Qiao Nian's former courtyard was named "Fallen Plum Courtyard" (Luo Mei Yuan). It was filled with various plum trees—from the start of winter, the plums in Fallen Plum Courtyard would bloom in a race to outshine each other, and they wouldn't wither until early spring.All those plum trees had been specially sought out by Marquis Lin's men from all over Jing Kingdom. The reason? When Qiao Nian was a child, she had once said that plum blossoms were her favorite thing in the world. Every year, the Marquis Mansion spent over a hundred taels of silver just on maintaining those plum trees.But then, the year Lin Yuan came back, she only said, "Sister, the plum blossoms in your courtyard are so beautiful," and just like that, Fallen Plum Courtyard became Lin Yuan's. Back then, Qiao Nian had been filled with resentment, but now, when she thought about it, she felt nothing.Lin Yuan was the real young lady of the Marquis Mansion. Naturally, everything in this mansion—whether objects or people—belonged to Lin Yuan. As for her (Qiao Nian), she was nothing but an outsider who had taken someone else's place.The maid leading the way was quite enthusiastic. "The maid who used to serve you has already married. The madam asked me to follow you from now on. My name is Ning Shuang. Miss, please feel free to tell me if you need anything done."Ning Shuang had a baby-faced look, with plump cheeks. Qiao Nian thought she looked familiar, so she asked, "Were you from the Young Marquis's courtyard?"Ning Shuang seemed a little surprised. "Miss, you still remember me?"Qiao Nian nodded slightly. In the past, she often went to play in Lin Ye's courtyard, so she naturally remembered the people there. But she couldn't understand why Lin Ye would send someone from his own side to be with her.Thinking back to three years ago, when Lin Ye had misunderstood her several times, accusing her of trying to harm Lin Yuan, Qiao Nian thought again—he must have sent Ning Shuang to spy on her.Fang He Courtyard (Lotus Courtyard) wasn't large. As soon as you entered the gate, you could see a lotus pond. In summer, the lotus flowers in the pond would bloom in profusion; aside from the many mosquitoes, it was quite a beautiful sight. But at this time of year, the lotus flowers had long since withered, leaving only some withered branches trembling precariously on the frozen water surface. Such a bleak scene made Fang He Courtyard seem even colder than the outside.Thankfully, the inside of the house was warm. A stove was lit in the room, and the servants had already prepared hot water. Ning Shuang made a move to come forward and help Qiao Nian bathe, but Qiao Nian stopped her by holding her wrist."No need. I can do it myself."Ning Shuang looked astonished. "How can that be? How could we let Miss do this by herself?""I'll do it myself," Qiao Nian repeated. Her tone was calm, with no hint of strong emotion, yet it carried an undeniable firmness that left no room for refusal.Ning Shuang had no choice but to put down the clothes in her hands. "Then... I'll wait outside to serve you, Miss. Just call me if you need anything.""Alright," Qiao Nian replied softly, then fell silent. She waited until she watched Ning Shuang walk out of the room and close the door behind her before moving to stand behind the folding screen and slowly taking off her clothes one piece at a time...An hour later, Qiao Nian finally made her way to the Old Madam's courtyard. But as soon as she entered the gate, Lin Ye stopped her."Why didn't you change your clothes?" Lin Ye's face was flushed with anger, his tone full of impatience, and his gaze toward Qiao Nian was tinged with disgust. "Do you want Grandmother to see you dressed like a palace maid so she'll feel sorry for you?"Qiao Nian opened her mouth to explain, but Lin Ye didn't give her a chance. He reached out and pushed her outward. "I warn you—Grandmother's health is poor, and she can't stand being upset. Put away all your dirty little tricks! If you make Grandmother feel unwell, I'll never forgive you!"Qiao Nian was pushed out of the courtyard gate. She had already twisted her ankle earlier that day, and after being shoved like this several times, a sharp pain shot through her ankle. She lost her balance and fell heavily to the ground.This scene was witnessed by Lady Lin, who was just walking over."Ye'er, stop!"Lady Lin hurried over. Seeing that Qiao Nian couldn't get up for a moment, she told the maids beside her to help Qiao Nian up.Lin Ye watched coldly. "Mother, don't blame me—it's her who has bad intentions! You clearly bought her new clothes, but she still insists on wearing this outfit to see Grandmother. Isn't she trying to kill Grandmother?"On hearing this, Lady Lin finally noticed that Qiao Nian was still wearing the palace maid's clothes. She couldn't help but sigh, but still spoke gently, "Niannian, in the three years you've been away from the mansion, your grandmother's health has gotten even worse. Your brother shouldn't have laid hands on you, but he was also worried about your grandmother. You should go change out of these clothes first."Qiao Nian looked up at Lady Lin, then glanced at Lin Yuan standing beside her before finally speaking. "The clothes are all too small."The new clothes Lady Lin had prepared for her were probably all made to fit