At the Pruning Autumn Pavilion, Qin Shi was thoroughly enjoying herself with laughter and wine when Hongjian quietly entered and whispered a few words in her ear. Qin Shi's expression immediately darkened, and she hastily sent for two pills of medicine. Without a word of explanation, she dragged Lin Dongqi into the inner room and forced her to swallow them. Before long, Lin Dongqi indeed broke out in red, itchy rashes all over her body, her eyelids swelling painfully. Qin Shi, heartbroken, cradled her daughter in her arms, rubbing her soothingly while repeatedly clasping her hands and murmuring, "Amitabha, thank goodness we took the medicine in advance. Otherwise, if her throat had swollen too, making it hard to breathe, what would we have done?" Then, gritting her teeth, she seethed, "That wretched Cao Lihuan dared to use such vicious means to harm my daughter! And here I was, showing her mercy before..."
Lin Dongqi sobbed, "I’ve never had any grudge against her. Even when Third Sister and Fourth Sister deliberately bullied her, I mediated and helped her out. Yet she harbored such malice toward me..."
Qin Shi narrowed her eyes. Cao Lihuan was nothing but an ungrateful wolf. She had taken her in out of pity, and the girl had ingratiated herself with the old madam and the dowager. Now that she had harmed Qi Jie'er, even with a maid as witness, Cao Lihuan was always quick with excuses. If mishandled, this could backfire. Qin Shi was now determined to rid the household of this scourge—but she needed to plan carefully.
Fortunately, the earlier drinking and merrymaking had already ended. As Qin Shi was seeing off her guests, Lu Lan approached and whispered, "Something seems to have happened in Miss Huan’s courtyard... Master said... he said Miss Huan was caught in an affair with one of her servants. The man took advantage of today’s festivities to sneak in, got drunk, and mistook a maid for Cousin, attempting to assault her. Luckily, Master intervened before anything happened. He said the servant’s legs are now broken from his kicking, lying in the courtyard. He’s come to ask for Taitai’s instructions."
Qin Shi’s eyes gleamed—this was like a pillow delivered just as she was about to sleep. Eagerly, she asked, "What about the maid who was assaulted?" Seeing Lu Lan hesitate, Qin Shi impatiently summoned Lin Jinlou. The moment she saw him, she snapped, "You little rascal, don’t play games with your mother. What exactly happened?"
Lin Jinlou chuckled softly. "I was strolling around the western part of the estate today when I heard someone shouting for help. I went to check and saw a servant dragging a maid by the leg into a room—clearly trying to assault her. In broad daylight, no less! It was a slap to the Lin family’s face, so of course I had to step in. Upon questioning, I learned the servant was Cao Lihuan’s, while the maid was one assigned to her by our household. Turns out the dog had taken a liking to the girl but feared he couldn’t have her, so Cao Lihuan advised him to force himself on her first."
Qin Shi was furious, her eyes blazing as she slammed the table. "Outrageous! To resort to such vile, shameless tactics—utterly devoid of decency! That black-hearted wretch, what does she take the Lin family for?"
Lin Jinlou sneered. "Exactly. If she wants to be vile, we’ll let her taste her own medicine. I told Shuangxi to spread the word that the servant was Cao Lihuan’s lover, who got drunk and mistakenly harassed the maid."
Qin Shi was taken aback. Her eldest son was brilliant, cunning, and ruthless—he hadn’t hesitated to dump such a scandalous accusation on Cao Lihuan. While she found it satisfying, she couldn’t help but feel it was excessively cruel.Lin Jinlou seemed to read Qin Shi's thoughts, his lips curling into a mocking smile. "She's just an orphaned girl who came seeking refuge, yet she dares to scheme against us, as if the Lin family were hers to command. Stirring up trouble in the inner quarters—I'm a man and prefer not to meddle in women's affairs, but even I think Mother has grown too soft. Where's the decisiveness she once had? If we don't take drastic measures to teach her a lesson, she'll keep thinking she's someone important, playing our entire family like puppets... Don't worry, Mother. Someone like her would never choose death over a tarnished reputation. Once the scandal blows over in a couple of years, she'll be back strutting around as if nothing happened. And even if she does throw a tantrum over this and ends up unmarriageable, so what? Kicking her out would still be too lenient."
Qin Shi sighed, acknowledging the truth in her son's words. Over the years, she had devoted herself to charity and raising her children, her heart growing tender, always leaving room for mercy. With Cao Lihuan, she had mostly issued warnings, reluctant to act harshly. Now, it seemed she had nurtured a tiger that would bite her back. If not for the little maid's tip-off, and if she hadn't made Qi'er take medicine in advance, her daughter might have lost her life when the symptoms struck. Hardening her resolve, her expression turned stern as she asked, "You said that maid belongs to our household? Is her name Xianglan?"
Lin Jinlou was slightly surprised. "How did Mother know?"
Qin Shi relaxed. "I thought so. Where is she now?"
