Chapter 53: Drifting (2)

The room was in disarray, but Grandmother Qi’s sharp eyes immediately noticed the male garment on the floor.

A man’s robe—she vaguely remembered Jingchen wearing something similar.

Grandmother Qi’s expression changed instantly. Beside her, Fu Rong also noticed it, subtly glancing at Shen Xiling, who was covered in scratches from Zhao Yao’s assault. The orphan, likely realizing everyone was staring at the coat, turned even paler despite the blood streaks on her face.

Fu Rong’s face remained calm, but inwardly, she couldn’t help but smirk faintly.

What an unexpected surprise.

Grandmother Qi ordered her attendants to take both Shen Xiling and Zhao Yao away. From the direction they were heading, it seemed they were being taken to the matriarch’s Rongrui Hall.

Zi Jun and the other maids were left behind, unable to follow Shen Xiling as they were stopped by Grandmother Qi’s attendants. Now, they could only stand amidst the chaos, exchanging helpless glances.

Feng Chang wept quietly, covering her face, while Zi Jun couldn’t resist wiping away a few tears. Shui Pei felt anxious and distressed, lamenting that since entering the Qi household, their young mistress had always been well-behaved. She wondered what misfortune had led to such a messy situation.

After some thought, Shui Pei suddenly brightened, quickly scrambling to her feet and rushing toward the door. Zi Jun grabbed her, asking, “Where are you going?”

Shui Pei turned back, her face urgent yet hopeful. “To find Lady Yao! The master said that if anything happened to the young mistress, Lady Yao would protect her.”

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Half an hour later, Lady Yao arrived at the Rongrui Hall.

Upon entering, she saw Grandmother Qi seated on a platform bed, sipping tea, with Fu Rong beside her, gently massaging her shoulders. Both Zhao Yao and Wenwen knelt on the floor below. The former’s hair was disheveled, sobbing softly, while the latter hung her head silently, her expression unreadable, neither crying nor speaking.

Qi Ning and Qi Le were also present, sitting on chairs off to the side, their expressions wary. The entire hall was silent; even the drop of a needle would have been audible.

Lady Yao took in the scene at a glance and already had a rough idea of what had happened. After greeting Grandmother Qi, she sat down on the other side of the platform bed, feigning nonchalance as she asked, “What is this about? Why are both Yao’er and Wenwen kneeling?”

Though she asked this way, before arriving, Lady Yao had already heard a general account from Shui Pei, knowing that Zhao Yao and Wenwen had quarreled over cheating at the academy. However, Shui Pei had been flustered when explaining, so Lady Yao decided to hear Grandmother Qi’s version.

Zhao Yao, kneeling below, assumed her aunt had come to rescue her and was delighted. Instinctively, she shuffled closer to Lady Yao on her knees but froze when Grandmother Qi shot her a cold glance, retreating immediately. Shen Xiling, on the other hand, showed no reaction. She likely didn’t expect anyone to defend her and continued to bow her head silently.

Grandmother Qi placed her teacup on the small table, looking weary. “I’m feeling tired—Rong’er, tell your aunt-in-law what happened.”

Fu Rong respectfully replied, “Yes,” then greeted Lady Yao before reluctantly beginning, “Well, there’s not much to say. It’s just the two sisters playing around.”

She glanced lightly at the two kneeling below, her eyes filled with apparent concern and pity. “Yesterday, both sisters were punished by Master Wang at the academy, which likely upset them. Today, they got into a scuffle, though things got a bit out of hand. Otherwise, nothing serious happened—except…”

The first part of her explanation, which trivialized the matter, greatly satisfied Zhao Yao. Though she disliked Fu Rong, hearing her conceal the cheating incident made her appreciate her tact. However, the sudden “except” made Zhao Yao’s heart leap, fearing Fu Rong might backtrack and betray her.

Fortunately, Fu Rong paid little heed to Zhao Yao’s presence, dismissing her as a noisy and insignificant person.

Her focus was on Shen Xiling.

After dropping the word “except,” Fu Rong casually glanced at the long coat on the floor. Following her gaze, Lady Yao noticed the man’s outer garment lying there.

At first glance, Lady Yao didn’t recognize it as Qi Yin’s. Confused, she asked, “This…?”

Before she finished, she noticed Wenwen’s slight tremor, her head bowing even lower. A strange and ominous feeling arose within her. Then she heard Fu Rong say, “Aunt-in-law may not know, but this coat seems to belong to Second Brother. Yet this morning, we found Wenwen wrapped in it while sleeping…”

Lady Yao was startled. Looking more closely at the coat, she realized it did indeed resemble one of Jingchen’s.

In that moment, Lady Yao understood everything.

She had initially thought she was here to mediate a simple fight between two girls. She hadn’t expected this underlying issue. Though Lady Yao was gentle and avoided conflict, she was perceptive enough to see that Grandmother Qi favored Fu Rong and intended her to become a granddaughter-in-law. By focusing on the coat, the matriarch clearly had ulterior motives—using this incident to deal with Wenwen and make way for Rong’er.

Lady Yao, born into a minor official family, had long been disregarded by Grandmother Qi. Only recently, due to Jingchen’s achievements, had she gained some favor.

