Chapter Six: A Head-on Confrontation – Questioning the Scumbag Father
She looked up at the blurry figure inside the door, a faint, cold smile playing on her lips—
That smile held no trace of filial piety, only the heavy resentment accumulated over two lifetimes.
At Qin Youming's command, the vermilion gate of the county magistrate's mansion swung open with a "whoosh".
The middle-aged man, dressed in a dark blue brocade robe, with a slightly plump face and three strands of goatee, revealed his true identity—it was none other than the original owner's biological father, Qin Youming.
Behind him followed a woman adorned with jewels and jade, her skin as white as snow accentuated by her lotus-colored jacket. She was none other than Concubine Liu, whom Xie Mingyuan had elevated to the status of another concubine.
Now in the mansion, Aunt An refers to herself as "Madam," and Aunt Liu has become her most loyal supporter.
For Qin Zhining, Qin Youming's appearance was like meeting an enemy, and she was filled with intense hatred.
The original owner's hatred, which had been lingering in his heart, suddenly surged up, almost bursting out of his chest.
Qin Youming's face turned ashen. He looked at the thin, bony figure at the door with disgust, and said in a deep voice, "You wretched child, what are you doing running wild in front of the mansion gate?"
"This is utter nonsense! The old folks need someone by their side; why aren't you fulfilling your filial duties back in our ancestral home? What are you doing back here? Come in right now!"
Qin Zhining dragged the bench with her left hand and held the rope in her right, deliberately drawing out her words with a chilling tone, "Father, it seems like it's been nine years since I've stepped into this house, hasn't it?"
Qin Youming was speechless.
He didn't expect that his legitimate daughter would give him a subtle but firm rebuke the moment they met.
Who gave her the audacity to disobey in public?
Qin Zhining didn't care what he thought. Seeing his sour face and his attempt to manipulate her, she sneered, "If I, the eldest daughter of the county magistrate's family, don't come back soon, I'm afraid I won't even have the chance to visit your grave."
She shook the hemp rope in her hand, glancing out of the corner of her eye at Granny Liu, whose expression had suddenly changed. "And this old woman too."
They're blatantly lying, claiming I'm impersonating your eldest daughter, and they're going to arrest me and hand me over to the authorities. Hah…
This kind of worthless lie is easily exposed. I don't know which idiot would tell her to say something like that; she's a brainless scoundrel.
The insults and sarcasm were like steel needles piercing Qin Youming's face, turning him from pale to ashen. "What kind of nonsense are you spouting? You're so young, yet you're so sharp-tongued. You really deserve to be disciplined."
Seeing that things were not going well, Aunt An quickly stepped forward to play the good Samaritan, covering her mouth with her embroidered handkerchief and chuckling, "Master, please calm down. Perhaps the Second Miss is homesick."
"This child is so inconsiderate. Why didn't he say he was coming back? He's made such a mess of things, and now the neighbors are laughing at him."
They used the same rhetoric, sparing no effort to smear Qin Zhining.
As she was speaking, she tried to pull Qin Zhining inside, saying, "Come in quickly, Aunt Liu said she had the kitchen make you some chicken soup to help you recover."
I just mentioned stewed bird's nest, and now I'm bringing up chicken soup.
Qin Zhining sneered, pushing the wooden stool forward to block her hand. "The living standards of the Qin County Magistrate's mansion are indeed high. One minute it's bird's nest, the next it's chicken soup. It's really nourishing."
However, there's no need for that. I didn't come back for food and drink; I came to ask Master Qin a few questions.
She deliberately raised her voice to make sure the onlookers could hear her clearly, “Nine years ago, Master Qin said that I, at the age of five, should go to his ancestral home to fulfill his filial duties on his behalf, and he would give me ten coins a month for food and other necessities.”
I lived in the old house for nine years and only saw silver coins three times, totaling less than fifty coins. Where did the rest of the money go?
"You're going to use family discipline on me? Master Qin, with your behavior like this, what kind of family discipline do you even have?"
Qin Youming hadn't expected her to bring up old grievances as soon as she returned. Feeling guilty, he avoided eye contact, but instead shouted at her with a fierce but weak tone.
"What do you know, little kid? That money is naturally for buying tonics for the old man. What, you want to be disobedient and disrespectful, and compete with the old man for food?"
In one sentence, Qin Zhining was once again labeled as "greedy and unfilial".
With such a reputation, which family would dare to marry her in the future?
It seems that even if the original owner doesn't die in the old house, he will be tormented to death when he returns to the mansion.
Qin Zhining laughed in anger, slamming the wooden stool on the ground, sending snowflakes flying. "Oh ho—Master Qin's ability to distort the truth is truly remarkable."
I barely uttered a word, and you've already labeled me disobedient. Are you afraid my reputation as the legitimate daughter isn't bad enough? Or do you just want me to die quickly enough?
She swept her gaze across the crowd and announced loudly, "Everyone, did you all hear clearly what Master Qin and Aunt An were doing with the flowers just now?"
Anyone with a modicum of sense could understand everything they said. Either Master Qin never gave that money at all, or someone interfered, or perhaps it was given but embezzled by Uncle and Aunt. Am I right?”
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Qin Youming was so angry that his face turned as red as a pig's liver. He glared at Qin Zhining and cursed in a low voice, "You beast, get back to your ancestral home and stop embarrassing yourselves."
Seeing his exasperation, Qin Zhining smiled in a good mood, then turned to Aunt An and questioned, "Last winter, you asked Granny Liu to deliver New Year's goods to our ancestral home, saying that you would also bring my new clothes and coats."
But all those things went to my uncle's house, and I only got an old cotton-padded coat covered in patches. Did you know that?
Aunt An's face turned pale instantly, and she forced a smile, saying, "Perhaps—perhaps your aunt has made a mistake..."
"A mistake?"
Qin Zhining took a step forward, pressing the wooden stool firmly against Qin Youming's chest, staring into his eyes and questioning him word by word, "Then why did you say you didn't have money to hire a doctor when I was bitten by a poisonous snake?"
When I was locked in the woodshed and starving, you sent me some snacks, saying they were for me. How come they all ended up in my eldest cousin's mouth?
Her voice grew louder and louder, and with each question she asked, Qin Youming's face paled a little more.
The onlookers heard it clearly, and their gazes toward Qin Youming immediately changed—a mixture of contempt, anger, and schadenfreude.
"What nonsense are you spouting?" Qin Youming was so angry that he trembled all over and raised his hand to slap her face.
Would Qin Zhining just stand there and take the beating?
She placed the wooden stool in front of her, barely blocking his hand. "What? You want to hit me now that I hit the nail on the head?"
Lord Qin, as a local official, you do nothing about the mistreatment and bullying of your eldest daughter in your ancestral home.
Instead, she conspired with her two concubines, who were half-masters and half-slaves, to mistreat me to death. Aren't you afraid that your superiors will question your 'moral conduct'?
These words struck Qin Youming like a heavy hammer blow.
He values his career most, and if this matter gets out, he might not even be able to keep his position as county magistrate, let alone get promoted.
Moreover, Zhou Wensheng, the county magistrate of Lincheng County, had always coveted his position as county assistant.
Qin Youming was terrified, as if someone had grabbed his lifeline. His hand froze in mid-air, his face turning pale and then red, caught in a dilemma.
Aunt An panicked and quickly grabbed his sleeve to give him a way out, "Master, the child is young and doesn't know any better. Please don't be angry with her. Let the child come in first."
"Come in?" Qin Zhining shook her head violently, threw the hemp rope onto the lintel again, tied a tight knot, and nimbly stepped onto the wooden stool.
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