Duan Mingxi’s words left everyone stunned.
The Old Madam looked at Mingxi, noting the resentment and coldness in her demeanor. Then she turned her gaze to Madam Jiang, inwardly sighing.
Enough. That foolish Madam Jiang has truly alienated her daughter this time.
If so, as the grandmother, she cannot let Mingxi lose hope in this household.
If she does, and Mingxi marries into a prestigious family in the future, the Marquis Residence might not even reap any benefits.
The Second Madam and Third Madam exchanged glances, both surprised at Mingxi’s forceful and domineering attitude.
Meanwhile, Madam Xiao’s heart raced wildly. Heavens! This younger meimei of mine is absolutely ruthless.
In her entire life, she had never seen a junior act so brazenly in front of their elders.
But then again, she thought to herself, her mother-in-law truly handled this poorly. Anyone in Mingxi’s position would feel slighted.
Madam Xiao wisely kept her mouth shut. As the daughter-in-law, this was not her place to speak. Besides, she now wanted to stay on good terms with Mingxi and couldn’t afford to offend her.
As for Huirou, Madam Xiao had once admired her cleverness and charm, but now she found her increasingly unreliable.
Meanwhile, Madam Jiang and her daughter were both filled with shock and fury. Duan Huirou was terrified. She hadn’t bothered to cover her tracks when she executed this plan. Now that the maid had been caught, the truth could no longer be hidden.
Madam Jiang, on the other hand, was furious beyond measure. She deeply regretted ever bringing her back into the household.
She doesn’t even see me as her mother anymore!
Duan Mingxi ignored the expressions of the mother-daughter pair, focusing instead on the trembling maid.
The little maid shrank in fear, trembling uncontrollably as she faced the house’s powerful Madams. She nearly collapsed onto the ground.
“This servant … It wasn’t this servant’s idea! It was the Second Miss who ordered me to do it,” the maid stammered, her face pale with terror as she knelt and kowtowed frantically before the Old Madam. “Please spare me, Old Madam! I’m just a servant. How could I dare defy the Second Miss’s instructions….”
At this moment, Ren Mian arrived. He grabbed the maid’s hand, examined the powder under her nails, and took a careful sniff before concluding, “It’s indeed Baiqi powder.”
Although everyone had expected this, they still couldn’t help but gasp in shock. All eyes turned to Duan Huirou.
Duan Huirou bit her lip, her eyes reddening as she nervously wrung her hands. Suddenly, she looked up at Duan Mingxi and shouted, “Why did you have to return? If not for you, I’d still be the beloved legitimate daughter of the Marquis Residence. But ever since you came back, everyone’s affection has shifted away from me!”
Duan Mingxi stepped forward, ignoring Duan Huirou’s outburst, and fixed her gaze on the maid. “Is there any more Baiqi powder?”
The maid trembled as she nodded. “The Second Miss gave me a small bottle. I only used a little.” She fished out a small porcelain vial from the pouch tied at her waist and held it above her head with trembling hands.
Duan Mingxi took the vial, poured its contents into a cup of water, and stirred it. Then, holding the cup, she walked toward Duan Huirou.
Duan Huirou’s heart sank, and she shrieked, “What are you doing?”
Duan Mingxi didn’t answer. Before anyone could react, she grabbed Duan Huirou by the chin and forced the water down her throat.
The room erupted into chaos.
Madam Jiang screamed, “Huirou!”
“Second Miss!”
The room fell into utter disarray.
Duan Huirou felt a burning sensation in her throat, choking and tearing up as she struggled to breathe. She pushed Duan Mingxi away and fell to the ground, gasping for air, her face streaked with tears and mucus.
“You brought this upon yourself. You should experience the effects of your own concoction,” Duan Mingxi said coldly, her voice icy and devoid of emotion.
“How could you be so cruel? How could you do this to your own sister?” Madam Jiang was hysterical, pushing Duan Mingxi aside and cradling Duan Huirou.
Duan Mingxi sidestepped Madam Jiang’s shove, her gaze frosty. “Wasn’t it just a small matter earlier, Madam? Funny how what’s ‘small’ for me becomes a catastrophe for your precious daughter.”
Duan Huirou collapsed into Madam Jiang’s arms, sobbing uncontrollably, humiliated and gasping for breath.
“Duan Mingxi! How cruel you are!” Duan Huirou screamed.
“Am I? Compared to you?” Duan Mingxi sneered coldly. Without sparing anyone another glance, she turned and entered her inner chamber, shutting the door firmly behind her, leaving the others outside in disarray.
The outer hall descended into chaos.
The Old Madam ordered Duan Huirou to be sent back to her courtyard and instructed Ren Mian to check her pulse and prescribe medicine. Duan Huirou had consumed a much larger dose compared to Duan Mingxi.
What a cursed mess.
Madam Xiao was trembling with fear—this youngest sister-in-law was not someone to provoke.
Fortunately… fortunately, she had been pragmatic and tried to ingratiate herself with Duan Mingxi earlier, refraining from making things difficult for her. It was just that, when Duan Mingxi had first returned, she’d been a little cold.
The more Madam Xiao thought about it, the more uneasy she felt. She nearly tripped over herself, barely saved by the maid at her side.
Meanwhile, Madam Jiang stayed by Duan Huirou’s side in her courtyard all night. Yang Yiniang, however, kept Dingyuan Marquis in her quarters and didn’t show up once.
The following morning, Yang Yiniang awoke early, putting on an air of panic as she rushed into the Marquis’s sleeping chamber, throwing herself onto him.
“Master, wake up quickly! Something terrible has happened!” she cried, pinching her thigh hard enough to bring tears to her eyes, her face instantly awash with sorrow.
Dingyuan Marquis, startled awake by her outburst, looked at her tearful face in confusion. “What’s the matter? Did the madam scold you again?” he asked gently.
Yang Yiniang shook her head. “It’s the eldest young lady—something’s happened to her!”
The Marquis froze. “Mingxi? What happened to her?”
This daughter of his had a steely temperament—anyone crossing her would end up bruised. What could possibly happen to her?
“The family arranged for the eldest young miss to attend the palace banquet—a selection event for the Crown Prince and other Wangyes. But the second young miss wasn’t willing and secretly drugged her, causing her to break out in rashes all over.
“When the eldest young miss discovered the truth, she became so furious that she made the second young miss take the very same medicine. Now, both young misses are unwell, and the palace banquet is in jeopardy. Master, this concerns not just the family’s honor but your future prospects as well. How could the second young miss be so reckless, doing such a thing to her own sister?”
Dingyuan Marquis sprang out of bed. Yang Yiniang hastily brought him his robes to wear.
“Master, please don’t be too angry. The second young miss probably just wanted a chance to attend the banquet herself. If she had simply spoken to the Old Madam and the madam, the family could have thought of other ways. There was no need for it to come to this.”
“She must have lost her mind!” the Marquis fumed, his expression darkening. What he had once dismissed as sibling rivalry had turned into something far more serious.
“Master, please, calm down…”
The Marquis brushed past Yang Yiniang angrily and stormed off.
Watching his retreating figure, Yang Yiniang’s expression softened into one of satisfaction.
Ah, this was perfect. Now the second young miss and the madam would face the Marquis’s wrath.
What was the Marquis’s greatest concern?
His wife and children?
Of course not. What mattered most to him was his reputation and interests.