Lin Yuan's figure. But Qiao Nian was half a head taller than Lin Yuan, so those clothes didn't fit her at all.Lady Lin immediately felt guilty. "So that's why... It's my mistake. I'll have someone go buy you new ones right away."Unexpectedly, Lin Ye's anger flared even more. "How ill-fitting can they be? You're just a bit taller than Yuan'er—how could you not wear them? After three years as a palace maid, you've only gotten more finicky!"Qiao Nian took a deep breath. Knowing Lin Ye's habit of wrongfully accusing others, she finally rolled up her sleeves in front of everyone."It's not that I can't wear them—it's that they can't cover this."As her words fell, a collective gasp echoed around them. Qiao Nian's hands were purple, blue, and swollen, covered in chilblains; some parts were even broken, looking extremely unsightly. But the most hideous sight was the wounds on her arms.They looked like they had been inflicted by a leather whip or a bamboo cane—strip after strip, new wounds overlapping old ones, red mixed with black, crisscrossing like a broken net that spread all the way from her arms to the backs of her hands.Lin Ye finally understood what she meant by "can't cover." If the clothes didn't fit, the sleeves would definitely be too short. When she bowed to Grandmother, these wounds would be exposed, and when Grandmother saw them, how heartbroken would she be?Lady Lin also understood. Tears immediately streamed down her face. She stepped forward, took Qiao Nian's hands in hers, and felt overwhelming pity."I thought you were pushing me away because you held a grudge... I didn't know it was because of this. Did I hurt you just now?"Qiao Nian didn't speak, nor did she pull her hands back. She let Lady Lin hold them like that.Beside them, Ning Shuang's eyes were also red. "No wonder Miss wouldn't let me serve her... Does Miss have wounds all over her body?"Wounds all over her body? Just the ones on her arms were already shocking enough—if it were all over...Lady Lin's breathing became unsteady. "Hurry! Send for a doctor!"A maid responded and hurried off. Meanwhile, Lin Yuan beside them was also in tears. "How... how could they treat you like this, Sister?"In fact, it would have been better if Lin Yuan hadn't said that. As soon as she spoke, an uncontrollable surge of bitterness rose in Qiao Nian's heart. She looked at Lin Yuan and said calmly, "Naturally, they were following the princess's orders. Anyone who bullied me could go to the princess to claim a reward—the harder they bullied me, the more reward they got. After all... I was the one who broke the princess's glass bowl."At these words, Lin Yuan's body suddenly stiffened. Her eyes widened, fixed on Qiao Nian, and big tears rolled down her cheeks one after another—as if she were the one who had been bullied for three years. The maid behind her, however, lowered her head and said nothing.Three years... The maid who had wrongfully accused her back then was still standing beside Lin Yuan, safe and sound. So when Lady Lin spoke of her "heartache," Qiao Nian only found it ridiculous.Seeing that Qiao Nian had rejected Lin Yuan's well-meaning words, Lin Ye immediately pushed aside the guilt he had felt earlier and said coldly, "You don't have to speak in such a sarcastic tone. If you have wounds, why didn't you say so earlier? Don't you have a mouth?"If she had said so earlier, he would have definitely gone to the Imperial Hospital to get ointment for her!"I did try to say something just now, but the Young Marquis didn't give me a chance," Qiao Nian said in a calm voice. She finally pulled her hands out of Lady Lin's grasp.Lin Ye's eyes darkened. She had already returned to the mansion—why still refuse to call him "Brother"? His anger didn't subside; instead, he snapped, "I'd also like to ask you—you're still the young lady of the Marquis Mansion, and you've learned martial arts from the mansion's martial arts instructors since you were a child. What kind of 'experts' could there be in the Laundry Bureau who could hurt you like this?"This single sentence made Qiao Nian's heart clench tightly. She lowered her head and pulled her sleeves back down. Her soft voice carried a trembling chill that sent shivers down one's spine."At first, I did resist. As the Young Marquis said, those palace maids were no match for me. But when they couldn't beat me, they resorted to underhanded tricks. Like pouring basin after basin of cold water onto my bed while I was asleep; when it was time to eat, everyone else got soup, but what they gave me was swill. They threw the clothes I'd finally washed into the latrine, or piled all the laundry that should have been their share onto me."Having said this, she looked up at Lin Ye. Her cold gaze carried no obvious emotion, yet it made Lin Ye's hands tremble uncontrollably."I also went to the stewardess for help, but all I got in return was a severe flogging—nothing more. So gradually, I stopped resisting. If the bed was wet, I'd sleep on the floor; if the food had swill in it, I'd still force myself to eat it. Once, the stewardess beat me so hard she almost killed me. Probably because she still had to 顾忌 the Marquis Mansion, she didn't hit me as hard after that."Watching the disbelief in Lin Ye's eyes, a sarcastic smile tugged at the corner of Qiao Nian's