Wanqing sat on the bed and suddenly recalled the moment when she had inserted the silver needle into the back of her head upon hearing his arrival. Startled, she reached behind her neck to feel the spot where the needle had been inserted—it was still there.
Had he noticed it or not? The strangeness of it all made Wanqing ponder.
After thinking for a long while, she still found his intentions unfathomable. In the end, she could only tell herself: *This man is hard to deal with. It’s best to avoid him in the future, and if I must interact with him, I must be extremely cautious.*
Unable to figure out what he had come for, and exhausted from the day’s events, Wanqing lay down and soon fell into a deep sleep.
She was awakened by the sound of an argument outside.
“Fourth Miss, our lady has always been frail, and after last night’s fright, she barely slept until very late. She’s still resting now. If you wish to see her, please come back later.”
It was Chunhong, clearly trying to prevent anyone from disturbing her sleep.
“I know last night was terrifying, but whether she was too frightened or too excited to sleep is anyone’s guess. Move aside! If you don’t, we’ll barge in. Drag this wretched girl away! If she won’t wake her up, I’ll kick her awake myself today!”
As soon as Chunhong finished speaking, a sharp, mocking voice rang out, followed by the sound of a slap and Chunhong’s muffled cry. The intruder continued pushing forward.
“You—ah!”
Wanqing heard Chunhong’s protests and then a pained yelp.
“Get lost, you worthless wench!”
“Enough! Fourth Sister, are you here to throw your weight around in my courtyard? Chunhong, get up. Tell me—who hit you just now? Who pushed you?”
Hearing Chunhong’s cries of pain as she was struck and shoved against the door, Wanqing could no longer stay calm. She threw off the covers, grabbed her outer robe, and flung open the door with a cold command.
As the door opened, Chunhong, who had fallen to the ground, looked up at her with tearful eyes, her face full of grievance. Seeing her reddened eyes, Wanqing softened her expression and helped her up with concern. Noticing the slap mark on her cheek, she asked coolly,
“Miss, I’m fine,” Chunhong said, shaking her head tearfully. Though she knew her mistress had changed, she didn’t want to cause trouble—especially since the Fourth Miss had brought not just two burly maids but two others as well.
“You silly girl, your face is swollen, and you’re sitting on the ground—yet you say you’re fine? If you won’t tell me, I’ll have to ask someone else. You—come here. Second Miss is asking you: Who struck Chunhong?”
Wanqing understood that Chunhong didn’t want her to make enemies on her behalf. But this Fourth Sister had never shown her any kindness—only taking advantage when Wanqing was bullied by Mu Wanjun, adding fuel to the fire.
Thinking of Mu Wanxia, who had schemed against the original host until her death, and considering Mu Wanjun’s temperament—if her elder sister had suffered a major setback, she would have been the first to come after Wanqing. Yet the domineering one hadn’t shown up. Instead, the Fourth Miss had arrived.
*No doubt those two sisters knew exactly what happened last night and didn’t dare confront me directly yet, so they sent this reckless fool to test the waters.*
With that in mind, Wanqing decided she no longer needed to be polite. Ignoring Mu Wanyu’s furious glare, she pointed at one of the maids beside her and demanded,
“You—Mu Wanqing! Seems you’ve grown some nerve. I don’t know how your face suddenly broke out in red spots overnight, but trash will always be trash. Don’t think just because the Young Master drank tea here, you can suddenly act like a mistress! You—”
Fourth Miss Mu Wanyu, though also a concubine-born daughter, had always taken advantage when her elder sisters were present to step on Wanqing.
Human nature was like this—those who felt inferior to others dared not challenge their betters but took out their frustrations on those they despised, as if bullying them could compensate for their own insecurities.
Mu Wanyu was exactly like that.
Usually, she fawned over Mu Wanxia and Mu Wanjun, always watching their moods. Today, she had finally been given the task of probing Wanqing’s reaction—and Mu Wanjun had even lent her two hefty maids, Feiya and Fat Niu.
But now, the usually meek Wanqing was openly defying her. Enraged, Mu Wanyu sneered,
Before she could finish, Wanqing stepped forward and slapped her hard across the face.
The crisp, sharp sound left Mu Wanyu stunned. Clutching her cheek, tears welled in her eyes as she gasped, “Y-You dare hit me?”
Before she could react, Wanqing struck her again on the other cheek.
“What if I did? Did you think bringing a few lackeys would scare me? Don’t forget—you’re just a concubine’s daughter like me. What makes you so high and mighty? By seniority, you should call me ‘elder sister,’ yet you shout my name and strike my maid? Since you don’t know your place, I’ll teach you!”
Seeing Mu Wanyu’s tearful glare, Wanqing chuckled coldly. Her palms stung from the force of the slaps, but she smirked and raised her hand again.
“You—listen here, Mu Wanqing! If you dare hit me again, I—*Ah!* You hit me again?! All of you—attack! Beat her senseless! I refuse to believe she’s suddenly invincible!”
Mu Wanyu hadn’t expected Wanqing to strike her mid-sentence. Stumbling back in panic, she hid behind her maids and shrieked orders.
“Miss, hurry inside! Feiya and Fat Niu aren’t easy to deal with—!”
Chunhong, seeing the two burly maids and Mu Wanyu’s attendants Cuixiang and Cuilan rolling up their sleeves, rushed forward despite her own pain, shielding Wanqing.
“Chunhong, step aside. I can handle this. Move back, good girl… If you want a fight, come at me! One at a time or all at once—I don’t care.”
Touched by Chunhong’s bravery, Wanqing gently pushed her aside and faced the advancing maids with icy calm.
“Fine! Since she’s so arrogant, all of you—attack! Let’s see if she can take it!”
Mu Wanyu, though still smarting from the slaps, sneered at Wanqing’s defiance and ordered the four maids to charge.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage