Chapter 124

Chapter 124: Forced by Life and Death

“You! You!”

Madam Cui, who had just regained consciousness, almost fainted again from anger. Her trembling fingers pointed accusingly at Sheng Zhi Wan.

Sheng Zhi Wan stepped gracefully forward and gently curled Madam Cui’s finger down. “Mother, you must cherish your health. If you harm yourself in anger, who else would save Elder Sister?”

“Sheng Zhi Wan!” Blood surged to Madam Cui’s throat.

Sheng Zhi Wan stepped aside at just the right moment and sighed softly, “I never imagined Mother’s hatred ran this deep. I’d better stop troubling you here.”

Without another glance at Madam Cui, Sheng Zhi Wan turned elegantly and left.

Madam Cui coughed up a mouthful of blood.

She had come specifically to enjoy the spectacle, not to tend to the sick. Now that she had seen enough of this amusing drama, why linger?

Sheng Zhi Wan returned to Pinglan Residence and went straight to the study room.

Meanwhile, Evening Tide Courtyard, which had just quieted down, erupted again in chaos.

Madam Cui refused to collapse.

She refused to believe that her daughter Qi Fei Yan could commit the crime of smuggling salt, immediately sending her trusted nanny out to gather news.

A short while later, the nanny returned with a deathly pale face.

“Madam…it is true.”

“Young Miss’s shops and properties have all been sealed.”

“The others from Lian Residence have been released, but…but Young Miss is still detained.”

Madam Cui slumped back onto the couch.

The nanny hesitated. There were many things she dared not reveal. When she visited Lian Residence, it echoed with angry curses, accusing Qi Fei Yan of treachery and destroying the family.

Though others from Lian Residence had been freed, their property had been confiscated, the family nameplate smashed. Lian Shao Qing’s salary had been cut off for three years. How would they survive these coming years?

At the moment she had arrived, Madam Lian had been wailing, threatening to confront Duke Qi’s household to demand justice.

“Madam, the Heir Apparent has returned!” A maidservant called from outside.

Qi Shu Xian had barely entered the courtyard when a figure rushed toward him, gripping his arm desperately.

“Shu Xian! Have you heard?”

“It’s false, right? How could it be your sister? How could Yan’er commit a crime punishable by death?” Madam Cui still clung to a thread of hope.

But seeing Qi Shu Xian’s grim face, even her last bit of hope vanished.

He held onto his mother’s trembling body and asked coldly, “Who told Mother?”

“It was…two maids gossiping, and Madam overheard,” the nanny explained.

“Sell them away!” Qi Shu Xian snapped irritably.

He had just returned from the countryside estate, searching everywhere for Father without success. Father often claimed to stay there, yet he discovered Father rarely visited. [Then, when Father is not home, where has he been living?]

“Shu Xian, quickly find a way to save your sister! She mustn’t come to harm!” Madam Cui pleaded desperately.

Qi Shu Xian’s thoughts snapped back. Pressing his lips tightly, he replied, “Mother, Elder Sister committed a salt smuggling crime!”

“Even the Empress’s own brother and the illegitimate son of Grand Commandant Wang are imprisoned at Dali Temple! They haven’t been released. How can I save her?”

“Go ask Sheng Zhi Wan!”

“If Sheng Zhi Wan pleads with the Empress Dowager, your sister will surely be safe!” Madam Cui gripped his arm desperately.

Qi Shu Xian nearly laughed in disbelief. Sheng Zhi Wan again. Always Sheng Zhi Wan.

“Mother, do you still think Sheng Zhi Wan is the same as before, obeying your every word?”

Madam Cui gritted her teeth fiercely. “Just threaten to divorce her—I don’t believe she wouldn’t fear that!”

Qi Shu Xian was stunned, incredulous. “Do you realize what you’re saying?”

Divorce Sheng Zhi Wan?

He had never considered it, not even once!

Sheng Zhi Wan was his wife, his forever. How could he possibly divorce her?

Finding Madam Cui impossible today, he peeled off her grip, ready to leave.

“Shu Xian!” Madam Cui suddenly screamed, halting his steps. As he paused, she flung herself headfirst toward the wall.

“Madam!”

“Mother!”

Qi Shu Xian’s pupils shrank in horror. He caught her just before her forehead struck the wall, his hands trembling violently.

“What are you doing?” His voice shook with anger and fear. “Must I bear the accusation of an unfilial son to save Elder Sister?”

Madam Cui wept bitterly. “Shu Xian, think of how well your sister treated you. Remember when you were young and your kite fell into the pond? She went onto the ice to retrieve it and nearly drowned.”

“You wanted sugar-coated fruit, and I forbade it for fear of your teeth. Yet she secretly bought them for you and took the punishment herself.”

“Yes, she has countless flaws. But tell me, has she ever treated you poorly? You can’t just watch her die!”

Every word from Madam Cui pierced Qi Shu Xian’s heart. Memories flooded back of childhood days when Mother devoted herself entirely to Father, while Qi Fei Yan was always beside him, playing, studying, even running wild outside the house together.

He remembered clearly the time Qi Fei Yan fell into the ice pond saving his kite. Pulled out nearly frozen, her first words were not blame but to beg Father and Mother not to punish him.

An elder sister was like a second mother.

And now, his own mother was using her life to force him.

Qi Shu Xian’s eyes reddened painfully. After a long pause, he finally closed them in surrender.

“…Fine.”

“I’ll speak to Zhi Wan. But this will be the last time.”

“Yes, yes!” Madam Cui cried with joy. “As long as Zhi Wan saves Yan’er, I promise to treat her like my own daughter.”

Though the Empress Dowager and Emperor had not summoned Sheng Zhi Wan in years, nor showed concern even when she had been kidnapped, she was still a Princess. Empress Dowager had raised her personally for over a decade; could she truly not care at all?

If Sheng Zhi Wan pleaded for Yan’er, surely nothing severe would befall her…

“Princess, the Heir Apparent is here!” Ting Lan’s face darkened seeing Qi Shu Xian approach.

Princess had predicted correctly—he had really come begging again. Was he hoping the Princess would plead for Qi Fei Yan?

As expected, Qi Shu Xian’s voice came clearly through the doorway:

“Zhi Wan, I know you dislike my sister for coveting your dowry. Yes, she was greedy, but she never meant you harm.”

“She is my elder sister, who once fell into an icy pond and was punished for me. Now, she has made a grave mistake. I don’t ask you to clear her name or free her.”

“I only beg that you consider my feelings and ask the Empress Dowager to spare her life.”

“Even if she’s exiled to the Northern Desert or sent to the clan temple.”

Qi Shu Xian stood before her, eyes bloodshot with desperate pleading.

He was a handsome young general, yet even his defeated plea held a poignant sadness that tugged at the heart.

Such complicated eyes reminded Sheng Zhi Wan of times past.

But the past was gone, leaving nothing but faded dreams and scattered memories.

She was no longer the Sheng Zhi Wan who had once given him her whole heart.