Lin Jinlou ordered someone to summon Xianglan. Xianglan had been waiting outside Qin Shi's main chamber, clutching a small bundle, her heart uneasy. Hearing the call, she hurried inside, not daring to glance around, and immediately knelt properly. "Wishing Taitai Golden Peace."
Qin Shi studied her closely—a pretty young maid, clearly terrified, her face pale, eyes swollen, and body trembling slightly, evoking pity. But Qin Shi had little patience for delicate-looking women; such types often schemed to climb into men's beds.
Already predisposed to dislike her, Qin Shi still spoke gently, "Your name is Xianglan, isn't it? Poor thing, you look so frail. Rise quickly."
Xianglan kowtowed once more before standing.
Qin Shi smiled kindly. "Today's matter owes much to you—not just this incident, but also the earlier affair with Ting Ge'er. I must reward you handsomely." With a glance at Hongjian, the latter promptly pulled out a small pouch and pressed it into Xianglan's hand.
Xianglan weighed it in her palm—it felt heavy, the contents hard, likely gold or silver. Yet she felt no joy, only tears as she pleaded, "This servant seeks no reward. Just spare me from serving Miss Huan again. I'd rather toil like an ox or horse."
Qin Shi nodded slightly, lifting the peony-patterned porcelain cup from the plum-blossom side table. She blew lightly on the tea leaves, speaking with deliberate slowness, "I've heard Huan Jie'er often summons a young servant boy to her courtyard. Is that so?"Xianglan's heart skipped a beat. She glanced up and met Qin Shi's half-smiling gaze, her mind racing. Understanding the underlying meaning behind the question, she realized Qin Shi's intent. Though she loathed Cao Lihuan, Xianglan was an upright person and couldn't bring herself to frame someone. With Qin Shi having steered the conversation this far, Xianglan hesitated for a long moment before finally saying, "Miss Huan often calls Si Shun'er into the courtyard, and sometimes they shut the door to talk for a while. As for what they discuss, I wouldn't know."
This statement was truthful, but Qin Shi felt that merely mentioning "often coming to the courtyard" and "shutting the door to talk" wasn't enough. She added, "I've heard some unsavory rumors about Miss Huan. The servants gossip that she and Si Shun'er have some improper dealings. This matter..."
Xianglan saw through it clearly—there was no evidence, and Qin Shi wanted her to serve as a witness. But first, she couldn't bring herself to frame someone, and second, the previous times she had reported to her superiors were for self-preservation and conscience. This time, she didn't want to be the one to step forward again. Adopting a meek demeanor, she lowered her head and said dutifully, "Si Shun'er has a bad reputation. I've heard from Hui'er and others that he's fond of drinking, whoring, and gambling—hardly a decent man. When he comes to the estate, he also likes to leer at the maids. As for him and Miss Huan... I only stay in the back doing embroidery and cleaning, never venturing to the front, so I wouldn't know."
Qin Shi remained silent for a while, but Lin Jinlou suddenly laughed and said, "That's fine. Going too far is as bad as not going far enough."
Exchanging a glance with Lin Jinlou, Qin Shi gave a slight nod. She stood and said to Xianglan, "Come with me to see the Old Madam. Repeat what you just said to her, and there will be a reward for you when we return."
Xianglan repeatedly agreed.
Qin Shi then went to check on Lin Dongqi, who had taken medicine and was already asleep. Without changing her clothes, she tousled her hair slightly to make it look disheveled, dabbed some osmanthus oil on a handkerchief, and rubbed it around her eyes to make them instantly red and teary. With her head maid Hongjian leading the way and Xianglan following behind, she hurried anxiously to Lin Old Madam's main quarters.
Lin Old Madam had just woken from her nap. Earlier, Qin Shi had sent word that Lin Dongqi had broken out in red rashes, leaving the Old Madam uneasy. She had dispatched several maids and matrons to check and even wanted to go herself but was dissuaded by Xue Zhan and others. Now, hearing that Qin Shi had arrived, she immediately ordered her to be brought in. At the sight of Qin Shi, she asked urgently, "How is the second girl?" Seeing Qin Shi's disheveled hair, swollen eyes, and constant wiping of tears, she exclaimed in shock, "What on earth has happened to the second girl?"
Qin Shi rushed forward and knelt with a thud before Lin Old Madam, clutching her legs as she wept, "This daughter-in-law begs the Old Madam to intervene."
Thank you to yu21yu21 for the limited-edition cake reward! Much appreciated! =3=
If the previous chapter isn't visible, try clicking and refreshing a few more times—it should show up eventually! Honestly, Xiaohe's writing is quite wholesome and harmonious; I don't know why it keeps getting flagged during review TT.
Cao Lihuan is based on a real person. Before encountering this individual, I had no idea such people actually existed in the world—it would be a waste not to write about such a vivid, real-life character, haha.I'm putting all my effort into writing the next crucial chapter. Please leave comments, add to your collections, and vote for me with those free recommendation tickets! Thank you ^_^ Also, I've posted my reader group link in the novel's introduction~
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