Shen Mingtang brought Yu Momo to find Qin Shi.
Yu Momo got straight to the point, "The young lady is already fourteen. She'll be of marriageable age next year and should have her own courtyard to learn etiquette and train servants. This old servant has toured around with her and, forgive my picky nature, we've taken a liking to Jinxiu Courtyard."
Qin Shi hesitated.
Jinxiu Courtyard was personally designed and arranged by her when Shen Mingyue was six years old. She had put great effort into it to make her daughter comfortable.
But she smiled bitterly.
Her daughter had once said Jinxiu Courtyard felt like a cage, suffocating to live in, and that it wasn't as free as Xiaoxiang House near Zhou Yiniang, so she moved out.
Qin Shi looked at Shen Mingtang's calm gaze and couldn't help shaking her head, "Forget it, you can move in. You obtained the Imperial Order for me—a courtyard is nothing in comparison."
Shen Mingtang expressed her thanks, smiling, "Thank you, legal mother."
As soon as she finished speaking, hurried footsteps were heard outside, along with Shen Mingyue loudly scolding a maid, telling her to get lost.
Shen Mingtang looked outside and saw Shen Mingyue running in.
Shen Mingyue stopped in the room, pointing at Shen Mingtang's face but looking at Qin Shi. She shouted, "Jinxiu Courtyard is my courtyard! What right do you have to give it to her? What is she…"
At these words, Yu Momo's face darkened first.
Shen Mingyue's voice cut off abruptly. She shrank back two steps, not daring to continue, but couldn't resist stamping her foot at Qin Shi.
Qin Shi asked her, "When do you plan to move back?"
She thought that if her daughter was willing to return to Jinxiu Courtyard from Xiaoxiang Courtyard, she would have Xiaoxiang Courtyard properly arranged for Mingtang to move into.
But Shen Mingyue avoided her gaze, "Let's wait a bit longer."
When she lived in Jinxiu Courtyard, Qin Shi forced her to study and learn the qin, while in Xiaoxiang House, Zhou Yiniang would praise and indulge her in everything.
She lived quite freely in Xiaoxiang Courtyard.
Moreover, she liked Zhou Yiniang.
"Then Mingtang will live in Jinxiu Courtyard," Qin Shi said, somewhat disappointed.
"No!" Shen Mingyue immediately refused. She looked at Shen Mingtang, "Shen Mingtang, Zhou Yiniang would never agree to you moving out. How dare you think of living in Jinxiu Courtyard? It's like a toad wanting to eat swan meat—wishful thinking!"
Yu Momo's face turned completely dark. She suddenly stepped forward.
Shen Mingyue unexpectedly met her gaze, stiffened, and even dropped her handkerchief.
Struggling to steady herself, not daring to confront Yu Momo, she gritted her teeth and looked at Qin Shi, threatening, "If you give the courtyard to her, I'll… I'll die right in front of you!"
With that, she rushed toward the nearby wall.
The maids in the room gasped and hurried to hold her back.
Chaos ensued.
Shen Mingyue struggled violently, screaming madly, "It seems that wretch is your real daughter! She just got you an Imperial Order, and you favor her so much. That wretch isn't worthy of living in my courtyard…"
Slap!
By the time Qin Shi realized it, her palm had already landed heavily on Shen Mingyue's face.
Qin Shi trembled with rage.
Her voice was hoarse, "How could I have raised a daughter like you!"
Since her daughter's birth, she had attended to everything personally. Even when ill, she spared no expense hiring renowned teachers to educate her and cultivate her virtues.
She never expected her daughter to become a famous talented woman, but she hoped she would be well-educated, gentle, and graceful in her conduct.
Shen Mingyue covered her face, stunned on the spot.
This was the second slap she had received today.
The hatred in Shen Mingyue's eyes nearly materialized, "Not only did you let her live in my courtyard, but you also hit me for her. You will definitely regret this."
After saying this, she ran away.
Qin Shi's hand trembled, her legs weakened, her vision darkened for a moment, and she nearly collapsed to the ground.
Shen Mingtang, who was standing nearby, quickly supported her, a wave of sorrow surging in her chest.
