Chapter 11

Into the Trap

Overnight, what was supposed to be a joyous occasion in the Xie family turned into a tragedy. The Xie clan lost their eldest son and heir, leaving the already elderly Dowager Xie bedridden, drifting in and out of consciousness. 

By the afternoon, the dowager finally managed to stay lucid for a brief moment. Lady Lu ordered the kitchen to prepare the best medicinal dishes and personally oversaw the cooking. 

But when it was time to serve the meal, Lady Lu still hadn’t appeared. The dowager, knowing Lady Lu’s meticulous and prudent nature, realized that something must have happened. However, too exhausted to inquire further, she closed her eyes, preparing to rest. 

Meanwhile, Lu Jinxiu was pacing anxiously in the courtyard of Songhe Hall. 

What happened that morning was truly strange. A maid who had come as part of the Qin family’s dowry suddenly knelt in her courtyard, her face battered and bruised, confessing in full detail that the Qin family had substituted an illegitimate daughter for the bride. 

The maid looked as if she’d been coerced, but no matter how much Lu Jinxiu questioned her, the maid refused to reveal who had beaten her. 

There was no time to investigate this now. The matter was too serious. With the master of the household away and herself only having run the estate for a few years, how could she dare make a decision on her own? 

The only person capable of taking charge was the dowager. 

Resolving herself, Lady Lu steeled her nerves and prepared to enter the room. But just as her hand touched the doorframe, she hesitated. If the dowager, in her frail condition, were to hear such shocking news… 

As she wavered, someone strode past her and pushed the door open before her. 

Startled, she was about to call out in reprimand, but upon seeing the person, the words died in her throat. It was Xie Que Shan. 

Lady Lu instinctively glanced behind her. The startled maids and servants had failed to stop Xie Que Shan and didn’t dare to try. They now looked to Lady Lu for help. 

Although Lu Jinxiu was a clever and capable woman, adept at handling household affairs, she was still intimidated by a man like Xie Que Shan. 

When she was young, her engagement was broken off, and she remained unmarried until she was 22 before becoming a concubine in the Xie family. Knowing her plain appearance and advancing age put her at a disadvantage, she worked harder than most women, serving her husband and in-laws diligently and assisting the first wife in managing the household. 

With her good temper and efficient work, she learned to navigate the family hierarchy, earning the favor of the Xie clan. After the death of the first wife, the dowager entrusted the entire estate of Wangxue Wu to her care. 

But Lady Lu was ultimately just a woman of the inner court. Faced with a man like Xie Que Shan—whom she knew bore deep hatred for the Xie family—she couldn’t help but feel fear. 

More than ten years ago, when Lan Prefecture fell, the Xie family fled south in a panic, forgetting to notify the not-so-favored mother and son, leaving them stranded in the midst of war. 

Whether this was truly an oversight or intentional was now impossible to determine. 

From that moment, a rift formed between Xie Que Shan and the Xie family. The seeds of hatred had been sown. 

Now, with Xie Que Shan heading to see the dowager, Lady Lu couldn’t stop him. Fearing trouble, she had no choice but to cautiously press her ear to the door to listen in on what was happening inside. 

Xie Que Shan entered the dowager’s room, carrying a gift box, and respectfully bowed. 

“Grandmother, your grandson has come to visit you.” 

The dowager sat half-upright, her eyes closed, as if she hadn’t heard him. She remained silent. 

Xie Que Shan offered the silk-covered box and continued, “Grandmother, please accept my condolences for the loss of my elder brother. I hope you can restrain your grief and take care of your health. Inside this box is Siamese rhinoceros horn, a rare and precious medicinal ingredient worth a fortune.” 

The dowager finally opened her eyes but didn’t spare Xie Que Shan a glance. 

“Take it away. I won’t eat medicine brought by someone from Qi.” 

“Grandmother, you may look down on me, but there’s no need to gamble with your own health. Siamese rhinoceros horn can be decocted to treat acute illnesses and save lives in critical moments.” 

Without waiting for her consent, Xie Que Shan handed the box to a maid. The maid, too afraid to defy him, could only accept it. 

“Whether I live or die has nothing to do with you,” the dowager said coldly. “You chose to defect to Qi; you’re no longer part of the Xie family.” 

“Grandmother,” Xie Que Shan paused, his expression remaining calm, “when you left my mother and me behind in the flames of Lan Prefecture all those years ago, did you still consider us part of the Xie family then?”

