"So, that day you absolutely refused to let me bring him back to Qianjin Hall..." Qi Yue murmured, looking at the woman, "So, your father... he... he himself..."

The woman who had been silent let out a wail.

"Yes, it was my fault! I deserve to die! All for money! It's me, this useless one, who should die! My husband felt sorry for me! He rushed forward and deliberately smashed into the plowshare! I didn't expect that when he fell, the bamboo pole in the corner of the wall also came down!" As she spoke, she let out a piercing shriek.

He shouldn't have died! It was supposed to be just a severe injury! But fate was unpredictable!

It just goes to show that Heaven has eyes! One must not do things that weigh on one's conscience!

The woman beat her chest and wailed.

This single cry seemed to drag her back to the scene of that day, allowing the surrounding crowd to visualize the moment as well.

The man’s head slammed into the plowshare, blood pouring out as he collapsed, and the bamboo pole from the corner of the wall pierced straight through his chest...

Everyone couldn't help but draw a sharp breath, instinctively clutching their chests.

He sought death himself? Then... then that naturally had nothing to do with Qianjin Hall, or the Heir of Marquis Dingxi!

He sought death on his own?

For what reason?

Qi Yue had witnessed this tragic scene with her own eyes, so she wasn't particularly shocked.

"You mean, you injured yourselves deliberately to stop me from treating the wife of Marquis Dingxi?" she asked the family loudly.

The woman had already fainted from crying again after saying that, and the young woman was bowed low to the ground.

"Yes," she also stated loudly.

This was utterly unbelievable...

Qi Yue couldn't help but turn her head, and everyone else did too, their gazes fixing on the Marquis of Dingxi.

Did Madam Xie have such a deep enemy that they were willing to tear themselves apart just to drag her down with them?

"Who is it?" The Marquis of Dingxi was no longer surprised; his expression was wooden. He asked in a trembling voice.

The young woman immediately raised her head without hesitation.

"The Marquis of Dingxi's residence. Concubine Zhou, Fourth Aunt," she stated loudly.

The Marquis of Dingxi closed his eyes, his frame swaying.

It was her... as expected...

At the same moment, in the courtyard of Concubine Zhou of the Marquis of Dingxi's residence, the sound of the zither abruptly stopped.

"Why did the string snap?" The little maid rushed in upon hearing it, speaking in surprise, "Oh dear, Fourth Aunt, your hand..."

Concubine Zhou sat before the zither, holding one hand with the other. A small trickle of scarlet seeped from a finger as white as jade.

She didn't speak, slowly raising her hand to her mouth and gently sucking at it, feeling her heart race fiercely.

Had... something... happened...?

"Hehua," she called out suddenly.

A maid walked into the room from outside. She was now a senior maid, promoted from a third-rank servant, and her attire indicated her status without being ostentatious.

Moreover, beyond status, she had money. Lots and lots of money.

"Fourth Aunt," Hehua smiled sweetly, looking at Concubine Zhou's hand with feigned terror, "Oh dear, how did you cut yourself?"

Saying that, she was about to call for help but instead helped Concubine Zhou sit down.

Concubine Zhou interrupted her, dismissing everyone else in the room.

"Has your maternal uncle's family contacted you since?" she inquired, a hint of worry in her voice, "With the elderly and the young, how can they manage being uprooted?"

"Oh, Fourth Aunt, why worry about them? With so much money, how could they not manage?" Hehua quickly laughed, then pouted, "Who knows where they died. They probably feared I'd keep the money and stopped even acknowledging me."

Concubine Zhou hummed.

Yes, perhaps they were dead. Those people, after taking the money, couldn't have failed to take care of the old and young ones, could they?

She was overthinking it.

Concubine Zhou smiled faintly.

"Look at what you're saying; they were probably afraid of offending us," she remarked.

"Fourth Aunt, you are truly considerate," Hehua chirped.

"Alright, you go attend to your duties," Concubine Zhou said.

Hehua acknowledged and left.

Concubine Zhou was alone in the room. She looked down at her finger; the bleeding had stopped, leaving only a small red dot.

