Yan Zheng gazed into her eyes.
Dark and clear, they appeared no different from usual, yet something was inexplicably missing.
Beside them, Yun Lang crossed his arms with a chuckle. "Oh? You want to kill her—why?"
He thought his younger sister was joking, but the woman turned to him with a look of surprise. "Does the Pavilion Master not wish to kill her? Betraying her master and deceiving her superiors—that crime alone warrants death a thousand times over, does it not?"
Only then did Yun Lang realize something was amiss, his expression gradually turning grave.
Shopkeeper Du hurriedly interjected, "Third—County Princess Changle! Though Hongxiu acted recklessly and deserves punishment, please consider that she caused no irreparable harm and even saved your life. Spare her this once!"
Yet the woman shook her head calmly. "She saved me to extract information—that makes her motives ulterior. Even if that weren’t the case, she used gu on me without my consent. Does that not warrant death?"
"But—but—" Shopkeeper Du stammered, momentarily at a loss for words.
Chu Huaishan frowned. "Yan'er, stop this nonsense! Even if this woman had impure intentions, she still saved you—"
"Why?"
For the first time ever, the woman interrupted him.
"As a father, shouldn’t you stand by your child? Why defend an outsider who means nothing?"
Chu Huaishan choked on his words, feeling an unfamiliar distance from his daughter for the first time in his life.
Seeing his brows furrow in anger, Lady Jiang the Younger quickly intervened. "Enough, my lord. The young mistress has just recovered from her illness—her mind may not yet be clear. She surely didn’t mean to act this way..."
Yet the moment she spoke, the woman’s puzzled gaze shifted to her.
"You despise me, don’t you? Why speak in my defense now?"
A chill ran down Lady Jiang the Younger’s spine as Chu Huaishan’s suspicious voice followed. "Yan'er, what are you saying? She hates you?"
Before she could respond, the woman’s detached voice cut in. "Does Father not know? Aunt has long resented Mother for winning your affection—and by extension, me, your legitimate daughter. For years, she withheld silver and supplies, and when I fell gravely ill, she refused to call a physician..."
"What?!" Chu Huaishan roared in fury.
Lady Jiang the Younger closed her eyes.
Perhaps it was for the best—to lay everything bare.
Lately, she had lived in constant fear. Though she knew the young mistress’s temperament would keep her silent, the dread lingered: What if her lord found out?
What if he discovered how she had mistreated his legitimate daughter all these years?
Would he strike her, berate her, or even cast her out?
Regret gnawed at her. Why had she been so blind, tormenting a child all those years?
Now exposed, she felt an odd relief.
One must always answer for their sins.
"Is what Yan'er said true?!" Chu Huaishan’s eyes blazed as he stared at her.
Lady Jiang the Younger knelt. "It is true, my lord. In my jealousy, I wronged the young mistress—withholding her allowance, skimping on her needs, even tampering with her dowry when she first married into the general’s household. Only her wit saved her from my schemes. Had it been Ruoyin or Ruolan, they would have perished long ago."
Gasps filled the room.
Even Yan Zheng, who knew of the stepmother’s misdeeds, was stunned to learn of the hardships she had endured in the Chu household.
To think she had sold her dowry to aid the Yan family in such dire straits...
Yan Zheng’s lips pressed into a thin line. For the first time since her awakening, he wrapped an arm around her waist.
"You—you—you vile woman!" Chu Huaishan’s face turned ashen with rage as he raised a hand to strike.
Lady Jiang the Younger braced herself, a tear slipping down her cheek.
But Chu Huaishan’s heart wrenched. Instead, he slapped himself—hard.
"Lord Chu!"
"My lord!"
Cries of shock erupted as Chu Huaishan, eyes reddened, turned to his daughter. "Yan'er, your father failed you! All these years, I thought she would protect you for your mother’s sake. But I was blind! I—I beg your forgiveness!"
He bowed deeply, but Yun Lang caught his arm. "You mustn’t!"
Lady Jiang the Younger wept bitterly. "My lord!"
She had expected his fury, his violence—yet the blow never came.
Did this mean... he cared for her, even a little?
Not just for her sister’s sake, but for her—Jiang Wan?
But then the woman’s cold voice pierced the air again. "Father, are you shielding Aunt—ah!"
Before she could finish, a sharp pain struck the back of her neck.
She collapsed into Yan Zheng’s arms, missing the fleeting tenderness in his eyes.
"Father-in-law, Yan'er isn’t herself. Those words were not her true feelings."
Chu Huaishan froze before realizing his daughter’s behavior was indeed unnatural.
Since when would she casually order executions? And if she truly loathed Lady Jiang the Younger, why conceal it for over a decade, only to expose it now?
He turned to Qin Yiru, only to find the white-bearded old man’s eyes alight with realization. "Of course! Of course!"
Chu Huaishan pressed urgently. "Old Miracle Physician! What’s happening to Yan'er?"
Qin Yiru hesitated, but Yun Lang snapped, "Out with it! Did your Butterfly Dreams of Zhuangzi go awry?"
Qin Yiru’s eyebrow twitched. "Hey, don’t blame my Butterfly Dreams! That’s your—" He swallowed the words "great-great-grandmother’s technique" and huffed. "I wondered how the girl recovered from her cold syndrome without becoming a living corpse. Now I see—the final two breaths failed, preserving her six senses!"
Blank stares met his explanation.
Sighing, he started over. "Listen. What makes us human? Our seven emotions and six desires. But do any of you know what those truly are?"
Silence.
Though the terms were commonplace, no one could define them on the spot.
Yan Zheng’s brow furrowed, while Yun Lang smirked. "Don’t tell me you don’t know? The 'seven emotions' are joy, anger, sorrow, fear, love, hate, and desire. The 'six desires' are the eyes, ears, mouth, nose... nose..."
He trailed off, forgetting the rest.
"Eyes, ears, mouth, nose, body, and mind—also called the six senses," Yan Zheng finished coolly, his gaze locked on Qin Yiru. "Old Miracle Physician, are you saying Yan'er retains her six senses but has lost her seven emotions?"
