Fuling found a complete set of clothes and turned around to see Qin Guan standing dazed in front of the mirror.
“What’s wrong, Miss? Are you feeling unwell?”
Qin Guan snapped out of her thoughts and quickly replied, “No—”
Before she could finish the word, she suddenly changed her tone, “Just a slight headache.”
She raised her hand and rubbed her temple. Fuling immediately stepped forward with concern. “Old Madam is too cruel. Though you’ve woken up, falling into the lake must have made you ill, yet she won’t even call a physician…”
Qin Guan patted Fuling’s shoulder. “It’s fine. It’s just… I can’t remember some things clearly…” As she said this, Qin Guan had already made up her mind. Since she was here, she might as well stay.
Fuling tensed up at once. “What? Did you injure your head, Miss?”
Qin Guan sat on a low couch not far from the mirror while Fuling helped her remove her inner robe to change.
As soon as the inner robe was taken off, Fuling gasped. “Miss, you’re hurt! They must have been careless when pulling you out of the lake. What if these scars don’t fade? I’ll go fetch some ointment—”
Fuling hurried off to find medicine while Qin Guan frowned at the wounds on her palms and arms.
A moment later, she lifted her skirt and saw injuries on her knees, calves, and thighs.
Qin Guan narrowed her eyes. Fuling was wrong—these weren’t from collisions.
The wounds on her arms and legs were thin and linear, deeper at one end and shallower at the other. Soaked in water, they stood out even more clearly. These were abrasions from friction. Looking further down, Qin Guan spotted faint bruises around her ankles.
She traced them with her fingers. Indeed, they were marks left by someone’s grip.
Qin Guan examined the wounds more carefully. Most were split wide open, their edges red and swollen. Though soaked, traces of dried blood remained.
Her father had once told her that only wounds on a living person would contract and split like this.
Most of these injuries had been inflicted before the Ninth Miss had died.
With this thought, Qin Guan touched her throat. When she first woke up, she had felt pain there but hadn’t paid it much mind. Now, seeing the bruises, she realized they were contusions from being strangled.
Next, she pressed a hand to her chest and abdomen—no foreign sensation.
A cold glint flashed in her eyes. She was almost certain now—the Ninth Miss had been strangled to death first, then thrown into the lake to stage a suicide. The abrasions had been left behind when someone dragged her by the ankles.
A chill ran down Qin Guan’s spine. She had assumed the Ninth Miss was merely neglected and pitiable in Qin Manor. But who would have thought someone here actually wanted her dead?
“Miss, I found it. Let me apply the ointment for you.”
Fuling rushed back and knelt beside Qin Guan to tend to her wounds. As she worked, she gritted her teeth. “How could they let you get hurt like this? They truly have no regard for you at all!”
Qin Guan looked at Fuling, her gaze dark and unfathomable.
She wasn’t the Ninth Miss of Qin Manor, but now, she had become her. If she wanted to survive here, she would have to find the ruthless culprit. What if they struck again?
Besides, since she had taken over this body, avenging the Ninth Miss was only right.
With her mind made up, Qin Guan shifted to another question.
“How far is it from here to the capital?”Fuling was taken aback. "Has the young lady changed her mind? Before, you said staying in Jinzhou was better than being in the capital. Compared to dealing with the people and rules at the Loyal Marquis Manor in the capital, you'd rather stay quietly in this small courtyard."
As she spoke, Fuling's nose tingled with emotion. "Does the young lady wish to return to the capital? This servant also thinks it might be better for us to go back. The capital is under the Emperor's watch, and even if the people in that manor are harsh, they wouldn't dare mistreat you too severely. Besides, after your near-drowning in the lake, this servant can't shake the feeling that this manor is inauspicious and unsettled. But young lady, if we are to return, we'd need the main branch's permission."
Both mistress and maid had narrowly escaped death this time, and the more Fuling thought about it, the more her heart ached.
"Ever since the master and mistress passed away seven years ago, we've been tossed around like hot potatoes. We've been in Jinzhou for four years now, and the Old Madam and master here have long grown impatient with us."
"Uncle... he..."
Since Qin Guan was from the second branch of the Qin family, the Loyal Marquis should rightly be addressed as uncle.
