Volume 1, Chapter 36: A Letter Filled with Truth

"You silly child, you are truly so dense!" Madam Jin frowned and interrupted loudly. "Your second sister-in-law is pregnant; it is only natural to call for a physician. In the future, when your own wife is with child, it will be the same. This has nothing to do with your eldest sister-in-law."

Qi Haosong, however, was not listening at all. A flicker of anxiety crept into his eyes, and he glared at Xie Mingyue with hatred.

Seeing this, Qi Yongxiang’s expression grew even gloomier.

"It seems the third brother has had his wits knocked out of him. He should probably go and rest early," Xie Mingyue said, her expression unchanged and her smile radiant. "Second Uncle, Second Aunt, Jinshan and I will take our leave now."

As soon as they left, Qi Yongxiang strode over to Qi Haosong, swung his arm wide, and dealt him a fierce slap.

Qi Haosong’s old wounds were still bleeding, and now his face swelled up high from the blow.

"Husband!"

Madam Jin let out another shriek, but Qi Yongxiang shoved her aside.

"Shut your mouth! To spoil a child is to kill him. He dares to speak to the eldest branch's daughter-in-law like that—are you tired of us living in the West Courtyard?"

He was furious to the extreme and roared at Madam Jin as well: "And you, you just indulge him! Which man in our family fusses over his sister-in-law like this? Look at my older brothers and younger brothers—have they ever asked after you like that?"

Madam Jin was stunned.

Of course, she understood the implication in Qi Yongxiang’s words.

But Xie Wanqing was nearly ten years older than Qi Haosong! Besides, when she had taken care of Qi Haosong, he had been nothing but a child…

"Husband, Song’er is just kind-hearted, and the second sister-in-law once looked after him…"

Qi Yongxiang glanced at Qi Haosong, who stood with his head bowed and silent, then flicked his sleeves violently.

"Think it through yourself!"

He stormed off. Madam Jin immediately rushed to Qi Haosong, heartbroken at the sight of his battered body.

"My son, how could you be so foolish…"

Seeing his mother’s tears falling in streams, Qi Haosong felt a pang of guilt and spoke a lie: "Mother, do not listen to Father’s nonsense. I care for the second sister-in-law only because she has been like a mother to me; it is not at all what Father says."

He lowered his eyes, not daring to look at Madam Jin’s face.

The truth was, the jewelry set was indeed intended for Xie Wanqing. He had only been forced to lie to cover his tracks in front of Qi Jinshan. Just moments ago, Qi Haosong had been prepared to just give the set to the Fourth Miss Chen, but after Xie Mingyue’s words, his heart was once again filled with pity for Xie Wanqing.

When his parents had ignored him all those years ago, only Xie Wanqing had truly cared for him. Now that she was in trouble, his mother, who was usually such an enthusiastic person, had turned her back on her.

Qi Haosong felt that they were all social climbers. Only his own devoted love for Xie Wanqing was sincere.

Hearing his explanation, Madam Jin felt somewhat relieved.

"Mother knew it; you are not the kind of child who cannot distinguish right from wrong."

She wiped away her tears, stroked Qi Haosong’s hair, and applied medicine to the wounds on his face.

"Mother, I can do it myself," Qi Haosong said, pulling away from her hand. His mind was in such a chaotic state that he had no energy to deal with her. "I am going back to rest. You should sleep early, too."

"Alright, go and sleep."

Madam Jin’s eyes grew damp again.

Once she returned to her own room, she could not sleep no matter how hard she tried. She simply summoned Lüxia.

"Tomorrow, go to the goldsmith’s shop. Don't let anyone see you. Find out if the Third Master ordered a jewelry set, when he ordered it, when he is to pick it up, and who it is for."

Qi Yongxiang’s words left her with a lingering sense of unease. Qi Haosong was indeed a bit too zealous toward Xie Wanqing.

However, Madam Jin would never be dissatisfied with her own son.

She cursed Xie Wanqing as a seductress in her heart and then fell asleep, her mind full of schemes.

The next day, Lüxia hurried back to the West Courtyard with sweat on her brow.

