Chapter 147: Coincidentally Met, Strike!

"My good lady, this old servant does not know which noble household you hail from, but this is the estate of the Grand Princess Ruian! Not just anyone has the right to lay a hand on this old servant!" the robust, lower-ranking servant woman shouted loudly. Seeing that Qin Wanru had no intention of releasing her immediately, she struggled violently, though Yujie's grip on her was ironclad, twisting her arm firmly behind her back.

"Someone from the estate of the Grand Princess Ruian?" Qin Wanru looked the woman up and down, her gaze lingering on the rather tightly stretched garments.

The woman was somewhat bulky, and this uniform meant for the maids and serving women of the Grand Princess Ruian's estate wrapped around her so tightly that she must have been terribly uncomfortable. The collar buttons at her neck had come undone, exposing the white undergarment beneath.

Such a sight was exceedingly improper.

When Qin Wanru had first entered the gates, she had observed the strict decorum of the Grand Princess Ruian's household. At that time, two rows of servants stood along the sides, and among so many people, not a single sound had been uttered.

From this, it was evident that the Grand Princess Ruian governed her household with the utmost rigor.

Yet this brawling woman before her not only wore ill-fitting attire but was also in a state of disarray. Today, of all days, was when the Grand Princess Ruian was hosting numerous guests; for such a servant to appear in this condition was nothing short of a disgrace to the entire household.

"Indeed, this old servant belongs here! If you do not believe me, you may go ask the Grand Princess Ruian herself!" Unable to break free, the woman stubbornly twisted about again, her face flushed red as she shouted defiantly.

To go and disturb the Grand Princess Ruian personally over a lowly, rough-working servant was a notion laughable on its face. How utterly devoid of sense would Qin Wanru have to be to commit such an act?

Or perhaps the woman had calculated precisely that Qin Wanru would never trouble the Grand Princess over such a trivial matter.

To this moment, the woman still assumed Qin Wanru was merely some young miss who happened to pass by and meddle in affairs that did not concern her. If she put on a fierce front, this young lady would surely not dare to press the matter further.

Besides, Qin Wanru looked to be such a tender young thing—how old could she possibly be? What business did she have prying into another household's affairs?

Even while being restrained, the woman showed little panic, merely struggling with all her might while cursing the maids standing nearby.

"Are you also from the estate of the Grand Princess Ruian?" Qin Wanru ignored the brawling, cursing woman and turned her gaze instead to the young, ashen-faced woman who looked as though she might faint at any moment.

In truth, the moment they had stepped around the corner, Hao'er had already revealed this woman's identity to Qin Wanru. Just as Qin Wanru had surmised, this person was none other than the wet nurse who had left Hao'er behind all alone.

"I... this servant is not!" the wet nurse stammered timidly, her face so drained of color she appeared on the verge of collapsing.

"Tell me, then, to which household do you belong?" Qin Wanru studied the wet nurse with an impassive expression, the corners of her lips curving slightly upward while her eyes flashed with a chilling mockery. "A wet nurse who betrays her master?"

With that single sentence, the wet nurse froze completely. Panic struck her with such force that her legs turned to jelly; had it not been for the two maids supporting her, she would have slumped straight to the ground.

From the very moment she caught sight of Qin Wanru, the wet nurse had a sinking feeling. Although Qin Wanru looked young and possessed the delicate, frail appearance of a noble maiden, she had brought a retinue of people with her, and the moment they emerged, they had subdued both her and the servant woman without the slightest hesitation or drag.

Such actions were far beyond the capabilities of an ordinary young lady of a prominent family.

The wet nurse's gaze involuntarily drifted to Qin Wanru's face, trying to discern which noble house this young miss belonged to, so she could weigh her words accordingly.

Qin Wanru's features were exceptionally refined; her pretty face bore a mix of gentleness and allure, yet retained a childlike innocence. Her long eyelashes fluttered twice, casting dappled shadows across her rosy cheeks. Yet this picturesque scene sent a shiver of bizarre danger through the wet nurse's heart.

"Y-Young... Young Miss..." the wet nurse stammered.

"Speak! Tell me everything, and perhaps you might still be spared a way out," Qin Wanru said with a light chuckle.

"Do not listen to her nonsense—" the servant woman nearby blurted out in a panic, suddenly springing up.

"Stop her mouth," Qin Wanru commanded coldly.

At her cue, Yujie reached out, tore a soiled handkerchief hanging from the servant woman's collar, and stuffed it firmly into her mouth.

The woman could only emit muffled noises, rendered completely unable to speak.

"What is your game? You intended to sell the young master? For how much? Is he worth more than your own family? Or perhaps your own kin can fetch an even higher price on the block?"

Qin Wanru spoke slowly, her tone gentle. The sunset glow seemed to dance within her eyes, yet a faint, chilling gleam flickered deep inside, carrying the subtle air of brewing malice.

"This servant did not... Young Miss, it was not this servant! It truly has nothing to do with me; I was merely accompanying young Master Hao out for a stroll before I stepped away for a moment. It was this woman—she came over and said she wanted to take him away... She claimed someone was waiting by the back courtyard wall to spirit young Master Hao out of the estate!"

The wet nurse burst into tears, weeping bitterly as she defended herself.

"This servant truly knew nothing of it... She... she said she was only taking young Master Hao out for a little fun! Truly, this servant did not know—this servant really did not know!"

