There are no walls without cracks, and the scandal involving Deng Youning and Deng Yi had caused such a stir that it was impossible to keep it quiet. No sooner had she and Yingshi finished the breakfast they had brought back than Mammy Dou arrived to summon Deng Youning to Fushou Hall.
By the time Deng Youning arrived, Deng Yi was already kneeling by the doorway in punishment. It was common knowledge that Deng Yi had started the trouble that morning; a simple inquiry with the kitchen staff would reveal the truth of the matter.
Han Qiongyue sat with her hand against her forehead, weary to the bone. She knew her grandson was not a petty man, but she could not fathom why he could not even tolerate his own sister.
"Greetings, Grandmother. May you be blessed with peace," Deng Youning said.
Only then did Han Qiongyue look up. Seeing Deng Youning’s composed expression, she let out a sigh of relief. This child possessed a maturity far beyond her years. Even Han Qiongyue felt she could not have maintained such a calm, detached demeanor as if nothing had happened.
"Your brother went too far; I have already reprimanded him for you," Han Qiongyue said, taking Deng Youning’s hand and promising, "He will never behave like that again."
Since her return yesterday, she knew her granddaughter had suffered too many grievances, yet the girl had not uttered a single word of complaint. If Deng Youning had even frowned or expressed a sliver of dissatisfaction, perhaps her own heart wouldn't ache so much. It was precisely because the girl was so strong, enduring pain in ways no ordinary person could, that it hurt Han Qiongyue all the more. She dared not imagine how much her Ningning had suffered from childhood to adulthood, to the point where such harsh treatment was dismissed as nothing.
"Grandmother, would it be alright if I joined you for all three meals here at Fushou Hall from now on?" Deng Youning asked. "It’s livelier to eat with others, and the food tastes better."
Deng Youning had been considering this already. She was currently studying the Gu Poison Arts, and if Deng Xuelian were truly plotting to poison their grandmother, she could better watch over things if she were dining with her.
Han Qiongyue beamed with delight. Her own granddaughter was the most filial, after all! "Of course. Every day, just tell Mammy Dou what you’d like to eat, and she can relay it to the kitchen. I promise to fatten you up!"
She stroked the girl’s thin, bony arm, unable to hide her heartache. It was one thing to go hungry back in the Ten Thousand Serpents Valley, but now that she was home, there was no reason for her to starve.
"Thank you, Grandmother. Perhaps the kitchen could make a pot of mung bean, lotus seed, and lily porridge later? These are cooling ingredients. You have been worrying yourself sick over me lately, and I have been unfilial."
Thinking of her grandmother’s advanced age and how she had been angered to the point of vomiting blood just yesterday, Deng Youning felt a pang of guilt. Before she knew it, her voice began to choke up. Han Qiongyue could see the sincerity in her eyes and was deeply moved. Deng Xuelian, whom she had raised for sixteen years, and Deng Yi, for eighteen, did not compare to this granddaughter she had known for barely a month. It was her great fortune that such a wonderful child was her own flesh and blood.
Han Qiongyue wanted to cultivate Deng Youning into a woman of both culture and character. She gave her a calligraphy copybook and several primers for children, such as the *Thousand Character Classic* and the *Di Zi Gui*, instructing her to study them diligently in her own courtyard. In her previous life, Deng Youning had spent two years under this same tutelage. While she couldn't claim to be a literary prodigy, she had learned to read, write, and handle daily correspondence.
Setting aside the books her grandmother had given her, she picked up her manuals on the Gu Poison Arts and began her research. She had no time to venture out, so she had the secret guards from the Ten Thousand Serpents Valley purchase the necessary toxins and insects and have them delivered to her.
For the past few days, Han Qiongyue had been busy preparing for Deng Youning’s recognition banquet. Ordinarily, such trivial matters would fall to her daughter-in-law, Lady Gu, but she knew Lady Gu held no affection for Deng Youning and would certainly be perfunctory, perhaps even denying her the status and standards befitting a legitimate daughter. Thus, she had to handle everything herself.