"Mistress, I found out. The Third Master did indeed order a set of jewelry at the goldsmith’s. It was three days ago, and it is almost finished. The manager even let me take a look at it."

She caught her breath, and Madam Jin immediately stood up: "What style is it?"

Lüxia recalled: "It is in the style of filigree vine patterns, with turquoise inlaid on the largest 'Hua Sheng' ornament. The manager said it came from the Western Regions, so it is quite precious."

A 'Hua Sheng'?

Madam Jin stood up abruptly, her face cold as iron.

A 'Hua Sheng' is an accessory worn by married women. How could a gift for the Fourth Miss Chen include such a thing?

It was clear that the person Qi Haosong originally intended to give it to was not her at all!

She longed to slap Qi Haosong and denounce him for his foolishness, but as she walked out of the door, she stopped.

She had not forgotten how Qi Haosong looked last night. Had Qi Jinshan not arrived, he would have preferred to be beaten to death rather than speak.

Would scolding him a thousand or ten thousand times do any good?

He would still be stubborn.

The one who needed to be removed was the seductress!

Madam Jin had originally been trying to curry favor with Xie Wanqing, but now, she only wished for Xie Wanqing to die soon.

As for Xie Mingyue, Madam Jin thought of her meaningful words from the night before; it was only after she spoke that Qi Haosong had revealed his true colors.

She really should thank Xie Mingyue for helping her discover this early so she could prepare, and not let Qi Haosong cause a great disaster.

In Qionghua Courtyard, Xie Mingyue was reading a letter.

It had been delivered from the Prince Rui’s mansion early that morning.

Mujin could not speak, and she could not see Xie Mingyue while in Prince Rui’s mansion, so she had sought the help of a trustworthy accountant. Because the accountant’s younger sister was also a mute who understood sign language, the accountant had written the letter for her.

The letter stated that the wicked servant who had switched the infants had eventually come forward to confess the truth, seeking repentance, which had caused an uproar in the Xie household.

The servant declared that Xie Mingyue was the child who had been swapped. Madam Xie had fought hard against this, insisting she was her own daughter, but the Xie family accused her of being weak and muddled. Xie Wanqing had kept fanning the flames, causing Madam Xie to fall ill in a fit of rage. After Xie Mingyue was sent to the manor, Madam Xie had vomited blood and taken to her bed, just as a fire broke out in the courtyard...

Mujin had followed Xie Mingyue to the manor. Qi Xiuyu and Xie Wanqing had come together once, and it was then that she learned her fiancé and sister had already been involved with each other.

Later, Mujin caught Xie Wanqing’s people poisoning Xie Mingyue’s food and ran back to the Xie house to seek help, but she was caught on the spot by Old Madam Xie and sold off. Since then, Xie Mingyue had been all alone.

As for Qi Jinshan rescuing her from danger, Mujin had heard of it in a flower house. A guest at the flower house was from the same village as Bai Xin and had happened to see Qi Jinshan riding to her rescue.

After reading the letter, Xie Mingyue’s eyes were filled with moisture.

Her beauty was something even the Empress Dowager had praised; now, with tears welling up, her eyes were like a lake seen through morning mist—quiet and hazy.

Yet, beneath that haze, besides a desolate sorrow, there was boundless rage.

Her guess was correct after all: Xie Wanqing and Qi Xiuyu had been entangled for a long time. They were the ones behind her being hastily cast out by the Xie family!

But they should never, never have dared to touch her mother…

Xie Mingyue closed her eyes gently. When she opened them again, she took out her ledger of enemies and wrote down several lines of murderous intent, one stroke at a time.

She would make Xie Wanqing and Qi Xiuyu wish they were dead.

After finishing, Xie Mingyue gave an order to Wutong.

"I am giving you a day off."

Wutong was surprised and delighted: "Mistress, everything is fine, why are you giving me a day off?"

Xie Mingyue smiled faintly: "Go for a walk around the estate and see if there are any suitable places for a secret rendezvous."

Her expression was serene, but her shadow, cast onto the screen by the morning light, looked like a ferocious beast with claws bared, ready to tear her enemies to shreds.