Xu Shi watched as Nanny Gu came to support Old Madam, her heart burning with suppressed anger. Looking back at Hui Qin collapsed on the ground, she covered her nose—Hui Qin had lost control of her bladder, and the room reeked of urine. Xu Shi snorted through her nose and walked out.
The so-called evil star was Hui Qin.
With the evil star caught and the matter brought to light, the monk was sent away by Nanny Gu.
Before leaving the Qin residence, Master Yuanzhen turned back, pressed his palms together, and looked deeply twice into the depths of the Qin household, chanting: “Amitabha! Good, good! Too much killing, too much killing!”
But when these words were relayed back to the masters of the Qin household through Nanny Gu’s mouth, no one believed them anymore. As for the so-called evil star, everyone had their own accounting in their hearts.
Master Yuanzhen sighed deeply, shook his head, and departed.
As Xu Shi walked back, she happened to encounter Qin Shuying coming slowly from the small path with a little maid.
It was the depths of winter, with all things withered and desolate. Only the evergreen pines and cypresses maintained their verdant color. Qin Shuying wore a red cloak, particularly vivid and bright against the snow. Combined with her graceful figure and jade-like complexion, smiling before speaking, she was truly a pleasing sight to behold.
“First Madam!”
Qin Shuying was polite and proper, her voice crisp with a touch of intimacy, gentle and amiable.
Xu Shi seemed to have seen a ghost, involuntarily stopping in her tracks, her heartbeat seeming to skip a beat.
But she had, after all, seen the world. She immediately composed herself. However, having suffered losses repeatedly at Qin Shuying’s hands, her words unconsciously carried resentment: “Seventh Miss’s etiquette has become increasingly refined—truly impressive!”
Qin Shuying smiled as she met Xu Shi’s eyes, saying unhurriedly: “Having lost both parents, Shuying relies entirely on First Madam’s excellent guidance!”
Xu Shi’s fingers couldn’t help but clench tightly. Seeing the situation turning bad, Nanny Liu quickly said: “Madam, with all the recent busyness, this servant actually forgot that the silk flowers bestowed by Lianpin have not yet been shown to Madam for inspection. This servant truly deserves death! This servant will personally fetch them right away!”
Qin Shuying’s smile deepened. Was this a reminder that she was facing the birth mother of the current favored consort Lianpin?
She smiled gracefully and said: “Nanny Liu, those words are mistaken. Lianpin is far away in the deep palace. Without an imperial edict or the Empress’s decree, she absolutely dare not summon First Madam, otherwise the Empress would not spare her. So even in ten or eight years, Lianpin would never know that you failed to handle your duties properly. First Madam is even more benevolent—what do you have to fear?”
Did they really take Qin Shuying for some naive young lady who understood nothing? After the witchcraft incident years ago, unwritten rules gradually developed in the palace. Ordinary concubines had no right to casually summon family members. Even those elevated to consort rank could not privately summon female relatives unless it was for festivals, palace celebrations, palace banquets, or by the Empress’s decree—though bestowing rewards could happen frequently.
Through decades of trials and tribulations, though the bloodshed of those years had been gradually forgotten, the current palace naturally wasn’t as strict. But at Lianpin’s level, summoning family members still required reporting to the Empress. If the Empress didn’t permit it, even the Emperor wouldn’t easily plead before the Empress—ancestral laws and protocols could not be ignored!
Moreover, the time for summoning family members was very limited, and the frequency couldn’t be high. Xu Shi could privately meet Lianpin at most a few times a year.
Nanny Liu deliberately mentioned Lianpin, wanting to use Lianpin’s prestige to make Qin Shuying bow her head in submission. Little did she know that Qin Shuying showed no fear whatsoever, even directly pointing out that regardless of Lianpin’s status, what could she actually do to her?
Indeed, Xu Shi’s expression became even more unsightly. However, she managed to hold on. Though her smile remained, it became faint: “Seventh Miss is sharp-tongued and quick-witted. Third Brother and Third Sister-in-law would be so gratified if they knew from the underworld!”
Qin Shuying’s smile deepened: “First Madam is too kind! Compared to Third Sister, Shuying isn’t even worthy of carrying her shoes! Knowing that Third Sister is so capable, Second Sister would be so gratified in the underworld too!”
Even with Xu Shi’s accomplished facade, she couldn’t help but suddenly change color, her face turning iron-blue.
But Qin Shuying wasn’t finished: “However, whether Second Sister or Third Sister, both are First Madam’s daughters, so First Madam must be even more gratified!”
Nanny Liu couldn’t help but click her tongue, completely unable to understand why Seventh Miss had to oppose her own paternal aunt in such a way, using such a decisive method. This degree of tearing off all pretenses—in Nanny Liu’s fifty years of life, she hadn’t just never seen it, she’d never even heard of it.
But knowing her mistress’s temperament, she quickly said: “Seventh Miss…”
“Presumptuous! When masters are speaking, when is it a servant’s turn to interrupt repeatedly?” Qin Shuying scolded sternly, carrying an indescribable authority that made Nanny Liu’s heart tremble involuntarily.
Qin Shuying again displayed her sharp-tongued characteristic: “The Qin household has treated you well—is this how you serve? Corrupting the Qin household’s rules? Don’t you understand the consequences of not knowing the rules? Have you forgotten Nanny Zhang so quickly?”
Nanny Liu’s heart tightened, and the image of Nanny Zhang’s miserable death floated in her mind, making her shudder.
Xu Shi once again experienced the frustrating helplessness of being unable to refute her niece’s quick tongue. The anger in her heart was indescribable. Just as she was about to speak, Qin Shuying said to Xu Shi with a submissive expression: “First Madam, Shuying is doing this all for First Madam’s good! First Madam has always been magnanimous and surely won’t hold your niece’s frankness against her. Seeing that First Madam appears hurried with matters to attend to, Shuying won’t delay Madam further. Shuying takes her leave first.”
Her courtesy was thorough, her etiquette perfect. Qin Shuying simply turned and left. Xu Shi called out: “Stop!”
Qin Shuying acted as if she hadn’t heard, walking away at a leisurely pace, growing more distant.
“Madam…” Nanny Liu glanced at Xu Shi’s expression and called out carefully.
Xu Shi suddenly revealed a cold smile, spitting out a phrase: “Evil creature! Those who commit evil cannot live!”
Nanny Gu’s heart jumped.
…
The eighth day of the twelfth lunar month was an auspicious day. The shops under Qin Shuying’s name opened with great fanfare.
In just five days, Lu Changxuan received a report from the head manager of the brown sugar business that the Lu household’s brown sugar business had plummeted.
The head manager naturally investigated the situation and discovered a shop that sold the same goods at prices half a percent lower. Only fools would buy from the Lu family’s shop.
This shop was located just one street away from the Lu family’s brown sugar store.
When he investigated, he discovered that the owner of that shop was actually the natal families of Lu Changxuan’s two wives. The head manager couldn’t understand why the Qin household would do such a thing.
Of course, they soon learned that the shop’s owner was Qin Shuying, but they wouldn’t think that all these ideas came from Qin Shuying herself. What would a thirteen-year-old secluded young lady know about business?