Qin Shuying returned to Yin Garden in a sedan chair. Upon entering the house, she found that Hongjuan had already invited a doctor, who was waiting for her. The doctor examined her injuries, prescribed a prescription, and left an ointment.

  Nanny Fu carefully applied the medicine to Qin Shuying's wounds, tears streaming uncontrolbly down her face. "Miss, why did you go to such lengths to hurt yourself?"

  Qin Shuying endured the pain silently. Without these injuries, how could she get past the Old Madam? Even a lie needs to have some truth to it, and being cautious is never wrong.

  The Old Madam had made no comment about the incident, but that silence was, in itself, a statement. It showed that the Old Madam still cared for her and refrained from scolding her.

  However, the Old Madam was undoubtedly angry—angry at herself for seeing through Madam Xu's schemes yet doing nothing to stop them, even aiding them instead.

  After all, the ultimate disgrace fell on the Qin family. The Old Madam, who had always valued family reputation and propriety, would undoubtedly feel this was a heavy blow.

  Qin Shuying, however, would not back down.

  The Old Madam needed to realize that even if she chose to endure, Madam Xu would not stop. The Old Madam needed to understand that if she didn’t rein Madam Xu in, the Qin family would face a second, and even a third, simir scandal.

  The root of the Qin family’s tarnished reputation y not with her but with Madam Xu.

  Although Qin Fangfang cimed that Qin Shuying had pushed her, Madam Xu dared not let her speak out. Under the threat of losing her life, Qin Fangfang swallowed her anger and stayed silent.

  Madam Xu’s reluctance to let Qin Fangfang speak up stemmed from her fear of Qin Shuying’s quick wit. If Qin Fangfang dared to accuse her in front of the Old Madam, Qin Shuying could easily lead suspicions toward Qin Yunyun.

  Madam Xu could bear the consequences herself, but she could not allow her daughter to be implicated.

  Moreover, Qin Shuying’s audacity in pushing Qin Fangfang into the water had deeply unsettled Madam Xu.

  Yin GardenAfter a long silence, Qin Shuying finally spoke. "A life where others hold the knife and I am the fish to be butchered—once is enough."

  Nanny Fu’s heart ached as she wiped her tears. "Yes, Miss."

  Nanny Fu thought Qin Shuying was speaking about the past, but Qin Shuying was referring to her previous life.

  In the following days, servants from Duke Chu’s residence came to the Qin residence several times. The Old Madam, ciming to be busy with prayers and fasting, refused to see anyone, leaving Madam Xu to handle all the visitors.

  This incident had left the Old Madam furious. However, being a person who cared deeply about her reputation, she felt too ashamed to face others and chose to avoid everyone altogether.

  Madam Xu pushed all the bme onto Sun Qingping. Without direct evidence tying the incident to Madam Xu, the Old Madam avoided meeting either Madam Xu or Qin Fangfang.

  The Old Madam wanted to confine Madam Xu but refrained because of the scale of the scandal. Everyone in the capital already knew about it. If Madam Xu were confined now, it would confirm to the public that she had orchestrated the entire scheme. After all, Madam Xu was the mother of Consort Lian and the grandmother of the Sixth Prince.

  The Sixth Prince was currently in the Emperor’s favor, and the Old Madam would never hinder his rise.

  Though noblewomen across the capital likely had already guessed the truth, specution was one thing, while admitting it outright was another.

  As long as the veil of decency remained intact, Madam Xu could still maintain her facade as a kind and virtuous woman.

  Yin Garden, Study

  Ziteng entered the study and saw Qin Shuying set down her brush before speaking. "Miss, Nanny Mi has arrived."

  "Let her in."

  Mi Luo entered and stood just outside the desk, speaking in a low voice, "Miss, I’ve carried out your instructions."

