Chapter Thirty-Eight: A Major Incident—The Fight Breaks Out

Upon hearing the invitation from inside, Qi Rongzhi strode forward and entered the room.

"Rongzhi, come and have some porridge with us. This is tribute rice your eldest brother gifted us last time; it's especially glutinous and fragrant," Qin Yuru said warmly, coming over to take Qi Rongzhi’s hand affectionately.

She acted as if she hadn’t seen Qin Wanru, who followed behind Qi Rongzhi, paying her no heed whatsoever.

Qin Wanru glanced at her coldly, her gaze resting on the three bowls of steaming porridge on the table, which indeed looked appetizing.

"Eldest brother treats you the best, doesn't he!" Qi Rongzhi snorted coldly, but did not sit down immediately. Instead, she turned with displeasure and pushed Qin Yuru’s hand away. "Since my brother is so good to you, how can you bear to betray him and break off the engagement?"

"I... I truly don’t understand what happened, I don’t even know where that box came from!" Qin Yuru’s expression shifted slightly, but she quickly lowered her head, tears glistening at the corners of her eyes. She deftly shifted the conversation to Qin Wanru, sticking to the story she and Lady Di had agreed upon: insist on knowing nothing and claim to have been framed.

"Second Miss, where did that box my brother found come from?" Qi Rongzhi turned to Qin Wanru with an imposing air, as if interrogating her.

"How should I know where something from eldest sister’s room came from?" Qin Wanru replied unhurriedly. Tilting her head slightly, she looked at Qin Yuru, asking with a hint of naivety, "Is eldest sister thinking of renewing her engagement to Young Master Qi?"

Qin Yuru’s face stiffened. She quickly mumbled, "After all that’s happened, we should wait for a while before discussing it again."

The implication was clear: since the engagement had been broken off, even if the two families were to renew it, they would have to wait until the scandal subsided. While her words hinted at the possibility of marrying into the Qi family, both Qin Wanru and Qi Rongzhi could hear the evasion in her tone.

Neither of them was as easily deceived as Qi Tianyu.

"So, does eldest sister want to be engaged or not?" Qin Wanru, as if oblivious to the underlying meaning, continued to smile and press the question.

"Second sister, matters of marriage are decided by our parents. It isn’t for us to say. Even with only the three of us here, it’s improper to discuss such things behind others’ backs," Qin Yuru reprimanded sincerely, as if she were truly a model of decorum and virtue.

"So, if mother still wishes to arrange a marriage with the Yongkang Marquis’s family, will you leave the decision entirely to her?" Qin Wanru asked, sounding like a child untouched by the world, foolishly posing another question.

Qin Yuru clenched her hand tightly within her sleeve, but her face remained composed as she graciously gestured to Qin Wanru, "Second sister, let’s not say anything that isn’t proper for young ladies. Come sit and have some porridge with us!"

There were three bowls on the table, clearly set in advance for the three of them.

"Qin Yuru, why don’t you make yourself clear? Is it that you look down on my brother and wish to climb higher?" Qi Rongzhi snorted coldly. She had already sensed that Qin Yuru truly wanted to cast aside her brother and arrange a marriage with the Yongkang Marquis’s family in the capital.

Thinking of how her brother was still joyfully hoping to renew the engagement with the General Ningyuan’s household, while Qin Yuru was not only intent on escaping the match, but also scheming to stain her own reputation to overshadow Qin Yuru’s own scandal, Qi Rongzhi could no longer restrain herself.

With Qin Yuru showing no desire to marry Qi Tianyu, the incident with the lake naturally became her fault as well. Qi Rongzhi had had enough.

She strode to the table, seized a scalding bowl of porridge, and hurled it at Qin Yuru. At that moment, Qin Yuru and Qin Wanru were standing quite close together; her aim was to strike between the two, wishing to mar both their faces.

Seeing Qi Rongzhi approach the table, Qin Wanru instantly sensed trouble. She quickly stepped back, lifting her right sleeve for protection, but even so, a few drops of porridge splattered onto her guarded hand, causing her to cry out softly in pain.

Qin Yuru had also been watching Qi Rongzhi’s movements. When she saw her seize the bowl, she realized too late what was happening. The bowl was already flying toward her shoulder. She tried to dodge, using her hand to block, but the scalding porridge splashed over her palm.

"Ah!" Qin Yuru screamed, collapsing immediately. The bowl shattered at her feet, and more drops splashed onto her face.

Meixue rushed to Qin Yuru’s side, crying, "Miss, Miss, are you all right?"

Qin Yuru was in such agony she couldn’t even speak. She frantically shook her hand, trying to rid it of the porridge, but the burn on her palm was already a large, blood-red patch.