In principle, Lady Yao preferred not to interfere in matters Grandmother Qi involved herself in. However, just over half a month ago, before Jingchen left Jiankang, he had specifically entrusted her to care for Wenwen. Her son, usually reserved, rarely asked her to do anything, so she couldn’t afford to fail in this sole task.

Moreover…

Lady Yao glanced at Shen Xiling, still kneeling with her head bowed. Though her expression was subdued, her body trembled slightly, perhaps unable to endure the invisible humiliation. Under everyone’s scrutinizing gazes, she hadn’t committed any grave offense. Lady Yao felt a pang of sympathy for her.

Very well, she thought. I’ll intervene.

Just as she was considering what to say, Qi Le suddenly sprang up from his seat, running to his grandmother’s platform bed with a pleading face. “Grandmother, the sisters have been kneeling for a long time. Can you let them stand to speak? They’re just girls, both injured—how can they continue kneeling? Please don’t make them kneel anymore…”

Though Grandmother Qi had reached the age of doting on grandchildren, her favorites were Qi Yun and Qi Yin, her legitimate grandsons. Qi Ning and Qi Le, being of concubine-born lineage, weren’t particularly favored. Qi Le’s plea failed to move her.

Seeing his grandmother’s stern face, Qi Le hesitated, then stepped back, his voice quieter. “Then… can you at least let Yao’er stand? We’re talking about Wenwen and Second Brother—it has nothing to do with her…”

His voice grew softer, perhaps feeling a twinge of guilt toward Wenwen. Still, he had grown up with Zhao Yao and naturally sided with her. In this dispute, he inevitably protected her.

Zhao Yao, though previously dismissive of Qi Le, now felt a surge of gratitude as he was the only one defending her. Silently, she resolved to reconcile with him after this ordeal.

Unfortunately, Grandmother Qi wasn’t easily swayed. Disregarding both Zhao Yao and Qi Le, she simply said, “Jingkang, this doesn’t concern you. Go sit back down.”

Grandmother Qi’s tone was icy. Despite Qi Le’s protective instincts, he couldn’t sway her. Reluctantly, he returned to his seat.

Qi Le’s interruption briefly diverted the conversation, but the atmosphere remained tense. Lady Yao sighed inwardly, gauging Grandmother Qi’s expression. After a moment, she smiled faintly and turned to Fu Rong, continuing from earlier, “What’s all this fuss about? Wenwen was brought home by Jingchen. Children naturally grow close to him—it’s normal.”

Fu Rong smiled faintly without responding. Grandmother Qi, however, sneered, glancing at Shen Xiling below. “The Fang girl is twelve years old, isn’t she? If we’re honest, she’s hardly a child anymore.”

Lady Yao noticed Wenwen’s small hands clenching tightly and felt even more pity for her.

She had observed that the girl might admire Jingchen, but found nothing inappropriate about it. At her tender age, it was natural to develop such feelings. However, Grandmother Qi’s words, spoken in front of everyone, were far too harsh for a young girl.

Just as Lady Yao was about to intercede, Grandmother Qi spoke again. “Our Qi family bears the reputation of being the foremost household in Jiangnan. Naturally, we must conduct ourselves with propriety to avoid ridicule. Though Master Fang aided Jingchen and deserves gratitude, beyond that, I see no need for further entanglement.”

Grandmother Qi glanced at Lady Yao, then at Shen Xiling, saying, “Fang girl, raise your head.”

With these words, all eyes in the Rongrui Hall turned to Shen Xiling. Unable to dissuade the matriarch, Lady Yao followed the others’ gaze, seeing the frail girl tremble slightly before slowly raising her head.

When she did, Lady Yao was shocked! She had assumed Wenwen was unharmed, but Zhao Yao’s assault had left several bloody scratches on her face, along with bruises on her neck!

This was no mere childish fight—it rivaled the violence of street brawls!

Even Lady Yao, with her gentle nature, couldn’t help but reproach Zhao Yao with a glance. Zhao Yao, aware of her wrongdoing, lowered her head meekly, avoiding her aunt’s eyes.

Grandmother Qi paid no mind to Zhao Yao, instead scrutinizing Shen Xiling. A flicker of disdain passed through her eyes as she thought, This Fang girl is indeed beautiful, but perhaps that’s why she harbors such inappropriate aspirations.

The matriarch gave a soft hum, gazing into Shen Xiling’s eyes as she spoke deliberately. “Girl, you’re still young, and your parents passed away early, leaving you perhaps ignorant of many truths and without guidance. Now that you’re under our care, I’ll take on the burden of teaching you the ways of the world, as your late parents would have.”

Grandmother Qi’s words carried weight, especially as she invoked Shen Xiling’s deceased parents, each syllable piercing like a knife. Unaware of how cruel her words were, she continued lecturing. “Life is difficult for everyone. As long as one can see and hear, desires inevitably arise—this is human nature, not inherently wrong. But not all desires can be fulfilled. Some things must be recognized, accepted, and let go. If you cling stubbornly to these desires, that’s foolishness—and a mistake.”