  Ziteng raised her brows slightly. For several months, her mistress had been working on a pn, always involving Nanny Mi directly. Occasionally, her mistress would accompany her. From a few interactions, it was clear to Ziteng that something significant was underway, but she had no idea what her mistress was ultimately pnning.

  Since Qin Shuying couldn't frequently leave the house, Nanny Mi was responsible for reporting back. Every time Nanny Mi delivered an update, Qin Shuying would have Ziteng stay and listen. Though it piqued Ziteng's curiosity, she knew better than to ask when her mistress remained tight-lipped.

  Qin Shuying accepted the ledger handed to her by Nanny Mi, carefully perusing its contents. She pointed out a few specific items and gave detailed instructions to Nanny Mi, who nodded repeatedly, though her heart was roiling with waves of shock.

  Many of these connections had originally been cultivated by Qin Yaoyao. From what happened ter, it seemed that Lu Changxuan was unaware of their existence. Otherwise, how could he have left them unused? But how had the Seventh Miss come to know of them?

  Qin Shuying raised her head slightly, her gaze clear and bright, a faint smile on her lips. Though her expression exuded warmth like a spring breeze, it made Nanny Mi feel as though she were standing on the edge of a frozen abyss.

  Startled, Nanny Mi quickly lowered her head, suppressing the strange thoughts swirling in her mind, neither daring to question nor to ponder further.

  After several months of working with her mistress, Nanny Mi understood one thing clearly: her mistress and the first household were mortal enemies. While the reason for this enmity remained a mystery, it was difficult to comprehend for anyone looking in from the outside. After all, the Old Madam and the first household were the people closest to the Seventh Miss. No one else would expect her to tear apart such a bond.

  Before Qin Yaoyao’s downfall, Nanny Mi had managed to see her twice. During these visits, Qin Yaoyao revealed the truth: her demise was orchestrated by Madam Xu and Qin Feifei.

  The Seventh Miss and the Second Miss were both adversaries of Madam Xu, which left Nanny Mi no hesitation in aligning herself with Qin Shuying. She never dared to take her mistress's instructions lightly.

  When Qin Shuying saw that Nanny Mi had refocused, she continued discussing business matters with her. After they finished, Nanny Mi departed, and Qin Shuying instructed Ziteng to leave as well. Alone, she closed her eyes and y quietly.

  Her revenge pn was inseparable from her business ventures. Without trustworthy and capable people, those ventures could not proceed. Nanny Mi was reliable, but it was only natural that she might harbor doubts about Qin Shuying’s actions. However, Nanny Mi was intelligent and dependable.

  If Nanny Mi were untrustworthy, she could have sought Lu Changxuan’s favor in the months following Qin Yaoyao’s fall and death by revealing the undisclosed business connections Qin Yaoyao had cultivated. Such a move would have secured Nanny Mi’s family’s future, sparing them from being scattered and sold off.

  Over the years, many of the people Qin Yaoyao had groomed had defected to Lu Changxuan. Those who remained loyal were limited to Nanny Mi, Nanny Fu’s family, and…

  Qin Shuying opened her eyes, picked up her brush, and wrote a line on a piece of paper before signing it. Once the ink dried, she carefully sealed it in an envelope and returned to her reading.

  Though deeply ingrained traditional values emphasized a woman’s submission to her husband, Qin Yaoyao had instinctively developed resistance to Lu Changxuan after discovering his affair with Qin Feifei.

  By then, she had already spent six years managing external affairs, interacting with a variety of people, and witnessing the complexities of human nature. No longer the sheltered woman she once was, she now had a beloved son and naturally wanted to secure his future.

  This prompted her to act cautiously.

  Now, Qin Shuying found herself short of reliable personnel. Fortunately, she had enough financial resources. Through Nanny Mi, she discreetly recruited several managers, opened new shops in different parts of the capital, and built a network of loyal followers to handle her affairs.

  This endeavor required careful pnning and could not be rushed.

  As long as the arrangements were methodically executed, they would one day prove invaluable.