Inside the warm chamber, the charcoal brazier burned brightly, while the incense cage released a rich, cloying fragrance.
Qin Yan reclined lazily on an imperial couch covered with thick sable fur. She wore a delicate peach-pink satin night robe that made her snow-white skin appear even fairer.
She idly twirled a gold hairpin inlaid with kingfisher feathers and rubies between her fingers. Under the warm yellow light, the gemstones reflected a dazzling but icy brilliance.
Cui Xi knelt upon the footstool, carefully painting Qin Yan’s fingernails with bright crimson lacquer.
“The Governor… went to the study again last night?” Qin Yan asked casually, her fingertips brushing over the cool tassels of the hairpin.
“Yes, Fourth Concubine.” Cui Xi did not lift her head, her voice dripping with flattery. “The Governor has been extremely busy with military affairs. He must have been handling important business. However…”
She hesitated, slowing her movements before sneaking a glance at Qin Yan.
“Last night, the Governor drank a little too much… and for some reason… somehow… he wandered over toward the Side Courtyard again.”
The fingers playing with the hairpin suddenly froze.
The lazy, charming expression on Qin Yan’s face instantly stiffened.
Shock flashed through her eyes, quickly followed by a cold, razor-sharp gleam.
“The Side Courtyard?”
She sat upright, her voice suddenly rising into a shrill pitch.
“That cursed place again? What was he doing there?!”
She squeezed the tassels of the hairpin so tightly that they bent out of shape.
Startled by her reaction, Cui Xi hurriedly replied, “This servant… this servant doesn’t know! The old woman on night duty said the Governor seemed to have taken the wrong path. He stood outside the Side Courtyard gate for a while… and later… Steward Li came and escorted him away.”
She dared not mention what she had seen when she rushed over looking for Xu Feng.
Nor did she dare repeat Xu Feng’s cold accusation of “seduction.”
“He stood there for a while?”
Qin Yan’s delicate brows shot upward.
Her beautiful face twisted slightly beneath the weight of jealousy and suspicion.
Who was Xu Feng?
The living King of Hell of Linjiang City.
Whenever he went somewhere, he always had a purpose.
Taken the wrong path?
That excuse might fool ghosts, but it would never fool her.
That bitch!
She must have used some shameless trick!
Putting on that cold, aloof face all these years…
Yet deep down, she still wanted to crawl back into the Governor’s bed!
With a violent motion, Qin Yan hurled the jeweled hairpin onto the couch.
Its golden tassels struck the sable fur with a dull thud.
Cui Xi flinched so badly she nearly knocked over the bowl of nail polish.
“That shameless bitch! Even after five years buried alive in that living tomb, she still refuses to behave herself!”
Every word Qin Yan spoke was like poisoned ice.
“The Governor can’t even be bothered to look at her, yet she still dares to dream! She must be jealous because the Governor favors me now. She deliberately used those seductive tricks to lure him!”
Cui Xi hurried to agree.
“Fourth Concubine is absolutely right! That bitch must still be unwilling to give up! She probably took advantage of the Governor being drunk…”
“Enough!”
Qin Yan cut her off sharply.
Her chest rose and fell violently beneath her peach-colored robe, but the movement only made the venom in her eyes seem even more terrifying.
She stared fixedly at the enormous Western grandfather clock standing in the corner of the chamber.
Its polished glass face reflected her distorted image.
No.
She could never allow that bitch even the slightest chance to rise again.
Xu Feng’s favor was the foundation of her position in the Governor’s Mansion.
It was proof that she stood above Qin Shu.
Anything capable of threatening that favor had to be crushed immediately.
A vicious scheme quickly took shape in her mind like a venomous snake coiling itself.
Jealousy consumed what little reason she had left.
She would make sure that bitch could never rise again.
She would make Xu Feng despise her completely.
She would ensure Qin Shu could no longer remain even within that living tomb called the Side Courtyard.
Her crimson-painted fingers slowly brushed across her smooth neck before resting upon the priceless South Sea pearl necklace Xu Feng had recently rewarded her with.
The cool touch of the pearls made the malicious plan in her heart become even clearer.
