The fourteen-year-old girl’s skin was tender. This slap came so suddenly that shock overwhelmed the burning pain.

“Elder sister, why did you hit me?”

“Why did I hit you?” Princess Yi’an raised one eyebrow high. Though her features were soft and beautiful, at this moment they showed sharpness. “If you hadn’t thrown that drunken tantrum insisting on talking to me that day, how would I have ended up by the artificial mountain? That would have been one thing, but you had to dawdle and delay, causing Princess Lingque to get hit on the head by a stone. Do you know how much trouble this brought me…”

Listening to Princess Yi’an’s endless litany of complaints, Kou Wan’s heart grew colder and colder. Finally she couldn’t help asking, “Does elder sister mean she would rather the stone had hit me?”

Princess Yi’an was provoked to even greater anger by Kou Wan’s questioning tone and replied without thinking, “What do you mean I would rather? It should have been you in the first place!”

“But elder sister, you were the one who called Princess Lingque over—”

“Kou Wan!” Princess Yi’an, having the truth exposed, became furious from embarrassment. “So you’ve learned to talk back now, have you?”

Watching that hand ready to move again, Kou Wan suddenly didn’t want to say anything more.

“Stop causing me trouble in the future.” Having finished her lecture, Princess Yi’an turned and left.

The sound of a forcefully slammed door rang out. Kou Wan threw herself onto her bed and began crying.

When Princess Yi’an left the Weiwu Marquis Manor, Kou Wan didn’t appear. Madam Kou was displeased and ordered a maid to summon Kou Wan.

“Mother was looking for me.” After entering the room, Kou Wan spoke woodenly.

Seeing her like this, Madam Kou couldn’t help frowning. “Your elder sister returned to the palace, and you didn’t even show your face?”

“I don’t feel well.” Kou Wan lowered her eyes, her heart full of desolation.

She knew it—any slight toward elder sister would be entirely her fault.

Madam Kou’s voice rose slightly. “Don’t feel well? You were out shopping this morning. Your elder sister comes back and suddenly you don’t feel well?”

“Yes, I don’t feel well when she comes back!” Kou Wan shouted through her tears.

Madam Kou was infuriated by these words. “I’ve told you before, your elder sister being able to enter the palace to accompany the empress dowager is her destiny and blessing. As her younger sister, instead of being happy for her, you harbor so many petty thoughts. Is this how I taught you?”

“What did Mother teach me?” Kou Wan raised her face, one cheek still showing the finger marks. “Taught me to be submissive and obedient to her? Though I’m her younger sister, to act like a little maid? Mother always says her entering the palace to accompany the empress dowager brings endless benefits to the family, but what benefits has she brought? Even without her entering the palace, the Weiwu Marquis Manor is still the empress dowager’s maternal family. After she entered the palace, only she alone enjoys the benefits of being a princess. I think Mother is the confused one—”

A sharp crack sounded as a slap landed on Kou Wan’s face.

Familiar pain accompanied by dizziness washed over her. Kou Wan covered her face and retreated step by step. Before Madam Kou could open her mouth to speak, she turned and fled.

“This ungrateful wretch!” Madam Kou angrily slapped the table but didn’t take it seriously.

In her view, her younger daughter still had a child’s temper and needed to be disciplined.

But Kou Wan didn’t return to her room. Crying, she rushed all the way out through the flowering gate.

Seeing her tear-stained face, the gatekeeper asked, “Second Miss, where are you going?”

Kou Wan didn’t even acknowledge him and ran out through the side gate.

“Second Miss, Second Miss—” The gatekeeper hadn’t expected Kou Wan to charge straight out. In a moment of inattention she disappeared. Thinking something was wrong, he quickly sent word inside.

The senior maid who received the message hurried to report to Madam Kou. “Madam, Second Miss has left the manor.”

Madam Kou became even angrier.

After just a few words she ran outside—too willful!

For a noble young lady from a great family to run out crying was ultimately inappropriate. Madam Kou quickly ordered servants to go search for her.

The Weiwu Marquis Manor was located in a bustling area. With people coming and going on the streets, the Weiwu Manor’s servants split into two teams to search for Kou Wan, rather like looking for a needle in a haystack.

At this time, a beggar boy ran several streets to reach a civilian residence and knocked on the main gate.

“Is Young Master A’Xing here? I’ve discovered a situation.”

Hearing this, the gatekeeper let the beggar boy in.

In the side hall, A’Xing asked the beggar boy, “What situation?”

“While I was resting against a wall corner, I happened to notice a crying young lady. Out of curiosity I looked a few more times, and to my surprise that young lady was covered on the mouth and dragged away…”

A’Xing listened quietly as the beggar boy finished, his face showing little expression. “How many people dragged her away? Did you see where they took her?”

“A man and a woman, two people. I quietly followed and saw them take the young lady into a civilian residence… Oh right, Young Master A’Xing, that young lady should be from the Weiwu Marquis Manor.”

His begging territory was near the Weiwu Marquis Manor, and he had seen that young lady several times coming out of the Weiwu Marquis Manor with her maid.

“Weiwu Marquis Manor?” A’Xing’s cold expression finally changed.

There were plenty of unfortunate people in the world—he couldn’t manage them all. Telling the patrolling officers on the street about the kidnappers’ hideout would already be going above and beyond. Learning that the young lady was from the Weiwu Marquis Manor, A’Xing changed his mind.

He didn’t understand the relationships between these high-ranking households, only knowing that a young lady from the Weiwu Marquis Manor and A’Hao should be noble ladies from the same circle. Perhaps they even had a friendship—so he should ask A’Hao’s opinion.

He took out a few copper coins from his pouch and gave them to the beggar boy as thanks for the intelligence. He called one of the youths from the courtyard to go with the beggar boy to confirm the kidnappers’ hideout, then hurried back to the General’s Mansion.

Getting the answer “Second Miss hasn’t gone out” from the gatekeeper, A’Xing headed straight for Luoying Residence.

Lin Hao had nothing to do and was casually using a brush to groom Lin Xiaohua’s fur. Lin Xiaohua wore an expression of enjoyment, mouth open as she munched on a carrot.

A’Xing’s gaze fell on Lin Xiaohua for a moment before he walked toward Lin Hao.

Every time he saw Lin Xiaohua, he felt this was one fortunate donkey—truly knew how to be reborn.

“Just got some information from a beggar boy.” A’Xing sat down beside Lin Hao and got straight to the point.

Managing the various matters of the Lin residence sheltering beggars and dealing with all sorts of beggars trying to take advantage, A’Xing had grown considerably over one winter. Giving those beggars who spent years on the streets some small benefits to gather information was A’Xing’s idea. He had even used selected information to earn silver, preventing his foolish younger sister from operating at a loss.

“What information?”

“Are you friends with the young lady from the Weiwu Marquis Manor?” A’Xing asked first.

Lin Hao told the truth. “No.”

She still remembered that young lady rolling her eyes at her. Though later she had appreciated the warning, that didn’t make them friends.

“Then it’s nothing.” A’Xing relaxed, patted Lin Xiaohua once, and prepared to leave.

Lin Hao grabbed him. “How can you leave after saying half? What exactly happened?”

“A beggar boy saw the young lady from the Weiwu Marquis Manor fall into kidnappers’ hands…” A’Xing explained what he knew. “Since you have no relationship with her, just don’t get involved. I’ll arrange for a beggar to tell the officers patrolling the streets.”