Chapter Thirty-Two: The Matriarch Suddenly Falls Ill

In her previous life, Lady Di had always claimed to be her birth mother. Because of this, Qin Wanru had believed that everything Lady Di did was justified. After all, what mother would truly harm her own child? At worst, she thought, Lady Di was simply biased.

So, every time Lady Di covertly plotted against her, Wanru excused it with this reasoning.

It wasn’t until the very end that Wanru realized she was not Lady Di’s biological daughter at all. Lady Di had only used that pretense as a cover for her malicious machinations.

In this life, reborn, the very first step was to strip away Lady Di’s mask of false kindness, so she could never again claim to be Wanru’s real mother.

“Lady Di, do you truly refuse to treat Wanru as your own child?” The Old Madam, heart aching, held Qin Wanru’s slender frame close, her gaze sharp as she looked at Lady Di. The Old Madam was deeply disappointed in her.

“Mother, no, that’s not it. I sincerely want to treat Wanru as my own daughter, but with what happened with Miss Qi... I... there’s nothing I could do. In the past, the two girls quarreled sometimes, but I thought it was just childish squabbles, nothing serious. How could I have known Wanru would think so poorly of me? Mother, I... I truly never expected it to come to this!”

Lady Di began to cry, dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief as she tried to explain.

Just mere childish matters. Nestled in the Old Madam’s embrace, Qin Wanru gradually fell silent, a flicker of cold resolve glinting in her eyes. In her previous life, she had been deceived by such excuses, suffering again and again at the hands of the vicious Qi Rongzhi, who always found a reason to torment her.

“From now on, you needn’t concern yourself with this child’s affairs. I will see to her myself,” the Old Madam said coldly.

“Mother... you are already advanced in years; how can you still manage a child’s affairs? If word gets out that you, at your age, are still handling such things, how is a daughter-in-law supposed to feel? How am I to face others?” Lady Di was unwilling to relinquish control over Qin Wanru’s matters so easily and hurriedly protested.

“And yet, you can shamelessly neglect the children of this household and still parade yourself before others?” the Old Madam retorted, unmoved.

Lady Di’s face flushed scarlet. In the past, she had often publicly put on the act of a loving mother to Qin Wanru.

“Go and see to the matter with Miss Qi. Handle it as it should be handled. Though the General’s Manor may not be grand, we need not bow and scrape before the magistrate’s daughter, nor need we sacrifice our own daughter’s wellbeing,” the Old Madam declared icily. Rising, she took Qin Wanru’s hand to leave.

Wanru quickly offered her arm to support the Old Madam, changing from being led to gently assisting her.

“Mother, I—” Lady Di called out anxiously, moving to help the Old Madam on her other side. But Nanny Duan stepped forward, supporting the Old Madam and subtly pushing Lady Di aside. Her hand fell awkwardly to the sachet at her waist—a delicate pouch, yet strangely familiar. Lady Di would always wear it at this time each year.

Wanru’s gaze passed casually over the sachet, not giving it much thought.

“From now on, you had best keep out of Wanru’s affairs. Return all her belongings to me and leave them in my care. Her matters, including her marriage, are no longer for you to interfere with,” the Old Madam said, pausing to give Lady Di a cold, disappointed glance before leading Wanru away without another look at mother or daughter.

“Grandmother…” Qin Yuru stamped her foot, wanting to follow, but Lady Di held her back. The two watched helplessly as the Old Madam and Wanru disappeared from sight.

“Mother, why did you stop me? Why not let me go after them?” Qin Yuru asked.

“Go and see Qi Rongzhi,” Lady Di replied coldly, now collected once more.

“I won’t! Does Qi Rongzhi truly think herself the young mistress of this house?” Qin Yuru muttered through gritted teeth, still feeling the sting on her face.

“Go—why wouldn’t you go? Isn’t it in Qi Rongzhi’s nature to vent her anger on others?” Lady Di’s expression darkened, her eyes coldly following the receding figures ahead. “If I’m not to oversee Wanru’s affairs, then let’s see things become even more chaotic. You and Qi Rongzhi have spoken often in the past—you haven’t forgotten how to talk to her, have you?”

“You mean to shift the blame to Wanru and let Qi Rongzhi deal with her?” Qin Yuru was momentarily stunned, but quickly understood and brightened with delight.

She had long been adept at sowing discord.

“Go on, then. I’ll have someone fetch a doctor for Qi Rongzhi. A young girl falling into a lake is no small matter! As the mistress of the house, I must pay her a visit. Your grandmother has enough trouble protecting herself,” Lady Di said with a cold laugh, her hand falling to her waist. That old woman thought she could shield the little girl so easily—let’s see if she really has the strength for it.

“Mother, you mean Grandmother won’t be able to protect that girl?” Qin Yuru’s eyes widened.

“Go and speak to Miss Qi. I’ll make sure that girl comes to see her shortly,” Lady Di’s lips curled in a mirthless smile. Wanru had always been a filial granddaughter—how convenient.

“I understand. I’ll go see Qi Rongzhi right away!” Qin Yuru replied, instantly grasping the plan. Dropping her hand from her face, she strode off toward the courtyard where Qi Rongzhi was changing clothes. She had heard Nanny Duan instruct someone to bring Qi Rongzhi fresh clothes earlier.

