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Qin Xuan hurried to Fang Yuean’s bedside and anxiously touched her forehead.
Er’er, quietly playing on a soft mat on the floor, noticed her mother rushing in. After observing for a moment, she stood up, walked to the bed, and tugged on Qin Xuan’s sleeve.
“Mother, Sister is just very sleepy. She’s fine.”
Qin Xuan let out a sigh of relief, a smile appearing on her face. She knelt down and patted Er’er’s head.
“Alright, let her sleep a little longer. Let’s go have lunch.”
Before Qin Xuan could turn around, Fang Yuean suddenly sat up, rubbing her eyes. “Is it time to eat?”
Qin Xuan smiled indulgently and picked her up. “You scared me. I thought you were sick. Let’s have lunch first, then you can sleep more afterward.”
Yawning, Fang Yuean nodded.
Qin Xuan handed her to Hong Ye, who carried her off to get dressed and groomed.
Meanwhile, Fang Miaoyi remained confined to her own Residence for reflection.
At the dining hall in the east Residence, only the mother and her two daughters sat around the round table.
Er’er ate slowly and carefully, while Fang Yuean, holding a wooden spoon, was shoveling rice into her mouth aggressively.
Qin Xuan placed a piece of meat on her plate and gently reminded her, “Eat more slowly.”
Fang Yuean looked up, her face dotted with rice grains, and gave Qin Xuan a bright smile. “Thank you, Mother!”
Qin Xuan brushed the rice grains off her face and said lovingly, “Go ahead and eat.”
Fang Yuean resumed devouring her food.
Just then, Hong Xiang came in with a letter. “Madam, a letter has arrived from the eldest young lady.”
Fang Zhiyi’s husband was working in a distant post. Since her marriage, she hadn’t returned home due to the long journey, and mother and daughter relied on letters to stay in touch.
Qin Xuan’s face lit up with joy. “Quickly, let me see it.”
Ever since the incident with Cao Yaxian, she had felt an inexplicable sense of unease and had been particularly worried about her daughter. She had recently sent two letters in succession, though they likely hadn’t arrived yet.
This letter was written proactively by her daughter.
Nanny Lei handed her the letter, carefully opened it, and passed the paper to her.
Qin Xuan read it quickly, feeling both relieved and emotional, a single tear falling down her cheek.
She turned to Nanny Lei and said, “Zhiyi says she’s doing well and tells me not to worry. But I can’t shake this vague sense of worry.”
Nanny Lei poured more tea and comforted her. “It’s only natural, Madam. With such a distance between you, your concern is understandable. But the eldest young lady has already passed her tribulation, and her future days will surely be peaceful and happy.”
Holding the letter close to her chest, Qin Xuan sighed. It had been over a year since she last saw her eldest daughter, and she missed her dearly.
A little over a year ago, Fang Zhiyi had attended a poetry gathering where she was set up and lost her innocence. Fearing she would tarnish the reputation of her younger sisters, she had attempted to hang herself when no one was looking.
Fortunately, Fang Xunli, who had been trying to cheer her up during those days by bringing childhood toys, happened to find her in time and saved her.
But in Jingguo, such situations were unyielding. If a woman couldn’t marry the one who wronged her, her only options were death or becoming a nun.
Fang Zhiyi had chosen the most decisive path.
Qin Xuan knew her daughter was willing to sacrifice herself to protect her younger sisters’ reputations. However, as a mother, she couldn’t stand by and watch her daughter perish.
It was then that the man in question came forward, swearing that he would treat Fang Zhiyi well.
Qin Xuan didn’t believe in empty promises. Wanting to maintain everyone’s dignity, she gave no definitive response.
In the end, Fang Zhiyi approached her and expressed her willingness to marry the man.
Qin Xuan didn’t immediately agree. She waited until her investigation confirmed that the man wasn’t behind the scheme and hadn’t orchestrated the events. Only then did she begin to relent. After further probing his background, she found that his family was decent and kind-hearted.
Although the man was a scholar with humble means, Qin Xuan agreed to the marriage. To ensure her daughter wouldn’t suffer, she provided a generous dowry.
At the table, Fang Yuean placed her now-empty bowl down. She picked up grains of rice from the table with her tiny fingers and popped them into her mouth.