He spoke in a calm, detached manner, as though recounting an ordinary event, yet his words struck like a sharp blade to those who heard them. 

“Back then, your father, your stepmother, your elder brother, and the entire Xie family already apologized to you. Yet you insisted on straying down this treacherous path! Cough, cough...” 

“Grandmother, since you’re so adept at apologizing, why didn’t you ever apologize to my mother?” 

“She brought it on herself, disgracing the family name. How could there be any apology?” 

“The family name?” Xie Queshan sneered with icy disdain. “If the Xie family name was so important, even a hollow apology back then might have prevented me from becoming the traitor who ruined it.” 

“The kindness of one’s parents is boundless, like the heavens above. No matter the circumstances, you should never harbor resentment against your family!” 

“My mother said the same,” Xie Queshan replied, locking eyes with his grandmother. “Women in noble families are truly strange. They willingly hand their lives over to others, let themselves be trampled upon, and even after being wronged, they feel grateful and guilty, afraid they’re causing trouble for others.” 

“That is the propriety passed down by our ancestors!” 

“Such propriety has no place in the world we live in today.” 

The room fell into a deathly silence. Dowager Xie’s chest heaved with anger, clearly beside herself. 

Outside the room, Lu Jinxiu could tell from the sounds that the situation had taken a turn for the worse. Hurriedly, she pushed the door open and entered. 

“Mother, I have an urgent matter to discuss with you.” 

Lu Jinxiu stepped inside, breaking the tense atmosphere between Xie Queshan and his grandmother. Her gaze fell on Xie Queshan, and she maintained her composure as she offered him a respectful bow. 

“Envoy Xie, my apologies for interrupting. However, there are pressing matters in the inner court that require immediate attention...” 

With that one title—”Envoy Xie”—she cleanly severed his ties with the Xie family, effectively issuing a subtle dismissal. Matters of the Xie family’s inner court had nothing to do with an outsider like him. 

Understanding the signal, Xie Queshan took a step back and gave a slight bow. 

“Grandmother, now that my elder brother is gone, I am the eldest son of the Xie family. It is only right that I return to fulfill my filial duty. I will stay at Wangxue Manor from now on. Please take care of yourself. Your grandson will take his leave.” 

“You ungrateful wretch! You, you—” 

Lu Jinxiu quickly stepped forward to soothe the old lady, gently patting her back to calm her down. 

“Mother, please don’t let that unfilial one upset you and harm your health. The master of the house is still away. For now, we have no choice but to tolerate the Qi envoy. Once the master returns, he will naturally have a way to deal with that traitor.” 

As she spoke, Lu Jinxiu softly patted Dowager Xie’s back, helping her regain her composure. 

Finally, the dowager managed to catch her breath, and some color returned to her face. She patted Lu Jinxiu’s hand, her voice weary. “Lady Lu, what is it you wish to discuss with me?” 

Summoning her resolve, Lu Jinxiu spoke. 

“Mother, this is entirely my fault for being careless and not investigating thoroughly beforehand. Now a grave mistake has been made. Please punish me as you see fit...” 

The dowager, exhausted, waved off her words impatiently. “Hasn’t the greatest mistake already been made? Is there any storm this old woman hasn’t weathered in the Xie family? Just say it.” 

“Mother,” Lu Jinxiu said after a deep breath, “the woman who married Heng yesterday is actually an illegitimate daughter from the Qin family. By rights, since Heng is already gone, there’s no need to pursue this further. However... the eight characters of the birth date that were matched with the eldest young master’s were for the Qin family’s legitimate daughter, and there was no issue. But this illegitimate daughter who was sent in her place... her eight characters carry the lone star of misfortune, an exceptionally ominous fate. The coroner said the eldest young master had no external injuries and simply died of illness. I can’t help but wonder if... if this woman cursed him to death.” 

As her words sank in, Dowager Xie’s complexion grew worse and worse. Before she could respond, she spat out a mouthful of blood. 

“Mother! Mother!” Lu Jinxiu panicked, rushing to support the old lady. She hastily offered her a cup of tea. “Please, you must take care of yourself!” 

Dowager Xie drank the tea, gradually regaining her strength. Lu Jinxiu watched her intently, fully aware that the dowager’s next words would determine the fate of that illegitimate daughter.