Volume One, Chapter Seven: The Deception Escalates Again

Upon hearing Xie Qiqi’s words, Yue Yue’s eyes flashed with a hint of cunning.

“Sister, is this the lily-of-the-valley jade bracelet you were talking about?” Yue Yue asked plaintively as she lifted Yue Huijuan’s sleeve.

On Yue Huijuan’s wrist, as white and smooth as jade, was a vibrant green jade bracelet.

Wasn’t this exactly the lily-of-the-valley jade bracelet, a treasured heirloom passed down from their grandmother?

Xie Qiqi stared in astonishment, all her protests caught unexpectedly in her throat.

“Sister, didn’t you say that grandmother’s jade bracelet looked old-fashioned and that she didn’t like it, so she gave it to me?” Yue Yue said with a hint of grievance. “I thought since Mother is older and more composed, this bracelet would suit her better, so I passed it on to her!”

“Sister, I know you’ve been targeting me ever since you returned, but you shouldn’t lie and slander me like this…” Yue Yue’s lips curled into a quick sneer.

Fool! Do you believe whatever I say blindly?

That lily-of-the-valley jade bracelet is a precious heirloom of the Xie family. How could I not make good use of it to honor its value!

Xie Qiqi’s heart sank heavily; she had fallen for Yue Yue’s trap once again!

“Mother, Second Brother, it’s not like that. Yue Yue deliberately misled me…” Yue Huijuan snapped sharply.

“Enough, Qiqi! You’ve disappointed me too much! Before, at Jiangxue Pavilion, you slandered Yue’er, and I hadn’t even asked you about it yet!” Yue Huijuan chided sternly.

“When did your heart become so wicked? Do you realize that destroying the Crown Princess’s precious painting could have cost Yue’er her life? Are you really so full of hatred for her?”

Yue Yue bowed her head, tears rolling down as she sobbed.

“Mother, don’t blame Sister. Maybe she was just afraid of the Crown Princess’s punishment…” she stammered.

Yue Huijuan tenderly took out a handkerchief to wipe Yue Yue’s tears, scolding in the meantime.

“Yue’er, don’t speak for her. I’ve finally seen through her — she’s jealous because we treat you well, so she keeps targeting you!”

Xie Qiqi looked at her mother in shock.

She opened her mouth, trying several times before finally uttering in a trembling voice, “Mother… you don’t believe me either?”

Without looking up, Yue Huijuan said coldly, “Seeing is believing. How can I trust you after all you’ve done?”

Despite being over forty, Yue Huijuan’s beautiful face bore a strong resemblance to Yue Yue’s — about sixty percent alike, right down to the expression in their eyes.

Compared to her own slender, small frame, Yue Yue was much more like their mother’s true daughter.

Xie Qiqi tried to defend herself in a quivering voice. “Mother, I really didn’t target Yue Yue. It was always her targeting me. She said she hates me…”

Before she could finish, Xie Wentao slapped her across the face.

Not satisfied, he kicked her to the ground and yelled.

“Xie Qiqi, do you think we’re blind? Since you came back, when haven’t you been targeting Yue’er?”

“Take this bracelet, for example. Didn’t you swear just now it was Yue’er who dropped it? So why is it still on Mother’s wrist, perfectly fine?”

Xie Qiqi lay on the ground after being kicked, unable to hold back as she spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.

Seeing this, Xie Wentao crouched down and pressed her head down, sneering.

“What’s this? The scam’s upgraded again? Bit your tongue to fake being beaten till you spit blood?”

Xie Qiqi curled up in pain, unable to speak.

Xie Wentao ground her head against the ground as he pressed it down. “Keep making excuses. Let’s see what other tricks you’ll try.”

Looking at Xie Wentao’s sharply defined face, she recalled how, when she was drowning in the icy lake, he had turned his head coldly, refusing to help.

What had she been hoping for?

At that life-or-death moment, Xie Wentao let her die without a second thought. How could she expect him to regret her coma now?

