Chapter 55: The Disaster That Ruined Her Entire Life Was Orchestrated by Their Own Hands

He Chuan and Fang Yuean finalized their bet, then turned to issue a few orders to their subordinates.

The next moment, the guards dragged forward two black-clad assassins, their mouths stuffed with cloth and their bodies tightly bound with ropes.

“Madam Fang, someone hired three assassins to ambush the eldest Miss Fang on the road. These two are alive—I’ll leave them to you.”

Fang Yuean was shocked. So the one in danger was actually Eldest Sister?

I bet this has something to do with the second branch of the family.

After respectfully watching Prince Dong’an’s entourage leave until they disappeared from sight, Qin Xuan turned around, spotted the head steward of the Eastern Courtyard, and instructed him, “Steward Zhao, take these two away and interrogate them properly. Make sure they talk!”

Her voice carried a chilling edge.

Steward Zhao was a former soldier. He had been injured in battle and could no longer serve in the army.

Fang Zhan, recognizing his loyalty, brought him back to serve in the household.

Steward Zhao accepted the order. With a wave of his hand, six young servants stepped forward and escorted the prisoners away.

He followed, his gait slightly uneven due to his old injury.

Fang Yuean hurried after him. Caught off guard, Steward Zhao nearly tripped.

“Be careful, Fifth Miss.”

Fang Yuean patted his robe near the knee. “Rest whenever you can. Your leg will heal better that way.”

Steward Zhao smiled kindly and nodded in acknowledgment.

Just then, Master Fang rushed out of the manor with Madam Liu, shoving aside the people at the entrance as they anxiously scanned the area.

“Where is Prince Dong’an?” Master Fang demanded.

“He left,” Qin Xuan replied curtly. She didn’t bother with pleasantries and simply took Fang Zhiyi by the hand, leading her and the servants back inside.

Behind them, Madam Liu’s remorseful voice sounded. “Master, it’s all my fault. I ran too slowly.”

Master Fang immediately consoled her in a gentle tone.

Qin Xuan knew that Fang Zhiyi’s mind was brimming with questions, ready to spill over. She instructed the servants to take Fang Yuean and Er’er back to Mingyue Residence.

“Mother and Eldest Sister, have a good talk. I’ll meet you both later in the dining hall,” she explained.

Only after the two nodded did she take Fang Zhiyi’s hand and lead her to Qinghe Courtyard.

Once the door was shut, leaving only the two of them, Fang Zhiyi could no longer hold back her questions.

“Mother, who is that child? Why does she look exactly like Er’er? Where is Miaoyi?”

She bombarded Qin Xuan with questions.

Qin Xuan, however, asked her own in return, “You heard it too, didn’t you?”

When Fang Yuean’s inner voice had echoed just moments ago, Qin Xuan had been watching her daughter closely and had noticed her unusual reaction.

Fang Zhiyi froze for a moment before nodding repeatedly. “Mother, this… this is truly strange.”

“I have so many questions, but I don’t even know where to begin. What has been happening at home? Why didn’t you tell me?”

Qin Xuan patted her daughter’s shoulder. “Don’t worry. Let me tell you everything from the very beginning.”

She pulled Fang Zhiyi down beside her onto the luohan bed, poured her a cup of tea, and began recounting everything.

Since Fang Zhiyi’s marriage and departure, Qin Xuan had withheld all major family troubles from her, except for the news of Fang Zhan’s disappearance. She hadn’t mentioned Er’er’s head injury or anything else.

Now, she laid it all out.

Hearing that her father was safe, Fang Zhiyi finally let go of the heavy weight on her heart.

An hour later, she had taken in the full story—how Fang Zhenzhen had stolen her jade pendant, impersonated her before Prince Qi, and the hidden schemes behind the poetry gathering.

Qin Xuan concluded, “I agree with Yuean’s assessment. These black-clad assassins must have been sent by the second branch. They likely wanted to eliminate you to ensure Fang Zhenzhen could marry Prince Qi without interference.”

Fang Zhiyi sat in stunned silence, unable to process the overwhelming revelations.

First, she was struck by how heartless and cruel her grandfather was—willing to scheme and even kill his own sons for the sake of his second son.

Then, scenes from her childhood, all her interactions with the second branch, flashed uncontrollably through her mind.

All those moments of warmth—they had all been an act.

Their cruelty ran deep, not only harming the people closest to her but also orchestrating the disaster that had ruined her entire life.

She recalled that bitterly cold spring day when she had sat in the dim corner of a locked room, staring blankly at the white silk she had secretly prepared.

The season had been full of warmth and sunshine, but she alone had been trapped in the shadows.

Fang Zhiyi’s heart twisted painfully as if two invisible hands were wrenching it in opposite directions.

All the humiliation and torment she had endured in her husband’s household surged forth, an unstoppable tide of rage.

Her fingers clenched tightly together, nails digging into each other until a thin trickle of blood appeared.

A chill spread down her spine and arms, but it was quickly overtaken by an eruption of fury, sinking into her bones.

Her face remained unreadable, but a storm brewed in her eyes.

At that moment, she was so lost in thought that she forgot to suppress her emotions.

Qin Xuan, watching closely, saw the exhaustion and hardship etched onto her daughter’s face.

Recalling what she had heard about Jiang Shicheng, Qin Xuan’s heart ached even more.

The truth was cruel. She didn’t want her daughter to suffer further, but vile people wouldn’t spare the weak.

Avoiding the problem was no solution.

After a long silence, Qin Xuan spoke first about the plan to expose Fang Zhenzhen.

“I’ve had a thousand missing-person notices written and drawn. Once we distribute them, Prince Qi will know Fang Zhenzhen deceived him. Who knows how he’ll retaliate?”

“As Yuean’s inner voice suggested, once this comes to light, the world will see that the second branch had a clear motive for scheming against you. The incident at the poetry gathering will undoubtedly be linked back to them. They won’t be able to escape suspicion.”

Ever since learning that the second branch had harmed her daughter, Qin Xuan had spent sleepless nights poring over the investigation records sent by the Liang family, hoping to find a clue to seek justice for her daughter.

She had listened carefully when Yuean mentioned how the evidence was subtle and difficult to uncover.

So these past few days, she had studied the records even more diligently, nearly committing them to memory. Yet, she still hadn’t found anything suspicious.

Qin Xuan continued, “As for the jade pendant, I haven’t made a move yet. I was waiting for the right moment. But I also wanted to ask your opinion now that you’re back.”

Back then, when the poetry gathering scandal broke out, rumors had spread rapidly through the capital, growing more twisted with each retelling. Malicious words had wrapped around Fang Zhiyi like a tightening rope.

Qin Xuan hesitated, worried that dredging up the past would unleash another wave of slander upon her daughter.

Fang Zhiyi, who had been silently listening, finally spoke. Her voice was slightly hoarse.

“Mother, I’m not afraid. They must pay for what they’ve done.”

She paused before adding coldly, “A direct revelation would be too easy on them. If we expose everything at once, they won’t truly suffer. What they deserve isn’t a quick execution but a slow and painful downfall.”

“As for the jade pendant—let’s wait. First, let’s hear what the assassins have to say. If this really is connected to Fang Zhenzhen, we might be able to use it against them and carve off a few pieces of their flesh.”

Her voice was eerily calm, yet it carried an icy edge.

Qin Xuan, tears brimming in her eyes, nodded.

“Whatever you decide, I will follow your lead.”

She could no longer hold back her tears.

“It’s all my fault. I failed to protect you. I let them ruin your life.”

Fang Zhiyi rose, walked to her mother, and embraced her.

“Those people are like rats in the gutter, impossible to guard against. How could I blame you? You were a victim too.”

Hearing her daughter’s comforting words, Qin Xuan finally let down her guard and sobbed quietly.

Fang Zhiyi patted her mother’s back, her own eyes turning red.

After a while, she pulled away, observing her mother’s conflicted expression.

“Mother, is there more you need to say?”