Following her mother’s prior notification, Qingru barely left the meditation room. The Old Madam had a habit of taking afternoon naps, and she had just laid down after eating. Buddhist chants drifted in from outside as she fell into a deep sleep by the window in the cool breeze, occasionally letting out soft snores that made Qingru furrow her brows.

With nothing to do, she wondered how the plan was progressing. All the aunts and sisters-in-law had gone out to explore, while only she and Qingrong remained behind, forced to listen to the Old Madam’s snoring—truly unbearable.

Though the sun blazed outside, the Huguo Temple was filled with banyan trees that had been growing for over a hundred years, their canopies as vast as rooftops. As she sat by the window resting her chin in her hand, she watched two cicadas fly in from afar, their wings vibrating with loud buzzing sounds. These clumsy insects had dreams of relocating, but this tree seemed unsuitable—one settled briefly before the other flew away again, struggling to maintain stability. Finally, it disappeared into the dazzling cascade of light.

Suddenly, a figure approached, pressing against the corner of the wall and beckoning to her. Qingru straightened up.

Qingrong followed her gaze. “Is that Xiaoxie?”

Xiaoxie’s parents had risen in status thanks to Madam Hu’s favor, which was why Xiaoxie had always been utterly submissive to her. When placed in Danyue Pavilion, she had diligently watched over Fourth Miss for them, proving to be a reliable confidante.

“Could something have gone wrong?” Qingru glanced at Qingrong, her heart suspended, and walked out.

Xiaoxie took a few steps forward. When Qingru approached, she whispered, “Second Miss, the Young Marquis has arrived.”

Qingru was startled. “The Young Marquis has returned to Youzhou?”

Time had passed so quickly—counting carefully, he had been gone for nearly a month. His return now showed how eager he was about this marriage. But now wasn’t the time for sighing. Qingru anxiously grabbed Xiaoxie and asked, “What about Fourth Miss? Did she go to see him?”

Xiaoxie shook her head. “Just now, Elder Nanny Quan came saying that the First Madam had stomach pains and asked Fourth Miss to look after her for a while. I had just finished offering incense when I met the Young Marquis at the Main Hall. He asked me to secretly pass a message to Fourth Miss, saying he had urgent matters to discuss with her.”

Whenever Qingru heard anything about the Young Marquis, she immediately lost all sense of direction. She began to consider why he wanted to see Qingyuan now. If the Marquis’s household had agreed, he could have properly proposed to the Xie family. The fact that he still needed to be secretive proved that this trip had been in vain—the Marquis’s household hadn’t approved of the marriage at all.

Regarding this Young Marquis, her heart couldn’t have been more regretful. So many words remained unsaid; she still lacked an opportunity to let go completely. Now that Qingyuan wouldn’t return for a while, if possible, she wanted to try one last time for herself. Whether she entered the palace didn’t matter to her at all—if she could have a future with him, who would want to enter the palace?

“Where is the Young Marquis?” Qingru grabbed Xiaoxie. “Quick, take me to him.”

Xiaoxie pointed into the distance. “There, over there.” As for where “there” was, it was impossible to see from their position.

As Qingru rushed to go, Qingrong called out hesitantly, “Second Sister… Madam told us to wait here…”

Qingru’s face showed determination. “I must see him today. I have something to tell him.”

She followed Xiaoxie, not even bringing Lvzhui with her, asking where he was as they walked. Xiaoxie gave vague answers, merely pointing ahead, saying “Just up ahead.” Finally, they reached a pavilion, but it was empty. Xiaoxie said, “This is where he said he’d be. Second Miss, please wait a moment.”

Madam Hu’s miscalculation was that while she had revealed the plan to Qingru, she hadn’t informed her of the predetermined location. After delivering her, Xiaoxie left, leaving Qingru alone to wait foolishly in the pavilion. Unfortunately, what arrived wasn’t the Young Marquis but two monks with shaved heads and dyed robes.

The two monks were skilled in their methods, covering mouths and seizing bodies, handling a young lady as easily as an eagle catches a chick. Qingru’s struggles and resistance barely qualified as tickling them. She couldn’t escape, couldn’t scream, and was finally dragged into a nearby room.