Yes, nothing would happen. How could anything happen? Those people couldn't escape, unless they were lucky enough to have someone draw a sword to help them—but in this world, where was there so much good luck... Besides, who would dare to play the hero in front of those vicious individuals...

She let out a breath and sat down before the zither, beginning to restring it.

As the night deepened, a maid reported that the Marquis had arrived outside.

Concubine Zhou stood up happily, watching the Marquis of Dingxi step inside.

"I hear the farewell banquet was held outside?" she asked with a smile, calling out to a maid, "I've brewed some hangover soup; Marquis, please sit down and have a bowl to sober up."

The Marquis of Dingxi looked at her.

"Yuanyuan," he called out.

Concubine Zhou paused at the sound of her intimate name, then curved her lips into a smile, raising a hand to smooth her temples; her face was radiant under the soft candlelight.

"I'm already this old; calling me by that name sounds strange," she chuckled, extending her hand.

The Marquis of Dingxi reached out and took it.

The hand was fair, smooth, and soft; though perfectly maintained, it still bore the traces of time.

"I remember the first time I held your hand, you were as startled as a little rabbit..." he suddenly said, unable to suppress a smile.

The bright, delicate image of the young girl flashed before his eyes.

Concubine Zhou laughed, withdrawing her hand to playfully strike him back.

"Cousin, you are truly annoying!" she said.

The Marquis of Dingxi looked up at her, smiling.

"Yes, that’s exactly what you said then," he replied, "You still remember."

"You remember too?" Concubine Zhou laughed, reaching out again to hold him, half-chiding, half-pouting, "I thought after holding so many beautiful ladies' hands and saying so many words, you wouldn't recall anything."

"But how could I forget what you, Yuanyuan, said," the Marquis of Dingxi said seriously, looking at her.

Concubine Zhou felt a sudden unease at his expression.

"What’s wrong? We’re both getting on in years, why bring this up now?" she asked with a smile.

The Marquis of Dingxi’s body trembled slightly.

"Yuanyuan, why?" he asked in a choked voice.

"Why what?" Concubine Zhou asked, confused, although observing the Marquis of Dingxi’s peculiar behavior, her smile remained gentle, without a trace of temper.

If it had been Madam Xie, she would surely have asked with a glare, impatiently.

The Marquis of Dingxi couldn't help but think.

"Is it because her temper was too bad and she bullied you?" he asked tremulously.

Concubine Zhou looked at him with confusion.

"Who is she?" she asked with a laugh.

"My mother."

Chang Yuncheng's voice came from outside the door, followed by approaching footsteps.

"Young Master..." Concubine Zhou froze, about to speak, but her expression drastically changed.

The maid Hehua was shoved in first, falling to the ground and remaining there for a long time. Then Chang Yuncheng walked in, followed by several strangers: the young woman holding a child, and two burly men.

These newcomers knelt down with a thud.

"It's regrettable that this time his family wasn't as unlucky as Ah Jin. You hired the murderers but failed to silence them. Concubine Zhou, what do you have to say now?" Chang Yuncheng asked coldly.

Concubine Zhou’s gaze shifted from terror to sorrow, and finally to bleak despair. She released the Marquis of Dingxi's hand and knelt at his feet.

"Marquis, I didn't," she cried.

Chang Yuncheng sneered.

"That old trick again! Zhou Yuan, you—" he shouted.

"Get out!" The Marquis of Dingxi roared, cutting him off.

Chang Yuncheng looked at the Marquis and did not move.

Concubine Zhou subdued her cries slightly, a flicker of joy in her eyes, clinging tightly to the Marquis of Dingxi's leg.

"She is my woman. My affairs are none of your business as my son!" the Marquis of Dingxi glared at Chang Yuncheng and shouted.

Chang Yuncheng glanced at him, then turned and left. Those people were also led away.

Quiet returned to the room, broken only by Concubine Zhou's sobs.

"Yuanyuan, why?" the Marquis of Dingxi asked, allowing Concubine Zhou to hold his leg.

"Marquis, I..." Concubine Zhou wept.

"Don't say you didn't," the Marquis of Dingxi interrupted her. "I know I am useless, an idiot, but, Yuanyuan, I am not stupid."

Concubine Zhou stopped crying. Without waiting for the Marquis to speak, she stood up on her own.

