Chapter Thirty-Nine: The Large Scar on the Hand

Qin Wanru had already been prepared; she slipped behind several nearby maidservants for protection.

Seeing that Qi Rongzhi was still acting violently, the maids hurried forward to shield Qin Wanru. However, Qi Rongzhi, having just suffered pain, now charged like a madwoman, shoving the maids aside with forceful slaps. The maids dared not truly hurt her and could only keep retreating, several of them taking blows in the process.

Qin Wanru backed toward the door, and as she heard footsteps approaching from outside, she shot a mocking, provocative smile at Qi Rongzhi, who lunged at her again. With a swift step, Qin Wanru slipped out the door.

Madam Di arrived in haste, accompanied by maids and matrons. Seeing Qin Wanru had exited, she ignored her and strode straight toward the room.

Qi Rongzhi, incited to near madness by Qin Wanru’s taunt, rushed out and, seeing someone blocking the doorway, assumed it was another maid. Without looking closely, she raised her hand and landed two fierce slaps, shouting, "You wretch, get out of my way!"

With that, she shoved the person hard.

Madam Di was stunned by the blows. Before she could react, she was pushed backward. Fortunately, one of her maids caught her in time. After a moment’s bewilderment, Madam Di was incensed. Pointing at the equally stunned Qi Rongzhi, she shouted, "Seize this shrew! I don’t care if you beat her half to death!"

Madam Di was truly enraged. She had been rushing over after hearing from the servants that Qi Rongzhi had thrown a bowl of scalding porridge onto Qin Yuru, who was now burned. In her panic, she had hurried over, only to be slapped twice by Qi Rongzhi.

Qi Rongzhi, realizing she had struck Madam Di, knew she was in trouble and dared not make another scene. Immediately, the maids and matrons pounced on her and restrained her.

"Madam Di, what has my daughter done that you, as an elder, would call her a shrew? She’s still just a child!" A cold reprimand sounded from behind the chaotic crowd.

The people from Magistrate Qi’s residence, summoned by the old madam, had arrived.

Upon hearing this voice, Qi Rongzhi immediately burst into aggrieved tears. "Mother, Mother, they want to ruin my reputation and harm me!"

"What? Madam Di, you have repeatedly ruined both my children’s reputations—what are you after?" Madam Li, wife of Magistrate Qi, had just arrived at the courtyard gate. Hearing her daughter’s cries and seeing her daughter’s disheveled state as servants held her back, she was instantly furious.

She had arrived a little late and hadn’t seen Qi Rongzhi slap Madam Di. All she saw was her own daughter being restrained and left in such a disgraceful state, utterly lacking the dignity of a noble young lady.

"Madam Li, you’ve come just in time. Your daughter scalded Yuru with a bowl of porridge and then slapped me twice. How are you going to settle this account? If such a person isn’t a shrew, what is she? A child? She’s old enough to be betrothed, yet you still call her a child?" Madam Di was beside herself with anger and humiliation; those two slaps had utterly disgraced her, so she had no intention of being polite.

Qin Wanru watched these two furious women argue, a fleeting cold smile in her dark eyes, an icy glint settling in her gaze. In the past, when Qi Rongzhi hit her or "accidentally" injured her, these women would always rush to defend Qi Rongzhi, claiming she was just a child and that such things were trifling matters—even when her grandmother wanted to stand up for her, she was stopped.

But when Qin Yuru was struck, suddenly Qi Rongzhi became a "shrew!"

To burn someone with hot porridge and then strike Madam Di—no matter how she tried, Qi Rongzhi could not shift the blame onto her this time. In fact, she had been pondering how to estrange the two families, to prevent Qin Yuru and Qi Rongzhi from colluding again. Now that this foolish Qi Rongzhi had delivered herself into disaster, wasn’t this perfect?

---

"What? Rongzhi, did you really burn Qin Yuru?" Madam Li, hearing Madam Di’s words, immediately sensed trouble and turned sharply to question her daughter.

"Mother, I... I did it because they plotted against me first, trying to ruin my reputation to cover up for Qin Yuru's recent disgrace. Mother, they made me fall into the lake and tried to have a man rescue me, tarnishing my name," Qi Rongzhi explained tearfully.

"Madam Di, my son wanted to marry your daughter, but your daughter gave him such a grand cuckold that now all of Jiangzhou mocks him. And as if that wasn’t enough, now you want to destroy my daughter’s reputation too… Fine, fine. Clearly, our family is not worthy of associating with the General’s Mansion. From now on, all ties are severed!" Madam Li was so angry she nearly spat blood. The whole affair between Qi Tianyu and Qin Yuru had always been a thorn in her side. Her son had claimed Qin Yuru was framed, but Madam Li did not believe it. In the inner courts, a woman’s scheming was plain as day to her, even if her foolish son could not see it.

The General’s Mansion was always under Madam Di’s control. Qin Wanru was obviously not favored, and Shui Ruolan was so mild she rarely left her rooms; how could she have plotted to plant the box that incriminated Qin Yuru? Even if someone else had placed the box, how could the letter inside be so convincing? Clearly, Qin Yuru was just making excuses.

