Liang Lao’er immediately grabbed his cane and went to the room as soon as he realized his daughter had woken up.
Liang Wenyong followed his uncle to Qianhua’s room.
Their room was farther from Uncle’s, and last night he and his younger brother, Liang Wenzhi, had gone to bed early, completely unaware of the night’s commotion.
It wasn’t until this morning, when his father punished Cuihua by making her kneel for an hour, that he realized what his sister had done.
Liang Wenzhi had already gone to the town’s private school early in the morning, so he had no knowledge of Cuihua pushing Qianhua into the river.
The family also had no intention of telling him, fearing it would distract him from his studies.
When Liang Lao-da and Zhu-shi heard that Qianhua had woken up, they breathed a sigh of relief.
After all, it was their own daughter who had caused the trouble, and Old Man Liang’s punishment of Cuihua was already considered mild.
If anything had happened to Qianhua, Liang Lao’er would probably have killed Cuihua without hesitation.
Though normally gentle and honest, Liang Lao’er took anything concerning Qianhua extremely seriously. Anyone who harmed her would face his full wrath.
When they were children, a boy named Wang Hao from Aunt Li’s family in the village had thrown a stone at Qianhua, bruising her hand. Liang Lao’er had grabbed Wang Hao and beaten him thoroughly.
Wang Hao’s mother, Aunt Li, known in the village for her sharp tongue, had come to scold Liang Lao’er, shouting for half the night, which sparked a lasting feud between them.
In the room, Liang Lao’er, seeing his daughter safe, was moved to tears. “Qianhua, you scared your father to death. I’m so glad you’re alright.”
“Qianhua, my cousin Wenyong wants to apologize on behalf of his sister, Cuihua. She was utterly foolish—how could she do such a thing to her own family?” Wenyong said apologetically.
“Cousin Wenyong, there’s no need to blame yourself. This isn’t your fault.”
One thing at a time—Qianhua did not redirect her anger toward anyone else. The wrongdoing had been Cuihua’s, and no one else’s.
At that moment, Liang Lao-da entered carrying Cuihua. He scolded, “You unfilial girl! Aren’t you going to kneel and kowtow to your cousin to admit your fault?”
Cuihua trembled as she knelt. She had been scared stiff by Old Madam Liang’s beating last night, and the punishment this morning only reinforced her fear.
She kowtowed, crying, “Qianhua, I lost my mind and did such a terrible thing. I spoke foolish words. Grandma has already beaten me, Father has punished me—I beg you to forgive me.”
Qianhua leaned back on the edge of the bed, looking down at Cuihua coldly. Her face was swollen on one side, and her knees were red and raw from kneeling. She looked utterly miserable.
But Qianhua felt no sympathy. Because of Cuihua’s selfishness, the original owner had nearly lost her life. A person so malicious and deceitful—Qianhua could hardly contain her hatred.
Still, she knew perfectly well that Old Man Liang and her uncle’s family would never allow her to kill Cuihua for revenge.
The eldest uncle had already punished Cuihua, and Old Man Liang had promised further punishment. Cuihua’s life was spared—for now.
Fine. She would let the girl live for the moment, but if Cuihua caused trouble again in the future, she would not forgive her.
Even if she couldn’t kill her now, she needed to get her out of the household. Leaving such a poisonous, snake-like person around was too dangerous; one careless moment and she might strike again.
She said coldly, “You may fancy your cousin—that’s your business. Who he likes—that’s his business. None of it concerns me. I do not like him, nor do I have any private relationship with him. You’ve misplaced your resentment. Forgiving you? I cannot.”
“Qianhua, you are the victim here. Tell us your thoughts—how do you want to punish Cuihua?” Old Man Liang asked, seeking her opinion.
“Grandfather, I cannot live under the same roof as Cuihua. Let’s split the family,” Qianhua deliberately said, testing their reaction again.
“You, Qianhua! We’ve supported your family of three for almost half a year, providing food, drink, and daily needs. Now your father is only just able to walk with a cane, and Jiang Tongsheng will soon be taking the imperial exams. And at this critical time, you bring up splitting the family? You are trying to abandon us all! Ungrateful child, we raised you for so many years—how could the Liang family have such a rebellious descendant?” Old Madam Liang cried, heartbroken.
Qianhua knew that in this era, splitting the family was a grave act of rebellion, and that the elders would never easily agree.
She mentioned splitting the family again, both to learn their reasons for resisting and to manipulate them into accepting her lesser request.
Unexpectedly, she discovered Old Madam Liang’s true reason for opposing it: the talk of “keeping the family together” was merely a pretense. She really only valued her family for what she could extract from them. She planned to keep them around to exploit their labor.
Her father, once his leg healed, could hunt and earn silver to support the family. Her fiancé would soon take the provincial exams and was almost certain to succeed; once married, she would become the wife of a scholar.
Old Madam Liang’s calculations were sharp—she would never let this family escape exploitation.
“Grandmother, if you want us to stay together, that’s fine. But Cuihua must leave the Liang household,” Qianhua stated her true intention.
“Qianhua, what do you mean by that? Are you asking Grandfather to throw me out? How can you be so cruel?”
Cuihua questioned her in disbelief. If she were expelled, she would have nowhere to go.
“In terms of cruelty, I must admit, I can’t match your level. I’m no competition,” Qianhua said coolly. “I am not trying to drive you out. I just see that you are old enough to be married, yet no matchmaker has come. I am concerned for you. I want Grandfather to arrange a marriage for you within three days. There’s only so much one can prevent: if someone is capable of murder, who knows what other mischief they might commit in the future?”