"Help! Someone help! Miss Qi has scalded the young lady’s hand!" Meixue shouted.

"This wasn’t my fault..." Qi Rongzhi, seeing Qin Wanru had dodged, felt dissatisfied and tried to shift the blame onto her. But she was interrupted by Qin Wanru, who commanded, "Someone, restrain Miss Qi, lest she further harm the young lady."

There were other maids in the room, who had been stunned by Qi Rongzhi’s sudden violence. Now, at Qin Wanru’s order, two of them rushed over and firmly held Qi Rongzhi’s arms, not letting her move.

Qi Rongzhi’s maid Chunyi tried to intervene, but was blocked by the others. With the incident occurring in Qin Yuru’s own quarters, and everyone fearful of being held responsible for the young lady’s injury, it was natural to restrain the perpetrator.

"Qin Wanru, how dare you!" Qi Rongzhi hadn’t expected Qin Wanru to have her seized without hesitation. She struggled furiously, but couldn’t break free, and shouted in rage.

There was no time left for explanation.

"Report to Madam that Miss Qi has injured the young lady, and fetch a doctor," Qin Wanru ordered, ignoring Qi Rongzhi. She summoned two older maids and gave instructions.

Qin Yuru’s attendants, still in shock, immediately dashed out at her command.

"Qin Wanru, you insolent thing! Let me go at once!" Qi Rongzhi screamed, twisting violently, and barked at the two maids holding her, "Are you deaf or blind? How dare you grab me!"

"Miss Qi, they are neither deaf nor blind. They know exactly where they are, and they saw you just now hurt my eldest sister. Is the Qi family really so unwilling to let matters rest between our households? Is this how you seek revenge for my sister?" Qin Wanru retorted icily.

"What do you mean, unwilling to let things rest? It was your own family that was at fault first. Qin Yuru is a wanton creature, who knows which man she seduced, shaming my brother! She thinks it’s all over now? As if things could be that easy!" Qi Rongzhi was so infuriated by Qin Wanru that she blurted out whatever came to mind, unwittingly following Qin Wanru’s lead.

"My eldest sister and Young Master Qi have already broken off their engagement, and the elders of both houses have agreed. So for whom are you making such a scene, Miss Qi? If word gets out, I wonder if anyone will dare marry you," Qin Wanru said coldly, each word seeming to defend Qin Yuru.

Qi Rongzhi grew even angrier, spat viciously toward Qin Wanru, and struggled again. "What nonsense! She already has another man’s child and still wants to be with my brother? My brother wants nothing to do with another man’s woman!"

Qi Rongzhi had always been fierce, and now, enraged, she cared little for what she said. She felt her brother had been humiliated by Qin Yuru, so she repeated his words with added venom, determined to make it clear that it was her brother who had rejected the shamed Qin Yuru, preserving his dignity.

"Look at all the things in this room—they must be gifts from that man! Qin Yuru, how shameless you are, engaged to my brother while carrying on with another! So base and vulgar, and yet someone still wants you. Who else should have had that porridge thrown at them if not you?"

Qi Rongzhi cursed, having long forgotten her intention to blame the matter on Qin Wanru.

By now, Meixue had helped Qin Yuru to a seat, anxiously wiping the porridge from her hand and face. There were a few red spots on her face—not too serious—but the large scald on her hand was untouchable. Qin Yuru was in such pain she wept bitterly.

The burning pain made her hate Qi Rongzhi with a vengeance. Gritting her teeth, she endured it, then suddenly rose and slapped Qi Rongzhi hard across the face, twice.

Consumed by hatred, Qin Yuru did not hold back. The blows sent Qi Rongzhi’s head reeling to the side, and her face instantly swelled and reddened.

"Wretch! How dare you hit me!" Stunned, Qi Rongzhi then erupted in fury, kicking fiercely at Qin Yuru. Never before had she suffered such humiliation; she screamed and lashed out wildly.

Qin Yuru could not withstand the force of her kicks. Her legs buckled, and she crashed backward.

The sudden fight left the maids dumbfounded. They watched as Qi Rongzhi was struck, then saw Qin Yuru fall against a chair, collapsing with it to the floor. This time, she made no sound, simply fainting away.

"Qi Rongzhi, you’ve gone too far! You knocked my sister unconscious! Your family is truly bullying us!" Qin Wanru, furious, stepped forward, hand extended as if to push Qi Rongzhi. But in her anger, her hand slipped and pinched Qi Rongzhi hard on the soft flesh near her arm and chest.

That spot, especially on a girl of thirteen or fourteen, was particularly tender. The pain made Qi Rongzhi gasp for breath and, with a scream, she somehow broke free from the two maids restraining her, launching herself at Qin Wanru...