The Commander looked at Qian Lan in this state without an ounce of pity in his eyes. When he thought of what she had done to him, he felt only that she had gotten what she deserved.

“Take her away.” The Commander said coldly. “To the outside, say that the Madam has fallen suddenly ill and is not fit to receive visitors. From now on, the affairs of the inner quarters will be managed by Er Yitai.”

At that moment, Luo Huaimeng was also among the crowd. Hearing the Commander’s words, she let out a quiet sigh. Round and round it had gone, and the burden of managing the household had fallen on her shoulders again.

But she knew there would be another Madam after her, and whether that person would be good or bad was an unknown. Still, since responsibility had been placed in her hands, she would manage it well — and besides, she would have Yan Qing to help her. There was no reason to shrink from it.

Liu Yin led several people to take Qian Lan away. All the way down, she never stopped struggling and cursing. No one could make out what she was shouting, and there was no need to.

“I beg the Commander’s mercy.” Zhang Mama suddenly threw herself down before the Commander, pressing her forehead to the ground again and again. “I don’t ask the Commander to spare the Second Young Miss — I only ask that the Commander allow me to look after her.”

The Commander looked at her with distaste. “She killed your entire family, and you still want to care for her?”

Zhang Mama wept and said: “The Chen Family treated me with great kindness. Even if the Second Young Miss let hatred blind her eyes and did things that cannot be forgiven, if I must choose between settling debts and repaying kindness, I would rather choose to repay the kindness than to repay the injury.”

The Commander narrowed his eyes and looked again at this woman.

“Rather choose to repay the kindness than to repay the injury.” The Commander repeated her words. “I would never have imagined that a common woman like you understands this, yet Qian Lan does not. She clung so stubbornly to the wrong path and has come to this end — she deserves it.”

The Commander sighed and waved a hand. “All right — if you want to go, go. But from this day forward, Qian Lan will be confined in the Shi Mansion forever. She will never again set foot outside that courtyard for as long as she lives.”

This matter could not be made public, or it would bring shame upon the Shi Mansion and upon the Commander. The best course was to let Qian Lan perish in there on her own, and eventually announce to the outside world that she had died of illness.

Zhang Mama pressed her forehead to the ground several more times. “Many thanks to the Commander.”

A guard led Zhang Mama away. A strange, eerie silence fell over the courtyard. No one spoke; even their breathing had become careful and restrained.

Everyone knew that once Qian Lan had been dealt with, there was still someone waiting for the Commander’s punishment.

Shi Guang had remained kneeling where he was throughout. He had not spoken, had not made a single move. He knew that at this moment, nothing he could say would be of any use.

The Commander’s cold gaze settled on him. The look of disappointment on his face could not be concealed — and beneath that emotion ran a deep current of revulsion.

Because of the matter with the Meng Family, the Commander had already harbored misgivings toward Shi Guang. Now, conspiring with Qian Lan to seize power and position, with complete disregard for the Commander’s life — this was worse by many times than what Shi Qian had done in the past.

How could the Commander possibly forgive him?

“You knew the one responsible for the tragedy of Chen Fangfang and the Chen Family was not me, but that man Qiu Qianwan — didn’t you?” The Commander’s voice carried a cold, condensed edge. It was not a question, because he knew his own son far too well.

Shi Guang’s head remained pressed to the ground. When he heard the Commander’s words, he did not answer. Instead, he said: “Commander, I never meant you any harm. If only you would name me Young Commander, I would have dealt with Qian Lan myself.”

“Deal with Qian Lan, and then deal with me — and then Bei Di would be yours. Is that it?”

“Weizhi would not dare.” Shi Guang said, trembling with fear. “Weizhi only ever wanted the position of Young Commander. I never had any other thoughts.”

The Commander let out a cold laugh. “Do you think I wouldn’t know? The moment you became Young Commander, it wouldn’t be long before I would ‘accidentally’ drop dead or fall gravely ill. This land of Bei Di would then become your domain.”

His gaze carried a penetrating chill. “Your elder brother Shi Qian bribed the men by my side, but he never thought of having me killed. But you — from the very beginning, you had made up your mind to put everything on the line.”

“Commander, I—”

“There is no need to argue any further.” The Commander cut him off. “We are father and son in this life. I have no wish to execute you on the spot. But from this day forth, you will remain in prison to reflect on your wrongs. I will see that you are treated well — you won’t suffer — and that will be the end of our bond as father and son in this lifetime.”

“Commander…” Shi Guang raised his head. Tears had already streaked his face.

Scanning the crowd, his gaze landed on Yan Qing. She stood beside Luo Huaimeng, her expression calm, without a ripple. She wasn’t even looking at him — because to her, he was a person of no consequence whatsoever.

A wave of desolation and bitterness surged through Shi Guang. In all this world, who had ever truly cared about him — who had ever genuinely thought of his good?

His mother had taken the Meng Family’s side. His elder brother had wanted him dead. The woman he loved treated him as if he were invisible.

He had lived for more than twenty years and had never once experienced what warmth felt like, what it meant to be loved.

Shi Guang quietly closed his eyes and let the tears roll from their corners.

