Qi Zhen’s face turned paler and paler, and when he finally came to his senses, he realized his back was already drenched in cold sweat, his hair standing on end.
Qi Wang—what a ravenous, ambitious wolf!
Where had he found out about Qi Zhen’s mission? And how had he quietly bribed Han Yue’e to act as his hidden pawn, gathering information all this time?
It was likely because she hadn’t gotten anything useful that Qi Wang recently began hinting at a marriage alliance.
After all, once they were in-laws—wouldn’t they be considered family?
Qi Zhen asked himself honestly: if he and Qi Wang became relatives through marriage, could he truly remain neutral and not lean toward Qi Wang?
The answer: No.
The glory of supporting the rightful dragon, earning a separate page in the family genealogy—what man could resist such temptation?
Of course he would, for the sake of himself and the Qi family, side with his son-in-law. He would fight for their future.
That much was only natural.
But—how did Qi Yuan know all this?
Qi Zhen scrutinized Qi Yuan seriously for the first time, and suddenly asked in a low voice, “Who exactly are you?”
Was this really his daughter?
How could it be?
Where had she learned to observe the subtlest signs and link them to the court’s larger political landscape?
If he hadn’t already thoroughly verified that the child had indeed been switched at birth—and that Xu the butcher and Li Xiuniang had only raised this one daughter—he would’ve thought she was some kind of monster impersonating a human.
The old marquis rolled his eyes internally and gave Qi Zhen a heavy pat on the shoulder, reprimanding him quietly, “What nonsense are you spouting?!”
She looked exactly like them—like someone carved from the same mold as the Qi couple. It couldn’t be more obvious.
Even if she weren’t, based on how she acted today, the old marquis would still firmly insist she was.
Qi Zhen came to his senses, his lips twitching wordlessly.
The old marquis gave Qi Yuan an approving nod. “Girl, now that you’ve exposed the affair between Han Yue’e and Qi Wang, you’ve become a thorn in his side.”
Qi Yuan gave a faint smile before the old marquis finished, and said calmly, “Yes, but it’s nothing. After all, the one he probably hates more is Father, who delivered Han Yue’e to the prince’s gates to be laughed at.”
Both men’s expressions froze.
This girl!
She was utterly blunt, no tact at all—her words cut right to the bone.
But she wasn’t wrong. In fact, it was exactly the thing that weighed heavily on their minds.
Qi Zhen hesitated and finally asked, “Then… what should we do about this?”
Even as he said it, he felt deeply ashamed.
He was Yongping Marquis—head of a noble household with over three hundred mouths, whose word decided the fate of every woman and child at home.
Yet now, he was asking his daughter what to do when faced with trouble.
Qi Yuan, perhaps not noticing his embarrassment, lowered her eyes, picked up a cup of tea from the table, and said softly, “There is a solution.”
Both men leaned in, ears pricked.
After a moment of silence, Qi Yuan finished in a calm tone: “Kill Qi Wang.”
…
D*mn it!
Qi Zhen spat out a mouthful of tea, looking at Qi Yuan in disbelief, cursing silently in his heart.
This was Qi Wang! The emperor’s son, a royal prince.
She spoke of killing him like it was no more than slaughtering a chicken for stew.
But how could that possibly be the same thing?!
It wasn’t just Qi Zhen who choked on his tea—the old marquis nearly did too.
Thankfully he hadn’t been drinking—just look at his son’s sorry state.
The old marquis cleared his throat, expression straightening, and barked, “Don’t talk nonsense!”
He only wanted the matter resolved—even if it meant kneeling before Qi Wang, so long as peace could be restored, it would be worth it.
Better to leave a way out—there would always be a future.
Ants could fight other ants. But if an ant tried to fight an oriole, it was nothing short of madness.
They had crossed Qi Wang only out of necessity—with all the guests watching, they couldn’t afford to bear the label of conspiring with a royal.
But who would seriously dream of killing a royal prince?
Qi Yuan, however, sat up straight, spine taut, and let out a cold laugh. “I’m not speaking nonsense. Qi family is now the thorn in Qi Wang’s side. He’ll stop at nothing until we’re gone.”
Qi Zhen didn’t believe it. After all, Qi Wang was in the wrong first—they’d merely fought back.
Was he truly so insane that he’d try to destroy a marquis household?
Seeing their disbelief, Qi Yuan said nothing more, only smiled faintly. “Grandfather, Father, I’m a little tired. I’d like to rest.”
Qi Zhen wanted to curse.
We’re not done discussing this! Rest? What rest?
But the old marquis held him back, shaking his head.
Qi Zhen could only grunt, “Fine, go!”
Infuriating—she was just here to add to his headache!
Qi Yuan gave a proper bow and withdrew.
Qi Zhen muttered, “Father, do you believe that nonsense too? Has she lost her mind, saying such ridiculous things?”
Kill Qi Wang?
That was like an ant trying to shake a tree!
Madness!
The old marquis said nothing either way. He only stroked his beard and murmured, “Let’s wait and see.”
Wait and see?
Qi Zhen was already about to explode from rage.
Wait for what? This whole idea was utterly absurd.
He was seething with frustration, even thinking his father’s brain might be as broken as Qi Yuan’s.
Just then, one of the stewards came to report: Qi Yunting was refusing to eat and causing a fuss.
Qi Zhen was instantly furious.
He stormed into Qi Yunting’s room.
The boy was tossing and turning on the bed while the maids and older women tried coaxing him gently to eat and rest.
But Qi Yunting ignored them all, demanding loudly that someone bring Qingsong.
Just as Qi Zhen walked in, he heard that name and his fury spiked. “Who do you want?!”
Qi Yunting flinched at his expression, but forced himself to reply quietly, “I—I want Qingsong to come…”
Qi Zhen’s face darkened. “Why? What do you want Qingsong for?”
Qi Yunting sensed something was off, but didn’t know why his father was so angry. He protested, “Qingsong is my personal servant. What’s wrong with asking him to come?”
What’s wrong?!
Everything’s wrong now!
Qi Zhen’s rage boiled over. He raised his hand and slapped Qi Yunting hard across the face.
The boy’s ears buzzed from the blow. He looked up, terrified.
Qi Zhen roared, “If you don’t want to live, go die! No one’s stopping you! But if you dare stir up any more trouble in this house, I’ll kill you myself!”
