After a heated exchange, the Lady of the Hou Mansion was clearly defeated, her anger boiling to the point of physical pain from Chi Yanqing’s provocations.
Chi Yanqing grabbed Bai Jingchu’s wrist firmly. “I’m taking her with me. I’ll trouble you, Mother, to discuss matters with Lady Bai.”
Bai Jingchu stumbled along for more than ten steps, dragged by him until they were away from the crowd, before she managed to steady herself. “I won’t go with you. I want to return home.”
Chi Yanqing didn’t release her hand, his expression darkening. “What’s so good about the Bai family? Why do you insist on staying there?”
She didn’t want to remain with the Bai family either, but leaving would mean certain death.
Stubbornly, she insisted, “I’m waiting for my grandfather to come home.”
“Your grandfather?” Chi Yanqing sneered. “If your grandfather cared for you even a little, would he have ignored you for the past three years, focusing only on his vegetarian diet and Buddhist prayers?”
His words pierced Bai Jingchu’s heart like needles.
Sometimes, the truth is unbearably cruel.
Yet, at that moment, she had no other way out.
“You’re lying! My grandfather would never abandon me!”
Bai Jingchu knew the Lady of the Hou Mansion despised her for her foolishness. She began to cry and fuss, tears and mucus streaming down her face. “I want to go home with Mother!”
The Lady of the Hou Mansion clutched her chest, realizing she could no longer control this rebellious son. She had no choice but to play her final card. “If you dare keep this fool in the mansion, your grandmother and I will be driven to our graves sooner or later!”
With that, she rolled her eyes and pretended to faint backward.
The maids and servants around her were well-trained. Seeing her feign collapse, some rushed to support her, others massaged her chest, while a few made a show of panic.
“Madam, what’s wrong? Young Master, please come quickly! Madam has fainted again!”
Chi Yanqing sighed helplessly, rubbing his forehead, clearly accustomed to such scenes. He didn’t step forward to comfort her, but he didn’t press the matter further either.
Reluctantly, he released Bai Jingchu’s hand.
After all, he had only intended to test the waters.
Why keep a troublesome person by his side? It would be like having to pamper a little ancestor, constantly dealing with endless crying and tantrums.
Seizing the opportunity, Bai Jingchu fled.
Bai Residence.
Upon returning home, Bai Chenshi’s knees were still weak, her legs trembling uncontrollably.
Bai Jingshu hurried out upon hearing the commotion, anxiously asking, “How did it go? Was the marriage called off?”
Bai Chenshi took a deep breath. “Don’t even mention it! We might have brought disaster upon ourselves!”
Supported by Mama Rong, she collapsed into an armchair. Picking up a teacup with trembling hands, she brought it to her lips, her teeth chattering against the porcelain.
Bai Jing’an also arrived upon hearing the news. Mama Rong briefly recounted the events at the Hou Mansion to the siblings.
Bai Jingshu was astonished. “That can’t be! We saw it clearly yesterday—that foolish girl was covered in red rashes. How could they disappear so quickly?”
Mama Rong replied, “I suspect the second branch gave her medicine. Once she took it, the rashes naturally faded.”
“But that doesn’t make sense. It wasn’t like hives that vanish without a trace. Even after taking my antidote, Shuisu took three to five days to recover.”
Mama Rong shook her head. “I don’t know the details, but the second young lady didn’t have a single red spot on her. The Lady of the Hou Mansion scolded our madam severely, accusing us of slandering Young Master Yan and threatening to report us to the authorities!”
Bai Chenshi, finally catching her breath, spoke with certainty. “Reporting to the authorities is unlikely! I saw it clearly—Young Master Yan also had red patches on his skin. For the sake of their reputation, the Hou Mansion won’t escalate the matter. They were just trying to intimidate me.”
Bai Jing’an said with concern, “You insisted on listening to Jing Shu’s words and stirring up trouble without even discussing it with me. The Marquis’s household will never let this go—we’ve made an enemy of them now. And there’s no way we can keep this from Grandfather.”
Lady Bai Chen’s expression was also grim. “I couldn’t just stand by and watch Jing Shu throw herself into a pit of fire. What’s done is done, and regret won’t change anything.
