Zishu Sui was quick-witted—she knew it the moment she heard it.
Nothing good ever came of this!
Xie Yan, that bastard, was always setting her up!
That voice was unmistakably Xiao Bi’an’s, but hadn’t he been in the front courtyard? Why had he come to the garden as well?
Zishu Sui composed herself. Holding Admonitions for Women in her left hand and rubbing her temple with her right, she turned around weakly under Xie Yan’s amused gaze and looked toward the source of the sound—
When she saw who it was, her pupils shrank.
The situation was even worse than she had imagined.
She had thought it was only Xiao Bi’an, but who would have guessed that behind him… one, two, three, four, five…
Zishu Sui suddenly felt dizzy.
There was Lady Cui, the Marchioness of Wuning; beside her stood a mother and daughter leaning closely together—likely Second Madam Liao and Second Miss Xiao Jinse.
And there was also an unfamiliar lady and a young man—presumably the general’s wife and her son.
They had all come to the garden.
At this moment, everyone wore different expressions.
Zishu Sui pressed her lips together. From their angle and distance, they wouldn’t be able to hear what she and Xie Yan had said—only see their movements.
But what had she and Xie Yan just done?
Oh. Xie Yan had tried to touch her face.
Xie Yan always wore a mask when he went to war, so his rebel identity wouldn’t be discovered. But she—she was likely about to be saddled with an ugly reputation.
So this was the “small warning” he had mentioned.
Zishu Sui’s gaze paused on the general’s wife, and only then did she notice something amiss.
The general’s wife’s eyes were the most eager of all, fixed on the spot behind Zishu Sui—where Xie Yan stood.
And Xie Yan, even now, looked utterly self-satisfied.
Zishu Sui wasn’t stupid. At this point, she understood.
Could it be that Xie Yan was the general’s long-lost real son?
If that were true, then Xie Yan was truly devious—impersonating the general’s real son and not telling her, just watching her panic. Even his earlier promise to investigate things for her must have been nothing but mockery.
As if to confirm her suspicions, the general’s wife called out toward Xie Yan with indulgent affection, “Shenzhou, why are you here? And you and this young lady…”
Zishu Sui began calculating silently.
The good news was that one layer of danger had been removed: this “real young master” was not Qi Sui’s childhood sweetheart, but her—Zishu Sui’s—accursed bamboo horse.
Xie Yan wouldn’t point her out as an impostor in public.
The bad news was that, short of killing her, Xie Yan had done his utmost to dump a huge mess on her.
Just looking at Xiao Jinse’s flower-adorned yet murderous glare was enough to make Zishu Sui’s head ache.
Xie Yan—he really existed only to harm people. He had done this on purpose.
“Girl Sui, you really do know each other?” Lady Cui was the first to react.
Zishu Sui didn’t know what Xie Yan’s purpose was in entering the general’s residence.
But whatever it was, getting tangled up with this “real young master” was no good.
If either of them slipped up, the other would be exposed as well. Being tied to the same rope was a terrible idea—especially given Xie Yan’s arrogant, reckless way of doing things, which would only bring her unnecessary trouble.
Zishu Sui didn’t want that.
In any case, whether the rumors were true or not depended on what the two impostors present said, didn’t it?
So when Lady Cui asked, Zishu Sui walked over to her, her face full of grievance. “Aunt, I don’t know him!”
At the very moment she said she didn’t know him, Xie Yan’s casual voice sounded from behind her.
“We do know each other.”
Zishu Sui turned back, and when she looked at Xie Yan, her gaze was sharp enough to kill.
Then Xie Yan walked toward the general’s wife, speaking as he went. “I just asked this young lady for directions. That counts as knowing each other, right?”
Zishu Sui’s face filled with worry as she looked at Lady Cui, as if afraid of being misunderstood. “Just now I was taking a walk in the garden when this young master suddenly appeared and asked me for directions. And then he, he…”
Xie Yan cooperated nicely this time, raising an eyebrow. “Is this young lady also a miss of the marquis’s household? She looks very familiar. I wonder if I could marry her.”
The general’s wife was startled by her “son’s” bold words. “Don’t be so frivolous.”
Then she turned to Lady Cui with an apologetic look. “First Madam, my child has a straightforward temperament and meant no offense. I hope you’ll be generous.”