Yue Yue watched Xie Qiqi being beaten by Xie Wentao and felt a surge of joy.

Xie Qiqi, just a tiny jade bracelet has left you speechless. Do you still want to compete with me?

Yue Huijuan felt a twinge of pity and admonished, “Wentao, you’re too violent! No matter what, Qiqi is still your sister. How can you treat her like this?”

Xie Wentao replied carelessly, “Mother, jade must be carved to become a gem. You pamper her too much, which is why she’s spoiled and lawless! If Xie Qiqi doesn’t learn discipline, she’ll only disgrace the Xie family!”

Yue Huijuan rubbed her temples, feeling a headache as she looked at Xie Qiqi.

This child was so obedient and sensible when she was young, how did she change so much since coming back?

Such a twisted character, full of lies and scheming — who did she learn it from?

Wentao is right; if she’s not properly disciplined, she’ll be ruined.

With that thought, she spoke sternly.

“Qiqi, you slandered Yue’er several times before, and I didn’t take it seriously. But indulging you only made things worse. If you don’t behave, you’ll only make bigger mistakes!”

“Punishment: go kneel in the ancestral hall. Copy the ‘Woman’s Precepts’ one hundred times. Only when finished may you come out.”

Xie Wentao looked at Xie Qiqi, then with a mischievous glint in his eyes said, “Mother, the ancestral hall is too cold. Qiqi might not endure it. Let’s change the punishment.”

Yue Yue frowned, looking at Xie Wentao. Was Second Brother feeling sorry for Xie Qiqi? Was he pleading on her behalf?

Xie Wentao pointed at the snowy ground with a teasing tone.

“Mother, make her kneel here for two hours. This place is busy, so any tricks she tries will be obvious. In the ancestral hall, no one watches her — she’d just fake fainting again!”

Hearing this, Yue Yue almost burst out laughing.

How angry must Second Brother be at Xie Qiqi to come up with such a plan?

Ha! Let her kneel here in front of the whole Xie family and show everyone how disgraceful she is. This is far more entertaining than kneeling in the ancestral hall!

Yue Huijuan saw nothing wrong with Xie Wentao’s idea and nodded.

“Qiqi, your Second Brother is pleading for you… so kneel here for two hours. After that, return to your room to copy the ‘Woman’s Precepts.’”

Xie Qiqi watched helplessly as her mother left with Yue Yue’s support.

She could bear her eldest and second brother favoring Yue Yue, but not her mother.

She was the one who brought her into this world!

She was the one who taught her to speak her first words!

More than that, she was the one who stayed up sleeplessly to care for her when she was sick!

During those eight years as an official’s servant, she never hated her mother. She kept telling herself that her mother loved her but had no choice.

But now, Xie Qiqi no longer felt so sure…

“Still not kneeling? Do you want me to force you down?” Xie Wentao coldly said as he grabbed her collar and pushed her down to kneel.

Xie Qiqi stared blankly at Xie Wentao. No matter how cold the snow was, it couldn’t chill her heart as deeply.

This merciless, ungrateful brother — she didn’t want him anymore!

Mother was just blinded by Yue Yue’s lies. After kneeling for two hours, she would make things clear to her.

The snow on the ground hadn’t melted yet, and soon the cold would pierce to the bone.

Xie Qiqi pinched her severed finger from time to time; the pain kept her awake.

If she fainted again, Second Brother wouldn’t care. He would just say she was using tricks again. She would never give him another chance to tarnish her reputation.

People came and went around her as she knelt in the snow, and she could feel the maids pointing and whispering about her.

She could hear their murmurs.

“The lady is kind-hearted and only punished her to kneel for two hours. Such a person deserves to kneel for days and nights!”

“Yan’er used to be so obedient. If she hadn’t been unlucky enough to learn bad habits from the wrong mistress, she wouldn’t have been beaten so badly…”

Yan’er!

That name shook Xie Qiqi’s drowsy mind awake.

Yan’er had just been punished with twenty lashes by her eldest and second brothers, and no one knew if she was alive or dead yet!