"Because I love you," she said with a smile toward the Marquis of Dingxi. "So, I hate the other women around you, so they must die."

The Marquis of Dingxi looked at the woman before him; her hibiscus face, still tear-streaked under the lamplight, broke into a smile, perfectly matching the imagery of rain-laden blossoms in poetry.

Such a beauty, yet the words she spoke were terrifying.

"Zhenghui's death was you?" he roared suddenly.

Chang Yuncheng outside the door felt his heart skip a beat upon hearing that name, and he abruptly stepped forward, pressing against the doorframe.

Mother! Mother!

"Her?" Concubine Zhou waved a dismissive hand. "She was sickly; I didn't need to lift a finger; she simply wasted away on her own."

Chang Yuncheng felt his whole body tremble, his teeth chattering audibly.

"Yuanyuan! You, you, how could you!" the Marquis of Dingxi stammered.

"How could I not?" Concubine Zhou smiled at him. "Cousin, have you forgotten? I told you back then, and you agreed."

The Marquis of Dingxi’s eyes widened; he was speechless.

"I must have been mad to agree to that!" he shouted.

Concubine Zhou smiled, covering her mouth with a handkerchief, her laughter tinged with sadness and disdain.

"See, you don't remember what I said at all," she said. "Cousin, you only love me, right?..."

She tilted her head slightly, imitating the mannerisms of a young girl.

Then, in a rough, strained voice, she mimicked the Marquis of Dingxi:

"Fine, Yuanyuan, I only love you."

"Then divorce Cousin-wife..."

"Alas, how can that be..."

"Then does Cousin still only love me one?"

"I love you, I love you, it’s just that she got here first, how can I just kick her out."

"...Then Cousin can't kick her out, I'll handle it..."

"...Haha, alright, Yuanyuan doesn't need to kick her out; you are the only one in Cousin's heart..."

Watching Concubine Zhou switch between the mannerisms of a young girl and imitating the Marquis of Dingxi, smiling and speaking, it was as if they had returned to their youth.

The Marquis of Dingxi felt only deep sorrow and slowly closed his eyes.

Outside, Chang Yuncheng listened to the long-drawn sounds from within, clenching his fists tight. Just as he felt he couldn't hold his breath any longer, a sharp crack echoed, followed by Concubine Zhou’s scream.

"Someone, take her away," the voice of the Marquis of Dingxi came from inside.

The steward, who had been waiting, immediately led men in. Without a word, they pulled up Concubine Zhou, who had fallen to the ground after being slapped, and dragged her away.

"Marquis, Marquis, truly, I didn't lie to you, only I love you, only I truly love you, because I will kill for you..." Concubine Zhou laughed, reaching out to the Marquis of Dingxi. "Cousin, anyone who can tolerate so many women around you truly doesn't love you. Don't be deceived by her..."

A piece of cloth was thrust over, muffling Concubine Zhou's mouth, and she was carried far away. Quiet returned to the courtyard.

"So, in the end, she still managed to stab Lady Hou?" Qi Yue laughed heartily.

Ah Hao didn't understand what she meant.

"What's 'stabbing'?" she asked.

Qi Yue smiled and made a gesture of stabbing with a bayonet; Ah Hao laughed and dodged.

"How did your mother see all this? Doesn't the Marquis avoid people? Now all the servants in the mansion are gossiping," Qi Yue chuckled.

"Why bother avoiding anyone? The whole city knows by now; why care about the few people in the house?" Ah Hao pouted and laughed.

Yes, Qi Yue nodded, lowered her head, and put down the book in her hands. The sun outside had climbed high, casting bright light in, signaling the start of another day.

"Heavens!" A Ru's startled cry came from outside the door.

Qi Yue and Ah Hao exchanged a look and rushed out.

The sound had come from the back courtyard. Yuan Bao had already charged ahead of them. Qi Yue and Ah Hao hurried over, finding A Ru standing dumbfounded at the entrance to the back courtyard.

"What's wrong?" Qi Yue asked, walking over, only to become stunned herself.

Two chests were lined up neatly in the corner of the wall, their lids wide open. Gold and silver glittered under the sunlight.

No-pop-up novel website www.RT