It was the height of the Great Cold in the capital city of Jinglin, within the Dongdu Dynasty.
The Yongan Marquis Manor was festooned with colorful ribbons and lanterns, and red lanterns pasted with golden paper hung brightly at the main entrance.
A commotion arose outside Tingyu Pavilion in the West Courtyard.
An elderly nanny dressed in silver-grey cloth and wearing a jade hairpin, flanked by two maidservants in blue tunics with double-looped buns, blocked the path of a plainly dressed young lady.
"Eldest Miss, how dare you steal the Silver Frost Charcoal from the woodshed!"
Shen Qing vaguely remembered that this incident had occurred a little over half a month after her return to the manor—the very event that made every step of her future life so perilous.
"We did nothing of the sort!" Her personal maid, Qing'er, cried, her eyes red as she desperately shielded a basket of charcoal in front of her.
"Still trying to talk back! Do you know that this Silver Frost Charcoal was specially bestowed upon the Old Madame by the palace? It is no wonder the Eldest Miss spent so much time away in the wild countryside of Nanye—you have picked up such filthy, underhanded tricks."
Nanny Li spat as she scolded, then reached out with rough, strong hands to give Qing'er's arm a hard pinch.
Shen Qing wiped the spittle from her face and pulled Qing'er back behind her. The moment their fingertips brushed, she couldn't help but flinch.
It hurt so much.
"Nanny Li, where is your proof?"
Enduring the pain, Qing'er retreated behind Shen Qing and mumbled in a low voice, "Miss... the storeroom hasn't sent any charcoal for three days..."
Shen Qing remembered that when she had just returned to the Marquis Manor, she had no backing, was estranged from everyone in the household, and every step was fraught with difficulty.
Her own Star and Moon Pavilion had long since been seized by Shen Ying'er, the daughter born of her stepmother, Madam Feng. Under the pretext that there were no vacant rooms in the manor, Madam Feng had hastily relegated her to the smallest and most remote Tingyu Pavilion.
In her past life, Shen Qing had wished to avoid trouble, believing that having any shelter at all was enough, and so she had chosen not to contend or argue.
The Great Cold had just passed, and the manor's handymen and stewards were all Madam Feng's subordinates. They held no goodwill toward her, issuing her only the lowest-grade coal, which was frequently in short supply.
Not only did that coal produce a choking smoke when burned, but it would also die out before the room could even grow warm.
Today, for reasons unknown, two baskets of life-saving charcoal had suddenly appeared outside the doors of Tingyu Pavilion. In her past life, Shen Qing hadn't given it much thought, only to be caught by Madam Feng and branded with the vicious charge of charcoal theft!
As punishment, her monthly allowance was revoked, her charcoal supply was cut off, and she contracted a chill that resulted in a persistent high fever, aggravating the arrow wound she had managed to heal back in Jiangnan.
Fortunately, the grandmother had discovered it before the New Year, barely managing to pull her back from the ghost gate, though her body grew increasingly frail and her constitution worsened day by day.
Shen Qing was deeply grateful to her grandmother; she was the only person in this entire manor who still cared about her.
Looking back now, it was all a scheme orchestrated by Madam Feng!
Her voice was heard before she even came into view: "What kind of decorum is it for a proper young lady of the Marquis Manor to stand here brawling with servants?"
Oh, wonderful. First, she slapped Shen Qing with the crime of lacking propriety.
A glossy, snow-white mink coat came into view. Madam Feng was just as Shen Qing remembered her—luxurious and dazzling, always maintaining an air of dignity and virtue.
At the sight of Madam Feng, Shen Qing offered a slight curtsy to prevent her from inventing yet another charge of bad manners.
"Nanny Li, what is the meaning of this?"
Stepping forward, Nanny Li hurriedly reported:
"Reporting to the Madam, as I was passing by Tingyu Pavilion just now, I saw the Eldest Miss and her maid acting suspiciously at the door. When I drew closer, I discovered they had actually stolen the Old Madame's Silver Frost Charcoal!"
Seeing Shen Qing curtsy so obediently, the fury on Nanny Li's face subsided by half.
Yet, lifting her chin immediately after, she began to scold anew: "Shen Qing, even if you have achievements to your name, you cannot afford to be this arrogant and spoiled, showing complete disregard for household rules! To dare steal charcoal! Where will we save face for the Yongan Marquis Manor if word of this gets out?"
