Chapter 14: Someone Else

Chapter 14: Someone Else

Qin Liuxi raised an eyebrow. Was she being tested?

"Old Madam, you flatter me. I am not an orphan, yet I live like one, having been raised in the ancestral home since childhood. How could I have an elder to teach me principles? Asking me such a question is simply making things difficult for your granddaughter!"

Old Madam Qin felt a sting from the remark, feeling a sense of embarrassment and displeasure.

Madam Wang glanced at the old lady's expression, thought for a moment, and said, "The onlooker sees more clearly than the participant. It is precisely because you, Xi-ya, are not at the center of the vortex in the capital that you should be able to see things more clearly than those of us caught within it. As for whether you possess such insight, the fact that you helped your third aunt deliver her child smoothly, combined with your arrangements for the ancestral home these past few days, is enough to prove your capability."

Qin Liuxi looked up at her legal mother.

Madam Wang had a broad, full forehead, large and elegant eyes, a straight nasal bridge, and a clear philtrum without any transverse lines or unsightly moles. Her hair was black and lustrous. Such features were typical of a prosperous and noble countenance. Unfortunately, her Palace of Marriage had become dim and collapsed, with crow's feet and prominent veins appearing, predicting a change or separation in her marital relationship.

Marital separation was not the greatest concern; the most important thing was the Palace of Children. Her Palace of Children was not abundant; her lineage was already weak, and now there were signs of sinking, suggesting the potential loss of a child.

However, one would still have to look at the Eight Characters. If the Palace of Children exhibited combinations of Self-Transformation Lu, Self-Transformation Quan, or Self-Transformation Ji, it would indicate danger during the child's annual or major life cycles.

Qin Liuxi withdrew her gaze and pursed her lips.

Madam Wang was the primary wife of the first branch. While the children of concubines also called her mother, the only child she had produced was the younger brother, Qin Mingyan, who was currently being exiled with their grandfather and father.

If something happened to that child, Madam Wang would surely perish.

Seeing Qin Liuxi's eyelids droop to hide her dark eyes, Madam Wang felt an inexplicable tightness in her chest, a faint sense of panic and unease.

She didn't know if it was her imagination, but she seemed to catch a fleeting glimpse of pity in Qin Liuxi's eyes.

She must have been mistaken!

Madam Wang's fingers curled slightly.

"I am not familiar with the Meng family's ways, nor do I know Noble Consort Meng personally. But if it were me, while the little prince was still young, even if I acted ostentatiously, I would absolutely never touch the dragon's scales by setting up a trap of such great disrespect," Qin Liuxi said contemptuously. "The Noble Consort is favored and has given birth to a dragon's offspring. If she wanted to move against the Qin family, all she would need to do is whisper in the Emperor's ear. Why risk her own family's future and the prince's?"

The empire did not lack princes. If one prince were gone, there were others; the current Emperor was nearing the age of knowing his destiny and already had two adult sons, not to mention two younger ones. One could say the imperial family was not short of princes.

If the Meng family wanted to use the little prince to ascend higher, they would have to be fools to touch a matter as significant as the ancestral temple sacrifices. Once discovered, both the little prince and the Meng family would fall into eternal ruin.

Therefore, the one moving against the Qin family was likely someone else; the Meng family was merely kicking them while they were down and delivering a finishing blow.

Hearing Qin Liuxi's words, Old Madam Qin's eyes flickered rapidly, and her chest heaved unevenly.

Madam Wang's eyes, however, shone with brilliance, as her daughter's words coincided perfectly with the analysis she had conducted with her mother during the journey.

"If it is not the Meng family, then who could it be?"

Qin Liuxi said, "As Mother said, I am not at the center of the vortex, and I have not been in the capital for years. I do not know who the Qin family's enemies are, so I cannot answer Old Madam's question."

She stood up and said, "It is getting dark. Please return to your room, Old Madam."

After saying this, Qin Liuxi walked toward the door. Just as one foot stepped out while the other remained inside, she turned back, blinked her eyes, and asked, "Old Madam, this house is mine—that still holds true, doesn't it?"

(End of Chapter)