.
Qi Yuan quietly urged herself.
She could do it. Just like she had safely returned to the Qi family and removed Qi Jin.
Qi Jin must be dead by now.
—
At that moment, Madam Wang was stunned. “What did you say?!”
Gao Mama looked panicked as she faced Madam Wang. “Madam, our people don’t know where Second Miss went. It’s like she disappeared!”
“How is that possible?” Madam Wang couldn’t even describe how she felt, shaking her head in panic. “This shouldn’t be! Where could she have gone?”
Everything had already been arranged for Qi Jin. As a pampered young lady raised in seclusion, she knew nothing of the world outside. Where could she possibly go if not along the path Madam Wang had laid out?
Madam Wang grew anxious. “Then send someone to search for her!”
Gao Mama looked troubled. “Madam… wouldn’t it be unwise to search openly? What if the marquis finds out…”
Madam Wang fell silent.
