Transtor Xiaobai:

  Dear Readers,

  I hope this message finds you well. I know this year has been incredibly challenging for everyone, especially my U.S. readers. With talks of a recession and rising costs, I understand how hard it is to support yourselves and your families right now. No matter where your political views lie, I know we’re all feeling the strain.

  That’s why I’m reaching out with a humble request: If you’ve enjoyed the novels I’ve transted, could you take a moment to like or share my Etsy shop, adorablethingsbynoen.etsy.com?

  You don’t have to spend a single dolr—but if you help spread the word, someone else might find something they love in my shop. Every like, share, or even a kind comment helps me earn a little income to keep doing what I love: bringing you amazing stories for free.

  Times are tough, but your support means the world to me. Together, we can keep this community thriving.

  Thank you for being here, and thank you for anything you can do to help. ??

  P.S. Even if you can’t share right now, know I’m so grateful you’re here. Your readership alone keeps me going!

  _____

  Madam Xu was caught in a frenzy—on one side, she had to tend to Xu Peiwei, and on the other, she needed to retrieve Qin Yunyun. Her mouth was so dry from anxiety that it felt blistered. She wanted to instruct the maids to look for Qin Yunyun, but she was also terrified—what if those unruly men turned on her instead? The image she had fought so hard to preserve today would be ruined in an instant.

  Xu Peiwei sobbed uncontrolbly in Madam Xu’s arms, gasping for breath. Her arm had been grabbed by a man, and her chest… she could feel that someone had touched her…

  Her chastity…

  Her marriage…

  Just as the scene was growing more and more chaotic, a group of constables arrived.

  “What’s all this commotion about?”

  In her despair, Madam Xu nearly fell to her knees in relief, almost shouting to the heavens in gratitude. She hurried forward.

  “Officer…”

  She quickly recounted the entire sequence of events, but before she could even finish, she caught sight of a familiar figure standing behind the constables—a young woman wearing a veiled hat.

  It was Qin Shuying.

  Behind her stood Qin Lulu and four of their maidservants.

  “You…”

  The leader of the constables spoke, “So this must be Madam Xu. It was this young dy who reported the incident. Rest assured. We will retrieve the Sixth Miss of the Qin family.”

  With that, the constables left, heading toward the Zhao residence.

  Once the group departed, Qin Shuying slowly walked over and spoke gently to Madam Xu, “I saw how chaotic and frightening the scene was earlier, so Sister Wu and I went to report to the authorities. When the officers heard that it involved the Xu and Qin families, they hurried over.”

  Madam Xu stared at Qin Shuying in a daze, her mouth opening and closing without being able to form words.

  Xu Peiwei, however, began to shriek like a madwoman, “Ah! You’re not human! You’re not human! You’re a ghost! A ghost!”

  Qin Shuying frowned slightly and said calmly, “It seems Cousin Wei has been frightened out of her senses. Don’t be afraid, Cousin Wei. That officer will surely report everything to his superiors, and soon we will find Sixth Sister and be able to go home.”

  Xu Peiwei recoiled, screaming, “Stay away! Stay away! You’re a ghost!”

  Qin Shuying did not force the matter. She merely sighed softly and stepped back, exchanging a helpless smile with Qin Lulu.

  Qin Lulu managed a faint smile in return, but waves churned in her heart.

  She wasn’t a fool. She had been terrified earlier, unable to think clearly, but now that she repyed the entire event in her mind, there were too many things that didn’t add up.

  She recalled everything her mother had once said about Qin Shuying, and her heart suddenly gave a sharp jolt.

  Unconsciously, she took a few steps away from Qin Shuying.

  And yet, something stirred in her chest—a surge of inexplicable admiration. She gnced back at Qin Shuying and took two steps forward, saying, “Seventh Sister, don’t worry. When we return, I’ll tell Grandmother everything, truthfully and in detail.”

  For some reason, Qin Shuying’s nose tingled at those words. But she merely smiled faintly and said nothing.

  Madam Xu sat there, her gaze vacant, mindlessly patting Xu Peiwei’s back. She could already imagine the fury that awaited her upon returning home, and her head ached terribly.

  Her thoughts were a tangled mess when, after an unknown amount of time, the constable leader returned with several matrons, escorting a disheveled and pale-faced Qin Yunyun.

  The moment Qin Yunyun saw Madam Xu, she broke into sobs.

  But when she turned her head and caught sight of Qin Shuying’s poised and serene figure, her entire body froze.

  “You… you…”

  Qin Yunyun could not utter another word. In an instant, she realized the truth—That ten thousand taels of silver were gone, her own chastity destroyed, and her future utterly ruined.

  Her vision darkened, and she colpsed in a dead faint.