“Big Sister is lying to you. She doesn’t want you to worry.”
Her in-laws were all awful people who often mistreated her.
What’s more, she herself doesn’t realize that the woman she’s currently helping through postpartum confinement is my eldest brother-in-law’s mistress.
Back then, the reason Eldest Sister agreed to marry that man was because members of the second household, under the guise of visiting her, secretly blamed and criticized her while Mother wasn’t home. This made her feel even more guilty about burdening her younger sisters.
Eldest Sister didn’t want to sadden Mother and Brother, nor did she want to implicate her younger sisters. That’s why she decided to get married.
Qin Xuan’s hand slowly crumpled the letter against her chest, as though she could feel her heart bleeding.
She rose slowly. “I miss Zhiyi. I need her to come home so I can see her with my own eyes and feel at ease.”
“Hong Xiang, prepare paper and ink.”
Recalling what Yuean said about Zhiyi’s in-laws being awful, Qin Xuan worried they might not let her daughter return. So at the end of her letter, she deliberately added: If you return promptly, you may be able to enter the palace with us and receive an imperial reward.
Still, a hint of doubt lingered in Qin Xuan’s heart. When she had investigated her son-in-law’s background back then, the report clearly stated that his family was honest and reliable.
But Yuean’s words couldn’t be false.
And the people she sent to investigate back then were unquestionably trustworthy.
So where had things gone wrong?
Could it have been the second household?
The thought sent a chill through Qin Xuan, and her hand on the table curled slightly, leaving deep scratches in the wood with her nails.
As evening approached, Fang Xunli finally returned from outside.
He leaned close to his mother and whispered, “In three days, I’ll accompany Lord Guo to the palace.”
Qin Xuan clutched her handkerchief tightly, feeling slightly reassured but even more concerned.
Not wanting to distract him, she chose not to mention Fang Zhiyi’s situation.
The Next Day
Huai Ze watched Fang Yuean, who had risen early and was staring at him constantly. It made his skin crawl.
Fang Yuean grinned: Last night, Guo Lang said the Lin family invited a Taoist priest, and he’s coming today.
Huai Ze looked at her warily: I know that.
Fang Yuean: Then we should go see the commotion, right?
Huai Ze narrowed his eyes slightly: So?
Fang Yuean: I want to watch the fun. Lend me something.
Before Huai Ze could figure out her intentions, she grabbed him, and he felt a sharp pain in his head.
“Ah! What are you doing?!”
He covered the back of his head with his wings, rubbing it furiously.
Fang Yuean held a small tuft of his feathers, placed it in a sachet, and held it in her hand.
She turned to Er’er and asked, “Can you still see me?”
Er’er, who had been blowing on Huai Ze’s head, nodded.
“That’s impossible. Humans shouldn’t be able to see me if I’m carrying your feathers,” Fang Yuean muttered, scratching her head in confusion.
Huai Ze, still rubbing his head, fumed: Don’t forget, she ate the celestial pill.
The previous night, he had also discovered that Er’er could hear the telepathic conversations between him and Yuean.
He had sternly warned her not to tell anyone.
Er’er, far more intelligent than most five-year-olds, eventually nodded in agreement after he explained the pros and cons to her.
Only then did Huai Ze feel at ease.
Fang Yuean climbed out of bed. “I’ll go find someone else to test this on.”
At that moment, Bi He entered with a copper basin, looking at Er’er, who was sitting alone on the bed. She walked over, confirmed there was no one else, and softly asked:
“Sixth Miss, why are you alone?”
Standing beside her, Fang Yuean tilted her head: See, Huai Ze? It works.
“Later, we’ll have Er’er cover for us while we visit the Lin family.”
Er’er: “Okay.”
Huai Ze felt a wave of despair and wiped his face with his wing: Even the celestial pill’s effects shouldn’t allow her to butt into our thoughts like this.
He angrily flew up, circling above Fang Yuean’s head: If you ever give another mortal a celestial pill, I’ll peck you to death!
Why wouldn’t a bolt of heavenly lightning strike her already?
After venting his frustration, Huai Ze reluctantly returned and continued reminding Er’er to maintain her usual behavior and avoid meddling in their telepathic conversations.