Besides, the Lin family still wants to form a marriage alliance with our household. They hold real power and are highly favored by the Emperor. This match is no less advantageous than the one with the Marquis’s family.
The day after tomorrow, I’ll invite Lady Lin to our residence and let our Jing Shu make a good impression on her!
Once your sister’s engagement to the Lin family’s young master is settled, the merits will offset the faults. We can tell your grandfather then.”
Bai Jing Shu finally felt a weight lift off her chest, only for new hope to rise. “What about Bai Jing Chu? There’s no use keeping her around.”
Lady Bai Chen said casually, “At worst, we can send her to the Marquis’s household—out of sight, out of mind.”
“Wouldn’t that be letting her off too easily?” Bai Jing Shu was unwilling. “She doesn’t deserve it! She’s not even worthy of being a widow for the Yan heir!”
“Then what do you suggest?” Bai Jing’an grew impatient. “We’ve already caused so much trouble because of you, and you’re still nitpicking. She’s a fool who doesn’t fight or compete—why can’t you tolerate her?”
“You’re scolding me?” Bai Jing Shu felt deeply wronged. “From the very beginning, you’ve been obstructing me, refusing to let me break off the engagement. To put it bluntly, you just want to curry favor with the Marquis’s family, don’t you?
What does my life, my lifelong happiness, matter to you? You’ve never treated me as your real sister—just a tool for your own advancement!”
“I’m talking about Jing Chu! When Grandfather decided to acknowledge her, she became the second young lady of the Bai family. Even if she were just a cat or a dog, we’d have developed feelings after raising her for over a decade, wouldn’t we? Besides, I’ve long said she still has her uses!”
“Enough!” Lady Bai Chen felt overwhelmed. “All of you, shut up! Let me have some peace. As for Jing Chu, we’ll do as your elder brother says.”
Bai Jing Shu stormed off angrily, her sleeves flaring.
Back in her own courtyard, the more she thought about it, the angrier and more resentful she became.
She absolutely could not allow Bai Jing Chu to remain in the Bai household.
She was a ticking time bomb—as long as she was around, Bai Jing Shu’s secret would eventually come to light.
Fuming, she went straight to Xinyi Courtyard.
Bai Jing Chu had returned safely, and Mama Li, who had been anxiously waiting, finally relaxed. She and Xue Cha were gathered around Bai Jing Chu, asking about her visit to the Marquis’s household that day.
Bai Jing Chu’s mouth was stuffed with food, making her words unclear.
As soon as Bai Jing Shu entered, Mama Li and Xue Cha fell silent.
Bai Jing Shu scanned the room and spotted a skirt and jacket hanging on the screen—the very set that Granny Bai had soaked in nettle water.
She walked directly over, picked it up, examined it closely, and even brought it to her nose to sniff lightly. Her expression shifted slightly.
“Has this dress been washed?”
Mama Li nodded. “My young lady said the dress made her skin itch terribly. I was afraid it might have picked up something unclean while drying in the laundry area, so I washed it immediately. Is there something wrong, Young Miss?”
“You’re quite diligent.”
“Our young lady doesn’t have many well-fitting clothes, so we dare not be negligent.”
Unable to find any evidence, Bai Jing Shu dropped the matter and turned her attention to Bai Jing Chu’s outfit for the day.
“Dressed so shabbily, yet you managed to catch Young Master Yan’s eye. Who knows what seductive tricks you used in bed to make him so infatuated with you.”
The words were crude and vulgar, unbearable to the ear.
Neither Mama Li nor Xuecha dared to talk back.
Bai Jingchu was in an exceptionally good mood today and couldn’t be bothered to engage in a war of words. She simply focused on eating and remained silent.
Bai Jingshu, having failed to provoke a reaction, continued her mockery: “Don’t think that just because you’ve shared his bed, you’re truly his woman. Mother said Young Master Yan has contracted a venereal disease—you’re probably not far from death yourself.”
Pfft!
Bai Jingchu spat out the crumbs of pastry in her mouth, spraying them all over Bai Jingshu’s face.
Bai Jingshu froze for a moment, then leaped up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on: “How dare you spit on me?”