Xie Rujue clung desperately to the Marquess's Wife's sleeve, his round face etched with undisguised disgust.
Having been pampered and indulged since childhood, he had never suffered such humiliation!
The Marquess's Wife took a deep breath, suppressing the sudden surge of panic in her throat, and placed a hand on her son’s trembling shoulder.
“Rujue, mind your manners.” Her voice was deliberately steady, though her fingers unconsciously tightened on his shoulder. “This is your… your elder sister.”
As she uttered the words “elder sister,” her gaze involuntarily drifted toward the girl’s calm eyes, only to snap away as if scalded.
“I don’t have such a sister! She isn’t one at all! Siyu is my sister! Does she think she can become my sister just by showing some broken jade pendant? Dream on!”
His voice was filled with grievance and suspicion. “Mother, how does she resemble anyone from our Houfu? If she can claim to be family, then couldn’t anyone with a jade pendant do the same?”
His face flushed with anger, he turned and ran. “She’s a bad person! When Father and Elder Brother return, I’ll tell them how you’ve all bullied me!”
The Marquess's Wife sighed helplessly as she watched her son disappear, the pearl flower at her temple swaying gently with the motion.
She pressed her fingers against her throbbing temples, and when she turned back, her gaze toward Xie Mianmian was already layered with complexity—surprise, disdain, and an unconscious scrutiny.
She couldn’t help but feel her younger son’s words held some truth.
After all these years of searching without success, how could this girl suddenly appear out of nowhere?
Moreover, Xie Mianmian’s demeanor and conduct were far too different from what she remembered of her own Mianmian.
With doubt creeping into her heart, the Marquess's Wife’s attitude cooled noticeably. She looked at Xie Mianmian and said, “Your jade pendant does resemble the one my lost daughter had, but to be certain, we may need further verification.”
“Marquess's Wife, you are mistaken.”
Nanny Qi stepped forward, retrieving an official identity document stamped with a government seal from her sleeve. “The young lady’s identity has already been confirmed. She is indeed Xie Mianmian, the legitimate daughter lost by Yongchang Houfu ten years ago.”
She couldn’t help but marvel inwardly at the Crown Prince’s foresight.
When he had instructed her to bring this identity document before leaving the palace, she had thought it unnecessary. Little did she expect it would prove useful.
The Marquess's Wife took the identity document, the crimson seal glaringly conspicuous.
She raised her eyes to the woman standing before her, dressed in a sandalwood-colored Hangzhou silk jacket embroidered with subtle silver thread patterns of endless blessings. Though devoid of gold or jade adornments, the precise folds of her sleeves and the graceful drape of the sash at her waist exuded a meticulousness uncommon among ordinary servants.
Even the wrinkles in the fabric seemed to follow a deliberate order.
Moreover, she stood with a spine as straight as a pine tree, her gaze as calm as a deep pool, carrying an authoritative presence that surpassed even the senior stewardesses of the household.
“This document…” The Marquess's Wife’s throat tightened, the words on the tip of her tongue swallowed back unspoken.
The evidence was complete and impeccable.
Her gaze lingered on the woman before her, whose serene demeanor suddenly struck a chord in her memory—
Such poise was unmistakably familiar, as if she had seen it somewhere before.
“You are…” The Marquess's Wife leaned forward slightly, her tone laced with an unconscious caution and curiosity.
Nanny Qi lifted her eyes slightly, her gaze calm and unwavering. Her voice, neither too loud nor too soft, was clear and distinct, like jade beads falling onto a plate:
"This old servant was originally the Donggong Zhangshi Momo, and now serves by the young lady's side. The Marquess's Wife may simply address me as Nanny Qi."
The words "Donggong Zhangshi Momo" struck like a thunderclap in the Marquess's Wife's ears.
Suddenly, she stared fixedly at Nanny Qi, as long-buried memories surged forth like a tide—
At a palace banquet many years ago, she had glimpsed this Nanny Qi from afar.
Back then, the Empress had hosted a small gathering in the imperial gardens, and the mammy attending her had carried that same air of quiet authority.
At the time, she had just inherited the title of Marquess's Wife and was treading on thin ice in the palace. From a distance, she had watched that mammy surrounded by several Gaoming Furen, speaking with composure and an exceptional grace, and had secretly taken note.
