“Mother, how can you treat Yunrou like this! She’s already pitiful enough!” Shang Yunzong retorted through the pain.
“Pitiful? And your sister is not pitiful?” Shen Zuizhi’s fury blazed. “You must be blind and deaf—doubting your own sister while believing outsiders. You’ve truly disappointed me!”
She threw the board to the ground. “From now on, don’t call me Mother again. All of you, get out.”
The news that her mother had beaten her two brothers quickly reached Shang Shiyan’s ears. Her maid Chunhua was gossiping with the courtyard servants, and Shang Shiyan overheard.
“Did you hear? Madam gave the two young masters a severe beating! She said they were biased, siding with an outsider instead of their own sister.”
“What?” Chunhua cracked melon seeds as she spoke. “Well, I think Madam is unfair—always protecting the eldest young lady, while treating the second young lady coldly.”
Shang Shiyan was the legitimate daughter of the household, so the servants called her *eldest young lady*.
“But the eldest young lady is Madam’s own child. Favoring her is natural.”
“Still, she shouldn’t be so partial. The second young lady suffered so much since childhood. Now that she’s been brought back to the Marquis’ estate, shouldn’t they make it up to her? Instead, Madam openly calls her an outsider in front of her—that’s cruel. I truly pity the second young lady.”
Shang Shiyan gazed quietly at the gossiping Chunhua.
She had four personal maids: Chunhua, Qiuyue, Hubo, and Zhenzhu.
Chunhua was efficient but loved to gossip. In her past life, Shang Shiyan thought that as long as Chunhua did her work well, her small flaws didn’t matter. But later she learned Chunhua had long been bribed by Shang Yunrou. It was Chunhua who spread the rumors about her lost chastity, even going to teahouses to invent stories about her.
Qiuyue was sharp-eared and cautious. She had accompanied Shang Shiyan on her journey out of the capital. But she had also been bought by Shang Yunrou. The fall from the cliff had been Shang Yunrou’s plot—Qiuyue was ordered to drug the horse. Only because the Crown Prince insisted on sharing the carriage with them did they all fall together.
Ironically, the ones she hadn’t valued as much—Hubo and Zhenzhu—were the truly loyal ones. They stayed by her side even after she was cast out of the Marquis’ estate, worrying about her hunger and cold. They secretly smuggled clothes and food to her until Shang Yunrou discovered it and had them sold off to a brothel.
“Since you pity the second young lady so much, why don’t you go serve her instead? Why bother staying by my side?”
Shang Shiyan’s sudden voice made Chunhua’s hand tremble, scattering melon seeds all over the floor.
“Y-Young Lady!”
With a thud, Chunhua dropped to her knees. “Please spare me, Young Lady! This servant knows her mistake!”
“Mistake?” Shang Shiyan’s lips curved into a mocking smile.
Already Shang Yunrou’s creature, could she truly admit fault sincerely? Shang Shiyan didn’t believe it. Her small face tightened, as if covered in frost.
The first step in reclaiming her fortune: there could be no traitors at her side.
Chunhua and Qiuyue both needed to be dealt with—but not rashly.
Since Shang Yunrou was a transmigrator who knew everything in advance, she had already plotted to steal Shang Shiyan’s fortune. If Shang Shiyan executed Chunhua and Qiuyue without cause, Shang Yunrou would grow suspicious and prepare countermeasures.
Living this life again, she had to be more cautious than ever, finding a proper excuse to eliminate these two betrayers.
Chunhua’s eyes darted. She knew Shang Shiyan was angry at Shang Yunrou right now, so she tried the old tactic of defending her. “Young Lady, I know it’s bold of me to say, but Second Young Lady truly treats you well. At the academy, she always defended you, and whenever she had something delicious or fun, she gave it to you first. She has always been sincere toward you!”
“Madam hurt Second Young Lady’s feelings so badly. I fear you and she will grow estranged.”
Shang Shiyan sneered inwardly. According to Chunhua’s words, the blame should fall on her mother. Bold indeed. She frowned suddenly, deep in thought. Why hadn’t she noticed Chunhua’s odd behavior before? Could it be that as her fortune was stolen, she too lost the ability to discern right from wrong, just like her brothers?
The thought startled her. But she quickly calmed down, her expression softening slightly. She dismissed the other maids, leaving only Chunhua. “If what you say is true, then perhaps I misunderstood my sister.”
Chunhua nodded eagerly. “Second Young Lady is devoted to you. Please don’t wound her heart.”
“You’re right. I mustn’t hurt my sister’s heart.” Shang Shiyan lowered her gaze, a glint of meaning flashing in her clear eyes. “Then tell me—how should I make it up to her?”
Hearing this, Chunhua breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed the eldest young lady wasn’t truly angry at the second young lady, but only influenced by Madam’s meddling.
“The set of red jade and gilded hair ornaments you own—Second Young Lady likes them very much. Why not give them to her? She would be delighted, and all her anger would vanish!”
Shang Shiyan lifted her eyes, watching Chunhua’s gaze flicker.
So Shang Yunrou had mentioned those gilded ornaments often enough that Chunhua dared to ask for them on her behalf.
That ornament had once been bestowed upon her grandmother by the imperial court. Her grandmother had given it to her, telling her to wear it at her coming-of-age ceremony. Such a precious and meaningful heirloom—and Chunhua dared to covet it!
Shang Shiyan’s gaze darkened, her face cold. “That was a gift from my grandmother. It’s very valuable.”
Chunhua replied, “Precisely because it’s valuable, giving it to Second Young Lady as an apology would show your sincerity.”
Shang Shiyan narrowed her eyes, then suddenly curved her lips into a smile. “You’re right.”
“Then send that gilded hair ornament to my sister.”
Chunhua agreed eagerly. As she went to fetch the ornament, she mocked Shang Shiyan in her heart—so easy to deceive.
After resting for more than a day, Shang Shiyan began trying on the clothes and ornaments for her coming-of-age ceremony the afternoon before.
By evening, the entire Marquis’ estate knew that Shang Shiyan’s most important gilded hair ornament had gone missing.
When Chunhua heard the news, she froze. She hurried to Shang Shiyan.
“Young Lady, that set of gilded ornaments was sent to Second Young Lady yesterday as an apology. Don’t you remember?”
But Shang Shiyan swept the hairpins from the table to the floor in fury.
“What nonsense are you spouting? That ornament was a gift from my grandmother to celebrate my coming-of-age. How could I possibly give it to my sister?”
Chunhua was stunned. She dropped to her knees with a thud. “Yesterday—yesterday Young Lady did indeed order me to send that ornament to Second Young Lady as an apology…”
“You vile maid, full of lies! How could I ever give away my grandmother’s gift?”
Shang Shiyan immediately ordered servants to seize Chunhua. “You’ve long spread false words between me and my sister, but now you dare to act on your own, sending my ornament to her as an apology? You’ve grown lawless!”
“Summon Mother at once!”