Chapter Fifty-Three: This Time She Would Not Yield

“What’s going on?” Qin Wanru didn’t even lift her eyelids, her tone calm and indifferent.

“They say that when Qu Yue went out to run an errand, she accidentally bumped into the maidservant by the eldest miss’s side. That maid gave Qu Yue two hard slaps. Qu Yue refused to submit, so they ended up fighting. Now Madam has taken both of them away!” Madam Yu’s expression shifted slightly—not because the two maids quarreled, but because the matter was once again entangled with Lady Di.

A maidservant of Qin Yuyu? Yesterday, she had noticed Qin Yuyu’s interest in Qu Yue. In less than a day, Qin Yuyu had already come up with a scheme.

It seemed that both Qin Yuyu and Lady Di cared quite a bit about this person.

Just a maidservant—if she hadn’t retained memories from her previous life, Qin Wanru wouldn’t have thought this girl important. Yet now, Lady Di had intervened as well. Clearly, this maid’s significance was greater than she’d imagined.

“Miss, Madam invites you over, saying it’s about the two maids.” Qingyue entered, her expression unpleasant. Whenever they encountered anyone from Lady Di’s courtyard, those in Qin Wanru’s quarters felt a heaviness in their hearts.

Filial piety—an obligation as vast as the heavens.

“Tell her I’m ill. I can’t go at this time.” Qin Wanru drank her tea quietly, her voice slow and measured.

“Is that… alright?” Qingyue grew uneasy.

“It’s fine. She won’t say anything for now!” Doubts would mean little, given all that had just happened. Lady Di wouldn’t dare confront her directly again.

Since Qin Wanru spoke with such certainty, Qingyue felt reassured and went out to relay the message to the servant sent by Lady Di.

When she returned, Qin Wanru took her into the inner room, removed her outer garment, letting her hair fall loose. She looked into the mirror, gazing at her crimson lips and frowning slightly—her lip color was more vivid than most, making her complexion seem quite vibrant.

At eleven, her skin was pale as snow; that lip color only made her features more delicate and lively. She hardly looked ill.

“Go, bring some powder.”

Qingyue fetched a powder box from the dressing table, carefully applying some to Qin Wanru’s face. Though her skin appeared white, the powder dulled its brightness. As for her lips, Qin Wanru didn’t conceal them. Her lips had always been more vivid than others; even if she tried, it could not be hidden.

Once they’d finished tidying up, Madam Yu entered with a report: “Second Miss, Madam has come to see you!”

Such speed!

Qin Wanru sneered inwardly, leaning back weakly. Qingyue hurried to place a cushion behind her, helping her look as spiritless as possible.

When Lady Di entered, what she saw was just this: a small girl leaning weakly, her lips crimson but her face pale, tinged with a grayish-white hue. Was she really ill?

“Wanru, you seemed well at the old lady’s place just a while ago. How could you suddenly be like this? The servants must have been careless.”

Lady Di approached, her words seemingly full of concern, but her intent venomous.

She’d been fine at the old lady’s. Upon hearing trouble, she was summoned, and immediately claimed illness. As a daughter, pretending to be sick and forcing her mother to come in person—such a reputation, if spread, was almost that of unfilial conduct.

Weakly opening her eyes, Qin Wanru seemed to force herself, but still lacked strength, leaning back and murmuring, “Mother, my hand hurts. I think when I helped Grandmother earlier, I bumped it. It’s very painful, and now even my head aches!”

It was rare for illness to appear abruptly, but Qin Wanru’s hand was still injured. If she’d bumped it again, the pain would be real enough.

Lady Di was taken aback, surprised by Qin Wanru’s quick response. Her words not only avoided the charge of unfilialness, but even sounded dutiful.

“So it was your hand? Mother has already sent for the physician. Let him examine you soon.” Lady Di sat beside the bed, smiling.

Qin Wanru sneered inwardly. Lady Di intended to expose her pretense, having prepared the physician in advance.

Unfortunately, she was truly injured. If she claimed pain, would the physician say otherwise?

Moreover, the wound was on her arm, hidden from direct view. She wasn’t afraid of Lady Di’s physician.

“Has the wound opened? Let Madam Zhou check and apply more medicine.” Lady Di feigned concern, inwardly cursing the girl’s cunning. She’d thought bringing a physician would suffice to prove she wasn’t ill, but hadn’t considered the wound.

The physician was a man.

“Mother, Madam Yu has already changed my medicine.” Qin Wanru shook her head.