Lady Cui smiled without smiling, thinking to herself: As expected of the Zhen Guo General’s household—mud-legged origins, utterly lacking in refinement. Do they really think the young ladies of my marquis’s household are there for them to choose wives from at will?!
“It seems the rumors aren’t entirely true,” Lady Cui said with a fake smile. “It’s getting late. Madam should take the real and fake young masters back home early. As for the marriage, let’s consider it canceled.”
When Lady Cui spoke, she placed heavy emphasis on the words “real and fake young masters.”
The general’s wife’s expression darkened, but she still endured it. “This matter is our fault first. But Madam should also think carefully. When the engagement was arranged, the Marquis said he regarded the Second Miss as his own daughter. We didn’t mind such things.”
“My son was also raised with great care. Though he’s not my biological child, his upbringing these past years was no different from that of a true son. His marriage to your Second Miss is still well-matched. Besides, breaking the engagement would do the Second Miss no good either.”
What the general’s wife meant was clear: your Second Miss isn’t the Marquis’s biological daughter either—she’s just the daughter of the Marquis’s younger half-brother. We didn’t look down on you back then, so how do you have the face to look down on my son now?
After saying that, the general’s wife led her two sons away.
Zishu Sui lifted her head and watched Xie Yan’s carefree retreating figure. Her grip on the book tightened again.
“Qi Sui, you! What exactly happened between you two just now?!” Xiao Jinse finally exploded.
Seeing Zishu Sui’s weak appearance, Xiao Jinse had nowhere to vent her anger. Thinking of the scene she had just witnessed made her feel even worse.
Today was also the first time Xiao Jinse had seen the real young master, Lu Shenzhou. She had thought the fake young master was already good-looking enough, but the real one was truly handsome and dignified beyond compare.
Yet the real young master didn’t want to marry her—he was instead interested in the cousin temporarily lodging in the marquis’s residence. Xiao Jinse felt utterly humiliated. “You must have seduced Young Master Lu!”
“I—I didn’t. Second Cousin, how can you insult someone like that?” Zishu Sui hugged the book tightly to her chest.
Although Lady Cui said nothing, Zishu Sui could clearly sense her displeasure, as well as the hostile gaze from Madam Liao and the cold expression on Xiao Bi’an’s face.
Zishu Sui had only been in the residence for five days. Just now, in full view of everyone, she had been standing extremely close to Xie Yan. At this point, any explanation she offered would convince no one, and no one would help her.
Even Lady Cui, usually warm and considerate, would not tolerate anything that damaged the family’s reputation.
More importantly, earlier Zishu Sui had used illness as an excuse not to go to the front courtyard, only to “coincidentally” encounter the “real young master” in the garden.
Even worse, just yesterday she had told Xiao Bi’an that she wanted to marry into a powerful family.
Ah.
So many coincidences coming together—she wouldn’t be able to wash herself clean even if she jumped into the Yellow River.
Right now, it was as if the words “green tea who seduced her cousin’s desired man” were written on her forehead.
Damn Xie Yan—he had left her with a complete mess and walked away.
“I really didn’t. I didn’t even know who he was. Aunt, please believe me.” Zishu Sui’s pleading gaze went first to Lady Cui.
But Lady Cui only sighed and looked away.
Zishu Sui then looked toward the silent Xiao Bi’an and said weakly, “Cousin, I just felt stifled in the room and came out for some air. I didn’t want to go to the front courtyard and spread my illness to everyone. How could I possibly do something so shameless?”
As she spoke, she adjusted the Admonitions for Women in her arms, making sure everyone could see it.
Look—she even brought Admonitions for Women with her when she went out!
Xiao Bi’an’s expression revealed neither joy nor anger.
Zishu Sui only saw his gaze linger on her face, so she thought of some sad things and forcibly made her eyes glisten with moisture.
Just then, Xiao Jinse seemed to lose her mind again and suddenly stepped closer—
“That’s enough! You even dare try to seduce my cousin!”
As the words fell, Xiao Jinse raised her hand.
Zishu Sui looked up and saw the palm about to come down. She obediently closed her eyes and slightly turned her face away, her reaction as natural and convincing as an instinctive response to danger.
When she closed her eyes, everything went dark.
Her ears, too, grew much quieter.
In the silence, the expected slap never landed. Instead, she heard Xiao Jinse’s shocked, trembling voice—
“Cousin?”
“Could it be—you really believed her?”