The drowning was naturally fake; teaching Concubine Qiu a lesson was the real goal.
When Xue Chong and the others hurried over, they saw Xue Wanyi, her face deathly pale and her eyes tightly shut.
Fury surged abruptly from the depths of his heart.
"What exactly happened?"
His gaze swept coldly over the few servants in the room.
Although a Vice Minister was only a third-rank official, within the Xue household, Xue Chong was the supreme authority.
Aside from his wife, Madam Jiang, everyone around trembled in fear, hastily kneeling.
Feicui's eyes were red and swollen as she wept, tears streaming down her face. "Master, the young lady, the young lady…"
She choked on her words, seemingly hesitant, as if holding something back, and dared not reveal the reason.
Concubine Qiu, seeing this, was already frightened out of her wits.
She hadn’t expected Xue Wanyi to actually seek death. She shot a fierce sidelong glance at Feicui.
If Feicui dared to speak carelessly, she would surely face dire consequences.
But times had changed.
Xue Wanyi was to marry into the Zhenguo Gong Mansion by imperial decree. If word got out that she was now attempting suicide, she would surely be charged by the Emperor with the grave crime of defying the imperial will.
"Stop stammering. Speak," he barked sternly.
Feicui trembled all over, prostrating herself, her forehead touching the ground.
"When the young lady returned to her room, Concubine Qiu was waiting here. Upon learning that the young lady was to marry into the Zhenguo Gong Mansion, she resented her for stealing the Eldest Young Lady’s marriage and told her to die…"
Upon hearing this, Concubine Qiu could no longer contain her fear.
She abruptly looked up, her eyes venomous as she glared at Feicui.
"You lowly wretch, how dare you lie to deceive the Master!" Then, flustered, she turned to Xue Chong. "Master, what she said isn’t true. The Second Young Lady is my own daughter. How could I utter such inhuman words…"
"Silence!" Xue Chong snapped harshly.
Concubine Qiu’s pleas and excuses stuck in her throat as she trembled violently.
Xue Chong lowered his head, looking indifferently at Feicui. "Continue."
Feicui trembled as she spoke. "Concubine Qiu said there are ponds and wells in the manor, always a place for the young lady to die. She said whoever blocks the Eldest Young Lady’s path to wealth and status must die."
Concubine Qiu was utterly speechless; she had never said such things.
But seeing Xue Chong’s dark expression, her mind went blank with terror.
Even Madam Jiang looked at Concubine Qiu with suspicion.
For the sake of her own daughter, she would force her other daughter to die.
This matter, however one thought about it, seemed somewhat…
Xue Chong suppressed the anger in his heart, his gaze falling on Concubine Qiu like a heavy weight.
"Her marriage to the Duke of Zhenguo is by imperial decree, yet you force her to die. Do you intend to plunge our Xue family into eternal ruin?"
With this accusation hanging over her head, Concubine Qiu was utterly bewildered.
Before becoming Xue Chong’s concubine, she had merely been an old lady’s personal maid. How could she understand such matters?
"…"
Madam Jiang watched as Concubine Qiu swayed and fainted, finding her nothing but an eyesore.
"Master," she said gently, "what should we do now?"
Xue Chong was currently consumed by rage. Although he had always been somewhat fond of Concubine Qiu due to her beauty, that was no longer possible now.
At the very least, he did not wish to see her for a while.
"She is not to step out of her courtyard until the Second Young Lady is married."
Madam Jiang secretly clenched her fist, digging her nails into her palm.
After committing such an act, the punishment was still so lenient.
**
"Father, Mother…"
Having "fainted" long enough, Xue Wanyi slowly opened her eyes.
Seeing the two people by the bedside, her gaze revealed a shocked expression.
She hurriedly tried to sit up, only to collapse back onto the bed halfway through.
"You just fell into the water and have only just woken up. There's no need for formalities."
Madam Jiang timely expressed her concern.
No matter what, the current Xue Wanyi was much more pleasing to the eye than before.
Concubine Qiu being placed under house arrest was indeed her doing.