“Mother has injury ointment sent from Lord Yongkang’s household. It may work better.” Lady Di smiled, turning to instruct Madam Zhou, determined to see Qin Wanru’s wound.

She didn’t believe anything about accidental bumps.

“Mother has good medicine?” Qin Wanru paused, raising her clear, dark eyes to look at Lady Di.

Those bright, limpid eyes unsettled Lady Di, but she steadied herself and nodded. “Yes, I’ll have it brought now.”

“If Mother had such good medicine, why didn’t you give it to me before?” Qin Wanru’s eyes reddened, her voice carrying the innocent grievance of a young girl.

“I… I only had a little left, and was afraid there wouldn’t be enough at the time, so I didn’t bring it!” Lady Di cursed inwardly, hastily explaining with a nervous laugh, sweat prickling her back. The girl was growing more cunning; she’d only wanted to see the wound, forgetting this detail.

“Why not bring it later?” Qin Wanru, emboldened by her youth, sniffed and asked.

“Mother thought the medicine you used was good… since you didn’t say anything, I didn’t ask.” Lady Di stammered, her face changing slightly.

“Thank you, Mother. For now, I’ll stick with this ointment. Changing it again and again hurts!” Qin Wanru said sweetly, touching her injured arm.

“Then… don’t change it!” Lady Di almost ground her teeth.

Just then, the physician arrived. Lady Di stepped aside, letting him check Qin Wanru’s pulse. She had indeed lost blood from her injury and was somewhat weak. Hearing she’d bumped it again, the physician found nothing amiss, simply advised changing the medicine, taking care of her health, eating nourishing foods, and prescribed a tonic before leaving.

He was prudent enough not to claim the Second Miss was perfectly fine.

When the physician left, Lady Di came over with a smile. “Wanru, your maid just fought with your elder sister’s maid. I’d originally wanted you here to discuss it.”

Since exposing Qin Wanru’s pretense had failed, Lady Di didn’t let go of the matter. She spoke plainly now.

“Second Miss, I hear this maid is newly chosen by you. She truly lacks propriety, to fight with the eldest miss’s maid so soon. In my opinion, such a maid should be dismissed. Let Madam replace her for you with a few others!” Madam Zhou said, smiling.

Dismiss one, bring in several—it sounded favorable for Qin Wanru, especially since the new maid had no real bond with her.

“What is Mother’s opinion?” Qin Wanru asked calmly.

Lady Di’s face showed gentle, magnanimous affection. “Mother agrees. Since the maid lacks manners, causing trouble so soon after entering the household, just dismiss her and select a few better ones. I heard Yuyu chose several the other day, but you picked very few. Let the broker bring in more girls for you to choose from.”

“Then, if the next maid I choose also clashes with elder sister’s maid, should my maid be taken away again, and I pick new ones?” Qin Wanru pursed her lips, looking surprised.

Lady Di’s expression darkened immediately.

“Mother, though you are not my birth mother, I have always treated you as my own. Could it be that, in your heart, I am so inferior to elder sister that even when maids fight, it is mine who must go?” Qin Wanru’s face showed hurt, a tear slipping from her eye.

The latter part of her words was something she had always wanted to ask in her previous life, now using this incident to voice her true feelings.

In her past life, she honestly believed Lady Di was her birth mother—believed that a tiger would not harm its cubs. No matter how poorly Lady Di behaved, she thought it impossible for her to truly wish her harm. She had always obeyed her, believing in motherly kindness and sisterly affection, but never imagined that Lady Di and Qin Yuyu would push her step by step into a pit.

Everything was their scheme, and in the end, she paid with her life. The so-called parental love and sisterly bonds were nothing but illusions.

Lady Di, so skilled at scheming, never truly cared for her, yet Qin Wanru had been blinded by affection…

“I… I wouldn’t think so, Wanru. It’s just a maid who entered the household yesterday…” Lady Di’s face changed, laughing awkwardly.

“Mother, you need not say more. I will not allow it!” Qin Wanru wiped her tears.

“You… how can you be so stubborn? It’s just a new maid—how can you disregard your sisterly bond?” Lady Di grew anxious. She hadn’t expected Qin Wanru to be so resolute, and the implications of her words left Lady Di unable to scold her too harshly.

“A maid who has been here so long, trained and sent to elder sister, fought with a new maid—mother, whose maid should really be replaced? Who should leave?” Qin Wanru’s heart surged with hatred, though her face was calm.

If this were her previous life, she would have obeyed Lady Di, yielding for the sake of motherly kindness and sisterly harmony…