The latticed door closed with a faint bang—barely audible from here, but Second Madam Ming, who witnessed the scene, felt as if she’d been slapped in the face and shuddered violently.

“Was that… wasn’t that Qingru?” she looked at her maid, barely believing her eyes.

Her maid was also alarmed. “It looked very much like her… Miss, what should we do?”

What to do? Initially, Ming was also terrified, but after collecting herself, she calmed down. Who was that? The high and mighty Second Miss, the future palace consort! She was the apple of the Madam’s eye—wasn’t it just recently that Madam Hu had forced a concubine to kneel all night because of a sibling quarrel? The initial fear had now transformed into delicious revenge. She wanted to announce to the world that Second Miss had fallen into the hands of dissolute monks, but she couldn’t—speaking up now would ruin the show.

Ming coughed out a laugh. “Let’s watch.”

The mistress and maid gathered their courage to move closer, passing by the door as if nothing was happening. Their ears experienced two completely different worlds—one side filled with peaceful Buddhist chants, the other with muffled cries from behind a covered mouth.

The desire for revenge and the evil in people’s hearts truly held infinite power, enough to support a heart that would ignore calls for help. Ming finally walked past, pretending nothing had happened. Though her legs trembled, she walked away without looking back. The inner chambers of noble families were already divided into their factions—those who got along were treated as relatives, while those who didn’t were destined to be enemies, shooting daggers from their eyes when they met, not resting until they destroyed each other.

Everyone has their low points—what fun would it be if everyone was always strong? Who knows how Madam Hu would feel knowing her daughter was suffering right now? Ming shook her head. “Poor thing, a young lady ruined just like that.”

Her maid smiled. “She would have had to marry eventually anyway, what difference does sooner or later make?”

Meanwhile, Qingyuan had entered the Temple Keeper’s Merit Hall with Baoxian and Xiaoxie. She had donated a spirit tablet for her mother before the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, having someone write down the full name and life dates. All that remained was to pay the storage fee every decade.

As they stepped over the threshold, chatting and laughing, they happened to meet Madam Hu and Nanny Sun, who were leaving. The two groups met at the threshold, and Qingyuan would never forget the look in Madam Hu’s eyes.

Surprised? Unexpected? Qingyuan smiled and said, “Madam has finished her business, now it’s my turn.”

The double meaning of those words sent a cold shiver through Madam Hu. She hadn’t fallen for the trap—it seemed she had escaped disaster once again. Madam Hu couldn’t let it show on her face and merely responded casually before leaving, but her heart was pounding so hard it felt like it would jump out of her throat. Passing by that pavilion, she glanced around—not a soul in sight. It was unclear where things had gone wrong, and though frustrated, she couldn’t investigate deeply at the moment.

Hurrying back to the meditation room, she saw Qingrong sitting alone by the Old Madam’s couch, fanning her. Madam Hu’s voice changed sharply as she asked, “Where is your Second Sister?”

Qingrong stood up. “Second Sister went out…”

Qingyuan’s earlier words—”Madam has finished her business, now it’s my turn”—exploded like thunder in her ears. Nanny Sun sensed trouble and rushed out, with Madam Hu following quickly after a moment’s shock.

The Old Madam was startled by their snake-like behavior, craning her neck to look at the door while muttering, “Your Madam is getting older, yet she’s becoming more impatient.”

Qingrong’s gaze pierced through the banyan tree outside the window as she hesitantly asked, “Grandmother… has something gone wrong?”

The Old Madam wondered what could go wrong in this peaceful Buddhist temple… but her heart was also unsettled, so she slowly got up, preparing to go out and take a look.

In the afternoon climate, waves of heat rushed against their faces as Yueqian supported the Old Madam through the corridor. They could see several members of the Xie family standing outside a meditation room, just a short distance from the pavilion.

“What’s happening?” She had barely finished speaking when Nanny Xu came running over in panic. The Old Madam hesitated, “What’s happened up ahead?”