Lowering her brows, she concealed the disappointment in her eyes.
Just house arrest—it really was letting that woman off too easily.
But…
Xue Wanyi had to admit that she had underestimated Concubine Qiu's position in her father's heart.
Take it step by step.
If she could be placed under house arrest today, she could be made to take her own life tomorrow.
It would be best to deal with that woman who ruined her life before she got married.
Raising her eyes, she looked at Madam Jiang with gratitude, her gaze filled with admiration.
"It was this daughter who worried Father and Mother."
She looked haggard, her pale little face showing nothing but fragility, presenting a truly pitiful sight.
Madam Jiang looked down on her inwardly, but outwardly she had to protect her.
"You silly child, just because your birth mother treated you poorly with a few words, how could you really dare to jump into the water? You nearly lost your life."
Hearing this, Xue Wanyi's eyes suddenly reddened.
She lightly bit her lip, as if filled with grievances she couldn't speak of to outsiders.
"Mother's lesson is right. It was this daughter acting willfully."
Madam Jiang had managed to suppress the favored Concubine Qiu for years; naturally, she wasn't foolish.
Seeing this situation, she stepped forward, took Xue Wanyi's hand, and spoke with concern.
"Look at you, do you have grievances in your heart? Tell Mother, and Mother will stand up for you."
Xue Wanyi deliberately closed her eyes in pain, hiding the calculations in her gaze.
She let crystal tears slide down her cheeks.
"Thank you for your concern, Mother. This daughter… has no grievances."
Now was not yet the time to lay all the cards on the table.
Madam Jiang felt disappointed but didn't press further.
Seeing this, Xue Chong prepared to leave.
"Take good care of the Second Young Miss. If anyone dares to neglect her again, you'll all be sold off."
Concern for his daughter?
Perhaps there was a little bit of that.
But more than that, he was worried she might lose hope and take her own life.
If that happened, the only one who could marry into the Zhenguo Gong Mansion would be his di-daughter.
The title was important, but now the Duke of Zhenguo only had this title left.
When Madam Jiang came out, Xue Chong looked at the leisurely floating clouds in the sky.
He said, "Concubine Qiu's monthly allowance is to be halved."
"Yes, Master." Madam Jiang felt somewhat more at ease.
Returning to Tinglan Courtyard, Xue Mingfei was trying on fabrics with the help of a seamstress.
As the eldest daughter of the Xue family, she would naturally marry before Xue Wanyi.
The Chu family would be coming to finalize the engagement in the next couple of days.
Although Madam Jiang was still dissatisfied, considering General Ye's current situation, that Chu family son was merely lacking in family background.
As her daughter had said, with the Xue family's support, things couldn't be too bad no matter what.
She couldn't just watch her carefully raised daughter go to the Zhenguo Gong Mansion and live as a widow for the rest of her life, could she?
"Mother, how is things over at Wangshu Pavilion?"
Xue Mingfei didn't like that half-sister, but she had never mistreated her.
Now, she especially hoped this half-sister would live well.
If she really died, she might end up repeating the fate of her previous life.
In her past life, she had thought becoming the Duchess would bring her endless glory.
But after marrying in, she realized it was practically hell.
Her husband's face was disfigured.
The moment she saw him on their wedding night, Xue Mingfei fainted from fright.
Although she indeed enjoyed fine clothes and sumptuous meals, with servants at her beck and call, she was strictly forbidden from stepping beyond the Duke's Manor even half a step.
For a day or two, or even a month or two, it might have been bearable.
But after several years, how could someone of her temperament endure it?
In the end, seduced by the guards within the manor, she fell completely into depravity.
She thought of the brutal torture she endured after her misdeeds were exposed.
The day she breathed her last was precisely the day Xue Chuyuan became the Grand Secretary of the court.
In this lifetime, Xue Mingfei dared not covet even a fraction of the Duke's Manor.
Such a life devoid of hope should be left for Xue Wanyi to savor.
The glorious First-Rank Imperial Consort Lady, along with the refined and noble Grand Secretary Chu Yuan, would now be hers.