Feng Ying’s eyes burned crimson, her fury nearly consuming her in an instant: "Say that again?!"
The maidservant dropped to her knees with a thud: "Miss, it’s true! This servant told him you were beaten by the old master and even bled, but... but Prince Qin hesitated and still chose to see Miss Chu the Second first... Ah—!!!"
Her fingers were suddenly crushed under Feng Ying’s foot, ground mercilessly into the floor—agonizing pain shot through her bones!
The maidservant’s face paled from the pain, but Feng Ying’s rage remained unquenched. She snatched up a vase and smashed it against the girl’s head.
Crash—
The vase shattered into pieces, blood instantly streaming down the maidservant’s face.
Feng Ying muttered, "You must not have made it clear to Ninth Brother! Yes, that must be it! He would never ignore me... Just earlier, when I pretended to have a heart attack, he chose to tend to me instead of Chu Ruoyin... You wretched slave, you deserve death—death!"
The maidservant clutched her bleeding head, begging for mercy. After beating her until her own hands ached, Feng Ying finally sat down and ordered, "Go fetch Little Dai."
Little Dai was her personal maid, who had been gathering intelligence for her these past few days.
The maidservant fled as if granted amnesty, while Feng Ying remained seated, cooling her fury, her expression icy.
Murong Jin truly hadn’t come...
No matter the excuses, in the past, even just hearing her name would have brought him rushing to her side.
Could it be... he had truly developed feelings for that girl?
The thought made her blood boil.
Even if she didn’t love this man, the idea of his gaze no longer fixed solely on her drove her mad with rage.
Soon, Little Dai entered. Seeing Feng Ying’s state, she asked cautiously, "Miss, has something happened?"
Feng Ying shook her head. "The information I asked you to gather—have you made any progress?"
Little Dai closed the doors and windows before whispering, "Miss, you tasked me with investigating the Duke of Chu's Mansion. While I found nothing on County Princess Changle, Miss Chu the Second has a strained relationship with her mother. Not only has she been neglected for years, but Lady Jiang the Younger seems desperate to marry her off. She was even sent to the imperial selection as a candidate."
"A candidate?" Feng Ying scoffed. "So her mother aimed for the imperial family from the start—what ambition!"
But Little Dai shook her head. "At first, I thought the same—that her mother sought a grand future for her. But then I learned that before entering the palace, Lady Jiang had already screened all the noble families in the capital. Among them were men as old as forty-five, seeking second wives—all with one thing in common: their status surpassed the Duke of Chu’s!"
Feng Ying narrowed her eyes.
Status higher than the Duke of Chu?
Then her mother was determined to have her daughter climb the social ladder... Yet today, Lady Jiang the Younger didn’t seem like those ruthlessly ambitious women. She appeared to dote on her daughter.
So why the urgency to marry her off?
"There’s another oddity. Lady Jiang has two daughters, but her treatment of them is night and day. The younger is pampered beyond measure, while the elder is kept at a cold distance—completely opposite!"
After a moment’s thought, Feng Ying smirked. "Are you suggesting... Chu Ruoyin’s origins are questionable?"
Little Dai nodded. "Unfortunately, the Duke of Chu's household keeps tight lips. This is all I could uncover..."
"No matter. If the Chu family won’t talk, there’s always the Bai Xiao Pavilion." Feng Ying waved a hand. "Take my token, withdraw a heavy sum, and demand Chu Ruoyin’s true background from them!"
"If she isn’t the Duke of Chu’s daughter... Heh, hahaha!"
Feng Ying couldn’t suppress her triumphant laughter.
Today, that wretched girl had humiliated her—but tomorrow, she would repay her tenfold, a hundredfold!
Little Dai obeyed and left at once.
Bai Xiao Pavilion.
Shopkeeper Du, upon hearing the inquiry involved the Duke of Chu's Mansion, subtly deflected: "Miss, we have no information on the Chu family here."
"None? Is the silver insufficient?" Little Dai hastily produced more banknotes, but Shopkeeper Du shook his head. "No, it’s not a matter of payment. The Bai Xiao Pavilion simply has no records on the Duke of Chu's Mansion. My apologies."
He returned the silver untouched. Disheartened, Little Dai exited the tavern.
If even Bai Xiao Pavilion lacked the information, then it truly didn’t exist...
But after a few steps, a hooded figure blocked her path.
"Miss, were you seeking news about the Duke of Chu's Mansion?"
Little Dai tensed. "How did you know?"
The man chuckled, lowering his hood. "No need for alarm. This humble one is surnamed Song, given name Jia. As it happens... I possess the very information you seek." He leaned in, whispering something that made Little Dai’s face drain of color. She thrust the silver meant for Bai Xiao Pavilion into his hands and sprinted back.
Meanwhile, inside Bai Xiao Pavilion—
Shopkeeper Du hurried to the top floor, only to be intercepted by Qin Yiru.
"Old Divine Physician, this subordinate has urgent business with the pavilion master—"
Qin Yiru snorted. "Even if the heavens were collapsing, you’d have to wait. Look—there’s already a queue!"
Following his gaze, Shopkeeper Du saw Yan Zheng standing rigidly outside the door, fists clenched, his expression taut with anxiety as he stared within...
"The Divine Wood Cauldron has been retrieved. Hongxiu is inside refining the antidote for the Soul Parasite. She’s using the pavilion master’s blood—once it’s complete, Madam Chu’s Butterfly Dream can be cured!"
Shopkeeper Du stammered, "How long will the refinement take?"
"At least a dozen hours, at most five, six, seven, eight days? Regardless, the process cannot be interrupted. And the antidote must be tailored to Madam Chu’s condition, so she’s inside as well. Understood?"
No wonder Chief Minister Yan refused to leave the door!
With a sigh, Shopkeeper Du resigned himself—the matter of someone probing the Chu family’s secrets would have to wait.
The next afternoon.
Chu Ruoyin sat in a carriage, escorted back to the mansion by Changhua.
Her thoughts drifted to last night—how that man had stubbornly waited for Chief Physician Zhang to examine her. Yet the moment her health was declared sound, he had left without a backward glance, taking the physician with him...
There was no need to guess where he’d gone.
To Feng Ying.
And he hadn’t returned all night...
Chu Ruoyin tugged at her lips, but found she could no longer muster a smile.
Perhaps the recent turmoil had drained her, or perhaps hope had led to too many disappointments—she felt neither sorrow nor resentment.
Only a hollow numbness...
Very well. Once she returned this time, she would end it.
Lost in thought, the carriage jolted to a halt. Changhua’s voice came from outside: "Miss Chu the Second, it seems... there’s trouble at your family’s gates?"
Pulling back the curtain, Chu Ruoyin saw an elderly woman clutching a wailing infant, kneeling before the Duke of Chu's Mansion. A crowd had gathered, drawn by the spectacle.
The old woman’s face was bruised, her body covered in injuries, the baby in her arms shrieking incessantly.
Once the onlookers swelled to a sufficient number, she slammed her forehead against the ground with a resounding thud: "Lady of the Duke of Chu! I beg you, show mercy—grant this old crone a way to live!"
"I swear to the heavens, the secret you entrusted to me—I’ve never breathed a word of it—!"
Gasps erupted across the street.
Chu Ruoyin’s heart plummeted as shouts rose from the crowd.
"That—that’s Midwife Qiao, famed in her day! How has she been reduced to this?!"
