Volume One, Chapter Four: Expelled from the Residence?

The household of the Marquis of Wen'an stood in astonishment, while Yu Xuanyao wept even more loudly.

Standing nearby, Yu Siwen angrily grabbed Shi Zhao and threatened her, "Yu Siyao, you took the punishment for the Marquis's estate this time, and we will compensate you twofold. If you truly had any pride, you wouldn't have returned. Now that you are back, what are you making a scene for? Do you think Grandmother is still here to dote on you?"

Since she had returned, she had better rein in her spoiled temper, or else get out.

Hearing this, Shi Zhao suddenly looked up. She stared at Yu Siwen with a gaze so cold and piercing it seemed to see right through his heart. "It seems my slap earlier didn't teach you a lesson. You clearly need to wash that filthy mouth of yours even more thoroughly."

In her mind, she recalled her grandmother at the time of her passing—the old lady, who had always been kind and gentle, reduced to skin and bones, breathing shallowly until the life finally faded from her. Yes, Grandmother was dead. Her grandmother, who had always been in robust health, had suddenly fallen ill and died six months ago.

When she had received a lead and left the estate to search for her biological parents, her grandmother had been suffering from an incurable illness; by the time she galloped back, she had arrived just in time to watch her draw her final breath. She had made a scene, but the Marquis of Wen'an’s estate refused to acknowledge it, claiming she had gone mad and that her grandmother had truly been sick. But she did not believe them. She would not leave now; she could not let the person who had been most kind to her in this world die in such an unexplained manner.

"Siwen, stop it," the Marchioness of Wen'an said, her heart aching uncontrollably. "Siyao, stay in my courtyard tonight. I will have the physician write you a nourishing prescription. It’s only been a month; how did you become this thin?"

Shi Zhao’s expression remained indifferent. "Marchioness, I am staying at Grandmother's Rong'en Hall."

The Marchioness’s breath hitched. Recalling that stern old lady, a flicker of unease crossed her red, swollen eyes. "The Old Madame cherished you the most, but she has been gone for a long time now. You shouldn't be too heartbroken, Siyao. After all, you just returned from the inner prison..."

As the Marchioness rambled on, a surge of impatience rose within Shi Zhao. All the concern the Marquis’s household was showing her now only served to irritate her. She stated bluntly, "Before Grandmother passed, she ordered that one granddaughter must chant sutras in the Buddha hall for a year to show filial piety. I wonder, in the month I was away, did anyone go?"

The Marchioness fell silent. Yu Xuanyao’s eyes darted away, and she clung to the Marchioness like a kitten seeking shelter. The Marchioness shielded Yu Xuanyao like a mother hen, glancing between her two daughters before finally relenting. "Your eldest sister is gone, and Xuanyao is frail. The small Buddha hall in Rong'en Hall is bone-chillingly cold; how could she endure it? Siyao is purely filial, but you must take care of your own health."

In her words, she had unexpectedly agreed to let Shi Zhao continue living in Rong'en Hall.

Shi Zhao curled her lips, finding it quite amusing. They spoke of being a family, yet when it came to a choice, she was the only one who would be sacrificed. Only her grandmother had brought her to the Qingyun Pavilion within Rong'en Hall when the Old Marquis of the estate had forced Shi Zhao to move out of the Treasure Studio she had occupied for years. She had filled it with all sorts of ornaments, rouge, powder, and jewelry, all for fear that she would not be happy. But such a wonderful grandmother was gone.

A pang of sorrow pierced Shi Zhao’s heart. Her thick eyelashes trembled slightly as she said to the Marchioness, "If you have nothing further, I shall take my leave."

Shi Zhao’s attitude was distant. The Marchioness wanted to be close but found no way to do so, forcing a smile onto her pale face. "The Old Marquis says that once you have returned to the estate, you are to go and pay your respects to him."

No sooner had she spoken than the guards serving the Old Marquis approached Shi Zhao, bowing in greeting. "Please, Miss." Their words were respectful, but their attitude was undeniably firm.

