In response to Qian Lan’s accusation, the Commander merely said coldly: “I recover faster than most people. Once that sachet was removed and I was given the antidote, it took me less than a week to break free of your control. Throughout that week and more, I watched your vivid performance and pondered your true intentions, and there were many moments I nearly couldn’t hold myself back. But Xingzhi told me I had to endure — because I needed to see what you were truly after.”

The Commander gave a cold snort. “The moment you slandered Er Yitai and the steward, I knew you were preparing your grand move. Sure enough, you soon brought up the matter of installing a Young Commander, and proposed making Shi Guang the Young Commander. At that point, I naturally agreed to your every request, and to avoid raising your suspicions, I even handed you the Commander’s seal.”

Kneeling on the ground, Shi Guang heard these words and couldn’t help but clench his hands into fists against the floor.

When he had been filled with anticipation, believing the position of Young Commander was as good as his — the Commander and Shi Ting had been watching his performance as they would a clown’s.

Every dramatic shift in his expression at that time had surely fallen under the other side’s eyes. They must have found his behavior nothing short of ridiculous and contemptible.

He had truly been treated as a fool — as a monkey on a stage — while they were the audience, fully aware of everything, the audience who had orchestrated the entire performance with their own hands.

He raised his head and glared in Shi Ting’s direction. Shi Ting remained utterly calm, dismissing his gaze with complete indifference.

“Didn’t expect that — you’re even better at performing than I am.” Qian Lan said with undisguised mockery. “You watched my performance all this time. Was it entertaining? Did you enjoy yourself?”

“Qian Lan!” The Matriarch could hold herself back no longer. “You vile woman — the Commander treated you well, the Shi Family treated you well, so why did you have to act with such reckless cruelty? Did you arrange for what happened to Yutong? You made her lose all dignity in front of the guests, ruined her chances of a good marriage, and she’s still suffering in Baiyun Temple to this day. And that isn’t all — you schemed against the Seventh, you schemed against Er Yitai. You’re nothing but a scourge on the Shi Mansion, a thorn in everyone’s side.”

The Matriarch’s cane struck the ground with a thunderous rhythm, yet Qian Lan’s expression did not waver in the slightest. She only stared at the Commander, filled with bitter defiance. “As for why I’ve done all of this — he knows best in his own heart.”

The Commander said: “Is this about taking revenge for the Chen Family?”

“Yes.” Qian Lan said through gritted teeth. “I imagine you’ve long forgotten her — that woman you violated. Because of your moment of unrestrained lust, an entire family was destroyed. I watched my sister hang herself. I watched my parents drown. I watched my future brother-in-law be shot dead. The once-flourishing Chen Mansion fell into ruin within a few short years, then was seized by evil men — and all of it, every last bit, was your doing.”

“Are you speaking of Chen Fangfang?” The Commander frowned. “Are you her younger sister, Chen Lingling?”

“Ha — you still remember that name.” Qian Lan let out a cold laugh. “But hearing it from your lips truly dishonors her — it truly makes one sick.”

The Commander let out a long sigh. “Chen Fangfang bore a striking resemblance to an old friend of mine. The first time I saw her, I was indeed taken aback. When I learned she also played the piano, I very much wanted to make her acquaintance. That day, I had someone invite her to my residence, hoping to hear her play in person. To be honest, after seeing her and hearing her music, I did develop some feelings for her — but she made it very clear to me that she already had someone she loved deeply. Once I knew that, I would naturally never try to take her from another man. Though Chen Fangfang had declined me, the two of us had a very pleasant conversation. She said that if the occasion arose, she might introduce me to her partner — who was also said to be a straightforward man of the rivers and lakes — and I agreed. After the gathering ended, she took her leave and returned to the Chen Family. I later had someone go to call on her again, but those I sent were turned away at the door. I assumed she thought I harbored improper intentions and didn’t wish to see me, so I had no one else make the trip. By the time I departed from Huxi Fang, I had not laid eyes on her again.”

“You’re lying.” Qian Lan cried out sharply. “You forced yourself on her — that’s why she came home and hanged herself.”

“Shi Kai has never been driven to reckless acts by desire, and would never force himself on a vulnerable woman. If I wanted someone, there is no shortage of women like her.”

“No — what you said isn’t true. Don’t try to evade responsibility. It was you — you’re the one who killed my sister, the one who had my future brother-in-law murdered.”

“Qian Lan.” Shi Ting’s voice began slowly, cutting through Qian Lan’s grief-stricken outburst. “The Commander didn’t lie. Every word he said is the truth.”

“Ha — you’re all in this together. Don’t think you can deceive me.” Qian Lan let out a cold laugh. “Now that it’s come to this, do you still dare to admit what you’ve done? I’ve been captured by you anyway, and getting my revenge is already impossible — but the vile things you once did can never be changed, no matter how you argue. Everything you try to justify is useless. The Shi Family owes the Chen Family a debt, and sooner or later, heaven will see that it’s repaid.”

“The one who violated Chen Fangfang was not the Commander. The one who killed Lin Zhi was also not the Commander.”

