Lu Ye glared angrily at Cai Luan: “It’s all because of you! If you hadn’t snatched it, how would this have happened!”

Cai Luan smiled and spread her hands: “How can you blame me? This is heaven’s will!”

Qin Yunyun snorted coldly: “Seventh Sister, your maid is truly too senseless. I was merely taking a look to see if the people outside cut corners when making bracelets for you, but she was petty and unwilling to give them. If she had given them to me earlier, this wouldn’t have happened. This is heaven’s will—who can be blamed? Hmm? You can search slowly. We’re leaving!”

With that, Qin Yunyun strutted arrogantly, flicked her handkerchief with a smile, and strode away.

Qin Shuying didn’t stop her, sighing: “This truly is heaven’s will! These were what I prepared to help Second Brother with. It seems it’s not that I won’t help Second Brother, but heaven’s will doesn’t allow me to help him. I’ll go tell Uncle right now that even Heaven doesn’t want me to help Second Brother. Second Brother shouldn’t covet things that don’t belong to him anymore.”

With that, Qin Shuying called to Lu Ye and Zhihua: “Stop searching. This is Heaven’s intention—it just doesn’t want Second Brother to have a future. Who can be blamed? We can only blame Heaven. Let’s all go back.”

Lu Ye and Zhihua agreed and stood up.

Lu Ye threw away the branch and said to Cai Luan, who had walked a few steps before stopping: “Cai Luan, if you hadn’t snatched it away, this wouldn’t have happened. When Second Young Master asks, tell him the truth. Don’t blame it on me.”

Cai Luan’s face immediately turned deathly pale.

Qin Yunyun was also frightened by Qin Shuying’s words, instinctively denying: “Seventh Sister, you’re lying!”

Qin Shuying solemnly shook her head: “Sixth Sister saw it just now. Whether it was valuable or not, Sixth Sister surely recognized it. How could I lie? This was bestowed by the Emperor to Father years ago. I prepared to take it as a gift to the Princess Imperial because she likes jade bracelets. Heaven plays tricks on people. I’ll still clearly tell Uncle that it’s truly not that I won’t help Second Brother, but Heaven wants to use Cai Luan and Sixth Sister’s hands to tell them that Second Brother has no future at all.”

Stars danced before Qin Yunyun’s eyes: “You’re talking nonsense!”

“Whether I’m talking nonsense or not, if you go into the water to retrieve the bracelets, you’ll discover they still have imperial specifications and markings on them.”

Qin Yunyun swayed unsteadily. She had thought Qin Shuying was just wealthy and showing off, having such precious bracelets carried around casually by a maid, so she was angry and deliberately wanted to bully and disgust Qin Shuying.

After speaking, Qin Shuying didn’t wait for Qin Yunyun to say more, shaking her head as she headed toward Qin Yongtao’s study: “I’ll go see if Uncle and Second Brother are there now. If not, I’ll have someone send word to Second Brother.”

By the time Qin Yunyun instinctively chased after her, Qin Shuying had already walked far ahead with quick steps.

“Seventh Sister, Seventh Sister, you can’t do this…”

Qin Shuying paid her no attention, continuing forward.

Qin Yunyun was anxious and frantic. Her second brother was not easy to talk to at all. When things benefited him, he would treat people extremely well. But if something hindered his prospects, he…

Qin Yunyun didn’t dare think further: “Seventh Sister, I beg you, don’t go there… Second Brother isn’t home…”

Qin Shuying still ignored her.

Qin Yunyun started running, and Cai Luan ran too.

Both usually didn’t exercise much and couldn’t run fast even when trying. Qin Shuying quickened her pace, and it took Qin Yunyun and Cai Luan quite a while of running to barely catch up.

Qin Yunyun was gasping for breath, panting heavily: “Sev… Seventh Sister, please… please, don’t, don’t…”

Qin Shuying’s sleeve was grabbed by Qin Yunyun. She looked at her leisurely, then at Cai Luan.

Cai Luan’s heart was now pounding like drums, stars dancing before her eyes. If Second Young Master learned she had ruined his affairs, she wouldn’t live!

“Please, please… Seventh Miss…”

Qin Shuying looked at Cai Luan with a meaningful smile.

Today, Ziteng had come out with Qin Shuying. She had remained silent throughout, but seeing Qin Yunyun and her servant in such a sorry state, she felt extremely pleased.

“Cai Luan, weren’t you the one saying this was heaven’s will? Why are you begging our Miss now? Since it’s heaven’s will, who can defy Heaven’s intention?”

Cai Luan’s face was ghastly pale, holding her breath: “Sister Ziteng, that was my nonsense. I spoke wrongly, wrongly.”

Ziteng pressed on relentlessly: “Second Young Master’s future is all in your mouth—say he has it and he has it, say he doesn’t and he doesn’t. You’re really impressive! It seems Second Young Master needn’t ask others for anything—just ask you.”

Cai Luan’s legs went weak and sore. If she weren’t trying to stop Qin Shuying, she would have collapsed on the spot.

“No, that’s not what I meant.”

Qin Shuying raised her lips and asked Qin Yunyun: “Sixth Sister, you’re blocking me—do you not want me to tell Uncle and Second Brother?”

Qin Yunyun nodded vigorously: “Yes, yes.”

“Then, now that the bracelets have fallen into the water, what should be done?”

Qin Yunyun answered without thinking: “Retrieve them, just retrieve them. There won’t be any damage.”

“Then who will retrieve them?”

Qin Yunyun was stunned.

“If we call the mansion’s male servants to retrieve them, it might alarm everyone. Then Uncle and Second Brother would still find out. I don’t mind, but if Uncle and Second Brother ask about the cause, I can’t not tell them.”

Qin Yunyun stood frozen in place.

“Sixth Sister and I have a good relationship—I’ll keep quiet. As long as they’re returned intact within one day, I can pretend nothing happened and won’t tell Uncle and Second Brother. What do you think, Sixth Sister?”

Qin Yunyun didn’t answer—her mind couldn’t process this.

“Of course, if Sixth Sister is unwilling to retrieve them, just tell Uncle and Second Brother. They’re your father and biological brother—at most they’ll say you’re senseless. What else could happen?”

With that, Qin Shuying, accompanied by Ziteng, changed direction toward Yilan Garden and left grandly.

Only after Qin Shuying and Ziteng had been gone for quite a while did Qin Yunyun come to her senses. She raised her palm and slapped Cai Luan across the face: “Cheap slave! How dare you use me!”

Cai Luan was viciously slapped by the furious Qin Yunyun, half her face turning red. Not daring to cry out or beg for mercy, she dropped to her knees with a “thud”: “Miss, it’s all this servant’s fault, all this servant’s fault!”

She had personally witnessed Qin Yunyun torturing Caiying and knew that when Qin Yunyun was angry, she had many methods of tormenting people.

Caiying hadn’t come out with Sixth Miss even once recently because her neck and fingers had been tortured beyond presentability. If people saw and talked about it, that would be terrible.

Qin Yunyun’s eyes were bloodshot. She kicked Cai Luan over and said through gritted teeth: “Keep your hands—you go down into the water to retrieve them! If you can’t find them, come see me with your hands cut off. Don’t worry, there’s a good place I have in mind for you!”

Cai Luan trembled violently. She knew what “good place” Qin Yunyun was referring to.

No, she absolutely wouldn’t go there!