She did want to drive her out, but she knew the original owner’s uncle’s family would never agree.
“You’re fine now, aren’t you? Cuihua is still your cousin. Where would we find a proper family for her in three days?”
Zhu-shi, though biased toward sons, could not simply hand her over to anyone.
“I may have survived, but I barely escaped death last night. Even the dark officials of the underworld came for my soul, and only because the King of Hell deemed my life not yet over was I returned. Otherwise, I would never have seen my parents or anyone again.”
Qianhua spoke, slightly choked, describing the danger of the previous night. She noticed Old Man Liang hesitated, so she added pressure.
Life is a stage, and while Qianhua wasn’t a professional actress, her experience as a talent streamer gave her excellent control over emotions and presentation.
Sure enough, Liu-shi burst into tears, realizing her daughter had gone to the underworld and nearly never returned.
Liang Lao’er wiped his eyes, pained that his daughter had faced death.
“I survived. I did not report Cuihua to the authorities out of consideration for family ties. But how can I, in peace, live under the same roof with someone who tried to kill me? If it were you, could you?” Qianhua asked, her voice tense.
No one answered—because none could claim they could cohabit daily with someone who had tried to murder them.
“I do this also to preserve family harmony and prevent such incidents in the future. Cousin Cuihua’s act was attempted murder. By law, she could go to prison. Wenzhi is still studying and taking exams, which require a clean reputation. If outsiders knew he had a sister who attempted murder, could he continue his studies?”
Qianhua dropped a bomb. This was her main point today.
Everyone in the room was shocked.
Indeed, Wenzhi still had to continue with the county, prefectural, and provincial exams. Though he failed the county exam this year, he could try again next year.
If the family’s reputation were tarnished, Wenzhi’s path would be blocked.
Old Man Liang thought: no matter what, he could not let Wenzhi be affected. This matter must be handled quietly and carefully.
Old Man Liang had once studied for several years but failed the county exams repeatedly and had to return home to farm. Now, seeing a child in the family with a real chance at success, he could not allow this mess to ruin Wenzhi’s future.
Initially, he had wanted to persuade Liang Lao’er’s family to handle the matter gently now that Qianhua had woken, but after her words, he dared not suggest even a word.
Cuihua was terrified by Qianhua’s warning about legal punishment. She did not want to go to prison and had been relying on her younger brother’s future success.
She cried even harder, begging Qianhua for forgiveness.
“You attempted murder, and it affects Cousin Wenzhi. Today, I can forgive you for the sake of family, but who knows if there will be a next time? Your reckless nature could harm others. Eventually, your actions might hurt Wenzhi.”
Even if she could not kill her, Qianhua wanted Cuihua to learn her lesson.
“Cuihua is nearly fifteen and of marriageable age. Old Madam, go and find a suitable family for her in the village. Marry her off properly,” Old Man Liang instructed.
He thought Qianhua made a lot of sense. Today, the family could overlook her, but if she caused trouble again, outsiders wouldn’t be so lenient. Any future mishap could jeopardize Wenzhi’s studies. It was imperative to marry her off quickly to prevent more misfortune for the family.
“Grandfather, she shouldn’t be married within our village. The further away she is, the better. If she causes trouble here, and the groom’s family comes after us, it could bring disaster to our whole household,” Qianhua said, speaking as if it were obvious.
“Fine, we’ll follow your advice. Old Madam, start asking in the neighboring villages which families are looking for a bride. Pick a suitable match and marry her off,” Old Man Liang said. He agreed—someone so restless and troublesome should definitely be married far away.
“I won’t marry anyone! I will only marry Cousin Zhu!”
Before Old Madam Liang could speak, Cuihua began crying and screaming. Her heart belonged solely to her cousin, and she had no intention of marrying anyone else.
“Your cousin doesn’t like you. Even if you want to marry him, he has to agree,” Old Man Liang said, looking at her irrational behavior with a mix of frustration and disbelief.
“I don’t care! I only want Cousin Zhu. I don’t want anyone else!” Cuihua began throwing a tantrum.
“This is not up to you. Marriage is a matter of parental command and matchmakers’ arrangement. Old Madam, you start looking immediately. If someone is willing to marry her, agree and get her married as soon as possible. I’m leaving this matter to you.”
Seeing Cuihua throwing a fit, rolling on the floor, Old Man Liang felt all the more that this granddaughter was utterly unsuitable to remain at home. She had to be married off quickly.
“Understood, Old Master,” Old Madam Liang replied.
She had long wanted to marry Cuihua off, but no one had come to propose. By marrying her off, the family would gain a few taels of silver as a bride price, and there would be one less mouth to feed. Every day a problematic, unproductive child stayed at home was another day of wasted resources.
If Cuihua had been less obstinate, they could have found a proper match gradually.
But now she insisted on making a fuss, leaving Old Man Liang convinced that the longer such an unmanageable granddaughter remained at home, the more risk she posed. She had to be married off as soon as possible.
Qianhua’s tactic was a necessary one. She had to press on the family’s weak points to ensure her plan to punish Cuihua went according to her wishes.
Fortunately, though the original owner was only thirteen, children in ancient times matured quickly.
Her parents usually treated her with care and always consulted her on matters big and small. So, while Qianhua had a playful, naive side, she also had a strong sense of her own opinion.
The things she said today, and the requests she made, though unusually mature for her age, did not raise suspicion.
The family simply thought she had had a brush with death and was acting a bit stronger than usual.