Three days before the banquet, Deng Zheng used the credit he had earned from suppressing bandits to request a jade bracelet from the tribute brought by the envoys of Nanxin. When such treasures arrived at the Imperial Palace, the finest pieces were reserved for the Empress, Empress Dowager, consorts, princesses, and noble ladies, chosen according to their rank. Only after they had made their selections could officials like Deng Zheng have a chance.
He had his eye on a jade bracelet as clear and translucent as a lychee, with a speck of red agate in the center that looked like a plum blossom petal resting on snow—it was incredibly evocative. Just as he reached out to pick it up, a large, calloused hand snatched it first.
"I’ve been searching for half an hour. Only this Jingyue Nine Immortals Blood White Jade is worthy of her." Li Tianzhuo examined the bracelet, absolutely certain. He had to have his gift ready for Ningning’s recognition banquet. Seeing Deng Zheng out of the corner of his eye, he acted as if he hadn't noticed him, tucked the bracelet away, and strode off.
Deng Zheng hesitated for a moment, then called out to Li Tianzhuo just as the Commander was reaching the exit. "Commander Li, please stay a moment." He hurried over and offered a slight bow.
"Duke of Zhenguo? Do you have business with me?"
In his previous life, if not for Deng Zheng’s inaction and his willingness to listen to slander, his Ningning would never have suffered so much and met such a tragic end. Though Li Tianzhuo longed to kill the man, he could not act rashly until he understood what Deng Youning wanted.
"Regarding that bracelet, would you be willing to part with it?" Deng Zheng asked. "Consider it a favor owed to me. If you ever require a rare treasure or have any other needs, I will certainly do my utmost to assist you."
As a Duke, Deng Zheng was a rank higher than Li Tianzhuo. If it were anyone else, they would have likely yielded, as currying favor with a Duke was a rare opportunity. But Li Tianzhuo was responsible for overseeing all officials; besides the Emperor, no one’s face mattered to him. He chuckled, then asked with keen interest, "May I ask for whom the Duke intends this bracelet?"
Deng Zheng did not mince words: "Naturally, for my eldest daughter."
"I have long heard that the Duke of Zhenguo is a daughter-devotee who dotes on his child as if she were his own life," Li Tianzhuo said. "It seems the rumors in the streets are true!"
*Why must he be so partial?* Li Tianzhuo thought. *His own flesh and blood—why couldn't he spare even a shred of fatherly love for Ningning?*
"My daughter suffered from food poisoning a few days ago and nearly lost her life," Deng Zheng explained. "I only wanted to find a small token to bring back and cheer her up."
Li Tianzhuo let out a cold, mocking laugh at the explanation. There was never a share for Ningning among his gifts. Beneath his silver-trimmed sleeves, Li Tianzhuo’s fists clenched until they cracked. He forced back his rage, struggling to keep his face impassive.
"Oh, so the eldest daughter gets sick and needs a gift to be coaxed," Li Tianzhuo said, his voice dripping with venom. "I wonder, what about your younger daughter, whom you abandoned in a foreign land for sixteen years without a single inquiry? Now that she has finally returned home, has she received a welcoming gift?"
The question turned Deng Zheng’s face ash-white. It struck a nerve, leaving him feeling deeply guilty; beads of sweat began to form on his forehead. But then he remembered that unruly girl who had caused nothing but trouble since her return—and who had even swindled him out of a thousand taels of silver just days ago—and his guilt evaporated. He straightened his back. "That goes without saying! I gave her a thousand taels!"
Li Tianzhuo, who had been keeping people stationed to watch the Duke’s Mansion, knew perfectly well that the thousand taels were earned by Deng Youning through her own efforts. But he could not expose Deng Zheng.
"Oh, I see," Li Tianzhuo replied. "Well, the welcoming gift is accounted for. I wonder, what will you be presenting as the 'recognition gift' at the banquet in three days?"