Mother Sun’s face turned deathly pale.
“Y-you… you…”
What kind of monster was this Second Miss?
Living all the way out in this remote countryside, yet somehow she knew secrets from inside the manor.
It was terrifying.
She had committed only one unforgivable offense against Madam, yet this Second Miss had immediately seized upon her greatest weakness.
Before Mother Sun could recover from her shock, Lin Qianqian kicked her.
Bang!
Mother Sun landed hard on her backside.
The donkey-cart ride here had already tortured her old bones, and now this sudden fall sent agonizing pain shooting through her body.
“Aiyo! Aiyo! This old woman is going to die from the pain!”
The kick had been unbelievably powerful.
Mother Sun felt as though her bones were about to shatter.
This Second Miss was terrifying.
Not only was she frighteningly perceptive, but her strength was astonishing as well.
She was nothing like the gentle and amiable Miss Baozhu.
Mother Sun had never seen such a crazy noble lady in her life.
What should I do? What should I do now?
Countless plans flashed through her mind.
She couldn’t possibly kill the Second Miss just to keep the stolen jade secret.
Besides, she probably couldn’t kill her even if she wanted to.
The girl’s kick alone had nearly sent her to the afterlife.
And right now, Lin Qianqian couldn’t die anyway.
She still had value.
Madam had brought her back specifically to marry in Miss Baozhu’s place and become the wife of that foolish marquis.
Hongdou planted her hands on her hips and stood beside Mother Sun.
“If you’re willing to submit to my lady, we’ll spare you for now.”
The old woman had shown not a shred of respect toward her mistress.
If she weren’t still useful, Hongdou would have loved to send her straight to the Western Paradise.
“Well? Are you willing or not? Give us an answer.”
Mother Sun immediately understood.
They wanted her to become the Second Miss’s informant and spy on the other masters of the manor.
The problem was that she had no choice.
If Lin Qianqian kicked her again, she might truly die today.
When you’re under someone else’s roof, you have to bow your head.
Nothing was more important than staying alive.
Since she couldn’t beat them, she could only join them.
Mother Sun hurriedly bowed deeply.
“Please show mercy, Miss. Don’t reveal this old servant’s secret. From now on, I will follow your lead in all things.”
Hongdou snorted.
“Those are your own words. If you ever betray my lady, I’ll cut you into a thousand pieces.”
She waved a gleaming silver dagger back and forth before Mother Sun’s eyes.
The old woman was terrified.
“I would never betray Second Miss—oh no, I misspoke—Eldest Miss Qianqian!”
Lin Qianqian tossed a sheet of paper onto the floor before her.
“Since you’ve agreed, leave your fingerprint on this document. If you betray me in the future, I’ll simply hand it to Wang Shi.”
Hongdou put away the dagger and forcibly pressed Mother Sun’s thumb onto the paper.
Afterward, she carefully folded the document four times and tucked it into the sachet hanging at her waist.
Lin Qianqian rose to her feet.
She draped a cloak of the same pale color as her robe over her shoulders and smiled.
“Hongdou, since people from the manor have come to fetch us, let’s return.”
It was time to meet that scumbag father of hers.
She wanted to see what sort of man he was—what he looked like—that he could bring himself to harm his own newborn daughter.
As for marrying her off to a fool?
That depended on whether they actually had the ability to force her.
Mother Sun stared blankly.
Miss Qianqian was smiling.
And what a beautiful smile it was.
She had never seen a woman smile so beautifully before.
Everything around her seemed to lose its color, leaving her as the only light in the cold, rainy day.
Then Mother Sun saw Lin Qianqian take a crossbow down from the wall.
Thinking of the complete tiger skin spread across the bamboo couch, she guessed that Lin Qianqian earned her living through hunting.
Beautiful or not, she’s still just a crude huntress.
This time, however, Mother Sun only dared think it.
She no longer dared show it on her face.
Instead, she behaved with utmost respect.
“Miss, allow this old servant to carry it for you.”
Hongdou burst out laughing again.