“Cui Xi.”
Qin Yan’s voice suddenly became calm.
Its sweetness was so cloying that it made one’s skin crawl.
“If I remember correctly… at the very bottom of my jewelry box, wasn’t there a gold filigree hairpin set with jade? The one the Governor brought back from the South Seas last month. I thought the design looked too old-fashioned and made me appear older.”
Cui Xi nodded in confusion.
“Yes… that one. Fourth Concubine said you were putting it away at the bottom of the box…”
“Mmm.”
A cold smile curled across Qin Yan’s lips like a snake baring its fangs.
“That hairpin…”
“Has gone missing.”
Cui Xi looked up in astonishment.
“G-Gone missing? How could that be? This servant just saw it the day before yesterday…”
“I said it’s missing.”
“Then it’s missing.”
Qin Yan’s eyes suddenly turned razor-sharp, boring directly into Cui Xi.
The command and threat within them left no room for disobedience.
“Do you understand?”
Meeting that venomous gaze, Cui Xi shivered violently.
Cold sweat instantly soaked her back.
A setup.
Fourth Concubine intended to frame the woman in the Side Courtyard.
Her lips trembled.
She dared not refuse.
She could only nod repeatedly.
“Y-Yes… this servant understands! The hairpin… it… it was stolen!”
Qin Yan smiled with satisfaction.
The smile was beautiful…
And utterly devoid of warmth.
She lazily reclined once more upon the couch, picked up the jeweled hairpin, and slowly spun it between her fingers while the gemstones shimmered with the cold light of calculation.
“This mansion has far too many people,” she said leisurely, her voice sweet enough to make one’s teeth ache.
“There are always servants who don’t know their place.”
“Especially those locked away in forgotten corners…”
“People driven mad by poverty and hunger.”
“Who knows what wicked thoughts they might harbor?”
“Wouldn’t you agree?”
“Fourth Concubine speaks wisely!” Cui Xi hurriedly echoed, her voice trembling.
“You.”
Qin Yan pointed a crimson-painted finger at Cui Xi.
“Take that missing hairpin of mine and hide it somewhere safe.”
“Remember…”
“It should look as though it was carelessly left there…”
“But still be easy enough for someone to discover.”
“Understood?”
Cui Xi’s heart pounded wildly.
She swallowed with difficulty.
“This servant… understands! Please rest assured, Fourth Concubine!”
“And one more thing.”
Qin Yan’s eyes grew even colder.
“Find an opportunity to pay a visit to my poor elder sister in the Side Courtyard.”
“Her health has always been weak.”
“Watching her suffer in such a freezing place truly pains me as her younger sister.”
“Take some nourishing tonic with you.”
“Let her restore her health properly.”
She deliberately emphasized the words restore her health, her malice nearly overflowing from her eyes.
Although chilled to the bone, Cui Xi could only grit her teeth and accept the order.
“Yes. This servant will see to it immediately.”
The cold wind carried tiny snowflakes that lashed against the broken window frames of the Side Courtyard.
Qin Shu wrapped her thin old jacket more tightly around herself as she sat beneath the window.
Her fingertip traced a single character in the Thousand-Character Classic.
“Thief.”
Her dark brown eyes remained perfectly calm.
Like the frozen surface of a lake concealing violent currents beneath.
Nearby, Floating Cloud quietly mended a piece of clothing that had already been patched beyond recognition.
Her stitches were neat, yet her eyes remained wary, repeatedly glancing toward the courtyard gate.
Creak—
The sound of the gate’s chain being unlocked echoed harshly through the courtyard.
Cui Xi appeared at the entrance.
She wore a brand-new sapphire-blue satin cloak and carried an elegant red lacquered food box.
A warm smile covered her face.
Yet beneath it lurked faint nervousness and malice.
“Oh, Madam! I hope you’re well!”
Her voice rang out with exaggerated friendliness, as though none of their previous conflicts had ever happened.
“Fourth Concubine has been worried about Madam’s delicate health. Since the weather is so terribly cold, she specially ordered this servant to bring over some nourishing soup to warm Madam’s body.”
