Upon hearing this, Qin Yining slowly set down her teacup and asked with confusion, “Didn’t I say that if she returned, she should be invited in? Why is she kneeling at the gate?”

The messenger looked troubled and quickly glanced up at Qin Yining’s expression. Seeing that she wasn’t angry, he stammered, “At first it was fine, but as soon as Miss Huining heard that you had arranged for her to stay in the guest quarters, she started crying, saying she wanted the Old Madam to make the decision. The people outside didn’t dare disturb the Old Madam, so they thought it urgent to come ask for your instructions.”

“I see.”

Qin Yining thought for a moment, then instructed Song Lan and Ji Yun beside her: “You two go together and tell Qin Huining that if she wants to stay in the Qin household, she can only do so as a guest, and I can only arrange for her to stay in the guest quarters. If she doesn’t want to come back, that’s her choice. Right now Father is still imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice prison. If she’s not afraid of being implicated and bringing trouble, she can cry at the gate all she wants.” She then looked at Ji Yun, “Pay attention – if this person dares to get violent, just throw her out directly.”

“Yes.” Ji Yun smiled and turned to tease Song Lan, “Miss Song Lan, please go ahead. See how much our miss cares for you – she assigns you a task and even provides you with a bodyguard.”

Song Lan giggled, “It’s clearly a certain prince’s thoughtfulness, fearing that our miss might find things inconvenient, so he arranged a fighter. How is it that you’re now making fun of me?” She curtsied to Qin Yining and turned to leave.

Qin Yining’s face reddened as she pointed at Song Lan’s retreating figure, “This girl must be crazy, even teasing me.”

Bingtang laughed heartily.

Ji Yun, who had just been directly transformed from bodyguard to fighter, also laughed and followed in Song Lan’s footsteps.

Sitting in the room, Qin Yining could still hear the two of them bantering with each other.

It seemed Ji Yun had already integrated into Shuoren Study. Unlike when she first arrived and everyone was very polite but maintained a sense of distance.

Qin Yining thought for a moment, then stood up and called to Bingtang: “Come, let’s go have a look too.”

Bingtang asked curiously, “Miss, why didn’t you go with Song Lan and the others just now?” Then she realized and smiled, “Miss is so naughty – you clearly want to watch the drama!”

Qin Yining also smiled upon hearing this.

When Song Lan and Ji Yun reached the side gate, they could hear low sobbing and murmuring discussions before they even got close.

The two exchanged glances, feeling that the situation didn’t seem quite right.

After a few steps through the side gate, they immediately saw Qin Huining’s group kneeling at the entrance, with more than a dozen common people pointing and whispering in the distance.

Qin Huining’s hair was disheveled and her hairpins askew. Though her clothes were made of good material, they were somehow wrinkled all over, with a two-inch tear at the sleeve showing loose threads. Her face was full of aggrieved tears, like a Persian cat abandoned by a wealthy family – the once-glossy fur now tangled into a mess, looking particularly pitiful.

Upon seeing this, Song Lan felt anger rising in her heart and almost couldn’t help but sneer aloud.

With the household in such chaos, this person still wanted to come back and cause trouble!

“Oh my, I was wondering who was making a scene at our gate – it turns out to be Miss Huining.” Song Lan descended the steps and reached out to help her up, “Miss, please get up quickly. What’s the meaning of this? Hasn’t the household already prepared guest quarters for you to live in? Why won’t you go in?”

Song Lan’s voice was louder than usual, loud enough for those onlookers to hear clearly.

But Qin Huining kept her body low and wouldn’t get up, sobbing, “I won’t stay in the guest quarters. I’m a daughter of the Qin family – why should I stay in guest quarters? The servants say Qin Yining now holds the management tokens and arranged for me to stay in guest quarters? What right does she have to treat me this way? I want to see the Old Madam! The Old Madam will surely make the decision for me!”

She sobbed and complained as if she had suffered the greatest injustice.

