Ziteng shook her head and said, “Nanny Fu, I believe Madam Liu is deliberately avoiding meeting Miss.”

  Nanny Fu was taken aback, her disbelief evident. “Ziteng, why would you say such a thing?”

  Ziteng expined, “Madam Liu’s visits to the Qin family are nothing more than a show for the Old Madam and outsiders. If she truly cared for Miss, no matter what illness she suffered from or how distant she was, Madam Liu would have personally visited her. By coming to the Qin family year after year, outsiders naturally assume that Master Liu is loyal, virtuous, and keeps his promises.”

  Nanny Fu asked anxiously, “If they are so insincere, then why stop now? Miss is already fourteen. Wouldn’t sending a formal proposal before the spring imperial exams silence any rumors more effectively?”

  Ziteng replied, “There’s no need. By the time Young Master Liu takes the exams, Miss may already be out of the picture.”

  Nanny Fu’s face turned pale, and she gasped, “What? Ziteng, you mustn’t speak carelessly!”

  Ziteng calmly looked at Qin Shuying through the mirror but remained silent.

  Qin Shuying shook her head and said, “Ziteng, being too clever isn’t always a good thing. Look how you’ve frightened Nanny.”

  Ziteng said nothing more. Nanny Fu stammered nervously, “M-Miss, could what Ziteng said be true?”

  Qin Shuying didn’t respond.

  She wasn’t a deity capable of predicting the future, so she couldn’t be entirely certain about the Liu family’s intentions. However, her years of mingling among the common folk had given her insight into the ways of people from all walks of life. Some of these individuals cked significant skills but had extensive networks for gathering information.

  Under Qin Shuying’s direction, Mi Luo had befriended a few men and women of such background, occasionally giving them silver in exchange for information.

  For instance, after Madam Liu attended the Old Madam’s birthday banquet earlier this year, she visited several official households. On the surface, these were families with friendly ties to the Liu family. However, upon closer examination, these families had one thing in common: they each had daughters of marriageable age.

  Madam Liu was scouting for a daughter-in-w.

  When pieced together, the truth wasn’t hard to guess.

  Having seen the fickleness of the world, experienced betrayal, and walked the line between life and death, Qin Shuying now approached every situation with a cautious and skeptical heart. She trusted neither the Liu family nor the seemingly upright Liu Gongshan.

  In the past, her perspective was different, making it difficult to discern the hidden schemes. Now, standing on equal footing with Liu Gongshan, she saw through their tactics easily.

  For Liu Junqing to marry Qin Shuying would mean forging ties with Consort Lian and her faction, but it would also mean distancing themselves from the Empress’s faction.

  Anyone with clear vision could see that the Empress’s faction was the future. Liu Gongshan would be foolish to side with the Sixth Prince’s party, especially with a son as promising as Liu Junqing. There was no way Liu Gongshan would willingly let his son be sidelined because of a poor alliance.

  So, how should the Liu family interact with the Qin family in a way that serves their interests?

  Breaking off the engagement was out of the question, but keeping it wasn’t an option either. For the Liu family, the best-case scenario was for the Qin family to resolve the issue themselves—whether Qin Shuying died or her reputation was utterly ruined.

  For years, the Liu family had consistently sent gifts to the Qin household to show their acknowledgment of the engagement, but secretly, they waited for Madam Xu to act. Madam Liu had a keen understanding of human nature. Qin Shuying, being an orphaned girl, was unlikely to receive genuine care from Madam Xu. If Madam Xu could bring Qin Shuying to ruin, the Liu family could simply go along with it and cancel the engagement effortlessly.

  Qin Yongtao, on the other hand, was eager to form an alliance with Liu Gongshan, as it meant gaining another ally for Consort Lian’s faction. Though he didn’t particurly like his niece, he had reminded Madam Xu to keep an eye on her. What Qin Yongtao didn’t know was that Madam Xu harbored thoughts of ending Qin Shuying’s life.

  In Qin Yongtao’s eyes, Qin Shuying was a useful chess piece. Given her timid personality, he assumed she would always obey him. However, her recent actions had consistently surprised him. Even so, he never intended to kill her; he simply wanted her wealth. No matter how things turned out, Qin Shuying was his te brother’s only daughter. As long as she married Liu Junqing, the bond between the Qin and Liu families would be secured.

  Whether Qin Shuying got along with Liu Junqing after marriage didn’t matter to him—it had no impact on his broader schemes. He repeatedly hinted to Madam Xu to "properly teach" Qin Shuying, hoping to turn her into a submissive pawn who would hand over her money and obey his commands.

  Qin Shuying, after several rounds of testing, had figured out Qin Yongtao’s true intentions. Thus, on the surface, she pyed the role of a harmonious family member with Madam Xu, while secretly stabbing her metaphorically at every opportunity.

  However, Qin Shuying was careful not to show her resentment too openly to Qin Yongtao. He still had his uses, and offending him outright would cost her more than enduring her current indignities—a price she couldn’t afford for now.

  From her observations, it was clear that Qin Yongtao had no idea about Madam Xu’s schemes in Duke Chu Manor incident. Madam Xu, on the other hand, didn’t care about the broader implications. She simply loathed Qin Shuying and wanted to make her life miserable. When Qin Shuying didn’t die on schedule, nor was her reputation destroyed as pnned, and Qin Fangfang was no longer a viable substitute to marry Liu Junqing, Madam Xu was left at a loss.

  What would she do next? Madam Xu was bound to make another move.

  As for the Liu family, they remained aloof, watching from the sidelines, waiting to reap the benefits of others’ actions.

  Qin Shuying smirked lightly. “Reap the benefits? As if it’ll be that easy!”

  This engagement with the Liu family? For now, she had no intention of breaking it off. If anything, she intended to use the Liu family as her shield. If Madam Xu wanted to sever ties with the Lius, she’d have to consider whether Qin Yongtao would allow it.

  Madam Xu’s pns were ughable. Did she think that even if Qin Shuying were to die, Liu Gongshan would permit Liu Junqing to marry Qin Fangfang, a concubine-born daughter? Ridiculous! Their initial scheme likely involved fabricating a “romantic tryst” between Liu Junqing and Qin Fangfang after Qin Shuying’s downfall, solidifying the engagement with Qin Fangfang instead. That way, they could eliminate Qin Shuying while preserving the marriage alliance.

  However, things hadn’t gone as pnned.

  Even after Duke Chu Manor incident, the Liu family remained eerily silent. No one came forward to offer comfort or condolences to the frightened Qin Shuying.

  Customarily, Madam Liu should have sent someone to express sympathy—it would have been the polite thing to do. Yet, Madam Liu had done nothing. This silence made one thing clear: she did not like Qin Shuying.

  Some families, under simir circumstances, might seize the opportunity to tarnish the girl’s reputation. With someone like Qin Fangfang in the Qin household, it wouldn’t be hard to question Qin Shuying’s upbringing and use it as grounds to call off the engagement.

  But the Liu family didn’t do that either. They acted like invisible figures, as if the Qin family and their engagement didn’t exist at all.