Nanny Xu’s face showed awkward embarrassment, seemingly unable to speak directly. She stammered, tugging at the Old Madam’s sleeve, “Something terrible…”

The Old Madam’s face suddenly changed color as she stumbled forward. Reaching the door, she saw Madam Hu kneeling in the corner, holding someone in her arms. Due to the loose outer robe, it was unclear what lay before her from behind. Only Qingru’s skirt hem was visible, and heart-wrenching sobs burst from her chest before Madam Hu tremblingly covered her mouth, “Don’t make a sound… don’t make a sound…” By the end, she too was choking with sobs.

It seemed things had truly gone wrong… The Old Madam went in to look and nearly fainted at the sight. Qingru’s clothes were completely torn, her hair disheveled, and her body covered in bruises and bloody marks. Madam Hu tried to cover her, but when she covered the arms, the legs were exposed—there was no way to hide everything. The Old Madam’s blood rushed to her head, her legs trembling as she staggered back several steps, finally stomping her foot in distress: “What sin is this! What terrible sin has been committed!”

When Qingru saw people coming, her eyes flashed with terrified blue light, her screams muffled by her mother’s palm.

They couldn’t make it known, couldn’t let it spread—if word got out, the young lady’s reputation would be ruined. At this moment, Madam Jiang proved useful, quickly waving back the people behind her, telling them all to disperse, while instructing the nanny beside her: “Quickly find a way to get some clothes or a cloak and bring a veil. Tell the gatekeepers to prepare the carriage—as soon as we come down the mountain, we’ll head straight home.”

Everyone was driven out, looking at each other, all appearing lost and helpless. Madam Bai nibbled her handkerchief, mumbling, “How could such a thing happen…”

Madam Ming exchanged glances with her maid, secretly sharing a smile.

The primary wife wasn’t acting like one should, and many were waiting to see her make a fool of herself. Now that such a mishap had occurred, she would never be able to hold her head high again. Those who had been tense earlier suddenly felt relieved—now that it had happened, the show would only get better. Everyone’s hearts were jumping with joy, barely able to contain their wild delight. Later, as they boarded their carriages, their expressions were animated with gossip, pushing and shoving as if at a festival.

In Qingyuan’s carriage, Xiaoxie wrung her hands, appearing extremely uncomfortable. She stole glances at Fourth Miss but didn’t dare speak.

Qingyuan felt an unprecedented sense of satisfaction. Qingru had participated in every one of Madam Hu’s poisonous schemes—she wasn’t innocent at all. If Qingyuan hadn’t turned the tables, she would be the one crying bitterly now. What a terrifying mother-and-daughter pair they were! First, they poisoned Concubine Xia and framed her mother, and now, failing to kill her, they had planned to ruin her chastity. Well, they had reaped what they sowed—if they had had even a shred of conscience, how could things have ended up like this?

“Today you stayed by my side, and didn’t go anywhere,” Qingyuan said coolly. “They’ll certainly question you later—be careful with your answers, it’ll help you.”

Xiaoxie responded meekly, knowing that servants like them could be sacrificed at any time. Even if she were to confess against Fourth Miss later, Fourth Miss could easily cry injustice and turn the accusations back on them, claiming they had conspired to frame her. Now that the family’s only legitimate daughter was ruined, the Old Madam would naturally protect the remaining young ladies. Without evidence against Fourth Miss, Madam might not have been able to do anything to her before the Old Madam drove their whole family out.

Sure enough, as soon as Madam Hu had settled Qingru, she turned and slapped Qingyuan across the face. As she raised her hand again, others held her back. Madam Hu seemed to have gone mad, her eyes bloodshot as she glared at Qingyuan, screaming hoarsely: “You worthless wretch, you ruined Qingru! It was you!”

Though Qingyuan was prepared, she was still a young lady and couldn’t withstand such fierce treatment. Baoxian blocked Madam Hu’s second slap, turning to shout: “Old Madam, how can this be blamed on our Miss… what does it have to do with our Miss… Old Madam!”

The Old Madam’s heart was shattered by today’s accident, and now returning home to such violence—unable to calm the crazed woman with words, she lifted an entire tea set with its tray from the table and smashed it violently on the ground.

With a crash, the porcelain shattered into pieces. Everyone froze as the Old Madam shouted: “Keep making trouble! Ruin this family completely, then you’ll all be satisfied! Such shame! The Xie family’s reputation for generations is destroyed—go look outside, has any other family ever had such a thing happen? And you still have the face to make trouble? Wait until lives are lost until the family is destroyed—I’d like to see which of you can find salvation then!”