She distinctly remembered that the Donggong Zhangshi Momo held a higher rank than her own as Marquess's Wife; even the families of ordinary officials would bow and greet her with proper etiquette.
This was a truly influential female official from the palace, one who wielded real power and held a revered position.
At this thought, the Marquess's Wife's expression of doubt and reserve melted away like ice and snow, replaced by an almost fawning warmth, with even the fine lines at the corners of her eyes exuding eagerness.
She hurried forward, reaching out to support Nanny Qi: "Oh my, so it is Nanny Qi! Forgive my poor eyesight for not recognizing you at once! The wind is strong in the corridor, Nanny, please come inside and take the seat of honor. For someone of your stature to grace our marquess's residence is truly a joyous occasion."
While directing the maids to prepare tea and refreshments, the Marquess's Wife racked her brains for flattering words: "Nanny's elegance surpasses even that of the past; such poise truly comes from palace training, something others could never imitate even half of. Having witnessed Nanny's dignified bearing in the palace back then, I have never forgotten it…"
She chattered on, her tone humble and her posture lowered, attempting to bridge the distance with these sugary words and mask the subtle alienation and scrutiny she had shown earlier toward her long-lost biological daughter.
However, Nanny Qi merely shifted slightly to avoid her assistance, her demeanor still neither subservient nor arrogant, even carrying a hint of barely perceptible coolness.
Lowering her eyes, she spoke in a tone as calm as still water: "There is no need for such courtesy, Marquess's Wife. This old servant is here only to verify the young lady's identity. Let us dispense with these empty formalities."
The detachment in her voice was like a thin layer of frost, lightly coating the Marquess's Wife's outstretched hand, leaving it suspended mid-air, the fingertips tinged with an awkward chill.
And the term "young lady" was spoken naturally and respectfully, clearly referring only to the newly returned Eldest Young Miss, Xie Mianmian.
The Marquess's Wife's enthusiasm seemed to collide with an invisible yet solid wall, her smile freezing on her face in embarrassment.
Following Nanny Qi's gaze, she saw her biological daughter with lowered eyes, as if the subtle and awkward atmosphere around her was entirely unrelated.
What pierced the Marquess's Wife's heart even more sharply was Nanny Qi's next action.
Ignoring the Marquess's Wife's eager gaze, she walked directly to Xie Mianmian's side, retrieved an exquisite enamel hand warmer from her sleeve, and gently placed it in her hands, her tone now entirely different—gentle and warm: "Young lady, the autumn wind is bleak; take care not to let your hands grow cold."
Xie Mianmian lifted her eyelids, a faint smile curling at the corners of her lips, and whispered softly, "Thank you for your concern, Nanny."
Nanny Qi then bowed slightly and straightened the young lady's clothing and sash.
Her focused expression seemed as though she were performing an exceedingly solemn ritual.
The light in the corridor outlined her straight back and illuminated the undisguised protectiveness and loyalty in her eyes.
The Marquess's Wife stood rooted to the spot, caught in a dilemma, her face inexplicably feeling a stinging heat.
She looked at this former Donggong Zhangshi Momo, whom she once had to look up to, now standing respectfully by her rude and uncouth daughter in a protective stance.
This silent contrast was like a fine needle, pricking her pride and stirring up a storm of emotions in her heart.
The cool breeze seemed to carry a mocking tone, winding through the carved beams and painted rafters of the corridor.
Looking at the hand warmer being so carefully tended to, the Marquess's Wife felt, for the first time in front of this long-lost daughter, an awkward sense of helplessness and a profound embarrassment.
The embarrassment was like fine needles gently pricking her heart, making even her breathing feel stifled.
The earlier desire to curry favor due to Nanny Qi's status had now entirely turned into humiliation, mixed with a faint trace of panic.
She suddenly realized that this daughter might not be the timid person she had imagined—someone who needed to rely on the marquess's household and could be easily controlled.
The person standing beside her represented another possibility behind her.
The air seemed to freeze, and the mixed scents of various autumn flowers weighed heavily on the Marquess's Wife's chest, making her suddenly feel short of breath.
The Marquess's Wife's gaze toward Xie Mianmian unconsciously grew more complex, even carrying a hint of curiosity she herself hadn't noticed.
No wonder she had been so arrogant and domineering since her return after ten years of disappearance.
So, it was because she had the backing of a former Donggong attendant like this?