“I, I didn’t do anything to her? I…” Wan Qing’s expression turned startled as she instinctively hid the flowers behind her back, her eyes flickering with unease.
“Give them to me.”
Hongyan’s confusion deepened at her reaction, her face growing colder as she demanded the flowers.
“Sister Hongyan, I can’t give them to you. There’s… there’s something in the flowers…”
Seeing the hidden murderous intent in Hongyan’s eyes, Wan Qing inwardly sneered but feigned guilt, shifting the flowers further behind her.
“Hand them over. Ugh—you wretched girl, why are there wild bees inside? What were you planning to do with so many bees?”
Hongyan’s resolve hardened at her evasion. With a cold retort, she moved swiftly, seizing Wan Qing’s wrist and snatching the flowers before she could react. As Hongyan brought the bouquet close, several wild bees buzzed out from the petals.
The sudden hum and the sight of bees flying toward her made Hongyan fling the flowers to the ground, watching as the bees scattered. Frowning, she demanded, “Why would you bring so many bees here?”
“I—Sister Hongyan, don’t be angry! I just wanted to scare her into revealing who sent her to cause trouble in my courtyard. But she refused to talk, so I thought the bees might frighten her into confessing. I didn’t expect her to react like this. Hehe, Sister Hongyan, you dodged so fast just now—was that qinggong? Can you teach me? Oh, and I also want to learn pressure point techniques, okay? Please, my dearest, most beautiful, kindest, most loving Sister Hongyan…”
Though inwardly mocking Hongyan’s anger, Wan Qing put on a remorseful face, clinging to her sleeve and whining like a spoiled child. Seeing Hongyan’s expression soften slightly, she pressed closer, shaking her arm playfully.
“You… It’s not impossible for you to learn these things. But I can’t decide. If you want to learn, you’ll have to ask the master directly. If he permits me to teach you, then I will. As for this girl—she’s got the nerve to pull such a stunt but can’t even handle a few bees. Hmph. Why don’t we hand her over to Madam Liu? What use is she to you?”
Despite the red welts on her face, the pleading innocence in Wan Qing’s watery eyes made Hongyan hesitate. She didn’t understand—the master treated this girl well, yet when she begged to learn martial arts and pressure points, he had refused and told her to come to him directly.
With a rare sense of helplessness, Hongyan sighed and patted Wan Qing’s shoulder, watching as disappointment flickered across her face. Then she turned to the terrified Xiangmei, puzzled by Wan Qing’s insistence on keeping her.
“Then I’ll go ask Brother Shizi to teach me myself. As for this girl, I have my reasons for keeping her. Hehe, it’s dinnertime—let’s eat! This room is too empty. After dinner, I’ll have someone move the master bedroom’s furnishings here. As for our old room, we’ll ask Madam for new furniture later.”
Wan Qing feigned cheerfulness, though inwardly she knew the man was onto her. She had to prepare quickly—if she clashed with him directly, she’d be the one suffering. Xianglan’s punishment was proof enough; she doubted he’d show mercy if he discovered she’d been the one who…
With a playful tug, she dragged Hongyan toward the dining hall.
The main room, though better furnished than her previous quarters, still paled in comparison to the lavish decor of her elder sister’s or even Xu Yiniang’s chambers. The room where Xiangmei had been kept was too filthy for her or Chunhong to live in, but it could serve another purpose.
Sitting down with a smug smile, Wan Qing remarked, “This place is much better than before, but the furnishings are still… I doubt Madam Liu will give us anything nicer. She’d probably pluck bones from her own flesh first.”
Hongyan, still amused by her earlier pouty disappointment, couldn’t help but chuckle. “With you around, Sister, of course she’ll give in! Hehe, dinner’s here—let’s eat!”
Wan Qing grinned, watching Hongyan’s exasperated expression. As Chunhong brought in the dishes, she eagerly grabbed her chopsticks.
“Ah, Miss Hongyan, my lady has always been like this. Please don’t mind her. I’ll take some food to Xiangmei.”
Chunhong sighed at Wan Qing’s ravenous eating, knowing they’d only recently had decent meals. She quickly explained to Hongyan before heading out with a bowl of rice.
“Wait, Chunhong. Even if she’s a prisoner, we shouldn’t mistreat her. Here, give her some meat and vegetables too.”
Wan Qing stopped her, piling braised pork and other dishes into the bowl.
“Sister Hongyan, try this—it’s delicious! Before Brother Shizi came, I barely saw meat once a year. But enough talk—let’s eat! Ah, life is good when you can feast like this. I wish it could always be like this.”
Hongyan’s expression softened with rare pity. “You really are simple-minded, with such modest wishes. Don’t worry—as long as I’m here, I’ll make sure you have this every day.”
“Sister Hongyan, you’re so kind, just like Brother Shizi. I’m so lucky to have you both!”
Wan Qing beamed, laying on the flattery thick as she served Hongyan another piece of meat.
“Alright,” Hongyan replied, unguarded against her warmth. No one had ever treated her so kindly—not even her master, who had only ever taught her obedience and killing.
As she took another bite, a sudden dizziness washed over her.
“My… my head…”
Confused, she slumped onto the table, her chopsticks clattering to the floor.
“Miss! What did you do to her?”
Chunhong gasped, frozen in shock.
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