Sixth Miss Qin Shuangningâs âwild wenchâ was enough to irritate even the most placid person, much less someone as straightforward and tough as Qin Yining. But the latter also knew that if she got into an argument with the sixth miss in front of everyone, the family would only place her on the same level as the sixth miss. There was no benefit in devaluing herself like that.
Losing oneâs temper required purpose. It wasnât a matter of having the loudest voice. If she tried to shout down her opponent, not only would she fail to be intimidating, sheâd be taken for a common shrieking harlot out on the streets. No one would respect her the longer time went on. The upper hand came from obtaining the high ground
Besides, sheâd just shown her edge last night, and the effects of that were still reverberating within the manor. If she continued in the same vein, sheâd really become the barbarian their eyes saw, someone only capable of brawn and not brains. Itâd be one thing for outsiders to disdain her, but how would she gain a foothold in this manor without receiving favor from the old dowager and the various madames?
On the other hand, there was no rule that stated the only way to gain the upper hand was to argue back when provoked. Qin Yining might not be familiar with the twists and turns of a womanâs mind, but she believed in the idea that if one was strong enough, it didnât matter if they faced ten opponents who knew martial arts.
Qin Shuangning, do you think youâre tougher than the wolves of the forest?! She narrowed her charming almond-shaped eyes, her gaze as sharp as arrows dipped in poison. The effect was so cold that it seemed like Qin Yining was moments away from pouncing on the other girl to eat her alive. Qin Shuangning, youâre just a wild beast trying to stare me down!
The sixth miss had always led a sheltered life, so how could she possibly stand such a vicious stare? The hairs on her neck immediately stood on end as chills ran down her back. Beads of cold sweat imperceptibly trickled down the side of her head as she subconsciously swallowed all of her impolite words. She couldnât find it within herself to voice âwild wenchâ even once more.
This sixth miss was not fortunate enough to be the second madameâs goddaughter, and although she shared the same teacher as her twin sister, her manners had been taught to her by her concubine mother. The official wife of her family branch openly deriding her lack of manners was a slap to both mother and daughter!
Qin Shuangning felt her face burn hotly, as she inwardly seethed. She glanced sideways at the swollen face of Qin Huining. Us sisters share the same fate, Qin Yining got us good this time! She really hated the new fourth miss now.
Qin Yining, followed by the third, seventh, and eighth miss, all walked up to the old dowager, kowtowing in the most respectful gesture of greeting. The family matriarch had been silent this entire time, as inanimate as a statue of Buddha. As the four knelt before her, she finally lifted her eyes, glancing first at the sixth miss and then waving her hand in a noncommittal gesture for everyone to rise.
Qin Yining and the rest shifted to the side. The atmosphere within the room grew a bit heavy as silence once again reigned. After all, the main branch of the family had been party to a great carrying-on last night. The senior madame had publicly fought with the house lord, and then stormed off to her familyâs home. Just as everyone was speculating on the reason for their argument, they were surprised by the news that Qin Yining had violently beat up Qin Huining!
Compared to the first bit of news, the second was practically earth shattering. In a learned household such as the prime ministerâs, even the young masters wouldnât physically fight when they disagreed, much less the young ladies of the family.
There were many versions of the story already floating around. Some spoke of how Qin Yining had finally shown her true barbarous nature, while others hinted that Qin Huining had started the fight because she wasnât satisfied the official firstborn daughter had come back to step on her.
Regardless of who the rumors benefitted, they all ultimately muddied the waters in the manor. The servants were entertained by the hullabaloo, and the outsiders had new fodder to gossip about in the afternoon. The old dowager was reminded of Qin Huaiyuanâs hurried words before he left that morningâŠ
âWe must handle this as soon as possible. The emperor is growing old and hates seeing affairs like this break out in his subjectsâ homes, especially when weâre all swamped with matters at court. Mother must let others understand that everything is well in our family. How will I be able to administer the nationâs matters if I canât even keep my household in line? If my political enemies seize this point and exaggerate it out of proportion, the consequences would become disastrous.â
The old dowagerâs face sank as the gravity of the situation once again occupied her thoughts. Enough was enough, she needed to close the book on this as fast as possible. Rumors had probably already begun circulating outside, and Qin Huaiyuanâs child couldnât bear the fallout, no matter what. Otherwise, her sonâs political enemies would be given ample ammunition!
Uneducated and unprotected children would only serve as proof of an incompetent father, and if others started mumbling that his daughterâs flaws were inherited from Qin Huaiyuan⊠wouldnât that lead to suspicions about his own character?
When her thoughts reached that point, the old dowager grumbled mentally, placing some of the blame for this headache on Qin Huining. If it hadnât been for the girlâs scheming, this wouldnât have developed in this way? I canât even protect her now even if I want to!
The old dowager would rather people say that sheâd failed as a grandmother in raising her grandchildren then have people conclude that Qin Yiningâs display was a result of bad breeding from her father. Not to mention, the matriarch was not so blind as to not see through Qin Huiningâs intentions. She was well aware that she was targeting Qin Huaiyuanâs bloodline. She came to a decision, and her eyes lifted to stare at the silent gathering arrayed in front of her. The old dowager cleared her throat and announced in a stately voice, âYou all know whatâs happened yesterday.â
âYes.â All of the women and girls curtseyed in unison.