After Qin Yuru left, Lady Di summoned her chief maid, Meiya, and whispered a few instructions. Meiya nodded repeatedly and departed.

Arriving at the courtyard, Qin Yuru asked after Qi Rongzhi’s condition, forced a smile onto her face, and entered the room.

Inside, Qi Rongzhi sat sipping ginger tea, her clothes already changed. She glanced at Qin Yuru, then looked away.

“Qi, are you feeling any better? Are you all right? If something really happened, how could Mother and I explain to your family? I… I couldn’t face your brother. If I’d known what Second Sister intended, I’d never have told you where she was!” Qin Yuru sat close beside Qi Rongzhi, speaking with heartfelt emotion.

“You mean to say all this was Qin Wanru’s doing?” Qi Rongzhi put down her bowl and demanded angrily.

“Of course. Second Sister arranged everything. She knows Mother isn’t her real mother and has orchestrated all this out of resentment, dragging you into it unintentionally. I’m truly sorry!” Qin Yuru sighed, moving Qi Rongzhi’s bowl aside herself, looking despondent.

She made it sound as if today’s trouble was simply collateral damage, with Qi Rongzhi caught in the crossfire of Wanru’s scheme against Lady Di.

Hearing this, Qi Rongzhi became even more displeased.

“Yuru, are you all so useless you can’t even deal with Qin Wanru?” Qi Rongzhi sneered.

“Grandmother protects her—Mother is helpless!” Qin Yuru replied, her eyes reddening as she dabbed at imagined tears. “Grandmother has always favored Second Sister and disliked me. Even after I was engaged to your brother, she has always said I’m not as good as Second Sister. She even talked of arranging a marriage for her higher than mine, and now she’s interfering in my own engagement!”

“You mean the Old Madam is meddling in your marriage to my brother?” Qi Rongzhi was furious. Her brother, Qi Tianyu, was the person she admired most.

“Otherwise, do you think Qin Wanru would dare be so outrageous? Was she ever like this before?” Qin Yuru continued to stoke the flames.

“That wretched girl—I won’t let her off!” Qi Rongzhi shot to her feet, intent on confronting Wanru, but Qin Yuru quickly grabbed her arm.

“If you go now, it will only make you look guilty.”

“So what if I am? What can Qin Wanru do to me? She’s just a concubine’s daughter, nothing special.” Qi Rongzhi sneered, dismissing Wanru entirely, convinced by Qin Yuru’s hints that Wanru was not Lady Di’s, but merely an illegitimate child registered under her name.

Arrogant by nature, Qi Rongzhi never took Wanru seriously.

“She’ll have to come see you soon after what happened,” Qin Yuru hinted.

Qi Rongzhi caught on immediately, her eyes turning cold. “She’ll come, but she won’t be leaving.”

Qin Yuru lowered her head, a slow smile spreading across her face. Qi Rongzhi was notorious for her domineering and malicious temper—she never let a slight go unpunished. If her mother couldn’t deal with Wanru for now, that didn’t mean others couldn’t…

Back in the Old Madam’s quarters, as soon as they entered, the Old Madam began to cough violently. Wanru hurried to pat her back, worry etched on her face. “Grandmother, why are you coughing so badly again?”

The Old Madam’s cough was a longstanding ailment that always worsened with the autumn chill. Wanru remembered, in her previous life, the day the Old Madam died—her complexion was waxen, lips bloodless, the coughing so severe her mouth bled, and even outside the room, the racking coughs could be heard.

It was only when the Old Madam finally passed that the coughing ceased. Wanru had fainted by her bedside from grief.

In this life, Wanru had been anxious about the Old Madam’s cough, though it hadn’t flared up in recent days—until now, when it returned with a vengeance.

Nanny Duan brought over a cup of warm water, which Wanru offered to the Old Madam’s lips.

After a sip, the Old Madam regained her composure, though her face looked ghastly. She stifled a couple more coughs.

“Old Madam, have you caught a chill? At this time of year, you don’t usually start coughing yet,” Nanny Duan said, puzzled.

Wanru gently wiped the sweat from the Old Madam’s forehead, worry clouding her eyes.

“I’m fine, just a little overwhelmed lately... and the weather’s turned cold,” the Old Madam said, clutching Wanru’s hand. Another fit of coughing wracked her body, and she gripped Wanru’s wrist so tightly it hurt.

Wanru stayed still, letting the Old Madam hold on for support, and fed her another sip of warm water.

Only after a long while did the Old Madam relax her grip.

“Old Madam, please lie down and rest for a while,” Nanny Duan said, her face full of concern.

The Old Madam nodded weakly. She had meant to speak with Wanru about many things, but now she lacked even the strength to talk—her head spun, her throat tasted of blood, and she couldn’t utter a word.

Wanru and Nanny Duan helped the Old Madam to bed, tucked her in, and only left when she closed her eyes in exhausted slumber.

“Second Miss, I’ve come on the madam’s orders to see the Old Madam,” a maid called out breathlessly as soon as Wanru reached the veranda.