The arrival of Xiang did not attract too much attention from Xie Yun. Bao Feng was also stimulated by the matter and forced himself to calm down and not look for her. This already cold scene actually helped her long-planned scheme.

  Spring sunshine warms, yellow orioles tremble on branches. Qin Miao sits at the back hall's table in a daze.

  "Miss, the young shopkeeper just came to say that the General's wife has invited you over and wants our Qingfeng shop to make a few spring shirts." Yulu entered with a rustling of curtains and whispered softly in her ear.

  General's Mansion? Never heard of it.

  "Go and ask Xiao Zhanggui to come in." Qin Miao put away her lazy nature, tidied up her clothes, and waited for Xiao Zhanggui to enter.

  "Is the master looking for me?" asked Xiao Zhanggui spiritedly.

  "You said General's Mansion has invited us. How come I've never heard that Zhenyang City still has a character like the General's Mansion?"

  Xiao Zhanggui said: "The master doesn't know, it's also possible. I just heard about it recently. The General's Mansion was originally located in Yuzhang, but somehow the newly appointed General took over a mansion and opened the government office in Xunyang."

  It's indeed so. Looks like she's the new noble of Jinzhou City. Qin Miao asked again, "Do you know the origin of General's wife or what her hobbies are?"

  Xiao Zhanggui's heart skipped a beat: "This...has never happened before. The people in this mansion want you to leave today, and I haven't even had time to prepare. Just now, I hastily asked a question and only knew that the lady is newly arrived from the capital, not more than twenty years old. Nothing else is clear."

  A noblewoman from the capital city? This newcomer already knows the name of Qingfengpu. Qin Miao always felt that something was slightly off. But since the other party started with such grandeur, she hurriedly set off. The local snakes and tigers in Nanjing City were not to be trifled with by a weak woman like her.

  After carefully packing up, let Yulu wear a set of new clothes and a fashionable shirt, and they set off soon.

  Xiao Zhanggui said that the General's Mansion was a temporary residence, and when Qin Miao and others got off at the border gate, they also secretly confirmed Zhanggui's statement. The mansion is located in a not very conspicuous alley in the west of the city, and the carriage road in front of the door is not very spacious, unlike the Zhang Mansion which occupies a good location.

  The gatekeeper's wife looked at the note, hesitated for a moment, and then led her and Yulu into the mansion. The side door was directly connected to the corridor, and the mansion was not large, so they quickly passed through the hanging flower gate. However, as they walked further, Qin Miao became increasingly suspicious in her heart. According to what she knew, the mansion shouldn't be too far away from the general's wife's residence, but after walking for a while, they still hadn't arrived.

  The winding path in front of me twists and turns, with seven bends and eight turns, and the leading little girl only leads people to a row of outhouses.

  Qin Miao and Yu Lu exchanged a glance, both seeing the surprise in each other's eyes. Not to mention their own origins from the Marquis' residence, they had also visited many mansions in Jiangning City over the past two years. The house in front of them was obviously a guest house for a wealthy family.

  Qin Miaoxin's mind flashed with a thread of unease, this was the natural reaction of being bitten by a snake for ten years and fearing the rope. Given her previous experiences at the Zhang residence, she couldn't help but be more cautious. Just as she looked around hesitantly, the door that had been slightly ajar creaked open from inside.

  "It's you!"

  A person she hadn't seen in years suddenly appeared before her, and even if she was calm, she couldn't help but feel a flash of panic and confusion.

  Lao Tai Tai bowed respectfully and said: "The mistress is waiting for you inside." Then she slipped away to one side.

  Now that Lao Lao has appeared, it must be him in the house.

  Madam? Hmph. Qin Miao curled up her lips and walked forward with an extremely mocking attitude. That air, Liao Yiyi still thought she was in the Hou Mansion of those years, while the one in front of her was still the same as before.

  "Jade Dew, wait for me at the door. No need to come in." This was clearly not about doing business with Qingfeng, but rather looking for trouble. Little Jade Dew saw Lao Tai Tai here and her heart was also clear as a mirror. However, the little one's eyes sparkled with fire, her small face flushed red, just like a wild cat that had been provoked.

  The interior was as simple as a hotel room. The only table in the house had him sitting beside it. He still had a gentle smile, charming eyes, and after two years, he looked just as outstanding.

  At that moment, Qin Miao felt that the scene before her was eerily similar to the day she had gone to Yu Suo Ge to see her. One person standing at the door, one person sitting by the table. For some reason, a thread of pain surged up in her heart.

  Invisible sparks collided in the air, that was an unnamable exploration and confrontation between women, which originated from nothingness but never extinguished. Finally, Xiang couldn't help but speak up.

  "What's wrong, old friends meet again, but it's so unfamiliar."

  "What kind of old friend are you to me? Even if we once lived under the same roof for a few days, you're not worthy of being called an old friend. Xiangxiang girl!"

  Qin Miao deliberately emphasized the two words "young lady", saying them with extreme thickness. Young lady, young lady, can be a good family's virtuous daughter, but also can be a prostitute in a red-tiled brothel. As for Xingxiang, it was naturally the latter.

  Qin Miao wasn't that stupid, and she could hear the sarcasm in her words. This woman usually behaved very properly when she was at the Hou Mansion, but who would have thought that her tongue was so poisonous? Her origins were a wound that no one dared to touch upon. Those were days of begging for food in the dark, filthy and unbearable.

  As soon as she saw Qin Miao's familiar yet detestable face, a nameless anger surged up in her heart. But thinking again, what was there to fear? She wasn't the former Madame Hou, not even comparable in status.

  "Hmph, you're a woman who's been wandering around the streets, showing off your face and now you still dare to be so arrogant. Do you think you're still in the Hou Mansion? Do you think you're still that woman standing beside Master Hou? Wake up, now you're just a commoner, while I'm the one standing high above!"

