Madam Jiang sighed softly.
She briefly explained the matter to her daughter.
Xue Mingfei smiled, "Mother, Concubine Qiu was ultimately doing it for my sake. Since my sister is fine, punishing her with salary deductions and house arrest seems rather excessive."
The speaker meant no harm.
Yet Madam Jiang inexplicably found the words grating.
Doing it for her daughter's sake—it seemed that way.
But what was Concubine Qiu scheming for?
Even if the Duke of Zhenguo was now a cripple, his title was genuine.
If Xue Wanyi became the Duchess, even she, as the mistress of the Xue household, would have to bow to a former di-daughter.
By then, Concubine Qiu's status would naturally rise as well.
Something that clearly brought Concubine Qiu nothing but benefits—why would she drive her own daughter to death?
No matter how much she curried favor, if she lost her own daughter, Concubine Qiu would have nothing to rely on for the rest of her life.
It made no sense.
"Has Concubine Qiu been good to you?"
Madam Jiang asked nonchalantly.
Xue Mingfei, engrossed in the luxurious fabrics, nodded without suspicion.
"Yes, over the years, many of my clothes were made by Concubine Qiu. The stitches are fine, soft, and comfortable—truly befitting someone who once served by Grandmother's side."
She held up a piece of fabric, "Mother, does this color suit me?"
In her previous life, there had been no such incident of falling into the water.
Now that things had deviated, Xue Mingfei didn't dwell on it.
Why would she?
Concubine Qiu doted on her. Seeing Xue Wanyi marrying better than her, she merely scolded her a few times.
Xue Mingfei had long grown accustomed to this through Concubine Qiu's daily efforts to please her.
She was the di-daughter of the Xue family. It was only natural that everyone in the household adored her.
Even if Xue Wanyi was Concubine Qiu's daughter, so what?
She was merely a concubine. There was nothing improper about her currying favor with the di-daughter.
Who would have thought that di-daughter was so fragile, driven to seek death over a few words?
Causing Concubine Qiu to be punished with salary deductions and house arrest—truly unfilial.
Madam Jiang disliked Concubine Qiu.
No one would feel comfortable knowing their husband cared deeply for a concubine.
Now, even her own daughter praised the concubine repeatedly. Though Madam Jiang remained expressionless, she felt an inexplicable strangeness in her heart.
It was an indescribable feeling.
Something felt overlooked.
**
"…"
In the early morning, Xue Wanyi suddenly opened her eyes, gasping for breath.
An unbearable pain spread through her limbs.
"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, don't be afraid…"
She curled up, holding herself tightly.
She told herself not to be afraid. She had been reborn. The pain of those four or five years no longer existed.
It was all an illusion.
She kept convincing herself until the sky began to lighten, then fell into a heavy sleep once more.
The second young lady of Wangshu Pavilion was a marginal figure in the manor.
She was not abused but utterly ignored.
In the Xue household, the servants flattered and fawned over Xue Mingfei.
As for this di-daughter, no one cared about her beyond the required formalities.
Madam Jiang managed the household, but she had no reason to target a di-daughter.
Even as a di-daughter, she was still a daughter of the Xue family—a resource for marriage alliances.
Something that could be resolved with a little silver—there was no reason to mistreat her.
The only difference was that Madam Jiang's dowry would be spent on her own children.
Xue Wanyi's birth mother was merely a maid who had served Old Madame, with no family wealth to speak of.
In two months, she would marry into the Zhenguo Gong Mansion.
What kind of place was that? Her fate for the rest of her life was already sealed.
Childless, widowed, with no hope in sight.
Even though Xue Wanyi woke up late and did not go to Tinglan Courtyard to pay her respects, Madam Jiang did not say anything.
Having just fallen into the water yesterday, Madam Jiang's dignity in the Xue family was not upheld by the morning and evening greetings of a concubine-born daughter.
"Miss, why have we come here?"
Zhenzhu followed Xue Wanyi, standing before Qinghe Courtyard, which was Concubine Qiu's residence.
Although she had been confined by the master, others were not prevented from entering.
Xue Wanyi quietly observed the residence before her.
"Has Feicui not returned yet?"
Before going to bed last night, she had instructed Feicui to go out early in the morning to handle some matters.
It was already nearing the hour of Si, and she still hadn't returned, which was somewhat unusual.
Zhenzhu and Feicui were Xue Wanyi's personal maidservants. In her previous life, they had followed her into the Chu family after her marriage, remaining loyal to the end.
Until Chu Yuan became the Grand Secretary and she was imprisoned and tortured, these two maidservants were strangled to death right before her eyes by the Chu family's servants while trying to save her.
Zhenzhu lowered her voice and said, "Not yet, but Feicui is clever. She won't mess up the task you assigned her, so please don't worry."
Of course, she was not worried; she was only concerned that Feicui might have encountered an accident.
She lifted her foot and walked toward Qinghe Courtyard.
"Wait for me at the entrance later."
Zhenzhu followed closely behind. "Yes, Miss."
Qinghe Courtyard.
Since being confined yesterday, Concubine Qiu had been in a state of agitation, even resentment.
The servants in the courtyard were so frightened they dared not even breathe loudly, afraid of provoking their mistress.
Although Concubine Qiu was merely a concubine, her methods of tormenting others were rather ruthless.
Upon seeing Xue Wanyi, the servants who usually showed her no kindness could not help but feel a flicker of joy.
It was not for any other reason—Concubine Qiu disliked this daughter. With her arrival, the concubine's anger would be vented, and their lives would become slightly easier.
Xue Wanyi ignored the servants in the courtyard and entered the hall.
Zhenzhu stood guard at the entrance, preventing anyone from approaching and overhearing words they shouldn't.
"Have you come to mock me?"
When Concubine Qiu saw Xue Wanyi, the humiliation of the past night had twisted her charming expression into something almost ferocious.
"You've truly grown bold, to be outsmarted by a lowly wretch like you. I should have strangled you the moment you were born."
Her eyes were filled with venom, locking onto the young girl before her like a vengeful ghost.
Xue Wanyi glanced around the room. Aside from the trusted matron by Concubine Qiu's side, there was no fourth person present.
Xue Wanyi looked at her and spoke calmly.
"The identity of a lowly wretch suits you."
As these words fell, the matron standing beside Concubine Qiu froze in shock.
It seemed unbelievable that the once-timid young girl now dared to defy her own mother.
This remark touched upon Concubine Qiu's sensitive origins. She abruptly stood up and raised her hand to strike Xue Wanyi.
Xue Wanyi did not dodge or retaliate.
Instead, her features instantly took on a mocking expression.
The slap stopped just beside her cheek, never landing.
Xue Wanyi raised an eyebrow, her smile deepening. "It seems you still have some sense."
What consequences this slap would bring, Concubine Qiu did not know.
But she absolutely, absolutely would gain no advantage from it; instead, she would likely be schemed against even more ruthlessly by Xue Wanyi.
"What exactly do you want?"
Concubine Qiu was so furious she felt dizzy. No matter how she thought about it, she could never have imagined that one day she would be outmaneuvered by the lowly wretch she had once despised the most.
Moreover, given her current predicament, she had no room to resist.
If Xue Wanyi died, the one to marry into the Duke's Manor could only be her own biological daughter.
Though he held the honor of a duke, he was impotent and crippled—what use was status then?
She was destined to live a lifetime of widowhood in all but name.
Xue Wanyi stepped forward with a smile, leaning close to her ear.
She whispered softly, "Concubine Qiu, you and that man are growing more alike by the day."
Concubine Qiu’s pupils dilated in shock.
Immediately after, a startled cry echoed from the room.
"Ah—"