Read Novel Full CHAPTER 44 PART1
CHAPTER 44 PART1
“Second Sister, how are your injuries?”
Xiao Luanfei walked gracefully toward Xiao Yanfei, elegant and serene like a lotus emerging from water. Her voice was gentle, her tone comforting. “Don’t worry. There are many fine physicians in the capital. It’s not just Wancaotang. The Feng Medical Hall is known for treating external wounds, and Renxintang’s skin-healing ointments are also highly regarded.”
“I’ll send someone later to invite Old Physician Feng from Feng Medical Hall and Physician Zhang from Renxintang to come take a look at you.”
Her expression was sincere, her tone soft—so perfect that no one could fault her.
Xiao Yanfei, veiled beneath a wide-brimmed hat, remained silent. The gauzy fringe hanging from the brim obscured her face, revealing only the faint outline of delicate features through its translucent layers.
A glint of mockery flickered through Xiao Luanfei’s eyes.
The last time they’d faced off, Xiao Yanfei had been arrogant and domineering. Now that her face was ruined—her greatest asset lost—she’d reverted to her true form.
When it came down to it, Xiao Yanfei was still that timid, submissive illegitimate daughter.
Xiao Luanfei’s heart settled. She smiled faintly and said, “You should rest well, Second Sister. I won’t disturb you any longer.”
“I’ll be going now.”
With a graceful motion, she smoothed her sleeve and turned to leave. Her skirt hem fluttered like butterfly wings as she passed by Haitang, casually leaving a parting remark in a light tone: “Take good care of Second Miss.”
Without a backward glance, she stepped out of Moonrise Pavilion.
The morning sun was high, bathing the sky in golden light. The air was thick with the faint scent of blossoms.
Xiao Luanfei lifted her chin and took a deep breath, her chest swelling with a rare sense of peace and satisfaction.
Finally, everything was returning to its rightful order.
That same thought surfaced again when she received the token a stick of incense later.
“Miss, now that Second Miss has handed over the token, she probably has no intention of interfering in household affairs anymore,” Shuxiang said with a smile, presenting a small box to Xiao Luanfei with visible excitement.
Xiao Luanfei took out the carved token and casually ran her fingers over its engraved patterns. A bright smile appeared on her face.
At last, the household token was in her hands.
Thinking about it, it was all her mother’s fault for being so unfair. She was the daughter who had been raised at her mother’s knee for over ten years, yet any slight disobedience was met with harsh punishment.
In her mother’s eyes, she had always been dispensable.
That was true in her past life—and still true now.
Though her lips were smiling, Xiao Luanfei’s eyes gradually grew cold, a dark shadow settling around her.
A stifling tension began to fill the room.
Xiao Luanfei remained silent, and Shuxiang dared not speak either, her head bowed respectfully.
After a long moment, Xiao Luanfei finally said, “Shuxiang, go to the storeroom yourself and bring some medicinal herbs to Second Sister. If she needs a Physician, send someone right away.”
She spoke with the poise of an elder sister, giving careful and considerate instructions. Shuxiang quickly nodded in agreement.
That afternoon, a wide assortment of high-quality medicinal herbs was delivered to Moonrise Pavilion.
Xiao Yanfei, naturally, didn’t bother with false modesty—she accepted everything and settled in contentedly at the pavilion. Even as rumors spread like wildfire throughout the household, she remained still and unmoved, not stepping a foot outside.
After three days of idleness, Xiao Yanfei began to feel a little restless.
Flipping through a storybook, she asked offhandedly, “What’s going on with Zhu momo?”
Haitang, who had been fanning her, paused and glanced toward Zhiqiu on the other side. Zhu momo had been handed over to Zhiqiu, and Haitang had made a habit of playing dumb when it came to such matters.
Zhiqiu chirped happily, “She? For the first couple of days, she kicked up a fuss, yelling that once she returned to the palace, she would report everything to the Empress and have her severely punish you. She went on about how neglecting her was the same as disrespecting the Empress, and said the entire marquis household would be punished…”
Zhiqiu wrinkled her nose. “Same old threats, really.”
“As you instructed, no one responded. Not a single word.”
Xiao Yanfei counted on her fingers—it had been nearly ten days. That should be enough.
Yawning lazily, she said, “Go and bring Zhu momo over.”
Zhiqiu answered crisply.
But just as she’d wrapped half of the gauze around Xiao Yanfei’s right cheek, Zhiqiu returned again.
“Miss, the Second Young Master is here.”
She raised her brows at Xiao Yanfei, silently asking—should she block him?
Xiao Yanfei hesitated briefly, then said, “Let him in.”
Zhiqiu nodded, and Haitang quickly finished wrapping the gauze and adjusted the heavy veil over her head to complete the disguise.
Moments later, a young man in a bamboo-green robe entered the room at a leisurely pace. Though slight in build, his every step carried the calm elegance of a refined gentleman—graceful, composed, and dignified.
He was still clutching the broken bamboo bow with the snapped string, gripping it tightly in his right hand.
As soon as he stepped into the room, his eyes locked onto Xiao Yanfei, who sat quietly with a gauzy veil draped over her wide-brimmed hat. His gaze was sharp—piercing, as if it could cut through the thin layer of blue muslin.
After a long silence, Xiao Shuo parted his lips and solemnly placed the bow on the luohan couch. His voice was hoarse as he said, “The bowstring was tampered with. That’s why it suddenly snapped…”
He paused, then struggled to get the next words out.
“It might have been Father.”
He stared straight at Xiao Yanfei, who sat just three or four feet away. The veil fluttered softly in the breeze drifting through the window, its translucent folds rippling like water.
