Chapter 85: The Incident During the Melody

The wedding banquet proceeded smoothly. Even the Di family, whom everyone expected would surely cause trouble this time, remained quiet. In fact, she was nowhere to be seen—rumor had it she was ill. Of course, few truly believed this alleged illness; some well-informed souls whispered it was not sickness, but house arrest.

Qin Wanru and the Old Madam returned to the Tranquil Heart Nunnery after Shui Ruolan had formally acknowledged her kin. The Old Madam’s health still required careful tending, so Qin Wanru volunteered to care for her, leaving the household’s affairs in Shui Ruolan’s hands.

There were never many coachmen in the manor, and nearly all had been swept up in recent incidents, so a new set had been hired for their latest ascent up the mountain. This time, Qin Wanru also brought more maids along. Qingyue naturally accompanied her, as did Qu Le, a newly hired second-class maid, and two other young serving girls. The number of attendants was far greater than before.

At Tranquil Heart Nunnery, they stayed in the same fragrant chamber as last time. Since they had only planned to descend the mountain briefly to oversee the general’s wedding, much of their belongings had been left behind, and this time there was no need for any strenuous moving of baggage.

The following half month passed peacefully for Qin Wanru on the mountain. The Old Madam’s health improved day by day, and Qin Wanru’s medical skills advanced by leaps and bounds. With the foundation from her previous life, her progress in medicine was almost miraculous—her acupuncture practice, too, surged ahead. Abbess Mingqiu often sighed with satisfaction, feeling she had truly chosen the right disciple—a rare and promising seedling for the study of medicine!

Qin Wanru herself was devoted to her studies. Whenever someone ascended the mountain seeking the abbess’s medical expertise, she would sit quietly in the next room, observing as the abbess diagnosed and treated patients.

“Miss, Qu Le has gone out to see someone in secret again!” By the lamplight, as Qin Wanru was engrossed in her medical texts, Qingyue came in and reported in a low voice.

“How many times has it been now?” Qin Wanru’s gaze lingered on the shadow cast by the lamp as she asked.

Qingyue understood at once. “This is the third time. I’ve already hinted to her several times as you instructed, Miss.”

“In that case, bring her to me.” A cold glint flashed in Qin Wanru’s eyes. Qu Le’s presence was likely an unexpected move, even for the Di family, which was why they had repeatedly tried to remove her from Qin Wanru’s side. Yet, with the Di family now struggling to keep themselves afloat, they could hardly concern themselves with Qu Le any longer.

Qingyue nodded, and before long she returned with Qu Le. The moment Qu Le entered, she dropped to her knees before Qin Wanru with a thud. “Second Miss, I… I only wanted to see my mother. I haven’t done anything wrong!”

She burst into tears. “Truly, nothing else—I beg you to forgive me.”

“Qu Le, I warned you last time: once you enter the manor, you belong to the General’s Household. You were bought into service here—your past ties have been severed. If you wish to see someone, you must first seek my permission. Yet you’ve gone behind my back again and again. Have you no respect for your mistress?” Qingyue’s voice was stern.

“I truly obey Miss’s every word, but… but my mother is ill. My father came up the mountain to tell me about her illness, knowing I was at the Tranquil Heart Nunnery. That’s all—nothing more!” Qu Le protested, wiping her tears, her face full of grievance.

It was more than just grievance; there was even a hint of indignation, as if she thought Qin Wanru was being unkind and lacking in human feeling.

“Your mother is ill, yet your father did not come to the general’s manor, but instead found his way to this nunnery? Your father must have remarkable connections,” Qin Wanru remarked coolly, picking up her teacup, skimming a bit of foam from the surface, and taking a sip.

Qu Le’s face grew flustered—she had not expected Qin Wanru to leap so abruptly from the original topic.

“M-maybe someone in the manor told my father.”

“You’ve only just entered the general’s household and know few people, just those in your own courtyard. When I left, I specifically instructed Madam Yu not to reveal that you’d accompanied me to the nunnery. How, then, did your father know where you were?” A shadow flickered in Qin Wanru’s eyes as she fixed Qu Le with an indescribable air of authority and severity.

“I… I don’t… I don’t know!”

“I heard your father came looking for you the very day after you arrived on the mountain. If no one told him, how could he possibly know? Qu Le, what did your father really want, and who sent him?” Qin Wanru’s tone grew colder, her young face taut, her gaze icy enough to pierce the soul.

Qu Le’s eyes darted about, unable to meet Qin Wanru’s. She stammered, “I… I really don’t know… Maybe… maybe it was just a coincidence. My mother was ill, so my father came to the nunnery to fulfill a vow on her behalf and happened to meet me.”