As his words fell, two guards threw a man bound hand and foot into the courtyard. He hit the ground with a thud, his features twisting in pain, though he did not dare make a sound.

Qian Lan’s gaze landed on this man. Even Shi Guang looked at him twice.

To both of them, this face was entirely unfamiliar.

“Qian Lan, you likely don’t know this person.” Shi Ting said calmly. “Introduce yourself.”

The man heard this and cast a sweeping glance at the people surrounding him. He understood this was no ordinary place — even more dangerous than the places he had passed through over recent days.

And the fact that his life had been preserved until now was likely so it could serve this very moment.

“My name is Qiu Qianwan,” the man said. “I was once a hall master of the Ten Thousand Tigers Gang.”

“Continue.”

Qiu Qianwan swallowed. “Fourteen years ago, I became fixated on a woman. Her name was Chen Fangfang — the eldest daughter of the Chen Family.”

At the sound of those words, a muscle twitched in Qian Lan’s face.

“I wanted her. But she belonged to Lin Zhi. Lin Zhi and I had a long-standing grudge, and so my desire to possess this woman became all the more resolute.” Qiu Qianwan’s voice was dry and rough; though years had passed, the memory still played out before him in vivid detail. “One day, I had someone tail Chen Fangfang and learned that she was coming out of the residence of a certain military figure, without anyone accompanying her. So I had her seized on the road. I brought her back to my lodgings and violated her.”

Qian Lan’s pupils contracted sharply. She bit down on her tender lips until blood came. The crimson stain set against her complexion made her look utterly ferocious.

“At the time, to humiliate her, I kept her bodice — I remember it had two golden fish embroidered on it.”

Pinned down by servants, Qian Lan suddenly surged with a wild strength and nearly broke free. Her eyes as she stared at Qiu Qianwan blazed as if about to spit fire, the red threads in them bleeding into a solid sheet of crimson.

Chen Fangfang’s bodice had been embroidered by her own hand. She had learned a new pattern from Zhang Mama and embroidered it as a close-fitting garment for her sister — something only the two of them would ever know about, something she hadn’t even told her parents.

“If you don’t believe me, Chen Fangfang had a lotus-shaped birthmark below her right breast. When I was with her, I even bit it.” Qiu Qianwan continued. “And I was the one who killed Lin Zhi as well. He was going to avenge Chen Fangfang, so I ambushed him on the road, beat him to death, and threw his body into the wilderness. If you still don’t believe me, you can go and investigate the Ten Thousand Tigers Gang. There was more than one witness among those who took part — every one of them can testify.”

Qiu Qianwan’s words fell like knives scraping against Qian Lan’s heart. A sound like a cornered beast tore from her throat — piercing and feral. “It was you — it was you—”

In her frenzy, Qian Lan strained against the servants pinning her down, and she succeeded.

The two matrons felt their grip go suddenly slack. Qian Lan had burst forward like a wild animal freed from its cage.

She lunged onto Qiu Qianwan, driving all ten fingernails into his throat. Then she opened her mouth and sank her teeth into his ear.

Qiu Qianwan let out a howl of agony as blood flowed from between Qian Lan’s teeth.

Two guards rushed forward to drag Qian Lan away, but she clamped down on Qiu Qianwan with savage fury, refusing to release him no matter how he screamed.

In the end, it took the combined effort of two guards, straining with everything they had, to pull her off — and when they did, her mouth was clenched around a bloodied ear.

Qiu Qianwan’s ear had been bitten clean off. Blood covered his ear and cheek, and he writhed on the ground in agony.

But Qian Lan had no intention of letting this go. She lunged at him again. This time, several guards rushed in at once and pinned her down with force.

Qian Lan lay face-down on the ground, hands and feet immobilized, but her eyes — fixed on Qiu Qianwan — looked as if they could devour him whole.

By now, every trace of the poised and elegant great lady had vanished from Qian Lan. Her hair was wild, her mouth drenched in blood. In that moment, she looked like a devil clawing its way up from hell.

The Commander looked at this woman with eyes that had gone utterly unfamiliar. He could not bear to imagine how, in those days gone by, he had been completely at the mercy of a woman as venomous as a serpent.

“Qian Lan.” Shi Ting’s voice was like the final straw that collapses the camel’s back — light as it fell upon Qian Lan, it shattered the last of her psychological defenses. “Your elaborate scheming has resulted in revenge taken against the wrong person. And all along, Shi Guang — who knew the full truth — was simply using you. You have killed so many people, paid the highest possible price, but your real enemy was never who you thought.”

“Ohhh—” A sound like a beast’s low roar burst from Qian Lan’s mouth, her eyes flashing with a frenzied light.

The Matriarch took several steps back with the help of her maid. She could not fathom how that gentle and virtuous daughter-in-law had become this. And what was more absurd — she had taken revenge against entirely the wrong person.

“Ah.” The Matriarch let out a sigh. This Qian Lan, in the name of revenge, had stained her hands with the blood of many — yet her own ordeal, once, was also something that drew deep sighs.

And who was the true author of all this tragedy?

Was it a person? Or was it this age?

Who could say?