Volume 1, Chapter 48: To Think He Likes His Own Sister

Xie Mingyue never imagined that Qi Jingshan would actually have the nerve to strip the bedsheets right off her bed!

Just because… because a few drops of her… had fallen on them.

That madman!

Covering her face, she rolled over in bed. The more she thought about it now, the more she felt she had misjudged him.

All that pretense of being a dignified, self-restrained gentleman, a formidable and aloof high-ranking official—it was all a facade!

Qi Jingshan was nothing more than a pouncing fierce tiger, a ravenous wolf!

Touching her aching, strengthless waist, Xie Mingyue lay back down slowly, preparing to catch a little more sleep.

Just as she was drifting off, her brow suddenly furrowed, and she struggled to call out for Wutong.

When Wutong entered, Xie Mingyue parted the bed curtains just an inch. "In the chest, is there any contraceptive medicine?"

"My lady, there is. Do you need it now?" Wutong asked in surprise.

Ever since she entered the household all those years ago, Xie Mingyue had kept her carrying this very item. Later, when the First Master discovered it, he flew into a towering rage. That had been the very first dispute within the First Master's courtyard, and Wutong remembered it vividly.

How could it be that now, when the mistress and the First Master were finally getting along well, she still wanted to take medicine?

Noticing Wutong's strange expression, Xie Mingyue offered an explanation that sounded almost like talking to herself.

"Ah, for a woman to bear children is like walking through the gates of hell. My constitution—no, no, I need to eat more meat and recuperate for a while longer."

She licked her lips, suppressing a suspicious trace of guilt deep in her heart.

"Don't let the First Master find out, lest he overthink things."

Qi Jingshan already lacked heirs; if he found out she was secretly taking contraceptives, what would happen?

Xie Mingyue lay back down on the bed, silently resolving to start getting up early every day to exercise and build up her physical strength.

"My lady..." Wutong hesitated, advising, "That contraceptive medicine... it was bought from outside, and it is very harsh on the body. Do you really intend to take it?"

Originally, Madam Xie had also prepared an ancestral secret prescription for Xie Mingyue, but she had married into the Qi family before she could get her hands on it.

Her health was already poor; only someone out of their mind would take harsh contraceptive drugs.

Xie Mingyue frowned and pondered for a moment, then gave up on the idea.

"Forget it. Once Xie Wanqing's affair is settled, I will make a trip out of the estate myself and find someone."

It was only one night; even though he poured plenty into her, it shouldn't be that easy to conceive so quickly, right...

She thought, her face flushing red.

*

Meanwhile, in Cuiyi Courtyard, Madame Luo personally led a group of people to bind Xie Wanqing securely.

The carriage gradually drove away in the morning light. Sitting inside, Xie Wanqing looked at the menacing matrons beside her and wept bitterly with stifled sobs.

Perhaps growing tired of the noise, one of the matrons tore the cloth from Xie Wanqing's mouth.

"Second Mistress, you'd better save your breath. Even the road to the underworld requires your own feet to walk it."

With a pale face, Xie Wanqing hissed, "That bitch Xie Mingyue is truly insidious and despicable, actually daring to make an issue out of witchcraft! Sooner or later, she will suffer retribution!"

The matron gave a cold laugh and suddenly spoke, "The First Mistress anticipated you would say this, and specifically instructed this old servant to inform you that the witchcraft was not her doing at all!"

"Impossible! Then who was it?" Xie Wanqing shrieked in disbelief, her expression suddenly freezing.

There was someone else—there was still someone else!

"It was Lady Yun!"

She shook her head like a madwoman, refusing to believe it.

How could it be Lady Yun? She trusted her so much, used her people, and split the accounts with her...

*

Right, the accounts...

Staring blankly at the pitying smile on the matron's face, Xie Wanqing suddenly burst into tears.

"What a venomous heart. I merely lost my power, and she immediately plotted to take my life."

It was her own oversight; she had been too focused on watching Xie Mingyue, forgetting that there was another venomous snake hidden in this household.

That was a weathered, ruthless, and toxic old vixen—someone even Madame Luo, sitting in the position of the legitimate wife, could do nothing against.

Xie Wanqing raised her head and laughed wildly.

Xie Mingyue, your "good days" were still yet to come!

As she laughed crazily, the matron opposite her frowned and opened her mouth to speak, but suddenly an arrow pierced the carriage partition and drove straight into the center of the matron's forehead.

"Ah!"

Xie Wanqing's face was splattered with warm blood. Desperately kicking away the matron who had collapsed onto her, she shrank into the corner and trembled violently.

Such brutality and cruelty—were these bandits?

Even if she had to die, she had to drag Xie Mingyue down to hell with her to fight to the death; she couldn't just fall into the hands of mountain bandits right now!

The sounds of shouting outside rose and fell, then died away. Xie Wanqing kept her body stiffly curled up, desperately waiting for the moment the carriage door would be opened.