The old dowagerâs words glossed over the details and transformed Qin Yiningâs one-sided beating into a mutual fight. Moreover, it also cast the girl as a heavy-handed but well meaning daughter, while vilifying Qin Huining as the one who was being punished for provoking the official wife. Behind the calm eyes of those assembled, the cogs started to turn as glances flicked towards Qin Yining. Ever the most biased of Huiningâs defenders, the old dowager was actually lecturing the apple of her eye?
After a moment of jaw-dropping silence, the second madame, third madame, first wife, and second wife assented in unison. The sixth miss looked incredulously at the still piteously crying Qin Huining, while the third miss and eighth miss all studied their feet in careful diffidence. Yet, the seventh miss snuck a curious look at the quiet Qin Yining.
On the other hand, Qin Huining felt like sheâd been dropped into a icy pool. Her very core froze and the acrid taste of her broken expectations filled her mouth. Right, Qin Yining is the one whoâs tied by blood to the Qin family. All of the love and favor I had vanished as soon as she came back.
In her heart, a hint of a grudge against the old dowager was born. The grandmother, who had loved and cherished her so much, apparently no longer did so, and was just blindly helping her real granddaughter suppress Qin Huining! What gratitude I should have for her care, what âloveâ have we shared all these years?! When all is said and done, blood is thicker than water! She felt so very, very angry and utterly alone, but she didnât dare throw a tantrum.
Qin Huining still wanted to live in the manor. She didnât want to be sent away just because of a fruitless struggle for momentary pride. Tears streaked down her face like a newborn waterfall. Her reddened, swollen face glistened with wet trails, looking a truly heartbreaking sight.
The sixth miss was both anxious and pained at this development. She wanted to comfort her sister, but the second madame pinned her down with a glare when she took a hesitant step forward. The sixth miss didnât dare talk back to the official wife of her family branch, so after some hesitation, she stepped back and lowered her head silently.
The old dowager rubbed her forehead irritatedly as she took in everyoneâs reactions. Life had been easy in the past couple of years. It hadnât been necessary to untangle the knots of the inner residence for a long time now, and theyâd only gotten more complicated with that reprieve.
Qin- mama had a deep understanding of the old dowagerâs temper and astutely offered a cup of black tea at the perfect temperature right at that moment. The exquisite tea cup rimmed with gold was her favorite, the tea it carried fragrant and strong. It was flavored with honey that left a hint of sweetness on the taste buds yet settled warmly in the stomach. Like a soothing balm, the tea washed away some of the old dowagerâs earlier unhappiness.
Right then, a sharp, sobbing cry traveled into the room. Those more sensitive of hearing were quick to identify it as a girl loudly yelling, âJustice, Old Dowager, I seek justice!â
The voice was quite familiar to Qin Yining, even without her prodigious memory. Even though the voice had cracked from how strenuously it was being used, she could still make out the timbre of Yuxiangâs voice. So it seems sheâs going to do what she said! Sheâs really come to complain to Old Dowager!
The old dowager frowned ferociously and set the tea cup down heavily onto the table. âWho is that outside?! This kind of commotion is ludicrous!â
Qin- mama hastily trotted outside and lifted the door curtains, seeing a maid with disheveled hair and a dirty face being restrained by two serving girls outside. The maid was begging and crying piteously. All of the other maids on duty heaved a sigh of relief when they saw the old servant appear at the door. One of the little serving girls bobbed up at her side to report softly, âYuxiang of Snowpear Courtyard barged in and said that she has a matter she wishes the old dowager to give her justice for.â
âSeeking justice is one thing, but even if you asked nicely you would still have to see if the Old Dowager is in the mood to listen. And yet here you are, carrying on and making such a fuss. Can you afford the consequences if your words disturb the old dowager?!â Qin- mama âs authority went almost uncontested among the servants, frightening Yuxiang into silence. But when the old servant turned to go back into the house, Yuxiangâs confidence grew again as she mentally repeated that she was the child of a servant, and that her overseer mother was her support.
When the old dowager heard Qin- mama âs words, her expression darkened further. âWho is this?! Bring her in!â
Ruilan and Qiulu had been in the outer hall when they heard the disturbance and were pacing around in an anxious frenzy. Qiulu blanked when she saw Yuxiang enter, but Ruilan knitted her brows together tightly, feeling like something bad was imminent. Yuxiang, on the other hand, arched her brow after seeing Ruilan and smirked proudly. She grabbed Ruilan before the other had time to react and turned on her spigot of tears.
âYouâre here too, sister? Youâre still serving today after suffering so much last night?! Old Dowager is kind and never mistreats the servants. Come! Weâll have her give us justice!â She forcefully dragged the unwilling Ruilan in with her into the inner hall.
Ruilan struggled free of the grasp with serious effort and almost broke out into tears from fright when she saw the various mistresses adorned with jade in the room, and met Qin Yiningâs own coolly composed gaze. Heavens be my witness, I really donât want to come make trouble for the miss!
Yuxiang had already knelt down in a kowtow, her tears creating two clean trails down her dirtied face. Her bleak appearance made her seem more like someone whoâd just returned from a perilous exile. âThis servant is Yuxiang, a new second-rank maid of Snowpear Courtyard. Iâm here risking death today to seek justice! Please, Old Dowager!â She kowtowed with audible thumps after these words.
The old dowager frowned and looked unhappily at Qin Yining, exhorting, âThis is your maid?! Why canât you keep your servants in line?!â