  "Do you know what a grass citizen is? It's me letting you live if I want you to live, and you die if I want you to die. Understand?"

  As soon as these words came out, the resentment and anger in Xiangxiang's heart were alleviated a lot. This is probably what it feels like to be in a high position, being able to insult and bully others at will.

  "Oh~ I think, the one who hasn't woken up yet is you, isn't it? Jingxiang girl!" Again emphasizing the word "girl", this is to make Jingxiang recognize her own identity and put herself in the right position.

  "Regardless of who the current mistress of the Hou Manor is. But...” Qin Miao narrowed her eyes as she approached Xingxiang, with a hint of slyness and teasing: “Absolutely not you.”

  Xin Xiang was already feeling uneasy, and being provoked by her like this made her even more unsteady. She had also exchanged blows with Qin Miao before, but at that time, Qin Miao hadn't said anything harsh to her. So she naturally thought that Qin Miao was someone easy to handle, not realizing that her confidence seemed to see right through people's hearts.

  "Hmph... what do you know. Nowadays, in the Hou Manor's backyard, I'm the only one who matters, whatever I say goes. Matters of reputation are just a matter of time." Xingxiang struggled for herself, and she indeed thought so of herself.

  Qin Miao couldn't help but burst out laughing, knowing she was a foolish person, but never thought she'd be this foolish.

  "I just said one sentence, and you've stripped yourself bare. So I'm saying, you're absolutely not some lady, and you don't even have the qualifications to discuss friendship with me. Because, you're not worthy."

  "Qin Miao!" Only then did Jin Xiang realize that Qin Miao's words were not certain, but rather deceiving her.

  Qin Miao picked a nearby chair and sat down comfortably, continuing to smile and raise an eyebrow: "I'll take a guess... This time you must be trying to use your wife as a shield to teach me a lesson, thinking that Xie Yan likes new things and gets tired of old ones, letting me give up on Xie Yan, or simply disappearing without warning like last time, so that Xie Yan can't find me again. Is that right?"

  Just as Xiang was about to speak, she interrupted him with one hand: "Hmph~ Don't be in a hurry. You're just overestimating yourself. You think that just because of you, Xie Yun would give me the cold shoulder or look down on me? I forgot to tell you something - your existence has no effect on my attitude towards Xie Yun. Back then, I left not because of you. And now, seeing Xie Yun again is also not because of you. In my eyes, you've always been too self-righteous."

  "You did a lot of things back then, do you think I don't know? Hmm?" It was an extremely provocative and disdainful gaze that pierced through Qin Xiang's heart. She wasn't sure if Qin Miao was still deceiving her this time, and for a moment, she was speechless.

  "Looking at your silly face, I really don't want to waste my breath on you. But as you said, we've met before, so I'll satisfy your curiosity."

  "You were born in a brothel and are naturally skilled in the tricks of the trade. Even if you pretend to be innocent, I still know that you're not pregnant at all, it's all just an act. It's a ruse you used to deceive Xie Zhu and drive us apart."

  Xin Xiang didn't think so, at that time, she had already guessed a bit that Qin Miao might have known. So she took the lead to tell Xie Yan about Qin Miao and Qin Lang's meeting, diverting Xie Yan's attention. "This is just your wild guess. After the big fire, I indeed saw Hong Luo fall into labor, and the doctors all diagnosed it. How could it be fake?"

  "So, today I'll teach you a lesson. In the future, when finding someone to do something bad, don't be so stingy and cheap, give money and make sure it's enough. Sorry about that, your Zheng Daifu, under my heavy bribe, was completely shaken off. However... tsk tsk tsk... what he said really is a bit dirty."

  Jingxiang was now greatly disturbed in her mind, knowing that Qin Miao was not deceiving her and had indeed grasped something.

  "You've been taking a medicine called Hunxiang Wan to maintain your figure and looks since you left the brothel, but the cost is that you'll never be able to get pregnant. However, it's clear that you don't quite believe in this, as you've actually found an outside man to have an affair with, and even tried to seduce Doctor Zheng into doing the same thing with you. Alas... what can I say about you? Your methods are truly impressive, killing a thousand enemies but losing eight hundred of your own troops - it's really admirable, Qinxiang girl!"

  Upon hearing this, Xingxiang, who had already been greatly startled in her heart, jumped up from her chair, trembling all over and forcing herself to argue: "What nonsense are you talking about! Do you think these words would be believed by Master Hou? If he believed them, I would have been done for long ago, why would he keep me until today?" What's going on here? Today was supposed to be the day she triumphantly trampled over Qin Miao, but instead things had turned upside down. She was furious, truly furious!

  "Xie Xuan? Whether he believes it or not, has nothing to do with me. Besides, back then I didn't even bother telling him these things. He got himself into trouble, let him get himself out of it. I, Qin Miao, haven't fallen so low that I need to fight and argue with a mere woman to compete for a man's attention. So, in my eyes, you have always been nonexistent, unimportant, and unworthy!"

  Non-existent, unimportant, and unworthy! The fragrance of the woman's perfume still lingered as she sat down, as if she had been heavily beaten. The woman in front of her was still so beautiful, yet so arrogant. She thought that with those tactics, she could make the two of them become estranged and their relationship come to an end. And indeed, it proved effective, didn't it? But now this woman is saying that her leaving has nothing to do with herself, and from start to finish, she never took those self-satisfied tactics seriously. How dare she!

  Just as he was thinking of how to turn things around, a commotion broke out outside the house, followed by the sound of the door being kicked open with great force.

  "I'll pay off my own karma! It's not worth you fighting for me! Qin Miao, this is the love and admiration you had for me back then!"

  It was Xie Xuan who came in.