"Qiurong!"
Chen Wenjin, hearing this act of gross disrespect, felt her breath hitch in terror. In the Anyuan Kingdom, filial piety was paramount; one’s body and hair were gifts from one's parents. If a child dared to speak of severing such ties, the law would not intervene even if the parents beat the child to death.
Qingzhi was even more terrified, her face turning deathly pale. Fearing that the Pingding Marquis would vent his anger on Gu Qiurong and make her life in the estate unbearable, she knelt down hurriedly. "Marquis! It is not that my young lady refuses to stand straight, but... but the bones in her back were broken. Now, if she stands for too long, it causes her unbearable, agonizing pain. Please, do not blame her. My young lady meant no disrespect!"
At these words, everyone in the main hall froze.
"What did you say?"
The Pingding Marquis was stunned. He had always assumed that even if Gu Qiurong were imprisoned, she remained of his own blood; surely, no one in the imperial prison would dare to treat her so cruelly?
"If you do not believe me, Marquis, you may have someone examine the injuries on my young lady's back. The boards they used were wider than her waist. Each blow struck her back so violently that she vomited blood on the spot..."
"Qingzhi." Gu Qiurong let out a soft breath. She steadied herself against Qingzhi and stood up. "What is the use of telling the Marquis? Do you think he would... kill a prison guard for a daughter as shameful as me?"
Everything happening now was identical to her dream. It seemed the dream had been a premonition. If she did not change her path, her end would surely be exactly as she had seen.
As she finished, Gu Qiurong lowered her lashes. Her eyes grew red, and a mist of tears began to swirl within them. Tears were worthless things, yet they were effective weapons. The Pingding Marquis cared most about his reputation; his face was everything. To have his own blood bullied in prison was an insult to him.
Just as she had anticipated, the Marquis roared, "Is that how you perceive me? You are of my blood! If those guards dared to lay a hand on you like that, they clearly hold me in no regard! Steward, go and investigate. Find out which guard did this and bring him back for questioning!"
Gu Qiurong’s dark lashes fluttered twice. Her face remained deathly pale, but as she heard the Marquis, a faint, fleeting glimmer touched the depths of her eyes.
Gu Lingwei, hearing this, stepped forward to intervene. "Father! The imperial prison is overseen by the Crown Prince. If you drag a guard out for interrogation, you might offend His Highness."
She coughed several times as she spoke. A maidservant immediately stepped forward to support her, worriedly asking, "Young lady, are you alright? Has your old ailment flared up again?"
The mention of an "old ailment" instantly pulled the Marquis’s attention away. He recalled the reason Gu Qiurong had been sent to prison in the first place—everything was her own doing. She had hired someone to commit murder, leaving Gu Lingwei in a coma for seven days, hovering between life and death. Now, after suffering a bit in prison, she had the gall to play the victim? She deserved a hard lesson so she would never again dare to strike such cruel blows against Lingwei!
Remembering how Gu Lingwei had once been on the brink of death, the Marquis felt a complex mix of emotions. "Lingwei, Father knows you were wronged back then. Qiurong has been in prison for three years; she has already paid the price for her actions. Do not hold it against her."
Gu Lingwei coughed weakly again. She had been the apple of the estate’s eye since childhood, once proud and willful, but after learning her true identity, she had slowly retracted her edge, becoming obedient and quiet. The more submissive she became, the more the household pitied her for her maturity and the wrongs she had endured.
"How could I blame you, Father? I am not of the Marquis's blood by birth. That you are willing to keep me in the estate is the greatest blessing of my life! As for the past, I do not blame my sister. She has suffered so much all these years; I have always owed her. If it were possible, I would rather I had been the one to die in that accident back then, if only to make up for what she has endured..."
"Enough!" Hearing Gu Lingwei speak this way filled the Marquis with regret. If only Lingwei were truly his own flesh and blood! "Do not say such nonsense. You were just as innocent when the identities were swapped!"
Gu Lingwei’s eyes turned slightly red, the gloom in her expression finally easing. "Thank you, Father. To have your love is a blessing for me."
Gu Qiurong watched the scene of fatherly kindness and filial piety with cold eyes. A dark spark passed through her pupils.
"Qingzhi, hold me."
Gu Qiurong whispered in a tiny, breathless voice, and then, as if weightless, she collapsed into her arms.
Her sudden fainting left everyone in the hall in a momentary stupor. Chen Wenjin was the first to react, calling out anxiously, "Quick, call the estate physician!"
Seeing this, Gu Lingwei’s brow furrowed tightly. *After three years in prison, she’s actually learned to play the fragile victim? She wants to steal the attention of Mother, Father, and the others? She won't succeed!* She hadn't expected Gu Qiurong to be so resilient that even three years in the imperial prison hadn't killed her.
***
In Rongan Courtyard, the physician finished checking Gu Qiurong’s pulse and shook his head as he stepped out.
Chen Wenjin, burning with anxiety, rushed forward. "What exactly happened? Why did she faint?"
The physician sighed heavily. "The Fifth Young Lady’s constitution is severely damaged."
The Marquis’s expression darkened. "How is that possible? She is of my blood! Did those people in the imperial prison not know who they were dealing with? I only meant for them to teach her a lesson, not to seriously harm her!"
The physician sighed again. "Marquis, you know my medical skill. I can tell the state of her body just by touching her pulse. She was treated too harshly. Even a strong man would be half-dead after such treatment in that prison, let alone the Fifth Young Lady..."
Before being reclaimed by the estate, Gu Qiurong had been nothing more than a foot-washing servant. Her only duty was to serve her masters, and being well-fed or healthy had been a luxury. Her body, already fragile, had been subjected to the horrors of the prison; it was a miracle she was still alive.
After the physician finished, the Marquis’s eyes trembled. Chen Wenjin went black in the face and nearly fainted herself. Her daughter—the daughter she had carried for ten months—had been tortured like this... How could she accept it?
"Rongrong may have made mistakes before, but that was because she grew up without guidance and suffered greatly! You threw her into prison without a care, and now that she’s been worn down to this, how can you, as her father, be so cold and heartless!" Chen Wenjin sobbed, pounding her fists against the Marquis's chest.
Having recovered from his shock, the Marquis roared, "I will investigate this right now! I want to see which bold fool dared to treat her so cruelly!" He then added, "If she hadn't struck Lingwei so viciously back then, I wouldn't have been so enraged as to send her to prison... Now that she is back, we will guide her properly. As long as she never hurts Lingwei again, I, as her father, will surely make it up to her."
Chen Wenjin could only weep in silence.
When Gu Qiurong woke, only Qingzhi was by her side, wiping the traces of tears from the corners of her eyes with a damp cloth.
"Young lady, you were crying in your sleep. I was just wiping them away for you..."
"Qingzhi, where are they?"
"The Marquis is occupied with official business. Mammy Li said the Marquise has gone to invite the imperial physicians from the palace to properly restore your health." Qingzhi’s eyes were full of hope. "Young lady, I think the Marquis and the Marquise truly do love you. They were just deceived by the Fourth Young Lady, which led them to misunderstand you."