Chapter 65
Chapter 65: Xiu He’s Warning
Xiao Man had stayed up so long her eyes were bloodshot, shadows bruising the skin beneath them.
She kept watch over Lin Qing Xuan day and night, afraid to blink too long, afraid the next breath would go wrong.
At last her body gave out. She called Chen Shi from the courtyard.
“Stone, you watch the young master today. I… I can’t take it anymore. I need to go sleep.”
Lin Qing Xuan watched her sway and felt his brow draw tight. “Go rest. I’m fine.”
Xiao Man practically floated back to her room.
She had barely touched the edge of the bed when soft knocks came at the door.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
“Who is it?”
Xiao Man startled upright.
“Xiao Man, it’s me. Xiu He.”
She steadied herself, crossed the room, and opened the door.
Xiu He slipped inside like a fish, then shut the door quickly behind her. Her voice dropped low, urgent. “Don’t be scared. When I heard your courtyard had trouble, Dong Chun and I nearly lost our minds.”
“Dong Chun tried to rush over more than once. I held her back every time.”
She glanced toward the window, as if afraid even the walls might listen, then continued, fast and sharp. “One, we didn’t want to disturb Eldest Grandson Young Master while he’s recovering. Two… after the Zheng Xiu Yun mess, the whole manor is crouched like a nest of quails. No one dares breathe too loudly. They’re terrified First Madam Wang—that living King Yama—will ‘handle’ them too.”
“Sister Xiu He,” Xiao Man asked, still hazy, “is it really that bad?”
Xiu He reached out and took her hand. It was cold as ice. Sympathy flickered across her face. “It’s over. She’s already been dealt with.”
Then her expression sharpened again. “I came to tell you something. You need to keep it in your heart.”
She leaned closer. “That bottle of Spring Wind Intoxicant wasn’t some sudden bad idea after she entered the manor.”
“Our people found out she bought that filthy thing on the black market before she ever set foot here.”
Xiao Man’s pupils tightened.
Xiu He patted her hand once, firm and steady. “So don’t underestimate Zheng Xiu Yun. From the start she knew exactly what she wanted—Eldest Grandson Young Master. She came to leap straight into the heavens.”
She gave a short, scornful huff. “But think. A sixth-rank nobody’s daughter—where did she get the nerve to stir trouble in the Heir Apparent’s Manor?”
“Do you think she’d dare if someone hadn’t been behind her, feeding her sweet lies and painting her a dream?”
Xiu He’s mouth twisted. “Do you remember that birthday banquet in the Drifting Cloud Hall? The one that was supposedly for Third Miss?”
She snorted. “Birthday? Please. That was a matchmaking banquet for Eldest Grandson Young Master. Noble ladies packed the place—every one of them trying to wedge a foot into this manor. And what happened? Not one succeeded.”
“Everyone thought it ended there.” Her eyes flashed. “Then Miss Zheng came and tossed herself at the door.”
Xiu He spoke quickly, as if reciting a bitter ledger. “She’s the daughter of First Madam Wang’s maternal cousin. Her birth mother died early. Her father is a useless sixth-rank official whose luck ran out. He remarried, and the stepmother hated Zheng Xiu Yun, called her dead weight, wanted her married off to any stray cat or dog just to be rid of her.”
“But Miss Zheng’s pride was taller than the sky. She looked down on every match her family offered, so she ran here to seek shelter with her aunt in the Heir Apparent’s Manor.”
“And the moment she stepped into this place, wealth blinded her. She couldn’t even walk straight.”
Xiu He’s voice turned sharp with meaning. “First Madam Wang isn’t stupid. She lifted her up on purpose. A hairpin today, a dress tomorrow—sweet enough to make a fool believe she could sprout wings and become a phoenix.”
“In the end, what was Zheng Xiu Yun?” Xiu He’s eyes hardened. “A chess piece.”
“A piece used to test the Buddhist Scion… and a piece meant to strike you, to make you retreat.”
Her mouth curled. “Too bad the piece was so stupid it blew itself apart before anyone even moved it.”
Xiao Man felt the words sink into her bones, heavy as stones.
Xiu He gripped her shoulders gently and forced her to sit. Then she crouched in front of her, looking straight into her eyes, voice slow and unmistakably clear.
“Xiao Man, Old Madam asked me to warn you.”
“Don’t be fooled by First Madam Wang praying to Buddha. Her obsession with status and bloodline is deeper than the sea.”
“You’re a good miss. Anyone with eyes can see it. But you must keep one thing clear: even if you truly end up with Eldest Grandson Young Master, don’t even dream about the position of principal wife. That sky is out of your reach.”
She didn’t soften the last line. She couldn’t. “Don’t chase impossible dreams. Otherwise, Zheng Xiu Yun’s today will become your tomorrow.”
When Xiu He left, Xiao Man sank onto the cold stool as if someone had pulled every thread out of her body.
She knew.
Of course she knew.
She had seen what happened to Little Peach and the others—sold off like livestock, lives tossed like scraps. Who cared whether they lived or died?
And she had heard Zheng Xiu Yun’s fate with her own ears.
An official’s daughter? So what?
In First Madam Wang’s hands, even that kind of “dignity” tore like paper. Used when useful. Discarded when dirty.
Beat her. Send her away. No explanation required. No defense allowed.
A chill climbed up Xiao Man’s spine and bloomed behind her eyes, freezing her from the inside out.
What a man-eating world.
What a damned place.
Was a woman’s life really meant to be trampled, cheap as weeds by the road?
No.
She refused.
Smack.
She slapped herself hard enough to sting. The sharp pain cleared her mind like cold water.
Lin Qing Xuan was good.
He was truly good to her.
But could love feed her?
Could it keep her safe, year after year, when everything around her could be decided with one sentence from a higher seat?
How long could tenderness last against power?
She couldn’t gamble her life on a man’s favor.
She would not.
Her breath shuddered out, and something in her gaze changed—fear and fog peeling away, leaving a hard, bright edge.
She had to get out.
She had to leave the Wang family—this gilded cage that looked like a palace and lived like a prison.
She would live for herself, just once.
Leave the manor.
Find the freedom that truly belonged to her.
The thought had never burned this fiercely.