Watching Qin Shi's grief over Shen Mingyue, she desperately wanted to impulsively reveal the truth to Qin Shi.
But she couldn't.
Firstly, she currently had no evidence to prove that she was Qin Shi's true daughter. Without proof, her words would be empty, and Qin Shi wouldn't believe her.
Secondly, the child-swapping incident back then definitely wasn't carried out by Zhou Yiniang alone. Although Qin Shi was soft-hearted, she wasn't incompetent, so there must be someone else behind this scheme whom she needed to uncover as well.
Qin Shi lowered her head and looked at the hand that had just struck her daughter, a flicker of regret crossing her face. After a long moment, she raised her head again to look at Shen Mingtang.
Qin Shi smiled bitterly and said, "Mingtang, Jinxiu Courtyard temporarily can't…"
Before she could finish, Shen Mingtang interrupted her, "Mother, may I stay with you for now?"
Shen Mingtang looked at her, her eyes suddenly reddening slightly, and explained in a low voice, "I don't want to live with Yiniang anymore. You know she doesn't treat me well. Now that I didn't plead for Eldest Sister to receive the County Princess title, she'll surely be even angrier. In this household, you're the only one who treats me kindly."
Qin Shi's heart softened indeed, "Alright, then you may stay with me for now."
Yu Momo had come from the Rui Wang Residence. Although she had followed Shen Mingtang to the Shen family, Qin Shi felt it inappropriate to have her actually serve the young lady's daily needs in the Shen household.
Thus, Qin Shi assigned her personal maid Qiuyue to take care of her.
Half an hour later, Shen Mingtang moved into the east wing room arranged by Qin Shi.
She didn't have much to pack—just a few pieces of clothing and some inexpensive jewelry, which she had already brought over in a bundle.
Once inside the room, as her body warmed up, drowsiness set in.
Her wounds hadn't fully healed yet, and with returning home today and the ensuing conflicts, she was truly exhausted.
When Qin Shi came to check on her, she saw that Shen Mingtang had changed clothes and was already asleep.
Qin Shi sat by the bedside and instinctively took Shen Mingtang's hand, intending to tuck the exposed hand under the covers.
But this simple action caused the person on the bed to shudder violently.
The young girl's lips quivered, and large teardrops streamed down without warning, followed by choked sobs.
"Yiniang, I was wrong, I was wrong, I was wrong…"
"Please, Yiniang, spare me…"
"I don't know what mistake I made, Eldest Sister, it's all my fault, I was wrong…"
…
"As long as you were born from my womb, you're destined to be lowly. Don't delude yourself all day long, thinking you can compare to your legitimate sister!"
"Why am I hitting you? Because your legitimate sister cried today! Even if it wasn't your fault, you still need to be taught a lesson!"
"Legitimate children are clouds in the sky, while you, a filthy illegitimate thing, must always remember you're nothing but mud on the ground."
The elaborately dressed legitimate sister returning home, accompanied by a smiling, affectionate Zhou Yiniang, both gracefully approaching her.
The swirling heavy snow blurred Shen Mingtang's vision.
Shen Mingtang lay with broken limbs, her body nearly merging with the snow-covered ground. She knew she was dying, yet she stubbornly gazed at Zhou Yiniang.
"Why couldn't you care for me just a little, even the slightest bit?" she thought in her dazed state. Even if it were only one ten-thousandth of the affection you showed my legitimate sister, I would have been willing to die content.
She watched helplessly as her legitimate sister's flower-embroidered velvet shoe stepped on her numb face.
Shen Mingyue crouched down, her eyes filled with amusement. "Because you are the biological daughter of that wretched Qin Shi," she said. "I am Mother's real daughter. So you should follow your mother to the grave and let her care for you properly underground."
Only when Shen Mingyue and Zhou Yiniang's figures disappeared into the heavy snowfall did Shen Mingtang feel the scalding tears on her cheeks.
She wanted to laugh.
So she was Qin Shi's daughter after all. She no longer needed to yearn for Zhou Yiniang's affection and favor. If only she had known earlier…