The door opened. She did not dare to open her eyes.

The rag in her mouth was yanked away, and a deep, masculine voice sounded: "Second Young Miss, the Young Master asks for your presence."

This is...

Trembling, Xie Wanqing snapped her eyes open. Upon seeing the familiar face before her, a look of joy spread across her features.

"Elder Brother! Has Elder Brother come to save me?"

Having her bonds untied, she followed the guards to the dark carriage parked by the roadside.

A hand with distinct knuckles lifted the carriage curtain, revealing a detached and handsome face.

He looked like an immortal descended to the mortal realm, showing pity for all living beings.

Tears immediately streamed down Xie Wanqing's face.

"Elder Brother!"

In the Xie household, the sons and daughters were ranked separately by age. Xie Mingyue was the eldest daughter, and Xie Fu-xuan was the eldest son.

The difference was that he was not born to Madame Xie.

Years ago, Madame Xie had long remained childless, growing depressed and sorrowful. Loving his wife deeply, and hearing that a former subordinate had all of his family members pass away from illness, leaving only an orphan, Master Xie had the child brought into the estate to be raised by Madame Xie as a source of comfort.

By the time Madame Xie gave birth to twin daughters and her health was severely damaged, Master Xie personally took a sterility-inducing medicine and officially registered Xie Fu-xuan as the legitimate eldest son of the Xie family, entering him into the family genealogy.

To Xie Wanqing, Xie Fu-xuan was the true older brother who had doted on her since childhood. It was just that for all these years, he had been stationed away in the Northern Frontier and rarely returned to the capital.

Seeing him felt like a new lease on life!

"Second Younger Sister."

Xie Fu-xuan smiled faintly, without stepping down from the carriage.

"I have heard about your affairs."

Xie Wanqing's eyes widened. "Elder Brother, the Qi family is framing me! Xie Mingyue forced me to take the blame!"

Looking at Xie Fu-xuan's face, she felt something was amiss.

Yet she couldn't quite put her finger on what was wrong.

Xie Wanqing could only attribute it to her being too terrified.

"The Qi family framed you?" Xie Fu-xuan lowered his eyelids, speaking in a leisurely tone.

Xie Wanqing nodded. "That's right!"

"Yet I think not." He gave a light chuckle, his visage set off by the snow-white collar around his neck, as pure and noble as snow.

Xie Wanqing finally detected something wrong with her older brother.

In the past, although Xie Fu-xuan had an even temper, whenever he saw her, he would always offer a smile and warm up to her a bit.

Yet now... his expression...

Why was it filled with a suppressed murderous intent?

"Elder Brother?" she asked in a trembling voice, an unprecedented panic rising from the depths of her heart.

As if completely unaware, Xie Fu-xuan raised his arm and made a hand gesture, whereupon Xie Wanqing was firmly pinned down by two guards.

"Second Younger Sister, no matter how mischievous you were, there was one thing you should not have done—you should not have touched someone you cannot afford to provoke."

Someone she couldn't afford to provoke?

Who?

Only then did Xie Wanqing belatedly realize that both Xie Fu-xuan's subordinates and Xie Fu-xuan himself addressed her by her birth rank of "Second."

Yet she had long since been the only daughter left in the Xie family!

Could it be that Xie Fu-xuan still regarded Xie Mingyue as his younger sister?

Was he still protecting Xie Mingyue?

Terrified, she took a step back, only to bump into a row of menacing guards standing right behind her.

Looking at her with gentle warmth, Xie Fu-xuan curved his lips into a smile. "Ten years ago, wasn't it you who plotted to drive Mingyue away and caused Mother to be severely injured and fall unconscious? With such formidable methods back then, how did you end up in such a state today?"

All the color instantly drained from Xie Wanqing's face.

"You!"

She looked at Xie Fu-xuan's face as if gazing upon some vicious king of hell.

How could he possibly know...

With a chilling glint in his eyes, Xie Fu-xuan said nonchalantly, "Second Younger Sister, is it because I was no longer behind the scenes helping you?"

Xie Wanqing's mind exploded with a deafening *boom*.

What did he mean? Was he saying...

"Back then... was it you behind the scenes?" Her voice trembled.

So... so someone else had known about all of that the entire time!

A turbulent storm surged within Xie Wanqing's heart.

Xie Fu-xuan had actually been lurking in the shadows all along.

Since he was protecting Xie Mingyue, why had he stood by and watched as she was framed by her own schemes and fell to ruin?

Madly recalling all those past events, and thinking of the different expressions Xie Fu-xuan had used when treating the two sisters, she suddenly burst into a wild laugh, staring at him on the verge of complete collapse.

"You, you..."

How utterly laughable!

Xie Fu-xuan had actually harbored such intentions all along!

He actually harbored romantic feelings for his own sister!