  Cailuan screamed, throwing herself over Qin Yunyun. Caiying stood frozen for a moment before moving to help lift her.

  As she gnced up inadvertently, her gaze fell on Qin Shuying. Although the veil covered Qin Shuying’s face, Caiying could not shake the certainty that beneath that veil, Qin Shuying’s eyes must be dark, bright, and resolute.

  Eyes belonging to someone with unwavering determination and extraordinary willpower.

  She thought of her own mother, and her own future… No, there was no future left.

  As Qin Yunyun’s maid, her fate was sealed.

  A single tear slipped down Caiying’s cheek.

  In the past, Madam Xu had known that her mother-in-w and sister-in-w disliked Qin Shuying. Qin Shuying had visited their household once or twice, and she had only ever thought of her as a reserved, delicate girl.

  (Btw: This Madam Xu is from the First Madam Xu's daughter-in-w. I know it is a bit confusing, so I'm going to call her Young Madam Xu to differentiate the 2 in the next chapter.)

  After all, Qin Shuying was merely the niece of her husband’s mother. Madam Xu had never paid much attention to her.

  But today… it seemed her mother-in-w and sister-in-w had gravely misjudged her.

  And now, the greater headache was her sister-in-w’s loss of chastity. How was her marriage to be settled now?

  In the ensuing chaos, the constable leader arranged for the women to be escorted safely back to the Xu residence.

  Madam Xu sat numbly in the carriage, holding Qin Yunyun in her left arm and Xu Peiwei in her right. Her mind was a whirl of confusion.

  The womenfolk had all been thrown into disorder, yet it was Qin Shuying who quietly took charge. She calmly instructed the Xu family’s carriage to first return the Qin family’s women to their residence before returning to the Xu household.

  The nannies beside Madam Xu and Nanny Yang looked at Qin Shuying as if she were some terrifying creature.

  Nanny Yang knew very well that their young miss had set a trap—and it was Qin Shuying who had flipped the entire situation back onto her.

  It was terrifying.

  The carriage wheels rattled monotonously against the road. Qin Shuying sat with her eyes half-closed, a thousand thoughts swirling in her mind.

  Qin Yunyun… this is what you deserve.

  If it failed once, she would try again. In Qin Yunyun’s eyes, her chastity was as worthless as dust, something to be trampled at will.

  Fortunately, she had lived a previous life in this very city and knew the yout of these backstreets. She knew that behind a certain kind of shop, there was almost always a small alley leading to the men's trine, often cluttered with discarded items.

  No one would ever expect that a young dy of an official family would pass through a men's trine without a second gnce—slipping through it, cutting down the alleyway, exiting outside another shop, and weaving through the winding streets back to safety.

  By the time she, Ziteng, and Luye returned to the street, the mob had already gone off toward the carpenter’s shop.

  And they were behind them.

  The crowd’s sole purpose had been to seize the “Yaoniang.” Naturally, no one paid attention to Qin Lulu. Qin Lulu had remained on the street, still trying to expin to passersby, “They’ve got the wrong person! That’s my Sixth Sister, not some Yaoniang!”

  Meanwhile, Uncle Luo had received Qin Shuying’s instructions the day before. He had gathered a group of trusted men, discreetly following the Xu family’s carriage all day.

  Uncle Luo had even disguised himself and followed Qin Shuying into the pastry shop, meeting her face-to-face.

  When he saw Qin Shuying being chased back to the carpenter’s shop, he was ready to act—but without her orders, he dared not move, afraid of ruining her pn.

  Soon enough, he saw Qin Shuying reappear, calmly leading Ziteng and Luye back to the street.

  She had swiftly instructed him to prepare for the next stage of the trap.

  As for the rabble-rousers shouting nonsense about Qin Yunyun being Yaoniang—those, too, were people pced by Uncle Luo under Qin Shuying’s orders.

  After arranging everything, Qin Shuying had donned the veil prepared by Uncle Luo and reappeared on the street, pretending to bump into Qin Lulu and persuading her to report to the authorities.

  The men Qin Shuying had cultivated had cost her a fortune.

  She had instructed Uncle Luo to begin recruiting long before the new year, spending heavily to gather reliable people. They rarely interacted day-to-day; only when needed would tasks be issued yer by yer.

  Her network was divided into five yers. Each yer only communicated with the one directly above. No one below knew who sat higher.

  It was a method she had learned in her previous life, overhearing it from foreign merchants.

  At the very top was Qin Shuying herself. Beneath her was Uncle Luo and his wife. Below them were four trusted lieutenants. Under them, eight carefully selected men. And finally, at the lowest level—the temporary hirelings, the rough men who stirred up the crowd today.

  Yes, the st yer was temporary. Disposable.

  For the sake of secrecy. They knew exactly what kind of riffraff was easiest to manipute.