Who?
Who would give Qi Wang trouble?
But Qi Yuan didn’t say more. She stepped off the carriage and entered the side gate of the Qi residence.
As the wind lifted her robes, Xiao Yunting suddenly noticed just how pitifully thin she really was.
All these years of struggling in the countryside, and even after returning, she was still scheming and planning at every step. With such a heavy burden, how could she possibly have gained any weight?
Xiao Yunting lowered his eyes. Babao hurriedly asked, “Your Highness, you…?”
“Go. Investigate the people on that side! That person must be just about at their limit now, right? Go check!” Xiao Yunting pressed his fingers to his brow.
Judging from his words, it was clear—he completely believed Qi Yuan.
Babao answered quietly and drove the carriage away.
—
At the Qi residence, upon hearing Qi Yuan had returned, Madam Wang immediately summoned her, frowning. “What took you so long?!”
“The Eldest Princess had some things she wanted to instruct me on, so it took a bit longer,” Qi Yuan answered with calm detachment. “Is there something you need, Madam?”
Madam Wang choked on her own breath.
She didn’t really have anything to say—so now she wasn’t even qualified to speak to this daughter unless there was a reason?
Anyone who didn’t know better would think she was the daughter and Qi Yuan the mother!
But this wasn’t the time to bicker. Madam Wang huffed, picked up a folding fan to cool herself, and shivered from the chill.
Now she was even more annoyed, scowling: “No, nothing! Your father wants to see you. Go to him now.”
Qi Yuan bowed and left without a word.
Madam Wang was nearly fuming, turning to complain to Gao Mama: “Did you see that?! As if I were some wild beast! She can’t even stay in my presence for a moment!”
Back when Qi Yuan first came back, Gao Mama might have tried to soothe Madam Wang with some agreeable words.
But now, she didn’t dare say much of anything.
She just smiled and said, “Nonsense, Madam, you’re overthinking. I think the young lady’s just always had this temperament… Spend more time together and your bond will grow.”
Qi Yuan couldn’t care less what they said behind her back.
She went to the ancestral hall.
The hall was being repaired, with servants coming and going, clearing out all the charred and ruined remains.
Qi Zhen was there, brows furrowed, talking quietly with the old Marquis. When they saw Qi Yuan, both men looked a little strange.
After a deep breath, they led her into the study.
The study, traditionally, had always been off-limits to girls of the family.
Not even Qi Jin, who was once the most favored, had ever stepped inside. Qi Yuan was the first.
As soon as the door closed, Qi Zhen looked at her and asked, “How did you know there was… something between Han Yue’e and Qi Wang?”
He hesitated and barely held back from saying “an affair.”
Qi Yuan raised an eyebrow and answered bluntly: “These days, Han Yue’e’s been unusually warm toward me, coming in and out of my rooms often. She wore a gold bracelet inlaid with rubies—both the craftsmanship and the rubies were clearly not from common sources.”
Qi Zhen was stunned. “Even this the Eldest Princess taught you?”
When they hesitated to bring Qi Yuan back into the family, it was partly because cultivating a noble lady was a comprehensive process.
Poetry, music, etiquette, and the arts could all be taught over time.
But insight—true, cultivated discernment—took decades and couldn’t be bought at any price.
That she could spot such an inconsistency from a single bracelet showed just how valuable that kind of insight was.
Even Madam Wang hadn’t noticed.
And yet, it was precisely such details that could determine a family’s future—or destroy it.
Both men exhaled heavily.
The old Marquis asked, “Is that all you based it on?”
Qi Yuan arched her brow. “Not entirely. Once I found it suspicious, I watched her more closely. I saw that her maid and nurse left the residence far more often than any regular servant—sometimes they went out two days in a row.”
A guest girl—what possible business could warrant that much activity outside?
The old Marquis gave Qi Zhen a look filled with blame.
If the house’s mistress had been more diligent, she would’ve caught it.
Qi Zhen could only smile awkwardly.
The old Marquis sighed. “Ah Yuan, you truly are remarkable.”
Of course she was—well-mannered, knowledgeable, and even earned the favor of the Eldest Princess, enough to bring her down from the mountain.
But Qi Yuan shook her head. “Grandfather, Father, you’re praising me too soon. Our real trouble is only just beginning.”
Qi Zhen and the old Marquis both felt a chill in their hearts.
They quickly asked, “What do you mean?”
“Isn’t Father helping His Majesty investigate Zou Wangfei’s matter?” Qi Yuan’s expression remained calm. “I’m afraid Qi Wang already knows about it.”
Qi Zhen’s face changed completely. He rushed forward and grabbed Qi Yuan’s arm in alarm. “How do you know this?!”
It was true—the Yongchang Emperor had secretly entrusted the investigation to him.
But it was highly confidential!
He hadn’t even decided to report his findings yet.
If Qi Wang already knew…
Then what would that mean?
The old Marquis was calmer. He pulled Qi Zhen back and asked Qi Yuan, “How did you come by this information?”
Qi Yuan had no intention of talking about past lives or strange fates. She casually raised a brow and said, “I overheard Han Yue’e and Lian’er talking.”
Qi Zhen’s face went pale, and he staggered back a step, nearly falling.
So that’s why Qi Wang took a liking to Han Yue’e.
That’s how she could provide him with such detailed reports.
It was because Qi Wang had been watching this operation all along!
Zou Wangfei was the Yongchang Emperor’s deepest obsession.
He had been haunted by her for years.
Whether Qi Wang planned to report this early or use it as leverage, it would benefit him greatly.
No wonder he valued Han Yue’e.
He had even tried to marry Qi Jin before!
The old Marquis muttered “Good” several times, though his expression was grave.
Being used as someone else’s stepping stone was a bitter thing.
Most importantly—if Qi Wang reported this first, what would the Emperor think of Qi Zhen?
If he trusted Qi Wang first, what would that say about Qi Zhen’s value?
How else would Qi Wang have found out?
Thinking this far, and remembering how he’d publicly thrown Han Yue’e at Qi Wang’s doorstep, Qi Zhen felt like he’d just dodged death.
At least he got ahead of it—by throwing Han Yue’e to Qi Wang, he could now claim Qi Wang was secretly colluding with her to spy on the Qi family.
That way, His Majesty would only suspect Qi Wang’s intentions—not his.
And not suspect him of leaking royal secrets.