As she spoke, she swayed forward, carrying the food box toward the room.
Floating Cloud immediately set down her sewing and blocked the doorway.
Her eyes turned icy.
“Stop.”
“The Side Courtyard is too small for someone as important as you.”
“Leave the food and go.”
The smile on Cui Xi’s face stiffened for a moment before returning even brighter.
“Oh, Floating Cloud, what are you saying? Fourth Concubine has only the best intentions. Madam herself hasn’t spoken yet, but you’re already blocking me. Isn’t that rather improper for a maid?”
She deliberately let the implication linger while looking past Floating Cloud toward Qin Shu.
Qin Shu quietly closed her book and rose to her feet.
Her faded grayish-blue jacket looked even poorer beneath the dim light.
Walking to the doorway, she calmly met Cui Xi’s eyes.
That calmness made Cui Xi feel inexplicably uneasy.
“Leave it.”
Qin Shu’s dry, hoarse voice carried no emotion.
Relieved, Cui Xi quickly set the lacquered box just inside the doorway.
The smile on her face widened.
“Madam should drink it while it’s hot! Fourth Concubine said it’s made with premium bird’s nest and ginseng slices. It’s wonderfully nourishing.”
Although speaking politely, she subtly leaned forward, seemingly trying to peer inside the room.
The corner of her eye rapidly swept over the crude furnishings.
Floating Cloud immediately shifted her body to block the view.
“The food has been delivered.”
“You may leave now.”
Cui Xi awkwardly withdrew her gaze.
Her smile remained unchanged.
“I’m leaving, I’m leaving. Madam, please take good care of yourself.”
She turned away.
Yet her footsteps hesitated slightly.
Her eyes swept across the courtyard before finally lingering on the pile of firewood and scattered junk in the corner.
A strange light flickered in her gaze.
Only then did she hurriedly leave the Side Courtyard.
The gate was locked once again.
Floating Cloud immediately stepped forward and picked up the beautifully crafted food box with obvious disgust.
“A weasel paying New Year’s respects to a chicken! Who knows what poison she’s hidden inside?”
She was about to throw the entire box away.
“Wait.”
Qin Shu’s voice stopped her.
She crouched beside the food box.
Without opening it, her sharp gaze swept across the frozen ground surrounding it before shifting toward the pile of firewood where Cui Xi’s eyes had lingered moments earlier.
A cold understanding flashed through her dark brown eyes.
“Floating Cloud.”
Her voice was quiet.
Yet strangely composed.
“Go look over by the firewood.”
Floating Cloud froze.
Then realization dawned upon her.
Fury instantly blazed within her eyes.
She rushed toward the pile in the corner without caring about the dirt.
Branches.
Broken baskets.
Discarded pottery.
Her hands searched frantically through the cold debris.
Suddenly—
She froze.
Her fingers touched something cold and solid, deliberately hidden beneath the broken basket.
She yanked it out at once.
A magnificent gold filigree hairpin set with flawless jade.
Even beneath the dim, dreary light of the Side Courtyard, the gold gleamed brilliantly while the jade shone with icy elegance.
Its luxury looked absurdly out of place amid the surrounding decay.
“Madam!”
Floating Cloud’s voice trembled with fury as she held up the hairpin.
“It was Cui Xi!”
“She must have hidden it here just now!”
“They’re trying to frame you for stealing!”
Qin Shu merely looked at the dazzling hairpin in Floating Cloud’s hand.
Her expression remained utterly calm.
Within her dark brown eyes…
There was only cold certainty.
Qin Yan’s scheme was crude.
Yet deadly.
She could almost picture Qin Yan sitting comfortably inside her warm chamber, stroking her newly acquired jewelry while eagerly waiting for Qin Shu to be dragged away and punished.
At that very moment—
Hurried, heavy footsteps filled with murderous authority suddenly thundered outside the courtyard gate.
Accompanied by a woman’s shrill, desperate cries that shattered the deathly silence of the Side Courtyard.
“Governor! Governor! You must seek justice for Yan’er!”
“My favorite jade hairpin has been stolen!”
“That was the one you specially brought back for Yan’er from the South Seas!”