Seeing that she wouldn’t get up, Song Lan stopped trying to help her and sneered mockingly, “Miss Huining, those words are quite meaningless. You still consider yourself a daughter of the Qin family? Never mind that the masters would feel cold-hearted hearing this – even we servants would laugh our teeth off!”

“Exactly.” Ji Yun also said, “The Marquis and Madam loved you like their own daughter. Whatever our household’s young ladies had, you were never shortchanged. You were served by delicate maids and pampered servants, ate delicacies, wore silk and satin, but you still weren’t satisfied. Not only did you plot against our miss, you even made voodoo dolls to harm the Old Madam and Madam!”

Ji Yun descended the steps and addressed several passersby who had stopped to watch the excitement: “Everyone, tell me – how does such an ungrateful wretch who can’t be tamed still have the face to come cause trouble!”

The passersby looked at each other.

Some already found it uninteresting and went home.

“You’re… you’re slandering me!” Qin Huining’s face turned red and white alternately. Seeing several onlookers leave, her heart grew cold. Without the power of public opinion, she really couldn’t guarantee whether she could still live as a master upon returning!

Song Lan said, “The Marquis is soft-hearted. You harmed our Old Madam, Madam, and young miss, but the Marquis, considering the father-daughter relationship of many years, only asked you to move to the manor, with no shortage of food, clothing, or expenses. If it were any other family with harder hearts, they would have thrown you outside to live or die as you pleased – wouldn’t that also be what you deserved? Wouldn’t you have to accept it?”

“Now the household has encountered great trouble, the Old Madam and Madam are bedridden with illness, and the household management authority has been given to our miss. Our miss is benevolent and kind. Thinking that there’s great chaos outside, she specifically instructed people that if you returned, you should be invited to stay in the guest quarters. But now you’re still not satisfied! You still have the nerve to consider yourself the legitimate master of this household? Where do you get such thick skin!”

Qin Huining trembled all over with anger, her face purple with rage.

Seeing the onlookers beginning to point and whisper about her, she actually felt some fear and regret. Perhaps she shouldn’t have been greedy and caused this scene?

But having come this far, if she didn’t continue, where would her dignity be?

Qin Huining said weakly, “But I…”

Ji Yun interrupted Qin Huining’s words, stepped forward to help her up, and without appearing to use much force, directly lifted Qin Huining to her feet.

“Our miss is busy serving her elders and managing the inner quarters, not to mention being busy settling the city’s refugees – she doesn’t even have enough time to sleep. Our miss said that even if she encountered strangers in difficulty, she would help them, let alone someone who was once the Marquis’s adopted daughter. Although your behavior was improper, we still can’t ignore you completely. The guest quarters have been arranged. Miss, please stop making a scene and come in.”

Ji Yun supported Qin Huining’s arm, but her fingers pressed lightly yet firmly on her wrist – not hard enough to leave marks, but preventing her from breaking free.

Qin Huining’s eyes were blurred with tears and she was about to speak, but meeting Ji Yun’s smile that held no warmth, she couldn’t say a word and was led into the residence.

The few onlookers outside also dispersed, whispering that this adopted daughter was truly unreasonable.

After all, no one knew whether Qin Huining had been mistreated, but the fact that Fourth Miss Qin had sold her property to feed refugees was real – some well-informed common people had even gone to Changchun Mountain to confirm it.

Just as Qin Huining entered the gate, she came face to face with Qin Yining wearing a light green jacket, standing gracefully beside a banana tree, looking at her with a smile and saying gently, “You’re back? Go settle into the guest quarters quickly.”

Qin Huining felt as if she had been slapped across the face.

Just as she was about to speak, cheers suddenly came from the direction of the main gate: “The Marquis has returned! The Marquis has returned! Quick, quickly tell the Old Madam, Madam, and young miss! The Marquis has returned!”

Upon hearing this, Qin Yining was stunned, then filled with wild joy. She lifted her skirts and flew like the wind toward the front.

Qin Huining was also dragged along by Ji Yun and Song Lan, forced to take small steps toward the front courtyard.