The color drained completely from Old Madame Chen’s face. Madam Song shrank tightly behind her, clutching the old madame’s sleeve. “Mother, look at her! I told you—she wants to kill us!”
The maidservants stared at the gleaming, slender dagger in Chen Wanqing’s hand, shrieking as they involuntarily retreated several steps.
Old Madame Chen, furious and humiliated, shook off the maids’ hands and pointed at Chen Wanqing’s nose, shouting, “Well, well! You unfilial wretch! You dare try to kill me? Someone, beat her to death!”
The maids exchanged glances, rubbing their hands and rolling up their sleeves, eager to act.
“Let’s see who dares!” Chen Wanqing held the sharp blade horizontally before her chest and took a step forward.
Madam Song wore an expression of utter contempt, her finely drawn eyebrows arching high. “Wan girl, what are you pretending for? That paramour of yours actually sent a matchmaker to propose marriage this morning! Have you no shame?”
The maids burst into mocking laughter, but when Chen Wanqing’s cold gaze swept over them, the laughter died abruptly.
Madam Song snapped coldly at the people she had brought, “What are you afraid of her for?”
Chen Wanqing’s eyes shifted to Madam Song’s face and hands. “Has Third Aunt’s injury healed?”
“You!” Madam Song’s expression changed drastically. She instinctively raised a hand to cover her face, then flushed with shame and anger. “Mother, you see? I told you—last night she was deliberately pretending to be possessed by ghosts, burning me like this!”
Old Madame Chen looked disgusted, snorted, and leaned on her cane with both hands. “Pretending to be possessed by ghosts! Such a shameless person—if she marries out, she’ll only ruin the Chen family’s reputation. Anyone else would have hanged herself long ago!”
“Exactly!” Madam Song chimed in repeatedly.
“Hang myself?” Chen Wanqing repeated, twirling the dagger in her hand as she descended the steps. “If I hang myself, I’ll certainly take someone with me! Grandmother and Third Aunt, tell me—which of you would you like me to take?”
Old Madame Chen and Madam Song both started in shock, exchanged a glance, then looked away.
Chen Wanqing flipped the gleaming dagger in her hand and suddenly looked up at Madam Song. “Third Aunt, is that person you?”
Suddenly meeting Chen Wanqing’s gaze, Madam Song abruptly recalled the look in her eyes last night—the look of someone staring at the dead. Panic flashed across her face, and she waved her hands frantically. “No, no, no…”
“Then you’re choosing Grandmother?”
Madam Song instantly fell silent, turning to look at Old Madame Chen.
Old Madame Chen flew into a rage. “Unfilial thing! Why are you looking at me?”
Madam Song hurriedly averted her gaze, but Chen Wanqing suddenly pressed the blade against her neck. Madam Song’s face instantly lost all color. Glancing sideways at the blade so close to her skin, her teeth chattered uncontrollably, and her body stiffened. “Wan girl, I’m your own aunt by blood!!”
“Wan girl, what are you doing?” Old Madame Chen nearly fainted from rage. “You dare kill your elder?”
Chen Wanqing gave her a mocking smile. “Elder?” Her gaze returned to Madam Song. “Even Grandmother, who shares my blood, wants me dead. What about you, an outsider?”
Chen Wanqing moved her hand slightly, pressing the blade down. A line of blood immediately appeared. Madam Song screamed in pain, “Mother, save me—!”
Old Madame Chen pointed at Chen Wanqing, shouting furiously, “Let her go now! Do you want me to report you to the authorities?”
“Report to the authorities?” Chen Wanqing chuckled softly. “Fine. Why not let the magistrate investigate what Third Aunt brought to Ning’an Yuan last night and forced me to drink?”
Madam Song sneered, “It’s just an abortifacient…”
“Aunt, have you forgotten that yesterday, Commander Xiao of the Jinyiwei vowed to investigate this matter thoroughly!”
Madam Song’s eyes widened in terror. “…The medicine from last night was already spilled long ago. What could they possibly find?”
Chen Wanqing glanced lightly at Madam Song. “Aunt, you probably don’t know—the medicine jar in the food box you brought still had some residue left. I dug it out from the ashes!”
