Qin Shi casually picked up the teacup beside her, her beautiful eyes shifting as she took a delicate sip of the fragrant tea.
She smiled at Su Yiniang and said, “Sister, you are mistaken. If we truly speak of seniority, even I, as the mistress, must address Liu Shi as ‘elder sister.'”
“After all, before the master rose to prominence, he and Liu Shi were already husband and wife.”
Qin Shi’s words were measured and deliberate.
As soon as she finished speaking, Su Yiniang sprang up from her seat in agitation.
Her heavily powdered, seductive face twisted with emotion as she sneered disdainfully, “Madam, you are far too tolerant. If it were me, I would surely confront the master about this.”
“Sister, have a sip of tea to calm yourself. It’s merely about giving Liu Shi better treatment, not elevating her to the status of a principal wife. It’s nothing serious.”
Qin Shi spoke with a gentle smile, her dignified and graceful face radiating an air of magnanimity and virtue.
As she spoke, she subtly signaled to Wang Momo with her eyes.
Noticing this, Wang Momo immediately stepped forward and respectfully offered Su Yiniang a cup of fragrant tea.
Su Yiniang thought of how she had also borne the master a son and a daughter.
Yet, not only did she not receive the same allowances as Shuanghong Courtyard, she didn’t even receive half. The venomous snake of jealousy began to writhe fiercely within her.
At such a moment, how could Su Yiniang sit still and drink tea calmly?
Suppressing her discomfort, she bowed gracefully to Qin Shi and took her leave.
“Madam, in your opinion, can Su Yiniang succeed in her endeavors?”
Wang Momo watched Su Yiniang’s receding figure and spoke respectfully.
A faint, knowing smile curled on Qin Shi’s plump, elegant face as she countered with a question, “Whether she succeeds or not—what does it matter?”
Wang Momo was momentarily taken aback but quickly grasped the meaning, exclaiming in realization, “Madam deliberately invited Su Yiniang for tea and had this old servant openly reveal the master’s attitude toward Liu Shi and her two children in front of her.”
“It was to subtly stir Su Yiniang’s jealousy toward Liu Shi.”
“Over the years, Su Yiniang has grown increasingly arrogant and domineering in the household, relying on her youth, beauty, and the children she bore for the master.”
“Now, Madam has made Su Yiniang personally feel the threat to her status.”
“Surely, once Liu Shi enters the household, Su Yiniang will not sit idly by.”
Qin Shi’s delicate fingers, adorned with crimson nail polish, casually pushed the teacup to the edge of the table, where it teetered precariously.
At that moment, Qin Shi slowly rose from her seat, stirring a faint, almost imperceptible breeze.
With a sharp “clatter,” the teacup crashed to the floor.
The porcelain shattered, tea splashed everywhere, and some even stained Qin Shi’s exquisitely crafted Shu brocade shoes, which were of considerable value.
Seeing this, Wang Momo knelt beside her with a pained expression, wiping the shoes clean.
Qin Shi paid no mind to the sullied shoes, her gaze fixed distantly, her shifting eyes seeming to devour the boundless night.
“If I can sacrifice a negligible amount of benefit to make Su Yiniang eagerly charge ahead as my vanguard, why wouldn’t I do it?”
Hearing this, Wang Momo immediately paused her cleaning, looked up at Qin Shi with an obsequious, flattering smile, and lavished praise.
“Madam is wise indeed. Watching the fire from across the shore and reaping the spoils of victory—marvelous, simply marvelous!”
…
After a night’s rest, before dawn had even broken, Zhao Momo was already urging Liu Rumei and her two children to set off.
Ji Yunsu had no objections to this. The dim light provided excellent cover for the subtle changes in her appearance and figure.
The carriage raced ahead without stopping for about fifty li before suddenly coming to a halt.
“Out, everyone out! Prepare for inspection!”
Soon after, a rough, booming voice called out from outside the carriage.
Following that, the surroundings grew noisy and chaotic.
Due to the rampant banditry near the capital recently, all vehicles entering the city were subjected to inspections to ensure no suspicious individuals were aboard before being allowed to proceed.
At that moment, several carriages were lined up at the city gate, waiting their turn to enter.
Although they were queuing to enter, the city gate was exceptionally wide. Next to the line of carriages where Ji Yunsu and her family waited, there was an especially spacious road reserved exclusively for nobles of distinguished status, as gleaned from the idle chatter among those awaiting inspection.
“Clip-clop, clip-clop…”
The urgent sound of galloping hooves drew nearer.
A lavishly decorated carriage showed no intention of stopping, charging straight toward the empty, dedicated lane.
For a moment, it created a stark contrast with the carriages forced to halt and undergo inspection at the city gate.
However, just as the carriage was about to speed unimpeded through the gate and into the city, a deep, magnetic voice unexpectedly came from inside: “Join the queue to enter.”
Zhan Yi, who had been ready to whip the horses and charge ahead, abruptly reined in the carriage upon hearing his master’s indifferent command.
“Whoa—”
As the horse let out a long whinny, a puzzled expression flickered across Zhan Yi’s stoic face. He instinctively asked, “My lord, wouldn’t taking the dedicated lane be faster?”
Zhan Yi had pulled the carriage to the side of the road, parallel to the queue of vehicles waiting to enter.
From their current position, they had a clear view of the entire line of carriages.
No sooner had his question left his lips than two cold words came from the carriage behind him: “Keep a low profile.”
At this, the corners of Zhan Yi’s mouth twitched slightly beneath his impassive expression.
When they had revealed their identity to the innkeeper last night, his lord hadn’t insisted on keeping a low profile. Why the sudden change?
As he pondered this, Zhan Yi’s attention was caught by a commotion in the diagonal line of carriages.
From a distance, his sharp eyes noticed a plump young woman wearing a weimao, standing before a group of city guards.
Hey, wasn’t that the mother and two children from the inn last night?
What a coincidence to run into them again!
Scratching his head, Zhan Yi quickly turned around, as if he had stumbled upon a juicy piece of gossip, and chattered excitedly, “My lord, the second young miss, the illegitimate daughter of Grand Tutor Ji’s household, is also in the queue to enter the city.”
“It seems they’ve run into some trouble.”
Meanwhile, in the queue of carriages waiting to enter the city, the leading city guard and his men directly blocked Ji Yunsu’s carriage, demanding to search it.
The leading officer grew suspicious upon seeing the mother and two children descending from the carriage, noting their shabby clothing and one of them hiding their face, too afraid to reveal their appearance.
“You! Take off your weimao!” the officer commanded Ji Yunsu arrogantly.