Chapter Ten: The Fault-Finding Granny Wang
Qingzhu wiped away her tears and recalled:
"It was not long after you left..."
"I heard that when the master and madam were out on the street, they encountered a young girl who was selling herself to bury her father. She was about your age, beautiful and lovely, and very well-behaved and clever."
"The master felt sorry for her and took her back to the mansion. When the lady saw her, she was very fond of her and said that she was kindred spirits to her. She immediately adopted her as her daughter and named her Sangyu."
"Originally, she was only treated as an adopted daughter and registered under Aunt Yun's name. Later... later, news of war frequently came from the border, and they all thought you would never return."
"The Madam and the Master then transferred the Second Miss to the Madam's name, giving her the status of the second legitimate daughter. They even considered transferring the right to inherit the title to... the Second Miss."
Qingzhu paused, then said in a low voice,
"This second young lady's arrival is suspicious. Although I haven't had much contact with her, I always feel that... she is not as simple and kind as she seems on the surface. Miss, you must be careful."
After listening, Song Yiqiu sneered, and all the clues gradually connected in her mind.
She looked at Qingzhu, her tone softening slightly:
"Qingzhu, I'm giving you a choice now. I can arrange for you to leave the Song family immediately, give you enough money to keep you away from all this trouble, and let you live out the rest of your life in peace."
“But I must stay, find out the truth about Grandmother’s death, and make all those who owe us pay the price. The road ahead is dangerous, you…”
"Miss!"
Qingzhu knelt down without hesitation, tightly gripping Song Yiqiu's skirt, her eyes filled with unwavering determination.
"Qingzhu has been feigning madness in the manor for seven years, just to wait for Miss to return. This servant's life was given to her by the Old Madam and Miss. No matter what Miss wants to do, even if it's a mountain of knives or a sea of fire, Qingzhu will follow you!"
"Please, Miss, don't send Qingzhu away!"
Looking at Qingzhu kneeling before her, Song Yiqiu felt a surge of warmth in her heart and bent down to help Qingzhu up.
As Song Yiqiu gently straightened her slightly disheveled clothes, her eyes were filled with heartache.
"Fine. Since some people want you to be crazy, then from today onwards, you can continue to be 'crazy.' Who will take the words of a madman seriously? And this, in fact, can also serve as cover for you and me."
Qingzhu immediately understood and nodded emphatically:
"Yes, Miss. I understand."
...
The next day at noon, sunlight streamed through the window and fell on the dressing table.
Qingzhu was carefully combing Song Yiqiu's long hair, her technique still skillful and gentle, her eyes sparkling, as if afraid of hurting her.
Looking at her elaborate hairstyle in the mirror, Song Yiqiu sighed sincerely:
"Qingzhu, all these years have passed, but your hair and makeup skills haven't become rusty at all."
Qingzhu tilted her head and smiled, a hint of nostalgia in her eyes:
"Miss is teasing me. I was still young then and only learned a little bit from the old lady, so I could barely serve you."
Song Yiqiu's fingers touched her fair cheek:
"The feng shui of this capital city is really good for people. In just over half a month, my tan skin has almost faded."
"Looking at her like this, she doesn't look like she's been living on the frontier for seven years at all. She looks more like a pampered young lady who has always lived a life of luxury."
Qingzhu teased, and Song Yiqiu smiled slightly, looking at the calluses on her palms that hadn't yet fallen off.
There is still a difference. If I hadn't gone to the frontier, would I have ended up like any other noblewoman...?
Just then, a commotion suddenly broke out outside the courtyard.
A haughty old woman suddenly barged in, her voice particularly shrill:
"The sun is already high in the sky, and the young lady is still not up? She really needs to correct the undisciplined habits she picked up from the army. Otherwise, people will think that our Song family's legitimate daughter is unruly and lacks proper upbringing!"
The person who came was Wang Mama, the most trusted and capable confidante of Madam Song.
Qingzhu's hand paused, and a look of panic appeared on her face:
"Miss...why did Granny Wang come so suddenly? Is it because of Madam? Madam...she knows you brought me back?"
The smile in Song Yiqiu's eyes vanished, replaced by a cold sneer:
“My mother is naturally well-informed. Although she may not be certain that you were the one who overheard the secret back then, she always prefers to kill the innocent rather than let the guilty go free.”
"This Granny Wang is probably up to no good, and has come specifically to find out what's going on."
"Then... what should we do?"
Qingzhu was a little nervous.
Song Yiqiu calmly took out a cloisonné white jade and gold phoenix hairpin from her makeup box and handed it to Qingzhu:
"When soldiers come, we'll block them; when water comes, we'll dam it. Here, put this on me."
Qingzhu understood and carefully inserted the gold hairpin into Song Yiqiu's black hair bun. The phoenix on the hairpin held a string of tiny rubies, shimmering and exuding an air of nobility.
Song Yiqiu gazed at herself in the mirror for a moment, then exclaimed, "Beautiful, truly beautiful."
A slight smile, and her aura is overwhelming:
"Now that the stage is set up, let's go and put on a show."
She maintained the airs of a legitimate young lady, slowly walking out of the room with a gentle and dignified smile on her face.
Seeing Granny Wang standing in the courtyard with her hands on her hips and a look of disgust on her face, she immediately hurried over to her, affectionately taking Granny Wang's arm, her tone sickeningly sweet:
"Oh dear, Granny Wang, what brings you here? Is there anything Mother wishes for? Please tell me, and I will do as she says!"
Granny Wang was taken aback by her sudden enthusiasm, then withdrew her hand in disgust, her gaze sweeping over the gold hairpin in her hair like a knife, and spoke in a sarcastic tone:
"Young Miss is living a very comfortable life these days! She's only been home for less than half a month, and her food, drink, and daily necessities are already so extravagant. It seems this old servant was too talkative; I was worried that Young Miss had gotten used to the hardships on the frontier and wouldn't be able to adjust to life back home!"
Her eyes were filled with disdain as she spoke, rudely looking around the yard.
Song Yiqiu had just moved back and didn't like crowds. Now that she had just moved to a new courtyard, there were only a few maids sweeping in the distance, making the place seem rather empty and desolate.
Song Yiqiu's smile remained unchanged, but her tone carried a hint of grievance:
"Granny, you've really misunderstood Yiqiu. I've just moved back to the main courtyard, and many things haven't been settled yet."
"What we're using now are just old things left behind by my sister that she didn't think much of."
"Could it be... that even things my sister doesn't want are considered luxuries in the eyes of the nanny? This shows how extravagant my sister's daily expenses are at home..."
She paused at the right moment, leaving room for endless imagination.
Granny Wang was outmaneuvered and immediately flew into a rage:
"How dare you! How dare you speak ill of the Second Miss? Compared to her noble birth and refined manners, you are nothing but a lowly wild girl!"
She had barely finished speaking.
Snap!
An old broom, seemingly out of nowhere, struck Granny Wang squarely in the face, the handle hitting her forehead and instantly raising a large, red, swollen bump.
"Ouch! Who? Which bastard did this?!"
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