“What?” Madam Song was instantly horrified. “You can’t report this to the authorities!”
Madam Song grew frantic.
“I wonder if Third Aunt has gone to the ancestral hall to confess her sins and seek forgiveness from our ancestors?” Chen Wanqing shifted the topic, enjoying the ever-changing expressions on Madam Song’s face.
“I have committed no crime!” Madam Song’s tone was stiff. She strained her neck backward, glaring at the knife pressed beneath it. “Let me go at once!”
Chen Wanqing fixed her gaze firmly on Old Madame Chen. “Then it depends on Grandmother’s decision!”
Old Madame Chen’s face flushed purple with rage, her eyes blazing with fury. She repeatedly tapped her cane on the ground. “Such misfortune has befallen our family!”
“To have produced such an unfilial and rebellious wretch like you!”
Chen Wanqing remained calm. “Then why doesn’t Grandmother report me to the authorities for being unfilial?”
Old Madame Chen looked deeply embarrassed, her murky eyes fixed intently on Chen Wanqing. “What do you want?”
Chen Wanqing leisurely switched the knife to her other hand. “Since Grandmother has asked, I request that Grandmother send Aunt to the ancestral hall to kneel for a month, seeking forgiveness from our ancestors!”
“Furthermore, the Third Branch must compensate for the losses caused by last night’s fire at Ning’an Yuan!”
“And Third Aunt must hand over the authority of household management!”
Ever since Father brought them from the countryside, Grandmother had entrusted the Third Branch with managing the household. In just a few years, who knew how much silver they had embezzled? This time, she would make them spit it all out!
“Wan girl, don’t you dare dream of it!” Madam Song’s voice was shrill and grating. “If you think I’ll pay, you’re delusional!”
“Absolutely impossible!” Old Madame Chen also refused outright.
Chen Wanqing grabbed Madam Song’s shoulder and turned her toward Old Madame Chen, her expression full of mockery. “Aunt said in front of the Five City Military and Police Command and Commander Xiao that the medicine was brought on Grandmother’s orders!”
“If I hand the medicine jar over to the authorities and they begin interrogations, I wonder if Aunt can withstand the torture and stubbornly refuse to implicate Grandmother?”
“Or does Grandmother have a clever way to clear herself of any involvement?”
The courtyard outside the study fell silent instantly, with over a dozen pairs of eyes fixed on Old Madame Chen.
Old Madame Chen panted heavily, glaring furiously at Chen Wanqing.
“Mother, you mustn’t agree to this!” Madam Song pleaded desperately. “Keying is in the midst of marriage negotiations…”
“Third Daughter-in-law, you will go to the ancestral hall and kneel for a month!” Old Madame Chen made the final decision.
“Mother…” Madam Song protested urgently.
“And the losses to my Ning’an Yuan!” Chen Wanqing showed no sign of backing down. “I’ve already made a list of the furnishings, utensils, clothing, and jewelry inside, as well as the cost of repairing Ning’an Yuan. How does Aunt intend to compensate?”
“Will you replace each item individually, or will you pay the equivalent in silver?”
Madam Song’s face flushed crimson. “Wan girl, don’t think you can extort silver from me! You set the fire yourself!!”
Chen Wanqing remained unperturbed. “Then let’s go to the authorities immediately!”
“Once the damages are assessed by the authorities, someone will naturally compensate me for the losses!”
“How much silver is the equivalent?” Old Madame Chen’s expression turned icy.
“Five thousand taels in silver!” Chen Wanqing replied calmly and confidently.
Old Madame Chen looked at Chen Wanqing as if she didn’t recognize her, scrutinizing her from head to toe with suspicion in her eyes. “Wan girl, are you deceiving us?”
“Last night, with such a big fire, everything must have been burned to ashes…”
Chen Wanqing was not surprised. “Grandmother doesn’t believe me?”
“Then just wait and see!”
Turning to the guard beside her, Chen Wanqing called out clearly, “Go to the Jinyiwei Du Zhihui Shi Si…”
“Wait!”
Madam Song and Old Madame Chen spoke in unison.
“Mother…” Madam Song hesitated, her face troubled. “You know, our third branch doesn’t have that much cash on hand. Please help us out…”