"Idiot, I'm calling you, can you hear me!" A woman dressed in fine silk and brocade viciously threw a stone at a young girl across from her. This woman was none other than Qin Ziling, the cherished youngest daughter of the current Chancellor of the Feather Realm.
Chancellor Qin Han was an upright official, adored by the common people, and held a high reputation among them. Chancellor Qin had three daughters and one son. Each of his daughters was exceedingly beautiful, the eldest daughter, Qin Zixuan was exceptionally talented, earning her the title of the Feather Realm's number one talented woman. The third daughter, Qin Ziling, was well known for her cute and pretty demeanor. However, the second daughter, despite her beauty, was a simpleton who was illiterate. As a result, her reputation overshadowed that of her sisters, making her well-known across the Feather Realm.
The young lady currently being targeted was none other than the rumored idiotic second daughter.
A sharp stone scratched her forehead, the crimson blood slowly tricking down her almost translucent and pale cheek, yet she smiled obliviously.
"Psh! An idiot is an idiot, she wouldn't understand even if we talk to her. Third Miss, don't get angry over this trash, be careful not to harm your health," a maid disdainfully glanced at the young lady in white and turned to flatter Qin Ziling.
With disgust, Qin Ziling used a handkerchief to wipe her hand before tossing it at the second Miss arrogantly, "Idiot, I'm rewarding this to you."
Seeing the second Miss unmoving, the maid Hongying panicked. Forcefully poking at her forehead's wound, Hongying sneered, "Third Miss is talking to you, are you deaf or something?"
The second Miss winced from the pain and pushed away Hongying's hand. However, this led to a sudden slap across her face from Hongying, who shrieked, "You dare to retaliate, you freak! I'll kill you!"
After that, she clenched her teeth and started beating the second Miss who now lay pinned to the ground. Qin Ziling watched the scene with a smile on her face, retaining no thoughts of intervening. Instead, she seemed to have taken pleasure in the spectacle.
After half an incense stick’s burn time, the back of Hongying's dress was drenched in sweat, and Qin Ziling, too, seemed tired out. She lazily said, "Enough, I'm tired, let's head back first."
At her command, Hongying gave a sigh of relief. She gave Second Miss' waist a hard pinch before finally letting go, only to realize something amiss. The second Miss, who she had kept pinned to the ground, had stopped resisting. Her eyes were tight shut, and her face was ashen without a hint of color. A panicked Hongying gulped down, reaching out a trembling finger towards her nose. Suddenly, she slumped down on the ground.
Qin Ziling noticed Hongying's strange behavior and snapped exasperatedly, "What are you doing? Don't just stand there, follow me now!"
She sat wide-eyed in terror, frozen, unsure of what to do.
Qin Ziling frowned, admonishing "Are you deaf? You dare disobey me, do you believe I'll kill you!"
"Third, Third Miss, that ...idiot, she's, she's dead." Hongying stuttered with a quivering voice.
Upon hearing this, Qin Ziling widened her eyes in disbelief, staggering backward a couple of steps. Even though she was not fond of that simpleton on ordinary days, she never thought about killing her. It was not because of anything else but her gradually established reputation as a lady of a prestigious family. Gossiping was second nature to the ladies in all the houses in the capital. If the news about today's event leaked out, she and her mother would likely lose their standing.
For a moment, Qin Ziling was changed with anxiety, pacing restlessly on the spot, pondering about what should be done next. She was in her prime; she wasn't willing to ruin her future because of a simpleton.
Suddenly, a thought came to Qin Ziling, and her eyes lit up. She pointed at a terrified Hongying from afar and screeched, "Impudent Hongying! You actually planned to harm the second young lady, servants, seize her right away!"
In desperation, Hongying wanted to yell her innocence, but the maiden Yezier by the side didn’t give her that opportunity. A dirty cloth was stuffed into her mouth, silencing her instantaneously. Hongying was used to using her status to bully others; all the maids in the scene had been insulted by her arrogance. Now that she lost her advantage, they took their chances to take revenge upon her.
On one side, Hongying was unable to defend herself, and on the other, nobody noticed the “dead” second young lady’s fingers twitched slightly.
Until,
A very soft groan from the second young lady made Qin Ziling’s eyes bulge. When Hongying said that the second young lady was dead, she didn't doubt it, because Qin Ziling knew Hongying’s personality. Even with a hundred times the courage, Hongying would not dare to lie to her. Then, this voice...
The more Qin Ziling thought about it, the more terrified she became, so much so that her hairs were standing on end. Cold sweat drenched her back in an instant.
“Quick, quick,” Qin Ziling stretched out her hand and pointed unsteadily at the second young lady’s body: “Throw her into the lake, quickly!”
Hearing this, the maids who were beating Hongying immediately stopped, yet hesitated when their eyes fell on the motionless second young lady.
Qin Ziling yelled delicately: “I asked you to throw that simpleton in! I’ll bear the consequences if anything happens!”
The maids exchanged glances, readied themselves and were about to move forward, when they heard a chill voice: “Oh? Tell me how you are going to bear it?”
Then, to everyone's horror, the “corpse” of the second young lady slowly stood up. There were traces of fresh blood on her forehead, her face was pale, and her black hair was messy. She stepped forward in her white dress, like a ghost.
For a moment, Qin Ziling and the group of maids were so frightened that their legs trembled, and they were left standing stiffly, not daring to move.
“Tsk, tsk.” The second young lady had a scornful smile on her face: “Qin Ziling? I’ll remember today’s account.”
"You, you, you!" Qin Ziling's eyes widened in fear, looking at the Second Miss's face getting closer, and she passed out from the sheer horror.
Seeing that the most favored Third Miss in the manor had fainted, fear was disregarded. Several quick-thinking servants swiftly helped Qin Ziling up and hurriedly fled.
The Second Miss coldly swept her eyes over everyone present. At this moment, a little maid clad in coarse linen from afar was panting heavily as she ran toward the Second Miss.
"Miss, what happened to you again? Who has bullied you?" The little maid produced a plain kerchief from her bosom and carefully wiped the blood trace on the Second Miss's forehead; she asked anxiously.
The Second Miss merely shook her head lightly, carefully examining the pretty-looking maid in front of her. She had her hair done up in two small buns, and two shallow dimples made her look exceptionally cute. Even her otherwise ordinary face was endearing.
"Are you, Willow Leaf?" The second miss's eyes flashed as she probed.
Upon hearing this, Willow Leaf excitedly grabbed the Second Miss's hand. "Miss, you recognize this servant! You recognize this servant!"
The Second Miss subtly freed her hand from Willow Leaf’s grasp and gave her a glance in the direction of the crowd, who nodded knowingly and immediately began to berate all the maids standing not too far away. “You blind bunch, who has bullied my lady? Step forward! See if I don’t skin her alive. Those who have nothing to do with this beat it! If I see any of you again, I will hit you each time I see you!”
As soon as Willow Leaf finished, there was a scatter, and in a blink of an eye, an open space opened up for them.
The Second Miss followed Willow Leaf through a long corridor, past several exquisite courtyards, and finally arrived at a thatched hut in the most remote corner of the residence.
There was a wooden bucket in the middle of the hut, half-filled with water.
The Second Miss laughed somewhat helplessly. It seemed like this was the epitome of "It never rains but it pours," wasn't it?