“Mother Sun, I’m not looking down on you, but that bow may look ordinary. You probably couldn’t even lift it.”
Mother Sun secretly scoffed.
Isn’t it just a crossbow? What’s so special about it?
When Mother Sun emerged from the house, Xiaotao, who had been waiting beside the donkey cart, was stunned.
When Mother Sun had gone inside, she had been proud and arrogant.
Now she looked like a defeated rooster.
Not only that, she had spent the entire trip cursing Miss Qianqian as unlucky, yet now she treated her with complete respect.
Strange.
Very strange.
Mother Sun walked over to inspect the cushion she had sat on during the journey.
Fortunately, Xiaotao had kept it sheltered beneath the umbrella, so it remained dry.
Unfortunately, it no longer belonged exclusively to her.
After much inner struggle, Mother Sun made a painful decision.
She would give the cushion to Lin Qianqian.
The damned donkey cart was already unbearable to ride.
Without the cushion, it would be pure torture.
Turning to the driver, she ordered him to crouch beside the cart.
“Miss, please step on his back when boarding.”
“No need. I have my own carriage.”
Mother Sun turned around.
Only then did she notice a carriage parked outside the gate.
And not just any carriage.
It was luxurious.
Strings of crystal beads hung from the curtains.
When the wind blew, the beads collided and produced crisp, melodious sounds like celestial music.
The extravagance left Mother Sun speechless.
Were hunters this profitable nowadays?
Unfortunately, this assignment had clearly failed.
Madam had wanted the Second Miss to suffer on a donkey cart.
Instead, the plan had completely fallen apart.
When she returned, punishment was probably inevitable.
Lin Qianqian boarded the carriage.
Lifting the curtain, she said to Mother Sun,
“Mother Sun, I’ll be leaving first.”
The carriage sped away.
Its wheels splashed muddy water everywhere, covering Mother Sun from head to toe.
Mother Sun ground her teeth in hatred.
Yet there was nothing she could do.
She could only bark at the driver,
“What are you standing around for? Hurry up and catch up!”
As Xiaotao hurriedly wiped mud from Mother Sun’s clothes with a handkerchief, she asked,
“Mother Sun, didn’t you say you were going to teach the Second Miss a lesson? Why were you so nice to her after meeting her? If Madam finds out, she’ll definitely blame you.”
Mother Sun immediately put on a serious face.
“What does a little girl like you know?”
“That was a sugar-coated bullet.”
“I was deceiving the Second Miss, making her lower her guard. Only then can Madam deal with her properly.”
Xiaotao curled her lips.
Fine. Whatever you say.
After the carriage entered the city, the rain finally stopped.
The air after the rain felt especially fresh.
The capital’s scenery was far more beautiful than the countryside.
But Lin Qianqian paid little attention to it.
This wasn’t her first visit to the city.
She instructed the driver,
“Take a detour around the northern district.”
Then she turned to Hongdou.
“Hongdou, if we’re lucky today, we might earn a thousand taels of silver.”
Hongdou’s eyes lit up.
“Miss! Miss! What do I need to do to earn that money?”
“You only need to sit by the window and keep the curtain open.”
“Whether we can catch the Flying White Fox depends entirely on our luck.”
Hongdou nearly jumped out of her seat.
The Flying White Fox!
That was the most wanted criminal in the capital.
The reward for his capture had reached one thousand taels of silver.
Everyone in the city was talking about him.
They were all waiting to see who would be capable of claiming the bounty.
The strange thing was that the Flying White Fox neither murdered nor robbed.
Yet countless nobles hated him.
Because he enjoyed stopping the carriages of noble young ladies and publicly behaving indecently toward them in the streets.
After being dishonored by him, the granddaughter of the Grand Tutor had shaved her head and become a nun.
The daughter of Scholar Chen had hanged herself.
Several other daughters of prominent families had likewise chosen death.
As a result, panic spread throughout the capital.
Young ladies from wealthy households barely dared leave their homes anymore.
The court officials therefore pressured the emperor of Yan, hoping the villain would be captured and brought to justice as soon as possible.