Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Late that night, Rong’er and I lay sprawled across the couch, covering our mouths as we read a storybook and laughed ourselves breathless.

If anyone asked, we were staying up late.

How else was I supposed to look sickly and haggard?

Still, my illness could no longer be as severe as before.

I needed to slowly get better. Now that I had caught Father’s attention, if I remained gravely ill, he might very well summon an imperial physician from the palace.

And once it was no longer one of our own people examining me, the act would be much harder to keep up.

So I planned to improve little by little in the coming days, but not recover completely.

Otherwise, all the troublesome young and old in the Grand Preceptor’s Mansion would become my responsibility again.

As for Liu Wanqing, her confinement had recently been loosened.

She was still told, however, not to show her face at banquets.

Propping my chin on my hand as I listened to Rong’er’s report, I could only think that my parents were far too at ease about their precious daughter.

If Liu Wanqing could not go out and make trouble, then she would certainly turn around and wreak havoc on their precious sons, my dear younger brothers.

Every one of those boys was useless and idle. Whenever Liu Wanqing got together with them, they had caused no shortage of absurd incidents.

In the past, I had kept them in line. Though I barely managed to maintain a peaceful facade, it had left them full of resentment toward me.

Now that I was no longer interfering, I wanted to see just what sort of tricks they could come up with.

Sure enough, only four days passed before a commotion broke out in the front courtyard.

The maid of my second younger brother, Liu Jinzhou, came sobbing to knock on the gate of my courtyard. “Eldest Miss, please hurry and save Second Young Master! Master is about to beat him to death!”

Rong’er, Lian’er, Su’er, and I were playing pai gow. I let her cry outside for most of the day before finally sending Rong’er to answer her. “Our miss is in poor health and has only just managed to rest. How dare you make such a racket here!”

“But Young Master, he…” Before the maid could finish, Rong’er slammed the gate shut with a bang and replied coldly through it, “Our miss said to come back if he actually dies.”

Liu Jinzhou’s maid, Xue’er, had always been clever about currying favor. Seeing that Liu Jinzhou was close to Liu Wanqing, she reported all of Liu Jinzhou’s matters, big and small, only to Liu Wanqing’s side. Yet when Liu Jinzhou caused trouble and the mansion needed someone to brave Father’s wrath and take the blame, they finally remembered me.

I sat in my room, listening to the noise outside, unable to stop the cold smile from tugging at my lips.

If I could not endure her crying and went over now, then I would be the one crying soon enough.

This had happened far too many times. So many that, even sitting here, I already knew exactly what would happen if I went.

It would be nothing more than Father at the height of his rage, yet still unable to truly be ruthless toward his precious son.

Not a single woman in the room would dare speak up to protect him. They would only wait for me to arrive, and then Mother and my legitimate younger sister would push me before Father as though I were their savior.

Father’s anger would then naturally find an outlet.

If it was light, he would slap me until my cheeks were swollen for half a month and I could not go out to see anyone.

If it was severe, he would bring out the disciplinary whip and lash me until my skin split open, all because I had failed to teach my younger brother properly.

Once Father’s anger had been vented, when it came time to punish Liu Jinzhou, the matter would end with him kneeling in the ancestral hall for two painless days.

At first, Liu Jinzhou would still feel guilty about my injuries. But after Liu Wanqing secretly brought him food in the ancestral hall a few times and whispered in his ear that I had cursed him behind his back for being useless and dragging me down, he would hate me twice as much as before.

“Elder Sister manages the household on Mother’s behalf, so she had no choice but to take that punishment for you. It is only natural that she would resent you for bringing her trouble.”

Liu Wanqing would say it so lightly, turning my protection of Liu Jinzhou into resentment with just a few words.

Then her eyes would redden, and she would look up at her much taller brother with a face full of worry. “Second Brother, you frightened me so badly back then. At the time, I had already made up my mind. If Father wanted to hit you, I would risk my life to shield you. I just never expected Elder Sister to get there first. I am so useless. You would not blame me for that, would you?”

“No.” Back then, Liu Jinzhou had answered without the slightest hesitation. “I am not an idiot. Of course I can tell that you are the one who truly cares about me. How could I bear to blame you?”

After words like that, what followed was naturally a warm and harmonious scene between brother and sister.

At the time, I stood behind the curtain, thought for a moment, handed the basket of pastries I was carrying to Rong’er, and turned to leave.

Now, thinking back on that memory, I found myself feeling rather expectant.

Back then, Liu Wanqing had sworn so loudly that she would take Liu Jinzhou’s beating for him. It was just unfortunate that every time, a villain like me had beaten her to it.

Now that this villain would not be appearing, I wondered whether Liu Wanqing would truly do as she had sworn and risk her life to protect Liu Jinzhou.

The answer was no.

The next day, I slept until the sun was high in the sky. The moment I opened my eyes, I was met with Rong’er’s face, practically bursting with eagerness to share gossip.

She said Liu Jinzhou had nearly been beaten lame by the old man and was now lying half-dead in his own courtyard.

Liu Wanqing had not fared much better. This disaster had been caused by her. Bored out of her mind, she had actually made Liu Jinzhou take her to a brothel.

Unfortunately for them, they had acted far too conspicuously and were recognized.

The Grand Preceptor’s son and daughter entering a place of pleasure and indulging in daytime debauchery had become a handle for others to seize, and Father had been harshly impeached over it.

Father had always cared most about his clean reputation, so of course he was furious. Still, he retained a shred of reason and questioned the two of them before enforcing family discipline.

It was Liu Wanqing’s first time facing Father’s anger head-on, and she was frightened senseless. She kept pushing all the blame onto Liu Jinzhou.

Liu Jinzhou was beaten half to death.

“According to my friend in the front courtyard, the way Second Young Master looked at Little Miss then was truly something one would never forget in a lifetime.” Rong’er was beside herself with excitement, her cheeks flushed and her eyes bright with satisfaction.

I only smiled at that and made no comment.

That muddleheaded old man had beaten me for so many years. At long last, there came a day when he turned his authority on his precious son and daughter.

I wondered how much his heart would ache once it was over.

But none of that had anything to do with me. I had given up. If they wanted chaos, then by all means, let them have as much chaos as they liked. Even if they turned the heavens upside down, it would not disturb a single moment of my peace.