Chapter Five: First Meeting - Public Opinion and Public Outrage
Granny Liu's deeply lined old face instantly lost all color and began to tremble uncontrollably.
Nine years after leaving the manor, the young lady had long forgotten that she was nothing more than a groveling dog in the county magistrate's mansion.
It wasn't until the words "sell the whole family" struck him like a thunderbolt that he was jolted awake from his smugness.
Realizing that the terrifying figure before her was no ordinary person, she stammered, her lips trembling, "You—you are not my young lady."
"Impossible—my young lady, she—at the old house, she only cries and calls me 'Mama Liu.'"
In her malicious memories, the original owner was always that soft and sweet girl who would only shrink back when she was hit and only shed tears when she was wronged.
When had he ever looked so ruthless, with eyes gleaming like ice and an aura of chilling ferocity? This subconscious rebuttal sounded more like a weak and cowardly wail.
Qin Zhining let out a cold laugh and took out half of a jade pendant from her bosom, holding it high.
In the wind and snow, although the jade was not of the highest quality, its edges were smooth and translucent from being rubbed. Its warm luster shimmered under the refraction of the snowflakes, making it clear that it was an object that had been worn close to the body for many years.
"Qin Youming, get out here and see what this is!" she shouted, her clear voice piercing through the wind and snow, causing icicles on the eaves to fall and shatter into a cold, gleaming mess.
"This is a love token that you carved yourself and gave to my mother."
Her fingertips turned white from the force, and her voice suddenly rose, filled with a tearful accusation, "Before my mother passed away, she asked Granny Zhou to give this to me, saying that with this half of the jade, you would definitely protect me."
"But I brought it back from afar, and you ordered your wicked servants to torture me, to beat me to death—Master Qin, how can you face my mother's spirit in heaven?"
This half of the jade pendant was the original owner's secret, hidden in his inner garment to prevent his greedy aunt from stealing it. It was also the sharpest weapon that pierced Qin Youming's heart at this moment.
Just as she was about to call out again, the tinkling of jade pendants suddenly came from inside the door, and a warm, fragrant scent of incense mixed with the smell of cosmetics wafted out, dispelling some of the chill.
"What's going on? Making such a racket so early in the morning, disturbing the master's peaceful rest."
A affected, languid female voice, like a feather, gently brushed against one's heart as it echoed at the gate of the mansion.
Qin Zhining looked up and saw a woman in a light pink embroidered orchid dress standing inside the threshold of the side gate of the county magistrate's residence.
She was around thirty years old, with cheekbones so high they looked like they could pierce her skin. Her narrow eyes held a deliberately gentle expression, and she was holding a string of glistening candied fruit in her hand, looking exactly like a pampered young lady who had just stepped out of a warm, cozy room.
This person was none other than Aunt An, named An Qinghe, who was promoted to the position of concubine by the original owner's mother, Xie Mingyuan.
Qin Zhining had seen her in the original owner's memory fragments.
She was in her thirties, yet she was wearing a pink dress that looked like it belonged to a fourteen or fifteen-year-old girl. The collar and cuffs were embroidered with cumbersome orchids, and paired with that mean face, it was truly a sight to behold.
Back then, it was this woman who whispered countless eerie words in Qin Youming's ear, which led him to cruelly send away his five-year-old daughter.
Aunt An was also sizing up Qin Zhining. Her cold gaze swept over Qin Zhining's tattered clothes and her ankles, which were blue from the cold, before she quickly put on a fake smile.
"Oh dear, is it the Second Miss who's back? Why didn't you tell me beforehand? Look at her in this snowy weather, all disheveled. What a laughingstock for the neighbors!"
While subtly criticizing Qin Zhining for "improper conduct," she gracefully stepped forward to help her up, but her fingers secretly curled up as she approached, with unwashed nail polish still hidden under her fingernails.
This was Aunt An's specialty. She always used this trick to deal with disliked or disobedient maids, giving them a taste of their own medicine and pinching them until they were covered in bruises without leaving any visible marks.
Qin Zhining's eyes were as cold as poisoned ice shards. Before the woman's fingertips could touch her, she slapped her hard across the face. "Who do you think you are? How dare you criticize the eldest daughter of County Magistrate Qin?"
She deliberately raised her voice so that the onlookers could hear her clearly, and kept saying, "You had someone stew bird's nest?"
Master Qin Youming, even one of your concubines can eat bird's nest worth one tael of silver every day. Does that mean your annual salary is very generous?
But why do you allow your eldest daughter to live like a beggar on the street? Magistrate Qin, come out here and explain this clearly in front of everyone.”
Aunt An missed grabbing anyone and instead got slapped on the arm. The pain made her stagger backward, clutching her arm and crying out, "Ouch... you damned little bitch, you jinx, you unfilial and disobedient thing."
The moment those two curses were uttered, they immediately drew indignant condemnation from the onlookers.
"Heh heh—a concubine dares to scold the legitimate daughter? The rules of this county magistrate's mansion are really not good."
"That's right, no wonder this girl is making a scene. Who could put up with that?"
"Is there really no order or discipline in the county magistrate's office?"
Seeing that the opportunity was ripe, how could Qin Zhining miss it?
She stepped forward, her voice like a knife scraping through the snow, "Disobedient and unfilial? Aunt An, you're saying I'm disobedient and unfilial?"
She suddenly burst out laughing, the sound particularly jarring in the wind and snow. "You lowly slave who climbed into bed to get ahead, do you even deserve to put on this show for people?"
Oh, by the way, you just referred to yourself as 'Madam'? May I ask whose wife you are? Tell me?
She looked around at the crowd and said loudly, "Listen up, everyone! In the Qin family, a century-old household, in the Qin County Magistrate's mansion, a concubine is actually in charge, publicly insulting her mistress and young lady. Who gave you the audacity?"
The wind and snow howled and swirled, and Aunt An's explanation, "I didn't... Master promised me the position of principal wife, they, they're all used to calling me that in the mansion..." fell apart in the cold wind.
Qin Zhining sneered, her gaze sweeping across An's pale face like a knife. "Aunt An, the matter is crystal clear in front of everyone, how dare you lie?"
My mother, Xie Mingyuan, passed away nine years ago. When will Magistrate Qin remarry? Has there been a proper betrothal ceremony and official registration?
The county magistrate's household has acquired a new wife, so why am I, the eldest daughter, completely unaware? Have I been kept in the dark?
She pressed on relentlessly, bombarding him with questions, "And another thing! It's such a joyous occasion that County Magistrate Qin is getting married again, so why did you forget to send a congratulatory message to his ancestral home, Qin Family Village?"
Why don't you go back to your ancestral home to pay respects to your ancestors and register in the family genealogy? Why don't you kowtow and pay your respects to the patriarchs, matriarchs, and other clan leaders?
The repeated questions were like slaps to the face, causing Aunt An to retreat continuously.
The murmurs at the alley entrance grew louder.
Everyone stared at the tightly closed vermilion gate, waiting for County Magistrate Qin Youming to come out and give an explanation.
In the wind and snow, Qin Zhining's hand holding half of the jade pendant trembled slightly, not because of the cold, but because of the overwhelming hatred left by the original owner.
Her back was straighter than the stone lions in front of the door, knowing that the real confrontation was finally about to begin.
"Open the front door and let her in."
Finally, a suppressed cough came from inside the door. Qin Youming's uniquely sinister tone pierced through the wind and snow, carrying an undeniable authority.
Qin Zhining gripped the hemp rope tightly, her knuckles turning white from the pressure.
Nine years have passed.
The man who personally threw the original owner into hell is finally about to show his face.
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