Xie Mianmian gazed at the tightly shut vermilion gate, her eyes churning like tides in the shadows.
Her gaze fell upon the faded gilded characters on the lintel, and she said calmly, “Open it.”
On her first day back, it was best to keep a low profile, while also leaving them some face regarding the main gate.
“Got it!”
Before Lian Qiao’s words had fully left her mouth, she had already sprung up like a wildcat. With a light tap of her toes on the stone lion’s head, her figure soared like a swallow over the high walls of the houfu.
In the blink of an eye, she had already flipped over the courtyard wall.
From inside the wall came the short, startled cries of the guards.
Not long after, a “click” sounded from within the gate.
The dull thud of the falling door bolt resembled the crisp snap of breaking bone.
The vermilion gate slowly swung open.
Lian Qiao poked her head out, her smile dazzlingly bright: “Young Miss, please come in.”
The several guards standing behind the gate were all pale as paper, their hands trembling like reeds in the wind as they clutched their staffs.
The gatekeeper, who had been arrogantly mocking them earlier, was now clutching his broken ribs, grimacing in pain.
“Who dares to be so bold! How dare you break into my houfu, injure our servants, and disrupt the rules!” The steward emerged from behind the screen wall, his expression dark.
Nanny Qi sneered, “The Eldest Young Miss of the houfu has returned, yet not only did you fail to welcome her, you even dared to speak insolently and bar her from entering! The houfu truly has fine rules!”
“Where did these ruffians come from, daring to deceive their way into my houfu! Our Eldest Young Miss has always been in the houfu and never left.” The steward said sternly, “Someone, go report this to the authorities at once!”
Just as Nanny Qi was about to produce her waist token, she saw Xie Mianmian step forward, scrutinizing the steward.
“Eldest Young Miss?” Xie Mianmian tilted her head slightly. The shadow of the vermilion gate stretched out long and narrow behind her, enveloping half of the steward’s body.
“I have been missing for ten years, yet I never knew when Yongchang Houfu gained a second Eldest Young Miss?”
Her voice was not loud, still carrying a hint of a young girl’s softness, but to the steward, it sounded like needles dipped in ice, piercing his neck and stiffening it.
Lian Qiao let out a scornful laugh, “Open your dog eyes wide and see clearly—the one standing before you is the true Eldest Young Miss of the houfu, the legitimate daughter! The Eldest Young Miss who has been missing for ten years has returned. Hurry up and welcome her!”
The steward stared at Xie Mianmian, whose face seemed somewhat familiar, and then at the intricately carved mutton-fat jade pendant in her hand—a special token for the children of the houfu. His heart was filled with a mix of shock, joy, and inexplicable complexity.
The newly arrived servants in the houfu did not know, but he was aware that ten years ago, the houfu’s Eldest Young Miss had gone missing during the Lantern Festival!
The houfu had searched for years, yet no information had ever been found.
Who would have thought that now, after ten years missing, the Eldest Young Miss had actually returned!
He ordered someone to inform the Madam while he pondered how to approach this young lady who had returned home, her authenticity uncertain…
Just as he was struggling, a flurry of hurried footsteps suddenly approached.
A young boy in a sapphire-blue brocade robe strode over quickly. The jade belt at his waist was inlaid with pigeon-blood rubies, making him appear even more pampered and cherished.
“Who dares to make a commotion in my Yongchang Houfu?”
The six- or seven-year-old boy stood with his hands on his hips, chin raised high, his eyes filled with hostility. “A shabby wild girl, with none of the bearing of a young lady from a noble family—far worse than my elder sister! And you dare to impersonate my houfu’s Eldest Young Miss! Someone, drive her out!”
Xie Mianmian’s gaze fell upon the young boy’s face, and her brows furrowed slightly.
The investigation materials provided by His Highness had recorded that in the fourth year of her disappearance, her mother had given birth to another son, named Xie Rujue.
Cherished like a treasure, like precious jade.
To think he had been raised to be so rude and arrogant!
"Impudence." Xie Mianmian's voice turned slightly cold. "There is an order of seniority. Is this how Mother taught you to speak to your elder sister?"
"You are not my sister!" Xie Rujue shouted, his neck stiff with defiance. "My sister is Xie Siyu! How dare a wild girl like you, who knows not where you came from, claim to be?!"
"What are you all standing there for?"
He suddenly turned to the guards, his face filled with arrogance that belied his age. "Drive this wild girl out! If she dies, it's on me! My mother loves me most!"
The guards exchanged uneasy glances, their eyes on Xie Mianmian filled with a mixture of fear and hesitation.
They had already witnessed Lian Qiao's skills and naturally dared not underestimate this Eldest Young Miss.
Seeing them hesitate, Xie Rujue stamped his feet in anger, his small face flushing red.
He suddenly charged forward, raising his small fist to strike Xie Mianmian. "I'll beat you to death, you wild girl!"
His wrist was caught in a tight, icy grip.