mouth. "So, Young Marquis—do you think I deliberately let myself suffer all that just to win your guilt and regret?""Don't be naive. How could I still not know my place? You might feel guilty, but you'll never regret it. Listening to me now, you're probably even glad that it was me who was sent to the Laundry Bureau for three years, and not Lin Yuan—aren't you?"Faced with the accusation in Qiao Nian's eyes, Lin Ye felt as if a hand was violently tearing at his heart. Yet, he couldn't utter a single word in rebuttal."Niannian, stop talking!" Lady Lin clutched her chest, sobbing so hard her breathing became unsteady. "It's all my fault... I'm sorry for you.""The madam has nothing to be sorry for me about," Qiao Nian said, still in that soft, gentle voice. It sounded tender, but this tenderness was nothing like Lin Yuan's.Lin Yuan's tenderness made people feel sorry for her, made people feel comfortable. But Qiao Nian's tenderness was like a soft sword—every word cut deep, drawing blood."The madam raised me for fifteen years. She has the grace of upbringing towards me; everything she does is only right.""But you hold a grudge in your heart!" Lin Ye spoke again. The tearing pain in his chest made him inexplicably agitated. It was as if he had seen through Qiao Nian; he sneered coldly. "Everything you're doing now is on purpose—deliberately keeping us at a distance, deliberately falling in front of Mother. Did you use these tricks in front of Xiao Heng too, to win his sympathy so he'd let you ride in his carriage back here? Qiao Nian, get this straight—Xiao Heng is no longer your fiancé. He's Yuan'er's fiancé now, and they'll be getting married soon!"Looking at Lin Ye's angry face, Qiao Nian couldn't help but think—after all, he had been her brother for fifteen years. Every word Lin Ye said hit her right where it hurt. Fortunately, her heart had been tempered over three years; it was now immune to all pain."The Young Marquis is a busy man—you've probably forgotten that three years ago, you pushed me off the small tower. I twisted my ankle then, and before it could heal, I was sent to the Laundry Bureau. Over these three years, my ankle injury has flared up often. Today, when the Young Marquis kicked me out of the carriage, I twisted it again. So just now, I really couldn't stand steady. As for General Xiao... Why would the Young Marquis think he'd take pity on me? Do you think too highly of me, or too lowly of Miss Lin?"Her words left Lin Yuan beside her feeling utterly embarrassed. Lin Ye couldn't help but cast a worried glance at Lin Yuan before snapping at Qiao Nian, "Stop sowing discord here! I know your character best—even after three years, you're still just as vindictive! I warn you—with me here, you won't get a chance to bully Yuan'er!""Brother..." Lin Yuan's voice, laced with sobs, rang out. "Don't be like this. Sister has never done anything to me.""Yuan'er, you're just too kind!" Lin Ye furrowed his brows tightly, pointed at Qiao Nian, and said, "But she's nothing like you—she's the most scheming, and the most grudging person there is! We left her in the Laundry Bureau for three years without a single word, and now that she's back, she'll definitely take revenge on us! She knows Mother dotes on her the most, yet she deliberately keeps Mother at arm's length and shows Mother those wounds on purpose—look at how much Mother is crying!"Lin Yuan looked at Lady Lin beside her. It was true—Lady Lin was sobbing uncontrollably, leaning on a maid's shoulder to catch her breath. Listening to Lin Ye's words, Lady Lin seemed to want to refute. She lifted her hand and waved it weakly, but couldn't say a single word.Lin Yuan thought—she had never seen her mother like this before. Even when Qiao Nian was sent to the Laundry Bureau back then, Mother had only shed a few tears, and even comforted her afterward. But now... Could it be that, just as Brother had said, all this was Qiao Nian's doing on purpose? Could Qiao Nian really be this scheming?She couldn't help but look at Qiao Nian again, only to find Qiao Nian looking back at her. Qiao Nian's eyes were as cold as frost, yet exceptionally sharp—like a knife cutting deeply into her heart. Lin Yuan couldn't bear to meet her gaze and quickly looked away.Qiao Nian, however, simply bowed to Lady Lin and said, "It seems I'm not the right person to see Grandmother today. Please tell Grandmother on my behalf that I'll come to visit her tomorrow."With that, Qiao Nian turned and left, not glancing at any of the Lin family members again. But her limping figure was deeply etched into the hearts of every member of the Lin family—including Xiao Heng.Lin Ye didn't see Xiao Heng until after Lin Yuan had helped Lady Lin back to her room. Xiao Heng was standing under the corridor not far away; he must have seen everything that had just happened clearly.Lin Ye frowned in confusion, walked over to him, and said, "Why are you here?""The Emperor bestowed some precious medicinal herbs on me. I thought I wouldn't have use for them, so I came to present them to Old Madam Lin as a token of respect," Xiao Heng said slowly, his face calm and composed as always.But Lin Ye seemed to sense something. He furrowed his brows tightly, looked Xiao Heng up and down, and then asked, "Be honest—did you come here because of Niannian?