He’d heard the rumors swirling through the marquis household over the past few days—that Xiao Yanfei’s face had been ruined. But he remembered clearly that old Physician Han had said with confidence that her face would not scar.
Xiao Yanfei said nothing.
Through the delicate veil, she gazed back at Xiao Shuo. Her elegant brows lifted slightly in surprise, and a strange, complicated feeling stirred in her chest.
Xiao Shuo took a deep breath. His expression grew heavier as he continued, “I asked around. The day you were injured and the day before, only a few people went to the training grounds: Father, Third Uncle, Fourth Uncle, Eldest Brother, me, and Third Brother. Only Father had taken this bamboo bow with him the day before—then returned it the next day…”
His lips pressed tightly together, his mouth twitching downward, his whole expression quietly stubborn—as if pleading, “Please believe me.”
Xiao Yanfei lazily twirled a crimson silk ribbon between her fingers, idly wrapping and unwrapping it as her thoughtful gaze lingered on the young man’s youthful face.
The sunlight hit him just right, illuminating the fine, nearly invisible hairs on his smooth cheek. His eyes were dark, bright, and sharp.
The original Xiao Yanfei had never been close with this younger brother. Concubine Cui often said that she and Xiao Shuo were true siblings—that if Xiao Shuo grew strong, she would have someone to rely on and the rest of the household wouldn’t dare mistreat her. Concubine Cui would always tell her to look out for her younger brother, yet she never actually gave them the chance to build a bond.
In what little memory the original host had of Xiao Shuo, there was a recurring image—of him watching her from the shadows.
Like last year, when she returned to the marquis manor from the estate in Jizhou. Just as she entered the gate, she “happened” to run into Xiao Shuo on his way out. But in the end, he didn’t leave—he stayed and accompanied her to Ronghe Hall.
Now, from behind the veil, Xiao Yanfei watched the boy closely.
He had the same expression as back then: lips pressed into a line, corners of his mouth tugging downward, his whole demeanor stiff and awkward.
That time, he’d even mumbled, “Weren’t you supposed to arrive this morning?”
That’s right, she thought, he’s still just a child.
Though he stood barely a head shorter than her, and often spoke in a strange, snippy way, he was only ten. In the hospital where she used to work, a boy his age would still be in the pediatric ward, wrapped in blankets printed with little bunnies. After getting a shot, he’d be expected to say something sweet like, “Thank you, sister nurse.”
She couldn’t help imagining the scene, and with a sudden “pfft,” she burst into laughter, her eyes curving into crescent moons.
The heavy, suffocating atmosphere in the room instantly dissolved.
Golden sunlight danced lightly over the treetops and spilled into the room, filling it with a sense of warmth and calm.
Xiao Shuo: “…”
His delicate, handsome face flushed red in an instant. Flustered and embarrassed, he looked like a cat whose tail had just been stepped on—fur bristling, eyes narrowed in indignant fury, as if saying:
You’re laughing because you don’t believe me!
Seeing the boy bristle, Xiao Yanfei quickly waved her hand.
“I believe you.”
“Of course I believe you.”
Her voice was firm, her smile irrepressibly bright.
Xiao Shuo froze. “Why?” he blurted out, stunned.
He couldn’t help asking.
But deep down, that question wasn’t meant for Xiao Yanfei.
He wanted to ask his father. He wanted to ask Concubine Cui.
Why would Father be so cruel, as to destroy Second Sister’s face?
Why did Concubine Cui—his own mother—hate Second Sister so much, hate her own daughter?
He couldn’t understand. He couldn’t face them.
They had always been so loving, so gentle with him. So why—why would they be so vicious to her?
Everything he thought he knew was unraveling. Ten whole years of his life now felt like a farce—a blind, deaf fool’s dream.
Even now, he hadn’t fully processed the tangle of emotions inside him. It felt as though a furious beast had taken root in his chest—roaring, snarling, howling in helpless rage.
Xiao Shuo clenched his fists, knuckles taut and white. His voice came out hard and raw: “Aren’t you… angry?”
Her voice had been so light, her posture so relaxed—not even the slightest sign of surprise.
As if—
As if everything he had just worked up the courage to say… she had already known all along.
But how could she be so calm?
If it were him—
Xiao Shuo’s gaze darkened.
“Little brother,” Xiao Yanfei called gently.
The thin, gauzy veil veiled her expression, lending her an air of distant detachment—aloof and elusive, with a subtle, almost unnerving sense of discord beneath the surface.
A shiver ran down Xiao Shuo’s spine. He felt a sudden chill.
“What others say doesn’t matter,” Xiao Yanfei said slowly, her delicate voice soft and soothing, like clouds drifting across the sky. Each word was enunciated clearly, deliberately, and carried a deeper meaning.
“You have to see it for yourself.”
“Understand?”
The final word curled upward, like a hook dipped in honey—gentle, but impossible to ignore.
As her voice faded, she tilted her head slightly toward Zhiqiu, who had somehow appeared quietly just behind Xiao Shuo’s right shoulder.
“Miss, the person is here,” Zhiqiu said with a bow, gesturing toward the outer hall.
Xiao Yanfei stood up with easy grace, flicking a fallen flower petal from her shoulder before heading into the main hall.
Xiao Shuo was still confused, but his feet moved of their own accord, following behind her.
In the middle of the outer hall stood Zhu momo, motionless. Two broad-shouldered servant women flanked her, one on either side, but when their mistress entered, they wordlessly withdrew to the corridor.
Leaving Zhu momo alone.
She was dressed in a wrinkled, reddish-brown robe. Her once-perfectly coiled hair was now a tangled mess. Her gaze was vacant, her head bowed. She looked more like an old beggar woman on the streets than the proud and imperious nanny she once was—disheveled, lost, utterly humiliated. It was like night and day.
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