Years ago, the Old Marquis and the Grandmother had suddenly fallen out, and since then, the Old Marquis had lived in the study in the front courtyard. Even on the day of the grandmother's death, the Old Marquis had not set foot in Rong'en Hall. Hearing the guards, Nanny Lan’s face grew even longer. In her view, the Old Marquis and her mistress had once been a devoted couple; yet when her mistress lay terminally ill, the Old Marquis refused even to see her. Such cold-heartedness was truly chilling.

After restraining herself repeatedly, Nanny Lan said stiffly, "The young lady is exhausted. It would be better for her to see the physician before going to pay her respects." Nanny Lan was old and held seniority; even with the Old Marquis's men present, she spoke without fear.

Shi Zhao gripped the handkerchief in her hand, a dark light flashing in her eyes. After her grandmother’s death six months ago, Shi Zhao could not sleep. One midnight, she had seen a servant boy sneak into Rong'en Hall, take away a pot of her grandmother's favorite bamboo, pull out the stalks, and dump the soil into the small pond of Rong'en Hall. That servant boy was the nephew of the Old Marquis's head steward. The soil from that bamboo had been analyzed by a physician and found to contain powders designed to disturb the mind.

Recovering her composure, Shi Zhao lowered her eyes and patted Nanny Lan’s hand reassuringly. Not wanting her to clash with the Old Marquis, she said, "Nanny, please invite Physician Li to the estate. Once I have paid my respects to the Old Marquis, I will go for treatment."

She sneered inwardly. Of course, she would go. How else could she tear off their hypocritical masks? Nanny Lan was unwilling, but Shi Zhao’s attitude was resolute, and she had to compromise. After Nanny Lan left, Shi Zhao followed the guards. The servants she passed whispered among themselves, casting side-glances at her and probing with their eyes. Shi Zhao held her head high, her gait steady.

Once, she had moved in and out of the Old Marquis's study freely and without concern. But ever since Yu Xuanyao returned to the estate, the Old Marquis had strictly forbidden her from entering, no matter how much she cried or pleaded. Unlike the others in the Marquis’s estate, once the Old Marquis learned that Shi Zhao was an impostor, he no longer regarded her as his granddaughter.

Walking into the study, she saw an old man in plain clothes standing in the room. He had gray hair and a lean frame, but his eyes were as sharp and piercing as an eagle's. This was the Old Marquis of Wen'an, Yu Deli.

Shi Zhao lowered her eyes, expressionless, and bowed. Just as she bent her waist, a teacup shattered against the floor near her feet with a violent crash. A roar echoed through the study: "You offended the Empress Dowager and showed disrespect to the Imperial family—how dare you return?"

The servants nearby were terrified, sinking to their knees and trembling. She stood straight and looked the Old Marquis directly in the eyes. "Why wouldn't I dare?"

Seeing that Shi Zhao lacked any reverence, the Old Marquis said coldly, "The Marquis of Wen'an’s estate has no child as unfilial and disloyal as you. Get out at once."

"Hmm," Shi Zhao felt a dull ache in her legs. Ignoring the Old Marquis's fury, she walked slowly to a wooden chair nearby and sat down. "Old Marquis, did you call me here just for this?"

Shi Zhao’s expression was calm. The Old Marquis looked at her deeply, his voice low. "If you don't leave now, aren't you afraid that the events of the inner prison will repeat themselves?"

His words were full of probing. Shi Zhao paused, lifted her head, and smiled faintly. "I returned safely from the inner prison. Is the Old Marquis disappointed?"

Shi Zhao’s tone was peaceful, but the lines on the Old Marquis's face deepened. He stared at her without a word, like a venomous snake fixed on its prey. Shi Zhao caught a glimmer of murderous intent in his eyes. A chill ran through her; the Old Marquis truly wanted her dead.

"Leave the estate tonight," the Old Marquis said gloomily.

Shi Zhao lowered her head and smiled. Leave the estate? She would likely end up dead by tomorrow morning.