Fuling snorted lightly at this. "Has the young lady forgotten? Ever since the grand master inherited the title of Loyal Marquis, his eyes have been fixed solely on court politics. Earlier, it was said he joined the Ministry of Revenue. Moreover, his entire focus is on the third young lady, scheming to place her beside some prince or heir. He's long since stopped paying us any mind!"
Qin Guan's eyes trembled violently. "What is the date today?"
"If this servant recalls correctly, it's the twenty-third of July."
July twenty-third... The day her family met their tragedy was July nineteenth.
Qin Guan clenched her sleeves tightly. Early in July, she had heard her father mention that Qin Shu, the Loyal Marquis, had taken office in the Ministry of Revenue. As for the third young lady of the Loyal Marquis Manor, renowned as the capital's top talented maiden, even staying indoors, Qin Guan had heard whispers about her.
Her chest heaved violently several times before a burning sensation rose in Qin Guan's heart. This was still the Great Zhou Dynasty, and this Qin family was indeed the one she knew of. This... this was practically a heaven-sent opportunity!
"Young lady? What are you thinking?"
Qin Guan gritted her teeth, taking a long while to calm down. Her eyes were deep and unfathomable, her gaze distant as if fixed on nothing in particular. After a long pause, she spoke in a low, hoarse yet resolute voice, "I want to return to the capital."
At the same time, Lin Shi was helping Jiang Shi back to the Buddhist shrine. "Mother, this matter is too strange. Several people saw her when she stopped breathing. She spoke of a fleeting pulse and exhausted breath—do you think it's real?"
Jiang Shi's clouded eyes darkened. "Whether it's real or not, this must not spread. Dismantle the ancestral hall and make sure the servants keep their mouths shut. Our Qin Manor cannot afford such a scandal. I don't care if she's some fox spirit or ghost—if she can survive the monks' seven-day ritual, I'll treat it as if she was merely ill."
Lin Shi fretted anxiously. "Should we inform the main branch about this? After all, Qin Guan is Second Brother's only daughter..."
Jiang Shi turned and shot her a sharp glance. "The main branch? The main branch has no energy to spare for her."
Lin Shi was puzzled but helped Jiang Shi sit on the daybed.
Jiang Shi narrowed her eyes and gestured toward an official document on the desk. "This is a copied court bulletin from the main branch. Consort Jin's case has reached a verdict. The capital is in upheaval, the political landscape has shifted drastically—everyone is scrambling to protect themselves openly while vying for power in secret. The main branch must choose sides. When would they have time for her?"
Lin Shi gasped softly. "A verdict so soon?"Jiang Shi slightly lifted her chin, her gaze profound. "Prince Jin committed suicide in the prison out of guilt, and with no other suspects found, Consort Jin's death was naturally pinned on him." She paused briefly before adding coolly, "Besides, Shen Yi is dead."
Lin Shi was startled. "Shen Yi? The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review? How did he die?"
Jiang Shi replied impassively, "Since the incident occurred, this unprecedented palace mystery case in the Great Zhou Dynasty has been under his jurisdiction. It was also he who insisted there were doubts about Prince Jin's guilt. However, five days ago, the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review exposed him for deliberately absolving Prince Jin of his crimes and deceiving the Emperor. When the truth came to light, Shen Yi attempted to flee with his family, but they were all strangled to death outside the imperial city."
Lin Shi's eyelids twitched. "The entire family was killed..."
She then frowned and sighed. "Shen Yi presided over criminal justice for many years. It's said that not a single wrongful or false case ever occurred under his watch. From local governance to the capital, his political achievements were outstanding, and his reputation among the common people was extremely high. Otherwise, he wouldn't have risen from humble origins to the position of Minister of the Court of Judicial Review. Why would he risk everything for Prince Jin this time..."
Jiang Shi sat cross-legged, picking up the prayer beads beside her and turning them. "Matters of the royal court are not for us to speculate upon. Besides, in the imperial capital, who lives and who dies is naturally decided by those in power."
Realizing something, Lin Shi quickly lowered her head and fell silent.
Jiang Shi closed her eyes and recited a few lines of scripture before continuing softly, "There's no need to inform the eldest branch about Qin Guan's matter. Keep an eye on it, and while you're at it, go ask Divine Doctor Huang about short pulses, breathlessness, and the signs of near-death..."
Suddenly, Jiang Shi opened her eyes. "I can't shake the feeling that girl has changed."
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