"Take them away," Qin Wanru murmured thoughtfully, a cold light in her eyes. It seemed this scheme was not the work of a single person, and her own accidental entry into the fray felt less like coincidence and more like she had been forcefully shoved into the middle of it.

Originally, she herself had not been part of this plot at all.

And the target of these people's malice must have been Hao'er. How truly vicious of someone to plot against a motherless child.

The thought inexplicably brought to mind her own plight in her previous life, causing the hostility in her eyes to grow even denser. Sitting there in the corridor, her aura seemed to plunge the surrounding space into an icy shadow.

Was it simply because a child lacked a mother's protection that they deserved to be preyed upon by schemers? Even though Hao'er's background was evidently extraordinary, he was still targeted with such ruthless calculation!

"Elder Sister, what is wrong?" Hao'er emerged from his hiding place behind the moon gate, walking over to tug gently at Qin Wanru's hand. He gave it a soft shake, tilting his head with knitted brows as he looked up at her with uneasy concern.

A child's heart is the most sensitive of all. Even though Qin Wanru had not uttered a single word of anger, he could still sense the fury roiling within her.

"Let us go, Hao'er. Elder Sister will take you out of here." Taking a deep breath, Qin Wanru suppressed the tempest in her heart. She squeezed Hao'er's small hand gently, then slowly coaxed a faint smile onto her face.

"Hao'er will go out with Elder Sister!" the boy said with a bright smile, his shallow dimples flashing charmingly.

Holding Hao'er by the hand and flanked by a large entourage, Qin Wanru strode forward. Before long, they reached the main pathway of the Grand Princess Ruian's estate. With such a large group accompanying a young child—especially the very young Master Hao whom everyone had been searching for—and with two bound prisoners trailing behind, they made for a striking spectacle. Word was quickly dispatched to the Grand Princess Ruian.

To Qin Wanru's surprise, before they encountered anyone belonging to the Grand Princess, they ran into the eldest young miss of the Marquis Yongkang's estate, Di Fenglan.

"Oh? Is this not the Second Young Miss of the Qin family? How is it that only a moment after parting ways, you are causing a scene once more? Are you truly attempting to kidnap a child?" Di Fenglan stood beneath a tree with several other young ladies, seemingly engaged in conversation. Hearing the commotion on the main path, they all turned their heads just in time to see Qin Wanru approaching with her retinue.

Di Fenglan paused briefly before curling her lip and taking two steps forward.

Qin Wanru raised her eyes to look at her, her gaze carrying a hint of scrutiny before she offered a slow, calm smile. "What a coincidence, Miss Di. How is it that wherever I go, I run into you? We share quite the affinity."

"Who shares an affinity with you? You certainly know how to flatter yourself!" With the Marchioness of Yongkang absent, Di Fenglan felt free to display her arrogance. Tossing her head, she glared at Qin Wanru with open disdain.

"You certainly have a lot of nerve, arresting people right here in the Grand Princess Ruian's estate! What kind of ruckus are you trying to stir up now? Is this the child everyone has been searching for? He is merely a little boy, yet you hold such a grudge that you would claim someone is selling him—your heart is truly vicious!" Di Fenglan sneered.

As a young lady raised in the capital, she naturally looked down upon Qin Wanru. After all, Qin Yuru had already spread the word that Qin Wanru was nothing more than a bastard child picked up from some unknown gutter, foolishly masquerading as a young lady of a prominent family.

"Hey, who do you think you are!" Hearing Di Fenglan speak to Qin Wanru in such a tone, Hao'er took immediate offense. He raised his chin, glared fiercely at Di Fenglan, and lectured her with the stern air of a little adult. "Which household are you from, lacking manners to this degree? Does your family not know how to teach their children? You have no notion of proper maidenly conduct!"

Caught entirely off guard by a mere child, Di Fenglan watched as the boy purposefully straightened his face to mimic an adult, and her anger flared instantly. She fancied she could see Qin Wanru's shadow mirrored in the child's expression.

"Whose child are you, acting so ill-mannered? Why hasn't an adult properly disciplined you!" Di Fenglan had never before been pointedly lectured for lacking manners.

Even when she committed improper acts, people would usually refrain from harsh reprimands out of respect for Imperial Concubine Di, and even Yan Xiufeng, who despised her, had never been so blunt to her face.

"Which family are you from? Did your elders never teach you to respect the elderly and cherish the young? Look at yourself—with such an ugly demeanor, what family would ever want you? How pitiful you are; no household will ever take you in!" Hao'er demanded aggressively, placing his hands on his hips. He loathed nothing more than people claiming he had no elders to teach him.

That was the deepest taboo in his heart since he had grown old enough to understand things.

"You... you—!" Di Fenglan's face flushed red, then turned pale with fury. Had they not been in public view, she might well have struck him across the face. The boy's words only grew more infuriating by the second.

"What about you? I am talking about you! Just look at that hideous expression of yours—it's plain to see you are a bad person!" Refusing to let the matter drop, Hao'er rolled his eyes at her defiantly.

Though young, his words struck deep, piercing straight to the heart. Di Fenglan had always prided herself on her beauty, considering herself one of the foremost beauties in the capital. Never in her wildest dreams did she expect to be called ugly by a child. This grievance was simply too much to swallow.

"Today, I shall teach you what it means to have manners on behalf of your elders!" Di Fenglan snapped, taking a step forward and raising her hand to deliver a slap to Hao'er's face.

Before her hand could descend, however, her wrist was caught in a lightning-fast grip by Yujie.

"The children of my household have no need for the likes of you to discipline them!"