After Xiao Qingyin finished speaking, she removed the poison from Xinyue's hand.

After the itchy, aching sensation that felt like it was clinging to her bones disappeared, Xinyue felt a sense of relief, but then her heart sank again.

She looked at Xiao Qingyin, a hint of hesitation in her eyes.

Is she really able to say it?

What if Xiao Qingyin doesn't care whether she lives or dies after she tells her?

These noble ladies were vying for power; they wouldn't care about the life of a mere servant like her...

Seeing that she remained silent for a long time, Zuo Miaomiao urged, "Hurry up and tell me, how did she threaten you? If you don't tell me, are you going to be at her beck and call for the rest of your life?"

To be at Tan Ruoyan's beck and call for the rest of his life?

The new moon shivered.

If she doesn't expose this, she will suffer the same fate as her mother.

Even her daughter might follow in her footsteps.

This is probably the only chance.

Should she give up?

Xinyue was torn between her inner thoughts and her own mind, and it took her a long time to make a decision.

"Please, Miss Xiao, uphold justice for this servant."

She knelt down with a thud.

"The person who just performed on stage was indeed me. I have been Miss's substitute for her on the zither since I was three years old."

Apart from Xiao Qingyin and the other two, everyone in the room was shocked.

"You've been using a stand-in since childhood? They look completely different, how could you have done that?"

"How is that possible? Putting aside everything else, the entrance exam for joining the Youth League is very strict. How did she manage to get in?"

"The Earl of Shunyi seems to be one of the judges. Could it be that he rigged the assessment?"

"No way, he's always been proud of his daughter's musical talent, he wouldn't give her such a favor, would he?"

"..."

Crescent Moon unloaded the bundle from her shoulder.

After opening it, she took out a mask that matched the skin tone of her face, bent down, and put it on.

As soon as the mask was put on, Tan Ruoyan's face was revealed to everyone.

The entire room fell silent.

It turns out that all it takes for one person to become another is a mask.

This mask is truly a masterpiece.

Xiao Qingyin was a little surprised.

She had initially wondered if they had used golden insects to swap faces, but immediately dismissed the possibility.

The golden bugs need to have their faces removed for a face transplant, and they can't perform this procedure frequently.

The only option is to consider imitation makeup.

Unexpectedly, they were a step ahead and solved the problem with a mask.

The mask fits the face perfectly, leaving no trace, and it's unclear what material it's made of.

She'll borrow it later to take a good look.

Tan Ruoyan, who was lying on the ground, almost fainted the moment she saw Xinyue take out the mask.

Poor maid!

Xiao Qingyin coaxed her into betraying her master with just one sentence.

It would be impossible to quell her hatred without killing her!

Ning Daren initially didn't believe in such a strange thing, but after seeing the new moon wearing a mask, he had to believe it to the most extent.

But just to be on the safe side, she still made a request: "Your face doesn't mean anything unless you can actually play the original piece."

The crescent moon nodded.

"This servant will play a tune for you now."

She stood up, walked behind a zither, sat down on the zither bench, gently pressed a few strings to test the sound, and then closed her eyes and took a breath.

When he opened his eyes again, his face was the calm expression that Ning Dajia and the others were used to seeing.

The ancient and melodious sound of the zither filled the air.

After listening to just a few notes, Ning and the others confirmed that the person was "Tan Ruoyan," who usually appeared in the group.

While everyone was enjoying the new moon's music, the real Tan Ruoyan had already been defeated.

She's finished.

Now everyone knows she's a good-for-nothing who needs a substitute.

The word "genius" will be far removed from her.

From then on, she became a joke among people.

She was heartbroken.

I wish that the collision had actually knocked me unconscious.

However, the matter did not end there.

After finishing her piece, Xinyue looked up and said, "This servant did not become the substitute for the zither willingly; it was Madam who threatened me. My mother was once Madam's substitute for the zither."

The musicians gasped in shock.

How come this melon keeps getting bigger and bigger as you eat it?!

Not only did Tan Ruoyan find a substitute for the zither, but her mother, the highly skilled musician Qin, also found a substitute for the zither.

“My mother was sold into the Qin family when she was a teenager. At that time, the madam was the fourth young lady of the Qin family. After discovering my mother’s talent, she taught her to play the zither and made her her substitute for the zither.”

The new moon continued.

“Until the lady married the Earl and betrothed my mother to one of her stewards, my mother became fat after I was born, and her figure was very different from the lady's, so the lady stopped using her.”

But after I displayed my talent, she used my mother to threaten me, forcing me to become my mistress's substitute for her on the zither.

Everyone suddenly realized.

"No wonder Qin Yueshi suddenly announced his retirement from the music scene back then; it turns out that Qin's replacement could no longer fill the role."

"I thought it was because of her injured arm."

"Tsk tsk, like mother, like daughter."

"..."

They even revealed things about their mother.

Tan Ruoyan was so angry she almost vomited blood.

If she had known this vile servant was so vicious, she should have dragged her away earlier and never given Xiao Qingyin a chance to do something.

When she gets back, she'll have someone beat that wretched maid and her wretched mother to death with sticks!

After Xinyue finished speaking, she glanced anxiously at Tan Ruoyan.

Even though Tan Ruoyan was unconscious and her eyes were closed, she was still terrified.

"Miss Xiao, I have told you everything. Please save me and my mother."

"Don't worry, I promised to help, and I won't go back on my word."

After Xiao Qingyin finished speaking, she turned to look at Ning Dajia.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!