"Madam Li, stop your nonsense! When have we ever harmed your daughter like this? It’s obvious Miss Qi is refusing to take responsibility for her own misdeeds. If my daughter were truly at fault, I would not spare your family!" Madam Di’s face had turned ashen with rage at Qi Rongzhi’s words, her eyes red as she glared at Madam Li.

She believed Qi Rongzhi was lying, making up excuses after throwing porridge at Qin Yuru. If Yuru was truly injured, this matter would not end lightly.

Madam Li had no interest in arguing further. Waving her hand, she ordered her attendants, "Go and bring Miss over. We will not return here again."

Immediately, two maids and a matron from the magistrate’s residence came forward, pried the General’s Mansion maids’ hands off Qi Rongzhi, and once released, Qi Rongzhi threw herself into Madam Li’s arms, sobbing miserably.

"We’re leaving!" Madam Li, furious, half-carried her daughter away.

As they turned, Qi Rongzhi caught sight of Qin Wanru and wanted to say something, but Madam Li hurried her away before she could speak.

Watching the people from the Qi residence hurriedly whisk Qi Rongzhi away, Madam Di paid them no further mind and rushed inside to tend to Qin Yuru. The physician arrived just then, and a crowd quickly gathered in the inner room.

Soon, only Qin Wanru and Qingyue remained in the courtyard. Qin Wanru let out a quiet sigh and, her expression unreadable, watched the retreating figures of the Qi family. Qi Rongzhi had brought her here today with ill intentions, planning to shift blame onto her if anything went wrong. But now, with the scene having escalated so far, even Qi Rongzhi could not weasel out.

A faint smile played at Qin Wanru’s lips. Her watery eyes shifted, and she suddenly met a pair of handsome, amused eyes. Her smile froze.

Opposite Qin Wanru, in the upper floor of a nearby pavilion, Chu Liuchen was indeed leaning against the window. Dressed in snowy white robes, his jade-like features gleamed, his gaze deep and artistic, his refined demeanor ethereal.

He looked utterly at ease, as if he’d been watching for some time, his languid eyes falling upon Qin Wanru’s face. He bent his lips in a smile.

Qin Wanru inwardly groaned. She had thought his earlier words were only a jest, but unexpectedly, this prince was truly so idle as to come watch the spectacle. Helpless, she inclined her body and offered a small curtsy toward him, then, together with Qingyue, slipped quietly into the house. This man’s presence was simply too oppressive!

Inside, Qin Yuru was already lying on the bed. The porridge had been cleaned from her, and the physician was examining her wounds.

---

"How is my daughter?" Madam Di asked anxiously, her heart aching as she saw her daughter’s condition.

"Madam, her hand is severely injured. The injury to her face is less serious, but she must rest, or it may leave a scar," the physician said with a frown.

"And her hand? What about her hand?" Madam Di stared at the large red blister swelling on Qin Yuru’s palm, her face turning as pale as snow.

"Her hand… will almost certainly be scarred!" the physician said helplessly. The burn was so severe that a large blister had already formed, the entire palm red and nearly translucent—a chilling sight. "The injury is too grave! I’m afraid there’s nothing I can do!"

"Is there no other way? None at all?" Madam Di despaired. For a young woman, such a scar would be a lifelong blemish. She had only just secured her own family’s influence; how could she allow anything to happen to Qin Yuru now?

"There… there truly is no remedy. Perhaps the palace has some superior ointment for scars. It might help!" The physician, seeing Madam Di’s desperation, could only offer a tentative suggestion.

"Ointment from the palace?" Madam Di began to pace in agitation. Where was she to find ointment from the palace?

"Madam, should we ask the Yongkang Marquis’s household in the capital? Perhaps they have some ointment gifted by the Emperor," Granny Zhou, Madam Di’s attendant, suggested.

"Yes, yes! Write to them at once. The Marquis’s household has always been in the Emperor’s favor—they must have some palace ointments!" Madam Di’s eyes brightened. She stood and hurried out to write the letter.

As she reached the doorway, Qin Wanru entered and curtsied. "Mother, how is Elder Sister?"

"Your elder sister is fine, nothing serious!" Madam Di halted, raising her chin with a cold sneer.

"I’m glad to hear it. I’ll inform Grandmother so she won’t worry," Qin Wanru replied softly, as if she hadn’t noticed the tone, then turned with Qingyue and left, not sparing Qin Yuru a single glance.

Madam Di trembled with rage, barely restraining the urge to slap Qin Wanru. But she had already asked, and this matter truly had little to do with Qin Wanru—Qi Rongzhi had gone mad so suddenly, and her outburst was, of course, due to resentment over Qin Yuru and Qi Tianyu’s broken engagement.

Madam Di regretted everything now; had she known Qi Rongzhi would cause such chaos, she’d never have let her in.

But regret was useless. Gritting her teeth, she shot a venomous glare at Qin Wanru’s retreating figure. Once Yuru’s situation was dealt with, she would have time to handle this little wretch—how dare she stand by watching the drama instead of helping her sister restrain Qi Rongzhi! How could this wretched girl be so lucky? Why hadn’t she been the one scalded?

"Madam, Second Miss’s matter can wait. What about the situation with the Qi family?" Granny Zhou reminded her as Madam Di glared malevolently at Qin Wanru’s back.