The hand was slender and fair, but the fingertips bore the thin calluses of someone who had held weapons for years, its strength astonishing.
"Ah!" Xie Rujue cried out in pain, his face instantly turning crimson, with large teardrops welling in his eyes. "Let go of me! You wild girl! Let go now! I'll tell my mother, and she'll have your skin flayed!"
Xie Mianmian's fingers tightened slightly, sending a piercing pain through Xie Rujue's wrist, as if his bones were about to be crushed.
She looked down at him. "It seems Mother has spoiled you too much, to the point where you don't even understand basic etiquette."
Her voice was flat, yet it sent a chill through everyone present. "An elder sister is like a mother. Since Mother failed to teach you manners, I, as your sister, will do it for her."
"You… you dare lay hands on me?"
Xie Rujue, both in pain and fear, finally couldn't hold back his tears, which fell onto Xie Mianmian's plain sleeve, leaving a small damp patch. "My father is the Marquess, my mother is the Marquess's Wife! If you dare harm a single hair on my head, they will make you wish you were dead!"
"You may tell anyone you wish." Xie Mianmian slowly released his hand.
Xie Rujue staggered back a few steps, clutching his red and swollen wrist, glaring at her with venomous hatred but not daring to speak.
Xie Mianmian brushed the sleeve dampened by his tears and said calmly, "If you are disrespectful to me again, it won't be so simple next time."
"Stop!"
A woman's shout suddenly came from the inner courtyard, accompanied by the swift approach of a figure in a stone-blue brocade skirt embroidered with magnolias.
Her hair was adorned with intricate gold and gem-studded hairpins that jingled with her hurried movements. The hem of her skirt stirred a wave of heavy, rich incense, yet it couldn't conceal the hostility in her eyes.
With just one glance, Xie Mianmian knew in her heart that this was her mother, the Marquess's Wife of Yongchang.
"Let Mother see, where are you hurt?" The Marquess's Wife pulled Xie Rujue into her arms, carefully examining the clear red marks on his wrist, her eyes filled with distress.
Turning her head, she glared furiously at Xie Mianmian, her willow-like eyebrows raised, her disgust unconcealed. "Where did this imposter come from, daring to impersonate my daughter and cause trouble in my marquess's residence! Guards, drive her out!"
Xie Mianmian held the jade pendant up before the Marquess's Wife. "Mother, I am your daughter Xie Mianmian, lost for ten years. If you don't recognize me, do you recognize this jade pendant?"
Marquess's Wife gazed at Xie Mianmian's familiar brows and eyes, then looked at the jade pendant. The specially crafted carved pattern, with the character "Mian" engraved in the center of the flower, all confirmed that the young girl before her was indeed her daughter who had been missing for ten years!
But…
The daughter she had imagined was not like this!
Marquess's Wife tightened her embrace around her wailing youngest son, her feelings toward Xie Mianmian growing even more complex.
"Xie Mianmian! You are too much! How dare you bully your younger brother as soon as you return? Is this what you learned during your ten years away? You have utterly disgraced our Yongchang Houfu!"
The initial shock and suspicion upon learning of Xie Mianmian's return vanished the moment she saw her bullying her most beloved youngest son, replaced entirely by anger.
Indeed, a girl who had wandered outside for ten years was bound to be crude, wild, and ignorant!
Did she intend to throw the marquess's household into chaos as soon as she returned?
She must be taught proper rules!
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. Marquess's Wife suddenly raised her hand.
As the sandalwood prayer beads wrapped around her wrist swayed, her manicured nails sharp as claws swung toward Xie Mianmian's face.
Xie Mianmian's eyes sharpened. With a swift turn, she firmly caught Marquess's Wife's wrist.
That well-maintained wrist was soft and delicate. Xie Mianmian applied a slight pressure with her fingertips, and Marquess's Wife gasped in pain.
"Does Mother wish for me to follow the rules I learned over the past ten years?"
Xie Mianmian took a step closer, lowering her voice so only the two of them could hear, as if sharing a secret. "The rule I learned is: if someone crosses me, they will wish they were dead."
She watched Marquess's Wife's face turn deathly pale, the fear beneath her exquisite makeup impossible to hide, and slowly released her grip.
She recalled His Highness's words: one's actions can blend firmness with gentleness. When tensions rise, appropriately showing weakness and asking for the other's opinion can ease the situation.
To ease the sudden tension between mother and daughter, Xie Mianmian softened her tone and asked with utmost sincerity, "Would Mother like to give it a try?"
Marquess's Wife staggered backward, the pearls on her hairpins clashing together, emitting a faint, panicked sound.
She stared at this daughter who was both familiar and unfamiliar, her expression complex and unable to conceal her alarm.
After ten years apart, that sweet, obedient little girl who always clung to her side—where had she drifted, what tragic and terrifying experiences had she endured, to have grown into such a fearsome figure?
She opened her mouth but found her throat blocked, unable to utter a single word.
No, she did not want to try at all!
"Mother! Hurry and drive this wild girl out!"