“To fulfill a vow for your mother?” Qin Wanru let out a cold laugh, setting her teacup heavily on the table—the sound was sharp and jarring.

“Qu Le, do you think me so young and ignorant that I’m easily deceived? You belong to the general’s household now. If I am dissatisfied with you, I have every right to sell you off. The household is under my mother’s management now, not the madam’s—you do know that, don’t you?”

Her voice was not loud, tinged with the innocence of a girl her age, but to Qu Le’s ears it was chilling. Her legs buckled, and she collapsed to her knees.

“Qingyue, find a broker tomorrow and have her sold far away. I don’t want to see her in Jiangzhou ever again!” Qin Wanru ordered coldly. With her word, no one in Jiangzhou would dare buy Qu Le, and she would be forever separated from her family.

“Yes, Miss. I’ll send someone to fetch the broker first thing tomorrow,” Qingyue replied with a nod, casting a contemptuous glance at Qu Le, showing not the slightest intention of protecting her.

“Second Miss, Second Miss, I’ll tell you everything—please, have mercy!” Realizing Qin Wanru was truly resolute, Qu Le panicked, reaching out to clutch her leg, but Qingyue pushed her away, and the two younger maids came forward to drag her out.

Qu Le struggled desperately. “Miss, I’ll tell you whatever you want to know, please spare me!”

Qin Wanru seemed not to hear, or perhaps simply didn’t care, as she picked up her medical text and resumed her reading, utterly indifferent to Qu Le’s pleas.

“Miss, Miss, my father learned of my whereabouts from Madam Di! It was truly Madam Di!” Qu Le had meant to hold out for a better bargain, but seeing Qin Wanru so unmoved, she clung to the doorframe and shouted, daring not to conceal anything further.

“Bring her back,” Qin Wanru commanded, her willow brows arching coldly as her gaze returned to Qu Le.

Confronted with Qin Wanru’s composure, Qu Le dared not hide the truth. “Miss, it was really Madam Di who summoned my father. My mother truly is ill, and Madam Di sent money for her treatment. She also told my father I was at the nunnery, and… and…”

“And told you to keep an eye on me?” Qin Wanru’s lashes flickered, her gaze growing even colder.

“Yes… yes, that’s what she said.” Qu Le, still terrified, bowed her head in admission.

“What did she want you to watch for?” Qin Wanru asked, brow raised, her expression unreadable.

“She said… she said if Miss did anything suspicious, I was to let my father know, and he would report it to Madam Di.”

“And what did you report the last few times? Is that why your father came to see you again and again?” Qin Wanru pressed.

“I… I didn’t find anything. I just wanted to ask about my mother’s condition, so I told my father to come up when he could. Miss, you must believe me—I really didn’t say anything. Whenever my father reported to the madam, there was nothing to tell!” Qu Le shook her head frantically. In truth, she had seen nothing—Qin Wanru busied herself only with caring for the Old Madam and learning from the abbess.

“Each time you summon your father, he goes to report to the madam?” Qin Wanru continued.

“Yes… yes, every time my father saw me, he would go to see her. She gave him money for my mother’s treatment…” Qu Le’s voice faded as her head drooped lower.

Qin Wanru frowned. She knew Qu Le was unlikely to uncover anything significant, but why did Madam Di care so much? There was a strange feeling she couldn’t quite put her finger on.

She and Madam Di were already at odds—her father and grandmother both knew this. If Madam Di wanted to harm her, mere gossip from a maid would be of little use.

Yet she persisted in orchestrating this affair, even as Qingxue in the household remained quiet, and Qu Le—who should have aroused no suspicion—continued to act out of character. It defied explanation.

From what she had gathered, Qu Le’s presence was a fluke—an accident neither Qin Yuru nor Madam Di had anticipated. But now Madam Di was desperately contacting Qu Le. Did she truly hope to gain leverage over Qin Wanru through her?

A second-class maid recently entered into service, little different from the ordinary serving staff—how could she possibly know anything of value?

Perhaps the problem did not lie solely with Qu Le, but with her family as well. Qin Wanru sensed this matter must be intimately connected to herself.

Madam Di would not trouble herself for nothing—there must be something significant at stake, a matter she could not ignore, even now under house arrest.

“When is your father coming up the mountain next?” Qin Wanru asked coldly, her gaze deepening in a way no one could see. Perhaps she needed to shift her focus—not to Qu Le herself, but to Qu Le’s family.

“In three days. My father said he would come to see me in three days and tell me about my mother’s illness.” Qu Le straightened up, hastily wiping her tears.