The Commander no longer looked at him, but instead instructed Liu Yin to seize him.

In such circumstances, Shi Guang made no resistance whatsoever and let Liu Yin lead him away.

As he passed by Shi Ting, Shi Guang cast him a dark, heavy look. The glance was very brief — so brief that no one else noticed. But when Shi Ting met that gaze, his heart gave a sudden, sharp lurch.

“Let everyone here keep their mouths shut tight about tonight’s affairs.” The Commander swept his eyes over the assembled people. “If a single untoward word gets out, don’t blame me for being unsparing.”

Everyone immediately bowed their heads. No one at this moment dared to draw the Commander’s fury.

The Commander had been under Qian Lan’s control for so long, stripped of his own will for so long, that now that he had suddenly returned to himself, his temper would need time to be slowly soothed.

And this kind of family scandal — no one would speak of it anyway, not even the servants present, all of whom were trusted confidants. They would never gossip and whisper it around.

The Commander drew a long breath. “Everyone disperse. Xingzhi — wait for me in the study.”

Shi Ting replied with a “yes.”

The Commander returned to the study. As for the servants in Zhuo Xinyuan — including Liu Mama, Xique, and all those Qian Lan had originally brought with her — every one of them was sent off to Mo Cheng.

The journey to Mo Cheng was long and the conditions harsh. Whether they would arrive safely was uncertain, and even if they survived the journey, Mo Cheng was a place where nine out of ten who went met their end.

The Commander had no love for Zhuo Xinyuan. Both Madams who had lived there had given him nothing but grief — one had betrayed him and taken her own family’s side, the other had tried to destroy the entire Shi Family.

So the Commander had the courtyard sealed off. The furniture was draped in cloth, and the gate was locked. Before long, this once-flourishing courtyard would become a desolate ruin. In years to come, whenever people spoke of it, only a sea of endless sighs would remain.

It was not until the next day that Yan Qing heard from Jing Zhi about the matter of Qian Lan.

“That very night, she went mad.” Jing Zhi sat at the table shelling pine nuts, and talked at length to the two listeners before her.

“The Commander has had her locked inside an abandoned courtyard, with the walls heightened and the gate locked. Not a soul — not even a fly — can get out. A pity that Qian Lan couldn’t care less about any of this. Every moment, every hour, all she thinks about is getting her revenge on that man Qiu. She beats her head against the door, against the walls, trying to break out of her cage. If Zhang Mama hadn’t been there, she’d have dashed herself to death long since.”

Murong sighed. “Zhang Mama is truly loyal. Qian Lan had her whole family killed, and she still stayed to care for her.”

It was clear the Commander had no intention of having anyone tend to Qian Lan. His purpose in locking her away was precisely to let her perish on her own. Zhang Mama’s presence only prolonged her life.

“By now everyone knows the new Madam has fallen from favor and seems to have made a grave error. So the servants delivering her meals have stopped making any effort — what they bring over each day is either moldy and rotten or cold enough to numb the teeth. Ah, eating poorly, sleeping poorly — Qian Lan probably doesn’t have many days left.” Jing Zhi placed the shelled pine nuts in front of Yan Qing. “Though she brought it on herself. She killed so many people in the name of revenge — all those people were innocent, and their fates were far worse than hers.”

Yan Qing gave a quiet sigh. “Whatever wrongs Qian Lan may have committed, Zhang Mama is innocent. Go and tell the kitchen — no more cold food, no more rotten meals. Three proper meals a day, prepared according to the mansion’s standard. Whether they eat it or not is not for us to worry about.”

“Don’t worry, Miss — I’ll go talk to the kitchen right away.”

Now that Er Yitai was managing the household, the kitchen would naturally defer to Yan Qing’s word without question.

“Also find out how many people in this mansion still have ties to Qian Lan. Those with shallow connections can be left alone. Those with deep connections — find a suitable excuse and send them to the outer farm the Shi Family keeps outside the mansion. We don’t want them stirring up trouble in the inner quarters and giving Mother unnecessary headaches.”

Now that Qian Lan had gone mad, she likely wouldn’t survive much longer — but the people she had left behind were still a hidden danger, and Yan Qing had to plan ahead.

“Has the Qian Family had any reaction?”

Jing Zhi said: “The Qian Family has been quiet. It’s hard to say whether they haven’t received word yet.”

Yan Qing gave a scornful laugh. “It’s impossible they haven’t received word. But at a time like this, the Qian Family can only draw a clear line between themselves and Qian Lan and pretend to know nothing. If they don’t come looking for trouble, the Commander won’t bother with them either. I suspect the Qian Family patriarch made some kind of agreement with Shi Guang at the time — if Shi Guang became Young Commander or Commander, the Qian Family would surely receive tremendous benefits.”

The Qian patriarch knew that Qian Lan was not his biological daughter, so sacrificing a pawn cost him nothing. But Qian Mama had always believed Qian Lan was her own flesh and blood. If she heard of Qian Lan’s ordeal, she would surely rush over regardless of anything. The patriarch would never permit that, so right now the Qian household was likely in utter chaos.

“What about Second Young Master?” Murong asked curiously. “What’s happened to Second Young Master? You know everything — have you found out?”