Madam Hu seemed struck by a heavy blow, finally coming to her senses. Sitting in a chair, breathing heavily, she pointed at Qingyuan with hatred: “I asked Second Miss—it was Xiaoxie from Fourth Miss’s household who delivered the message, saying the Young Marquis had come from Hengtang and wanted to meet Second Miss. That’s how she fell into Fourth Miss’s trap and was harmed by the criminals she arranged! Where is Xiaoxie? Call her out—one question will reveal all!”

Everyone in the room began looking around for Xiaoxie. She entered from outside, curtsying fearfully: “Madam… how can you say I delivered such a message about such a serious matter… I’m just a servant, I couldn’t bear such responsibility…”

Madam Hu slammed the table as she stood up. “Would Second Miss wrong you? You’re now following Fourth Miss, naturally speaking for her, but don’t forget how well I treated your family before. Now you repay kindness with enmity, having lost your conscience!”

Xiaoxie’s face reddened her neck flushing. Seeing her state, Baoxian feared she might slip up and was about to retort when Fourth Miss spoke: “Madam speaks truly—everyone in the household knows Xiaoxie was placed in my courtyard as your informant. Unfortunately, today she was by my side the whole time, with many witnesses. Madam’s instigation failed, and she didn’t dare to accept it.” The slap had left her ears ringing, but her anger held no grudge—even if this slap was compensation for Qingru, she didn’t feel cheated. But her words needed to cut deep, so she smiled coldly at Madam Hu: “Madam says I harmed Second Sister, but let me ask you—Second Sister is grown now, knowing the Young Marquis intended to propose to me, why did she rush to meet him?”

Madam Hu was momentarily speechless because this wasn’t the truth. Qingru believed Xiaoxie because she thought Qingyuan had surely fallen into evil hands and wouldn’t be able to meet the Young Marquis. She had planned to use the same trick as at the Great Buddha Temple, intercepting him again. Who knew Qingyuan’s thoughts were ten thousand times more subtle than hers, turning the trap back on them and filling that pit instead? Now chastity was lost and face was ruined—this account couldn’t be settled, this grievance couldn’t be swallowed.

“Fine girl, no need to play word games with me. Such a major incident leaves no room for your cunning! Your Second Sister may be somewhat proud and less clever than you, but no matter how much you hate her, how could you harm her like this? It’s all my fault for being kindhearted, taking in a disaster like you, and ruining my Qingru.” Madam Hu grew increasingly agitated, turning to call Nanny Sun: “Go get a silk cord—I’ll strangle her today, and if it means execution, I’ll face it!”

Chaos erupted as Madam Hu’s hatred reached its peak—she was ready to carry out private punishment to take her life.

Qingyuan showed no fear. The long-suppressed anger had finally found some release today. She stood proudly, sneering: “If Madam wants to strangle me, go ahead. You and Second Sister take out your anger on me—this is the second time. I’ve taken two slaps from you. Even though I’m born of a concubine, I’m still a proper young lady of the Xie family, not your servant! Let me ask Madam—on such a hot day, why did you manipulate the whole family to burn incense at Huguo Temple? What a coincidence—last time I was ambushed and nearly died by bandits’ blades, this time Second Sister was… Madam doesn’t suspect an old enemy seeking revenge against the Xie family but insists I harmed Second Sister. Is it because Madam has a guilty conscience, fearing my revenge, or what?”

Madam Hu trembled with rage at her words, glaring at her through gritted teeth, her pointing finger seeming to want to pierce a thousand holes in her body. But what use was anger, what use was urgency? The important thing was to find a way to force her to apologize to Qingru for her death.

“Very well, very well…” Madam Hu’s face was ashen as she turned her gaze to Qingrong. “Third Miss, you were with your Second Sister the whole time—you know best what happened then. Tell your grandmother, was it not Fourth Miss who sent Xiaoxie with the message, luring your Second Sister into the tiger’s mouth?”

So everyone looked at Qingrong, who let out a hesitant sound, appearing completely at a loss.