No matter what Deng Yi said, Deng Youning treated it all as nothing more than the barking of a mad dog.
Her gaze shifted back to Yulian. "Did you hear what the young master said? If you hand over the antidote voluntarily, no harm will come to you. But if I have to find it myself, you will be branded as a servant who murdered her master and beaten to death!"
Her expression was indifferent, her tone calm, as if she were merely asking Yulian for her opinion. Yet, the subtle air of authority she exuded left Yulian with no choice. The eldest miss had told her that this newly returned second miss was just a wild girl raised in the mountains. Why, then, did she radiate such an irresistible aura, as if she were born with a nobility that could not be transgressed?
Deng Youning’s presence left even the three members of the Deng family bewildered. For a moment, they were all stunned into silence.
"This servant deserves to die. I will go get the medicine at once." Yulian did not want to betray the eldest miss, but she felt that if she didn’t listen to the second miss, she would die right here and now!
Soon, she returned with a small porcelain bottle. After Deng Youning confirmed it was indeed the antidote for the Turtle Breathing Pill, she administered it to Deng Xuelian. The effect was immediate; Deng Xuelian coughed a few times and slowly opened her eyes.
Deng Youning tactfully stepped aside, leaving the family of four to their reunion.
"Grandmother." She reached out to support Han Qiongyue, meeting her eyes. "Since she is awake, we should head back."
Han Qiongyue had always felt a distant connection to the Deng family, and after witnessing Deng Xuelian’s attempted suicide today, she saw these fools for exactly what they were. Fortunately, she had never handed over her Huayan Women's Army to be integrated into the Deng Family Army under Deng Zheng’s command. And fortunately, she had saved a large sum of money, never intending to rely on that useless son and his crooked wife for her old age. But her heart ached for her Ningning. With parents and a brother like this, who would take care of Ningning once she was gone?
Deng Xuelian, having just regained consciousness, clung to Lady Gu, weeping while casting vicious glares at the backs of Deng Youning and Han Qiongyue as they departed. The needles Deng Youning had used on her still stung. Why was her martial arts still intact? This didn't match anything she had seen in her dreams! And how did she know she had taken the Turtle Breathing Pill? Why was she so certain that Yulian would have the antidote?
Deng Xuelian couldn't figure it out. But right now, there were more pressing matters to address. She had to give the Deng family a reasonable explanation for her suicide attempt.
"Lian'er, my dear Lian'er, why are you so foolish? Why would you want to throw your life away?" Lady Gu held her daughter, weeping bitterly. Deng Yi’s heart felt as if it were being shredded by a knife.
Deng Zheng, the only one who still possessed a shred of rationality, asked with concern, "Lian'er, Ningning’s implication was that this servant poisoned you. Do you need Father to lock her up and interrogate her?" He was still counting on Deng Xuelian to become the Crown Prince’s consort; he could not have her reputation tainted by unscrupulous servants.
Yulian, still kneeling, dared not look up. Deng Xuelian hurriedly refused, "Father, please don't. Yulian has grown up with me; she would never do anything to harm me. It was just my own carelessness—I accidentally ate something wrong. See? I’m perfectly fine now."
She couldn't let Yulian be taken away. Yulian knew too many of her secrets; only by keeping her close could she feel at ease.
"Father, Mother, Brother, Lian'er is really fine now. It’s all thanks to little sister Ningning. Now that she is back in the estate, it is only right that I, a daughter of a concubine, yield my place to her. Once I recover, I shall go to the countryside estate. I promise I won’t be an eyesore to my sister."
At this, Deng Xuelian began to sob again. She was a master of playing the delicate white lotus, always weeping like a flower in the rain. A hothead like Deng Yi could never sit still after seeing that. The small sliver of favor he had felt for Deng Youning for saving Deng Xuelian evaporated in the face of these few words.
"Lian'er, don't be afraid. I, Deng Yi, only have one sister in this life, and that is you. If she, Deng Youning, dares to trouble you again, I will stand up for you. I will never let her get away with it!" Deng Yi promised, patting his chest.
Lady Gu knew her precious Lian'er had been wronged. She gripped Deng Xuelian’s hands tightly, pained. "Good girl, the State Protector Estate is your home. You live here with peace of mind. As long as your father, mother, and brother are here, no one can drive you away."
Deng Zheng chimed in as well, "That’s right. You’ve just returned from the gates of death; nothing is more important than your recovery. If you lack anything or want anything, just tell your father."
At this, Deng Zheng suddenly remembered something. "I hear the visiting Prince of Nanxin has brought many treasures found only in Nanxin. I shall go to the Emperor and request a few trinkets for you."
As the apple of the State Protector Estate's eye, what treasures had Deng Xuelian not seen? She treated rare gems from across the world as mere toys.
"Thank you, Father. Lian'er knew that Father, Mother, and Brother love me the most." Like a kitten, she nuzzled into Lady Gu’s embrace, soft and endearing.
After this incident, their affection for Deng Xuelian only grew deeper. They knew she was an orphan, and if they didn't support, care for, and love her, how would she survive?
*
Deng Youning returned to Fushou Hall with Han Qiongyue. Han Qiongyue had been quite angry, so Deng Youning, fearing she would become unwell from the stress, ordered Mammy Dou to brew some chrysanthemum tea.
Han Qiongyue sipped her tea, sitting on the luohan bed and sighing heavily. Thinking of how Deng Zheng had questioned her earlier, she felt deeply heartbroken. If she felt this way, how must Ningning, who had just returned, be feeling?
"Ningning, come here." Seeing Deng Youning standing to the side, Han Qiongyue gestured for her to sit nearby. "Grandmother asks you: did the attitude of your parents and brother toward you just now make you feel resentful?"
Hearing this, Deng Youning clenched her fists tightly. She wanted nothing more than to wipe their entire family off the face of the earth; resentful? After what they had done to her in her past life?
"No." She smoothed the murderous intent from her face, replacing it with a gentle, smiling mask. Having been through a past life, her heart had long since severed all ties to sentimentality.
"Granddaughter understands. Even with blood ties, I haven't grown up by their side for so many years. It is normal that they cannot accept me for the time being. I’m a person who looks at the bigger picture; otherwise, I would have died in the Ten Thousand Serpents Valley long ago. Just like the thousand taels of silver I asked for—I know that Father, Mother, and Brother can only hold one daughter and one sister in their hearts. If they cannot give me love, then a little material compensation will do."
Deng Youning already had a plan for that thousand taels. According to her memories of the past life, she wanted to go into business. Before long, the Silver Dragon Guard would be raiding the homes of corrupt officials, and she intended to seize the opportunity to buy their shops and business stakes. She remembered that the business of the Li Family of the Great Northern General was the most prosperous. Because they were affiliated with the Mu Clan of Qingzhou—the wealthiest of all—if she could piggyback on the Mu clan, she would surely profit handsomely. That would be enough for her and her grandmother to live comfortably.
Seeing her lost in thought, Han Qiongyue felt more and more that this girl was shrewd! She would never let herself be taken advantage of.
"Grandmother isn't angry that Ningning haggled with them just now?" Deng Youning had been slightly afraid that her grandmother would dislike her for being petty and calculating when she bet against the Deng family for the silver.
"Hmph. A biological daughter returns home, and they didn't even prepare a single gift. Do they have no shame?" Han Qiongyue was not one to indulge them; she wished she could have scolded those unfilial descendants to their faces. "I shall just consider that thousand taels to be the welcome gift they owed you."