Hi everyone, it's your transtor Xiaobai here! I'm back with another update on your favorite novels. I wanted to share something special with you—I’ve created some pastel color-blocking hoodies, and they’re now avaible in my Etsy shop at adorablethingsbynoen.etsy.com. If you’re unable to purchase, no worries! Following my shop and sharing it with others would mean the world to me and helps keep the transtions coming. Thank you for your support! ??

  ___

  Qin Shuying smiled faintly, expressing her gratitude to the concerned wives and servant women around her. Suddenly, Ziteng pointed toward the gates of the Lu Manor and asked hesitantly, “Miss, the First Madam is still inside the Lu family residence. How… how are we supposed to go home?”

  Qin Shuying froze for a moment before turning to look at the carriage, but the vehicle had already been swallowed up by the crowd, nowhere to be seen.

  Ziteng wiped at her tears, her voice choked with sobs. “The First Madam knows you’ve been wronged, yet she didn’t utter a single word in your defense! Not only did she stand by while the Lu family humiliated you, but she even sided with them! Miss, how will you survive in the household from now on? What if the First Madam finds an excuse to say you’re ill, forbidding you from leaving the manor or seeing anyone? What will we do then?”

  The more Ziteng spoke, the more flustered she became. She broke down into fresh sobs. “Master, Madam, if your spirits can hear me from the beyond, please, I beg you—protect my dy!”

  Qin Shuying’s expression was filled with sorrow. Shaking her head, she murmured, “Ziteng, don’t cry… we still have my uncle. My uncle is the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review—he judges legal cases, and he is a just man. He would never allow the First Madam to trample all over me.”

  She then turned to the gathered wives and servant women who surrounded her. Tears streamed down her face as she spoke in a broken voice, “If a day comes when even my uncle turns a blind eye to my suffering… dear neighbors, all I ask is that you remember how I was wronged. That is enough. This is my fate… my fate…”

  With that, she slowly knelt down and bowed before rising again. Holding onto Ziteng for support, the two walked away, step by step, disappearing into the distance.

  The onlookers whispered among themselves, watching them leave with eyes full of pity and dismay.

  “So what she’s saying is… the First Madam of the Qin family was complicit in all of this?”

  “Sounds like it.”

  “The First Madam of the Qin family is none other than Consort Lian’s birth mother—she has always been known for her kindness. But how could she treat her own niece like this?”

  “Who knows what’s really going on behind closed doors?”

  …

  Qin Shuying held onto Ziteng’s hand as they reached the street corner, where their rented carriage was waiting. Once they boarded, the two left in silence, their faces filled with bleak despair.

  Inside the carriage, however, the corners of Qin Shuying’s lips curled up slightly.

  Lu Changxuan, you owe Qin Yaoyao and Feng’er far too much.

  This is merely the beginning of your punishment.

  You deserve far worse.

  Madam Xu…

  Qin Shuying let out a cold, mirthless ugh.

  Of course, she knew that causing such a spectacle wasn’t in her best interest. It would damage her reputation, making her situation even more precarious.

  But she did it anyway.

  Because she no longer needed a good reputation.

  In fact, she wanted a bad one.

  For no other reason than to avoid being married off to Liu Junqing.

  Besides, no matter how much she tried to suppress her emotions, she could not remain indifferent to the Lu family’s cruelty.

  Feng’er’s body isn’t even cold yet—how could I possibly stay calm and rational when exacting revenge?

  And only by using such an absolute method could she draw enough attention to utterly destroy the things Lu Changxuan cherished most.

  Today’s events had been carefully orchestrated by her. Among the people present, a select few had been handpicked after months of investigation—she had merely sown a few seeds of discord, and the rest unfolded naturally.

  As for the bearded man and the two inconspicuous women who led the accusations?

  They were the younger brother and associates of the steward who had once been falsely accused along with Qin Yaoyao.

  That steward had once admired Qin Yaoyao’s talents and had been close to her. But he had never expected to be framed for a crime, thrown into prison. Though he had suffered only minor punishments and was eventually released, his family’s wealth was confiscated, his neighbors shunned him, and even his own wife no longer trusted him.

  A man like that—who had lost everything—was bound to hold a grudge.

  And he was a man with connections.

  He had endured humiliation, only to realize that no one in the capital would employ him anymore. His savings had been depleted trying to secure his release and pay for medical care. Within half a year, his household had fallen into ruin.

  He was no longer the same man he once was.

  Then, before the New Year, someone had approached him, offering a way forward—a generous sum of money in exchange for one condition: when the time came to strike at the Lu family, he had to give his full support.

  He didn’t hesitate.

  Taking revenge on the Lu family was already his greatest wish.

  Thus, the chaos at the Lu Manor’s gates today was mostly his doing.

  And this was just the beginning.

  Rumors would spread. Gossip would snowball.

  With so many noblewomen, servant women, and housekeepers present, it wouldn’t be long before word spread across the entire capital.

  —

  That Night, Qin Manor

  Qin Yongtao smmed his palm against the table, his voice thundering with rage.

  “Xu Shi! You’d better expin yourself—what the hell happened today?! It was just a simple full-month celebration at the Lu family, yet now the entire capital is talking about it!”

  He could still recall the strange gnces from his colleagues earlier that day.

  Some had even sneered, “Lord Qin, does your household truly need to rely on a mere girl for financial support?”

  At the time, he had been completely baffled. But when his steward rushed in, breathless, to report the incident at the Lu Manor, it all became clear.

  Everyone was talking.

  The First Madam had taken jewelry from Qin Shuying and given it to Qin Feifei, who in turn had gifted it to Old Madam Lu.

  Madam Xu, that self-righteous woman, wasn’t as benevolent as she pretended to be—she was a fraud.

  Qin Yongtao had nearly berated his steward for bringing him such nonsense.

  But then, as he thought about it more, a memory surfaced—he had indeed seen his wife using some rare trinkets in the past.

  He had stolen many of Qin Yongzhou’s assets, but he had never openly funted them, ensuring his greed left no trace. He had assumed Xu Shi would be just as careful.

  But she was a fool.

  Hadn’t the previous scandal been lesson enough? And yet, she repeated the same mistake!

  He didn’t know that the jade hairpin in question had actually been taken by Xu Shi long ago.

  Madam Xu’s gaze flickered uneasily. She shot a gnce at Qin Shuying.

  “Seventh Girl,” Qin Yongtao’s voice remained cold, yet there was a slight pause before he spoke—something uncharacteristic of him.

  Qin Shuying smirked inwardly.

  Five hundred taels a month.

  It seems to be working.

  If this were the past, Qin Yongtao would never have addressed her so… politely.