Zhang Mama hurried back to the capital on fast horseback.
Yongping Marchioness, Madam Wang, had just finished reviewing the accounts sent in from the estate and was about to drink her tea when she heard the voice of her eldest son, Qi Yunting, coming from outside.
She immediately set down her teacup and looked at Qi Yunting, who had just entered. “Look at you, all flustered—where have you been? Why are you only just getting back now?”
In the Qi family, sons and daughters were ranked separately by birth order. Qi Yunting was Madam Wang’s firstborn child, the eldest legitimate grandson of the main branch. The whole family treated him like a precious gem.
Qi Yunting was perfectly at ease in front of his mother. With a grin, he picked up a piece of osmanthus cake and took a bite before saying, “Went to Jinxiulou to watch a play with some friends today.”
“Your little sister came back today, and you still had the mood to watch a play?” Madam Wang frowned, clearly displeased. “As her older brother, you should have personally gone to bring her home!”
Qi Yunting scoffed and curled his lip disdainfully. “Mother, you want me to go pick up that country bumpkin? You’d scare that unsophisticated little thing half to death!”
He held nothing but contempt for this sister. Clapping his hands clean, he stood up. “Might as well not ruin her luck! Anyway, I still have schoolwork to do—I’m heading back to my room.”
Seeing how lightly he treated the matter, Madam Wang grew so angry her head began to ache. “You wretch! She’s still your sister—stop calling her a country bumpkin every other sentence!”
Qi Yunting’s expression suddenly turned cold. “She’s not! My sister is the pearl of the capital! A talented girl who can play the zither, play chess, write calligraphy, and paint with ease! And she—what is she? Nothing! Only you still treat her like she matters!”
His words were already harsh enough, but Madam Wang only gave him a glare that was neither angry nor resigned. “Enough! Like it or not, she’s still your full-blooded sister. Even if she’s lacking, we’ll teach her properly after bringing her home.”
Qi Yunting rolled his eyes. “Mother, save that talk for yourself. At her age, what’s there to change? If you ask me, you shouldn’t have brought her back at all. Should’ve just left her on the estate and let her fend for herself.”
Truth be told, Madam Wang felt quite uneasy in her own heart as well.
When she learned that her own child had been switched at birth, it was as if the sky had collapsed.
When she gave birth to Qi Yunting, she’d suffered massive blood loss, leaving her in poor health. The imperial physician had even said she likely wouldn’t be able to bear another child.
When she was pregnant with her second child, the pregnancy was unstable. This child was someone she had begged for from the Bodhisattva, bowing step by step in prayer.
Because the child came with such difficulty, she cherished her all the more.
Before knowing Qi Jin’s true background, Madam Wang had devoted almost all her attention to this daughter, focusing entirely on raising her and giving her the very best of everything.
And because of this deep investment, it became even harder to let go after learning the truth.
Though they needed to find their biological daughter, everyone in the Qi family, without exception, had come to the same unspoken understanding — Qi Jin must never leave.
In the days leading up to bringing Xu Yinyin back, Qi Jin had also been ill.
Now hearing her son speak so coldly, Madam Wang grew angry too: “Stop going on and on about tossing her here or there! She’s a living, breathing person, not some stray cat or dog!”
Just as she spoke, someone reported that Zhang Mama had returned.
Madam Wang immediately scolded her son: “Behave yourself! Your sister has just come home, she’s had a hard life these past years, and you mustn’t frighten her!”
She then signaled for the servant to bring Zhang Mama in.
Who would have thought Zhang Mama would return alone?
Madam Wang was a bit surprised. “Why did you come back alone? Where’s Yinyin?”
Zhang Mama wore a bitter expression as she explained what had happened in the countryside. She glanced nervously at Madam Wang’s face, then at Qi Yunting, and lowered her voice: “The young lady said… she doesn’t trust any of us anymore. She wants… she wants a master of the house to go fetch her personally, then she’ll return!”
What?
Madam Wang immediately sat up straight. “Hua Momo tried to drown her?!”
She was utterly shocked!
Qi Yunting was even more furious: “Nonsense! That lowly girl must be crazy! What rubbish is she spouting now?”
Zhang Mama knew that Qi Yunting was extremely fond of Qi Jin and had always looked down on Xu Yinyin, who had been raised in the countryside all these years.
But there was nothing Zhang Mama could do about this situation. She could only bite the bullet and say, “It’s… it’s true… The young lady said that before she even returned, the servants here already tried to kill her. She’s too afraid to come back now. If the family doesn’t give her an explanation, she… she’ll report it to the authorities!”
Qi Yunting was so angry he actually laughed: “That wretched girl! What nonsense. Does she even know which way the yamen is? Report it? Let her go right ahead!”
Zhang Mama was sweating all over.
She knew very well that, in the end, Xu Yinyin had never truly been valued.
Especially the eldest young master, who had said more than once that he only recognized Qi Jin as his sister.
Madam Wang, however, calmed down after her initial shock.
She asked Zhang Mama, “Where’s Hua Momo now?”
Zhang Mama lowered her voice: “Madam, Hua Momo is already dead. The young lady personally dragged her body to the shore. The young lady is a good swimmer…”
Madam Wang’s face darkened.
After a moment of silence, she ordered the servants, “Go, bring the Second Young Lady here.”
Qi Yunting, who had been cursing just moments ago, widened his eyes. “Mother, you don’t actually believe what that little wretch said, do you? How could Ah Jin possibly be involved in this?”
For some reason, hearing Qi Yunting’s angry protests only made Madam Wang feel even more irritated. She shot him a cold glare and snapped, “Enough! The matter isn’t clear yet, why are you yelling?”
Qi Yunting protested, “What’s unclear? I think she’s just making baseless accusations and spouting nonsense on purpose!”
Madam Wang glared at him, then instructed the servants to call for Qi Jin.
After a pause, she said in a heavy voice, “Prepare things and have the Second Young Master go bring her back.”
The Second Young Master was the son of Wan Yiniang, just a year younger than the eldest young master, and currently studying at the family’s private school.
Originally, it would have been unthinkable to send him to fetch Xu Yinyin.
But just after giving this order, Madam Wang hesitated. After a moment, she waved her hand: “No! Wait, forget it. The Second Young Master is still too young…”
After all, this matter had already resulted in a death. It wasn’t exactly a small issue, but it also wasn’t something that could be carelessly handled. It had to be dealt with properly.
Zhang Mama anxiously waited for Madam Wang to speak.
After a moment of silence, a voice suddenly rang out from outside — it was Qi Zhen, Yongping Marquis: “Who are you saying is too young?”
The moment they heard Qi Zhen’s voice, everyone in the room immediately changed their expressions.
Even Qi Yunting, who just moments ago had been brash and unruly, instantly straightened up and stood quietly.
Seeing him, Madam Wang quickly forced a smile, trying to smooth things over: “My Lord Marquis, it’s nothing…”
Qi Zhen flicked his sleeve as he sat down nearby. He gave them a glance and asked in a deep voice, “Nothing? Then why has someone gone all the way to the yamen to find me?”
What?
Madam Wang was stunned. “My Lord Marquis, what do you mean? Who went to find you at the yamen?”