"This Silver Frost Charcoal was specially issued by the court for the Old Madame's use, yet you dared to covet it!"
"First Madam, we didn't steal this charcoal..."
Grievance welled up in Shen Qing's personal maid, Qing'er, tears threatening to spill as she tried to argue on her young lady's behalf.
"Hold your tongue, you base maid lacking all sense of superiors and inferiors. You truly deserve punishment!" Madam Feng flicked her sleeve and glanced sidelong at Shen Qing, her tone heavy with pointed insinuation.
This Shen Qing was just like her mother—a cheap piece of trash, simply an eyesore!
"You didn't steal it? With both the thief and the stolen goods caught red-handed, you still dare to argue! There can be no compass or square without rules and circles. Since I am managing the household affairs now, things must be done strictly by the rules! I hereby sentence the Eldest Miss to confine herself in Tingyu Pavilion to reflect on her faults, and her monthly allowance and charcoal supply for this month are forfeited!"
Shen Qing let out a cold laugh. What a fine scheme!
With the festive season here, there were numerous banquets in the palace and formal receptions. By using this pretext to place her under house arrest, wasn't Madam Feng simply clearing the path for herself and her precious daughter?
Basking in reflected glory, Nanny Li exchanged a knowing look with the two burly maidservants beside her, intending to haul away the basket of charcoal next to Shen Qing.
Before leaving, she cast a vicious glare at Shen Qing and hissed under her breath, "Do you really think you're still the legitimate young lady you used to be? The tides in this manor have turned over the past three years!"
Catching sight of Shen Qing's face—which bore an uncanny resemblance to her mother's—Madam Feng could not help the triumphant curl of her lips.
Hmph, just like her mother, weak and an eyesore! In the end, hadn't she been kicked off her pedestal and tormented to death?
Shen Qing stood in the biting wind, her hands clenched into fists so tight that her fingernails bit deeply into her palms, yet she felt not a shred of pain.
Her gaze was as cold and piercing as ice, seeming to slice straight through Madam Feng's hypocritical smile.
Since the Madam wished to use such base tactics to suppress her, she knew that in the current situation, only her grandmother could help her.
Although she had not seen her grandmother for many years and they lacked the warmth of her early childhood, the Old Madame was still known as an impartial person who would never show blind favoritism!
"Madam, since you claim I stole this Silver Frost Charcoal, we might as well ask Grandmother to come and judge the matter."
Shen Qing raised her head, her voice cold and clear, her eyes utterly devoid of fear.
Hearing this, Madam Feng furrowed her brow slightly, a faint unease stirring in her heart.
She had not expected Shen Qing to dare invoke the Old Madame to suppress her. The Old Madame always valued rules above all else; if she learned of this incident, it would likely turn out disadvantageous for her.
"Such a trivial matter—why disturb the Old Madame?"
"Trivial?" Shen Qing let out a cold chuckle.
"Madam, this Silver Frost Charcoal was specially issued by the court for Grandmother's use. If someone has stolen it, wouldn't that show utmost disrespect to the imperial court, and utmost disrespect to Grandmother? How can such a major matter be decided without asking Grandmother to rule on it?"
Madam Feng's expression shifted, and she opened her mouth to retort, but saw that Shen Qing had already turned to Qing'er and commanded, "Qing'er, go quickly and invite Grandmother here. Tell her I have an important matter to report."
At these words, Qing'er nodded immediately, spun around, and hurried away.
Seeing this, the First Madam panicked inwardly.
She rushed forward, attempting to intercept Qing'er, but Shen Qing blocked her path.
"Madam, what are you doing?" Shen Qing asked, looking at her coldly with a flash of mockery in her eyes. "Could it be that you do not wish for Grandmother to know the truth?"
Madam Feng froze. She had never imagined that the usually timid and easily bullied Shen Qing would actually have the nerve to block her.
Harboring a spike of dark resentment and anger, she said, "Qing'er, what do you mean by this? I am merely concerned about tiring the Old Madame; why must we trouble her elderly self over such a trifling affair?"
Shen Qing smiled faintly, a trace of sarcasm lacing her tone:
"Madam, you keep calling this a trifle, but if word of this gets out, the reputation of the Marquis Manor will be ruined. Grandmother has always prized rules most of all; if she learns that someone dared to steal imperial-bestowed Silver Frost Charcoal right under her nose, I fear she will not let the matter rest easily."
"You..."